Words: Dr Richard FIRSHEIN Although vaginal yeast infections are incredibly common in women, they often aren’t viewed as a serious health threat. When coupled with stress and job concerns, and a generally discontented life, as they were for twenty-eight-year-old Alison Berlitz, however, they can be a source of intense aggravation. Alison had been riddled with
Words: Dr Richard FIRSHEIN The case of fifty-eight-year-old Peter Francis has to be one of the strangest I’ve seen in my years of practice. Although Peter had suffered from arthritis for a number of years, which is odd at his age, we could find no reason why such joint pain should strike so early in
Words: Dr Richard FIRSHEIN The sun bathes the world in golden warmth, the flowers bloom in vibrant reds and violets, the birds sing a sweet song — and, you’re too busy sneezing and rubbing your itchy eyes instead of enjoying nature. Sounds familiar? This is the ‘rote’ of spring for over 20 million Americans and
Words: Dr Richard FIRSHEIN A strange thing happened in the late 1970s. An extract from hamburger was found to inhibit tumours in mice. In 1987, this extract was identified as conjugated linoleic acid [CLA]. CLA belongs to the omega-6 fatty acid family. After over forty years of research on this ‘designer fat,’ we’ve found out
Words: Dr Richard FIRSHEIN Jane was silent for a moment, and then looked at me with a mixture of hope, surprise, and bitterness. “You mean there are things I could have been taking all along to stop my premenstrual syndrome [PMS]?” she asked. “I’m not sure I believe you.” Like Jane, most women aren’t told
Words: Dr Richard FIRSHEIN When was the last time you heard the words nutrition and asthma in the same sentence? Probably never. Many physicians still think diet has no effect on asthma. Nothing could be further from the truth. A study from Saudi Arabia made headlines, because researchers discovered that junk-food-eating city kids had a
Words: Dr Richard FIRSHEIN Many news journalists will tell you that their job is their life. Hopping from story to story, from scandal to scoop, leaves little time for romance, or family — not to mention eating, or sleeping. Steve was the highly paid, highly acclaimed, highly stressed producer of a popular New York TV
Words: Dr Richard FIRSHEIN Gary Wilbur’s wife, Sheila, tried her best to be helpful. He knew she loved him, and he knew that was why she was constantly on his back about his health, his food, and his exercise habits. This was because no matter how hard Gary tried, he could not stick to the
Words: Dr Richard FIRSHEIN Why are food allergies and particularly peanut allergy on the rise? Researchers have been trying to understand why peanut allergies are on the ascendance and their exact causes are still mysterious. Studies show that the possible factors for food allergies, specifically peanuts, may include foods being introduced too early in life,
Words: Dr Richard FIRSHEIN Does your food talk to you? Maybe, it doesn’t audibly yell at you, or whisper sweet nothings, in your ear; but, the fruit, meats, and vegetables that we eat every day have a message to tell us. We are only now beginning to realise what birds, bees, and even other cultures
