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Did you know that your liver will actually produce much more cholesterol than what you can eat in a day? In fact, cholesterol is the backbone for most of your hormones, including estrogen and testosterone. There is still a lot of hype about cholesterol with a push for more and more cholesterol lowering medications. It is important to understand the difference between the good and the bad cholesterol.

By far one of my favorite movies of all time is the Wizard of Oz. It has so many stories and events that are related to our everyday life. Dorothy had to worry about "real" creatures that would harm her in the Wizard of Oz. As they started down the Yellow Brick Road, Dorothy and the gang were afraid of many things but still hoping to get to the Wizard. In fact, for many of us, we are just walking down the Yellow Brick Road of life, not really aware of our current threats. We know that we are not going to face real Lions and Tigers and Bears. However, our enemies and threats are deeply hidden and much more dangerous. One of the biggest threats that we have to worry about is inflammation. This silent enemy robs us of our dreams, our health and our happiness. I think Life is really not so much about the goal but more of the experience. In this life, if we are chronically under attack by inflammation, our entire system is chronically being broken down. This happens slowly, so slow in fact we don't even know it is happening. I have had the pleasure to witness the detox of so many people in my office. This daily dose goes out to so many people that I am not able to see face to face in my office. I want to share the message with those people. This is why I write the Daily Dose.

First of all, I want to thank you for all the notes. I was offline last week for technical reasons. It sure was nice to hear from all of you. I am so glad that you are finding this information helpful! Keep giving me feedback. I love it.

Asthma is truly a chronic medical condition that affects over 20 million Americans a year. Of those affected, unfortunately, there are 5,000 deaths a year. The actual problem occurs when the tiny passages in the lungs become swollen and restricted. There is a reduction in the air that is able to go through secondary to a bronchial muscle spasm creating an obstruction in the airway. What occurs then is a reaction and a further increase in the inflammation. This inflammation will produce mucous and this mucous further decreases the passageway for air. For most people, asthma is a chronic yet treatable condition. There are things that can be done to help alleviate the symptoms.

I have a tremendous amount of feedback about the headache topic!

Thank you to everyone! Tension headaches . . . who has not had one?  Actually, over 80% of all adults have had a tension headache. The fast paced, stressed, short on time society and electronic dependent society has put most of us at risk for tension headaches. There is no genetic predisposition or vascular connection at all. The best researchers believe that it is do to poor rest and relaxation hygiene. What does that mean?

Cluster headaches are often described as the worst type of headache, lasting from a few days to months. The pain is usually located on one side of the head. Sometimes this type of headache will last for quite some time and then it may disappear for months, if not years. Thankfully, this type of headache is pretty rare and is often managed by a neurologist. Only about 0.4% of headaches are of this variety.
 
There is a family history of cluster headaches in that 7% of the sufferers will have a relative that has this type of headache. Seasonal association has also been noted. Many people only get them at certain times of the year. There is some thought that the mid portion of the brain, the hypothalamus, is the center of these types of headaches. Often the pain is described as vascular in that this type of headache can actually cause swelling in the blood vessels of the head.

Continuing from this week, there are three stages of a typical migraine headache.  The initiation phase is usually brought on when multiple events or stressors accumulate over time. In this economy, there is little wonder why there is such an increase in migraines. In fact, the emergencies rooms are loaded, unfortunately, with migraine sufferers.  Another leading reason for headaches is sleep deprivation.  Many physicians that I know of do suffer from migraines. This leads to a lot of frustration because there is a lot of times that they cannot only help themselves but they cannot always help their patients. Fortunately, for me I have only had the one that was so severe.  I do have great empathy for those patients that suffer with migraine headaches. 

Migraines traumatize all ages and both sexes. In many ways, a migraine is an equal opportunity menace. More than 28 million Americans suffer from this particular type of headache. That is over 18% of all women and over 6% of all men. Women, therefore, are three times more likely to have a migraine. This is a truly a miserable physical event in a person's life that can affect their productivity, the sense of wellness and their self-esteem. The symptoms are quite variable and are variable also in their intensity. I had a migraine once in which I lost the left side of my vision. After this I had the worst pain of my life. I was actually a sophomore in medical school. I knew just enough to be dangerous. I thought I was having a stroke. I can tell you that I was more afraid for my health at that point than anytime since. I was luckily sitting in a lecture by an internist and I was made a "teaching case" for the class. Anything for education!

Many of my patients suffer from a headache. This week I am going to focus on what we now know about headaches. Today's Daily Dose will be an overview of the most common types.  Going forward, I am going to discuss each type of headache on the subsequent days this week.

For many of my patients, it seems impossible to escape the intense pain of chronic headaches.  It can be described as a pain that is dull and throbbing, to an intense pain that is more like a vice that is gripping your head.   Many have said that it is like a red hot searing type of pain as if their head was on fire. Most people can describe it by comparing the pain to something that they can imagine.  For instance, I have heard it described as similar to being hit in the head with a baseball bat to a throbbing that is more like a jackhammer drilling through stone.  Many sufferers have gone from doctor to doctor with no relief. They will eventually just tough it out, withdrawing from everyone when the headache is present. 

Once a huge skeptic of natural remedies, I have grown to see the light. If it was good enough for Grandma, then it was good enough for my mom and then good enough for me. One of the little facts that I was skeptical of was the fact that an onion is actually quite good for you. How is that possible? There are natural chemicals in the onion that are very beneficial. The ancient Greeks used the Onions like we use candy. They ate the onions readily, drank their juice, and used them as a balm. The chemical that is in the onion is called the thiosulfinates  It is this chemical, which has a sulfur compound, will help to reduce diabetes symptoms and has been associated with cardiovascular protection. There is another component that is in onions that is called Quercetin.  It is this flavanoid that will prevent inflammation that is associated with allergies, protects against ulcers of the stomach and colon, and also protective against some cancers and esophageal disease.