Hypothyroidism: Stoking the Metabolic Fire
The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland that sits just below and behind the larynx (Adam’s apple) and in front of the trachea (windpipe). Thyroid hormone regulates the metabolic rate – – the sum of cellular processes that create cellular energy. If you were a car, your rate of metabolism could be described as […]
Neurotransmitters Play a New Role in Health
During the past several decades, some people who suffer from depression, anxiety, obesity, migraines, insomnia, obsessive compulsive disorders, PMS, and ADD/ADHD have benefited from pharmacological treatments, including the well known brand name drugs Prozac, Valium, Paxil, Fen-Phen, Imitrex, and Ritalin. On the other hand, some other similarly afflicted people have not experienced benefit or […]
Nutrients Slow Rate of Macular Degeneration
It seems that scientists are continually rediscovering that nutrition can affect health. A recent clinical trial by the National Eye Institute reported in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology, October 2001 found that supplementation of vitamins and minerals slowed vision loss associated with intermediate and severe age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 25%. The six-year […]
Just Say No to NSAIDs
The easy availability of over-the-counter and prescription drugs classed as Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) combined with the increase of chronic degenerative diseases in our nation make it a strong likelihood that any individual, especially as they age, will utilize NSAID therapy to treat pain and inflammation. NSAIDs include aspirin, plus numerous other over-the-counter and […]
Risk vs. Benefit of Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
by John L. Wilson, Jr., M.D. The German drug company Bayer AG withdrew its cholesterol-lowering drug Baycol from the market in August, 2001 after it was linked to 31 (now 52 and counting) deaths. An estimated 700,000 people in America were taking Baycol. Many more whose doctors prescribed other closely related drugs in […]
Risk of Clot Formation Can be Measured
by Eileen M. Wright, M.D. The ability to form a clot can be life saving, such as after an injury when a person might otherwise bleed to death. Several problems can happen, however, with the complex sequence of events that contribute to clot formation that leave a person at risk for unwanted clots. […]
Assessing The Risk of Heart Disease
By John L. Wilson, M.D. According to the American Heart Association, more than 2,600 Americans died of Cardiovascular (Heart) Disease each day in 1998. That is one death every 33 seconds. Considering that Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) has been the leading cause of death in the US since 1900 (except in 1918 when more […]
Erectile Dysfunction Likely to Have Physical Cause
The life expectancy according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a U.S. male in 1900 was 47.3 years. As of 1996 it was 73.0 years. This newfound longevity brings with it an opportunity to understand aging and develop medical approaches which can address sexual functioning of an aging man. […]
Acid Reigns
Health Matters July/August 2005 (PDF)
Two Trials on Low Fat vs. Low Carbohydrate Diets
by John L. Wilson, Jr., M.D. Physicians are often asked about the safety and effectiveness of Low-Carbohydrate diets. The two camps of Low Carbohydrate and Low Fat diets have little common ground on which to stand and seem to be locked in continual debate. Two trials have been done which may help shed […]
Risks and Benefits of Chronic Vegetarian Diet
Nutrients that are at risk for depletion in long term vegetarian diets are iron, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, taurine and Omega 3 oils (due to heavier use of the Omega 6 soy and corn oils in vegetarian diets). Females who had been on a vegetarian diet for greater than 6 years had […]
Fiber Facts
Dietary fiber has become very easy to avoid by those who eat the Standard American Diet (SAD). Processing and refining of foods to satisfy a penchant for “lighter” foods has nearly stripped dietary fiber right out of existence, unless one consciously attempts to include it in their diet It is estimated that the dietary […]
Could Vitamin C be Dangerous?
An article was published recently announcing the results of an in vitro study (one done in a laboratory test tube) suggesting that vitamin C damaged cellular DNA, that genetic messenger of our cells. The report recommended caution in taking vitamin C as a supplement. The clinical supplementation of vitamin C has a long […]
Calcium In Health and Disease, including Dietary Sources
By Connie Wilson, RN Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. The average adult has between two and three pounds of calcium in their body, and 99% of that calcium is bound in bones and teeth. The remaining 1% of the total body calcium is in the soft tissues and fluids […]
Diabetes: America’s Epidemic
by Eileen M. Wright, M. D. CDC statistics released in January 2003 reveal that the incidence of diabetes in the United States has increased by 61 percent since 1991. An estimated 17 million Americans are diabetic. Nationally, direct annual costs of diabetes approach $92 billion. However, the greatest cost, the loss of health, […]
Dental Conditions Impact General Health
For years, dentists and their patients alike have observed that general health problems can resolve after a tooth is pulled. Understanding how this can happen helps health practitioners and patients to detect problematic dental situations. The Chinese have known for over 2000 years that we have invisible subtle bioelectrical pathways called meridians through […]
Incidence of Autism on the Rise
by John L. Wilson, Jr., M.D. Autism is a complex neurological/psychiatric condition that usually begins in the first 3 years of life. Autistic children often develop normal physically, but spend their time engaged in puzzling behaviors that are markedly different from normal children. They can stare into space for hours, throw tantrums, show no […]
Infraspinatus Respiratory Reflex (IRR)
By John L. Wilson, Jr., M.D. After noting that virtually 100% of his patients with asthma had exquisite tenderness when he palpated (applied pressure to) their infraspinatus muscle [a muscle which attaches to the shoulder blade (scapulae) and is located on the upper back near the shoulder], the curiosity of a physician from Louisiana, […]
What is Alternative Medicine?
by Dr. John L. Wilson, Jr. Alternative medicine is best defined by understanding some of the principles that guide it. In contrast to “conventional” medicine, which is based on the knowledge of disease and specializes in the use of drugs and surgery to treat disease, “alternative” medicine focuses on identifying factors that promote health, […]
A Brief Political History of Modern Medical Practice
by John L. Wilson, Jr., M. D. Modern healthcare in the United States has come a long way since its homespun origins in the 18th century. The evolution of our healthcare system has been strongly influenced by not only scientific advances, but also by many non-medical historical and political events. Because healthcare is among […]
QuikMed Allergy Facts
* An estimated 40-50 million Americans are estimated to suffer from allergies. * About 15% of the population will need to seek medical help for the treatment of their allergies. * Outdoor mold counts are at their highest in the cooler darker hours prior to sunset. * The moderately high annual rainfall of Western North […]
QuikMed Hay Fever Facts
* Hay fever consists of a group of allergic symptoms that are caused by pollen. It is also called Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis, to differentiate it from year-round or Perennial Allergic Rhinitis, caused from dust, dust mites, molds, and animal danders. * Outdoor pollen counts are at their highest level of the day between […]
Mold Allergy: Facts and Treatment
By Connie Wilson, RN If you are allergic to molds, you will need to familiarize yourself with molds-how to identify them, how to eliminate or reduce them in your environment, and the treatment of mold allergy. Mold is a living plant and a member of the Fungi family. Mold spores are not visible […]
Alternative Treatment for Hay Fever
by Dr. John L. Wilson, Jr. An estimated 40 to 50 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergy to pollen, commonly referred to as hay fever. Tree pollens predominate in the spring, grass pollens in the late spring, continuing through late summer and fall, when weed pollens predominate. Watery, itchy, red eyes; runny nose; itchy […]
QuikMed Food Allergy Facts
The most common easily identified food allergies include peanuts, shellfish, fish, and nuts. These reactions may be life threatening (anaphylactic) and need to be strictly avoided if they are problematic, as often tiny amounts of the offending food can cause severe symptoms. The most common undiagnosed and hidden food allergies are to the ?sinister […]
