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

A Study Looking at Efficacy to Side Effects When I suggested writing about this topic, I was primarily wanting it to coincide with marijuana’s new legal status in Oregon, but another bounty has appeared! Just this week marijuana made the medical news in a systematic review and meta-analyses of cannabinoids

Red, White and Blue: a Preventable American Killer As you purchase hot dogs and ice cream for your upcoming Fourth of July barbeque: consider. Cardiovascular disease claims more lives each year than cancer, chronic respiratory disease and accidents combined. It remains the leading cause of death in the United States

by Dr. Deborah Gordon Sounding like a broken record, my answer to that question would be, “Well, it depends who you are and what are your goals.” The only broadly applicable truth about drinking alcohol will not surprise: alcohol in excess is never good for you (or others if you

It’s All a Big Fat Lie Fats are perhaps the most misunderstood of all dietary substances. Over the past forty years, the media, as well as long­standing government positions on fats have inculcated into American society the idea that fats are unhealthy; they lead to weight gain and should be avoided whenever possible.

We know foods like donuts and soda can make you fat, but the effects of sugar on the liver and brain are less well-known. Dietary sugar can fry your liver in much the same way that alcohol can. This in turn can hurt your brain, leaving you with dementia-like symptoms