Have you been fooled by advertisements talking about "corn sugar"? Viewer beware — this is just a more angelic but deceptive term for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It's said that corn refiners have already spent $50 million trying to convince us to accept corn sugar as HFCS's new namesake. (1) Manufactured mostly from genetically modified corn, high…
Never heard of homocysteine before and wondering what causes someone to have elevated homocysteine levels? Homocysteine is a specific type of amino acid that's created in the body during metabolic processes, as opposed to consumed in food. It's produced in the body as a byproduct of methylation, the process of producing an essential protein called…
A fungus may trigger Crohn's disease, a devastating inflammatory bowel disease that often requires heavy-duty drugs, surgery or a combination of both to keep at bay. The new finding, published in the September 2016 edition journal mBio, opens the door to more probiotic-based treatment options that could more gently treat and possibly even cure the digestive disease Crohn's…
Asthma is a common problem that affects more than 25 million Americans, especially children and teens. Rates of asthma have been increasing steadily over the past several decades as well — today one in 12 people has asthma, or 8 percent of the U.S. population, compared to about one in 14 people less than 10 years…
Despite its odd name, freekeh (pronounced free-kah), aka farik, may be the new supergrain. While quinoa has been high on the quest for healthy grain-like alternatives, freekeh, often spelled freekah or frikeh, has some benefits that may surprise you, while also providing some variety to your diet. The biggest concern for many is the wheat…
Between the Mediterranean diet, ketogenic diet and a host of other diet plans to lose weight, there's no shortage of suggested ways to eat. But there’s one diet that modern researchers keep coming back to when they study health and longevity: the Okinawa diet. What Is the Okinawa Diet? The Okinawa diet is named after the largest island in the…
Everyone wants to get rid of blackheads. Not only are they unsightly, but they could be an indication of a food allergy or some other problem like leaky gut. What are blackheads exactly? The American Academy of Dermatology tells us that oil that collects on the surface of the skin combined with dead skin cells and…
As I’m sure you’re well aware, an estimated 52.5 million U.S. adults suffer from some sort of arthritis, and one common form is rheumatoid arthritis (RA). (1) How wide does this disease cast its net? Rhematoid arthritis affects a staggering 1.3 million to 1.5 million Americans at any given time. Thus the question arises: Is…
You may have heard of lupus, but do you know the most common lupus symptoms to look out for? You should, because this autoimmune disease affects at least 1.5 million Americans and more than 5 million people worldwide. (1) Even more alarming, more than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported each year in the…
While indigestion is common for many Americans, particularly given the standard American diet, if you’re having burning sensations in or above your stomach, stomachaches or pains, feeling nauseous or vomiting, or constantly burping, you may be suffering from gastritis symptoms — and that means you may want to begin the gastritis diet treatment plan. What is…
