I’m past the traditional age of retirement. But I don’t see myself stopping work anytime soon. I just enjoy talking with people about functional medicine too much. I love seeing my patients. And I take a great deal of pleasure attending training and educational opportunities – especially when I’m invited as a keynote speaker. Plus, […]

I recently had a patient diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). She had joint pain and swelling in the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, ankles; everywhere! When she came to see me, we did a comprehensive digestive stool analysis. This is a stool test that looks at a lot of things. This includes markers of digestion, […]

Just a few days ago I informed you about the way low estrogen is a major cause of sexual health issues in postmenopausal women. Today, I would like to talk about estrogen from a male perspective. As we men age, two hormonal changes of great consequence happen; testosterone levels decline and estrogen levels go up. […]

When it comes to sexual health, we men are prone to experience problems with erectile dysfunction. Still, it seems to me that aging women have it a lot worse. First, they have to suffer through the hot flashes and night sweats associated with menopause. This goes on for an average of about seven years, but […]

The holiday season is here, and over the next several weeks you’ll be invited to any number of gatherings. Chances are good that alcohol will be flowing pretty freely at these events. So even if you don’t normally indulge, you’ll probably find yourself with a drink in your hand on more than one occasion. The […]

Back in the 1960’s, obesity wasn’t much of a concern. It wasn’t even really an issue. After all, only a small portion of U.S. adults – about 13 out of every hundred – were dealing with extreme weight issues. Today it’s an entirely different story. Around 43 out of every hundred adults are obese. Add […]

You already know that uncontrolled high blood pressure is bad for your heart. It creates microscopic tears in the walls of your arteries. These tears eventually turn into rough scar tissue where sticky fats, plaques and cholesterol tend to accumulate. This, in turn, leads to blockages, narrowing of the arteries and arterial stiffness. Once this […]

Dieters often cringe at the mention of calorie restriction. And there is a reason why. Most of them have already gone through the torture of nearly starving themselves for a few days, weeks or longer. They even got excited when they lost a few pounds. Then, one of two things happened.

When people come into my office with unexplained aches, pains or numbness in one elbow or another, they often describe their condition as “tennis elbow.” And in many cases, they’ve looked this term up on the internet to set their own treatment schedule, only to find that it’s not working. The reason is pretty simple. […]

Allowing your immune system to get rundown during flu season is like issuing an invitation for the flu to take up residence in your body. Now, there are many reasons your immune function may be working sluggishly. Spending all your time indoors and a lack of physical activity are both linked with lowered immune function. […]

In the October 16, 2023 issue of Advanced Natural Wellness you learned the warning signs of a heart attack or impending cardiac arrest. But how do you tell these apart from a stroke? Well, there are a lot of misconceptions about strokes. Many people believe they are very similar to a cardiac event. While both […]

Back in 1989 NASA published a paper which found indoor plants can rid the air of certain airborne pollutants.

My new patients are often surprised when I don’t approach their health concerns in the way they expect. For instance, I once had a 50-year-old woman visit my office with awful joint pain. She was morbidly obese with pain in her fingers, knuckles, wrists, shoulders, knees and hips. A bone scan ordered by her conventional […]

Pretty much everyone knows that if an artery gets clogged it can trigger a heart attack. What many people may not realize is that heart attack symptoms often differ between men and women. Sure, classic symptoms such as chest pain are common in both sexes. But women are much more likely to have less common […]

Salt intake is quite a dilemma these days. On one hand, your body needs sodium to transmit nerve impulses, help your muscle’s function and maintain fluid balance. But when you get too much of it, it accumulates in the bloodstream where it attracts water. When this happens it increases blood pressure, which can damage your […]

So many in the medical community have dismissed the use of supplements as a tool for better health. Their logic is about as simple as it gets: If you eat a healthy diet, you’ll get all of the nutrition you need. Well, a June 2023 study out of Oregon State University says just the opposite. […]

When men think of prostate problems, they immediately think of urinary difficulties. After all, that’s what we all hear about… dribbling over the toilet in the middle of the night. Road trips postponed and ball games cut short because of the “urge to go.” But there’s another side of the story that is equally disturbing:

Everybody knows that a high sodium intake, excess weight and lack of physical activity are all bad for their blood pressure, right? It’s because we talk about these key contributors to hypertension all of the time. But what about the ones that we seldom hear about? For example, did you know that when you are […]

In the September 25, 2023 issue of Advanced Natural Wellness, I mentioned how much I love to put on some music and bop around the house while I’m doing chores. I do the same thing when I’m ready for some more purposeful physical activity. For example, I love listening to the Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams” when […]

Sometimes it seems like the older we get, the lazier we become. Instead of taking the stairs we are happy to ride the elevator – even if it’s going to take us longer. It’s easier to go through a drive-up window than get out of the car and walk indoors; or to drive the quarter […]

Everybody needs to get nutrient rich vegetables in their diets. It doesn’t matter which dietary lifestyle you’re operating on. Whether it’s omnivorous, carnivorous, vegetarian or vegan, you still need to have your vegetables. So why not eat the ones that have the most nutritional value?   You see, some plant-based foods are more nutritionally dense […]

Everyone wants to protect their heart health, and taking low-dose aspirin sounds like an inexpensive way to do that. After all, what harm could come from taking an over-the-counter pill that was originally formulated for children? Well, the fact is that low-dose aspirin is so dangerous that, if a company attempted to bring it to […]

Your feet are your body’s foundation. And they’re awesome. Believe it or not, each foot accounts for about 1.5% or less of your bodyweight. Yet they carry the entire weight of your body around for an entire lifetime. More than that, really. Because when you walk, the pressure on your heels and the front of […]

If you suffer from knee osteoarthritis, there are a lot of common treatments that don’t work well, and an equally long list of alternative treatments that do. So today I’m going to make things extremely easy for you. First, we will take a look at what doesn’t work to ease knee pain. Then, I’ll clearly […]

Type 2 diabetes is a real epidemic these days, and it comes with all sorts of health problems. It puts you at two to four times the chance of heart disease or a stroke. It affects your brain function, damages your nerves and causes kidney problems. The one thing many people don’t realize is that […]

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are top concerns for my aging patients. Many of them lost one or both of their parents to the disease. Some have lost a grandparent or two to it. If you’ve experienced this type of loss, you might feel like you have a target on your back… that you’re next in […]

I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables to support my heart health. In fact, one of my favorite kinds of green smoothies is filled to the brim with fruits and vegetables. I start with some honey and nut milk followed by a generous bunch of dark-leafy green vegetables like spinach or romaine. Then, I’ll […]

Everyone “gets” the idea of taking a multi-vitamin, minerals and many other supplements to help offset nutritional deficits. But what about CoQ10? CoQ10 is one of those nutrients everyone over the age of 40 needs more of. It’s also one that’s least understood by most folks. It’s not a vitamin. It’s not a mineral. So […]

It seems like every new decade comes with its own set of health issues. When I turned 30, I got out of bed and my ankles cracked. When I turned 40, my knees cracked. And when I turned 50, my back cracked… By the time I turned 60, I just hid under my covers and […]

One thing that drives me absolutely crazy is ambient light in my bedroom when I’m trying to sleep. I leave my phone in my office, cover up all of those blue, green and red lights from power strips and other equipment, and use black out shades on my windows. Otherwise, I can’t sleep at all. […]

I once had an 87-year-old patient who gave me his recipe for a drink he called “Blood.” Now, before you get too grossed out, let me explain… Yes, his bright red juice looked a lot like blood. But this name was appropriate for another reason. The superstar of his drink was beetroot juice – an […]

I’ve been using a water pic for about the past three months. And on my most recent dental cleaning, the hygienist at my dentist’s office was amazed. I had no plaque! They wondered what I had been doing, and I explained that I had added the water pic to my daily dental routine. It acts […]

All across the U.S. – from California to Louisiana and South Florida – record high temperatures are being broken. Not only that, but power grids are being stretched to their limits trying to keep millions of air-conditioners running. So the first order of business is to try and stay as cool as possible. If you’re […]

By the time we men hit our 30s, our testosterone levels naturally start declining. But over the past several decades, testosterone levels in the U.S. have been dropping more quickly than they did 30 years ago.  Since the late 1980’s, average levels of testosterone in men dropped by one percent each year. So a 65-year-old […]

We’ve always lived with blue light from the sun. Now we’re getting it from our electronic screens too. So we’re exposed to a lot more blue light than we used be. And it’s crazy how much time people are spending on their phones these days! Depending on which poll you read, people are averaging anywhere […]

People have so many health concerns as they age. They worry about their hearts, memory, eyesight, weight and so much more. But when is the last time you wondered how your kidneys were doing? You really want to keep these 5 inch long bean shaped filters of your blood as happy as they can be. […]

We’ve been raised with the idea that, when we reach a certain age, we should retire. Just slow down and live the good life. I think this is a problem. We’re already less active than we should be, simply due to the fact that while we know we need to be active, advances in  everything […]

“Should I have my DNA tested to see what diseases I’m at risk for?” This is a question I hear more and more often these days. And I understand the appeal. It’s human nature to want to know as much about ourselves as possible. DNA testing is a great way to get some of those […]

You probably know your cholesterol and triglyceride levels by heart. It’s just as likely you can recite your blood sugar and blood pressure numbers when asked.      But do you have any idea what your uric acid level is? Probably not. In fact, there’s a good chance you don’t even know what uric acid is. That’s […]

Every time I get into my car, I always reach for my little glove compartment right away. I stash my regular glasses and slip on my sunglasses. Then, I’m ready to roll. Even if it’s a cloudy day, these sunglasses stay on until the sun disappears below the horizon. Just like applying sunscreen, wearing your […]

In these days of health consciousness, food and beverage manufacturers will go to great lengths to convince you that their products will make your life healthier. You see it every time you go to the store. Marketers place starbursts on their products claiming they are sugar free, low fat, reduced sodium, cholesterol free, gluten free […]

A few years ago, my 35-year-old neighbor collapsed in his driveway taking the trash out. He was immediately rushed to the hospital where the medical staff performed a full work-up on him. One diagnostic test after another was carried out. Finally they gave him the good news… There was nothing wrong with him. He could […]

There’s no doubt about it. As we humans grow older, we tend to lose muscle strength. The medical term for it is sarcopenia. It’s sort of like osteoporosis of the muscles. Whereas osteoporosis is a condition where the skeleton loses bone mass and quality, sarcopenia is a disorder that results in the loss of muscle […]

My father, brothers, and uncles all suffered from heart attacks. They also all had one strange physical sign – creased earlobes! Believe it or not, this is a warning sign that your arteries may be at increased risk for clogging – and there are well over 50 studies to prove it. (Look for a crease […]

Did you know that when 3,000-year-old honey was discovered in King Tut’s tomb in 1922, the honey was still good? Honey is one of those rare foods that never spoil. This has to do with a combination of an acidic PH and low water content that creates an environment that kills off pretty much any […]

Every now and then I run across a patient who won’t eat fish. It’s not because they don’t like it. It’s because they’ve read one too many scary stories about mercury poisoning. I get it. And I agree that all heavy metals, not just mercury, are a problem in today’s society. However, this may be […]

Irritable bowel syndrome isn’t considered a disease. Yet it is the gastrointestinal complaint most frequently diagnosed by medical professionals. But most physicians don’t know what to do about it. There isn’t a pill you can take to cure it. In the meantime, the gas, bloating, pain and bowel issues associated with IBS can be excruciating, […]

Overeating is built into our genes. It comes from the days when our ancestors experienced long periods of famine. Once food became available again, they didn’t just take five bites of it and say “Oh, I’m full. I’ll save the rest for leftovers tomorrow.” No way! They kept on eating… as much as they could […]

A few years after I entered medical school my life was turned upside down. I went from being a nine-to-five clinical pharmacist to becoming an acutely sleep deprived medical student in a heartbeat. It wasn’t easy. I clearly remember hitting my third year of med school. That’s when those long, punishing hours of clinical rotations […]

If you get a urinary tract infection (UTI), the first piece of advice you’ll get from just about everybody you know is to drink cranberry juice. But does cranberry juice really help with UTIs? Or is it just an old wives’ tale? Before I answer that question, it’s important to understand UTIs. In a nutshell, […]

Of all the diets out there, the Mediterranean style of eating is the one I think is the most beneficial to your health. This way of eating is loaded with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables of all colors of the rainbow. Plus, the nuts, olive oil and fish consumed in this type of diet are all […]

Many people think of asthma as something that develops at a young age. But it can actually emerge at any age. People can even develop asthma symptoms for the first time when they are in their 60s, 70s and 80s. Interestingly, new research published in the open access journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research shows people […]

In the world of health supplements, minerals are boring. They aren’t new and exciting anti-aging discoveries that everyone wants to get their hands on. Instead, they’ve been forgotten. Unless it’s calcium for bones, nobody really thinks about them anymore. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t vital to your good health.

With the arrival of summer next month, grilling season will be ramping up in many parts of the country. (Down here in South Florida, it never ends!) I’ve enjoyed grilled steaks, ribs and chicken. They are even better when eaten outdoors surrounded by friends, family and neighbors. But they come with a problem.

I drink kombucha every night. It’s a fizzy, tangy, and sometimes sweet drink. And it’s delicious. But one of my favorite things about kombucha is that it’s filled with gut-friendly pre and probiotics that keep my gut microbiome ticking along at full speed, as well as digestive enzymes to support my own digestion. It’s one […]

The two most common mental health disorders in the U.S. are depression and anxiety. Millions of people experience the persistent feelings of sadness, apprehension and dread that come with these mental health issues. While genetics may influence mental health, it’s lifestyle choices that matter the most – your diet, physical activity levels, sleep habits and […]

There is a misconception about hot and spicy foods. Some people think they’re dangerous – that they’ll actually burn the linings of the esophagus and stomach. For years it was believed foods like hot peppers and curry were the culprits behind ulcers. A lot of folks still hold to this line of thinking. I run […]

Mushrooms are a staple in my kitchen. I toss them in my omelets and frittatas, put them in soups, stews and stir fries, add them to salads and veggie wraps, and use them as a topping on meats and fish. As it turns out, I’m the “odd man out.” The average American only eats about […]

Fresh organic blueberries are, by far, one of my favorite snacks. And it’s interesting because, as small as these berries are, you wouldn’t think they would pack much of a punch. But I’m getting a plethora of health benefits every time I pop one in my mouth. Blueberries are jam-packed with a potent class of […]

My first trip to Italy was a real eye opener. And I want to tell you all about it. But first, I have a question for you. What is your favorite Italian food? Is it pasta smothered in tomato sauce, meatballs, sausage and cheese? How about chicken parmesan? Do you love it?

I’ve always been vocal about the many ways the makers of artificial sweeteners have tried to pull the wool over our eyes. They are all bad for you, but some of the worst are Truvia and Splenda Naturals Stevia Sweetener. It started when Truvia was launched about 15 years ago. The company latched onto a […]

There’s an interesting thing that happens when you mix certain plant-based foods together. In many cases, the nutritional power behind one or more of the foods gets super-charged. For example, when you mix vitamin-C rich foods with those that contain plant-based (non-heme) iron, the vitamin C breaks the iron down so your body can absorb […]

In 2019, American adults spent over 1.5 billion dollars on over-the-counter laxatives! Clearly, we are a nation of people with pooping problems. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be such a high demand for laxatives and stool softeners in our society. But constipation doesn’t happen for no reason. There is always an underlying cause, whether it is diet, […]

How often do you think about your urine? Most certainly when you HAVE TO PEE RIGHT NOW… and there are ten people ahead of you in the bathroom line. When that happens, pee is the ONLY thing you can think about. Urine is likely on your mind it if it hurts when you take a […]

Now that you’re lucky enough to be getting older, you might discover that when you go for a walk or take a ride on your bike, your body doesn’t respond the same way it did when you were younger. Maybe your muscles become more easily fatigued. You might lose your breath more quickly. Perhaps your […]

Not all sugars are the same. We have natural sugars, those that are found in fruits and vegetables. Then we have added sugars. These are the ones added to processed foods like juices, soft drinks, pastries, breakfast cereals and other packaged foods. Added sugars make up for most of our daily sugar intake, and they […]