I still have t-shirts in a drawer somewhere from the 1980s: “Everything You Know is Wrong,” “They are LYING to You,” and “Question Authority.”
These came to mind when I see that everyone who fancies him or herself an “authority” on the deep-sea Gulf oil gusher–spokespeople from university medical schools, government agencies, and the oil industry itself–mainly trying to “reassure” us.
Second Opinions
A lot of my patients recently are relating stories of having surgery that I regard as unnecessary. More charitably, these are surgical procedures whose chance for producing symptom relief is iffy at best.
Most of my fellow internists do believe that too much surgery is being performed, and that the symptoms people are hoping surgery will cure can often be handled by lifestyle changes instead.
Posted 06/23/2009 Patients linked me to a couple of interesting articles last week, one from Newsweek (a magazine I thought no one read anymore) bashing the health advice given on Oprah’s TV show as harmful to your health because it was unscientific and unproven. The other, a thoughtful rebuttal by Dr. Deepak Chopra, was posted […]
The leaves and flowering tops of more than two dozen fragrant plant species are endowed with a distinctive mildly minty flavor widely recognized as the herb oregano. The most popular of the Origanum species in North America is Origanum vulgare, otherwise known as European oregano or origanum. It’s actually a member of the mint family (Labiatae).
Omega-6 fatty acids belong to a group of “good” fats called polyunsaturated fatty acids. Unlike such “bad” fats as cholesterol and saturated fatty acids (which contribute to the worsening of a host of ailments including heart disease and other degenerative conditions), omega-6s can actually be beneficial to your health.
Omega-6 fatty acids are one of two types of essential fatty acids (EFAs) that people need to consume to stay healthy. Omega-3s are the other. Both are considered “essential” because the body can’t produce them on its own; it can only get them through foods.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a form of polyunsaturated fats, one of four basic types of fat that the body derives from food. (Cholesterol, saturated fat, and monounsaturated fat are the others.) All polyunsaturated fats, including the omega-3s, are increasingly recognized as important to human health.
Eating too many foods rich in saturated fats has been associated with the development of degenerative diseases, including heart disease and even cancer. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, however, are actually good for you. Omega-3s (found primarily in cold-water fish) fall into this category, along with omega-6s, another type of polyunsaturated fatty acids found in grains, most plant-based oils, poultry, and eggs. (For more information, see our WholeHealth Chicago entry on Omega-6 Fatty Acids.)
Native to the warm Mediterranean regions, oats have been cultivated for thousands of years as a source of food and folk remedies. Today, the oat plant (Avena sativa) is most famous for the nutritious cereal grain that it provides–think morning oatmeal. However, the whole plant, referred to as oat straw, gathered when the grains are ripe, includes also the leaves, stems. The whole plant is then dried and chopped, and used in both internal and external forms by traditional herbalists. The grain itself, harvested in late summer, is milled to produce oatmeal and oat bran. Oatmeal, the ground grain, has a high silica content, and can be used externally for skin problems. Oat bran, produced from the coarse husks of the grain, is good at reducing cholesterol levels.
From generation to generation, the majestic oak tree has provided shade on sunny days, timber for furniture-makers and ship-builders, and even food in times of famine. Many Native American tribes relied on its acorns for nourishment.
Not surprisingly, medicinal uses for the oak tree have a long history as well. Of the hundreds of Quercus species found in the northern hemisphere, Quercus alba is most valued in North America for medicinal purposes. Europeans rely more heavily on Quercus robur and Q. petraea.
Sold in pharmacies and other drug outlets, colloidal oatmeal (Avena sativa) is not intended for a saucepan on the stove. Instead, this natural product is more suited to the water in the bathtub, where it helps soothe and soften dry skin and relieve itchy skin rashes.
Osteopathy is a holistic approach to the practice of medicine. It emphasizes that all systems of the body are interrelated and that any adverse changes in one part of the body may impair the functioning of other systems or organs.
A decade ago, most women had never heard of osteoporosis. Now, as the baby boomer generation approaches menopause and doctors have analyzed the statistics, articles about osteoporosis are appearing everywhere. Osteoporosis presents a health danger because as bones age they absorb less calcium. This leaves them thin and pitted, and more liable to fracture easily. With a third of all post-menopausal women suffering some degree of bone deterioration, this translates into a lot of hip, spine, and wrist fractures. Sadly, a third of all elderly women who suffer a hip fracture die within six months.
Click here for the Health Tip link. It comes with being a doctor, I suppose. I just can’t keep myself from reading about illnesses of the rich and famous. So when I saw Oprah’s name linked with the words “depressed,” “overweight,” and “thyroid,” I had to explore further. You can read about her major health […]
Click here for the original post. Personally, if it weren’t for cheese pizza, I’m for dropping dairy from our lives altogether. Cow’s milk is for nourishing calves, period. We’ve been sold an amazing bill of goods from the National Dairy Council, variations of (remember this?) “you’ll never outgrow your need for milk.” I clearly recall […]
Here’s a topic I suspect you’ll be reading more about during the next year. For some overweight people (though certainly not all), the villain is not overeating, or even eating the wrong foods, but rather certain bacteria or viruses in the intestines that change the way food is absorbed.
Ovarian cancer frightens women, and with good reason. More than 22,000 will be diagnosed with it this year–more than cancer of the uterus and cervix combined–and ultimately over 16,000 will die from it.
I know that a daily cup or two of tea–especially green tea–is astonishingly good for you. Unfortunately, I never developed a liking for the stuff, black or green. Probably this stems from when I had to drink black tea as a kid whenever I had a cold or the flu.