In theory, it may seem like management of autoimmune diseases is pretty straightforward. Essentially, the goal is to first diagnose the type of disease in order to evaluate prognosis, then aim to suppress the inflammatory process with methods and medications most appropriate for the disease while keeping the side-effect profile...

I know I usually discuss research studies done about a health topic, but this month, I find myself wanting to impart general health tips to you that I typically give to my patients. I've always noticed in my clinic that my patients tend to be more motivated in making healthy...

There are many supplements I frequently recommend to my patients in my integrative medicine clinic in San Jose, Calif. One of my all-time favorites is deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL. The reason I love this supplement is that it addresses many health issues, and I am a big fan of addressing...

I am frequently astonished by some of the stories my patients tell me about their experiences with some of their other doctors. In general, my interactions and the stories I hear support the fact that most physicians truly want to help out their patients. But there are a few where...

Those of you who are interested in supplements probably know about the controversy around taking extra vitamin A and vitamin E. Some studies in the past have suggested potential concern for excess amounts of these vitamins, especially in synthetic forms. Some even suggesting potentially higher risk of cancers or morbidity...

When I talk to people about supplements, most people have either been on a multivitamin in the past or are currently on one. Even people who are not really into vitamins and supplements do not balk at the concept of multivitamins for either themselves or their family members.

Being...

Nowadays, vitamin D is a hot topic both within the medical field and even amongst the general public. Compared to just a decade ago, many more patients are now coming into their physician's office asking for their vitamin D level to be checked.

The so-called popularity of...

Most of you have heard of melatonin before, but it's likely that you usually only hear about it in regards to insomnia or sleep issues. What you may not know is that it seems to play a role in other health concerns we frequently hear about, including cancers, hypertension, Alzheimer's...

Many of my patients, despite being very knowledgeable about supplements and being interested in natural remedies, are still not taking probiotics on a regular basis. Even when they are taking antibiotics for a flagrant bacterial infection, they may not think of taking probiotics. There was even one episode where a...

One of my patients asked me about a recent article she read in a magazine that said that fish oil supplement consumption may lead to increased risk of cancer. She has rheumatoid arthritis and is in need of fish oil for help with controlling inflammation in her body.

She...

I frequently see patients who have gotten saliva testing for various hormone levels from other practitioners they have seen in the past, so this is common practice in many integrative and complementary health clinics. However, the questions my patients usually will ask me knowing that I like to practice evidence-based...

At this point, if you are someone who is interested in supplements and vitamins, you might be getting tired of hearing about all the extensive virtues of vitamin D. But, if you are someone with lung disease like asthma or emphysema, or if you know of someone who has issues...

As I am preparing to open up my new integrative medicine clinic center in the San Jose, Calif. area, I have been very mindful as to the types of subspecialties I wanted within my center that are otherwise not as frequently available to patients in other clinics.

When I...

I was recently asked to do a show about African mango and as I was researching the popularity and interest on this, I was astonished to find how many people are spending a lot of money for this for weight loss. As I looked further into this topic, there are...

For decades now, we hear of taking aspirin daily as a way to prevent heart disease. Some of my patients even take it upon themselves to start taking a daily baby aspirin because they think it is a healthy thing to do.

I would like to start first by...

Hair loss is a devastating event for men and women alike. While there are drugs on the market being used for hair loss, these drugs are not without the dangers of long-term side effects. Even with these potential hair loss aides, the positive outcomes may not always be substantial enough...

One of my patients recently brought in a magazine article whereby a popular mainstream magazine article was citing an article from the British Medical Journal (BMJ) from April 2011 regarding calcium increasing risk for heart attacks.

She was concerned that taking her usual low dosage -- 400-800mg of calcium...

It seems that throughout life, even as we grew up, we heard from our friends and family comments like "If you think bad thoughts, then you'll jinx it" or "If you think the worst, then you'll make it happen." It seems that in clinical research, these sayings actually have a...

We are all capable of checking our own heart rates. We can count the number of beats we feel in our wrist or our neck over the course of 60 seconds and figure out our own heart rates. Well, what if this simple measure of our body's function can help...

Many of my patients express their frustration that massage therapy generally is not covered by their health insurance, yet the health benefits seem tremendous for them. I believe that the growing trend of discontent with lack of coverage for massage therapy is not just limited to patients, but from health...