Archive for the ‘Homepage Articles (old site)’ Category
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »Reform Health Care, and Start With Your Own
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
A substantial overhaul of our national disease management system is now highly unlikely. What we will get is possibly an alteration in its financing. Perhaps insurance companies will form cooperatives, perhaps the government will pay for the treatment of more currently uninsured individuals, perhaps some costs will be contained with malpractice reform.
And of course, those changes are desperately needed. Medical bills are, by a large margin, the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. It is a strong testament to the fundamental flaws of our system that two-thirds of those filing bankruptcy due to medical bills had health insurance.
Meaningful health care reform may not happen at the national level for many decades to come. However, there’s another way to reform health care in this country. It’s not reform that starts at the top level of government and trickles down to individuals. It is reform that starts with each individual. And someday, eventually, it might just trickle all the way up to the top. (more…)
Tags: Diet, disease prevention, Health care reform, Naturopathic medicine, Nutrition
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off
Vitamin D – We Can’t Say It Enough
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
We’ve told you before how sufficient levels of Vitamin D can help reduce your risk of many chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, depression and diabetes.
While these are all very serious conditions that deserve your attention, there’s another ailment that’s dominating the headlines right now. You’ve heard it blasted in big letters — the FLU. And guess what? Study after study is showing that Vitamin D can help you battle that cold-weather illness too. (more…)
Tags: Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, depression, Diabetes, Flu, vitamin D
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off
Acai: Hype or Health?
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
We’re examining superfoods again here at Nature Cures Clinic.
Today we’re taking a look at the massive marketing campaign that’s surrounding one little Brazilian berry, acai.
When it comes to foods that contain high levels of antioxidants, acai is the popular new kid on the block. Lab studies show the fruit to contain high levels of antioxidants — which are thought to protect against cell damage, and in turn heart disease, neurological disorders, and a number of cancers. In one clinical trial, consuming acai increased the blood antioxidant levels in a group of healthy volunteers.
That’s one study that we know about — but from the wealth of claims about acai on the internet, you might believe there’s been a lot more research done. (more…)
Tags: acai, Antioxidants, nutrition plan, superfoods
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off
What’s for Lunch? Tips for packing a healthy lunch for work, school or play
Friday, September 11th, 2009
This is the time of year when we start to reign in our free-spirited eating habits of summer and hunker down a bit by packing healthy lunches for ourselves, or kids going off to school. Lunch doesn’t have to be a boring sandwich, salad or canned soup. Here are some nutritious and delicious ideas to keep you going throughout your day.
First, you need to get the right gear. Keep your cold foods cold and hot foods hot. No need for microwaves in this healthy plan. Make a big pot of chili, hearty soup or stew to eat throughout the week. While you are throwing together breakfast, heat up some of your stew in a saucepan and put it in a “food thermos.”
There’s nothing like opening up your thermos on a chilly fall day to a hearty, warm meal. For cold foods like yogurt, salad or fruit – use a little freezer gel pack in an insulated lunch cooler. To keep vegetables fresh for longer try Green bags. Join the eco revolution by ditching those plastic sandwich bags for reusable sandwich bags – check out “lunchskins.”
Now what goes inside? (more…)
Tags: meal planning, Nutrition
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Dr. Erika Siegel, Homepage Articles (old site) | 4 Comments »
Why You Should Cut Down on Sugar, and How You Can Do It
Sunday, August 30th, 2009
It’s fairly common knowledge that soda, sugared cereals, candy bars and the like aren’t good for your body, and can help you put on excess weight.
And now the American Heart Association is giving you a few more reasons to cut down on the amount of sugar you consume. A new study out this week claims that too much sugar is a factor in the rise of obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes among populations worldwide.
As a result, researchers are setting new recommendations for the amount of added sugar you should eat. We are not talking about sugars that naturally occur in foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains — but the sugar that is added to foods to make them taste better or seem more appealing. (more…)
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off
Organic Under the Microscope
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Nature Cures Clinic is committed to helping you live a healthy lifestyle. We believe that part of maintaining your health includes eating as many fresh and organic foods as possible. So when the topic of organic food hits the headlines, we take notice! Right now two things are happening:
First, there’s one very disturbing study by the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency, stating that there is “no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority.”
The researchers say the results are not meant to discourage people from eating organic – but instead meant to inform people that the health benefits are no different between organic and conventional.
As you might imagine, we believe this is preposterous. (more…)
Tags: Nutrition, organic
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | 1 Comment »
Kids, Health, and Vitamin D
Thursday, August 13th, 2009
If there were any easy way for tens of millions of people to reduce their risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, depression, osteoporosis and many other chronic diseases, shouldn’t that be in the headlines?
Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine discovered exactly that. In a large survey of the vitamin D status of children aged 1 to 21, they found that 7 out of 10 were deficient.
Did you know that if women maintain optimal vitamin D levels, their risk of breast cancer is cut in half? Did you know that maintaining optimal vitamin D levels also cuts the risk of colon cancer in half? In fact, getting this one single nutrient up to optimal levels would save untold lives and tens of billions of dollars annually in health care costs.
At Nature Cures Clinic we take this seriously. It’s why we test vitamin D levels on virtually every patient we see, and we make sure people get enough to get these protective effects. (more…)
Tags: Cancer, Chronic disease, depression, Diabetes, Heart disease, vitamin D
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off
Confused about the flu hype? Boost your immunity!
Thursday, August 13th, 2009
Did you get it yet? You’ll probably be hearing a lot of people talking about the flu vaccine, if you haven’t heard it already. This year with all of the talk of the H1N1 flu and the annual push for vaccination for the seasonal flu, the marketing blitz is on. These are two different issues and we’ll separate them out. There are plenty of things you can do to increase your immune system’s effectiveness. And if you do happen to build your immune system (by getting the flu) there are ways we can help get you through the illness. (more…)
Tags: CDC, Flu, flu season, Flu vaccination, H1N1, immune system
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off
Summer Skin Health: From the Inside Out
Thursday, August 13th, 2009
Nature Cures Clinic Nutritional Therapist
We’re deep in the heart of summer and after days of berry picking, hanging out at the river, hiking in the mountains and being outside in the heat your skin may need some attention. In the Spring we focus on preparing the skin for months ahead by doing our “spring cleaning” and ridding our systems of toxins as well as increasing our essential fatty acids to help protect our skin from over-exposure to the sun. Now it’s time to help our skin regain that spring glow through the last months of hot weather.
For all of us, dry skin is a natural process and we are meant to shed a layer of skin every day. We slather on lotions and potions to “temporarily” relieve us of the chalky look and feel of dead skin cells. At the least, the ingredients in these products can clog pores and create skin problems, but sometimes they can cause real health concerns. For true solutions to skin renewal I think it’s best to go back to Mother Nature. (more…)
Tags: Exercise, Nutrition, skin health, toxins
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off
Vegetarian Diets Deemed Safe — Again!
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
Some of you may have been eating a vegetarian diet for years, and are already well-aware of its wealth of benefits. You may know all about the lowered risk for cardiovascular disease, obesity, osteoporosis, dementia, and rheumatoid arthritis; or you may delight in knowing you’re creating less impact on the earth’s resources.
You are more than convinced, though it is nice when the big boys agree. (more…)
Tags: ADA, Chronic disease, vegetarian
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off
Antioxidant Power of Purple Corn
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Chances are you’ve heard about the health value of blueberries.
With their deep blue color, they’re high in anthocyanins, a form of flavonoids . The flavonoids found in blueberries may provide protection against disease by upping the antioxidant defenses in the body.
As you may or may not know, Nature Cures Clinic is now on Twitter; you can find us here. That’s where our followers can ask us their health and nutrition questions, and we do our best to deliver. Recently, one follower asked us about the health value of purple corn, and its role in fighting cancer. They wanted to know if purple corn could pack the same punch as their favorite blue fruit.
Here’s what we told them: (more…)
Tags: anthocyanins, Antioxidants, Diet, flavonoids, Nutrition
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off
Fish Oil: Cure-All?
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
There’s no supplement that can cure everything, but if the latest research is any indication, fish oil seems to come pretty close.
You’ve probably heard the claims that it can increase your baby’s brain function and promote a healthy pregnancy. But it doesn’t stop there!
The physicians at Nature Cures Clinic have access to much of the latest research about the use of supplements and how they can help you. And this week, we’ve gotten to see a whopping NINE new studies that promote the benefits of fish oil!
Here’s a glimpse into the latest findings: (more…)
Tags: Cholesterol, dementia, Diabetes, Fish oil, omega-3, Weight loss
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off
Over Prescribed, Record Broken
Sunday, March 29th, 2009
Tags: Acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Medications, Naturopathic medicine
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | 2 Comments »
Big Pharma’s unspoken influence on health care and other musings
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
In a recent NY Times article students at Harvard medical school were surprised at the extent big pharma had on their education. In recent grades Harvard received an F for failure to disclose the conflicts of interest of their lecturers among other things. We have discussed this topic in our podcast ‘Nemesis of Medicine‘. This marriage of the pharma industry and medical education institutions is sadly absent from the current discussion of health care reform.
Tags: Big Pharma, Health care reform, medical politics, Medical school, Naturopathic medicine
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Homepage Articles (old site) | Comments Off