It’s hard to grow old. I have yet to hear from even one of my patients that getting older is a breeze. Age-related macular degeneration...

I just love avocados. If my goal for today’s column were to solicit avocados from those among my readers who have trees, than I would be...

The following happens frequently: I surprise a generally healthy patient with the news that their blood pressure numbers just aren’t good...

Summer is upon us, and it has been sunny and hot. Despite my own fair complexion, I love Southern California and I love the outdoors. We...

As far back as 1000 AD, mechanical presses or steam were used to extract essential oils from plants. Today, we apply highly concentrated...

Four out of every five prescriptions in the United States are filled with the generic version of a drug. The use of generics has saved...

I am always reminding my patients to drink more water. While there are a few disease conditions where people must watch their fluid...

How many of us remember our grandmothers using their own garden to treat what ailed us? Herbs and flowers are the earliest drugs, and...

I recently spent time with a longtime friend who is now actively dying. It was a stark reminder that this gift called “life” is short and...

Not a day goes by in my medical practice that I’m not asked about CBD. CBD is one of the compounds from the cannabis plant. It is very...

My wife will not eat asparagus. She’s well aware that it’s a highly nutritious dark green vegetable, but has never liked the flavor. That...

The expression “dirty money” usually refers to ill-gotten gains. However, given the number of people who touch money on a regular basis,...

Growing up here in Southern California, sushi was not a “thing.” It was difficult to find and my parents had no interest. That has...

If you have had a pregnancy that ended in miscarriage, you are not alone. Some 20% to 25% of pregnancies end prematurely. The question I...

Breathing is such a natural and innate reflex that most of us don’t give it a second thought. It is, however, a struggle for the 27...

Recently I saw one of my centenarian patients, and I was impressed at how well she was doing, both physically and mentally. She is one of...

Everybody sneezes. Some sneezes are barely perceptible, others are loud and distinct, and still others come in multiples. Why do we...

Growth in humans and other animals is stimulated by naturally produced growth hormones. In the 1950s, the FDA approved the use of...

Roughly 32 million pounds of antibiotics are given to animals that we then consume each year. It started back in the 1940s, when it...

2019 is right around the corner. Many of us make New Year’s resolutions, and in my practice, the ones I hear the most concern eating...