Health Tips

As they say in Game of Thrones, “winter is coming.” Time to break out the snow gear and prepare for mountain sports (or find some dragon glass to fight off the white walkers – your choice). If you’re planning  a trip out west to Colorado, New Mexico, or Utah, however,…

The common problem of awakening with a stiff neck is a topic that is addressed poorly, if at all, during medical training. In fact, it doesn’t even have a consistent name in the medical literature. It is sometimes referred to as “torticollis” or “wry neck”, but these terms also apply…

If I asked you how to improve the size or shape of your muscles, you would probably say ‘lifting weights,’ and you’d be right. Muscles grow when they are first broken down with forceful exercise, and then they repair themselves in an effort to meet the repetitive challenge. Interestingly, the…

I was with some friends the other day who were bemoaning the fact that they were generally in good health, but their joint aches and pains were significantly impacting their daily lives. They asked me what I recommended for osteoarthritis. I winced a little bit because I knew that there…

Did you know that up to 56,000 Americans die of the flu each year, and as many as 710,000 are hospitalized because of it? The flu is a dangerous viral illness that can be lethal, or cause complications that range from pneumonia to inflammation of the heart, brain, and muscles….

The immune system is a complex system of specialized cells, tissues, and organs designed to defend the body from germs and other invaders.  Central to the normal function of the immune system is its ability to distinguish between what is part of our own healthy bodies from a potentially harmful…

“Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.” ― Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have recently flooded Texas, Florida and surrounding states, causing an estimated $200 billion in damage (similar to the costs of Katrina…

I’m interrupting our skin tips to discuss air quality. I live in Washington state, near the Oregon forest fires, and my city is covered in an ash cloud right now. So I suppose this topic is top-of-mind for me… and any of you in California, Oregon, or Washington state are…

If I asked you how to improve the size or shape of your muscles, you would probably say ‘lifting weights,’ and you’d be right. Muscles grow when they are first broken down with forceful exercise, and then they repair themselves in an effort to meet the repetitive challenge. Interestingly, the…

In my most recent health tip I discussed the possible causes of hair loss. If you have treated all the potential “reversible causes” of hair loss that are within our control (such as optimizing your medications, treating scalp infections, reducing stress, avoiding certain hairstyles or treatments, eating healthfully, and treating…