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Recently a man in his late 40s or early 50s began sharing his story of how he was lifting a very light box at his newly constructed home. All of a sudden a sharp pain originated from his lower back and shot down his leg. “That pain was so bad that I had to call off work for the next couple days,” he said. “Since that happened I haven’t been able to ride in a car for very long because the pain begins again and radiates down my leg.
Sarah,* 24, wakes up every morning and immediately taps seven times on the edge of her bed; she’s compelled to perform this ritual like clockwork, out of fear that if she doesn’t, something terrible will happen to her or her family. Seven is Sarah’s safe number; she eats her meals only at 7:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m., repeats words compulsively under her breath seven times in a row, and on the rare occasions she gets up enough courage to leave her apartment, Sarah paces herself frantically to be sure she takes exactly 77 steps to reach the corner store. Sarah also lives in fear that she has contracted AIDS and can spread it to others, even though she’s never been sexually active.
I can fall asleep, but I wake up throughout the night and never seem to feel rested the next day. How do I get a good night’s sleep?
There are several different stages of sleep that need to be reached in order to achieve quality rest. Many things can disrupt your ability to achieve quality sleep, including your external environment and medical problems.
Your external environment
An uncomfortable bed, constricting clothing, bright lights, and noises can be distracting while you slumber. Even a disruptive spouse who snores or tosses and turns could be the reason you don’t get rest!
Read more about Sleep Apnea and Restless Limb Syndrome affecting your sleep? …
Vibrant Life: Give us an idea of the scope of the diabetes problem.
Dr. Barnard: It is reaching epidemic levels. There are 200 million people or more who have it. Year by year it gets more common. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimates that children born since the year 2000 have a one in three risk of developing diabetes at some point in their lives. Most of them will not develop it as children but as adults, but one in three is an astronomical figure we’ve never had before.
Read more about A Top Doctor’s Advice on How to Fight Diabetes …
Everything that Dr. William W. Jih, medical director for Loma Linda University Family Medical Group, had to say about maintaining healthy fingernails didn’t fit in the magazine. Here’s the complete interview.
I’ve heard characteristic on fingernails can indicate health problems. Should ridges and brittleness worry me?
Nail changes may not be the window to the soul, but they certainly can give a glimpse into the potential health of a person. Elements of the human body that are constantly growing and regenerating–such as skin, hair, and nails–are very susceptible to major changes in the overall health of the human body. Just like rings in a tree trunk, nails can develop lines after a particularly stressful illness that inhibits the body’s resources to grow healthy nails. Auto-immune disorders or disease in which your immune system is affected can have nail manifestations. Additionally, vitamin and iron deficiency have been known to cause nail changes and brittleness. Although these changes can be a clue to systemic illness or deficiency, these changes may also be the result of external damage. Exposure to chemicals and common cleaning agents–and even prolonged exposure to water–can have a harsh effect on nails leading to crumbling, pitting, and development of lines in the nail.
The Americas
Deep in the heart of the Amazon rain forest, medicine is an herbal-based art in which healing is interconnected with spiritual beliefs. It’s rooted in the dark shadows of shamanic customs in which the healing traditions are orally passed from shaman to apprentice. The herbs chosen are tailored to the individual person and their condition.
Read more about Clean Inside Out …
Let’s face it. Tanned skin is gorgeous. Some even think it looks healthy. But no matter how stunning you may look walking around the office four shades darker than everyone else, you may be setting yourself up for a rather un-gorgeous future.
“Pigmentation is a response to injury,” says Henry A. Greenblatt, M.D., a dermatologist in Newburgh, New York. He says that your skin becomes tan “only to protect itself from further injury. I have patients who’ll go to a tanning booth and they’ll say, ‘Well, I’m going on a cruise to the Caribbean and I want to get some tan before I go so I don’t have problems down there.’ And I say, ‘Then you’re damaging you’re skin now and you’re damaging it later. Why don’t you skip both?’”
Greenblatt’s advice is simple and to the point. “Wear sunscreen, avoid the midday sun, and make sure you don’t burn. Do whatever that takes—whether that means covering yourself with clothing or staying in the shade. There are a variety of ways to avoid damage.”