THE NATURAL WAY (04/02/08)
Is an organically labeled fruit or veggie what all of us should be buying?   Many people spend a lot more money than they would if they didn't buy organic. Many of these same people struggle to make ends meet and yet they buy expensive veggies, meat, starches and fruit just because they are labeled with that one magical word -- organic. Is this the best way to be sure of nutrition and health from our food?...

The Natural Way (03/12/08)
Are you ready? The jonquils are in full bloom the daffodils are getting ready. Evenings are longer and warm enough to enjoy while the days are still a little chilly. Must be close to springtime and sneezes, itchy eyes and nose. The green cloud of pollen we get every year is still a month or so away...

The Natural Way (02/13/08)
Like many of you I have been e-mailed an article with the subject line "John Hopkins -- Latest findings on Cancer." I don't think this is an authentic paper from Johns Hopkins University. With that being said, I do agree with almost everything in the letter. But a couple of points are simply not accurate and not correct...

The Natural Way (01/23/08)
This is the time of the year for hearty foods. Acorn, butternut, Hubbard and spaghetti squash are plentiful and cheap as are root veggies such as parsnips, potatoes and carrots.   Storing them in a cool yet dry area at home will keep them fresh for a long time. ...

The Natural Way (01/09/08)
Eczema, seborrhea and psoriasis are all conditions that cause red eruptions often with scale on the skin and scalp.   Eczema is found most anywhere on the body while seborrhea looks similar but involves sebaceous (oil) glands of the skin and psoriasis can be found anywhere but is usually on elbows and knees. ...

The Natural Way (07/11/07)
A full head of healthy and shining hair often starts to disappear in the early twenties for men and during menopause and later for women. For men, hair loss hits during the hormonal prime and for women, as the hormones begin to shift. Clearly, there is a connection to hormone levels and hair quality and quantity...

Resveratol without the wine (04/04/07)
Resveratrol is a unique compound found in red wine. Red wine is made from red grapes but the grape juice doesn't have any resveratrol at all. It is only found in the skins and seeds. It protects the grape against fungus.

Must be Springtime (03/21/07)
I found the first tick attached to a shoulder the other day. It was about the size of the top end of a Bic pen. Lots of people are sneezing and the daffodils are in full bloom. Evenings are longer and warm enough to enjoy while the days are still a little chilly. Must be Springtime...

Diabetes (03/07/07)
We Arkansans, both young and old, collectively have one of the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes in the United States. The long-term effect of this imbalance is profound and, if not corrected, devastating.

Foods from California (02/21/07)
Even though I had lived and schooled in Miami, Florida, there were many life's experiences not available to me. Or I simply wasn't aware of them. One of the most enjoyable was discovering foods Californians ate that I hadn't seen before.

Decrease in cancer deaths (02/07/07)
A recent example of this is the reporting and commentary in the major newspapers that cancer deaths have decreased in the U.S. over the last several years. The numbers clearly show a decrease even though there are more aging people who are more prone to the disease. This really is good news.

The Natural Way (11/15/06)
Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) is an amazing herb backed by tradition and supported by science.

The Natural Way (03/31/05)
The mysteries of the Amazon and cold science met face-to-face when a legendary herb gave promise in the battle against cancer.

The Natural Way (02/02/05)
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) has been around for a long time and in some circles has a near legendary reputation. There certainly are tried and true benefits from the use of this herb, but the legend may or may not be true.

the natural way (01/19/05)
If I were going to choose just one antioxidant out of dozens that standout, the choice would be surprisingly easy.

The Natural Way (01/16/05)
We live in a world that is hard to understand, sometimes impossible. Some people rely on science to sort things out, some use faith and most people use a little bit of both flavored with the practicality of luck.

The Natural Way (12/16/04)
A drawing ointment is very old-fashioned goo, which is typically tawny or black in color. In fact, it is often called a black ointment, drawing salve, or unguent.

The Natural Way (12/09/04)
I get "white coat" blood pressure every time I get it checked in a medical office. Maybe it's the smell of the room, anticipation of getting a shot or just that this measurement is "official" and will forever be in disagreement with what happens in the quiet privacy of my own space.

The Natural Way (12/06/04)
A couple of Sundays ago I was surprised to see Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes in the middle of an African desert. She was munching on a piece of cactus saying it was cucumbery and wondering if she was going to feel hungry later in the day.

The Natural Way (11/24/04)
Wow, a monster burger with double cheese and double bacon is being offered by a national chain and found right here in Arkansas.

The Natural Way (11/17/04)
I fixed an acorn squash for dinner the other night. The recipe was simple.

The Natural Way (11/10/04)
Ever wonder if there is a cholesterol-lowering supplement that reduces the bad stuff, raises the good and protects your liver at the same time?

The Natural Way (11/01/04)
Can you rid yourself of athlete's foot and prevent kidney stones with an herb? Maybe so if you believe the German Medical Commission E. An old and almost forgotten herb is well-documented for these purposes and many more. Agrimony is the herb and it has many healing benefits.

The Natural Way (04/16/03)
Although we try to take good care of ourselves, even with the help of good fortune, our bodies bear the brunt of wear and tear every day we live.

The Natural Way (04/09/03)
SARS is in the news a great deal these days. This is a shortened way of saying Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

The Natural Way (04/02/03)
Springtime is bursting forth - I've already been asked about brown recluse spider bites and poison ivy. We get our fair share of itchies and nasties from both bugs and plants.

The Natural Way (03/27/03)
Our world is changing quickly. In no other time has there been so much worldwide dialogue on the benefits and drawbacks of war and peace. Our world has been speaking out almost in a democratic manner. Our behavior as a nation has been, and is, in question by so many throughout the differing nations. At times of great change, anxiety levels increase.

The Natural Way (03/12/03)
Many natural health practitioners enthusiastically praise the benefits of a hormone called DHEA or dehydrepiadrosterone.

The Natural Way (03/05/03)
Burning feet? Muscle cramps or weakness? Fatigue depression and sleep troubles? May be a lack of pantothenic acid in your diet.

The Natural Way (02/26/03)
Two herbs that are very common here-about are comfrey and sassafras. Both are held in high esteem by the traditional herbalist for a number of reasons.

The Natural Way (02/12/03)
Last fall I wrote about a hot new product on the market called coral calcium. I reported to you I thought calcium was a good daily supplement for most people.

The Natural Way (02/06/03)
I heard the other day the groundhog came out and saw its shadow. This means six more weeks of winter, so some people say. If this is true, then we have only six more weeks until spring.

The Natural Way (01/30/03)
"Weight loss made easy," screams the catch line of the advertising. Who doesn't want something for nothing? Trouble is, our bodies have saved up energy (calories) and stored it as fat.

The Natural Way (01/22/03)
Maybe I'm getting old. On the front page of the business section of a major newspaper is the picture of four bulls and the proud rancher/owner.

The Natural Way (01/16/03)
Emotional health may be the prime influence on physical health.

The Natural Way (01/08/03)
When I was a kid tromping around the Everglades I was careful to step around the Saw Palmetto plant.

The Natural Way (01/02/03)
Ever get the sense that we keep repeating the experiences of the ones who lived before us?

The Natural Way (11/20/02)
Another new product on the market that warrants attention is a blend of patent-pending extracts from Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense.

The Natural Way (11/06/02)
Did I miss the fall season? Are we already stepping into winter weather?

The Natural Way (10/30/02)
With chilly weather, bordering on cold, body aches and pains will increase.

The Natural Way (10/23/02)
Coral calcium continues to be a hot product on the market. The ads show the beauty of a Polynesian island lined with palm trees surrounded by emerald green water.

The Natural Way (10/02/02)
Summer is over and many people will have vacationed in the beautiful warmth of the Caribbean.

The Natural Way (09/25/02)
As the season changes, life around us begins to adapt and change to the new environment.

The Natural Way (09/18/02)
You can feel the season changing. Mother Nature has her way of keeping all life in balance by changing the rules of living.

The Natural Way (09/11/02)
I wasn't sure what to write about this week as we have a remembrance to acknowledge of a tragic event a year ago.

The Natural Way (08/29/02)
Mugwort is one of those strange sounding herbs that conjures up images of ugly people with skin tags hanging off of their noses.

The Natural Way (08/15/02)
Cat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) is so useful it has the unpleasant honor of being closely studied by the pharmaceutical industry.

The Natural Way (08/07/02)
It was one of those scary things that happen in the middle of the night.

The Natural Way (07/31/02)
Medical Hormonal Replacement Therapy remains a hot topic in the news.

The Natural Way (07/24/02)
There is no question that hormones have powerful and widespread effects in the body.

The Natural Way (07/17/02)
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has been in the news lately. According to the July 12, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, many women and their medical doctors are reacting with anxiety, puzzlement and disbelief after a study found that the regimen used by millions of women does more harm than good.

The Natural Way (07/04/02)
What a problem, how do you make a supplement sound interesting when it has more science than character?

The Natural Way (06/26/02)
I've been reading about the long-term effects incurred by some people who have had gastric stapling surgery. This is usually done for obese people so they can lose weight. For some, the side effects are profound and may not show up for two to 20 years.

The Natural Way (06/19/02)
An amino acid from Green Tea? Yes, and it is good for you too!

The Natural Way (06/12/02)
The summer cold is a miserable thing. Partly this is due to the unexpected onset (colds and flu are WINTER illnesses, after all) and partly because the condition outside is hot and humid while indoors it is air-conditioned and dry.

The Natural Way (06/06/02)
With spring in full bloom, we not only get to revel in the beauty of our area but also watch plants sprout, grow, bloom and bear. It is also important to begin planning for the wise use of her bounty.

The Natural Way (05/29/02)
Now hair this, we all need to take good care of what we have. The hair on top of your head is seen by everybody and often is what folks base their first impression upon. Besides it does provide a protective function for our head and body.

The Natural Way (05/22/02)
Spring moving into summer means outdoor fun. Romping at the lake, hiking around Leatherwood and working in the garden are just a few of the many terrific activities we have in our special part of the world.

The Natural Way (05/01/02)
Another solicitation came in the mail which seemed destined to become part of the clutter pile on my desk. This one was touting the "amazing benefits for a long and healthy life."

The Natural Way (04/25/02)
Polly Cosanol isn't the name of a little girl who lives next door or even down the street. But if you or your neighbors have elevated cholesterol levels which are worrisome for you, Polly is likely to be found as close as your bathroom vanity.

The Natural Way (04/18/02)
Spring is pushing forward with vigor. Soon there will be clouds of pollen along with the beauty of spring.

The Natural Way (04/11/02)
I remember a springtime which had just arrived in the Sonoran Desert. Winter had passed with just a breath of memory

The Natural Way (04/03/02)
Here is an herb which has hundreds of years, maybe thousands, of world-wide use yet has little science in its history.

The Natural Way (03/28/02)
Get your scissors out and clip this column to save on your refrigerator door.

The Natural Way (03/22/02)
Nothing beats cayenne as an ingredient in your cleansing program. This is no hot flash for anyone who has been introduced to the not-so-subtle

The Natural Way (03/22/02)
Nothing beats cayenne as an ingredient in your cleansing program. This is no hot flash for anyone who has been introduced to the not-so-subtle

The Natural Way (03/13/02)
Our animal friends in the old days taught the early healers which herbs or mineral sources were good for health.

The Natural Way (03/06/02)
The name of this herb sounds like something from a dark ages dungeon. Bladderwrack (Fuscus vesiculosus) has a long use predating those dark ages, even thousands of years

The Natural Way (02/06/02)
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. There are several types of hepatitis, all caused by different irritants.

The Natural Way (01/24/02)
I was talking with friends last week about how difficult things seem tobe these days.

The Natural Way (01/17/02)
Good heavens! The things we get in the mail. I'm constantly amazed with the material which comes to the Herbacy touting yet another AMAZING DISCOVERY!

The Natural Way (01/09/02)
In psychology there are those who believe we struggle with wanting to be fully alive and with wanting to kill ourselves. High risk taking behaviors certainly are exciting but often expose us to dreadful dangers.

The Natural Way (01/02/02)
In the mid '80s, a group of us at UCLA were faced with a problem which had major impact on the longevity of people with poor or non-existent immune systems. You see, many of these folks were coming down with a very difficult to treat pneumonia, which those of us with good immune systems would rarely find troublesome.

The Natural Way (12/19/01)
There are a number of herbs which are considered obsolete by many modern practitioners. Obsolete means the herb is no longer in general use. This can happen for a variety of reasons, some practical, some political, some due to social changes and some just because their use has been long forgotten.

The Natural Way (12/12/01)
We three Kings of Orient are bearing gifts we've carried so far: frankincense and myrrh. Gifts fit for the greatest of kings. These were so important, wealthy and powerful men brought these herbals as the ultimate gift, the story is told.

The Natural Way (12/05/01)
Type II diabetes is a serious condition. Unlike type I, you may be able to avoid this one or, even after it has developed, care for it through diet alone.

The Natural Way (11/29/01)
Last week, I received an invitation to attend the "Third Conference of Nutrition and Vitamin Therapy" to be held in February, 2002.

The Natural Way (11/14/01)
Wow, living today is tough - a roller coaster of trying to maintain a good life with the dips of "is this a terrorist act?"

The Natural Way (11/07/01)
Here is a little-known, anti-aging, anti-toxin, anti-disease amino acid that is critical to health. Pharmaceutical companies know about this one and are beginning the production of a prescribed drug called Oltipraz™ which would stimulate the production in your body of the same compounds which glutathione produces.

The Natural Way (10/10/01)
An egg white is a profoundly good source of amino acids, perhaps only beaten (no pun intended) by Royal Jelly, produced by honeybees, as a natural and complete food source. Think of it... the egg white nourishes the yolk to become a complete chicken. The Royal Jelly which is only fed to the queen bee can keep her alive for many years, far outliving her royal court and worker bees. Here are a few more interesting points on three interesting amino acids:

The Natural Way (10/04/01)
L-arginine is nothing short of amazing. How could one amino acid be good for high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, lung disease, wound healing, Bob Dole's "ED" and even aging? Well, it turns out arginine works its magic by increasing nitric oxide levels in the body.

The Natural Way (09/26/01)
L-Lysine is an essential amino acid. You'll remember the essential aminos have to be eaten while the non-essential are synthesized by the body. Remember too, amino acids when taken together help the body repair while when taken individually are used for specific purposes.

The Natural Way (09/19/01)
What do a big, thick porterhouse steak and soybean curd have in common? Protein, which holds an essential role in our good health. Protein maintains the immune system, nervous system, components of our blood, supplies energy and is essential to thinking as well as memory.

The Natural Way (09/12/01)
Terrorism... The sadness I feel is complicated. Memories come up of the Los Angeles riots which I experienced first hand as well as remembering what it was like to be part of a medical team caring for airline crash victims in the mid-seventies. An Eastern airliner went down in the Everglades and the hospital I worked at received the lion's share of injured people. There is more to this sadness, an element of deep recognition of the harm and pain an obsessed person or group can impose on others.

The Natural Way (09/05/01)
In the last column I wrote about a "new" amino acid called l-carnosine, which has recently been studied scientifically and found to be very beneficial for memory loss, improvement of skin, and as an anti-aging supplement.

The Natural Way (08/29/01)
Amino acids are important building blocks of the human body. Medical doctors are becoming increasingly aware of their importance, and they are therefore becoming more prominent in medical therapy. There is one amino acid which is particularly intriguing, namely l-carnosine.

The Natural Way (08/22/01)
Seeing is believing - or so we are told. This old saying is really a belief itself. Maybe all that there is, ultimately, is belief. Belief and faith are interlinked - belief happens, faith sustains.

The Natural Way (08/15/01)
The headline screams "40 deaths prompt Bayer to pull drug-cholesterol fighter Baycol¨ linked to side effect of muscle destruction."

The Natural Way (08/08/01)
Freight trains running through Eureka in the wee hours of the morning? Jack hammers pounding away in quiet neighborhoods while folks are trying to sleep? Might seem that way when you try to sleep with a snorer nearby. Snoring isn't just a human thing, as anyone with a contentedly sleeping dog can tell you, but is likely caused by the same anatomy rattling around as breath moves past soft tissue in the mouth, nose and throat.

The Natural Way (08/01/01)
It's difficult to be funny when describing Avena sativa, or commonly, - oats. I like to use humor 'cause the chuckle helps carry the message home and feels good at the same time - kinda like swallowing cherry-flavored medicine. Oats makes it tough, as some people think of oats as a large mass of sticky, clumpy mucilage you pour milk on to eat when it's cold outside. I think this is the national glue of Scotland.