Journey through the Periodic Table of Elements with Angelica Lemke, ND
While I was a student in the Bastyr University library, I was combing the book stacks and found tucked away a mysterious large blue book called, Homeopathy and the Elements by Jan Scholten, published in 1995. I checked the book out of the library, feeling a deep curious hunger to understand its contents. Looking […]
Read MoreEducar, innovar e inspirar: una conversación con Rhiannon Lewis
¿Quieres brindar una experiencia de atención médica inmersiva? Considere la aromaterapia clínica, dice Rhiannon Lewis, enfermera convertida en aromaterapeuta clínica, investigadora, autora y educadora. El camino de su corazón la ha llamado a llevar la aromaterapia clínica a la vanguardia de la atención complementaria y, décadas después, está claro que su influencia da vueltas por […]
Read MoreIgG Tests for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): A Research Summary and Analysis
In this NatNotes blog post, we’re going to be looking at the best trial on IgG testing for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Recently, I have been pouring through all of the studies and there aren’t that many, but all of the studies on food sensitivity testing for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, and this […]
Read MoreMeal Replacement for Diabetes: A Research Summary and Analysis
In this NatNotes blog article, we’re going to look into reversing diabetes with liquefied food. That is a pre-packaged liquid-only meal replacement program. And this was a study done in the United Kingdom by a group of researchers in 2017 and they were looking at diabetes because diabetes is an epidemic affecting huge swaths of […]
Read MoreListing Your Business Online
Listing Your Business for Free Using These Simple Steps One of the key components of running a successful business in today’s age is visibility. With your extensive training as a natural medicine practitioner, you’ve already got the ability, but sadly that’s not enough. People need to see you and get to know you. Even the […]
Read MoreSupporting Busy Women – Lifestyle, Diet, & Medicinal Food
Botanical Insights My practice is filled with busy women who are struggling to work, manage a household, stay fit, and juggle many roles, from careers and families to personal interests and just the basic tasks of life. When the women I work with show an interest in herbs, cooking, classes that I teach, and saving […]
Read MoreHow The Opioid Crisis Affects The Elderly
The number one reason Americans today seek medical attention is pain according to the National Institute of Health. In fact, pain is a more common condition than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined. Some of the links on this page may link to our affiliates. Learn more about our ad policies. Table of Contents Opioid Use Among […]
Read MoreHerbs for Weight Loss
We have all seen patients who struggle with their weight and for whom, on taking a look at their diets and their activity levels, we conclude that their biochemical balance must be working against them. Results of tests for thyroid function, diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, and liver function may help us uncover precise diagnoses in […]
Read More“Down Home” Detox
There is a great deal of research available on nutraceuticals, chemical constituents in plants, whole herbs and foods that support systemic detoxification by a variety of mechanisms. I’m not going to write about those this time. Instead, let’s focus on what a whole detoxification regimen might include in addition to those pills and potions. Following […]
Read MoreReview of Herbs for Allergies: Important Options to Remember
We welcome springtime with great joy here in the Pacific Northwest, embracing the sun, the flowers and the fresh green growth after months of winter’s gray drizzle. Many people, however, pay for their delight in the garden and first blush of colorful blooms with respiratory allergies. What really works to reduce this tendency, not only for hay […]
Read MoreHerbal Sexual Tonics for Men: Help or Hype?
Health food stores often have an entire section of products dedicated to enhancing the libido, improving erectile function, and boosting low testosterone, sometimes located right next to the pills that help you gain muscle mass and “burn” fat. Low testosterone levels are frequently demonstrated with modern lab testing, especially in the elder decades of a […]
Read More“Women’S Herbs” For Men
Approximately half of all men experience some symptoms of prostatic hypertrophy in the latter decades of life,1 and American men have an 18% chance of developing prostate cancer.2 Herbal medicine is both therapeutic to and preventive of the development and progression of this common disorder. Most readers will be familiar with the value of nettle root (Urtica species), […]
Read MoreTasty Herbal Options for Children
How many of you have ever struggled to find a botanical medicine that children would take? What can you do when children are too young to swallow pills, tinctures are a bit too vile to consume, and not enough tea can be consumed to do the trick no matter how much licorice you add? Sure, […]
Read MoreHerbal Medicines for Hair Loss
In addition to genetic predisposition to androgenic alopecia and poor circulatory health, stress may exacerbate the process. Acute stress causes hair loss in animals and humans. One investigation of serum cortisol levels and glucocorticoid receptor expression in patients with severe alopecia areata showed a lower expression of glucocorticoid receptors compared to controls1; researchers believe this […]
Read MoreAstragalus: Use of the Herb in the Treatment of Allergy & Autoimmunity
Astragalus membranaceus, going by the common names Huangqui in China, and milk vetch in the United States, is one of the most fundamental herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Astragalus roots have also been used as a medicinal food by slicing longitudinally and simmering in soups; and for culinary purposes, such as a thickening agent, by processing out […]
Read MoreYokukansan: A Traditional Kampo Formula for Dementia
With Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia affecting millions of elders, the need for safe remedies to both halt the progression and help treat symptoms is greater than ever before. One of the greatest challenges for caregivers and family members of patients with cognitive impairment is handling aggression and other disturbing behavioral issues that […]
Read MoreChildhood Infections & Injuries: Topical Herbal Formulas
No one escapes childhood without some scrapes, burns, bruises, and infections. Every herbalist and family physician needs a supply of gentle but effective topical applications for lice, burns, and other common issues. Most readers will be familiar with all-purpose wound-healing agents such as Calendula and Symphytum, both useful as tinctures and teas to apply to cuts and abrasions, as […]
Read MoreRosmarinic Acid for Allergies
Research is growing regarding the use of rosmarinic acid, a safe and ecologically abundant constituent of common herbs that you probably already know and love. Rosmarinic acid is found in rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis of course, and in many Lamiaceae (formerly Labiatae) family plants, which are commonly referred to as the mint family, including Coleus species, Lycopus virginia, Lavendula,1 Melissa officianalis,2,3 Nepeta cataria, Ocimum sanctum, Origanum […]
Read MoreSarah was Saved by a Radish: A Case Study of Congenital Biliary Atresia
I first moved to the Pacific Northwest in the early 1980s to attend National College of Natural Medicine, Portland, Oregon, and found a wooded rural home with a large friendly family next door. On getting to know the neighbors a bit, they were delighted that I was beginning the naturopathic program and shared that an […]
Read MoreBotanicals for Emotional Illnesses
This article is a bit “out of the box.” As some readers may be aware, I have been living in Peru for 6 months a year for the past 5 years, studying shamanism and ethnobotany with several indigenous Amazonian tribes. Their ideas about mental and emotional illness are so strikingly different from the Western paradigm […]
Read MoreA Long Perspective on Longevity: Antiaging and “Inflammaging”
Over the many millennia of humanity’s evolution, the average life expectancy has increased substantially, from well under 30 years in Paleolithic times to about a world average of 67 years at present. There are striking differences in the average life expectancy in various countries, with Japan and other Asian countries on the high end at […]
Read MoreHerbal High Road Can Alleviate Pain Precisely: Formulas for Acutely Painful Conditions Aimed at Restoring and Correcting Underlying Pathology
Pain is of course a good way to get our attention that something is wrong in the body. We can ignore less urgent symptoms for months and even years on end, but not pain. Treatment of patients with painful conditions and acute pain often has several goals. We expect to offer something that will assuage […]
Read MorePetasites for Pain and Inflammation
The Petasites genus comprises 15 to 20 species, and all have been used to treat pain, inflammation, and allergic hyperreactivity. Petasites species are large-leaved, moisture-loving plants native to temperate woodlands of northern Asia, Europe, and North America. They are sometimes referred to by the general name sweet coltsfoot because of similarity to Tussilago. Petasites are in the Senecioneae tribe of the Asteraceae […]
Read MoreSeaweed, Chewing Gum, and GERD
Botanical Insights Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine (H2) acid blocking drugs are the mainstay of acid reflux treatment. With an estimated 100 million people experiencing occasional symptoms, and 15 million suffering from heartburn on a daily basis, sales of these drugs currently exceed 10 billion dollars per year. However, the innocuous public opinion regarding ant-acid […]
Read MoreTraveler’s Diarrhea: Prevention and Treatment
Spending half the year in third-world countries for the past 5 years has put traveler’s diarrhea high on my radar. Statistics have shown that traveler’s diarrhea is almost part of the price of traveling to exotic locales and is somewhat hard to avoid when venturing outside of cloistered 5-star hotels. And if you are not […]
Read MoreMateria Medica Review for Gastrointestinal Inflammation
Irritable bowel, food intolerances, stress-related digestive disorders, ulcerative pathologies, and infectious and dysbiotic gastrointestinal complaints are among the most common of all patient complaints in general family practice. The acute pain, nausea or bloating, and discomfort occurring with many of these conditions will respond well to herbal therapies, especially teas because direct surface contact is […]
Read MoreBotanical Management of Difficult Skin Conditions: Psoriasis and Vitiligo
In the May issue I wrote a general article on research of herbs affecting collagen and the health of the skin. My investigations turned up so much interesting research on a variety of skin conditions that I wanted to continue presenting the information in this issue. I would like to share information on Apiaceae family […]
Read MorePhotosensitizing Herbs: Skin Diseases and Cancers
Although photosensitizing herbs are a cause of concern for obvious skin damage and dermal inflammation, they also have many medicinal effects when used in appropriate dosages. The main photosensitizing herbs are in the Apiaceae family, but Monarda of the Lamiaceae family is photosensitizing, and the most potent photosensitizer known is hypercin in Hypericum of the Hyperiaceae family. The Apiaceae […]
Read MoreProtecting and Supporting Skin Integrity
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve investigated the research on skin supportive herbs. I’m not getting any younger and cosmetic injections are not my style. And I’m not that vain as to consider surgical methods. I just wanted to do my homework on what research was out there on herbs and the skin, which I’ve summarized below. Are […]
Read MoreBotanical Management of Streptococcal Infections of the Skin
Group A streptococci are a leading human pathogen and worldwide health issue. In chronic skin infections, the goal of supporting a healthy ecosystem to invite desirable microbes and protective skin barriers should be equal to the combat of the pathogen. Herbs are excellent in this regard as they can simultaneously support skin health and provide […]
Read MoreAromaChemistry: Why Should We Learn It, Anyway?
Dr. Tim explains why you should learn AromaChemistry. Watch the video now. Sign-Up for FREE Course! If you’d like to have lifetime access to this video, eligible CEUs, and the course slides PDF handout for this video, sign-up for the course for FREE here. Add the course to your cart (FREE) and checkout. Why […]
Read MoreThe Wonder of Wintergreen
When we think of wintergreen, we probably think of that refreshing minty taste in chewing gum or toothpaste. Or perhaps that icy-hot sensation we feel from applying medicated cream for sore muscles after an intense workout. The essential oil that we call wintergreen is most commonly extracted from the leaves of Eastern Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens). […]
Read MoreUsing Plants to Treat the Spirit
Plants are living beings. Although most of my articles have focused on the plant-based chemistry and research of botanical medicine in terms of diseases, enzyme systems, antioxidant activities, etc., what first got me interested in botanical medicine was a love of nature and the plant realm. I am comforted in the forest; I find joy […]
Read MoreHerbal Treatment Approaches to Insomnia
Sleep, and probably even dreaming, is essential to good health. Over the years I have seen enough people with sleep disorders to group them into several general categories: basic stress and nervous disorders, blood sugar and cortisol dysregulation, menopausal and hormonal imbalances, and musculoskeletal pain and physical restlessness. Each of these is best addressed with […]
Read MoreSensory Integration Disorder
Sensory Integration Disorder (SID), also known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction or Sensory Processing Disorder, is a neurological condition involving an inability to integrate sensory information – spatial, visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, kinesthetic, and tactile. Children may display symptoms of hyper- or hyposensitivity to various sensations, resulting in learning issues, behavioral disorders, and proprioceptive and coordination […]
Read MoreInfertility and Homeopathy
A difficult case of infertility resolved with homeopathy and documented. Mankind has never devised a better tool for solving mysteries of the universe than science. What is Science? Science is derived from the Latin: Scientia means “knowledge”. Science is an enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of prediction and testable explanation. Homeopathy is one […]
Read MoreAnxiety and Depression: A Materia Medica Review
By numerous accounts, a large percentage of the US population is using antidepressant and anxiolytic medications. This may say a lot about the condition of the human heart and soul. A 2005 survey1 done by Kaiser Permanente reported that the use of antidepressants by youth, mostly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, doubled in the decade between 1994 […]
Read MoreInfertility and Evidence-Based Homeopathy
Dr. Nikunj M. Trivedi successfully treats a young couple who were unable to conceive due to multiple problems of both partners. A young couple visited my clinic in India, having a complaint of no issue after a married life of six years. They had tried many treatment options to start a family, seeking help in […]
Read MoreEqual Parts Naturopathy, Love, and Determination: Cancer Prevention and Treatment
I have so many extraordinary stories that have come out of working with cancer patients. Most of them have survived. A few have not, but each of their lives touched me greatly. Each has been my teacher, showing me the preciousness of our time here on earth and the gifts of appreciating every moment, difficult […]
Read MoreFrom Abnormal to Normal with Homeopathy: The process of restoration
Dr. Nikunj Trivedi discusses the process of restoration to health and illustrates with cases of Exotosis and Alopecia Totalis. This article aims to outline the process of restoration from abnormal to normal using homeopathic remedies. Before going further with this, it is vital to understand the difference between normal and abnormal. Normal by definition means […]
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