With the intense heat and sunlight of our current summer, health authorities have been warning people to stay indoors as much as possible to reduce the possibility of heat stroke and dehydration, and...
In Jamaica, guinea hen weed (GHW) has several names: guinea hen leaf, garlic weed or gully root, but in other countries it is called anamu. This herb is indigenous to the Amazon rainforest and the tropical areas of the Caribbean, Central and South...
Minerals are nutrients that are essential to good health that our bodies cannot make but is present in the earth. Plants absorb them from the soil, and we get them most from eating plants or indirectly from eating animals that eat plants. We may...
The recent Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) 2018 Symposium focused on obesity. I congratulate the MAJ on finally bringing this enormous problem into sharp focus.Experts from our region analysed and dissected obesity from every angle. Their...
I continue to congratulate our Ministry of Health in their drive to rein in our national obesity epidemic. Unfortunately, many people struggle with their weight and their belly fat because of what they eat or fail to eat for breakfast!What you...
Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after water and has been used by man for millennia. Modern medical research continues to highlight the special health benefits of a specific tea - green tea, a drink made from the leaves of the tea...
Your body needs two main types of nutrients - the macronutrients which are required in large quantities and the micronutrients which are only used in small milligram or microgram amounts.Along with fats and carbohydrates, protein is a macronutrient...
What really is the mind? The mind is not a thing or object but rather the activity or capacity to think and to create thoughts. Furthermore, it is not just confined to our brain although we use the brain as an instrument for thinking. Ancient...
Published:Tuesday | November 28, 2017 | 12:00 AMDr Tony Vendryes
Without even realising it, most of us are gravediggers, working hard at digging our own graves with our teeth. The major causes of premature death are related to what you put in your mouth - what you eat. My personal congratulations to our current...
Ancient healing traditions refer to the five elements of nature: air, water, fire, wood and earth. They explained that our health depended on the balancing influence of all these elements. Modern scientific research shows that mankind could benefit...
In today's world, drug use is rampant. The dangers of legal recreation drugs like alcohol and tobacco are well known while, at the same time, widespread illegal drug use continues to concern authorities. Indeed, abuse of...
With increased public awareness about the dangers of sugar, many people now use artificial sweeteners to satisfy their sweet tooth. The most popular artificial sweetener found in groceries, supermarkets, in kitchens and on our dining tables is...
Pain, particularly acute pain is an important signal that your body gives to warn you to correct a situation of an underlying disorder. Pain is more a symptom than a disease. The best and foremost action you can take is to try to identify the cause...
"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health."- HippocratesAs the close of the year approaches, an interesting pattern of behaviour...
The human body is amazing. It is indeed fearfully and wonderfully made, as King David declared in the Psalms. Modern medical science is validating how true his statement was. The longer I practice medicine, the more I appreciate the body...
By the end of the festive season, most of us would have done our fair share of feasting, but the heavy consumption of food and drink can take its toll on our bodies. It would be healthy to consider doing some detoxification and cleansing at the very...
For almost 30 years, I have been saying that a plant-based diet has significant health benefits. Now, the World Health Organisation (WHO) research published this past week, confirms that eating red meats, especially processed meats, is a major risk...
Honey, the main product of the honey bee, is composed primarily of sugars and water, along with small amounts of vitamins and minerals, including niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus,potassium...
cholesterol-free diet (like strict vegetarians) can still have high cholesterol. Many of the 'low-cholesterol foods' being advertised are so full of sugar and carbohydrates that you are swapping 'black dog for monkey' when you use them hoping to...
The male equivalent to the menopause in women is called the andropause. While not as obvious an event as the menopause, men do suffer from declining hormone levels with age.While the female sex hormones rapidly fall in women in their 40s, in men...
MUCH IS said of the importance of well-known minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, selenium and zinc for good health.Another important mineral, magnesium, is often disregarded, although it is the fourth-most abundant mineral in the human body,...
Without even realising it, most of us are gravediggers! Yes, the average person in today's world is working hard at digging their own grave with their teeth. The major causes of premature death are related to what you put in your mouth - what you...
The fear of blindness is a major concern for many people, especially as they get older. Of all our five senses, eyesight is probably the one we treasure the most. Our eyes provide a window to the world and in many ways function like a camera...
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes." - William James. Since 2009, World Sickle Cell Disease Day has been observed in June. Thankfully, Sickle-cell disease is now being given the...
IF YOU found a medicine that was free, and powerful, that cured many ills, and was readily available, would you not use it? Well, laughter may just be that medicine. And it's infectious, as the sound of a loud laugh can be more contagious than a...
