Foods Long Life

Cannabis and opioids may have a life-saving relationship. Medicinal Cannabis Conference Doug and I attended the 2016 Medicinal Cannabis Conference in Arcata, California last weekend where we heard from well known doctors such as: Dr. Donald Abrams , chief of the Hematology-Oncology Division at San Francisco General Hospital and a professor of Clinical Medicine at UCSF. Dr. Ethan Russo , a board-certified neurologist, psychopharmacology researcher, and Medical Director of PHYTECS, a biotech company focusing on the human endocannabinoid system. Dr. Dustin Sulak, founder of Integr8 Health , an integrative health practice with 3 locations in New England that treats over 18,000 patients with medical cannabis. The most exciting development from this conference, for me, was learning more about the interaction between opioids and cannabis and the enormous potential this has to help reduce the opioid epidemic in this country. My interest was already peaked by Dr. Sulak's article I had read ...

Gluten free muffin with corn, diced green chili and Daiya cheese. Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest . A Great Side Dish You don't usually think of a muffin as a side dish but perhaps you should. It is, after all, a grain and can carry with it some other goodies. In this case, whole kernel corn, diced green chiles and Daiya vegan "cheese." It makes a great side dish for a morning tofu or egg scramble or a raw fruit salad. And when accompanying a big green salad, it makes the perfect lunch.  To ensure that you are avoiding GMO corn, always select organic corn kernels and corn meal for this recipe.                 *                       *                      *      Chili-Chipotle Corn Muffins Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free [makes 12 muffins] Requires a muffin pan and best with an electric han...

Echinacea is a popular herb used to boost the immune system. But is it over harvested? Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest . Wildcrafted Herbs I've always had the notion that wildcrafted herbs were superior to ones that were cultivated. With this belief, I would always select wildcrafted herbal products when I had the choice. But the demand for herbal and botanical supplements has become a multi-billion dollar business which has resulted in large-scale wildcrafting. This itself is an oxymoron. When I think of wildcrafting, I imagine a herbalist wondering through a beautiful forest with a wicker basket on their arm, carefully pruning or gathering a small amount of leaves, flowers, roots, or bark to meet their needs or the needs of their clients. But, unfortunately, the reality of it can be a large-scale producer bulldozing trees for bark, or over harvesting herbs to near extinction.  Besides herbal remedies, many prescription drugs are based on plant...

This rich and delicious smoothie blends green veggies and fruits with healthy fats. Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest . Green Smoothie This is one of the tastiest green smoothies I've ever made. It was inspired by the Green Machine that I had at VegeNation in Las Vegas last month. I started with their main ingredients of kale, parsley, cucumber, avocado and grapes, and added some healthy fats to provide omega-3 and omega-6, monosaturated fats, as well as medium chain triglycerides. Do Not Fear Fat! Fats are critical to your diet. For one, they help you absorb fat-soluble vitamins. A recent  study showed that "the presence of fat in a meal with which a vitamin D-3 supplement is taken significantly enhances absorption of the supplement." That study showed an average increase of 32% absorption. Other fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, K and E, also benefit from the presence of fat in the diet. Fat also improves carotenoid absorption and improves the conver...

Morton's Neuroma is an extremely painful condition. Here's what you can do about it. Morton's Neuroma About 4 years ago I started getting intermittent pains in the front of my feet, especially when I walked barefoot on hard surfaces. I was an avid Zumba dancer and wore these tight dance sneakers which crowded my toes. Of course this followed a 36 year corporate career where I wore high heals every day. Then, to make matters worse, I injured a toe on my right foot when I opened a heavy door over it. Now, every step I took created a sharp, electrical pain in the ball of my foot. I was diagnosed with Morton's neuroma. Morton's neuroma is when the tissue around the nerves leading to your toes begins to thicken or becomes inflamed. Typically this occurs in the area between the third and fourth toes (or metatarsals) although it also can occur between the second and third toes. This thickening pinches and compresses the nerve causing various sensations and pain. Some peopl...