Creating Total Health: The Integration of Traditional Concepts and Modern Medicine
When we are young, we don’t consciously think about our health—we just enjoy the inherent vitality that comes with youth. For most of us though, as we age, achieving and maintaining good health comes to the forefront of our consciousness. The word “health” originates in the words “heal,” “whole,” and “holy,” (in Latin, mederi means […]
Nutrigenomics: Beyond Basic Nutrition
With the advent of a growing scientific field of study called nutrigenomics, the old adage “you are what you eat” is proving to be much more than folk wisdom. Nutrigenomics takes into consideration the relationship between diet and genetics, and identifies the beneficial or detrimental health effects of various dietary components. What researchers have discovered […]
Living With The Unknown
I often recommend an inspirational essay to my patients entitled “In The Gray Zone,” written by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. A nationally recognized physician and educator, Dr. Remen is a pioneer in the field of mind/body medicine, and has cared for people with cancer for more than 30 years. What makes her work truly inspiring […]
Secrets of the Blue Zones: The World’s Hot Spots of Longevity
I’m intrigued by research on the Blue Zones, which are essentially hot spots of longevity. In these areas of the world, it’s not uncommon for people to still be living active, healthy lives beyond the age of one hundred. So far, researchers have identified five Blue Zones: Sardinia, Italy Okinawa, Japan Loma Linda, California Nicoya […]
The Spirit of Eclectic Medicine
Both Eastern and Western healing traditions have long known that strengthening vitality is the basis for improving health and recovering from illness or injury. Early American herbal systems such as the Eclectic tradition understood this concept as central to healing. In my 25 years of clinical practice, I’ve found that enhancing vitality, although often ignored […]