Most of us have experienced some degree of winter blues, and as many as 10 million Americans suffer a more severe form of the seasonal depression now known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The predominant theory as to the cause of SAD is absence of sunlight during the winter months, which causes hormonal imbalances, in...
Author: admin
Acne is a very common disease of the tiny fat glands at the base of hair follicles. The purpose of these follicular glands, most prevalent on the face, is to keep the skin moisturized. Common bacteria can irritate the hair follicles, which ultimately causes the fat gland to rupture and impact the pore. This can...
Vertigo is a feeling of spinning even though you are on solid ground. Sometimes the sensation is strong enough to cause nausea and loss of balance. It’s different from dizziness, which is more like feeling you’re going to faint. Vertigo may last for a few minutes, or hours, or even days. The first consideration with...
High-intensity ‘cool’ (blue) laser is being used increasingly to kill superficial bacterial infections. A company called Lumenis has a division of ‘aesthetic’ products including a high-intensity blue laser called “ClearLight” which dermatologists are using to kill the propionic and cornybacterium which are the primary cause of acne. The company claims there are no side effects...
A Reuter’s news item appeared mid April this year in time for some tax-season levity: Lizard saliva may save your brain! No kidding. Apparently, a New-York-based biotechnology company has decided that ingesting the drool of the scary-looking southwest desert Gila monster may free the mind from the grip of Alzheimer’s disease (proceedings from the 7th...
Diverticula are pouch-like projections from the inner wall of the large intestine. They are caused by slow-moving stools which increase pressure within the colon, requiring more vigorous muscular contraction (peristalsis) to expel fecal matter. Approximately 40% of people over age 40 have them, 60% over age 60 and 90% over age 90. They are more...
Tinnitus is not a disease, and is very rarely a symptom of a serious medical problem. But it can drive people crazy. Michelangelo wrote in his memoirs that he was “plagued by the incessant chirping of crickets.” It may also sound to the sufferer like buzzing, humming or even roaring — but no-one else can...
Clinical depression affects 15 million Americans yearly, and countless more suffer from milder versions of this illness. Antidepressants are among the most commonly prescribed drugs. By the end of 1995, 12 million people around the world (half in the U.S.) were taking Prozac, despite the high side-effect profile of this, and most other, antidepressant drugs,...
Despite its prevalence, constipation is often not understood, nor mentioned to doctors and thus may go untreated for years. While perhaps not the most scintillating topic for polite conversation with new friends, I personally, as a naturopathic physician and mom, am fascinated with digestive health and, well, poop. Constipation means all or any of the...
Foods that you can’t digest tend to linger in the colon. You may have heard the aphorism “You Are What You Eat.” That’s true, to a certain extent, but perhaps it would be even more accurate to quip “You Are What You Assimilate.” In other words, you need to extract the nutrition from your chow,...