“You know, Dr. Fox,” a patient said to me, “this visualization and affirmation stuff sounds suspiciously like positive thinking.” Yes and no. Positive thinking is saying it, either out loud or in your mind. I combine that with seeing it and feeling yourself already being, doing and having all the good things you desire. The [...]
In one of my previous books, The Beverly Hills Medical Diet, I introduced an exercise I called wogging: a combination of walking and jogging. I explained how I wogged through Beverly Hills in the morning or evening, alternately walking one block and jogging one block, past the beautiful homes and shops. I’ve added a new [...]
But Dr. Fox,” some patients complain, Food is so much fun! It’s my only enjoyment in life.” I answer that food and eating should always be pleasurable, but food and eating are not, and should not be, the sole enjoyment in life. Life has a great deal else to offer: love, friendship, beauty, nature, knowledge, [...]
To make matters worse, thanks to at least three medical fallacies, our physicians often harm our “doctor within”. One of these is the idea that health is an either/or situation, with nothing in between. We physicians tend to see a patient as either healthy or diseased. If the person is sick, treat the disease. If [...]
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the joints become painful, swollen and warm, due to internal inflammation. There are characteristic changes in the level of certain factors in the blood that help to confirm die diagnosis. Contradictory results from different trials are often due to a failure to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis properly. This disease [...]
Since its introduction in 1967, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery has enabled thousands of people to survive severe coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis) occurs when fatty deposits form in the coronary arteries, restricting flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart. Over time, atherosclerosis may lead to a form of chest pain called [...]
Common foods can cause headaches, fever, visual disturbances, confusion and a dangerous rise in blood pressure when eaten by individuals taking a prescribed antidepressant. self-defense: Avoid tyramine-containing foods while taking a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor—even for several weeks after you stop taking the drug. Tyramine-containing foods include avocados, bananas, bologna, broad beans, aged cheese, caviar, [...]
Male pattern baldness is a form of hormone-related hair loss. But of more concern to many men and women afflicted with hair loss is alopecia areata, a lesser-known disorder that causes hair loss in nearly four million Americans. Typically, hair grows in cycles of two to six years, after which hair lies dormant, and then [...]
These areas of yellowish, thickened skin atop or between the toes can be quite painful. They’re usually caused by friction and pressure on the foot. self-defense: Soak your feet in water containing Epsom salts. Afterward, apply moisturizer and cover the area with plastic wrap. After 15 minutes, remove the plastic and use a pumice stone [...]
Do you—or does someone you love—keep losing keys, forgetting names or having other memory lapses? If so, you may be worried that the culprit is Alzheimer’s disease or another incurable form of dementia. While it’s a good idea to consult a doctor, the odds are that it is simple forgetfulness— which can be treated. In [...]