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Urinary / Renal

Probiotics: What They Are, and Why You Might Need Them

INTRODUCTION You have probably heard friends talking about how yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, or kimchi is “good for your gut” But what do they mean, and what are they talking about exactly? It turns out that your friends are likely correct, and these foods, known as probiotics, can be good for you and your health. Keep…

Newfoundland, Drinking Water, and Arsenic: Check Levels!

INTRODUCTION Arsenic (As) is a metalloid (exhibits metal and non-metal properties) found in a ubiquitous fashion within food, soil, various places in the environment, and water; the latter of which is the most prevalent vector for human exposure.1 Natural disasters, such as ocean volcanos/forest fires, as well as and oil/wood burning can disperse As throughout…

Coffee: Exploring Health Benefits

ECONOMICS OF COFFEE Coffee consumption is the leading beverage, worldwide, just behind water, with its 2019 sales exceeding that of 87 billion dollars within the United States alone.1,2 Coffee remains one of the most widely and globally traded commodities, supporting the livelihoods of over 100 million individuals, and 26 million farmers across 52 countries.2(1) The…

Urinary Tract Infections: Support With Garlic

The urinary tract is the most common region for bacterial infections, especially amongst females, and is estimated that nearly half of all women will experience at least one infection during their lifetime.1 Furthermore, urinary tract infections (UTIs) amount to approximately 100,000 hospitalizations, 1 million emergency visits, and 7 million family physician visits within the United…

Kidney Stones: Lifestyle and Nutritional Interventions

Kidney stones affect up to 5% of the population while its prevalence is associated with improved standards of living.1 Furthermore, kidney stone disease (KSD) is increasing in women across the age spectrum beginning as early as childhood.2 KSD also has associated risk factors to include obesity, gastrointestinal pathology, insulin resistance, warmer climates, use of medications,…

Managing Elderly Diabetes: Carbohydrate Type and Fiber Consumption

Laskir et al1 stated that malnutrition is a prevalent condition amongst elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in hospital and geriatric care settings. As such, nutritional management is critical especially in the presence of acute disease, severe co-morbidities, and functional status; all of which are likely amongst geriatrics with T2D.1(2084) Therefore, developing nutritional protocols…

Potassium Deficiency: What You Need to Know, and How to Fix It

Potassium (K) is a micronutrient that is a constituent of a larger body of electrolytes which includes sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca).1Such electrolytes work as an aggregate to facilitate movement of nutrients in a cell, pH balance, nerve conduction, and fluid balance.1 Although K deficiencies can emanate from sweating, imbalances with…

Antioxidants and Tracking Oxidative Stress

Free radicals (FRs) are generated during normal metabolic processes in addition to exposure to pathophysiological states.1 Such species are unstable and induce unfavorable cellular changes, if left unchecked, to include DNA damage; a destructive process associated with the genesis of cancer.1(317) Antioxidants are substances that can control the effects and propagation of FRs thereby down-regulating…

Potassium: Function and Deficiencies

Potassium (K) is a micronutrient, which is a constituent of a larger family of electrolytes to include phosphorus (P), chloride (Cl), calcium (Ca), and sodium (Na) (Gropper, Smith, & Carr, 2018). When in balanced concentrations, electrolytes facilitate nerve conduction, movement of nutrients within a cell, pH balance, and fluid balance (Fluid and Electrolyte Balance, 2018)….

Vitamin D: Types, Utility, Screening, and Optimal Dosing

Vitamin D is a micronutrient that has been associated with significantly reducing all-cause mortality, and has been implicated in many diseases of modern civilization (Cannell, 2008). Furthermore, and most relevantly, vitamin D interacts with more that 200 genes and multiple organs, indicating its broad reach and influence upon human physiology (Cannell & Hollis, 2008; Wang,…