In today's hectic pace, day turns to night far too quickly for those of us with too much to do. More and more of us are working longer hours, long past the time when we should be winding down from the day's activities. Working outside the home during the day means...
This month, we continue our year-long series on the basic vitamins and minerals necessary to good health and focus in on calcium. "Calcium for strong bones and teeth" is a phrase that all of us are familiar with. And while this is absolutely true, how many of us know...
Sciatica (pronounced sigh-at-ee-kah) is a condition that involves the sciatic nerve and causes pain, weakness, numbness, or "pins and needles" in the lower back, leg, or foot. Starting in the lower spine and running down the back of each leg, the sciatic nerve is the...
Vitamin E is a true collective effort. Originally discovered in 1922, it is only in the last decade that we've realized that vitamin E is actually made up of eight compounds all together and is an indispensable member of the body's antioxidant army, searching out and...
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. Wow, that was a mouthful! Let's take a closer look at this definition that will launch us on a more complete...
Also known as riboflavin, vitamin B2 plays a role in almost every key physiological function responsible for maintaining our overall health and vitality. Vitamin B2 is a micronutrient, meaning it is required by the body, at all times, in small amounts. This is...
The World Health Organization’s definition of health is as follows: “Health is not only the absence of infirmity and disease but also a state of physical, mental and social well-being.” Notice that the word being is one of those all-encompassing words. It doesn’t just...
Inflammation is a normal part of the body's reaction when viruses or bacteria sneak in the back door, getting by our regular defenses. However, sometimes our body is so intent on healing that it doesn't recognize "self" and this is when problems start to happen....
Whatever your favorite – crimini, oyster, portobello, shiitake or button – all mushrooms are overflowing with essential nutrients that every body needs. Used for thousands of years as a source of food or for medicinal purposes, mushrooms are classified as a fungi, of...
Once thought to be a single nutrient, designated "vitamin B", researchers eventually realized that there were numerous elements involved and each was eventually christened with its own distinguishing number. Today we have the group known as the Vitamin B Complex which...
As with zinc, selenium is also a trace mineral but the term "trace" is very misleading. Strictly speaking, "trace" means our body only needs very small amounts of a mineral to fulfill its requirement. However, selenium is, by no means, a small contributor to the...
A banana a day keeps the heart attacks away. Really? Well, not exactly. Bananas are a great source of potassium and potassium is important for a regular heart rhythm. Potassium's also important for proper muscle contraction. Beginning to see the connection here? Your...