Health Blog

Pain is a protective system. You experience pain when your brain concludes that your body or your tissues are in danger and something needs to change. This needed change could be your movement patterns, your activity level, even (and maybe most importantly) your thought patterns or attitudes. Your pain is such a powerful protective mechanism that it is always steering you in the direction of safety. Your job is to follow its cues, perhaps with the help of an integrative team.   But how does it work? In their book Explain Pain Supercharged (2017), Butler and Moseley explain how one’s...

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. When your body is in chronic pain from fibromyalgia, it can be tempting to remain sedentary.  But in reality the worst thing for pain is bedrest.  Limiting your movements will weaken muscles, putting even more strain on your connective tissues to support your skeleton.  Non-movement also leads to reduced elasticity of connective tissues, leading to stiffness and pain. In fibromyalgia, the muscle cells and nerve cells are normal on a microscopic level.  If you biopsied the muscles of a patient with fibromyalgia, they...

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) grows mainly in North America (Wisconsin and Canada). Native American tribes used the root as a stimulant and to treat headaches, fever, indigestion, and infertility. American ginseng had becomeone of the most popular food/herb in China since middle of 17 century. Today, 70-80% harvested American ginseng is exported to China each year.   "Chinese people believe that regular consumption of this root can strengthen the body, increase the energy, resist fatigue, and prevent illness."   They also use it as anti-aging food because it can help reduce joints pain and muscle stiffness as well as improve...

 By Bren Boston, MD Back to school time means back to packing lunches.  The struggle is real to get temperature stable protein into our kids.  One way to do this is to pack a container of bean salad, either as a side dish or a main course.  Beans are an excellent source of plant protein, iron, fiber, and antioxidants.  They are inexpensive, filling, and delicious.  Ideally, you pack a portion of the bean salad the night before into a metal container and let it chill in the fridge overnight.  I like the U Konserve and the Kleen Kanteen brand stainless...