Dr Iris Bell's Ponderings

Lowering homocysteine doesn't improve cognitive ability in healthy elderly

A number of studies suggest that elevated levels of the amino acid homocysteine are a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease. Given the large group of baby boomers moving into later life, this topic is an important one. So, it is interesting that a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that giving the B vitamins that can lower homocysteine levels in the blood did not change cognitive abilities in initially healthy elderly over a two-year period.

Now Available - Multimedia Program on Holistic Care for Arthritis!

I am pleased to announce the release of my new multimedia program "Mapping Your Own Treatment Plan for Arthritis Using Levels of Care." Discover a simple system to plan your own treatment for arthritis and chronic pain problems. This new breakthrough multimedia program (online or downloadable) takes your understanding of holistic healing to a new level. Create your own plan for how to heal from arthritis in a step-by-step way. Watch, listen, and learn a system for sorting through the confusion of seemingly too many treatment options out there.  You can use the program together with my e-book and e-workbook on "Getting Whole, Getting Well," which are available as free bonuses with the purchase of the multimedia program. You can watch a short sample from the two-hour video at http://www.arthritiscaremap.com.

To your health,

Iris Bell, MD PhD
Alternative medicine information from a doctor who is also a patient.
Blog   http://www.dririsbell.com
Multimedia program http://www.arthritiscaremap.com
Ebook  http://www.gettingwhole.com
Newsletter http://www.holisticmedicinetips.com
Email      ibell@gettingwhole.com

Exciting new multimedia program for people with arthritis on its way!

Hi, everyone! I am delighted to let you in on a not very secret announcement - in a few days, I'll be releasing a brand new online information product. This is a multimedia (video/audio/pdfs) program for people with arthritis. Learn secrets of holistic thinking to help yourself take control of your joint pain. The program captures my ideas on big picture healing and gives a step by step approach to putting together your own treatment plan. Stay tuned for specific details very soon!

Iris Bell, MD PhD
Alternative medicine information from a doctor who is also a patient.
Blog   http://dririsbell.com
Ebook  http://gettingwhole.com
Newsletter http://holisticmedicinetips.com
Email      ibell@gettingwhole.com

Superb Resource on the Environment in Health and Disease

Just heard about an updated database that people might find useful in the area of the environment in health and disease. A well-established group called the Collaborative on Health and the Environment has just repleased notice that they have a new searchable database on links between chemical contaminants and 180 different human diseases or conditions. This is a resource that is hard to assemble - the subject is so vast.  Here is the link to check out:

http://database.healthandenvironment.org/

Iris Bell, MD PhD
Alternative medicine information from a doctor who is also a patient.
Blog   http://dririsbell.com
Ebook  http://gettingwhole.com
Newsletter http://holisticmedicinetips.com
Email      ibell@gettingwhole.com

Hear Dr Bell's Ideas on Healing from the Inside Out - new free audio

The radio interview show on "Spiritually Connected Living" went very well. We covered a number of key areas on the topic of what it takes for people with chronic disease to develop their own personalized programs for healing from the inside out.

To download the free mp3 recorded file of the one-hour show, go to the following webpage, pick item #4, right-click on your mouse, then choose "save link as," and browse your own hard drive desktop or folders until you find the place you'd like to store it. From there, you can play it on your own computer at your convenience using any mp3 player (including the free one from http://www.itunes.com) or copy it to your iPod or other portable mp3 player or CD and enjoy the show whenever you have a chance to listen.

http://spirituallyconnectedliving.com/download-the-shows-here/

To your health,

Iris Bell, MD PhD
Alternative medicine information from a doctor who is also a patient.
Blog   http://dririsbell.com
Ebook  http://gettingwhole.com
Newsletter http://holisticmedicinetips.com
Email      ibell@gettingwhole.com

Dr Bell on the Radio!

Join me Tuesday May 30, 2006 at 11 am Pacific Daylight Time (2 pm Eastern Daylight Time), when Willow Sibert, host of the internet radio show "Spiritually Connected Living," interviews me live on the topic os "Healing from the Inside Out." I'll be discussing my views on how people heal in a truly holistic way and how you can use your many options in alternative health care to your best advantage.

This is a one-hour show aired on http://www.7thWaveNetwork.com.

You can call in questions and speak with Dr Bell at 1-866-472-5795 or email questions to radio@willowsibert.com.

The show is also rebroadcast at 11 pm Pacific Daylight Time on May 30, 2006.

For more information about the show and to download a desktop icon that takes you directly there, go to:
http://spirituallyconnectedliving.com

For the show itself, check out:

http://www.7thWaveNetwork.com (Willow Sibert's Spiritually-Connected Living show)

Iris R Bell, MD PhD
blog:           http://dririsbell.com
newsletter:  http://www.holisticmedicinetips.com
ebook:        http://www.gettingwhole.com
email:         iris@holisticmedicinetips.com

Integrative Night Health: A New Approach to Improving Sleep

"The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to."   

                                                        - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Today we have a special guest blogger - Rubin Naiman, PhD. Dr. Naiman is a published author, colleague, and friend who specializes in helping people with sleep problems. His practice is based in Tucson, Arizona. Here is a short overview of his views on sleep:

B complex vitamins and the biochemical network

"Be careful about reading health books.  You may die of a misprint."      - Mark Twain

This installment will go into more depth on B vitamins as an example of a biochemical network in
building and maintaining your health. In fact, we often refer to these as B complex vitamins to emphasize their interactions and interdependence.

Many of the B vitamins were discovered and eventually isolated during the first half of the 1900's. They include B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 pantothenic acid, B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cobalamin), folic acid or folate, and biotin.

Setting the intention to heal

"In many ways, life itself is a continual process of healing, of moving toward balance and wholeness in the midst of change."     - Martin Rossman, MD

Topic of day - how chronic illness fits into your bigger life picture...and how to use a big picture approach to healing.

What should you do, when chronic symptoms get your attention?

Experiencing yourself as a whole network with food addictions

"No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut."  - Channing Pollock

In modern society, we have become accustomed to a fast pace. We expect everything, including our bodies, to do what we want, when we want. Most over-the-counter drugs help meet that need, for minor problems like heartburn or stuffy noses. We just want to shut down the symptom and get back to our busy day.