News

Most of us did it today, and if not, we will be doing it tomorrow.  Yet most of us feel very uncomfortable discussing our bowel movements with anyone including our health care professionals.  As unpleasant as these discussions are, stool consistency is about the only gauge we have to...

Your six-inch pancreas is quite a busy organ, producing close to 2 quarts of pancreatic juices that aid in digestion.  As discussed last week when the pancreas fails to produce adequate enzymes we see several symptoms of inappropriate digestion such as diarrhea, gas, unexplained weight loss and steatorrhea. SOURCE:...

Most patients are familiar with the function of the pancreas to produce insulin.  It also produces glucagon to help regulate blood sugars.  Another extremely important function of the pancreas is to make enzymes for digestion of the food we eat. Just as the pancreas can “wear out” and stop...

Coenzyme Q-10 has been touted for everything from eye disease, heart disease to HIV. Most of the time we are using it for people who complain about muscle pain while on a statin for cholesterol management.  Many of our patients complain about muscle aches, some of them are not...

Melatonin, secreted by the pineal gland in the brain, is a neurohormone used to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin secretion begins around the third or fourth month of life, peaks in pediatric years, and lessens as we age. This decline in melatonin secretion seems to be due to calcification of...

Milk Thistle—weed or liver saver??? Latin Name:  Silybum marianum also called “Mary thistle” or “holy thistle” Milk thistle grows in North and South America, and throughout most of the world, as it is native to the Mediterranean region.  This plant is considered by most to be an invasive species...

Latin Name: Zingiber officinale Ginger can be found in our kitchens as spice for “ginger snaps” and in “ginger ale”. Ginger, which is found in the tropics has green-purple flowers and a rhizome (a bulky underground stem) that is the basis for its use in the kitchen. Ginger has...

Red yeast rice (RYR)  (Monascus purpureus) is a natural product that lowers LDL-C (bad cholesterol) levels by 20 to 30 percent.  Red yeast rice is a fermented rice product that has been used in Chinese cuisine (like Peking duck) and medicinally to promote “blood circulation”.  Because it is a...

After the results of the HERS trial in 2000, estrogen is to be used for relief of hot flashes, at the lowest possible dose for the shortest period of time. Estrogen is no longer recommended for prevention of chronic heart disease, osteoporosis, or prevention of dementia. Indeed, estrogen has...