Most Recent Health Tips, Health News, and Easy Healthy Recipes

In a study to be published in this month's edition of the journal Pediatrics, researchers from the CDC say that approximately 33 percent of infant deaths can be attributed to premature births. This number is much higher than all previous estimates. Read more

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale and kohlrabi - this family of cruciferous vegetables is naturally rich in indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a compound that is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most powerful cancer-fighting compounds that we know of. Read more

Ingredients:

1 package of Shanghai bok choy - approximately 8 small to medium heads
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1-2 cups of vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

Cut the ends off the bok choy heads so that the leaves separate. Rinse leaves in a sink or basin full of water. Rinse a few times, using fresh water each time, as the grit tends to linger. Drain. Read more

Ingredients:

2 cups of raw hazelnuts, soaked in water for 5 hours, then dried in a towel and roughly chopped
1 cup of dried black mission figs, soaked in water for 1 hour, then drained
1/2 a cup of dates, soaked in water for 1 hour, then drained
1/4 cup of raw cacao powder
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of sesame seeds, soaked in water for 5 hours, then dried in a towel
1 cup of shredded coconut

Directions:

Use a food processor to bring together hazelnuts, figs, dates, cacao, and water. Read more

Vaginitis is a condition that often goes unaddressed by women and their health care providers due to many people often feeling embarrassed about it. Vaginitis is also frequently misdiagnosed as a urinary tract infection, which can leave a woman unaware of lifestyle factors that are chronic, recurrent causes of vaginitis. Read more

Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences report that exposure to a chemical found in mothballs, air fresheners, and toilet deodorizers can cause lung damage and possibly even lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

The chemical in question is called 1,4-dichlorobenzene or 1,4-DCB. If you know what mothballs smell like, you know exactly what 1,4-DCB smells like. 1,4-DCB is a volatile organic compound - a chemical that is given off as a gas from common household products. Read more

As the parent of a toddler, I find that I am often calling out reminders during my son’s play with other children. I tell him, “Be gentle!” He hasn’t learned to talk yet and I don’t know how much he understands, but I am always on my toes to make sure that he plays nicely. Read more

Ingredients:

2 medium red beets, peeled and shredded
1 small to medium jicama, peeled and shredded
2 medium to large carrots, peeled and shredded
3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons of vinegar
2 teaspoons of any variety of mustard
Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

If you don't have a good shredder that can process the beets, jicama, and carrots, into neat, thin strips, you can use a good knife to julienne these vegetables into matchstick-like strips. Read more

According to researchers at the Childrens Hospital Boston, surgery used to remove breast cancers can sometimes promote the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) that can contribute to metastatic cancer development later on. This hypothesis is congruent with the tendency for younger women who develop breast cancer to experience early recurrences of their cancers.

Researchers looked at data from 1,200 women who had surgery to remove breast cancers. They found that the two most common periods for recurrence was at 18 months and five years post-surgery. They also found that 20 percent of premenopausal women with breast cancer whose cancer had spread to their lymph nodes experienced recurrence within 10 months of surgery to remove their primary breast cancer tumours. Read more

In late 2005, I made an interesting observation as I did a review of my patient files. I found that among patients who were less than 50 years of age and who came to me with some form of cancer or neurological disease, more than 75 percent reported a history of cocaine use. Experience has taught me that some people do not feel comfortable disclosing a history of recreational drug use, which means that in all likelihood, this number is even higher. Read more