Articles
How To Hydrate
Dehydration can cause all kinds of acute and chronic symptoms. Some, like headaches and constipation, are familiar friends. But it’s less known that chronic dehydration of cells and tissues in your body can cause the feeling you get when you feel “old”. Like when you’re stiff and creaky getting out of bed in the morning, not able to remember things like you used to, and that general sense of feeling toxic or inflamed. It would seem then, that the best way to feel younger and more energetic is to drink more water. Boy I wish it were that simple. But as I’ve (and perhaps you’ve?) experienced, gulping extra water mostly just leads to more trips to the bathroom.
Should I Take Antibiotics?
As a wee child, from ages 2-4, my poor tiny urinary tract became infected more times than I can count. And during each of these UTI’s I was put on antibiotics. Throughout my childhood, a few times every year, my sister and I would come down with strep throat. Again with the antibiotics. And throughout my 20’s and 30’s, those nasty UTI’s (and even a few kidney infections) came back with a vengeance. I have many patients with similar stories, though sometimes it’s more about sinus or ear infections, or even infections in the lungs (like pneumonia) or intestines (c. diff or food poisoning, for example).
Why Am I So Tired?
Warning: This is super long one, so make a pot of tea, find a quiet spot to curl up, and get ready to change everything you thought you knew about your body’s energy. Today we’re getting more into root causes for physical tiredness, when your fuel tank feels like it’s never quite full, and empties a whole lot faster than it used to. We’ll start with the more well known, obvious causes, then wander our way through some things that may be new to you.
How to Start a Health Journal
One of the best ways to get to the bottom of a big, complex health puzzle is to take notes and look for patterns. You can do this on your own by starting a health journal. This gives you a chance to track your symptoms and activities over time and find correlations. The best way to get to know your body is to keep track of it.
Why Can’t I Poop?
One of my favorite topics to talk about, much to the chagrin of my family and friends, is poop. Bowel movements. Stool. S@*t. Whatever you call it, this bodily function is intimately related to our health. So much so that if you aren’t having regular, compete, comfortable bowel movements, your body’s ability to repair itself is greatly reduced.