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GeneralAdaptationSyndrome

The Stress Response

Anyone who studies the stress response will be familiar with the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) that’s depicted in the graphic. The response was developed by the Canadian scientist Dr. Hans Selye over years of experiments; his research focus was the hormonal response to chronic stress. To promote his adaptation concept, Dr. Selye was just as […]

LastThread

Here Comes the Stress

We’ve entered the stress zone for many people: the holiday season, the hustle, the bustle, the people, the shopping, even in the cyber age. But mostly, it’s the people. There seems to be so many of them, and they all seem to congregate wherever you’re going. What seemed so exciting when you were a child […]

Chet-TurkeyLeg

Are You Ready for Thanksgiving?

Paula and I would like to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving (or if you’re not in the U.S., happy Thursday!) It’s been our pleasure to serve you this year, and we’re thankful for your support. One of the questions that comes up year after year is how to deal with eating during the […]

DoctorConsultation

PSA: Sharing the Decision

PSA screening is controversial because it may or may not indicate prostate cancer without additional testing and it may or may not indicate mortality from prostate cancer. As I said, many elderly men will die with prostate cancer but not of it. How do you know what to do? A recent study may provide some […]

PSA-Question

Controversy: PSA Testing

Medical testing is a blessing at times, a curse at others, and a source of controversy in the medical profession itself. I recently wrote about colonoscopies and why they provide information other colon health tests do not. The PSA (protein specific antigen) screening for prostate cancer has also been controversial. Here’s why. If the PSA […]

IntestinalGas

Resolving Gas Problems

Whatever the cause, the question is how you can control any issues you have with intestinal gas. Once you realize how probiotics do what they do, and by that I mean via fermentation with the resultant gas, there are several strategies you can use to deal with it. Strategies for Gas Digestive enzymes can often […]

Gas

What Causes Increased Gas?

Over the years, I’ve learned this about people as it relates to their health: they notice every change in their digestive system. They have their own bathroom habits, and they don’t like anything that changes their pattern. If they make a change in their nutritional intake—whether it’s a food, a supplement, or a medication—and it […]

SickBaby

RSV in Infants

Our daughter-in-law, Kerri, is a pediatric respiratory therapist with 32 years of experience, so she was an obvious choice to talk to about RSV, especially in babies. You need to know more about RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), especially if you’re parents or grandparents of infants less than six months old. The CDC reference at the […]

RSV

Virus Update: RSV

We have a viral uptick going on right now, and it’s not COVID. My health news feed has been sending warnings about an unusually high number of cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a very common respiratory virus that’s usually not problematic. It generally causes mild, cold-like symptoms, and most people recover in a week […]

Colonoscopy-or-FOBT

Protect Your Colon Health: Do a Test

Continuing with our examination of the study on invited colonoscopies versus usual care, what could the researchers have said to cause any controversy? Remember, the comparative rates of diagnosing colorectal cancer were slightly lower in the invited group. The controversy came when they stated that there was no difference in mortality over the course of […]