Many people of all ages suffer from insomnia, more than ever over the past couple of decades. The rate of insomnia continues to escalate. Persistent insomnia can lead to multiple problems like chronic fatigue, chronic anxiety, irritability, depression, “brain fog,” increasing cognitive decline, and accidents like falling asleep at the wheel. See if any of the common causes of insomnia described below apply to you and what you can do to mitigate the problem Inconsistent sleep patterns. Going to bed and getting up at different times each day can significantly decrease the quality of sleep. Maintaining a regular sleep/wake cycle, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Medicine
The number of patients complaining of chronic upper abdominal pain has mushroomed over the past years. The majority of the complaints relate to the stomach and lower esophagus. The upper abdomen consists of the liver and gallbladder on the right side under the bottom of the right rib cage. On the left side, below the rib cage, is the stomach. The pancreas is located behind the stomach toward the back. The spleen, the size of a fist, sits in the upper far left part of the abdomen, to the left of the stomach. In this post, we will focus exclusively … Continue reading
People with intestinal distress often experience chronic gas and bloating, frequent abdominal cramping, diarrhea and/or constipation, and mucous in their stools. While this constellation of symptoms is often referred to as IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, the label does not tell us about the cause of the condition. There are many possible causes of intestinal distress. Below are the most common culprits: 1) UNHEALTHY DIET Many Americans eat an unhealthy diet, which creates digestive distress and causes overgrowth of harmful bacteria and yeast. Solutions: a) If possible, eat all organically-grown food b) Drink filtered water. Municipal tap water contains toxic … Continue reading
March 27, 2020 Dear Friends, Dozens of people have asked me to write a group email about COVID-19. I’ll skip the statistics regarding the epidemiology of the disease because they change on a daily basis and are easy to find and follow online. Some of you might not know that the word COVID-19 refers to COronaVIrus Disease which first occurred in 2019. For the sake of clarity, I refer to the coronavirus as the pathogen and COVID-19 as the disease. What is Coronavirus? This family of viruses can cause symptoms ranging from common cold symptoms to serious pneumonia. Old people … Continue reading
For the past two or three years, I have been facing the inevitable. All three of my older sisters have had hip replacements on their right hips for degenerative arthritis when they were approximately my age. Now it was my turn. But in my case, metal sensitivities made getting a hip replacement a more challenging problem. For over two years I searched in the US, the UK, and Europe for an orthopedic surgeon who could both relieve the rapidly growing pain in my right hip, as well as accommodate my sensitivities to the metals found in alloys used in hip … Continue reading
In the summer of 1970, after I graduated from college, I traveled to Switzerland to learn more about my uncle, a most unusual Swiss medical doctor. Uncle Ernst used fasting and dietary changes as part of his protocol for successfully treating patients with supposedly “incurable” diseases like cancer and autoimmune disease. When Uncle Ernst met me at the train station, he told me that if I really wanted to learn about what he did, then I would need to fast in order to experience first hand this powerful healing modality. I protested and said that I didn’t need to fast … Continue reading
Two years ago I got a call from a woman in Albuquerque who said that Tom, her 60 year-old husband, had started to act “strange.” She told me a little bit about his medical history and then asked if I could evaluate him. Tom worked at an investment firm and prided himself on being organized, efficient, and able to remember the details about his clients’ investments. Over the prior months Tom had complained to his wife that he had times when he felt confused and disoriented and couldn’t even remember his clients’ names. The symptoms got progressively worse. Eventually whole … Continue reading
Lifestyle plays an enormous role in maintaining mental health. Besides diet, supplements, and avoidance of toxic chemicals and indoor mold exposures, there are many other lifestyle factors that can significantly impact our mental health and sense of wellbeing. Exercise Exercising on a regular basis can lead to noticeable mental health benefits. Exercise can lower anxiety and depression and improve symptoms of bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders. It can also improve sleep quality, promote relaxation, and has the potential to raise self-confidence and self-esteem. Some studies show that exercise can be more effective than prescription medication for treating anxiety and depression. Exercise … Continue reading
Have you ever drunk alcohol in excess and gotten thoroughly intoxicated? If so, you have gotten a taste of what it’s like to have a toxic brain. Alcohol is a socially acceptable toxin. When you are intoxicated, your brain is toxic. You cannot think clearly, your speech is slurred, you make poor decisions, you stagger around with loss of balance and coordination, and you become emotionally unstable—maybe tearful or belligerent and full of violent rage. Fortunately, when the alcohol clears from your body and the hangover passes, you will regain your former personality. In your case, the brain damage is … Continue reading
Mold-related illness is prevalent throughout the US. Because the symptoms are complex and varied, diagnosing mold toxicity can be difficult. Most doctors probably have had patients in their medical practice who suffered from the toxic effects of mold, but neither the patients nor the doctors realized it. Typically, those patients with an undiagnosed mold-related illness are given medications for each of their symptoms and referred to psychiatrists and psychologists for psyche medication and counseling for their “imagined” illness. The longer the mold-injured patients go without finding the cause of their illness, the sicker they get. The sickness can lead to … Continue reading