John R. is a 35-year-old stress seeker with a good job in the aerospace industry. He lives in a beach town near Los Angeles and drives into Beverly Hills to see me once a year for a checkup. A few months ago we had an unscheduled meeting in the hospital. John had been upset when [...]
An old friend from my Army days in Italy brought her family to visit mine some years ago. At the end of their stay she asked me why were so many Americans fat. And why do they drive around a parking lot six times looking for a parking space right next to the door? Why [...]
Here, then, are the Super Foods, each with its one or more special, health-building properties: Beans Collards Peaches Beet Greens Garlic Peas Black Chinese Mushrooms Ginger Sweet Red Pepper Broccoli Kale Scallions Brussels Sprouts Lentils Spinach Cabbage Oat Bran Sweet Potatoes Cantaloupes Onions Water Carrots Papayas Whole Grains Cauliflower Parsley The ideal food would be [...]
“Big” diseases such as AIDS are grabbing the headlines. But as a physician, an internist and a cardiologist, I can tell you that the diseases you read about, terrible though they may be, are only the tip of the iceberg. The number-one killer in this country is heart disease: 50 percent of us will fall [...]
Although lectins are probably the best-studied, they are certainly not the only food components that can trigger mast cells directly. Several foods contain peptides (small protein-like molecules) which also bind to mast cells and make them degranulate. Among the foods known to contain such peptides are egg-white, strawberries, crustacean shellfish (prawns, shrimps, crabs, lobsters), tomatoes, [...]
Some doctors may smile or scoff when reading about such simple natural remedies. However, they should not forget that these remedies have been known and used for hundreds of years and have outlasted many a modern chemical drug. These natural treatments are always near at hand and invariably provide help when other remedies fail. They [...]
The Indians enjoy eating plenty of papaya where they grow, and the white settlers have noticed this habit and copied it. Eating papaya after a meal makes for better digestion. Food rich in protein will cause no problems if you eat papaya, since papain breaks down protein. Being a good observer, you will soon discover [...]
Bathing in the sea has different effects on people. Salt water has an osmotic effect in as much as it draws water from the body. As a result, those people who always have some excess fluid in the legs will feel considerably better after bathing in the sea. Sea water will do the same for [...]
In the Middle Ages, savory, or bean herb (Satureja hortensis in Latin), grew in every monastery garden and still today it is prized as a kitchen herb. It was used for seasoning and as a remedy, and Abbess Hildegard of Bingen, Germany, a reputable medieval herbalist and recognised as such even in modern times, recommended [...]
People who like sauerkraut will be familiar with juniper berries because they are often added for flavouring. But then what do we do? We pick them out and leave them on the side of the plate. Occasionally they are mentioned in a cookery book as a spice, and it may also be remembered by some [...]