Natural Inflammation Fighters

Inflammation is the body’s response to trauma, whether that takes the form of injury, sickness, or an environmental threat such as a toxin. The condition is a normal part of healing and should be temporary. Unfortunately, a number of factors contribute to widespread chronic and abnormal inflammation among people in today’s world. Chronic inflammation, in… Continue reading Natural Inflammation Fighters

A Promising Chronic Back Pain Treatment

The National Institutes of Health estimates that almost a quarter of adults worldwide experience moderate to severe chronic back pain, with the number of sufferers increasing as people age. The pain can be life-altering, causing patients to curtail activities and movement, which ultimately tends to worsen the underlying condition and increase the pain, in a… Continue reading A Promising Chronic Back Pain Treatment

Gua Sha

Traditional Chinese medicine offers a number of alternatives to pharmaceutical pain killers, primarily because those drugs weren’t available for much of the history of Eastern medical practices. One non-invasive treatment, called Gua Sha, involves dragging the smooth edge of an instrument across the skin, raising a rash-like pattern of red spots (known medically as petechiae). … Continue reading Gua Sha

Essential Health Tests by Decade

People in their teens and twenties tend to play fast and loose with their health. Fortunately, the human body is remarkably resilient in the first two decades of life. Barring some underlying condition or genetic abnormality, most people sail through to their 30s relatively unaffected, with no major health crises.      Unfortunately, accrued damage… Continue reading Essential Health Tests by Decade

New Screening Recommendations for Depression

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended depression screening for all individuals between the ages of 19 and 65. First published in June, in JAMA , the recommendations are an important first step for instituting preventive mental health measures as a part of ongoing primary healthcare.     The task force is a volunteer… Continue reading New Screening Recommendations for Depression

Combatting Alzheimer’s with Hibiscus Tea

Research concluded last year indicates that the compound gossypetin found in hibiscus tea may prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Gossypetin is a flavonoid, one of a group of compounds that give plants their flavors and colors. Researchers conducting the study, funded by the pharmaceutical company NovaMetaPharma Co., found that the compound effectively reversed dementia in mice when… Continue reading Combatting Alzheimer’s with Hibiscus Tea

Should You Use Blue Light Glasses?

Although this lens technology has been around since the 1960s, blue light-filtering glasses have only been widely available since the early 2000s. Originally invented to protect the eyes of Apollo astronauts, blue light glasses block short-wavelength, high-energy light rays that basic UV protection does not. These specialty lenses are currently offered in both plain and… Continue reading Should You Use Blue Light Glasses?

A CPAP Alternative for Treating Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a life-disrupting condition. A disorder of the upper airway, it involves the air passage closing during sleep, causing snoring, gasping, choking, and episodes of jerking awake. Sufferers often don’t realize that they’re going through this traumatic cycle on a nightly basis, sometimes dozens of times a night. The results, however,… Continue reading A CPAP Alternative for Treating Sleep Apnea

New Uses for Continuous Glucose Monitoring

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a technology that automatically tracks blood glucose levels on a 24-hour basis. Not only does it allow users to determine their levels at any given moment, the data can also show trends over time. The technology has only been available for about twenty years, but has seen widespread adoption among… Continue reading New Uses for Continuous Glucose Monitoring

Dry Needling

Dry needling is an effective treatment for relieving musculoskeletal pain and restoring range of motion. Similar to acupuncture (but based in Western medical science rather than Eastern medical practice), the procedure is called “dry” because the needles are solid, in contrast to the hollow syringe needles used for injections. The needles are stuck into specific… Continue reading Dry Needling