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Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is a water soluble B vitamin that actually refers to two similar compounds called nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. The term niacin was created in order to prevent people from confusing these two compounds with nicotine, the drug found in tobacco.

What Does Niacin Do In Your Body? Read more

Vitamin B12 is also known as cobalamin. In most nutritional supplements, B12 comes as cyanocobalamin, which breaks down in a healthy body into two active forms of cobalamin: methylcobalamin and 5-deoxyadenosyl cobalamin.

What Does Vitamin B12 Do in Your Body? Read more

Zinc is mineral that your body needs in trace amounts for a variety of different mechanisms.

What Does Zinc Do in Your Body? Read more

Vitamin P, also called the bioflavonoids, is a group of water-soluble nutrients that work together with other components of vitamin C to: Read more

If you haven’t already read other articles that I’ve written on healthy vs. unhealthy fats and oils, you may not know that the healthiest oil that you can use on a daily basis is coconut oil.

Although coconut oil has always been a healthy food choice, its reputation suffered a great deal during the 80s and 90s when it was lumped together with other saturated fats as a cause of cardiovascular disease.

Coconut Oil Speeds Up Metabolism and Increases Energy Read more

Over the past several months, many people have visited our clinic or written letters asking what they can do about various aches, pains, and cramps in their legs.

Here's an example of such a note that came in this past week:

I'm 83 and have a problem that has slowly developed over the past year. More and more I am experiencing cramps in my legs and inner thighs. They interrupt sleep and this morning it was extremely hurtful in my left leg. I have searched medical books that I have, but (haven't been able to find out) what is wrong.

I'm sure there is something natural that my system is lacking, but I don't know what. Is there anything you can recommend that I can try? Read more

Many plant-based eaters are under the impression that they can obtain all the vitamin A that they need from plant foods that contain carotenoids, particularly beta carotene found in foods like spinach, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

It's true that some carotenoids like beta carotene can be converted to vitamin A in your body once they make it into your blood. What you may not know is that carotenoids are not always absorbed efficiently into your blood. Read more

When I was a kid, it seemed like I always had a stuffy nose. Sometimes, my nasal congestion was so bad that I had to keep my mouth wide open in order to breathe. There were even times when I couldn’t fall asleep because I felt like I couldn’t breathe at all.

Do you know someone who suffers with chronic nasal congestion? I’m not referring to nasal congestion that comes with typically short-term conditions like the common cold, the flu, a sinus infection, or hay fever. I’m referring to people who feel healthy overall, but can’t figure out why they usually feel stuffed up. Read more

In 1976, two researchers by the names of Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin conducted an experiment to see what would happen if they changed levels of control among residents in a nursing home. Residents in one group were allowed to choose a houseplant, and were informed of several choices such as when to water their plant and how much to water their plant. They were asked when they would prefer to receive visitors, whether or not to watch the weekly movie, what to have for breakfast, and so on. Individuals in another group were told that a nurse would choose and care for a houseplant for each of them, and then instructed on what they could have for breakfast, when they could have visitors, and when to watch the weekly movie. After eighteen months, the researchers found that people in the first group, those who had exercised choice and control, scored higher on tests measuring activity and happiness compared to individuals in the second group. They also found that fewer people in the first group had died, compared to the second group. This is not the only study to suggest that the degree of personal responsibility we take for our actions can determine our health and degree of happiness. Read more

Ingredients:

1 cup of cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon of ground toasted cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste Read more