This article originally appeared on this website in November of 2014. Chalk up another of the impressive benefits of vitamin D: It can prevent Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases. Several new studies confirm that people with the lowest vitamin D levels are at dramatically increased risk of dementia. (Alzheimer’s is the most common form of … Read more
Brain training in the latest rage among the over 60 crowd and it’s a good idea for all of us. I’ve always been of the “use it or lose it” school. That means, exercise, a healthy eating plan and yes, mental stimulation. Alzheimer’s runs in my family. My mother and grandmother both died of the … Read more
Many of us have painful experience with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. I can’t think of anything much worse than seeing a loved one slip away, physically still present but mentally absent. Worse yet, many of us have seen loved ones’ personalities change, becoming combative and even violent as they slide inevitably toward a protracted death. … Read more
We all need hugs every single day. As you’ll see from this article, human contact is vital for physical and emotional survival. Babies who are not cuddled, hugged and nurtured will not grow. They eventually may develop lifelong emotional problems or even die. Many years ago, we lived in Africa, where mothers routinely bundle their … Read more
There is a quiet belief many people carry that they rarely say out loud. “I’m lazy.”“I have no discipline.”“Other people can handle life. Why can’t I?” You stare at simple tasks and feel nothing move inside. Emails sit unanswered. Dishes pile up. Projects you care about stay untouched. You are not even enjoying resting, yet … Read more
It’s that time of year. The holidays are over, the decorations packed away for another year, presents unwrapped and half of them returned. The party laughter has faded, the credit card bills are coming in and the world outside is gray and cold. So January makes you feel a little blue as the long winter … Read more
Feeling like your life is one big drag? Are the vagaries of everyday life gotten you down? No. This isn’t an article about depression. It’s about something else that might be dragging you down: Adrenal fatigue can be dragging you down. You might not even know it, but here’s a hint: Relentless stress can put … Read more
Jan. 1, 2026 Dear Old Friends, I have reach what I can only call an existential crisis in the long natural health journey I have shared with some of you for more than 25 years. I am, and I hope I always have been, a staunch advocate of integrative medicine. “Integrative” does not mean “alternative.” … Read more
Note from Kathleen: This piece has become an annual favorite. Please seek help if you feel like your depression is out of control. The new National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number is 988. I love you all! Once upon a time when I was working for a newspaper, my editor had a brilliant idea: I … Read more
Stress messes with your brain all the time. Science confirms that: 75% of all visits to primary physicians are for complaints that have stress as an underlying cause. Emotional stress, when unrelieved, raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol and adrenaline, elevates hormones and brain chemicals throughout your body and becomes physical as well as … Read more