Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, is a frustrating condition that can disrupt and negatively impact the quality of daily life. The normal, everyday movement of simply standing up triggers rapid heart rate, dizziness, or a drop in blood pressure that usually resolve upon laying down. Although the cause isn’t … Read More
Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
Belly bloat often brings with it the dreaded discomfort of a mash-up of seemingly relentless symptoms, like abdominal pressure and pain, distended abdomen, and gas. We don’t like to talk about it, but it’s actually very common in otherwise healthy individuals. In fact, nearly 10 to 25 percent of people … Read More
Mushroom coffee does not sound like anything you would want to drink, but is actually a drink that tastes pretty much like regular coffee. The idea behind mushroom coffee is to add the health benefits of mushrooms to the health benefits of coffee. What Is Mushroom Coffee? Mushrooms have been … Read More
Clostridium difficile infection (C diff) is a bowel infection caused by toxin-producing bacteria. C diff is a serious infection that can range from mild diarrhea to severe inflammation of your colon that can be life threatening. C diff is not caused by anything you eat and you can’t cure it … Read More
As medical experts learn more about inflammation and how it affects our overall health, its link to a broad array of diseases and medical conditions has also been discovered. Its effect on almost all parts of the body—heart, lungs, bones, joints, skin, brain, and more—means that doctors often recommend a … Read More
An impacted bowel is one of the more unpleasant digestive issues you can experience. Bowel obstruction symptoms occur when a mass of dry, hard stool will not pass out of the colon or rectum. Bowel impaction can become a serious issue if not treated, and in extreme cases may even … Read More
Instead of reaching for an unhealthy energy drink or soda, try one of the following eight energy-boosting foods. 1. Green Tea Caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, cola, energy drinks) is a drug, a strong stimulant that actually generates a stress reaction in the body. Try going for three weeks without caffeine. … Read More
Fatigue is a common symptom in people with medical conditions like cancer and diabetes, mood disorders like depression and anxiety, and even in people who are otherwise “healthy.” Yet despite how prevalent it is, medical researchers still do not completely understand what happens in the body to cause fatigue. They … Read More
We know we need vitamin D: It contributes to healthy muscles and bones and also plays a role in our mental well-being. In fact, new research from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA) at Trinity associates vitamin D deficiency with a substantially increased risk of depression—more than 75 percent—over … Read More
Herbs and spices have long been used for culinary purposes as well as medicinal reasons. But one herb in particular ranks high above the rest when it comes to lowering cholesterol naturally: oregano. Oregano was first used by the ancient Greek physicians who prescribed it for a variety of ailments. In … Read More
