A recent report revealed that there are so many cases of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in the US that costs for diagnosis and lifetime treatments are estimated to be $8 billion a year. If you have PCOS, obviously you’re not alone. It’s estimated that PCOS affects one woman in seven (estimates go as high as […]
Category: Healthy Lifestyle
Achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can include visits with a lifestyle medicine provider, nutrition counseling, meal planning, stress management and exercise and sleep plans.
THE REAL REASON YOU KEEP GAINING WEIGHT
There was an astonishing experiment described in “UltraProcessed People”, by Chris van Tulleken. It had been conducted in Brazil where they’re light years ahead of us in terms of food safety. They took a number of volunteers, and divided them into two equal groups, A and B. For two months, each group was allowed anything […]
THE SAGA OF DR. KEITH LASKO
I need to complete the chronicle of Keith Alan Lasko, MD, begun last week in my Health Tip, “Pigs At A Trough“, with the story of the physician who wrote, The Great Billion Dollar Medical Swindle some 45 years ago and then seemed to vanish. But completely disappear? Hardly. Based on what I’ve been reading online, it’s a safe […]
PIGS AT A TROUGH
I regularly revisit my battered copy of a 2013 Time Magazine Special Report, “Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us”, with the same conflicted feeling I had at about age six when I learned that something painful, like picking a scab or jiggling a loose tooth, also afforded a secret pleasure that could not be shared […]
WOMEN LIVE LONGER THAN MEN, BUT AT A PRICE
The blurb about women’s health was tucked into a corner of The Guardian and required some tracking on my part to locate the source. It was a report (funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) in Lancet Public Health, that I fear will largely be ignored, that is a general call-to-action jumpstart for worldwide […]
YOU REALLY SHOULD LEARN ABOUT MEDICINAL HERBS
It was in the papers and online just last week: women, who have always outlived men longevity wise, just widened the gap a bit more. All sorts of usual suspects kill off men: guns, drugs, self-neglect, poor diets, more smoking. But one factor wasn’t mentioned, probably not worth considering by statisticians, and that this: All […]
ARE YOU A HYPOCHONDRIAC?
Actually, after many years, the term has been changed to a more politically correct one: Illness Anxiety Disorder. Naturally, some degree of anxiety is totally appropriate when you are confronted with anything that might bring you protracted physical discomfort or shorten your precious lifespan (“Could this be it? The top line item on my Death […]
WELLNESS PATH TO CANCER PREVENTION 2024
Okay, so this Health Tip seems pretty important. After a certain age, every person fears getting cancer (and believe me, doctors are just as fearful as everyone else!). Being told by a health care professional, “I’m sorry but the biopsy confirmed it. You have cancer,” or “We need to find you a good oncologist.”, that […]
I’m Taking So Many Meds! What Can I Stop? Part One: Antidepressants
Although many new patients arrive at WholeHealth Chicago with chronic symptoms and a history of no help elsewhere (“You’re my 12th doctor.”). Others pour out a bagful of medications with a mournful, “I’ve got to get off of some of these!”. Going off a bevy of psych meds is a popular request, especially when the […]
Reversing Cognitive Decline and Preventing Alzheimer’s
You saw a movie last week and in discussing it with friends simply can’t remember the important parts. Plus you just missed another appointment. Planning to drive to a north suburb, you instead got on the southbound expressway and after 15 minutes of Loop traffic realized your error. You’re mixing up words and forgetting too […]
”Leaky Brain” the True Villain Behind “Brain Fog”
In the physiology and neurology classes of medical school, you learn a lot about the importance of something called the “blood brain barrier”. You’ve seen blood, of course. The bright red liquid carrying oxygen, nutrients, etc., etc. But your brain and spinal fluid should always be crystal clear, unless infected or inflamed. Separating blood from […]
YES! TELL ME HOW TO PREVENT CANCER!
After a certain age, every person, doctors included, fears getting cancer. Hearing words like, “I see something worrisome on your pancreas” or “this could be leukemia” is a moment you will remember forever. You leave the doctor’s office utterly stunned and wondering “how long have I got?” and asking yourself “what could I have done […]
Turning the Winter Blues Around: A 10-Step Action Plan
The winter blues, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), usually begin when the days get shorter and the sky clouds over into perpetual gray. Many people with SAD dread late autumn because the clocks move back an hour and, in a single day, autumn twilight becomes dark night. Symptoms of SAD include depression, brain […]
NINE IMMEDIATE STEPS TO PRESERVE YOUR BRAIN
High on the wish list (probably highest, actually) of a new patient coming into WholeHealth Chicago for “wellness” is not just “longevity” but “longevity plus ‘brains/wit/wisdom’”, a la Betty White, Norman Lear, George Burns, actor Mike Nussbaum. So let’s talk “brain” and say you’re in one of these four situations: For everyone listed above, 1 […]
Some Easy New Year’s Resolutions for Longevity
Now that we’ve entered another New Year, here are a few REALLY EASY resolutions that will boost your health and likely to prolong your life. If I’m wrong, and you find yourself unexpectedly on the underside of the sod, call me for a full refund. No questions asked. You probably never called it that but […]
You Can Get Better Sleep
You may have discovered as you travel this weary road of life that you’re not sleeping quite as well as you did when younger. Gone are the glory days when you fell asleep next to Mom listening to a bedtime story, and then it was morning! “Why?”, you ask (and probably too often), “Am I […]
I Have So Many Symptoms and Have Seen So Many Specialists!
I knew exactly where this conversation with new patient, Mary, was headed (for me). In fact, when I read through my associate Brett Eaton’s intake notes, Brett herself had made Mary’s diagnosis during her first visit to WholeHealth Chicago. She was seeing me for ‘confirmation’ and to discuss treatment. But equally adept diagnosticians are any […]
WHY THIS SUDDEN INCREASE IN “FATTY LIVER”?
I know ‘fatty liver’ has an unhealthy ring to it and all-in-all, without even knowing exactly what ‘fatty liver’ happens to be, you’d rather hear, “Your liver tests all look fine” from your practitioner then, “Hmm, need some more tests. Might have some fatty liver here.” Don’t start wringing your hands in despair, eyes Heavenward, […]
Wellness Path To Cancer Prevention 2024
After a certain age, every person fears getting cancer (and believe me, doctors are just as fearful as everyone else!). Being told, “I’m sorry but the biopsy confirmed it. You have cancer,” or “we need to find you a good oncologist,” is a moment you will remember the rest of your life. As you leave […]
“Your Tests Are Negative. There’s Nothing Wrong. I Think You Need A Psychiatrist.”
I hope you never have to hear these words from any doctor. Dismissive and ending anything useful you hoped from a consultation. You scheduled this appointment months earlier. You wanted help for longstanding and unexplained symptoms. But you’re also not stupid. You actually have an idea what might be wrong. You’ve read a book or […]