Healthy Aging

Raising Vitamin D vs. Reducing Skin Cancer: Are They Mutually Exclusive Goals?

By Michael Traub, ND & Monica Scheel, MD - Vol. 10, No. 1. , 2009

As we’ve learned more about the importance of vitamin D in preventing heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes and depression, some people have begun to challenge skin cancer reduction efforts focused on sun avoidance. But careful review of the science shows that oral vitamin D supplements can more than compensate for any vitamin D lost through sun-avoidance. For light skinned people, sun protection makes most sense—just make sure to use eco-friendly products.

Mushroom-Derived Compound Boosts Immune System Function in the Elderly

By Janet Gulland | Contributing Writer - Vol. 9, No. 3. , 2008

Immune system function tends to diminish with advancing age, leaving many elderly people more susceptible to influenza, common colds, and pneumonia, as well as various cancers. A new study shows Active Hexose Correlated Compound (AHCC), a mushroom-derived compound used in Japan as an adjunct in treatment of cancer and hepatitis, can boost T-cell mediated immune function in otherwise healthy elders.

The Clinical Picture of Hypothyroidism

By Roby Mitchell, MD | Contributing - Vol. 9, No. 3. , 2008

Thyroid hormone plays a central role in energy metabolism and immune competence. Accurate diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism is essential to restoring health. But most physicians rely too much on questionably reliable blood tests, and not enough on what their eyes and their patients are telling them. This photo gallery, compiled by Roby Mitchell, MD, reveals the common clinical signs of hypothyroidism.

Making Sense of Bioidentical Hormones

By Michael Traub, ND, FABNO - Vol. 9, No. 3. , 2008

Use of bioidentical hormones – estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone derived from plants such as soy or yam – has grown rapidly over the last decade. According to a new FDA rule, claims that bioidentical hormones are safer or more effective than conventional HRT are false and misleading. The issue has become one of the hottest women’s health controversies.

Black Cohosh Compares Favorably With Drug Therapy for Menopausal Symptoms

By Tori Hudson, ND | Contributing Writer - Vol. 9, No. 3. , 2008

In the first head to head comparison of a botanical therapy versus a drug for management of menopausal symptoms, a standardized formulation of Black Cohosh was equally effective as tibolone, a drug widely used in Europe and Asia; the herbal formula had fewer adverse effects. Pycnogenol, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory derived from the bark of French Maritime Pine trees, can reduce menopausal symptoms while improving women’s lipid profiles.