Suffering. It’s a big topic. It’s also a topic with which we are all too familiar. Sometimes the suffering is acute and purposeful. Sometimes it is prolonged and seemingly meaningless. Sometimes it’s a combination of the two. No matter. It is suffering. After my fifth child was born, I remember pondering the topic of suffering.…
Hormone Cascade Where do hormones come from? Do they just appear out of thin air? Do they just ooze out of reproductive organs magically? No, just like most of our body’s chemical messengers, they are made from other substances in us. Our reproductive and adrenal hormones all begin as cholesterol, yes cholesterol. Despite its horrible reputation (not entirely deserved), cholesterol…
In searching for answers, others choose blood tests that guide the selection of foods to eliminate. We use a panel that includes both IgG and IgE antibodies. Normally, IgG deals with body invaders like viruses and bacteria. On the other hand, IgE interacts with allergens and parasites in our immune defense system. For some, the…
We have grown accustomed to debating conventional medicine over a variety of topics, but this one is even debated within the functional medicine world. So many patients want to know if a food is causing their symptoms. They ask, “How do I know which food it is?” Conventional medicine either doubts the possibility or refers…
How many times have I said “LDL – Bad, HDL – Good” to my patients? Thousands of times over the past years of practice, I have described the differing effects of LDL and HDL on cardiovascular health, yet researchers want to overturn this dogma, this law of medicine. Once again, little in medicine stands so…
A major study looking at how our brains age was just released. The Amen Clinics, Google, John Hopkins, UCLA and UCSF collaborated to look at what factors contributed to accelerated aging in humans. Using SPECT scans they evaluated over 100 brain areas in over 60,000 people and compared individuals with different characteristics to estimate how…
As a guy, we often possess the innate ability to overlook some smudges or small messes that our better halves (wives) quickly spot. Our spouses are much better at keeping things spotless, but apparently this may come at a price. A fellow physician recently shared an article and its press release with me that linked…
Brush Your Liver for Health Your gag reflex may be kicking in as you ponder how you might get your toothbrush down your throat far enough to reach your liver. Don’t worry, just brush those gums you see in the mirror and lower inflammation in your entire body. Researchers report on a study of patients…
Express Subway from Skull to Brain — A number of thrilling discoveries have arisen in recent months from the field of neuroimmunology. First researchers stumbled upon the brain’s lymphatic system despite believing for decades that none existed. Now researchers uncovered a mechanism for immune cells in the bone marrow of the skull to reach the…
As a close cousin of cardiac atherosclerosis, peripheral artery disease simply blocks different arteries in other body areas. While the heart’s arteries lend themselves to good targets for stent placement to keep such blood channels open, those in the legs or arms must leave room for flexibility in bending. Vascular specialists therefore do not have…