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Health Warnings

How X-Rays Damage The Body

Original article below published in November of 2004, reposted on January 30, 2019 along with the video clip from the Joe Rogan Podcast above with guest Dr. David Sinclair. Read more

 

Selecting Fresh, Uncontaminated Foods

In early November, I spoke with a client in her early 50s who was going on about 6 weeks of experiencing chronic nausea and diarrhea without a clue as to why.

In reviewing her daily dietary and lifestyle choices, we realized that the onset of her symptoms coincided with regular purchases of pre-marinated chicken from her local grocery store - her sister-in-law out west had suggested this as a way to make healthy cooking easier after long work days at the hospital. Read more

 

Heart Attack Symptoms

In response to my article on the Top 3 Determinants of Heart Disease, a number of readers asked how they would know if they were having a heart attack or in danger of having one in the near future.

By definition, a heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is compromised. Without adequate oxygen and nutrients from fresh blood, heart cells are damaged and at risk of dying. Read more

 

Risks of Tampon Use

As widely covered in the media, 13-year old Jemma-Louise Roberts passed away last winter from Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), which is thought to have come about from using tampons to help her prepare for swim meets.

TSS is a rare bacterial infection - typically by Staphylococcus aureus but sometimes group A streptococcus bacteria - that can quickly travel through the body via one's bloodstream. Toxins associated with this infection can damage and disrupt all organ systems, making TSS a life-threatening medical emergency. Toxic Shock Syndrome can affect men, women, and children of all ages. Beyond recent tampon use, major risk factors include skin wounds and recent surgery. Read more

 

Rules For Minimizing Risk Of Injury

The funny thing about accidents is that, by definition, they generally happen without notice. You're going about your business, when, often with an audible crack (even if it's only in your head), you realize that your plans just changed to some degree. This pretty much holds true for most physical injuries, which is why I'm a big believer in being careful about when and how to use my body for physically demanding activities. Read more

 

Can You Stretch Too Much?

Including all of the articulations between your ribs, sternum, and vertebrae, you have approximately 170 joints in your body. More, actually, as some of your joint areas like your ankles, knees, wrists, and elbows have multiple joints within their functional units.

All of your 170 functional joints have two common elements:

  1. They are tightly bound by ligaments that are intended to prevent them from dislocating.

  2. They are also surrounded by skeletal muscles that control their movement, as directed by your nervous system.

 

One Stretch That Can Injure Your Lower Back

I've long recommended avoiding vigorous stretching first thing in the morning; the risk of injury is significant, especially as we get older, as our muscles, tendons, and ligaments are not well perfused with blood when we first wake up. These tissues are best stretched after we have been out and about for an hour or two, and optimally, after enough of an aerobic workout where we are sweating - if we've worked hard enough to sweat, we can reasonably assume that our muscles and ligaments are flush with blood and ready to be safely and effectively lengthened through stretching. Read more

 

Wearing Skinny Jeans May Cause Nerve Damage

We have long known that wearing tight clothing can cause damage to the cutaneous nerves that travel just under our skin. A common type of cutaneous nerve damage is called meralgia paraesthetica, which typically occurs when tight pants compress the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve that travels along the upper outer thigh region. Symptoms of meralgia paresthetica include sharp or achy pain, a burning sensation, or a feeling of pins and needles along the outer part of one's thigh anywhere between the hip and knee. Read more

 

Everyday Noises that Can Cause Hearing Loss and Tools to Protect Your Hearing

It's estimated that 10 million Americans suffer with noise-induced hearing loss. In fact, noise is one of the most common occupational hazards today, with as many as 30 million Americans being exposed to harmful noise levels at work.

We register sound through little hairs that vibrate in our inner ears in response to different noises. When these hairs are exposed to a sudden burst of very loud noise or to a steady stream of fairly loud noise, they can get damaged, resulting in hearing loss. Read more

 

Thoughts On Ebola

Many have asked for my views on the Ebola, so I'll share a few thoughts here.

My understanding is that Ebola is more transmittable than most world health authorities are generally leading people to believe.

It's true that the current form of the Ebola virus is not airborne, which is to say that the Ebola virus isn't capable of traveling through the air without fluid encasing it. Read more

 

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