493 results found for: Medicine

Superfoods: Time to Celebrate Cilantro

When you choose to cook with cilantro, or the seeds of the plant that cilantro comes from, known as coriander, the simple act of spicing up your dishes becomes an easy way to spice up your health and boost your longevity. Cilantro is a power-packed flavor enhancer that contains an eye-popping amount of phytonutrients, including borneol, carvone, camphor, elemol, geraniol, and linalool, among the most prominent. It also contains popular flavonoids that Life Extension® readers are familiar with, such as quercetin andapigenin. Along with such incredible antioxidant potency, cilantro contains active phenolic compounds and is nutritionally dense in dietary fiber, manganese, iron, […]

Seaweed – The Ancient Asian Superfood

Increasingly, my patients have become more and more interested in trying to improve their health using natural foods and supplements.  Lately, several of them have asked me about seaweed – the centuries old staple of Chinese, Korean and Japanese cultures revered for its many health benefits.  As I tell my patients, seaweed – a sea vegetable – has many outstanding nutritional benefits that are worth taking advantage of.  Here’s what you should know about seaweed. Seaweed – A Legendary Nutritional Powerhouse If you’ve ever eaten sushi – a traditional Japanese food – you may know that the edible wrapper that […]

What’s That Smell? Has Your Food Gone Rancid?

Does your cupboard hold a package of unfinished crackers? An old bag of whole grain flour? Some leftover nuts

Estrogen Pills Found Safe for Some Menopausal Women

For certain women, taking estrogen supplements for a few years close to menopause appears safe, and may reduce their risk of breast cancer, says a new study from the landmark Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). Those women include only the 30% of menopausal women who’ve had a hysterectomy, or surgery to remove the uterus.

Sexy Health Benefits of Korean Panax Ginseng

One of my fondest memories as a young teenager were that of my grandparents coming to stay at our house every summer on one of their annual cross-country road trips from their home out west. It was the first time I had ever heard of Korean ginseng, or as its sometimes also called Korean Panax ginseng, an herb native to Korea and China. Every morning, my grandfather would ritually take his Korean ginseng capsules. He was 82 at the time and still in great physical shape, looking 2 decades younger and full of energy.  My grandmother, age 78, also took the […]

Got Heartburn? Don’t Ignore It

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – James Revier, of San Jose, Calif., had no idea his heartburn was anything more than a nuisance until six years ago, when a piece of beef became logged in his esophagus and sent him to the emergency room. The on-call internist removed the meat and suggested Revier see a gastroenterologist for the lingering redness. It’s a good thing he did. Revier had developed Barrett’s esophagus, a condition caused by prolonged acid reflux. Over time, it produces cellular changes which can lead to adenocarcinoma, a type of esophageal cancer. “I’d had acid reflux for 15 years but […]

India Spices

Spice Up Your Food the FoodTrients Way

Our culture is finally starting to view the food that we eat as a potential medicine chest. Every day, scientists are discovering more and more that certain herbs, spices, and leaves offer curative powers that can help us overcome disease. Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph.D. has understood this concept since childhood. He was raised in India, a land devoted to the spice box. Indian cuisine often relies on 10–20 spices in just one recipe. “Spices originated in India, Indonesia, and other parts of south and southeast Asia,” says Aggarwal in his book Healing Spices. He goes on to say, “Sanskrit writings […]

SuperFoods: Basil

Derived from the Greek word meaning royal, basil is a versatile herb that has lived up to its pedigree. With its wealth of nutrients, from hefty amounts of vitamin K and calcium, to its high antioxidant oils, basil offers an array of health-enhancing benefits ranging from protection against DNA damage to combating stress. In addition, the peppermint-like leaves of basil are loaded with beta-caryophyllene, an anti-inflammatory compound that may treat conditions such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. An abundance of evidence is emerging to support basil’s reputation as an herbal remedy for thousands of years, making this undervalued herb a formidable opponent against some […]

Carnosine: A Proven Longevity Factor

Mounting evidence documents the ability of carnosine to prevent many of the detrimental effects of aging. In our youth, carnosine shields us from the onslaught of oxidation, glycation, DNA damage, and other reactions that injure tissues and cripple organs. The problem is that as we grow older, carnosine levels in the body decline

Red Clover: Know This Health-Boosting Herb

When I explain alternative treatment options to my patients often I get asked this one question “Is there an herb I can