Blog Archive

This 32-patient retrospective study found that the LIFE diet, or similar dark-green leafy vegetable-rich, whole-food plant-based diets, may benefit patients with disorders of iron overload and iron-induced oxidative stress. Patients who adhered to the..

Reduction in Ferritin Concentrations among Patients Consuming a Dark-Green Leafy Vegetable–Rich, Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) Diet

Source: Engine 2 Cookbook Modified from the original recipe for 1-2-3 Vegetable Lasagna to reduce sugar and sodium. Servings: 12 Core ingredients 2 8-oz. boxes Explore Cuisine Green Lentil Lasagne or another all-bean lasagne 50 oz...

We report a case of a 60-year-old man who struggled with frequent migraines for 12.5 years. These did not respond to conventional therapies. Six months before initial consultation, these migraines become chronic...

Dive into the science of fiber with PPMNY Medical Advisory Board Member David Dunaief, M.D. Learn why a fiber-rich diet is an essential ingredient for a healthy microbiome and how fiber prevents inflammation...

In this 40-minute interview by Jeanne Schumacher of SimplyPlantBased.net, David Dunaief, M.D. describes the impact of his published study, Once Daily Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) Smoothie or the Full LIFE Diet Lowers CRP in Seven Days...

2020 has been a most unusual year. In some ways, it’s been a case study in new habit formation, as many of us altered our routines to adapt to a COVID-19 world...

A super simple and a terrific healthy substitute for potatoes is mashed cauliflower. (4 servings) 1 head cauliflower 3-4 cloves garlic splash of soy milk (can substitute another non-dairy milk) Peel and chop garlic...

Statins were first approved in the U.S. over 30 years ago. Today, they are one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States...

I know this is a busy time of year for you. I’m sure it’s all you can do to field all the requests you’re receiving through email, Twitter, WhatsApp, and old-fashioned, handwritten letters...

Here in the Northeast, we are quickly approaching the point in the year when we have the least daylight hours. This is the point at which many reach for vitamin D, one of the most important supplements...

Medical professionals (including me!) often press you to exercise. This sage advice seems simple enough; however, the type, intensity level and frequency of exercise may not be well-defined...

Exercise has effects on diabetes and a host of other chronic diseases, including kidney stones, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease and breast, colorectal and endometrial cancers...

To quash guilt about Thanksgiving meal indiscretions, many of us will resolve to exercise to burn off the calories from this seismic meal and the smaller, calorically dense aftershock meals, whether with a vigorous family football game or...

Many of us give thanks for good health on Thanksgiving. This is especially relevant this year. While eating healthy may be furthest from our minds during the holidays, it is so important...

(4 Servings) 1 14-oz-package firm tofu 1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast 2 tablespoons of your favorite dried spices Depending on what we're serving it with, we have used paprika; or basil and oregano; or Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute...

Happy “Movember!” The Movember Foundation is in its 17th year of raising awareness and research money for men’s health issues (1). What better time to discuss prostate cancer prevention...

Acute pancreatitis is the most frequent gastrointestinal cause for patients to be admitted to a hospital (1). Typically, severe abdominal pain is what compels patients to go to the emergency room...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and everyone agrees that awareness is crucial. The incidence of invasive breast cancer in 2020 in the U.S. is estimated to be over 270,000 new cases, with approximately 40,000 patients dying from this disease...

A quick trip to the grocery store or a restaurant will confirm what you already know: gluten-free is a “thing.” Pizza, pasta, bread, and even breadcrumb-encrusted products have been reformulated, and everyday products, like frozen vegetables...

Hypothyroidism can cause weight gain and low energy, but diagnosing and treating it can be tricky. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped organ at the base of the neck, and it is responsible for maintaining our metabolism...

Osteoarthritis has been diagnosed in over 54 million Americans, with 43.5 percent of them reporting symptoms that limit their activities and significantly impact their quality of life...

There is great emphasis on exercise in medicine and in society. We have heard it is good for us ever since we were children in gym class striving for the presidential fitness award...

Comcast, one of America’s largest cable and internet providers, reported in May that Americans were watching an additional 8-plus hours of programming a week, whether on a television, computer or a portable device since the pandemic’s beginning...

Stroke remains one of the top five causes of mortality and morbidity in the United States...

The decrease in hsCRP, and therefore decrease in systemic inflammation, was observed in patients who adhered to the full LIFE diet and in patients who ate their regular routine diet plus one 32 oz LIFE smoothie per day...

High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a widely accepted measure of bodily inflammation, which contributes to many chronic diseases...

(6 Servings) 8 ounces mushrooms sliced 1 large onion sliced 2 heads broccoli cut into florets 1 red bell pepper diced Sauce: 1 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk soy or almond 1 teaspoon coconut extract 1 tablespoon maple syrup 2-3 teaspoons red curry...

4 servings) ½ cup quinoa 1 large bunch of kale 1 bunch Swiss chard 8-9 sun-dried tomatoes (diced) ¼ cup pine nuts 1 cup sliced mushrooms 3 large cloves garlic 1/8 to 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar Finely chop kale and Swiss chard together...

Presented by James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton, Novak Djokovic and Chris Paul — a revolutionary new film about meat, protein and strength...

In this new edition, which incorporates the latest scientific nutritional data, Fuhrman’s restrictive diet plan is designed for clinically overweight people who suffer from a spectrum of lifestyle/obesity-induced conditions...

A founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Michael Greger, MD, is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues...

Working in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and with Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Dunaief was the lead author for a study evaluating the potential efficacy of a HND (high nutrient density) diet with type 2 diabetes...

How many of us regularly check our resting heart rate, or pulse, and what can we learn from it?...

Roughly 45 percent of adults in the U.S. have hypertension, or high blood pressure. That’s almost one in two adults, or 108 million people, of which 82 million do not have their hypertension con-trolled...

(4 servings) Filling: 3 garlic cloves finely grated 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. smoked paprika 1⁄4 cup water 2 medium heads cauliflower cut into 1"–2" florets Sauce: 1 green chile (such as serrano) finely grated 1 garlic clove finely grated...

Most of us keep a few stock items in our medicine cabinets as our “go-to’s” for pain relief, fever or inflammation...

With this summer’s hottest days right around the corner, discussing dehydration is timely. Even air conditioning can be dehydrating...

As we begin our forays into summer public spaces, we are also beginning to expose our toes at the beach and in strappy sandals. Some are more self-conscious about it because of a disease called onychomycosis, better known as nail fungus...

Excess weight has consequences, including chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, autoimmune diseases and a host of others. Weight also has an impact on all-cause mortality and longevity...

After a spring where we’ve spent more than our fair share of time indoors, summer’s heat is finally here. Many of us are taking advantage of the weather to enjoy day hikes and picnics along the shoreline or bike rides through wooded areas...

We can significantly reduce the occurrence of heart disease, the number one killer in the United States, by making modest lifestyle changes...

Diabetic retinopathy is an umbrella term for microvascular complications of diabetes that can lead to blurred vision and blindness. There are at least three different disorders that comprise it...

Wherever you look there is an advertisement for the treatment of heartburn or indigestion, both of which are related to reflux disease...

The prevalence of osteoporosis and low bone mass increase dramatically as we age. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 48 percent of those ages 65 and older in the U.S. are affected by low bone mass, and 16.4 percent by osteoporosis...

Referred to more broadly as atopic dermatitis, the cause of eczema is unknown, but it is thought that nature and nurture are both at play...

What does it mean to you to “grow old gracefully?” For people I speak with, it means to be independent, mobile, mentally alert, and not burdened by chronic illnesses. In other words, to maintain a good quality of life...

By now, we have all likely heard that soda – with 39 grams of sugar per 12-ounce can – is associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Bur did you know that wine has a very low amount of sugar: about 1.2 grams of sugar in a five-ounce serving?...

Heart attacks and heart disease get a lot of attention, but chronic heart failure is often overlooked by the press. The reason may be that heart failure is not acute like a heart attack...

Obesity is an ongoing struggle for many in the United States. The latest statistics suggest that 40 percent of the population is obese...

I think it’s fair to say that our world has been radically altered by the current COVID-19 pandemic. If you are at home weathering this storm, it can feel like you are in a literal silo...

Sleep is a crucial factor for our physical and mental health, yet many people struggle to get quality restful sleep. For those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), this occurs frequently and can lead to consequences more significant than exhaustion...

Autoimmune diseases affect more than seven percent of the U.S. population, most of them women. More than 80 conditions have autoimmunity implications...

Until recently, many people thought COVID-19 was like the common cold or maybe like the flu. Now, most of us know somebody directly or indirectly who has been hospitalized with COVID-19...

We need help, and we need it fast. Not just for COVID-19, but also for diabetes, for the combination of the two is much worse than either disease alone...

Hypertension (high blood pressure) and COVID-19 are intertwined. Those who have hypertension are more susceptible to COVID-19 and are more likely to get a severe form and experience complications from the virus...

They are right to be asking questions, because there is not enough information being circulated about how to protect yourself and your family...

According to estimates, 10 to 15 percent of the population suffers from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms, although only five to seven percent have been diagnosed...

According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, roughly 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) each year, and approximately one million Americans are living with PD...

Here’s a stunning statistic: 60 percent of American adults have a chronic disease, with 40 percent of adults having more than one...

Kidney stones, or nephrolithiasis, can be asymptomatic (no symptoms at all) or may present with the classic symptoms of blood in the urine and colicky pain...

Many of us have suffered at one time or another from inflamed hemorrhoids. They affect men and women equally, though women have a higher propensity during pregnancy and child birth...

Many patients say they have been diagnosed with diverticulitis, but this is a misnomer. Diverticulitis is actually a consequence of diverticular disease, or diverticulosis...

Cataracts affect a substantial portion of the U.S. population. In fact, 24.4 million people in the U.S. over the age of 40 are currently afflicted, and this number is expected to increase approximately 61 percent by the year 2030...

By now, most of us have been hit over the head with the fact that too much salt in our diets is unhealthy. Still, we respond with “I don’t use salt,” “I use very little,” or “I don’t have high blood pressure, so I don’t have to worry.”...

We have focused a large amount of effort on the treatment and prevention of hypertension (high blood pressure) in the U.S...

Many people worry about getting enough protein, when they really should be concerned about getting enough fiber...

We have made great strides in reducing mortality from heart attacks. When we compare cardiovascular disease — heart disease and stroke — mortality rates from 1975 to the present, there is a substantial decline of approximately one-quarter...

Heart disease is the most common chronic disease in America. When we refer to heart disease, it is an umbrella term; heart attacks are one component...

What causes Type 2 diabetes? It would seem like an obvious answer: obesity, right? Well, obesity is a contributing factor but not necessarily the only factor...

TIA (transient ischemic attack) is sometimes referred to as a “mini-stroke.” This is a disservice since it makes a TIA sound like something that should be taken lightly...

Dementia may be diagnosed when someone experiences loss of memory plus loss of another faculty, such as executive functioning (decision-making) or language abilities (speaking, writing or reading)...

One of the most widely studied biomarkers for inflammation in our bodies is high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), also referred to as CRP. High sensitivity means that we can measure levels as low as 0.3 mg/L more accurately...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is the third leading cause of mortality in the United States, although it’s not highlighted much in the layman’s press...

We need sodium in our diets in modest amounts; however, many Americans overconsume it. Meanwhile, potassium, which we also need, is underconsumed...

Osteoarthritis is widespread. Most commonly, it affects the knees, hips and hands. There are three types of treatment: surgery, involving joint replacements of the hips or knees; medications; and nonpharmacologic approaches...

Gallstones affect up to 20 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 74, with a more than two times increased occurrence in women than in men, according to the NHANES III survey...

Steroids typically make headlines related to their use as a performance-enhancing drug in sports. However, if we look beyond the flashy headlines, we see that corticosteroids, or steroids, play an important role in medicine...

Though there are several options, including medications and invasive procedures, treatment mostly boils down to symptomatic treatment, rather than treating or reversing underlying causes...

When we think of iron, we associate it with reducing fatigue and garnering energy. Therefore, the more we get, the better, right? For many of us, this presumption is not grounded in reality...

Aneurysms are universally feared; they can be lethal, and most times they have no symptoms. There are numerous types of aneurysms, most of which are named by their location of occurrence, including abdominal, thoracic and cerebral...

Even though cardiovascular disease has been on the decline, it is still the number one killer of Americans, responsible for almost 30 percent of deaths per year (1). Let’s start with a quiz of your cardiovascular disease IQ...

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is one of the more common disorders that occurs as we age. But age is not the only determinant. There are a number of modifiable risk factors...

Though statistics vary widely, about 30 percent of Americans are affected by insomnia, according to one frequently used estimate, and women tend to be affected more than men...

Though statistics vary widely, about 30 percent of Americans are affected by insomnia, according to one frequently used estimate, and women tend to be affected more than men...

Heart disease is so pervasive that men who are 40 years old have a lifetime risk of 49 percent. In other words, about half of men will be affected by heart disease...

Osteoporosis is a silent disease where there is bone loss, weakening of the bones and small deleterious changes in the architecture of the bone over time that may result in fractures with serious consequences...

We should all reduce the amount of added sugar we consume because of its negative effects on our health. It is recommended that we get no more than 10 percent of our diet from added sugars...

Cancer is the number one killer of Americans, at least those less than 85 years old, even ahead of cardiovascular disease (1). We have thought that diet may be an important component in preventing cancer. Is diet a plausible approach?...

Let’s begin with a pretest. I want to make it clear that a pretest is not to check whether you know the information but that you have an open mind and are willing to learn...

Walking can reduce the risk of functional decline By David Dunaief, M.D. As the population ages, we see more and more osteoarthritis (OA); and as the population gets heavier, we see more; and as people become more active, we see more...

This holiday weekend, many headed to the beaches or fired up the outside barbecue for the first weekend of what’s shaping up to be a steamy summer...

We have long-held paradigms in medicine that may or may not be accurate. Medicine is always changing with the evolution of evidence-based research...

Osteoporosis is a very tricky disease. What do osteoporosis, high blood pressure and high cholesterol have in common? They are all asymptomatic until the later stages...

The media is increasingly focused on covering obesity-related issues. With this in mind, let’s start off with a short quiz to test your knowledge of obesity-related issues. The answers and research are provided below...

We have made great strides in the fight against heart disease, yet it remains the number one cause of death in the United States. Approximately one-third of Americans over the age of 35 will die of heart disease...

It is very interesting that the amount of coverage by the lay press concerning thyroid nodules does not reflect the number of people who actually have them...

Warmer weather is finally upon us, we now have long, sunny days and, soon, the beach. However, longer sun exposure does increase the risk of skin cancer. Melanoma is the most serious skin cancer, but fortunately it is not the most common...

Most of us know that type 2 diabetes is an epidemic in America and continues to grow. Type 2 diabetes was thought to be an adult-onset disease, but more and more children and adolescents are affected as well...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is much more common than you think. Those at highest risk for CKD include patients with diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and those with first-degree relatives who have advanced disease...

Lipoic acid, also known as alpha lipoic acid and thioctic acid, is a noteworthy supplement...

Valentine’s Day is one of the wonderful things about winter. For many, it lifts the mood and spirit. A traditional gift is chocolate. But do the benefits of chocolate go beyond Valentine’s Day...

We know that the more calories we consume, the greater our risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing many chronic diseases, including top killers such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer...

When you hear the word dementia, what is your reaction? Is it fear, anxiety or an association with a family member or friend? The majority of dementia is Alzheimer’s, which comprises about 60 to 80 percent of dementia incidence...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of many autoimmune diseases where the body’s immune system begins to attack the body’s own tissue...

Medicine has made great strides in the treatment of multiple sclerosis over the last few decades. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease where there is underlying inflammation and the immune system attacks its own tissue...

When we think of hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), what do you think is the mainstay of medical treatment? If you said “statins” you would be correct...

We are constantly redefining or at least tweaking our diets. We were told that fats were the culprit for cardiovascular disease (CVD). That the root cause was saturated fats, specifically...

The more we seem to know about obesity as a chronic disease, classified this way first by the American Medical Association, the worse we in the medical community seem to have done to prevent and treat it and its complications...

It’s a persistent question: Should we minimize our carbohydrate consumption? Unfortunately, it depends on a number of factors including the type of carbohydrate and your family and personal history of chronic disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular...

Chronic kidney disease is on the rise in this country. In a study that looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) increased more than 30 percent from 1988 to 2004...

The brain is the most important and complex organ, yet what we know about the brain is inverse to its prominence. In other words, our knowledge only scratches the surface...

We are bombarded continually with ads suggesting that men should talk to their doctors about “Low T.” This refers to low testosterone. Is this all hype, or is this a serious malady that needs medical attention?...

Migraines are a debilitating disorder. Symptoms typically include nausea, photophobia and phonophobia — sensitivity to light and to sound, respectively. The corresponding headache usually is unilateral and has a throbbing or pulsating feeling...

Some research shows that obesity may be reaching a plateau. Is this true? It depends on how the data is analyzed. According to one study, yes; it has plateaued when looking at short, two-year periods from 2003 to 2011...

Donald Trump could learn a thing or two from Bill Clinton. No, we are not talking about politics; we are talking about health. Trump is a public persona, and his diet has been brought to the forefront...

This week, I’d like to discuss some of the nuances of hypertension, or high blood pressure, a contributing risk factor for heart disease. Hypertension affects approximately 33 percent of Americans...

Dietary fat is one of the most controversial and complicated topics in medicine. Experts have debated this topic for years, ever since we were told that a low-fat diet was important...

Osteoporosis is a complex disease. For one thing, it progresses with no symptoms, until the more severe stage of fractures that cause potential disability and increase mortality...

I believe the most salient teaching point in medical school and beyond was when a professor explained, as it relates to the patient diagnosis, when you hear hooves think horses not zebras...

It may lead to microvascular maladies that affect vision (retinopathy), the kidneys (nephropathy) and the limbs (peripheral neuropathy), as well as macrovascular diseases such as heart disease and heart attacks...

Before we can tackle the complexities of weight loss, we have to understand that there are a number of misconceptions. Therefore, “synonymous” is the word of the day...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the number one cause of severe central vision loss and blindness in patients over age 65 (1). There are several different stages of AMD...

Niacin has become a highly contested drug. It has powerful effects to treat elevated triglycerides, but the clinical benefit of this effect is questionable...

After winter ends, we look forward to mild temperatures. The days get longer, trees and flowers bud and bloom, and grass becomes lush and green. It seems like heaven...

The lipid or cholesterol profile is one of the most common batteries of blood tests. Why? Abnormal cholesterol levels may have an integral role in exacerbating a number of chronic diseases...

The microbiome is found throughout the body, including the skin, the eyes and the gut. Our focus is going to be on the gut since that is where the majority of the microbiome resides...

What is mild cognitive impairment (MCI)? It is a good question, for the parameters are fuzzy. MCI is a hodgepodge of terminology including amnestic and nonamnestic types, with the amnestic type possibly leading to dementia...

Reflux (GERD) disease, sometimes referred to as heartburn, though this is more of a symptom, is one of the most commonly treated diseases...

Have you ever heard the paradox, the more I know, the more I realize how much I don’t know? I think this statement can be aptly applied to our knowledge of hypertension, better known as high blood pressure...

Triglycerides is a term that most of us recognize. This substance is part of the lipid (cholesterol) profile...

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease, which means there is progressive breakdown of neurons. Traditional medications that focus on dopamine levels and receptors help improve symptoms, sometimes dramatically, yet they have limitations...

Diabetes just won’t go away. It seems that every time I write about the disease, the news is doom and gloom about how it has become a pandemic...

Americans are very health conscious. Awareness of diet and nutrition is an important step. But does this awareness result in better health? This is the question we will attempt to answer...

When we think about aging, chronological age comes to mind first. For many, the perceived ideal age is around 25. My wife refers to her birthday every year as the “X anniversary of her 25th birthday.”...

We talk a good story about prevention, but most of the time, we in the medical community are guilty of confusing primary prevention with early detection. Breast cancer is no exception...

We in the medical community, of course, know what the optimal blood pressure levels should be with medication...

There has been some discussion in the medical community about whether the annual physical exam may have outlived its usefulness...

I’ve noticed quite a few runners and bikers in the neighborhood this summer. I’ve also noticed an increase in the number of folks lined up at the local ice cream shop and wondered at the intersection of these two groups...

While we may want to avoid physical ailments, such as achy joints and musculoskeletal pain, cognitive decline seems to be one of the scarier prospects as we age...

Millions of Americans take herbal supplements. In fact, a survey from 2007 showed that 18 percent of Americans used herbal supplements in the previous year...

High cholesterol is a problem that affects a countless number of people in the United States. One of the challenges is that it has no noticeable symptoms but may result in an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes...

We should all reduce the amount of added sugar we consume, because of its negative effects on our health. It is recommended that we get no more than 5 to 15 percent of our diet from added sugars and solid fats, combined...

With warmer weather upon us, we now have long, sunny days, better moods and, of course, the beach...

Longer days are here again, and you can feel the jubilance of people coming out of hibernation after a long, hard winter. Summer weather will be here before you know it, and millions will be heading to the beaches...

Chronic kidney disease is much more common than you think. Those at highest risk for CKD include patients with diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and those with first degree relatives who have advanced disease...

To eat fat or to not eat fat is a question that has been dogging the medical community for years. It would seem, at least on the surface, that this should be a simple answer, and it is...

Wouldn’t it be great if cardiovascular disease (CVD) were rare? It’s not like traveling to Mars and back. It is something we have the tools to make happen in the present...

Let’s begin with a pretest. I want to make it clear that a pretest is not to check whether you know the information, but that you have an open mind and are willing to learn...

Fat in the diet is a highly complicated issue. For decades, we have adopted the notion that fat may be the enemy and, therefore, we should eat a low-fat diet. But is this really true? The answer is that we all need fat, but the sources are important...

We have long-held paradigms in medicine that may or may not be accurate. Medicine is always changing with the evolution of evidence-based research...

Holidays are when many people add pounds. With that in mind, let’s start off with a quiz to test your knowledge of obesity-related issues...

As I mentioned in last week’s article, the “extremes” of greater than 6,000 mg and less than 3,000 mg per day may increase the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality...

This is the first of a two-part series on salt. Salt, or sodium, is one of the most pervasive essential nutrients in our diet. While we need exogenous (external) salt, the debate on the amount we need continues...

Niacin has recently become a highly contested drug. In my last article, “Reducing triglycerides,” I mentioned that niacin has powerful effects to treat elevated triglycerides, but that the clinical benefit of this effect is questionable...