Diagnosis & Disease Information

To many, marshmallows are white, puffy confections that people enjoy eating and roasting over a campfire and melting into s’mores. The origin of these spongy edibles is Althea officinalis, a plant that has been used in alternative medicine for more than 2,000 years.

The Western medicine paradigm of “if a little is good, more must be better” is almost never true.

A recent study found that an estimated 23,000 annual emergency department visits in the United States were attributable to adverse events related to dietary supplements.

It turns out that pumpkin seeds can act as a potent medicine. Specifically, Cucurbita pepo, a member of the gourd family, has some significant medicinal uses.

An increasingly robust body of research points to the detrimental effect of unhealthy diets and nutrient deficiencies, and to the protective value of healthy diets – along with select nutritional supplements as required – for maintaining and promoting mental health.

The essential role that Vitamin D (usually defined as 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) plays in skeletal health is well established. An emerging body of research suggests that Vitamin D may play an important role in other conditions as well, although controversy continues regarding Vitamin D supplementation as a way of addressing or preventing these conditions.