Concerns arise regarding the many possible side-effects of prednisone. People want to know how to avoid the weight gain, hypertension, high triglycerides, insulin resistance, diabetes and bone loss that can be associated with chronic prednisone use. In my experience, there are nutritional and lifestyle interventions that can definitely help to avoid these side-effects. Most of the immune system resides in the digestive tract. That means that what we eat has a direct impact

I’m an advocate for radical self-care. I define radical, in this scenario, as the departure from societal norms. Ancient people knew the importance of self-care, being aligned with life and taking time to rest and recover. Today, it seems to be a badge of honor to push ourselves until we drop. We are not accustomed to prioritizing ourselves and our self-care. The primary benefit of radical self-care is stress reduction. Cortisol, our body’s major stress hormone, elevates

The innate intelligence of herbs never ceases to amaze me. Many medicinal plants, or herbs, are revered by the ancient medical traditions due to their healing benefits, and about 40% of modern medicines are derived from plants. We have evolved side-by-side with herbal plants for millennia, and thus we have a much more natural and symbiotic relationship with them than we do with modern day drugs. Typically, a drug is made up of one chemical compound which is designed to tar

I don’t believe in avoiding gluten for everyone, I believe in avoiding your typical grocery store loaf of bread. Your bread should have four basic ingredients, ie. flour, salt, leavening and water. These ingredients have been used for centuries, and the beautiful simplicity, make superior loafs. The average grocery story bread has something like 16-24 ingredients. There are all kinds of chemicals used in baking of commercial bread-like products that are best to avoid and h

The traditional sourdough baking process have existed since antiquity, but has been cast aside for the quicker, higher yield and more profitable alternative, the quick rise yeast, which reduces the nutritional content of the bread along with making it harder to digest. The quick rise yeast has taken the place of the long fermentation process and this is one important reason for the rise in digestive symptoms from bread eating. The Sourdough baking process is making a return

“I believe we can move towards a healthier more natural relationship with bread again.” -Dr. Rowin Modern agriculture, modern food processing and modern baking practices have had detrimental effects on the health of our country in recent decades. The bread and cereal products made from modernized, conventionally grown wheat and rushed baking procedures are a major reason for the growing epidemic of obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and gluten sensitivity in the U.S. As w