Lately, several of my patients have asked me what I think about adding marine phytoplankton – tiny sea plants – to their diets for their reported health benefits. I tell them that I think it’s a great idea and thought you’d also like to know what marine plants can do for just about every system … Read more
Many of my patients tell me that they are under increased stress at work these days. Their stress seems to stem from several areas – working longer hours with heavier workloads with little-to-no increase in income. Because of the current economic conditions, many people are afraid to express their concerns. They fear losing their job … Read more
Like many of my patients, perhaps as a child you were given some treat like ice cream, chips, candy, or a cookie, or some other favorite food, when something upset you, in a well-meaning effort by parents or caregivers to calm you down and get you to smile again. If so, you were unwittingly programmed … Read more
I call DHEA the “anti-stress hormone.” It’s the most abundant product of the adrenal glands. DHEA is the precursor used by your body to produce sex hormones like testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. You have a lot when you’re young but production dwindles with age.
It usually starts in the small joints of your hands. They become hot and inflamed. They feel stiff and difficult to move. As the condition progresses, other joints will be affected. Your cartilage will be damaged. You may also experience fatigue, general muscle soreness, weakness, and depression.
Rheumatoid arthritis can be a truly debilitating condition, so I am always on the look out for promising non-invasive ways to treat the condition. Just recently, green tea came to the fore as a possible way to relieve RA symptoms.
To be sure, there is conflicting medical advice available about alcohol drinking. However, the key word to remember is moderation. Heavy drinking always leads to health problems. It can adversely affect your heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and bladder. It can lead to diabetes, depression, breast cancer, not to mention numerous social problems. What do I mean by heavy drinking? More than 2 drinks a day, 7 days a week. Yet, recent research shows that moderate alcohol, 1 drink a day, or less, can actually protect your health. Let me explain why.
In severe cases, anxiety disorders can cause you to feel afraid to do normal activities like going to work or out shopping. You might feel achy, dizzy, jittery, or tired all the time. Your pulse might be elevated. You may even have difficulty breathing. If this sounds familiar, trust me, you are not alone.
If you’re like many people, the winter months are rough. Less light and cold weather makes you feel tired, sad, even depressed. You might find that it’s more difficult to get up in the morning, that you have a harder time enjoying the things that you usually do, and that you don’t feel as productive at work.
This is known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and it affects millions of Americans every winter. In mild cases, it is merely unpleasant. In the most serious cases it can lead to serious health problems including insomnia, weight loss, fatigue, and even suicidal thoughts.
Every now and then a patient will come in for a check-up and I notice that they’ve lost weight. They tell me that they just really don’t feel much like eating lately. The first thing I ask them, especially my older patients, is if they’re depressed as depression is one of the leading causes of … Read more
The prescribing of antidepressant drugs doubled between 1996 and 2005 and rose from 13 million to 27 million users during that time frame. I have to admit that many patients come to me complaining of symptoms that could be diagnosed as depression. Some tell me they have crying spells, or are void of ambition, or … Read more
It may start with tightness in your neck and shoulder muscles. Then your head starts throbbing and before you know it, a tension headache sets in. Stress takes different forms in all of us. It not only manifests itself with physical symptoms, like tight muscles, but mental symptoms too, like being easily irritated or feeling … Read more