drlaurell

Granny’s Pickled Okra Recipe

This unusual cool spell has made me start thinking it is already fall. Like women and grannies of the past, I spend considerable effort in the summer and fall getting ready for winter. While my husband gathers firewood for us, my job is to preserve the summer’s harvest so we have an abundance of ourContinue reading “Granny’s Pickled Okra Recipe”

Shower Hokey Pokey: 1-minute a day to decrease your stress

I put my right leg in. I take my right leg out. I put my left leg in. And I think you can guess some of the next steps, but why am I doing this in the shower? After my normal warm shower, I turn the temperature to cold and step aside. Then I putContinue reading “Shower Hokey Pokey: 1-minute a day to decrease your stress”

Maca Smoothies for More Vibrant Days

On hot summer days, I tend to have more smoothies for breakfast. Though there are many ingredients I love, the maca I am adding seems to contribute to my sense of wellbeing. This is probably because maca is an adaptogen and a hormone balancer. By adaptogen, I am referring to maca’s ability to reduce theContinue reading “Maca Smoothies for More Vibrant Days”

Drink Your Turmeric for Better Health: Bulletproof turmeric part 2

My bulletproof turmeric recipe has been very popular, partially because it is delicious and an excellent way to consume a more absorbable form of turmeric. I chose the ingredients for the recipe because I wanted to encourage people to consume whole turmeric instead of just the isolated “main” component, curcumin. The other constituents of turmericContinue reading “Drink Your Turmeric for Better Health: Bulletproof turmeric part 2”

Bulletproof Turmeric: An Herbal Alternative to Bulletproof Coffee

Bulletproof coffee isn’t the only way to have a delicious brain-boosting beverage. You can boost your cognitive function with curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric. Curcumin protects the brain from cognitive deterioration caused by stress. But I don’t know anyone who is dealing with stress! Especially not the law students who are popularizing the bulletproofContinue reading “Bulletproof Turmeric: An Herbal Alternative to Bulletproof Coffee”

Would You Like to do a Healthy Food Experiment with me?

This food experiment was inspired by a recent consultation with a patient who had found that if she regularly ate avocados and apples, she felt significantly healthier. I theorized that the fats in the avocados were enhancing her absorption of the nutrients and antioxidants in her other veggies. The apples were maybe helpful as aContinue reading “Would You Like to do a Healthy Food Experiment with me?”

Epigenetics, Pesticides, and Your Health

We have made amazing strides in recent years in understanding the human genome. Many researchers have been surprised to discover that the DNA sequence doesn’t adequately explain why some of us are more susceptible to diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Instead they have found that the nutrition available to our grandparents can have aContinue reading “Epigenetics, Pesticides, and Your Health”

Heart Disease Awareness

In response to my last blog on the connection between heart disease and depression, healthline.com send me this link to their excellent infographic on heart disease statistics. Being an Arkansan, I noted that Arkansas is one of the Deadly Dozen, the top 12 states with the highest rate of cardiovascular death. Well, my Arkansas grandfatherContinue reading “Heart Disease Awareness”

A Connection between Depression and Heart Disease

In popular culture, the heart is often considered to be the seat of our emotions. We love and grieve with our hearts. From a biological point of view, we understand the heart as the organ that pumps blood through our bodies. But there is something more than that to the heart. I know I amContinue reading “A Connection between Depression and Heart Disease”

Five Flavors, But Don’t Forget Bitter

Some cooking traditions focus on artfully combining the flavors our tongue perceives. The five flavors are sweet, salty, sour, spicy, and bitter. American cuisine doesn’t emphasize bitter as much as some other cultures. We will have coffee after a meal for something bitter or dark chocolate or maybe some slightly bitter greens in our salads.Continue reading “Five Flavors, But Don’t Forget Bitter”