Note: The information on this website is not a substitute for the advice of & treatment by a qualified professional.

The ovary is the female sex gland in which the eggs (ova) are formed. Almond-shaped and about the size of large walnuts, the two ovaries are located in the lower abdomen on either side of the uterus and immediately below the opening of the fallopian tube.

The ovaries have two basic functions as the woman's body develops and changes from menarche (onset of menstruation) to menopause (cessation of menstruation): ovulation (releasing eggs for fertilization) and the production of hormones, chiefly estrogen and progesterone, which are responsible for the reproductive cycle and influence a woman's physical characteristics. If normal pubic hair, breast development, and external and internal genitalia are present without hormone replacement, functioning ovaries are assumed to be present. Whenever dysfunction or disease of the ovaries is present, it is manifested by disturbed sexual development, disturbed menstrual pattern, or fertility problems.

Today, the business of quick cholesterol testing in places such as hospital fairs and shopping malls is becoming common. Even your doctor may want to check your cholesterol while you're at the office for an unrelated appointment. How accurate these tests are depends, in part, on how it is taken and what is measured. Here are some factors to consider when checking your cholesterol:

1. The finger prick, where a small amount of blood is taken from the finger and analyzed by a portable machine, can only measure your total cholesterol. It has value in screening for high cholesterol levels of genetic origin, occasionally found in children, or very high levels, over 300, in the adult. However, for most individuals this test is of little merit considering the total cholesterol is a number which should be compared with other types of blood cholesterol.

2. A more complete blood test is best, and includes measuring specific types of cholesterol — the HDL (high density lipoprotein), and the LDL (low density lipoprotein), and sometimes other fats called triglycerides. When checking the level of triglycerides, always have this done after a 12-hour fast (no food or liquid for 12 hours, other than water), as eating usually raises the level of blood triglycerides.

With cholesterol and blood pressure campaigns telling us to "know our numbers," one of the simplest and most accurate number games we can play is our body temperature.

Using a thermometer, there are two separate tests that can be performed. The first one is simply to take the temperature, easiest done under the tongue. The normal oral temperature, of course, should be 98.6† F—there is really no "range of normal, although some say a couple of tenths (.2) above or below is not concerning. Another test, and perhaps a more appropriate method of checking the body temperature is under the arm. Termed "axillary temperature," this method has a narrow range of normal: 97.8 to 98.2† F.

However, many people find they don't fall into this normal range. High temperatures typically indicate an infection. Sometimes the temperature is normal for most of the day and elevates only at night. Sometimes the temperature will only rise for an hour or two during the day and then return to normal. If you suspect an unusual problem like this, check your temperature hourly if necessary, until you see a pattern.

(Reprinted with permission of David Walther, D.C., DIBAK; Systems DC.)

In natural health we are concerned with three basic factors that are responsible for health problems. These factors compose an equilateral triangle in your health picture. If one side of the triangle becomes deficient, poor health results.

The doctor using applied kinesiology techniques to evaluate body function has a special interest in this triad. Only by carefully observing all sides of the equilateral triangle can the total person be treated.

1. Structure. Chiropractic has always been the major healing profession dealing with the triangle's structural base. Structure deals not only with obvious factors - like slipping and twisting an ankle, which causes a certain measure of health loss - but, more important, it deals with structural instability and consequent joint involvement, such as osteoarthritis, joint strain, and irritation on the nerve roots as they exit the spinal column. Since nerves control much of the body's function, their dysfunction can cause a myriad of health problems. Organs might not function correctly, and there could be muscle weakness, causing poor structural stability which increases the nerve irritation - completing the vicious circle.

The presumption that pain originates at the site of that pain is often an incorrect one. Many times a painful area of the body is not the reason for that pain. While it's true that sometimes the cause of a pain is the result of some other area at fault—knee pain due to poor mechanics in the foot for example—the knee pain itself comes from the knee. But at times knee pain itself does not come from the knee, it may be hip pain that's sent to the knee, where there is actually nothing wrong with the knee. This is called referred pain. Sound confusing? It's just another example of the complexities of the human body. But when understood, they become more simple.

Referred pain is common. It's defined as pain from a malfunctioning or diseased area of the body, perceived in another area, often far from the origin. A common example is found in a person having a heart attack. They often have pain down the inside of the left arm and forearm. Other areas may include:

… the gall bladder referring pain on the top of the right shoulder.

… a diaphragm problem may be felt in the shoulder and neck.

Since the early 1980's scientists have known relationships between high levels of stored iron and heart disease. Today, excess iron may prove to be a more significant risk factor than cholesterol.

Iron is used by all cells of the body. Two important functions include helping to carry oxygen in the red blood cells, where it combines with copper and protein as hemoglobin and in aerobic muscles where it helps form myoglobin to aid in fat burning and muscle contraction. Iron is also important in the brain and nervous system, where it aids in the reduction of neurotransmitters and other brain chemicals, and the protective covering of nerves. Iron is efficiently recycled in the body, with minimal losses during exercise through sweating and in menstruating women. Excess iron loss and/or decreased intake may produce a serious deficiency state. On the other extreme, toxic amounts of iron may deposit in the liver and spleen resulting in cirrhosis of the liver or even diabetes. Also, excess iron is associated with certain neurological problems including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. When the body has enough iron for normal use, the remainder is stored in the form of ferritin. It is these ferritin stores that researchers are now associating with an increase risk of heart disease.

Studies show that the higher ranges of what is still considered "normal" levels of ferritin place individuals at a higher risk for heart disease. Specifically, the risk was more than double with ferritin values above 200 ug/L, where the normal range is up to 350 ug/L. One study showed mean ferritin level to be 231 ug/L in men who had heart attacks compared to 165 ug/L in men who did not. (Toxic levels are around 800 ug/L.)

Recent evidence shows that ferritin may promote the formation of free radicals. In addition to other potential bodily harm from excess free radicals, they may injure cells lining the artery and damage heart muscle as well as increase the level of LDL, the so-called "bad" cholesterol.

At the end of the classic movie, Casablanca, the police captain orders his men to "round up the usual suspects." And in other movies as in real life, cries of "scapegoat" are found in many situations. The phenomenon of rounding up the usual suspect and at time even convicting them has been observed in every period of human existence. Keeping the windows closed at night (bad air), the letting of bad blood and witch hunts are among some examples.

Today, we are no better, as finding a "culprit" is still an obsession, regardless of whether the right one is really found. Our social response to a health dilemma is often a rounding up of the usual suspects such as fat, sugar, salt and a variety of others. And, as is often the case, in twenty or fifty years from now, educated people will laugh at what seemed bizarre barbaric reasoning. The seemingly stable culprits of today, and their quandary, such as dietary cholesterol causing heart disease, salt inducing hypertension and calories causing obesity, will eventually seem bizarre enough to find a place in the time honored Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Is there a solution to this ongoing parody? Can we break this seemingly endless cycle which has existed since the Iceman? The answer is yes, but will we? And the answer is information and education. Today, more than ever, the right information is there, but too few are aware of it. It's the responsibility of doctors, schools and, yes, even the media to supply accurate up-to-date information. But what do we get? Just the usual suspects rounded up. It's certainly easier that way. Let's look at some examples.

One of the main reasons why people visit their doctors is low back pain. It's also one of the most common causes of lost work days, not to mention that low back care has been estimated to cost upwards of 100 billion dollars annually. With so much money being spent, one would think the number of low back patients is lessening: it's not. Why?

One reason is cultural. Many Eastern and African societies, for example, have virtually no back problems. Instead of sitting on soft chairs and couches and sleeping on soft mattresses, they have learned to sit efficiently, and lie on firm mats.

Another reason is our sedentary lifestyle. Three-quarters of our population is inactive. Many work at a desk, drive everywhere and don't exercise. Many take recreation on soft couches in front of large illuminated screens and eat empty-calorie foods.

For many, winter means turning on the heat and tightening up the home. It also means cold and flu season. But for some, the symptoms of what many call "the flu" may be due to the effects of carbon monoxide in the home.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas which can accumulate through the improper functioning of gas furnaces, boilers and water heaters. All these appliances need plenty of fresh air to aerate and vent properly. Fireplaces and wood stoves, as well as exhaust fans, may also contribute to the loss of fresh air. If some of these items are not working properly, it may lead to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the home.

Used in folk medicine for over 3000 years, modern medicine may now be finding benefits from garlic and onions that has nothing to do with its taste or odor. According to the New York Times and a report published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, garlic may be a factor in reducing the risk of stomach cancer.

The Chinese study was based on interviews with 654 stomach cancer patients and more than 1,100 closely matched healthy men and women. The major contrasting factor between the groups seemed to be the high level consumption of allium vegetables-a group that includes garlic, onions and scallions.

Since its introduction in the marketplace, many have questioned margarine's place in a healthy diet. Now, the New England Journal of Medicine has reported what many have thought: margarine may do more harm than good.

Scientists have shown that eating margarine in stick form (the more hardened type), increases the risk of heart disease. It does this by raising the type of cholesterol which is most responsible for the deposits in the arteries.

Why are more people fracturing more bones more often? An article in Nutrition Reviews, volume 49 number 1 (January 1991) which addresses this question.

There is a definite increase in fractures in the population: both in absolute number and in percentages of hospital admissions. And it's not only in the elderly, a rapidly growing segment of the population, but in all age groups. Projections predict a 20% increase in fracture rates over the next two decades.

The answers to the first question-why so many fractures?-is threefold. Inactivity heads the list, with decreased nutrient intake and increased use of drugs close behind.

Healthy gravity stress, the result of activity and exercise, is most important for bone strength. People with sedentary jobs and/or who don't exercise run a higher risk of fracture than those who are active. The physical stress on the bones maintain and even build their strength. The best example of this problems is an astronaut. While in the weightless (gravity-free) environment of outer space, the astronaut loses bone mass very quickly. Measurements show extremely large amounts of bone loss in astronauts in space for relatively short times. One reason it is presently impossible to send humans to the planet Mars is due to the extreme loss of bone (and muscle) which would result in death before they could return.

from Physicians' Guides to Healing: Treating Hypertension, & Other Cardiovascular Conditions

Note: The information on this website is not a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a qualified healthcare provider.

True or false?

• Your heart consists mostly of muscle.

• It beats an average of one hundred thousand times each day.

• While your heart is fist-sized and weighs only a pound, it pumps roughly two thousand gallons of blood through your body every day.

Note: The information on this website is not a substitute for the advice of & treatment by a qualified professional.

Summary: Tissue and organ regeneration is a very precious property. Skin that heals after an injury, bones that mend following a fracture are both natural phenomena. However, when a bone marrow injury occurs, it can mean life-long paralysis for the injured person. The central nervous system (CNS), brain and bone marrow, unlike other tissues of the body, do not produce spare cells. There is nonetheless hope, since growth factors linked to the regeneration mechanism of nerves have been identified through research.

By Ramon Scruggs, M.D.
New Hope Health Center, California

Introduction to CFS
Despite an always increasing medical and technical knowledge, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains an elusive pathology. Unfortunately, there is no simple test for CFS and diagnosis still relies on clinical evaluation and exclusion of other possible diseases with overlapping symptoms. In 1994, in an effort to harmonize clinical evaluation and research, the Center for Disease Control has defined Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) by “the presence of unexplained persistent fatigue that is not relieved by rest and that results in a substantial reduction in occupational, social and personal activities.” Moreover, as criteria for CFS diagnosis, at least four of the following symptoms must have been present for a minimum of six consecutive months with a history of previous wellbeing:

• Unrefreshing sleep
• Impairment of short-term memory or difficulties concentrating
• Sore throat
• Tender neck or armpit lymph nodes
• Muscle pain or weakness
• Migratory painful joints with no swelling or redness
• Headache
• Lost or depressed vision
• Visual intolerance to light
• Unusual irritability
• Post-exertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours