Milk thistle, a liver cleansing herb, was so important to early American settlers that colonists brought it over from Europe as part of their traditional medicine supply. Milk thistle grows throughout the world – in Africa, Australia, Asia, the U.S. and South America. The mature plant boasts identifiable bright purple flowers. Milk thistle is also commonly called silymarin because of the health-promoting antioxidants, particularly silybin. It really is a tonic for the liver and is used to treat toxic liver damage caused by alcohol, chemicals and even chemotherapy. It has been used in ancient medicine and among herbalists to treat […]
Imagine waking up feeling refreshed, strong, and vibrant, with your hormones in balance and your body nourished, stable, and supported on both the emotional and physical levels. For the millions who are grappling with rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, inflammatory bowel disease, type one diabetes, and numerous other autoimmune conditions, this vision seems so distant from the daily reality that it seems an impossibility. In spite of increasing knowledge and awareness, the causes and effects of autoimmune conditions are often misunderstood, and the connection between inner well-being and physical health is not fully explored. As an acupuncturist and herbalist with over […]
Sugary drinks cause worse health outcomes than other foods that naturally contain sugar, a new study says. The findings, published this month in the British Medical Journal, found that sugars added to foods such as breakfast cereals, baked goods, sweets and desserts can create a negative affect on a person’s blood glucose and insulin, causing them to react as if they’ve ended a fast. “These findings might help guide recommendations on important food sources of fructose in the prevention and management of diabetes,” John Sievenpiper, the study’s lead author and a researcher in the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center of St. […]
Commonly known as a natural compound that may help treat diabetes, (see Foodtrients® article“Does Berberine Fight Diabetes” ) that’s not all berberine is known for. A bitter alkaloid compound found in several plants including barberry, goldenseal, and Oregon grape, it can also be important for enhancing the immune system during cold and flu season. Berberine also contains anti-bacterial properties and is often prescribed as a treatment for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). It has a long history of medicinal use in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. Medicidally, berberine is used for: Heart failure High cholesterol levels High blood pressure Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) […]
We wonder why we take the most significant of things for granted, and women’s health has been at the center of focus in this matter. With career transformations and attitudinal revolutions, women have progressed enough to take on many roles but have regressed in terms of health. We spoke to doctors to find out which tests are taken most for granted, despite being life-saving. Depression screening Depression is twice as common in women as in men, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). “The priority of a woman is her family, and now work, while health figures last. If there is a […]
For several years, the FoodTrients team attended the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) Annual World Congress in Las Vegas. And every year we found ourselves even more excited about the scientific and medical evidence presented there around food, fasting, and nutrients, and how we can live longer, healthier lives. On the opening day of that conference, an entire track of lectures on fasting followed the keynote address from Dr. Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California (USC) and author of The Longevity Diet, based on his ground-breaking research on a “fasting mimicking” diet. Dr. […]
You may not have heard of Alpha-Lipoic Acid – often shortened to ALA – but you’ve actually consumed it! Foods like spinach, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, beets, yeast and red meat all contain small amounts of this powerful antioxidant. The body also produces it internally because it is such an important scavenger of free radicals which can damage normal cells. It’s so powerful in fact that many people take it as a supplement to get access to more concentrated sources of this compound. With anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and antioxidant effects in addition to lowering oxidative stress in the cardiovascular system and supporting […]
LAS VEGAS ( January 23, 2019)–In December, the FoodTrients team and I were in Las Vegas to attend the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress (A4M). This is an intense three days of speakers, workshops and exhibits presenting clinical education and advances in the most recent research, studies and healthcare practices as they relate to wellness and aging successfully. Many of the sessions were geared toward medical professionals, but we were able to glean valuable information to share with you in lay-person terms. Dr. Peter Attia is a physician who began his medical career as a surgeon. His practice […]
Those who follow a Mediterranean diet have an increased quality of life with a lower mortality rate. The Mediterranean diet consists of a low intake of red meat and sweets with greater emphasis on fish, vegetables, mixed nuts, whole grains, wine (moderate consumption), and olive oil. Unrefined extra virgin olive oil, a chief component of the Mediterranean diet, has been given significant credit for the diet’s health-promoting ability, especially with its rich polyphenol content. Today, substantial new findings further validate extra virgin olive oil’s benefits for cardiovascular, bone, and brain health. Several of these studies were large-scale clinical trials on humans. One study in particular caught mainstream media attention. This study, […]
The subject of ginseng is a broad one. There are three main types: Panax (sometimes called Asian or Chinese