Dr. Joaquin Farias, a leading specialist in treating dystonia, has been helping people with this debilitating movement disorder to recover control over their brains, bodies and lives for more than 20 years. As a featured speaker at the 2018 international conference on Movement: Brain, Body and Cognition, held July 27-29 at Harvard University School of Medicine, he gave an enlightening talk that … [Read more...]
I know I’m not alone in trying to process the terror and violence that recently erupted in Charlottesville, VA. The brutal altercation between rallying white supremacists and counter-protestors has slammed more tidal waves of horror, disbelief and sorrow about race relations against the rocky foundation of our country. It has compelled a period of deep reflection on what the United States of … [Read more...]
Most of us at or above a certain age can count at least one “silver” filling in our mouth from getting cavities when were kids. And really, when one grows up with the option of sugar-laden cereals for breakfast, like Froot Loops, Cap’n Crunch and Apple Jacks, it’s more surprising not to have a mouth full of cavities. But today we’re not talking about the blight of sugar, unhealthy bacteria and … [Read more...]
How often do we stop and think about where we will get our next glass of drinking water, when we will next bathe or where we will go the bathroom? Many of us take quick and easy access to clean, safe water for granted, but the fact is that an estimated 750 million people—roughly two and half times the U.S. population—lack that privilege in developing countries around the world, especially in rural … [Read more...]
If your child is consistently complaining of pain in the stomach, he or she might not just be bellyaching to get out of a day at school. An estimated 38,000 children and teens in the United States live with Crohn’s disease, which causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. While Crohn’s disease can occur at any age, it tends to be most prevalent in teens and young adults, ages … [Read more...]
Living in northeastern United States, summertime means warmer weather, less clothing and more time spent outdoors. Unfortunately, all the time spent walking, hiking and biking in the woodsy areas coincides with an increased presence of ticks. As a result, the months of June and July see the largest numbers of confirmed cases of Lyme disease by far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and … [Read more...]
Today, March 31, honors Cesar Chavez, the civil rights leader and labor organizer who grew up the son of migrant farm workers. As farm workers continued to face long hours, poor working conditions, low wages and the use of dangerous pesticides into the ‘60s, Chavez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (now known as United Farm Workers union, UFW) with Dolores Huerta. Chavez and this … [Read more...]
Recent studies appear to back what child nutrition experts have been saying all along—the secret to getting kids to eat their greens is to see their parents consuming vegetables as well. However, one reason for this seems to be significantly more complicated than young children simply modeling adults. Yale psychological scientist Annie Wertz speculates it might be an evolutionary holdover from … [Read more...]
In the wee hours of Sunday, March 9, it will be time to change the clocks once again. At 2 a.m. most of the states in the country spring ahead. While the morning birds—which I have miraculously become after a lifetime of being a night owl—lose an hour of light in the morning, we can all enjoy the extra hour of daylight in the evening. More sunlight boosts serotonin, our “happiness hormone,” which … [Read more...]
Stacy Lyon, founder of the natural, feminine “intimate cleanser” product line Healthy Hoo Hoo, had never heard of parabens prior to 2001 when she had an intimate discussion with a roommate from college who had just undergone a double mastectomy. “She told me they found parabens in her breast cancer tissue biopsy and that spurred her to swap-out all of her health and beauty products to ones that … [Read more...]