First I noticed fatigue and a general lack of physical and emotional energy this summer. Most days by dinnertime I hardly had the energy to stand, and the only thing my brain could handle doing after dinner was vegging out in front of the TV. But I dismissed it as seasonal allergies, because last year [...]

Are You Playing Russian Roulette? Blindness. Impotence. Burning, aching, numb and tingling feet. Poor circulation. Slow-healing wounds, gangrene and amputation. Heart disease and death. These devastating complications accompany a disease afflicting nearly 21 million Americans. Good news! Diabetes can be controlled

Depression is now one of the most common illnesses in the United States and worldwide. It affects one in three patients in a typical internal medicine practice; one in 16 Americans; and one in 30 people worldwide. In the U.S., ten percent of the population may experience a major depressive episode in any given year. [...]

What if no one had invented a pill to lower blood pressure? What if there was no medication for type 2 diabetes? Perhaps we’d be less cavalier about our health, and take prevention much more seriously.   Nearly 50 million Americans have a cluster of symptoms known as metabolic syndrome. The syndrome appears mostly in [...]

Imagine having three weeks of personalized medical care, during which specialized professionals focused on your individual needs and helped you discover, and put you on a path to correct, everything that might be medically wrong with you! A lifestyle resort in the Arbuckle Mountains of southern Oklahoma, the Lifestyle Center of America does just that. [...]

If you’ve been watching your fat intake but ignoring your sodium intake, you could be at greater risk of having a stroke than your fat-consuming neighbor!   When a stroke occurs, blood vessels carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain either burst or are blocked by a clot. Ischemic strokes are caused by clots that [...]

Lipid Profile Total Cholesterol LDL HDL Triglycerides Fasting Glucose Ideal <150 <70 >60 <100 60-90 Good <180 <100 >50 <110 <90 Current Standard (some risk) <200 <130 >40 for men >45 for women <150 60-110 Higher Risk 200-239 >130 <40 for men <45 for women >150 110-125 High Risk 240+ >160 Risk increases as HDL [...]

Blood Pressure Ideal Under 120/80 Normal 120/80 Pre-Hypertension 120-139/80-89 Stage 1 Hypertension 140-159/90-99 Stage 2 Hypertension 160/100 or higher Reducing sodium intake, losing weight and establishing a consistent exercise program are three foundational keys to reducing blood pressure. Practicing healthy stress management techniques can also help. If you are on blood pressure medication and have [...]

Waist Size Men Women Low Risk <35 in. <32 in. Moderate Risk 35 – 40 in. 32 – 34.5 in. High Risk >40 in. >34.5 in. Because it correlates well with how much fat is being stored within the abdominal wall, waist size may be the single most reliable indicator of risk for diabetes and [...]

Got Kale? “Dairy products are far from the solution, and may very well be a cause of the problem,” says Anna Quisel, M.D. in an article about osteoporosis. The dairy industry has done a terrific job of convincing the public that drinking milk is the key to adequate calcium consumption and strong bones. However, the [...]