In October 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report about a multistate outbreak of Campylobacter infections connected with puppies adopted from Petland, a pet store chain. (1) That might sound a little scary, but did you know that a Campylobacter infection actually affects somewhere around 1.3 million people in the…
Sometimes inflammation in the body gets out of hand. That's basically what happens if you have sarcoidosis, which is a disease of inflammation. The constant inflammation turns into bumps in the lymph nodes and various organs, such as the lungs and skin. (1) It can also affect the eyes and liver and, less often, the…
A rare disease is getting attention, particularly due to the recent flooding in Texas and Louisiana. Necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, only affects about 1 in 250,000 people. This means that the average person has a .000004 percent chance of ever contracting this infection. (1) What does that have to do with flooding?…
Acute meningitis is considered a medical emergency. A very scary finding shows a high percentage (up to 75 percent) of all life-threatening meningitis cases occur in young children under the age of 5. Meningitis has also become an increasingly serious problem among teens and young adults between the ages of 15–24, due to how certain contagious…
In just a few decades cell phones have totally taken over our lives. Many times, it's for the better. When was the last time you actually pulled a map out of the glove compartment to try to navigate somewhere? Or had to stand out in the rain to hail a cab? But are potential cell…
Walk into any yoga studio and chances are high that the place will smell amazing, usually because there’s incense burning. Or maybe you use incense at home to set a relaxing mood when it’s time to wind down. Whatever the case, most of us have used incense at some point. Many people use it as…
Every year in the United States 210,000 people are admitted to hospitals with acute pancreatitis and 56,000 people are hospitalized each year due to chronic pancreatitis. This is a serious condition that can result in death if not treated properly and promptly. (1, 2) The symptoms of pancreatitis depend on whether it is an acute…
Folate, also known vitamin B9, is one of many essential vitamins needed for copying and synthesizing DNA, producing new cells, and supporting nerve and immune functions. As a water-soluble B vitamin, it’s naturally present in some foods, added to others and available as a dietary supplement in the form of folic acid. Studies show that…
American culture is so sanitized. Think about it … alcohol-based hand disinfectants at every corner of the grocery store, chlorinated water, antibiotics in the food supply, bleached laundry and kitchen floors. No wonder we are so sick! But this hyper-sanitized state doesn't end there. It's even infiltrating down to death. Today, modern care for the…
