Dr. Ben Kim's blog

Ingredients:

1 large ripe avocado, mashed
6 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1/2 cup sweet red bell pepper
Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

Steam and cook the potatoes until tender but not too soft. Mix thoroughly with all other ingredients. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy this simple and delicious avocado-potato salad.

This recipe was adapted from a similar recipe found in the May/June 1999 issue of Health Science. Read more

Ingredients: 

2 ripe avocados, scooped out and cut into bite-size pieces
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
2-4 leaves of dark green lettuce like romaine or red leaf
1 tablespoon of chopped green onions (optional)
House Dressing, to taste

Directions:

Put avocado and oranges on a plate lined with lettuce, sprinkle with chopped green onions, and add dressing. Enjoy this simple and delicious salad. Read more

Recently, I had to take my mom to a local hospital for a painful hip condition. I hope that the following account of our experience will help you and your loved ones when faced with a need for medical care.

About a week and a half ago, my mom woke up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain in her right hip area. Based on the nature of her pain and some neurological and orthopedic tests that I did, my feeling was that she had a severe case of hip bursitis, an inflammatory condition of the outer hip area that normally gets better with rest and pain management. Read more

Ingredients:

1 large ripe avocado
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons of cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of dried dill
Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a strong blender until smooth. Enjoy this refreshing and healthy dressing on fresh salads, steamed vegetables, and whole grains.

Keeps well in an airtight bottle or container for a few days. Read more

The following is an excerpt on marriage from Letters to My Son: A Father's Wisdom on Manhood, Life, and Love , by Kent Nerburn. Many thanks to Mr. Nerburn for graciously encouraging us to share his thoughts with our guests.

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Ingredients: 

2 large acorn or 1 butternut squash
1 large spanish or any yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
3 cups of vegetable broth
Sea salt, to taste (optional)

Directions:

Cut squash into halves and place skin side down in a casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees Farenheit, or until tender. After it cools enough for you to handle, scoop out the flesh.

In a fair sized pot, boil onions and garlic in vegetable broth until tender. Add the cooked squash and sea salt. Blend all ingredients with a hand held blender or in a conventional blender if you like a smooth, creamy soup.

Serves four. Read more

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons unpasteurized honey
2 tablespoons organic tahini
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon naturally brewed soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Salad Ingredients: Read more

Here are some points* that all cell phone users need to be aware of:

• The risk of death from brain cancer is higher for cell phone users who hold their cell phones against their heads compared to those who keep their cell phones away from their heads.
• Using a cell phone for six years or more is associated with a fifty percent increase in risk of developing an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumour of a nerve that lies close to the ear and is within close range of the radiation that comes from a cell phone's antenna.
  

Before we look at some of the most common ways in which you might be damaging your kidneys, here are a few of the many reasons why having healthy kidneys is absolutely essential to your overall health:

1. Your kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin that has the important responsibility of stimulating your bone marrow to produce red blood cells.

2. Your kidneys produce renin, a hormone that helps to regulate your blood pressure.

On the heels of last week's article on why antibiotics are not good for the common cold or acne, this week saw the publication of an important study that links antibiotic use to dental health problems. Read more