Carnitine may well turn out to be the perpetrator of the "crime" of heart disease, but it's way too early to tell. Simple, sound-bite answers to difficult questions may make us feel good, but they rarely lead to effective solutions.
For now, my gut reaction to the news about TMAO is that context matters. It's not really just about meat or eggs in the diet, but about the overall dietary pattern, the kinds of meat, the feed and treatment of the egg-laying hens, and our exposures to chemicals and antibiotics.
"We have developed a vaccine to prevent breast cancer!" No, you're not seeing things. These were the exact words expressed by Dr. Vincent Tuohy, immunologist at the Cleveland Clinic, who announced the development of his breakthrough breast cancer vaccine earlier this month.
I got into the health care field to save lives, and the last thing I planned on doing was to chair a committee and study process improvement. In the beginning, I asked myself how all of that ancillary activity could have anything to do with my mission and calling.
What are the pros and cons of automatic functionality versus conscious effort? How do they affect quality of life? And how had this particular call for secrets elicited such a powerful response, through handcrafted, snail mail postcards no less?
Getting to health doesn't need to be all that complicated. And it also doesn't need to be about "should." Don't pursue health because it's an obligation, or because someone says you should. Pursue health because health is a currency you can spend on living better.
The bulk of the scientific evidence indicates that carnitine is beneficial for the heart, and the conclusion circulated by the media that carnitine is harmful is unwarranted.
Take a few minutes to bring peacefulness and healing into your home by creating sacred space. It's not hard to do and has immense rewards. If you already have a sacred space, I'd love to hear about it. If I've inspired you to create one, I'd love to know how you made it meaningful to you.
Knowledge could be power. A way to health -- for us, and our kids -- could be allied to the will we have for it. But only if we come together, and do something.
We live better, longer, healthier and happier lives when we are linked with other women in a circle of trust.
For too long, our system has been set up to focus on "sick care," instead of helping us all stay healthier in the first place. This needs to change and, thankfully, it has begun to.
Last month, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues released a thoughtful report recommending against studying the anthrax vaccine in children. I might have agreed, had I not spent a year co-chairing an IOM report on protecting the public from a deadly anthrax attack.
Can we forget the medication for cholesterol and instead reach for the antibiotics to prevent heart attacks? A new study in Nature Medicine poses this interesting question. This novel idea may not be so far-fetched!
Shock and incredulity greeted a front-page New York Times article last week that nearly 1 in 5 American high school boys had attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
What exactly is a viewer expecting when he/she tunes in to watch a highly accomplished cardiothoracic surgeon give out sleep advice?
The Supreme Court's decision about today's case will either extend or crimp the capacity of patients, doctors, researchers and other biotechnology firms, to use information about the human body to detect and treat other illnesses in the future.
We all know exercise is good for us. Good for our health, good for our waistlines, good for stress and for our clarity of mind. Exercise is also very -- very -- good for sleep.
Caregivers need to find ways to decrease their stress levels in order to remain physically healthy and maintain their emotional welfare. Getting outdoors and taking a walk every day can be a great way to reduce stress.
It's official. The United States is switching from getting well to staying well. And the reason for this sudden burst of transformation: It's not only better to stay well than to get well -- it's cheaper.
I want people, including myself, to be happy! I want everyone around me to realize that there is so much more good than bad, so much more to be thankful for than not, and so much more happiness, if we only knew where to look for it.
