This post was submitted by dtcakes77 in the Birth Stories group. At 20 weeks we found out we were having a boy. We were so excited, we already had a girl who was 2-years-old.  However there was something wrong in the sonogram and they sent my husband and I, with our daughter to a children's cardiologist to look at the enlarged atrium they uncovered. We were so nervous. After six hours trying Read more

Did you know that it's the powerful Indian spice turmeric that gives curry dishes that nice bold yellow hue? Turmeric not only adds to the aesthetic of Indian dishes, but it is also a powerful healing aid. The active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, works in a very similar way to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. For thousands of years, people in China and India have been using the spice to Read more

Do you have high cholesterol? If your answer is "I don't know," perhaps it's time to find out. Even if you eat healthy and exercise regularly, you may have high cholesterol and not even know it. Found in animal cells and animal-based foods, cholesterol is a nutrient both acquired through eating and produced by your liver. Eating too many saturated fats, including those found in dairy products Read more

True Blood star Anna Paquin was spotted sipping a Synergy drink on her way to a meeting in Venice, CA. Can this drink replace the get-up-and-go effects of a cup of joe? Synergy beverages are made with mostly raw organic kombucha and five percent real fruit juice. Sometimes referred to as a tea, kombucha is not brewed from mushrooms; it's a colony of bacteria and yeast, which is added to tea or, Read more

DrSugar is in the house, and she's answering your health related questions. Dear Doc Sugar, I have heard from multiple sources (my kids’ pediatrician, an osteopath, an acupuncturist, etc.) about the importance of taking a vitamin D supplement. Coming from multiple sources has convinced me to start taking a supplement, but I am confused about how much to take. I just read from a Dr. Weil Read more

A while back we learned that soda, both diet and regular, was bad for the heart, and now it looks like more organs are at risk: the kidneys. This time it's diet sodas, or more specifically, the artificial sweeteners, that seem to be the culprit. A study published recently of over 3,500 women found that those who drank two or more diet sodas daily had decreased liver function by about 30 percent. Read more

Omegas are all the buzz right now, and it seems like everywhere you turn, new foods are being enhanced with this essential fatty acid, or labeled as an excellent source. What people don't know is that there are different types of omegas, and eating too much of one kind can actually be harmful to your body. Omega-3s are found in flax seeds, walnuts, cod liver oil, and fatty fish like mackerel, Read more

It's time to take some organ lessons, but not the musical kind. I'm going to teach you about your internal organs, starting with the pancreas. November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, devoted to educating people about the disease that took the life of Patrick Swayze earlier this year. If you're like most people, you probably don't know exactly what the pancreas does, so read on to Read more

I was vegan for a short time in college, and was shocked when I had my cholesterol tested and found it was high. I wasn't even eating cholesterol! The thing is, your liver makes cholesterol and it's actually essential for your body to function normally. Cholesterol is also found in food and appropriately called dietary cholesterol. Since your body produces enough, you don't need to worry about Read more