Have you ever heard of strontium? It can be found in soil and seawater, and it's actually used as a supplemental treatment for osteoporosis and other bone diseases. Although many people have never heard of it before, it's a very interesting and somewhat controversial supplement. It's been compared to calcium in its bone-boosting abilities. (1)…
Experts consider tenesmus to be both a physical and mental condition. It feels as if there is stool to pass, but there usually isn't. Tenesmus is different than diarrhea because when you go to the bathroom not much, or nothing at all comes out. The sensation of needing to poop can be caused by faulty…
Most of us never consider the acid/alkaline balance of our blood, but a proper pH is a crucial aspect to overall health. Many doctors stress the importance of reducing acidity and increasing alkalinity with an alkaline diet because a balanced pH helps protect us from the inside out. Disease and disorder, they say, cannot take root…
What do papermaking, gluten-free baking, cosmetics and homeopathic remedies share in common? One answer rises to the surface: “arrowroot.” This wildly useful food starch was cultivated as early as 5,000 B.C., and was originally known as aru-aru, defined as “meal of meals,” named as such by the Arawak. This now-extinct people of the Caribbean islands…
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rats and mice worldwide spread over 35 different diseases that can impact humans. (1) Rodents often transmit these infections and diseases to people when someone unknowingly comes into contact with rodent feces, urine or saliva, or more rarely, if they are bitten. The single greatest risk…
Diabetes insipidus, is a debilitating and rare disease, with a prevalence of 1 out of 25,000 people. Often referred to as "water diabetes," it is a condition characterized by frequent and heavy urination, excessive thirst and an overall feeling of weakness. It's caused by a defect in the pituitary gland or in the kidneys. (1) The…
Algae are some of the most primitive life forms found on Earth and have been consumed as food and medicine for centuries. Human consumption of the blue-green algae called spirulina (or blue spirulina) actually goes back to the Aztec civilization of the 14th century, and this type, including chlorella, is the edible variety most commonly used…
