Many herbal compounds are metabolized by the same set of liver enzymes, the Cytochrome P450 group, as are pharmaceuticals. A clear knowledge of which herbs are metabolized by which enzymes will help clear up much of the confusion and concern about herb-drug interactions.
Successful collaborations between conventional MDs and practitioners of natural medicine are still rare. Leaders of major associations representing both conventional and holistic health professionals met at California’s Esalen Institute to confront the political, economic and personal roadblocks to greater collaboration and a more humanistic healthcare system.
The recent Institute of Medicine and Harvard reports on seafood safety go a long way in allaying public concern about mercury toxicity in fish and affirming fish as a healthy food. But they largely overlook the precarious state of the world’s oceans. Can we have our fish and eat them too? Yes, say marine biologists, but only with major changes in fisheries management and consumer consciousness.
Effective management of thyroid problems requires an approach that goes beyond simply manipulating thyroid hormones. Many thyroid problems are related to underlying inflammatory processes, environmental toxin exposure and dietary factors. A guide to assessing and treating thyroid disorders from a holistic viewpoint.
Effective management of thyroid problems requires an approach that goes beyond simply manipulating thyroid hormones. Many thyroid problems are related to underlying inflammatory processes, environmental toxin exposure and dietary factors. A guide to assessing and treating thyroid disorders from a holistic viewpoint.
The idea of pregnant women taking herbal medicines makes a lot of physicians nervous. Dr. Paul Saunders believes the fear is largely unfounded. Herbs, like Viburnum, Mitchella, Rubus, Aletris, and Melissa, can safely mitigate many different health challenges during pregnancy and lactation.
LAS VEGAS—Co-enzyme Q10 supplementation can improve heart function and survival in patients with congestive heart failure, provided it is given early on in the course of disease, said Stephen Sinatra, MD, at the American College of Nutrition’s annual meeting.
Herbal medicine truly represents a crossroad between the culinary and medical arts. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the emerging body of data showing that a number of commonly used cooking herbs contain powerful antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds.
For the past 28 years, Dr. Dean Ornish and colleagues at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute have been quietly proving that one can reverse atherosclerosis and prevent heart attacks through diet, exercise and stress management alone. The bigger challenge is proving to Medicare and insurers that paying for these sorts of lifestyle programs is money well-spent.
There’s a reason why nearly all traditional cultures worldwide have some form of fermented food as part of their dietary staples. Unfortunately, in the rush to modernity and “convenience,” many people have lost the taste for things like kefir, kimchi, and natto. These and other fermented foods are extremely healthy, providing a rich source of probiotic gut bacteria, which aid digestion, reduce inflammation and promote overall health.
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