In her 1962 groundbreaking book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson wrote: “For the first time in the history of the world every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death.” Of course humans have always been exposed to potentially harmful chemicals from plants and other sources, but Rachel Carson’s point is well taken. Modern living exposes all of us to an unprecedented number of chemicals on a daily basis. This...

For decades vitamin B12 has been in use by the public, primarily for its role in supporting energy production—although it certainly has other functions and offers other benefits as well. Originally its delivery form was limited to capsules and tablets, but subsequently a sublingual (i.e. under the tongue) delivery form also became available. Following that, a coenzyme form of vitamin B12, known as methylcobalamin, was introduced and presented as a superior form over the commonly...

Virtually everyone has stress. In fact, According to the Stress in America™ survey by the American Psychological Association,¹ 39 percent of respondents said their stress increased over the past year, and 44 percent said that their stress had increased over the past five years. The question is, how well do you handle your stress, how does it affect your life, and what can you do about it? The same Stress in America survey indicates the following...

The New Year is right around the corner, and you know what that means: time for New Year’s resolutions. According to the United States government,¹ five of the top ten New Year’s resolutions are:

1. Lose Weight
2. Get a Better Education
3. Get Fit
4. Eat Healthy Food
5. Manage Stress

Of course it’s easy to make resolutions, but hard to keep them. So what can you do to make it...

Staying well and maintaining a healthy immune system can sometimes be challenging. These challenges can be even more significant during the holiday season, for three distinct reasons. The first is that immune response does not tend to be as effective during the colder months of fall and winter compared to warmer months.¹ Secondly, chronic stress can cause almost all measures of immune system function to drop across the board²— and who doesn’t have increased...

Inflammation is a useful natural reaction that the body has in response to injury and certain other conditions. Chronic inflammation, however, can be more destructive than beneficial. Indeed, when we hear the word inflammation, we tend to associate with conditions like arthritis and other more serious issues. Nevertheless, there are many common causes of inflammation that are not associated with disease states. These include eating diets high in certain inflammation-promoting...

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is quite literally a “brain nutrient.” As a matter of fact, this phospholipid is an integral component in the structure of the brain and spinal cord, and is active at cell membranes (including synaptic membrane zones). A significant amount of published clinical research has demonstrated that PS supplementation supports various cognitive parameters in adults and in children.¹

Age-related memory impairment

Green tea has been consumed for more than three thousand years for both its refreshing and health promoting benefits. In fact, research demonstrated that the polyphenol catechins in green tea gives it biological and medicinal qualities, including its anti oxidant, antimicrobial, blood thinning, and cholesterol lowering and anti-cancer activities, as well as its ability to promote weight loss.^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8} This article will focus on the effects of green tea on weight loss,...

Nutrition is a science, not a religion. Nevertheless, when it comes to the use of soy protein by men, it seems that some individuals and organizations are spreading misinformation based upon a belief, not upon facts (although sometimes those beliefs are misrepresented to be science). Specifically, I’m referring to allegations that soy protein consumption by men will reduce testosterone levels, increase estrogen levels and result in feminizing characteristics. This belief is...

In order to achieve a state of fitness, a healthy weight must be maintained. For many people, however, weight maintenance is a long way off, and can only occur after a significant amount of weight is lost in the first instance. The fact is, losing weight and keeping it off is not a simple or consistently successful process as evidenced by the fact that the majority of persons who lose weight regain the weight within one to five years.¹ Frequently, a gross...

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is one of those herbal medicines that have been in use for thousands of years. Steeped in wine, lemon balm was used in ancient Greek and Roman cultures for various medicinal purposes, including the treatment of wounds and to treat venomous bites and stings.¹ These same uses also occurred in traditional Indian medicine.² Furthermore, old European medical herbals report its memory-improving properties.³ Modern uses...

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is often referred to as “the silent killer” because you may not know that you have it until it is too late. In fact, nearly one-third of people who have high blood pressure don’t know it. If your blood pressure is extremely high, however, certain obvious symptoms may manifest themselves:

• Severe headache
• Fatigue or confusion
• Vision problems
• Chest pain
• Difficulty...

Many physicians routinely prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to postmenopausal or even perimenopausal women. As a matter of fact, about 17.5 million American women were taking HRT in 1998, according to a national survey. HRT, however, is not without its health risks. Before discussing HRT risks and alternatives, let's first examine the rationale for HRT in association with menopause.

Menopause: Physiological Changes
Menopause refers to the...

Senile purpura (also known as "Actinic purpura," and "Solar purpura") was first described by Bateman¹ in 1818 when he noted dark purple blotches and determined that they were due to the extravasation of blood into the dermal tissue. Patients with this condition develop persistent dark purple ecchymoses, which are characteristically confined to the extensor surfaces of the hands and forearms.² Unlike other ecchymoses, which evolve into brown patches, senile purpura...

Cold, influenza (flu) and sinusitis are three common upper respiratory conditions that affect a great many people. Besides being upper respiratory infections, they also have in common that three herbs (Andrographis, Eleuthero and Echinacea) have been shown to be effective in their treatment. This article will discuss the research associated with these herbs on the aforementioned conditions. First, however, let's have a brief review of the conditions.

Cold, flu and...