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News and ideas worth your attention.
Four decades of writing on living long and living well, with 1,000+ posts on functional and longevity medicine.
Jun 7, 2019 · Health & WellnessCan You Really Make Yourself Smarter? Biohacking Your Brain
Biohacking is using pretty much anything at your disposal (medications, knowledge, science, therapies, etc.) to make your body and brain work at its full potential. Some people get into biohacking to improve energy, some are interested in better focus, and some want inflammation relief. There is a biohack for every one of these problems and more. Too good to be true? I assure you, it’s not.
Jun 3, 2019 · NutritionSome Thoughts on Going ‘Keto’
Need a reason to consider ‘going keto’? It can help turn down the dial on a number of chronic health conditions – think hypertension, diabetes, obesity – no prescription necessary. Here’s the skinny on why this fat-burning way to eat is so effective – and what to expect if you’re considering making the switch.
May 31, 2019 · NutritionWhat You Need to Know About Histamine Intolerance
Histamines play a protective role in the body. They boost blood flow to areas affected by allergens and trigger sneezing, swelling, itching, wheezing, and other responses that help usher allergens out of the system. Still, they sometimes run amok, leading to a condition more accurately described as histamine overload, though “intolerance” remains the more common term.
May 27, 2019 · Healthy Aging10 Ways To Protect Your Brain and Keep Alzheimer’s At Bay
Far too many of us these days have had some experience with friends or loved ones who are dealing with Alzheimer’s and it’s heart-breaking physical, emotional and mental impact. Though many of us witness the disease at arm’s length, it’s hard not to think about the frightening specter of Alzheimer’s possibly affecting our own brains someday.
May 20, 2019 · Healthy AgingSlow The Aging Process Naturally with Help from Autophagy
In the wellness world these days, there’s a new(ish) concept, labeled ‘autophagy’ that’s changing the way we think about health. And it may just be the key to slowing-down the aging process, enhancing our capacity to live longer and better. Interested?
May 17, 2019 · Health & WellnessHow to Reverse Female Hair Loss
According to ancient literature, women’s hair symbolizes strength, physical attraction, health, femininity, and even social status. Then as now, hair is a symbol of self, and our hairstyles are a powerful form of self-expression.
May 13, 2019 · NutritionWhy I recommend Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Eating
Every day, we’re bombarded with the message: eat less, lose weight. Too bad, humans aren’t wired to voluntarily feel deprived all the time which is why standard-issue calorie-counting fails most dieters over the long haul. The truth is, more important than how much we eat is what we eat…
May 10, 2019 · NutritionHow Monsanto Bankrupted the American Farm
It is time to break the operating model put in place in the late 20th century by the agrochemical companies like Monsanto. Operating systems that not only require farmers to purchase genetically engineered seeds rather than save heritage seeds, but that also require farmers to purchase the suite of -cides- pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides – required to grow them.
May 6, 2019 · Gut Health11 Ways to Love Your Microbiome
It turns out we have many more one-celled bacteria living inside the human body than we have human cells that make up our bodies – and most of them live in the gut. There, trillions of these “bugs,” collectively known as the microbiome, handle some pretty crucial functions that we couldn’t live without.
Apr 29, 2019 · Sleep4 Ways You’re Messing With Your Ability to Sleep
Why is it that so many of us have such a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep and reaping the restorative benefits of good, quality shut-eye? As I often tell my patients, one reason is that many of us are failing at sleep is because most of us are making sleep-stealing mistakes all day long, which wind up training our bodies how not to sleep well at night.
Apr 24, 2019 · SleepGet Your Groove Back
Why finding your body’s natural sleep cycle and circadian rhythms is the key to strength, vitality and wellness.
Apr 22, 2019 · Healthy Aging9 Ways to Boost Your Mitochondria, Increase Energy and Enhance Longevity
When patients tell me they’re feeling wiped out, exhausted and dragging through their days, often it’s because they’re not treating their mitochondria right. Most people don’t realize it but mitochondria play a massive role in their energy levels, how well their metabolism functions and even how much brain fog they deal with every day.
Apr 17, 2019 · Nutrition7 Reasons To Love Turmeric
I love herbs and spices, not only for their flavors but also for their medicinal effects. And if I had to pick one health all-star, it would have to be turmeric, the spice born of the curcuma longa plant that gives curries their rich golden yellow color. It’s more than just a tasty flavor-enhancer though.
Apr 15, 2019 · Nutrition8 Almost Instant Benefits of Ditching Sugar
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but sugar is truly rotten stuff. It’s the ultimate carb-bomb, that floods your system with nutrient-free calories and it doesn’t even fill you up! And potentially comes with a lifetime of health troubles, like weight-gain, high blood sugar, system-wide inflammation, and life-altering diseases.
Apr 12, 2019 · Health & WellnessInvaluable Lessons From A Pediatrician
After 25 years practicing pediatrics, and caring for thousands of children, I’ve noticed some patterns that offer me a deeper vision of health. I’d like to share some of those invaluable lessons with parents.
Apr 10, 2019 · Health & Wellness12 Ways to Balance Your Hormones for Optimal Health
I see so many patients complaining of multiple symptoms like thinning hair, brittle nails, erupting skin, poor sleep, exhaustion, constipation, sexual or menstrual dysfunction and weight gain. These are all clues that can suggest hormonal imbalance – several different types.
Apr 8, 2019 · Health & Wellness4 Things to Know About Glyphosate - aka Roundup - and How to Side-Step It
You’ve probably seen the TV ads for Roundup, the popular pesticide/herbicide, with a Mr. All-American homeowner mowing down weeds like a killer who’s stepped out of the Wild West. That’s actually a pretty apt image because the active ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, is in my opinion one of the most dangerous killers out there – of our health!
Apr 3, 2019 · Relaxation11 Ways to Relax, Reconnect and Taper off Your Tech
Feeling tired? Tethered to your screens? Always “on call”? These days, it’s an almost universal complaint – and our devices are largely to blame. All too often, they’re our constant, and exhausting, companions, crying out for attention as they ring, buzz and whirr from the second they wake us up in the morning until the moment we shut our eyes for the night…
Apr 1, 2019 · Sleep5 Bad Evening Habits That are Screwing up Your Sleep
Good health and good sleep go hand-in-hand. Without enough good quality zzzzzz’s, it’s only a matter of time before immunity tanks and you’re dealing with a lot more trouble than simply feeling groggy in the morning. But why is it that so many of us have such a hard time falling asleep…
Mar 29, 2019 · Health & WellnessBeatles Fan? Check Out “The Glyphosate Song”
I’m a Beatles fan, always have been, thanks to my dad. When I was visiting my parents in Houston over the weekend, I came downstairs Sunday morning to Dad streaming the Beatles station on Spotify. “Yesterday” has always been one of his favorites! A few years ago,...
Mar 27, 2019 · Health & Wellness4 Ways to Heal Yourself With Sound
Whether you’re conscious of it or not, just about every day, you’re harnessing the healing power of sound to energize, motivate, comfort, and soothe your mind and body….
Mar 25, 2019 · Relaxation5 Ways Meditation Can Help Save Your Life!
Meditation is one of those things that people think they should do but all too often just never find the time. I’ll admit that maintaining a regular meditation practice isn’t always the easiest thing in the world – even veteran meditators fall off the wagon now and then. But they get back on the cushion (or wherever they do their practice) because the benefits are that compelling….
Mar 20, 2019 · Healthy Aging17 Ways To Tame Inflammation
Inflammation – it’s the starting point for so many life-altering conditions and diseases. It’s also avoidable, yet every day millions of Americans prime themselves for health disasters – like cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and many autoimmune diseases – by making choices that unwittingly promote chronic inflammation.
Mar 18, 2019 · Health & WellnessAre You Joy Deficient?
In my practice, we talk a lot about cultivating the good habits that are foundational to creating a healthy and happy life: wholesome real food, restorative rest, movement, relaxation, protection from toxins and connection. But in the whirl of our fast-paced, over-scheduled lives, there is another element which is often overlooked – and that’s joy.