Monthly Archive: June 2011

Herb For Depression

Herb For Depression

For years Europeans have treated depression with a pill made from a wild plant called St. John’s Wort. In Germany, it’s as popular as Prozac. Now, for the first time, a major study is...

Angry Young Hearts

Angry Young Hearts

We all know that stress and anger can cause health problems in adults. A new study suggests kids who are hostile can develop health problems, too. Seven-year-old Jamal has a problem controlling his temper....

Benefits of Water

Benefits of Water

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “getting back to nature,” but have you ever considered there might be a healthy reason behind the phrase? Artist Clayton makes water fountains and finds the therapeutic effects of...

Ovarian Cysts

Ovarian Cysts

Not to be confused with the unruptured follicles that occur in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs that form in or one your ovaries and may be benign or malignant. For...

Coup Detox?

Coup Detox?

From the Master Cleanse to the Fruit Flush, advertised options for removing your body’s residue are endless. But are they legit… and what are the health concerns? The premise of detoxification advocates is that...

Bad Beauty Buys

Bad Beauty Buys

You can find lots of great beauty loot online, but you’ll also come across plenty of overblown or even bogus beauty claims and risky skin-care products. There’s also a lot of bad advice out...

What Is Inflammation

What Is Inflammation

What is “inflammation” and why is everyone so concerned about it? There are two kinds of inflammation: the kind that hurts and the kind that kills. Most of us are very familiar with the...

Foods That Protect

Foods That Protect

Let’s take a look at the defending characteristics of drinking green tea, snacking on dark chocolate and enjoying plenty of cruciferous vegetables. Does green tea have any effect against cancer? I drink two cups...

Skin Deep

Skin Deep

The sun combined with the natural aging process can leave lasting marks on your largest organ. Over time, cellular rejuvenation slows, the epidermis (outer skin layer) thins and roughens, and elasticity decreases — leading...

Osteoporosis and Bone Health

Osteoporosis and Bone Health

Imagine the internal structure of bone as being like the wood foundation of a house. The process of osteoporosis is similar to what happens during a termite infestation of a home’s foundation, whereby termites...

Nutrition and Overall Health

Nutrition and Overall Health

Researchers of nearly all chronic diseases have studied the role of nutrition (the term chronic is used to refer to diseases that often begin at a younger age and develop over time). Six of...

Watermelon – Perfect Summer Treat

Watermelon – Perfect Summer Treat

JUST AS ITS NAME suggests, watermelon is 92 percent water. It comes in red, pink, orange or yellow, some with oval black seeds (perfect for distance spitting), and some almost seedless. Watermelons can be...

Summer food safety: Get it to go

Summer food safety: Get it to go

DO YOU WORRY about egg salad going bad on hot days? Or how long fried chicken can survive out of the fridge? Now you can ask “Karen,” the virtual food safety representative on the...

Eye Injury Prevention Month

Eye Injury Prevention Month

IT’S EASY TO presume that most of the 2.5 million eye injuries occurring in the U.S. each year happen in the workplace, as a result of falls or flying objects or sparks striking the...

To Err Is Human

To Err Is Human

A grudge can cross more than your arms. Resentment has ill effects on your health, from causing depression to weakening your immune system. Recent studies even suggest that over time, cardiovascular health, chronic pain,...

Improve your sleep with simple bedroom fixes

Improve your sleep with simple bedroom fixes

Sleep troubles? You’re not alone: Up to 40 percent of Americans have difficulty sleeping. If you’re stuck in the bleary haze of sleep deprivation, your bedroom could be the source of your problem. Sleeping...

Nutrition and Weight

Nutrition and Weight

When you consume basically the same number of calories as you expend, your body weight remains relatively stable. If you want to gain or lose weight, you must manipulate this balance between calories consumed...

Micronutrients

Micronutrients

Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. Minerals and vitamins, although part of energy-yielding reactions in your body, cannot provide energy directly. Many have antioxidant, or cell-protecting, functions (e.g., vitamins A, C, and E; copper; iron;...

Inside Out, Outside In

Inside Out, Outside In

Sure a breath of fresh air invigorates and calms. But plenty of research suggests that nature’s lush gardens, golden rays, and cool breezes may have holistic healing powers. During Great Outdoors Month, help your...

Autoimmune Disorder

Autoimmune Disorder

Constant overstimulation of the immune system can also lead to an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system can mistake the tissues of the body for an invader. The white blood cells and T...

Our Internal Ecosystem

Our Internal Ecosystem

Our bodies are constructed from the products of our digestion – we literally are what we eat. With that in mind, think of the digestive tract as an entire ecosystem, a self-contained environment supporting...

Anatomy of the Mouth

Anatomy of the Mouth

Why is it so important to chew our food well? Chewing well mixes our food with saliva to begin digestion and makes it easier to swallow. Chemicals in our saliva (enzymes) start breaking down...

The Liver

The Liver

The liver is the Grand Central Station of our metabolism, handling an enormous amount of molecular traffic. The liver is the site of a huge variety of processing, whose vital roles include: Breaking down...

Nutritional Therapy

Nutritional Therapy

Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals are as individual as any other aspect of health and can be a major cause of illness. You may know, for example, that vitamin C deficiency can cause scurvy,...

Questions About Down Syndrome

Questions About Down Syndrome

A government recommendation to screen all unborn babies for Down syndrome may be overkill, according to a new study. The study, published in the current issue of British Medical Journal, shows the tests may...

Call It Intuition

Call It Intuition

“The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you, and you don’t how...

Estrogen for Turner Syndrome

Estrogen for Turner Syndrome

Women with Turner syndrome often have confusion about space and distance and learning disorders. Turner syndrome is a chromosomal disorder characterized by short stature, ovarian failure, and incomplete sexual development. Many women with this...