According to the National Institute of Health, insomnia is a disorder that affects nearly 60 million Americans. Almost everyone experiences insomnia at one point or another, but often the condition becomes a chronic problem. Some people have trouble falling asleep while others have difficulty maintaining quality sleep. These people do

Quality.  This is the most important but most difficult attribute to ascertain. In a profit driven society where industry can more or less monitor itself, there is much room for inferior product. Last year the New York State attorney general office accused Walmart, Target, GNC and Walgreens of selling dietary

As I write this, the sun is shining and the temperature reads 70 degrees. Although inside, I probably should be outside in short sleeves getting my daily dose of vitamin D. Vitamin D has been the subject of a tremendous amount of research in the past decade. Molecularly, vitamin D

Many people (including myself) are unenthusiastic about breakfast. There are many reasons for this; time is one excuse, limited and/or unappealing choices is another. For these reasons, folks often turn to “fast food” e.g. buttered bread, waffles or milk and cereal—foods high in carbohydrates—to sustain them until lunch. Culturally, these

Only about 30 percent of my patients are men. I don’t know why this is the case, but I would guess that men tend to avoid going to the doctor until they have a condition that stops them in their tracks. Such stoicism can be a dangerous thing. Cardiovascular disease

Journeying in another country is an experience that can be exhilarating, enlightening, wonderful, overwhelming, frustrating and disheartening all at the same time. One of the aspects of foreign travel that can be most challenging is remaining healthy. Montezuma’s revenge, parasites, rashes, mosquito borne illnesses and cholera are but a few

When I was nine, I got my first cavity. I was as jumpy as a cat in water while I waited in the dentist’s chair for Dr. Elliot to come into the room to fill the cavity. My fears of the impending procedure almost brought me to tears and my

Migraines are one of the most debilitating and enigmatic of all chronic conditions. Over 30 million people suffer with migraine headaches. That’s one out of ten Americans. They dramatically affect quality of life in the short term, as 75 percent of sufferers (called “migraineurs”) must postpone activities and 50 percent

Working with parents to help them instill in their children healthy meal habits can be challenging. This is a big issue during “Back to School” month, as school programs often offer micro-waved, highly processed, nutrient poor, previously frozen lunches to kids. It is not hard to imagine the impact that

Echinacea, or Purple Coneflower, is commonly used as an immune booster. It is an appropriate use of this herb, but few people are familiar with Echinacea’s true versatility. It is in the Composite family (the same as dandelions) and is native to the United States. East of the Mississippi, it