Worldwide, it's estimated that around 400 million people have the genetic disorder called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. G6PD deficiency almost always occurs in males and is most likely to affect people from parts of Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean, or the Middle East. In the U.S., about 1 in every 10 African-American males has the defective gene that…
Hepatitis A is a viral infection that affects the liver. It's usually spread by contaminated food and water. According to a 2015 report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hepatitis A affected an estimated 2,800 people in the United States. (1) Although hepatitis A is not usually life-threatening, unlike hepatitis B or…
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 820,000 new cases of gonorrhea occur each year in the United States, with 570,000 of the cases being in young people ages 15 to 24. Worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are currently 78 million people infected. (1, 2) Gonorrhea is a…
While knowledge about the benefits associated with probiotics has exploded over the past decade, many people are still unsure about how prebiotics and postbiotics work. Probiotics are the "good" (or "friendly") bacteria that colonize the digestive system and support many functions of the immune system. Prebiotics essentially feed probiotics, helping them survive and reproduce through the…
According to the Mayo Clinic, approximately half of all cases of toxic shock syndrome caused by staph bacteria occur in women of menstruating age. Toxic shock syndrome or TSS is often thought to be a health problem that only affects women, menstruating women to be exact, like the 20 year old woman who accidentally left a tampon…
Vasculitis is a group of inflammatory disorders that affect the blood vessels. Vasculitis can affect both small or large arteries. This includes major blood vessels like the aorta, as well as capillaries, medium-sized veins. Or it can include a combination of different sized blood vessels. In some cases, vasculitis causes only a portion of an…
Before you venture outdoors this summer, be sure to protect yourself against ticks. Due to recent unusually warm winters in the U.S., which allowed insects to better survive, tick populations are up — and so is the risk of contracting a nasty tick-borne illness. In addition to the usual suspects, like Lyme disease, a rarer…
Most of us don't ever think of our bones as being "living tissue." But the cells, nerves, blood vessels and minerals that make up our bones are, in fact, always renewing themselves. It's estimated that around 10 million people living in the U.S. alone currently have osteoporosis, and somewhere between three to five times this…
Using hand sanitizers like they're going out of style (unfortunately, they're not) and popping antibiotics at the very first sign of an illness. Yes, without knowing it, many people practice antibacterial overkill. Although the dangers of antibiotics are becoming more known today, many people remain confused or misinformed about when and when not to take prescription…
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…