Bell’s palsy affects 1 in 5,000 people each year in the United States, and 1 out of 70 throughout a lifetime. When it strikes, this relatively common neurological disorder causes one side of the face to become weakened, or paralyzed. (1) Common signs include drooping on one side of the face, drooling, impaired speech, and…
Trichomoniasis is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in the world. It is sometimes referred to simply as “trich.” Although it can cause very uncomfortable symptoms, it’s believed that up to 70 percent of people with trichomoniasis do not have any symptoms. (1) In fact, most people with trichomoniasis do not even…
Nearly 800,000 people in the United States each year have a stroke, resulting in 160,000 deaths from stroke-related causes according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes. This makes stroke the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. In addition, strokes are the leading cause of serious long-term adult disability; over…
The World Health Organization (WHO) just deemed snake bites to be one of the top 20 “neglected tropical diseases” in the world, joining the likes of rabies, leprosy, African sleeping sickness, Dengue fever and other diseases. (1) Globally, snakes kill more than 100,000 each year, and maim or cripple millions more. (2) The Centers for…
As important as it is to comprehend the meaning of qi in order to fully understand Chinese philosophy as it pertains to health, there isn't a literal equivalent in the Western world or an easy way to explain what it represents. In the U.S. and other Western nations, qi is much like what we think of as…
As Hippocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." But if you’ve stayed at or visited someone staying at a hospital recently, you might have noticed that the cafeteria options available and patient meal plans offered weren’t exactly what you’d expect. Sadly, it seems like most of the food served in…
Unbeknownst to most, healthy fats in your diet, including long-feared cholesterol, are proving to be key players in brain and psychological health. In previous generations, people believed cholesterol clogged arteries and caused heart problems. However, today we understand that the standard Western diet, which contains a large amount of hydrogenated fats and refined carbohydrates, leads to…
You've likely seen brightly orange-colored marigolds in flower or vegetable gardens many times before, but did you know that certain species of marigold flowers actually have many impressive health benefits as well? A particular species of marigold flower, Calendula officinalis (commonly just called calendula or "pot marigold"), is used to make healing herbal ointments, teas, tinctures and topical…
Did you know there is a direct correlation between your dental health and your overall health? In fact, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a part of the NIH, concludes that the mouth is a mirror of health and disease. Because of this, the mouth can act as an early warning system for…
Despite what you might have heard, a raw food diet is not another "fad diet" as we normally think of one. In fact, some experts on raw diets say that they're essentially the opposite: "anti-diets" and more like a lifestyle that simply promotes eating more real foods in their natural state. A raw food diet,…
