It’s been a hectic couple days, but at least for today there is no radioactive cloud approaching us. But this certainly is bringing up a good debate about what to do in case this actually happens. Usually, if a community is exposed, people take the OTC medicine potassium iodide to use just before and during exposure. … Read the rest
Naturopathic Medicine: A Holistic View of Health
I’m happy to announce that naturopathic doctor Melissa Rodriguez is now offering her services here at the International Medical Center. What is naturopathic medicine, you may ask? Here’s Melissa’s excellent review:
These days many people know about the availability of natural medicines like herbal remedies, homeopathy, and the use of vitamins and minerals to treat and prevent disease.… Read the rest
A Happy Marriage: What's The Secret?
Let’s face it, the current economic scene can put severe stressors on relationships. I’ve seen far too many relationship problems in my family practice here, but here’s a positive article from the New York Times that I wanted to share with you.… Read the rest
Want a Long Life? Here Are Ten Top Foods
I’ve often recommened the Mayo Clinic’s excellent website, and I wanted to share their new slide show on 10 great health foods for eating well. Everyone should be interested in their tips, which are based on multiple criteria:
- Good or excellent source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients
- High in phytonutrients and antioxidant compounds, such as vitamins A and E and beta-carotene
- May help reduce risk of heart disease and other health conditions
- Low in calorie density, meaning you get a larger portion size with a fewer number of calories
- Readily available
They chose ten items:
- Almonds
- Apples
- Blueberries
- Broccoli
- Red beans
- Salmon
- Spinach
- Sweet potatoes
- Vegetable juice
- Wheat germ
Each slide is accompanied by some important info on each food; for example, here is their blurb about one of my favorites, almonds:
… Read the restThese tear-shaped nuts are packed with nutrients — fiber, riboflavin, magnesium, iron and calcium.
Great News: Something Actually Helps Fight The Common Cold — Zinc!
I’ve often complained, along with the rest of the world, that there is no magic pill yet designed to cure the world’s most common illness — the common cold. But now, there is some hope! There’s an excellent meta-analysis by the well-respected Cochrane Library which now says what some docs had been touting for years — that zinc supplements, when taken within 24 hours of cold symptoms, can truly improve symptom severity and length, as well as lower risk of needing antibiotics.… Read the rest
Vitamin D — It's Trendy! Oh, Wait, Hold On A Minute…
Last year I bragged about vitamin D and the evidence showing benefits in multiple arenas, especially for fighting colds and flu. I even started taking 2,000 IU a day of vitamin D3.
But now…one wonderfully annoying thing about medicine is that one headline will say “medicine A is great for disease X”, but wait a couple years and another famous journal will contradict it — thus frustrating doctors and confusing the public.… Read the rest