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 […]
Category: Women’s Health
Women’s health medicine can include treatment specific to women’s health concerns to optimization and anti-aging.
Natural Treatments for Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
It’s important that you keep these two forms of painful arthritis separate in your mind. Osteoarthritis (OA) is considered ‘non-inflammatory’ and basically a ‘wear-and-tear’ phenomenon that occurs with passage of time. There are inflammatory components as ‘anti-inflammatory medications’, like aspirin, or the NSAIDs (Motrin, Aleve, etc.) will relieve pain, but so will Tylenol, which is […]
Menopause Hot Flashes: They’re Getting Worse but Some Good News, Too!
A large study from Sweden was reported in The Washington Post that menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats are coming earlier, lasting longer and more severe. 24% of women born between 1918 and 1930 had symptoms compared with 35% born between 1954 and 1960. Lots of data were collected and questions asked. Were […]
MORE ABOUT YOUR THYROID
As I explained last week, the thyroid hormone is virtually involved with everything your body does. All human cells have a “thyroid receptor site”, so when you have an insufficient amount of thyroid hormone, eventually you’ll get a signal that something is wrong. That “something” can be VERY subtle, and total reliance on a not-very-good […]
“Honey, It’s Your Thyroid!”
Patients, especially women, often possess an intuitive sense about their thyroid glands, whether through shared experiences, online research, or encounters with energy intuitives. Yet, they frequently encounter resistance from their healthcare providers who rely solely on TSH levels and dismiss a broader assessment of thyroid function. Thyroid health is a complex interplay of hormones affecting every aspect of well-being, from fatigue and weight gain to hair loss, mental fog, and mood swings. The key to accurate diagnosis and treatment lies in comprehensive testing and a deep understanding of individual thyroid needs, offering patients the chance to regain vitality and wellness often lost in the maze of traditional healthcare.
Finishing Up on Vaginal Infections and Something About STDs
In our recent Health Tip, we delved into the intricate world of Candida and yeast infections, but when it comes to sheer prevalence, the most common vaginal ailment is Bacterial Vaginosis (B.V., for brevity), typically ignited by a variety of culprits, with Gardnerella being the prime suspect. While B.V. isn’t classified as a traditional sexually transmitted disease (STD), it predominantly affects sexually active women. This condition arises due to shifts in vaginal conditions, triggered by factors such as antibiotics, changes in birth control methods, well-meaning douching practices, and even wardrobe choices like spandex or nylon underwear. Symptoms vary from absence (detected incidentally during routine PAP smears) to a thin, greyish-white, and itchy discharge. A savvy health care practitioner can diagnose B.V. based on symptoms, discharge appearance, and microscopic examination. The standard prescription often includes metronidazole, available as a vaginal cream or tablet, but boric acid suppositories have also been a trusted option for nearly a century. Additionally, maintaining a healthy vaginal microbiome with probiotics can be beneficial.
Common Vaginal Infections, Number 1: CANDIDA
In the realm of women’s health, few topics carry as much importance and intrigue as common vaginal infections, and Candida, often synonymous with “yeast infections,” holds a prominent place in this narrative. Candida, those resilient single-cell organisms, have coexisted with us since time immemorial, occasionally venturing into the spotlight when things down there fall out of balance. This blog post delves into the world of Candida, discussing its prevalence, symptoms, and factors that can tip the scales in its favor. From the relentless use of antibiotics to the sweet tooth of diabetics, we explore the intricate dynamics of Candida overgrowth and offer insights into managing these troublesome vaginal infections. So, join us on this journey into the realm of women’s health as we unravel the Candida conundrum and empower you with knowledge to foster a healthier vaginal microbiome.
Updates On Anti-Aging Medicine And Dementia Prevention
Taurine. Never heard of it, right? It’s an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein, and helps digestive, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and nervous system functions. However, we require more taurine than we can manufacture, so deficiencies are possible. Fortunately, plenty of taurine is found in protein foods: meat, poultry, dairy, seafood, and yes, vegans […]
Women and ADD: Part 2 of 2
In my last Health Tip, we discussed Claire, a woman in her thirties with attention deficit disorder (ADD), reviewing lifestyle and non-medication approaches. This week, I’ll go over the conventional medications used for this very common condition (estimated at 5% of the population). Let me start by saying that untreated ADD, in both children and […]
Women and ADD: Part 1
Already ten minutes late for her first appointment, Claire phoned from her car that she’d be in the office in five minutes. Fifteen minutes later, she arrived flustered and embarrassed, and “Oh, my gosh, I left all the forms on my kitchen table, but I did fill them out,” and “My insurance card? I’m sure I had it, I can call my husband, he has one, I think,” and “Could you please put money in the meter for me, I just realized I forgot and I have s-o-o-o many tickets…”
How Menopause Can Destroy Mental Health
“Pretty dramatic title,” I thought, “especially for usually staid, Guardian newspaper.” But the writer had been collecting data from UK doctors, interviewing patients, and clearly was shocked at what she had found. Not only were individual women describing their personal experiences with serious bouts of depression, anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts, but also “brain […]
Women and ADD: Part Two
In my last Health Tip, we discussed Claire, a woman in her thirties with attention deficit disorder (ADD), reviewing lifestyle and non-medication approaches. This week, I’ll go over the conventional medications used for this very common condition (estimated at 5% of the population). Let me start by saying that untreated ADD, in both children and […]
Women and ADD
Already ten minutes late for her first appointment, Claire phoned from her car that she’d be in the office in five minutes. Fifteen minutes later, she arrived flustered and embarrassed, and “Oh, my gosh, I left all the forms on my kitchen table, but I did fill them out,” and “My insurance card? I’m sure […]
Three Paths To Great Looking Skin: Diet, Hormones, Your Gut
Let’s clear away what everybody knows about speeding up skin aging: cigarettes(click to yucky picture), too much sun exposure, junk foods. As a nutritionally oriented physician, a healthful diet is really important for an attractive skin. Nowhere is the phrase “garbage in, garbage out” more apparent than there, right on your face. When you’re eating […]
Quell The Fire of Menopause Hell With Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
When it’s time, you can expect to transition through menopause in one of three ways. If you’re unlucky enough to land in Menopause Hell, give some serious thought to bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Some women experience Menopause Heaven, in which your periods start changing and then stop without drama. A year goes by without […]
Heart Disease Prevention Part 3
The (alleged) BIG NEWS in health care last week, that spread through CNN, Prevention Magazine, NYT, Journal of the AMA, etc. etc., was the publication in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology which compared the cholesterol lowering effect of statins to those of several nutritional supplements (cinnamon, fish oil, garlic, red yeast rice, […]
Heart Disease Prevention Part 2: Getting Started
Checking Your Family History Most people aren’t certain what illnesses run in their family and how dangerous these might be. Probably best not to spend much time agonizing about this, unless you’re pretty sure there was an unusually excessive amount of premature deaths (50’s, 60’s) from heart disease. Better to work mainly on yourself. Hearing […]
Covid Distracted Us, But Heart Disease Remains Our #1 Killer
About 700,000 of us will die of heart disease every year; most of which is preventable provided we become proactive patients. But you do need to know that for most “heart patients”, dying does not come quickly, like a dart falling from the sky, fatally nailing you, as you clutch your chest, your friends desperately tapping 9-1-1 on their […]
Wholehealth Chicago Partners With Chicago’s Finest Trigger Point Therapy Team
Let me tell you about Mary Biancalana and the value of myofascial trigger point therapy. A lifelong fitness expert and personal trainer, in her early thirties Mary found herself with chronic headaches. First, she was told they were ‘psychological,’ then a manifestation of a little understood term called “trigger points” and another condition she’d never […]
LONGEVITY MEDICINE: Chronic Inflammation and Cytokines
Did you ever wonder why some obese people, after decades of being badgered by their families and physicians to lose weight, out-live all of them and are healthy for decades? Or how someone of normal weight falls over dead in his fifties from a massive heart attack the week after his check-up which included a […]