“We Three Kings” is, hands down, my favorite Christmas carol. The image of the noble men on camels following a star through the desert, the mournful melody, and the mystery of myrrh and frankincense fascinate me. I always wondered why the wise men considered the stuff as precious as gold, so I did some digging. Read More
In December, I avoid the mall like the plague. That is, until I’m due at a party where gifts will be exchanged—and I realize I forgot to shop early (again), and I’m still empty-handed.
Rather than subjecting myself to a hectic, last-minute shopping blitz again this year, I took myself to an old-fashioned health-food store last Saturday. By old-fashioned, I mean the kind of shop that’s been in business for years and is the go-to place in the community for all things natural and organic. Read More
At one time in the not too distant past, asking a doctor about an herb or an acupuncture treatment for your child’s health problem would probably get you a patronizing glance, if not an outright sneer and a reputation as an irresponsible parent.
But that attitude is changing. One day soon, your pediatrician may suggest some decidedly non-white-coat treatments for your child, especially if he or she has a chronic health condition. Here’s why: This week’s issue of Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, published a guide for doctors who want to learn more about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for kids. Read More
I was always shy about massage. I worried about handing my naked body over to a stranger and I was embarrassed about feeling fat. Getting touched intimately by hired hands intimidated me. And just where would those hands be? I wondered. What if it felt too good? When it came to massage, I was George from Seinfeld: way too uptight to enjoy the experience.
All that changed one day when I had to research massage for the book New Choices in Natural Healing for Women. Read More
By Sara AltshulI’ve been reporting on the wild world of alternative medicine since the mid-nineties. I’ve gone to herbal seminars held in rustic, remote lodges. I’ve attended lectures at Columbia and Harvard about acupuncture, qigong, Reiki, aromatherapy, healing touch, and even the power of prayer. I’ve ventured to Cuba, Italy, Costa Rica, and Germany to discover that in countries other than ours, doctors who use “natural” medicine are more the rule than the exception. Read More
Here’s a beautiful reason to stop by the supermarket today: Certain foods have powerhouse ingredients that keep skin supple and smooth and help fight age-related damage, says Nicholas Perricone, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and author of Ageless Face, Ageless Mind. Wondering what to eat and what to smooth on? Click the links below to find out: These skin-saving foods help both ways. (Be sure to do a skin-patch test first, and wait 24 hours to see if you have an allergic reaction.) Read More
Strawberries have more antiaging vitamin C per serving than oranges or grapefruit. And research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that people who eat foods rich in C have fewer wrinkles and less age-related dry skin than those who don’t. C helps fight free radicals, which damage cells and break down collagen, leading to those dreaded fine (and not-so-fine) lines. For smoother, better-hydrated skin, apply a natural-berry mask like the one below once or twice a week, and eat C-rich foods daily, says Ramona Ionescu, primary aesthetician at New York City’s Cornelia Day Resort. Read More
Since 1970, when Nobel laureate Linus Pauling first touted it as a cold remedy, vitamin C has been passionately championed—and reviled. Some studies support it, but others cast doubt. According to the latest studies, it turns out C can’t stave off colds. A 2007 review of 30 trials published in the Chochrane Database of Systematic Reviews showed that vitamin C is largely ineffective in cold prevention, and its ability to relieve cold symptoms is basically insignificant. But the vitamin does help to cut colds in people under extreme stress, such as skiers, soldiers, and marathon runners. “Vitamin C is not a miracle cure, but it makes colds milder,” says Mary Hardy, MD, medical director of the Integrative Medicine Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Dosage: Take 500 milligrams or more four times a day, from the moment you realize you’re coming down with a cold until you feel like yourself again.
Caveats: Loading up on more than 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day is useless at best, because your body cannot absorb that much; at worst, megadosing is harmful because it can upset your stomach.
Sara Altshul has been writing about alternative medicine for more than a decade. She says she inherited her interest in natural healing from her Irish grandmother, Helen “Nonnie” Murray, whose bizarre collection of home remedies included the bacon cough cure (don’t ask), mustard plasters, pine tar soap, apple cider vinegar, and brandy.
Sara co-authored New Choices in Natural Healing for Women and A Woman’s Book of Healing Herbs and was Prevention magazine’s alternative medicine editor for six years. During her time there, she was invited to testify as an expert before the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and won a National Health Information Award for her story, “Nothing Left to Lose,” about alternative cancer treatments.
Her freelance articles have appeared in Better Homes & Gardens, Prevention, More, and Health magazines. She lived in Rome and Orvieto, Italy for three years before moving back home to New York City in 2007. Currently, she’s senior editor for Better Health & Living magazine, where she writes frequently about alternative medicine.
Read Sara’s recent posts.
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