Health Archive

3 Simple Steps to Eliminate Heartburn and Acid Reflux

By Dr. Mark Hyman,

Are millions of us born with a genetic defect that makes us produce too much stomach acid? Do we just have a major evolutionary design flaw that requires us to take powerful acid-blocking drugs to prevent heartburn and reflux?

I believe that the answer to all of these questions is a resounding “no.”

In this blog, I’ll explain why, but more importantly, I will outline a simple 3-step approach that will help you prevent acid reflux and heartburn by treating its underlying causes.

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The Fight Against Fracking

by Maura Stephens, via Yes! Magazine,

How New Yorkers won a moratorium on a drilling practice that threatens their lives, homes, and water.

When politicians refer to natural gas as a “clean” alternative to oil and coal, they seldom mention a commonly used technique called horizontal hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking.

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Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Wins Emmy Award

By Danny McCubbin, via JamieOliver.com

This weekend Jamie found out that his first US network TV series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, won an Emmy award for Outstanding Reality Program. His first thanks goes out to all of the 614,000 people who have helped to get his campaign for better food started by signing the petition. Jamie also extended his thanks to the fantastic production team that helped him to make the show: “A massive congrats to the team – we won the Emmy for the Food Revolution, guys! Such amazing news! I’m so proud. Big love to all involved in Huntington.”

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The Medical Profession and Agricultural Policy

A new website, Healthy Food Action (www.healthyfoodaction.org), seeks to bring medical professionals into the fight for a healthier food system—and several nutritional experts think it’s about time.

“We looked around and saw that the food system is really in quite a bit of trouble,” David Wallinga, MD, director of the Food and Health Program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy—creators of the new website—told Organic Connections. “There are signs that it is falling apart, particularly in terms of its negative impact on the health of the American public. We identified a big disconnect between that fact and the fairly broad lack of awareness among health professionals about different aspects of the food system and what they could do to change it for the better. So we came up with Healthy Food Action as a partial way to start to address that disconnect.”

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How to Eat Healthy for Less

By Dr. Mark Hyman, via The Huffington Post

You don’t have to have lots of time or money on your hands to be healthy! This is one of most common misconceptions I hear. I understand the challenges of trying to eat well with limited financial resources, limited time, or both. But I promise you — you don’t have to be rich or retired to eat well and take care of yourself.

I know what it’s like to live on very little. In college and medical school, I lived on $300 a month (for rent, food, and entertainment). And in residency, I lived on $27,000 a year while supporting a wife and two children. Even though that was 20 years ago, it still wasn’t much for a family of four.

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Is Your Favorite Ice Cream Made With Monsanto’s Artificial Hormones?

By John Robbins, via The Huffington Post,

Monsanto has been in the news this week, with a U.S. District Court Judge ruling that the USDA has to at least go through the motions of regulating the company’s genetically engineered sugar beets. Monsanto, you may know, is not likely to win any contests for the most popular company. In fact, it has been called the most hated corporation in the world, which is saying something, given the competition from the likes of BP, Halliburton and Goldman Sachs.

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Is Your Medication Robbing You of Nutrients?

By Hyla Cass, M.D. via The Huffington Post

“For every dollar we spend on prescription drugs, we spend a dollar to fix a complication. Understanding how nutritional supplements affect these drugs could make them safer and more effective.”

Mehmet Oz, M.D., Professor of Surgery at Columbia University
 and author of bestsellers “YOU: The Owner’s Manual” and “YOU: On A Diet”

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Why Quick, Cheap Food Is Actually More Expensive

By Dr. Mark Hyman, via The Huffington Post

I was in a grocery store yesterday. While I was squeezing avocados to pick just the right ones for my family’s dinner salad, I overheard a conversation from a couple that had also picked up an avocado.

“Oh, these avocados look good, let’s get some.”

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Risk to kids from toxic pesticides may be underestimated, study finds

by Tom Laskawy, via TakePart.com

When kids eat conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, what level of pesticide residues are they taking in — and to what effect?

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Are You Deficient in Healthy Fats?

by Michelle Schoffro Cook, via Care2.com

You’ve probably read about or heard about fatty acids or healthy fats.  Essential fatty acids have many important roles in the body.  Here are some of the main ones:

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