Articles

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a constellation of more than 150 known symptoms that occur one week to 10 days before a woman’s menstrual period. Symptoms include bloating, mood swings, food cravings, lethargy, cramping and breast tenderness. They are believed to be triggered by changes in progesterone and oestrogen levels, resulting in a relative oestrogen dominance. […]

It says ‘Goldenseal’ on the label, but how much of this herb is actually in the bottle? With winter upon us, what are the best herbal remedies to deal with colds and flu? Echinacea is one that is well known, with good-quality products available (see PROOF! vol 6 no 7), but a close second in […]

While most practitioners, conventional and alternative, focus on fighting heart disease, arthritis and cancer, there is growing concern over the silent epidemic of mental disorders that is becoming one of the most common causes of premature death. Depression is poorly understood and tolerated in a society that is focused on positivism and a ‘can-do’ spirit. […]

In the past, cognitive decline was believed to be unavoidable with the passage of time. Attributed simply to ‘old age’, many families watched helplessly as their loved ones minds’ slipped away. Recent research, however, has challenged the idea that dementia and cognitive decline are a natural result of old age and has suggested that to […]

Arthritis is, in fact, an umbrella term used to refer to several different disorders. Among these are osteoarthritis, which involves the gradual loss of cartilage and overgrowth of bone in the joints, especially the knees, hips, spine and fingertips, and rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disease in which the immune system attacks the joints and, […]

More than a headache, a migraine is a serious problem affecting millions of people worldwide – women three times more frequently than men. It is estimated that as much as 25-30 per cent of the female population has experienced migraines. The theory is that migraine occurs when the blood vessels in the brain constrict and […]

It is the second most common neurological disorder after stroke – affecting one in 2000 people. However, this is not a simple disorder, but a group of central nervous system (CNS) disorders sharing certain symptoms. The most well known symptom is the seizure, which is a movable feast. It can range in intensity from momentary […]

A stroke occurs when blood circulation to the brain fails. Brain cells can die as a result of the decreased blood flow and subsequent lack of oxygen. There are two broad categories of stroke: those caused by a blocked blood flow (the most common kind of stroke, known as an ischaemic stroke); and those due […]

Osteoporosis, which means ‘porous bones’, describes any condition that reduces bone mass. Symptoms include leg and foot cramps; height loss; lower-back pain; hip, wrist and spine fractures; and ‘dowager’s hump’ (upper spine curvature). Some bone loss is natural in both women and men with age – it’s only when bones are thin and brittle that […]

Most of us have had the experience of being in pain at some time or other in our lives. Often, it is connected with illness, when it can be acute but transient. Sometimes, it is ‘purposeful pain’, such as the pain of childbirth. But, for a surprisingly large number of people, pain of either known […]