Don’t Fear A Fever: The Importance of Working With, Not Against the Immune System in Warding Off Infection
A fever can actually benefit a sick person, and both traditional healthcare practitioners and now even modern researchers have attributed tendencies to over-treat to “fever phobia”–a fear that fever is harmful, which likely originated after the introduction of anti-fever drugs like Tylenol. Fever is a protective adaptive response that should be allowed to run its […]
Boneset (Eupatorium Perfoliatum) Monograph
“I go into my library and all history unrolls before me.” Alexander Smith In Western tradition, boneset is perhaps the single most important herb for combating the flu. There have been six major influenza pandemics (worldwide outbreaks) since 1889. The 1918 influenza pandemic (“Spanish flu”) was the deadliest pandemic in history. Approximately 5% of the […]
Herbal Remedies for Acute Viral Infections
The Traditional Medical System Perspective Long before the advent of modern conventional medicine, traditional doctors in the East and Western herbalists from the Vitalist and Eclectic traditions were using plants to help people overcome infectious acute diseases. The constellation of symptoms that the patient presented with were considered to be caused by the entrance of […]
Immune Enhancing Soup Recipe Card
The Trend Toward Over-Vaccinating and the Need for Long-Term Research
The last time I wrote a blog post on vaccines and vaccinating, it generated quite a bit of conversation and raised some very good questions. It is hard to find the “truth” about vaccines, if you want to hear the entire truth. One thing is certain: It would be a lot more fruitful if people […]
The Hidden Dangers of Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the 10 most widely used drugs in the world. In 2012, there were 157 million prescriptions written for these stomach-acid inhibiting drugs.1 More than likely, either you or someone you know is taking these medications. While PPIs may alleviate the problem of excess stomach acid, many people don’t realize […]
Enhancing Cellular Defense Mechanisms with Adaptogens
Enhancing Cellular Defense Mechanisms with Adaptogens Aging is associated with a decrease in adaptive abilities along with increased vulnerability to stress. At the same time, aging is a complex process involving a persistent activation of some stress response systems, often involving transcriptional reprogramming, and the activation of vitagenes, which can be consider a ‘geroprotective’ adaptation.13 […]
The Truth about Herb-Drug Interactions: An Honest Evaluation of the Benefits and Risks When Weighing Scientific Data and Clinical Experience
“I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts.” ~Sherlock Holmes. Conventional medicine has long been wary of traditional herbal medicine, particularly when it comes to the potential interactions of herbs and pharmaceutical […]
Detoxify For Better Health
Many people are concerned about environmental toxins, and I’m often asked, “What’s the best approach to detoxification?” Studies show that everyone has dozens of environmental toxins—pesticides, heavy metals, solvents, and by-products from plastics—stored in their liver and fat cells. Not only do we accumulate toxins through inhaling and ingesting them, our bodies also create toxins […]