Eggs are an excellent source of protein and other nutrients in a convenient, inexpensive package. One egg contains 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of healthy fats, plus: Vitamin A: 6 percent of Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) Folate: 5 percent of RDA Vitamin B5: 7 percent of RDA Vitamin… read more "The Vicissitudes of the Egg: From Vilification to Vindication"
Do I Really Need to Drink 200 Ounces of Water Every Day?
The word on the street is that we need to drink eight to ten eight-ounce glasses of water (8×8) every day to keep hydrated and healthy. The word on the street is wrong. The myth says: 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated In 37 percent of Americans, the thirst… read more "Do I Really Need to Drink 200 Ounces of Water Every Day?"
Dietary Associations with Cardiovascular and Diabetic Mortality: “Bacon, soda, and too few nuts”?
A recent study attempted to quantify the association of ten dietary factors with deaths from cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Headlines about the study were misleading. How likely is bacon to kill you? I’ve been seeing differing headlines about a recent study: MDLinx said, “Bacon, soda and too few nuts tied… read more "Dietary Associations with Cardiovascular and Diabetic Mortality: “Bacon, soda, and too few nuts”?"
The Brain Warrior’s Way: Standard Health Advice Mixed with Misinformation and Fanciful Ideas
Daniel Amen, the media-savvy psychiatrist and promoter of SPECT scans, has teamed-up with his wife Tana to write a self-help book that hopelessly muddles good medical advice with misinformation and speculation. Dr. Daniel Amen has been called the most popular psychiatrist in America. His main claim to fame is the SPECT… read more "The Brain Warrior’s Way: Standard Health Advice Mixed with Misinformation and Fanciful Ideas"
pH Mythology: Separating pHacts from pHiction
The internet is a cornucopia of facts, some true and some “alternative” (in other words, lies). One topic that is particularly plagued by misinformation is pH. People are restricting their diet, buying alkaline water, testing their urine with pH test strips, and buying into bogus cancer cures, all on the… read more "pH Mythology: Separating pHacts from pHiction"
Juicing for Health or Torture
We are ingenious at finding new ways to complicate our lives and torture ourselves. One of those ways is adopting fad diets in the quest for health. Juicing is a big fad today. I find that hard to comprehend. I recently endured two interminable months on a liquid/pureed diet while… read more "Juicing for Health or Torture"
Diet Sodas: Are the Dangers in the Chemicals or the Headlines?
In April 2017, there was a flurry of news reports with alarming headlines: “Diet Sodas May Raise Risk of Dementia and Stroke, Study Finds” “A Daily Diet Soda Habit May Be Linked to Dementia–Alzheimer’s” “Is Diet Soda Harming Your Brain Health?” “Diet Sodas Tied to Dementia and Stroke” “Here’s Another… read more "Diet Sodas: Are the Dangers in the Chemicals or the Headlines?"
Natural Medicine, Starvation, and Murder: The Story of Linda Hazzard
History is replete with doctors who practiced quackery. Here is the story of one such quack whose fasting therapy resulted in many deaths, a story that is so bizarre and horrific that it’s hard to believe it really happened, but it did. I recently learned of a real-life horror story… read more "Natural Medicine, Starvation, and Murder: The Story of Linda Hazzard"
New Superfoods: Kakadu Plums and Cockroach Milk
Can I claim to be psychic? I predicted this. In a previous column, “Superfood Silliness,” I wrote: “At frequent intervals, yet another entrepreneur identifies yet another unfamiliar tropical fruit that can be imported and sold to gullible health nuts at exorbitant prices. I wonder what the next fad will be.”… read more "New Superfoods: Kakadu Plums and Cockroach Milk"
Diatomaceous Earth? No Thank You!
Would you eat this? It might look like a crunchy new breakfast cereal, but it’s a close-up of diatomaceous earth, the fossilized microscopic skeletons of diatoms. Diatoms are unicellular algae, one of the two major classes of the phytoplankton that constitute the bottom of the food chain in oceans and… read more "Diatomaceous Earth? No Thank You!"