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By Tracy Tranchitella The use of iodine dates back to 4th century China where seaweed and burnt sea sponge were effectively used to treat goiter. It was not until 1811 that iodine was isolated as a specific element that exhibited properties similar to the other halogens of bromine, chlorine, and fluorine. In 1829, Jean Guillaume Auguste Lugol, MD, introduced potassium iodide as an effective treatment for the effects of tuberculosis, and John Murray, MD, used iodine to treat croup, asthma, consumption, and other respiratory diseases [1]. Tincture of iodine has been a staple in every first aid kit for the...

By Nina Silberstian, MB Your body is made up of 60% water and drinking enough of it is essential to good health. There are numerous benefits of drinking water: improvements in your skin, organ and brain function; flushing out toxins; aiding in digestion and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract; ability to exercise at your best, and overall feeling more energetic and less sluggish. Most people do not drink enough water. It’s usually a combination of not feeling thirsty until you are slightly dehydrated, not liking the taste of water or forgetting to drink during the day because you’re too busy. Signs of...

By Shera Dubitsky I was 19 years old when my mom died of metastatic breast cancer. From that point forward, I identified as a “patient-in-waiting.” In my narrative I, of course, would eventually be diagnosed with breast cancer, it was only a matter of when. Each time I went for a screening, I thought, “Is this the time? Will I finally move from patient-in-waiting to just patient?” Every time I felt a change in my body I thought, “Oh this must be cancer.” (Except for the time I had pain in my back and tried to convince my husband I had...

By Dr Beth Baldwing In part 1 of this blog post, we discussed the use of inositol for insulin resistance and related conditions. However, in the late 1990s and early 2000s researchers were largely focused on the effects of inositol on mood. A link between insulin resistance and depression has been established since, and may eventually provide one possible mechanism of action. (1) ​A 2014 meta-analysis suggested that inositol may be beneficial in depression, particularly premenstrual dysphoric disorder. (2) Numerous smaller studies found inositol to be effective for a spectrum of disorders that usually respond to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (3), including panic (4) and obsessive-compulsive...

By Dr Beth Baldwin, ZRT Lab We are living in an age of insulin resistance. Excessive intake of calories and refined carbohydrates decreased physical activity, and chronic stress increases insulin secretion and decreases insulin sensitivity. This creates a vicious circle of requiring more and more insulin to shuttle glucose into cells. Years or possibly even decades before the elevations in blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C associated with type 2 diabetes, fasting insulin increases, and this high insulin is at the core of metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Recently published research suggests that insulin resistance also doubles the risk...