Author Archives: drlaurell

Chocolate for Heart Health

Since high blood pressure is such a significant and pervasive health issue in this country, I pay attention to the new research on it. I always stick with the basics of a healthy diet, such as one high in veggies and fruits. Many people with high blood pressure need the minerals like potassium that canContinueContinue reading “Chocolate for Heart Health”

Food for Mood

An increasing number of studies are showing how our food choices correlate with our mood. They show that it is important to look at our overall pattern of choices as well as a few particular foods. One recent study showed that people who ate a healthy diet were up to 30% less likely to developContinueContinue reading “Food for Mood”

Fight Inflammation

Whether we are exercising or doing work that keeps us physically active, sometimes we pay for it afterwards with muscle and joint pain. One day, I spent so much time sanding down a deck for painting that I woke in the night with my hands throbbing. A middle of the night dose of homeopathic arnicaContinueContinue reading “Fight Inflammation”

Protect Your Vision

At a recent visit to her eye doctor, my husband’s granny was told that new glasses would correct some of her vision changes, but macular degeneration was to blame for the rest of her weak vision and the glasses couldn’t help with that. Macular degeneration is a form of damage to the most important partContinueContinue reading “Protect Your Vision”

Fighting Sugar Cravings

Recently I attended the local American Diabetes Association Expo and spoke with a lot of people about blood sugar issues. But sugar is not just an issue for people who already have diabetes; it is a troublesome issue for a lot of people. Americans consume over 50 pounds of sugar a year, and this levelContinueContinue reading “Fighting Sugar Cravings”

Coconut Oil: What is all the hype about?

There has been a lot of buzz about coconut oil recently. For years, coconut oil was shunned as an unhealthy fat because of its high saturated fat content. But now many people are cooking nearly exclusively with coconut and olive oils. Coconut oil does contain saturated fats, but the difference between coconut oil and otherContinueContinue reading “Coconut Oil: What is all the hype about?”

Sleep and Stress

My blog last week was about the connection between sleep deprivation and blood sugar issues. My goal was to encourage people to sleep more to help improve their overall health, but some people know they need more sleep but are struggling with insomnia. There are two different patterns of insomnia. Some people have trouble fallingContinueContinue reading “Sleep and Stress”

The Connection Between Sleep and Blood Sugar

I am a huge fan of sleep and find it to be key to my feeling of overall vitality. While it is commonly known that inadequate sleep can contribute to fatigue, few people realize it can contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain. Specifically, reductions in sleep duration or quality can contribute to insulinContinueContinue reading “The Connection Between Sleep and Blood Sugar”

The Power of Garlic

My husband just harvested the garlic I planted last fall.  We go through a lot of garlic in our house so these approximately 250 bulbs will last the two of us most of the year including what we will plant for next year’s crop. I was surprised to realize I hadn’t yet blogged about garlicContinueContinue reading “The Power of Garlic”