Category: Health/Nutrition

Healthy Alternatives by Susie Cooper, ND Board Certified Doctor of Naturopathy

Q: I have been struggling with weight loss for many years and have been on everything you can think of, Fen Phen being the most dangerous, but I still am very overweight. Is there anything strong enough to help curb my appetite?

Healthy Alternatives

by Susie Cooper, ND
Board Certified Doctor of Naturopathy

I receive so many questions pertaining to many of the same topics on a regular basis, such as: sinus & allergy problems with chronic mucous buildup, asthma, food allergies, recurring headaches, digestive problems, constipation or diarrhea, acid indigestion or acid reflux, arthritis pain, fatigue and hormonal imbalances. If you have sent a question in to me relating to any of these conditions, please consider the information in this month's column. All of these conditions have something in common from the perspective of natural medicine...

Q. I'm a 54 year -old active male with spinal bone spurs. I eat a good diet including dairy products. I also do a full regimen of supplements. What do you suggest? - Thank you.

I have a chronic problem of gagging up excessive amounts of mucous in the morning. This is especially inevitable when I step into the shower. Also this gagging/mucous vomiting is brought on by drinking coffee in the morning. Any advice you may offer is greatly appreciated! - Philip

My doctor said I have canker sores on the back of my throat caused by acidic foods. I eat a lot of peppers and onions - could this be causing them to come about? I would also appreciate a list of foods to avoid. - Sandy

Q. My daughter has had three sets of ear tubes since the age of 4. She is now ten. In July, her body seemed to finally reject the tubes, particularly in one ear. Her doctor removed them. Since that time he has been unable to clear up a fungus in her ear. We see him three times a week, he suctions the ear, cleans it and puts Gentian Violet in it. Alcohol drops are very very painful for her. Boric Acid does not work either. He tried Diflucan to no avail. On September 3rd we thought we had finally come out of the woods – we had not seen him for a week and both ears were clear of fungus. On September 10th she was back with fungus in the other ear and is now in pain again. He is baffled. Do you have any thoughts on why this might be happening and why we can't seem to get rid of it? Many thanks.

Q. I love milk and dairy products but I am coughing up large amounts of mucous in the morning. I switched to soy milk but I don't like it in coffee. Would evaporated goats milk (or any goats milk) be a reasonable choice? Does goat milk produce mucous the way cow's milk does?

Thank you, Claire

Q. I have read that soy milk can cause digestive problems in some people. Have you read anything about rice milk or almond milk causing the same problems?

Thanks, Nancy

In the last column we took a look at cholesterol, good and bad, and developed the concept of nutrition based upon heredity. I would like to explore this idea a little further and focus on climate, seasons of the year and just what constitutes a healthy daily diet.

Q. My doctor is concerned because my cholesterol level is rather high. I tried following her dietary recommendations to lower my cholesterol level to no avail. Now she wants to put me on a prescription medication, which I don't want to do. Is there anyway I can avoid taking these drugs and still get my cholesterol under control?

Q. In the past year or so, the local markets have been selling a brand of soft drink that’s fortified with healing herbs. At first I thought this was great, since one of the brands has echinacea in it and I thought this would be a good way to keep my immune system boosted. But, the other morning, I was watching the Today show and a doctor was saying that echanacia works fine if you take it when you need it, but that it can actually lower your immune response if you take it over long periods of time. Is this true? Should I stop drinking this brand of soda?

Q. I take a variety of supplements on a daily basis. As summer draws to a close and I prepare myself for fall and winter, I've been wondering if I should take a different regimen according to the season, or if I should stick to the same vitamins and supplements year round? Currently I take a multi-vitamin that is heavily weighted towards the B complexes, an additional 1000 mg daily of vitamin C (my multi-vitamin only has 100 mg), a 400 I.U. tablet of vitamin E as well as a magnesium and calcium supplement. Should I stick with this throughout the year, or should I add something during the winter months?

Q: For many years, my husband and I have used medicinal herbs and natural supplements to maintain our health. We have always purchased these herbs and supplements at our local health food store, but recently I’ve noticed that the chain drug stores are beginning to sell some of these products under a store brand for less money than we’ve been paying. I certainly don’t want to spend more than is necessary, but I also don’t want to waste money on worthless products. Could you tell me if the herbal supplements sold at the chain pharmacies are as good as the products offered at the health food stores?