Here are some helpful online resources where you can start learning more about medicinal herbs.

Studies show that eating some vegetables may help prevent certain types of cancer. Find out which are the best for you, and why.

Experts suspect that insufficient levels of vitamin D raise your risk of getting osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. Find out how to get enough of this important vitamin.

Lyme disease is a real bummer. If left untreated, it can lead to painful, swollen joints, chronic fatigue and worse. But if you’re aware of the symptoms and catch it in its early stages, you can usually count on a full recovery. Even better, if you’re proactive, you can take the necessary steps to avoid it altogether.

Since antiquity, people worldwide have used garlic to prevent and combat a long list of infectious diseases, cancers, heart disease and other conditions. However, some skepticism has surfaced over garlic’s most famous attributes: its ability to lower cholesterol. Nonetheless, garlic has been shown to inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol (oxidized LDL is what damages the blood vessels), reduce atherosclerotic plaque size, retard the deposition of calcium that hardens the arteries, mildly lower blood pressure, hinder platelets from sticking together in a clot, and reduce homocysteine (an amino acid that raises cardiovascular disease and stroke risk).

Summer brings its own kinds of fun, from picnics and gardening to fireworks and county fairs — but it also has its hazards. Did you know that you can find relief from allergies, bee stings and even sunburn right in your kitchen or garden? Discover simple natural remedies for a variety of summar ailments and how to use them, plus great resources for even more information.

Most of us know fresh foods are the healthiest choices, but when time is tight and you need to choose prepackaged foods, be sure to read the labels first. Here are some things to watch out for on processed food labels.

A study funded by Britain’s Food Standards Agency has reported what many parents have long suspected: Artificial food colorings and preservatives can make kids hyperactive. The study is landmark in that it demonstrated an impact of artificial food additives on children in general, not just those previously diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as earlier studies had indicated.Additives such as those tested in the study are found not just in candy but in a wide variety of breakfast cereals, soft drinks and other processed foods, as well as in vitamins, toothpaste and over-the-counter medications.

Many people have heard of ginseng, an herb that’s said to promote overall health. But did you know that ginseng is just one of a class of herbal remedies called adaptogens? These herbs include eleuthero, rhodiola, reishi mushrooms, ashwagandha and schisandra. All of these herbs are taken as tonics that help promote general health and protect the body from the physical effects of stress. Here’s an introduction to these gentle healing herbs, with more information about the specific effects and uses of each.

My mother is brilliant. We were comparing recent frustrating experiences with doctors one evening when Mom, a 4^th grade teacher, had an idea: The United States should do away with our current healthcare system and replace it with one similar to No Child Left Behind (called No Patient Left Behind), in which physicians are held personally accountable for the continued well-being of their patients.