The thyroid is a gland shaped much like this butterfly that is located in the front of the neck below the Adam’s apple (for a man). It is one of many important endocrine glands that manage the body’s hormone system. Hormones produced by the thyroid affect many body functions including lipid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism, growth, the cardiovascular system and the reproductive system.
Read MoreWe all get tired from time to time, sometimes for more than a little while. But it’s worth taking action if you suffer from continual and severe lack of energy that has become a major constraint in your life and prevents you from doing what you need or would like to do. Many factors can contribute to or cause fatigue.
Read MoreWe’ve all heard the numbers: more than two out of three U.S. adults are overweight or obese (68%) and one out of three is obese (39.6%); 18.5% of children and adolescents are obese, with another 16% who are overweight, and youth are becoming overweight and obese at earlier ages. And as time passes, these numbers are worsening, not improving.
Read MoreVirtually all of us have heard about the obesity “epidemic” (it’s not contagious, by the way), but what about metabolic syndrome? A lesser-known phenomenon, metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions related to obesity that are typically treated separately with prescription drugs. Metabolic syndrome is almost as common in the US population as obesity: in 2016 it was reported to be around 35% for women and men, probably higher now. And just like obesity, rates have grown parallel with poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
Read MoreHypothyroidism is the name given to a condition characterized by underfunction of the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck below the Adam’s apple. Hormones produced by the thyroid affect many important body functions including lipid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism, growth, the cardiovascular system and the reproductive system.
Read MoreMore than 38 million Americans have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and an additional 97 million are prediabetic. It is estimated that more than 8 million others remain undiagnosed. How could this serious condition have gotten so out of hand and yet affect so many people? Partly because it has no symptoms, especially in the early stages.
Read MorePerimenopause refers to the stage in a woman’s life that precedes menopause, which is determined to be when menstruation has stopped for at least 12 months. The average age of menopause is 51 years old, but the period leading up to that, perimenopause, typically begins in the mid-40s, sometimes earlier-- and occasionally much earlier! Perimenopausal symptoms can be disruptive and distressing, especially for women who are not anticipating them.
Read More(Yes, this is a pomegranate, somewhat similar to but easier to look at than, a polycystic ovary).
10% of all women of child-bearing age have it, along with 75% of women with irregular periods, and it is the most common cause of female-associated problems with infertility. So if you have been diagnosed with it, you have lots of company.
Read MoreMigraine headaches are not rare: it’s estimated that 14-15% of the global population currently suffers from them, making migraines one of the top 10 reasons for doctor visits. Those of us who have actually suffered from migraines belong to an exclusive club-- one where life and the rest of the world stops while we have a headache.
Read MoreMost of us experience food temptations or cravings from time to time, but it’s called emotional eating when it leads to mental and physical health problems such as obesity. In order to determine if eating habits cross into emotional eating territory, it’s helpful to first review the purposes of eating.
Read MoreAre you among the estimated 50-70% of women who experience breast pain? This is a surprisingly common condition that is more likely to affect women who are premenopausal or perimenopausal. Described as a heavy, dull ache or soreness, or a stabbing, burning pain-- however it feels, it’s really bothersome!
Read MoreA homeopathy teacher of mine once said that whatever our body makes, it can un-make. If true, this is encouraging for women suffering with fibroids, benign growths of fibrous tissue growing in or near the uterus that are usually harmless but can sometimes become large and very bothersome. And there are a lot of us, I had them too at one point: more than half of pre-menopausal women do and most don’t ever know it. As you will see, fibroids are often associated with hormone imbalance, so directly addressing this can lead to a positive outcome.
Read MoreMenstrual pain is extremely common, but it’s often not reported at doctor visits. Why is this? Perhaps women just accept menstrual pain as part of the burden of being female, or we don’t expect our pain to be taken seriously, or maybe we are too embarrassed to talk about it. (There is a lot of ancient lore and superstition in many cultures associated with the female menstrual cycle). Period pain can be extremely debilitating for between 2 and 29% of women: the reason for that huge spread is that many women don’t report it.
Read MoreThere are lots of one-size-fits all do-it-yourself ways to drop that excess weight quickly: paleo, keto, low-carb, etc.. As well as branded regimes that advertise heavily on television. Some are phone apps, others involve buying special supplements. Then there are more expensive programs that involve purchasing powders, patches or prepared meals that are sent to your home. Some people claim these regimes and programs hold the “secret formula” to sustained weight loss.
Read MoreWhen considering changes that need to be made in order to have a healthy lifestyle, nutrition, physical exercise and sufficient sleep are usually the first things that come to mind. But stress management can also play a critical role. This is because of the many ways that chronic stress undermines good health.
Read MoreWe all know obesity is a major health problem. It is the view of many of those who are not overweight that this problem is caused primarily by absence of willpower. If only those fat people would just eat less! Unfortunately, as with virtually all chronic health conditions, it’s not that simple. Turns out multiple factors contribute to inability to lose weight, eating too much is just one of those.
Read MoreHyperthyroidism is a set of conditions that result in overactivity of the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck below the Adam’s apple. This is the opposite of hypothyroidism (or thyroid underfunction), which is far more common. Hormones produced by the thyroid affect many important body functions including lipid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism, growth, the cardiovascular system and the reproductive system.
60 to 80% of hyperthyroidism cases result from Grave’s disease, an auto-immune condition that tends to run in families, occurs more often in women and frequently peaks between 20 and 40 years of age.
Read MoreAbout 30% of adults report insomnia at any one time, with 10% suffering from chronic insomnia. Women as well as people over 60 tend to be more affected. There can also be grave consequences, including a range of other chronic health conditions (such as diabetes, high blood pressure and weight gain), unproductive work lives, car accidents and fatalities. For these reasons, insomnia is considered a serious public health problem.
Read MoreBreastfeeding a baby can be a satisfying experience, healthy for both baby and Mom. But the joy of this experience can be quickly thwarted by mastitis, a relatively common, painful and debilitating acute infection of the breast that affects between 10 and 30% of breastfeeding women. With the right care mastitis can often resolve on its own, but if neglected it can lead to a more serious infection, and can also cause women to prematurely stop breastfeeding because of the pain and discomfort.
Read MoreThis 2-part series discusses what is involved with “lifestyle change”, which many of us have been advised by our doctors or other health care providers to do. In Part 1, we first reviewed the overall contributors to health and disease: genes, environmental (including social and economic) factors, epigenetic factors (if or when certain genes are turned off or on) and, of course, lifestyle. We then focused specifically on two aspects of lifestyle: stress management and physical exercise. Part 2 focuses on another important aspect of lifestyle change necessary for attaining better health: nutrition.
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