Dr. Ben Kim's blog

Heartfelt thanks to those who are doing all they can to prevent more suicides due to bullying of gays, lesbians, and all others who are treated inhumanely because of differences.

I could write for days on this, but instead, I ask that you watch the following videos and share them with those who may need support. Read more

In a post on gawking in last week's newsletter, I mentioned some of the measures that I take to protect my skin from burning during the hottest of summer days.

I hope that I didn't contribute to any sun phobias that might be out there. In case it wasn't clear in my post, I am extra careful in guarding my skin because I have many areas of depigmentation which burn very quickly without some form of protection. Read more

Last week, a man in Spain died shortly after guzzling 6 liters (1.58 gallons) of beer in about 20 minutes during a beer drinking competition.

Shortly after winning the contest, Joaquín Alcaraz Gracia began vomiting and went into cardiac arrest. He was taken to a local hospital, where he passed away. Read more

Do you remember when you first noticed my freakish appearance while I was in line at the merry-go-round with my boys? Pardon the cliche - you couldn't take your eyes off me. But credit to you for keeping your head pointed straight ahead as you maintained your gawk with a sideways stare as you walked by. Read more

The other day, I spoke briefly with someone looking to address chronic edema in her legs. It was clear that she had been to the moon and back in her quest to find a solution, and despite all of her efforts, her condition had remained essentially unchanged over 20 years. Read more

For over sixteen years now, I've been recommending two basic stretches to the vast majority of my clients. Stretches to help keep the soft tissues in the lower and mid back regions flexible and well supplied with healthy blood flow. In my experience, no other stretches more effectively keep the trunk and pelvis healthfully limber. Read more

Here's an e-mail that I received over the weekend from a fellow who I consulted for this past winter:

"Hey Dr. Ben:

To follow up, I am ecstatic to report that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING has gotten better since we last spoke.

I have been religious about not snacking after dinner. You know that I was skeptical that this alone could fix my belly, but I stand humbled. Read more

A few weeks ago, I posted a letter that I received from a client who used regular intake of lettuce and cherries to strengthen her teeth.

In learning about this, a reader in Toronto, Ontario decided to try eating blended lettuce salads daily to address chronic sensitivity that she had in a back molar. She wrote to let me know that within two days of eating blended lettuce salads, her GI tract became highly uncomfortable, as though she had non-stop inflammation in her stomach. Read more

If you connect with those who encourage a 100% raw food diet for optimal health, I hope that you'll read this post with an open mind.

In my experience, eating plenty of fresh, nutrient-rich raw foods is a huge plus for most people. But where there is a long history of gastrointestinal distress, I have consistently found that during the initial phases of healing and recovery, it's actually better to eat more cooked foods than raw. Read more

If I could choose just one exercise to do regularly to prevent low back pain, it would be the yoga pose that you see below. This simple pose - often called a form of "Warrior Pose" - combines two actions that I have found to be critical for preventing chronic low back pain. Read more