Denise McGuire, PhD

The Center for Integrative Medicine

According to several recent surveys, a whopping 75-90% of all visits to health care practitioners are due to stress-related disorders.  A 20 -year study by the University of London found that unmanaged reactions to stress were more dangerous risk factor for heart disease and cancer than either smoking or high cholesterol (Int. J. Epidemiol. (April 2005) 34 (2): 251-256). 

Learn more about Biofeedback as an option in managing stress... 

Lisa W Corbin MD FACP

Medical Director, The Center for Integrative Medicine, University Of Colorado Hospital

Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine, University Of Colorado Denver

Supplements Have Great Benefits - But User Beware!

Supplements offer a way for us to get nutrients lacking in our diet or that may improve or prevent specific health issues - from migraine headaches or cancer.  However, supplements, including herbal medications, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other substances that are meant to be used to improve health, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Association (FDA) but do have effects on your body's structure and function.  Because these substances are active, you should treat them with a similar amount of caution as you do with prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Food - The Old Fashioned Way is Still the Best Way

When at all possible, try to get nutrients through a healthy diet.  Many studies which have linked a diet high in fruits and vegetables to a lower risk of many diseases, including heart disease, breast and other cancers, high cholesterol, and dementia.  When scientists have attempted to isolate and study the specific nutrient thought to be responsible for the beneficial effects, the benefits aren't often seen to the same degree that they are with the good healthy diet.  Plus, a well-rounded, very colorful diet is more fun than a handful of pills!  Michael Pollan, author of "Food Rules", may have said it best:  "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants," to describe a well-balanced diet made of real (less processed) food, in reasonable quantities, with emphasis on fruits and vegetables. 

But I digress - you want to know what supplements to consider...  
  
* Herb Supplement Consultation Information

One in 50 million Americans are dieting, yet not able to maintain weight loss. Only five percent of those who diet can. Consequently, the US Surgeon General now considers obesity a national epidemic, affecting more than 34 million Americans.  More than 12 million of us are considered morbidly obese, usually by 100 pounds or more. Morbid obesity can have detrimental impact on self-esteem. It can lead to discrimination. It can hinder your ability to get around. It also increases your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and osteoarthritis. An estimated 400,000 deaths occur each year due to obesity and the health problems associated with it. 

While obesity has been on the rise, the medical community has been hard at work to understand and combat this disease process. Read more about surgical options for weight loss...