As a healthcare professional, I see doctors prescribe five, ten, even twenty medications to one patient without giving any nutritional advice. I’m not saying that food should replace all medicines, and you should check with your doctor to make sure that any medications you take are not counteracted by a particular food. However, I do think that the plate is the place to start for living a long and healthy life. For centuries, many cultures have used natural foods as their medicine chest. They understand that certain herbs and leaves offer curative powers. Hippocrates, a Greek physician who practiced medicine […]
I often have a discussion with my patients about the health of their colon. Why? Colon cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed
Many of my patients are age 60 and over and as such they have specific health issues. One of their concerns is the healthcare of their eyes and preserving their vision. Recently, I became aware of a study published in Ophthalmology Magazine that warned of people over 60 developing a vision-affecting disease called wet-type macular degeneration. The study found that people who regularly take aspirin for certain health issues had a doubled risk of developing blindness from wet-type ARMD (age-related macular degeneration). I’d like to share this warning with you as I have my own patients to hopefully prevent anyone from damaging their vision […]
On March 8–11, I attended the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California, to see what is trending in the health sector of the food, supplement, and
Many of my patients tell me that in an effort to eat a healthier diet they’ve given up their favorite Italian foods like pizza, lasagna,
One of my fondest memories as a young teenager were that of my grandparents coming to stay at our house every summer on one of their annual cross-country road trips from their home out west. It was the first time I had ever heard of Korean ginseng, or as its sometimes also called Korean Panax ginseng, an herb native to Korea and China. Every morning, my grandfather would ritually take his Korean ginseng capsules. He was 82 at the time and still in great physical shape, looking 2 decades younger and full of energy. My grandmother, age 78, also took the […]
In the last couple of months, several of my patients have asked me about using raspberries for weight loss. It’s true that ‘raspberry ketones’ has been a popular buzz phrase on television and the Internet as a substance that can, reportedly, actually force your fat cells to shrink and help you lose weight. Raspberries have always been considered a good addition to any weight loss program, as they are high in antioxidants, low in calories and sugar per 4 ounce serving. However, you’d have to eat about 90 lbs of them to get the concentration of raspberry ketones these products offer. After a […]
Our culture is finally starting to view the food that we eat as a potential medicine chest. Every day, scientists are discovering more and more that certain herbs, spices, and leaves offer curative powers that can help us overcome disease. Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph.D. has understood this concept since childhood. He was raised in India, a land devoted to the spice box. Indian cuisine often relies on 10–20 spices in just one recipe. “Spices originated in India, Indonesia, and other parts of south and southeast Asia,” says Aggarwal in his book Healing Spices. He goes on to say, “Sanskrit writings […]
Many of my patients are battling with weight issues and are always asking me how they can boost their metabolism so they can lose weight. They’re confused
Derived from the Greek word meaning royal, basil is a versatile herb that has lived up to its pedigree. With its wealth of nutrients, from hefty amounts of vitamin K and calcium, to its high antioxidant oils, basil offers an array of health-enhancing benefits ranging from protection against DNA damage to combating stress. In addition, the peppermint-like leaves of basil are loaded with beta-caryophyllene, an anti-inflammatory compound that may treat conditions such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. An abundance of evidence is emerging to support basil’s reputation as an herbal remedy for thousands of years, making this undervalued herb a formidable opponent against some […]