Read

Like nature therapy, ecotherapy is one of those inscrutable buzzwords that is trending more and more these days. There’s a huge amount of misinformation and confusion surrounding this term, in part because many people using it seem to think that ecotherapy is interchangeable with nature therapy. But in fact, while

Chances are you’ve heard the term forest bathing before, but you don’t know exactly what it means. If the term “forest bathing” conjures up thoughts of a nice porcelain bathtub smack dab in the middle of the forest for you, you wouldn’t be alone, but you’d also be slightly off

The following is adapted and condensed in part from this published interview. Nature therapy (and nature-based therapy) are buzzwords that you might have heard being thrown around more and more these days. This cutting-edge field has remained out of the mainstream so far because people haven’t figured out what it

Happy to have our letter on nature therapy and virtual reality for pain relief during injections for flu vaccination published in the Wall Street Journal: credit to Zoë Silverberg and Mark Silverberg Md @Sansum Clinic for their creativity and imagination, and dedication to pediatric health. More information on this pilot program on

Among the most nutritious of berries, Black Currants (Ribes nigra) were once a forbidden fruit in the United States. The berries were susceptible to hosting a fungus that killed white pine trees and were banned for that reason. Fortunately, pines have made a comeback—and as the ban on black currants didn’t

Finally, it’s everyone’s favorite holiday of the year: National Spinach Day! Spinach has gotten a bad rap for a long time, although it’s made a comeback recently as more and more people espouse this superfood’s many health benefits. So what’s the real story on spinach—average green or culinary medicine superhero?

Who can resist the juicy, vibrant flavor of a sweet and tangy pineapple? Apparently, not many of us—this prickly plant often ranks as one of America’s most in-demand tropical fruits. But beneath its rough exterior, the pineapple is hiding more than just flavor. There are many health benefits to eating

Potassium is a mineral that, once inside the body, operates as an electrolyte and becomes essential to the maintenance of proper neural and muscle function. In partnership with sodium, it helps maintain fluid volume and pH balance, and creates what’s known as a concentration gradient that assists in heartbeat regulation

Several years ago, a woman named Barbara came to me for help with weight loss. At the time, she was 52 and she had gained nearly her age in weight (42 pounds) over the previous year. She was a biology professor and she’d been passed by for tenure for a

 We all have a connection with nature and living things… Explore 10 ways nature can help you heal with Dr John La Puma.

I find soups especially satisfying this time of year. They’re warming, as nutrient packed as you want them to be, and since they’re the original one-pot meal, typically pretty simple to put together. Below, you’ll find three of my favorite soup recipes, which you can follow to a tee or

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, otherwise known as NSAIDs (pronounced phonetically, as in “N”said), are non-opioid painkillers that can help produce relief from a number of maladies. My patients use them to treat muscle aches, back pain, arthritis/joint pain, menstrual cramps and more. Many options such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are

From Mom’s best health advice – to top doctors everywhere – soup broth tops the list of healing foods to eat when you’re feeling sick or simply need a soothing, light and nutritious meal. Varieties of soup broth include vegetable, fish, chicken, beef and bone broth without meat. A broth

Electrolytes are electrically charged minerals, such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, that are found in your bodily fluids. They perform many important functions including helping to balance pH; transporting nutrients into cells and waste out of them; and ensuring nerve and muscle cells are working properly. In the absence

It’s fairly common knowledge that antibiotics kill some of the health-promoting bacteria that live within your gut’s complex ecosystem. Taking a probiotic supplement can support the way gut flora work together to keep that ecosystem – and you – at the healthiest. Antibiotics are used to kill both the pathogenic

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect anyone subject to a huge stress, but veterans have it the toughest. More than a quarter of U.S. veterans of recent wars (Iraq and Afghanistan) have been treated by the Veterans Administration (VA) for PTSD. And that doesn’t count the veterans who never

You may think of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) only as an ingredient that adds a mild citrus and floral flavor to many Southeast Asian dishes. But this tropical grass has a lot of biochemical properties that make it not just good-tasting, but good for you, too. Its health-promoting power comes from

Dozens of peer-reviewed studies show that being outside quietly in nature lowers blood pressure, cortisol levels, heart rate and stress for days, not just momentarily. Even viewing plants has been shown to alter EEG recordings and has reduced blood pressure, pulse rate and muscle tension. This works, by the way,

Air pollution is estimated to cause 150,000 U.S. cases of diabetes annually. But plant leaves remove toxins, dust and microorganisms from the air. Be careful about food and plastics: many plastics contain hormone disruptors, which can lower testosterone levels in men, and are linked to prostate and breast cancer.  Cost:

Very rarely is a substance so important – and prevalent – in the human body as is Co-enzyme Q10. As critical as it is, however, our body’s ability to make CoQ10 peaks at about age 21 and steadily declines as we age. By the time most of us are in