Fabulous Fats

Most of us know by now that fats do not automatically make you fat (in fact, and as I’m sure you know, sugar is a bigger culprit, see our post about that here). It even looks like the USDA may (finally!) be adjusting their Dietary Guidelines for Americans to reflect what the scientific literature has…

Details

The Rash That Wouldn’t Quit

Clinicians, if you read anything today, read this: A case of total body contact dermatitis of unknown etiology, hives and dermatographism. Ellen found my practice after listening to a podcast I did on allergic disease with Dr. Amy Meyers for her Autoimmune Summit. It’s at times like these that I’m glad I do outreach of…

Details

Potassium-The REAL Special K+

Did you know that LESS THAN 8% of the US population actually achieve adequate potassium intake? So outrageous. And on average, ALL ADULTS ingest a full 200% of our daily sodium requirement. We SHOULD be ingesting way more potassium than sodium, about three times as much. And we don’t. Not even close. We are the…

Details

Are You a Hospitable Host to Your Microbial Partners?

Are you enriching their lives with good, healthy food choices and lifestyle habits or are you angering your trillions of guests, pushing them towards causing disease? I wrote my thesis in medical school on stealth infections, where I concluded that health had much to do with how well we tended our microbial garden… I was…

Details

3 Essential Nutrients Gut Bugs Create for Us

Those gut microbes are one busy “organ!” Aside from honing our immune system, balancing our metabolism, protecting our gut lining, neutralizing pathogens, and helping our brain function, did you know that these little critters are also making nutrients for us to use… One such nutrient is folate, which is a critical nutrient for methylation pathways…

Details

6 Tips for Fighting Seasonal Allergies Naturally

It’s that time of year again. Pollen season in the North East hits full swing, so much so that I can see the layer of yellow dust coating our car. If you suffer with seasonal allergies (or hay fever), it can really be miserable this time of year. What happens in a seasonal allergic reaction?…

Details

Is Your Cholesterol Too Low?

“Your cholesterol number is high…” a phrase still scary enough to many of us. Cholesterol is still so controversial these days. Yet, for the first time, the scientific advisory panel for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that we should no longer advise the public to be concerned about their cholesterol intake from food.…

Details

Don’t Throw the Beans Out With the Bathwater!

Many folks are “dissing” beans these days, be them lentil, refried, kidney, soy or black. We’re so concerned about the capacity of some of the bean compounds (called anti-nutrients), such as lectins, saponins, protease inhibitors and phytates to induce damage that we forget about the copious bean benefits, including the cheap cost, protein, fiber and…

Details

5 Things Everyone Should Know About Sugar

I’m sure it’s no secret to anyone reading this that sugar consumption has risen in the last few decades, and that many experts have connected this trend to major public health issues and health costs in the US and other countries. But here’s the conundrum: in the face of such overwhelming data, why does this…

Details

Kicking the Sugar Habit

Why it be so hard to give up sugar? Hmmm, could it be something to do with how pervasive and immediately-available sugar-laden foods are in our society?! Certainly this is a BIG obstacle, but did you know that biological sugar addiction is also a real phenomenon? No more feeling guilty about our ‘dwindling’ willpower! Here’s…

Details

The BPA Problem and What To Do About It

As I’m sure many of you are well aware, BPA (bisphenol A) is a known endocrine disrupter, altering hormone-related activity even at low levels of exposure. Studies have linked BPA toxicity to adverse effects on reproduction, the nervous system and behavioral development (including aggressiveness and hyperactivity). A recent human study has even shown that BPA…

Details

Getting Busy With Some Sleep..Zzzzzzzzz

You know, we are SOOO busy when we sleep. Contrary to popular belief, good quality sleep is an active experience where our bodies are engaged in really important metabolic work. For instance, during sleep hours we are detoxifying up a storm. In fact during sleep, the brain dumps loads of neurotoxins including beta-amyloid, the protein…

Details

Gardening Tips for An Easy Allergy Fix!

Obviously, the plants around us make pollen- the bane of the seasonal allergy sufferer’s existence. But did you know that because of our planting habits in the US we’ve drastically increased the amount of pollen-producing plants, significantly contributing to the epidemic that is seasonal allergies? Pollen producers are pretty much always male plants. And male…

Details

Premier Sponsors
I am eternally grateful to our sponsors who, by advertising with us, enable me and my team to devote energy and time to writing and publication. All the companies who sponsor us are companies that I trust for myself and my patients and use regularly in my clinical practice. Please check out their websites! – Dr. KF