I just finished reading an inspiring letter in the recent Spring 2012 issue of Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation. This contribution by Ron Buch from Woodbridge, Virginia is a great example of how lowering carbs and eliminating processed foods is the “slow […]
Tag: diet
Cheap Weight Loss Part 4: Metabolic Derangement
In guiding patients through weight loss challenges over the years, I have championed two main strategies that have been the mainstay of my approach: detoxification and a low-carb diet. The detoxification process jumpstarts metabolism while eliminating food sensitivities through a modified elimination diet. After that three week process, keeping one’s diet relatively low-carb by removing […]
Gluten, Gut Bugs, and Cortisol – Oh My!
In the last post we explored the curious and complex world of digestion. Having completed that primer, we can discuss some common conditions that compromise gut function. Specific to the small intestine are two very insidious pathologies that can develop over the course of years but seemingly manifest with symptoms overnight. These conditions are dysbiosis […]
The pH Controversy
In nutrition circles, there is an ongoing debate about the importance of pH in the body. In normal human physiology there are variations in acidity or alkalinity in different areas, from the strong acidity of stomach acid to an equally strong alkalinity in the small intestine where bicarbonate is released. Your blood stays at an […]
Cheap Weight Loss Part 8: The Gut Flora Connection
In a previous post we explored the fascinating world of the microbiome – the symbiotic organisms populating the human gut which provide manifold digestive and immunological benefits. To be optimally healthy, we must make friends with our gut flora, stop beating them down with unnecessary antibiotic drugs and cleaning agents, and give these critters an […]
Home Remedy: Cooking Oils
When it comes to choosing a cooking oil, it is best to stick with the fats and oils that have been in the human diet for hundreds of years. Ask yourself, what did my great-grandmother cook with in her kitchen? If she would recognize and use that oil or fat, chances are your body would […]
Infections Part 2: Treatment
After understanding the landscape of chronic infections, we need to turn our attention to strategies to boost immunity, treat the infection directly, or both. But how do chronic infections take root to begin with? With a robust immune system, many acute infections can be overcome efficiently, and recovery, rapid. Such is the case […]
The Art of Medicine
In consulting with a new patient, the seasoned practitioner of holistic medicine will often have a clear sense of the course of treatment needed to help the patient. Time and experience are our best teachers in this regard. The real challenge in medicine is not simply the conveyance of information but in empowering a patient […]
Home Remedy: Grounding
In a previous post on light therapy we discussed the healing power of sunlight and how we derive nourishment from the sun. Just as we require vitamin sunlight (for vitamin D, among other things) the Earth itself provides a form of nourishment that we can refer to as vitamin Earth. Traditional Chinese medicine describes two […]
Cancer
Currently in the United States, cancer is the cause of death of one out of every four people, and by some estimates, will increase as much as 50% by the year 2020. Although malignancy has always been an affliction of humanity, these statistics of epidemic proportion are likely out of sync with the rates of […]