5 Ways to Relax Right Now

Relaxation is an important part of reversing prediabetes, staying healthy, and reducing the risk of some of the deadliest diseases in the United States including type two diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. When I bring up the subject of relaxation with my patients, they often tell me they’re too busy to relax. It takes too much time. They don’t know how. It doesn’t come naturally to them.

They would prefer to take a supplement and get on with their day, but that’s exactly why I recommend relaxation. Because it isn’t about taking something, it’s about doing something, and because people who think they have no time to relax are usually the ones who have the most to gain from trying it.

Detox Facts and Fiction

Detox products and protocols are increasingly popular, from raw food and vegan diets to footbaths and body wraps. These things may be good for us (or not) and they may reduce our exposure to toxins, but they don’t detoxify our bodies. A basic understanding of what detox is and what it isn’t can clear up any misconceptions.

5 Lifestyle Changes to Reverse Prediabetes

A healthy lifestyle is just as important as a healthy diet when it comes to reversing prediabetes and staying well. In fact, studies show that lifestyle interventions are the most effective treatment for reversing prediabetes, lowering hemoglobin A1C, decreasing high blood pressure, improving physical fitness, and promoting weight loss. The following five lifestyle changes will help you accomplish these goals and more.

Manuka Honey Skin Saver

This moisturizing DIY skin salve is full of some usual suspects -- cocoa butter, shea butter, and almond oil -- but it also contains something special: manuka honey. Apply it to your face, hands, or hair as an overnight moisturizer or use it as a spot treatment for dry and irritated skin.

5 Ways to Prevent Colds and Flu

Echinacea purpurea

When it comes to flu shots, the risks do not outweigh the benefits for most people. Fortunately, there are other strategies to prevent infection and stay healthy during cold and flu season. It's certainly important to minimize our exposure to viruses, but it's equally important to foster a strong immune system, so our bodies can fight off the germs that do breach our barriers. After all, everyone is exposed to cold and flu viruses, but not everyone gets sick.

6 Strategies to Make 2015 Your Healthiest Year Yet

Recently I enjoyed reading Atul Gawande's book, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. It eloquently raises an issue that most physicians shy away from: The fact that we can't cure everyone. Some patients die. Eventually, we all die. So what matters most is how we live. And while a cure isn't always possible, healing always is. Everyone can heal on some level, physically or emotionally or both. Make 2015 your best year yet with these six strategies to help you heal.

Holiday Eating Survival Guide

The holiday season is the most difficult time of year for my patients to stick to the healthy diet guidelines I've recommended for them. So they're always relieved when I explain that what we eat most of the time is more important than what we eat just once in a while. There are some exceptions, like people with severe food allergies and those who struggle with food addiction, but most of the time I don't discourage an occasional indulgence as long as some basic rules are in place. Follow these ten tips to eat well and stay healthy this holiday season.