“Estrogen is not just about reproductive health. It’s about life itself. And it’s about metabolism,” says Felice Gersh, M.D., who is the Medical Director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine Consultative Faculty. She was one of the expert speakers at the American Association of Anti-Aging Medicine’s (A4M) 26th World Congress, which was held in Las Vegas last December. The FoodTrients team and I attended the three-day event, which was loaded with speakers, workshops and exhibits presenting clinical education and advances in the most recent research and practices as they relate to wellness and aging. Many of the sessions were […]
Cutting back on carbohydrate-dense foods may help control blood sugar and weight. This seven-day
On those days when you are procrastinating by doing things like alphabetizing your spice rack, I’ll bet almost anything that you don’t have (and have probably never heard of, much less used) an herb called, fenugreek. Sometimes known as “Greek hay,” fenugreek is actually a member of the pea family. It’s grown mostly in the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East and India. Its seeds and leaves have been used all around the world for hundreds, if not thousands of years for medicinal purposes. Both are also dried and ground for use as recipe ingredients for cooking. Fenugreek’s flavor is […]
Bone health is an under-appreciated aspect of beauty, longevity and living a vibrant life. Often, adults aren’t tested for bone density until they’re at an older age when the state of our bones should be top of mind early on. Bone loss including osteoporosis affects men and women and leads to fractures and other health problems. Foods that contain certain minerals including calcium, magnesium and vitamins D and K have proven critical for optimizing bone health long-term which is why these foods top the list of 50 foods critical for bone health. This is an important focus starting…now! 1. […]
You may have a nutritional and culinary gift growing in your garden right now; dill weed. Dill (anethum graveolens) can be used beyond flavoring pickles, a common preparation. This herb is used in cuisines around the world and also has some fascinating potential health benefits when used medicinally. Native to the Mediterranean and Russia, dill seeds and leaves are used as a spice to flavor foods. Used in traditional medicine, dill is known for calming the digestive tract and has been used since ancient times. It is especially popular in Ayurvedic medicine of India. Medicinally, dill is used to treat: […]
Obesity, autism, mental health problems, IBS, allergies, auto-immunity, cancer — Does the answer to the modern epidemic of ‘Western’ diseases lie in our gut? According to author and biologist Alanna Collen, you are only 10% human. For every one of your cells, there are nine impostors hitching a ride. You are not just flesh and bone, but also bacteria and fungi. And you are more ‘them’ than you are ‘you.’ Your gut alone hosts 100 trillion of them and until recently we thought that our microbes didn’t matter. This is all set to change as the latest scientific research tells […]
When it comes to age, most everyone desires to hit triple digits — 100 and more. Who wouldn’t want to join the centenarian club? Luckily for seniors living in the 21st century, it’s now easier for you to reach your 100th birthday today than ever before — if you take care of your health and follow experts’ advice. According to Science magazine, with the currently expanding life spans of modern man, all it would take for the average life span to reach 99 years is the elimination of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Dr. Chris Matsko, coauthor of How to Live […]
Q: With every change of seasons, the skin on my hands and around my nails gets really dry and cracks. It’s so painful. What can I do to prevent this? “Changes of season can bring about a lot of skin changes,” says Dr. Caroline A. Chang of Dermatology Professionals in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Temperatures rise or drop, and the air’s moisture content may change drastically. Irritants in the air can also cause skin dryness. Research published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, for instance, shows that pollen may provoke both contact and atopic dermatitis. If you know which seasons […]
While you may think of prescription medications as being created by scientists in a lab, the truth is that many drugs started as natural products. These plant-derived compounds are refined, isolated, and replicated in a lab where they become the common medications you’re familiar with. Many natural products can still offer health-promoting support and have powerful effects, just like medications. Keep in mind that you’ll need to work with your doctor on this for safety but here are some examples of natural counterparts to pharmaceutical drugs you may already be using. 1. PHARMACEUTICAL DRUG: IBUPROFEN Ibuprofen is one type of […]
Have you ever heard of the medicinal moringa tree? Though not many people in the U.S. consume the leaves of this plant, lots of people around the world include its leaves as part of their regular diet. Those familiar with traditional herbal or Ayurvedic medicine may have worked with the extracts of this plant native to the Himalayas as it has been used for hundreds of years for health purposes. Moringa grows throughout the middle-east, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa as well and has been used for years as a treatment for a number of diseases from anemia, arthritis […]