A few years ago, a patient came in with some unexplained symptoms. She'd been to the hospital twice, and even had a small surgery that didn't help the problem. Bad as that was, she'd also gotten some bad news on a related genetic test. You can imagine she was pretty...
Gardeners know that healthy plants have certain basic requirements: they need the right temperature, the right amount of sun, the right amount of water, and the right amount and kind of nutrients in the soil. Different plants have different needs, but one that has all...
Growing up, I was a kid who hid in the back corner during gym — because dodgeballs are hard and kids are mean. I never developed a sense of myself as athletic, and mostly didn't miss it. Instead, I found my physicality by carrying my life essentials on my back for...
How do you stay sane during Cascadia's dark, wet winters? When I first moved here, I got some great advice that I completely ignored. It was logical, sure, but it went against deeply ingrained biases. When I finally started heeding it, though, everything about our...
Stumped about what to get friends and family for special occasions? Want to help them get and stay healthy? Here are my top recommendations. Food is the First Medicine Nutrition seems confusing, but eating right can be simple. The bottom line: eat whole foods. My...
Most people understand SAD as a depression response to the short, dark days of winter. And indeed, that is the most common form.
But summer SAD is also truly a thing: hot days, unrelenting brightness that makes you think you have to be cheery and energetic, wildfire smoke in certain parts of the country — all of these contribute to seasonal depression in the summer.
Here’s one simple way to beat it.
In this video you’ll see me make a drinking vinegar, commonly known as a “shrub” or technically an acetracta (vinegar extraction.) These are tasty ways to get the medicinal benefits of herbs in a palatable package.
Zebrafish need sleep to repair their nervous systems. So do you.
Every year there’s one particular plant that grabs my attention and won’t let go. I’ll start seeing it everywhere. And I get excited in that way you do when you have a new friend — even if it’s an old friend. So far this year violets are my jam. There have been at...
In the same way whole foods are a better source of nutrients than a multivitamin, there are things the sun can do that a supplement cannot. When it comes to health, Nature almost always does it better.