Why do doctors prescribe drugs? Why do we take them? The answer is to change the body’s chemistry in order to correct a symptom. Anti-depressants are given to chemically increase neurotransmitter activity. Anti-inflammatory drugs biochemically reduce inflammation, giving relief from pain. Antibiotics chemically kill bacteria Drugs exist to create chemical changes in order to bring Read More …
Category: Diet and Lifestyle
Nutrition learning and behavior
The AppletonCentralAlternativeHigh School in Appleton, Wisconsin was established in 1996 for “problem” students that did not fit well into a traditional high school setting. Students were described as “rude, obnoxious, and ill-mannered” by their own dean of students. Problems with discipline were severe enough that a policeman had to be on campus at all times. Read More …
Nutrients and Stroke Risk
Research appearing in Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases (2005; 15(3):188-97)surveyed 755 subjects aged 65-99 years (361 men and 394 women). Special emphasis was placed on diet and information was obtained through dietary history interviews. The subjects were followed for up to 10 years. Serum vitamins and mineral elements were analyzed. The researchers found that a Read More …
Natural Health Care and Headaches
Nearly a third of migraine sufferers have low intracerebral magnesium, and the levels decrease drastically during an attack, according to a study appearing in the journal, Headache (2002; 42:242-248). Using magnesium to prevent migraines has had mixed results. In research appearing in the journal, Neurology (1998;50(suppl 4):A340) magnesium levels could be increased intravenously, but a Read More …
Music eases labor pain
Music can reduce the sensation of labor pain. It can also decrease and delay the emotional distress that accompanies labor pain, according to a study in the June, 2003 issue of Pain Management Nursing. The women in the study were aged 20-30, having their first baby. One group chose from among five types of calming Read More …
Most patients prefer not to take drugs for back pain
Eighty percent of Americans suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections. According to a survey of 800 adults suffering from chronic back pain conducted in the spring of 2004 for American Chiropractic Association, Read More …
More than one American in three uses complimentary or alternative medicine
According to a government survey of 31,000 people (May, 2004), more than a third of U.S. adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (also called CAM). The survey was conducted as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Some groups tend to use CAM Read More …
Milk for Healthy Bones? Well, Maybe Not
Research in the March, 2005 issue of the journal Pediatricscasts some doubt on the popular myth that milk is important for bone growth in children. The authors of the study analyzed 27 studies involving diet and bone health in children and young adults. Of those studies, only nine showed any relationship between calcium consumption and Read More …
Milk and Type I Diabetes
Milk may be a good thing to avoid if you there is type I diabetes in your family. According to research published in the journal, Diabetes (2000;49:912-917), children who are genetically predisposed toward type I diabetes, milk consumption may increase the chance of their getting the disease. I genetically predisposed children, regular milk consumption of Read More …
Mild vitamin C deficiency has a negative effect on vascular
Preeclampsia is also known as toxemia of pregnancy; it is characterized by increasing blood pressure, headaches, protein in the urine, and edema (swelling). If left unchecked, it can lead to eclampsia, which can lead to convulsions and coma. It is one of the leading causes of maternal, fetal and neonatal disability and death. One feature Read More …