You are here

Health Concerns

Help, My Husband is a Rodent!

Why do some men stray from their marriages, while others seem content to stay with one partner for life?

The answer may come from an unlikely source: the vole. A vole is a rodent, and it comes in several species. Prairie voles mate for life. Mountain voles do not. Research has shown that prairie and mountain voles have different versions, known as “alleles,” of a particular gene (AVPR1A). Read more

 

Operation Shanti - August 2008 Update

In February of 2008, we started a fund raising campaign for a special, not-for-profit organization called Operation Shanti. Located in Mysore, India, the folks who run Operation Shanti are dedicated to empowering the poorest and neediest children and elderly people in their area.

As reported in our first update following the launch of our campaign, our readers responded spectacularly, surpassing our goal within a week. Read more

 

Breastfeeding Tips For First-Time Moms

This article was originally published in May, 2006

It's no secret that breastfeeding provides both a mother and her baby with numerous physical and emotional health benefits.

Unfortunately, some new moms who have every intention of nursing their babies end up switching to formula within the first few weeks of their babies' lives. Read more

 

Foods that Can Help Prevent Sunburn

Many years ago, a patient of mine who had traveled extensively around the world told me about a group of people he encountered that ate red beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes almost every day to help protect their skin against sunburn. Read more

 

Why Wearing High Heels is Bad for Your Health

What do toe pain, mid-foot pain, heel pain, ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain, lower back pain, mid-back pain, upper back pain, and headaches all have in common?

You guessed it - they can all be caused by wearing high heels on a regular basis. Read more

 

Brain Tumors Claim More Children's Lives Than Any Other Type of Cancer

The headline is correct - brain tumors now claim more children's lives than any other type of cancer. There aren't any published studies in the medical literature that all epidemiologists can point to and offer as proof that regular use of a cell phone can increase a child's risk of developing a brain tumor. And there never will be such a study, as definitive proof in the research world requires a double-blind, randomized control trial; how can you conduct a trial in which you ask a group of children to use a cell phone for 'x' number of hours per week? Read more

 

Why You Should Try to Avoid Shift Work and Irregular Sleep

According to a study published in the August 1, 2007 issue of the journal Sleep, rotating shift workers have significantly lower levels of serotonin (precursor to melatonin) than people who work regular day shifts. A total of 683 men of European ancestry were evaluated for this study; 437 were day workers, and 246 were rotating shift workers.

Serotonin is a hormone that circulates throughout your body. It is also a neurotransmitter in your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). A chronically low level of serotonin is associated with many health challenges, the most common of which are: Read more

 

Heart-Healthy Chocolate Smoothie Recipe

If you want to have a healthy heart and good blood circulation throughout your body, you need to regularly supply your body with flavonoids, which are natural nutrients that have antioxidant properties.

Raw, organic chocolate is one of nature's most flavonoid-rich foods. When eaten on its own or with other healthy foods, raw, organic chocolate can help keep your cardiovascular system strong and healthy. Read more

 

Experience the Health Benefits of Mint

Peppermint and other mints are among the healthiest herbs that you can include in your diet. What if your body doesn't react well to ingesting mint-flavored foods and beverages? Before you say no to mints forever, I encourage you to consider that some mint-flavored products (especially candies, chocolates, and low quality teas) use synthetic menthol to create mint flavor and scent.

Synthetic menthol is created by using a crystallization process that generates contaminants, and these contaminants can affect the scent and quality of synthetic menthol. Read more

 

Why it's Important to Get a Second Opinion Before Undergoing Joint Replacement Surgery

Since 1997, I've evaluated and worked with about two dozen people who have had knee or hip replacement surgeries. A few have reported having better quality of life following joint replacement surgery, while the majority have reported experiencing more difficulties than they did before having surgery.

If you have a severely deteriorated joint that prevents or significantly hinders basic activities of daily living, I think that joint replacement surgery is an option worth considering. But I think it's critical to do two things before undergoing surgery: Read more

 

Pages

 
 

Join more than 80,000 readers worldwide who receive Dr. Ben Kim's newsletter

Receive simple suggestions to improve your health and mobility, plus alerts on specials and giveaways at our catalogue.