People have been chewing on willow tree bark to get at the precursor of aspirin for its medicinal properties since the time of Hippocrates.  The ultimate derivative, which we call aspirin, was synthesized to improve its effectiveness.  It was marketed as a miracle curative, but eventually became best known for its pain-relieving properties.  As synthetic [...] Read the full article

Tea tree oil, not to be confused with tea oil, is a plant oil concentrate extracted from the leaves of the Australian tea tree.  Scientifically known by the name Melaleuca alternifolia, the tea tree is a member of the myrtle family, and is indigenous to New South Wales.   It received its name from 18th [...] Read the full article

Rose hips are one of the most surprisingly nutritious, generally overlooked fruits around, and my wife absolutely adores roses.  We’ve tried growing roses several times over the last few years, and generally speaking, we’ve failed miserably.  After our unsuccessful 2010 gardening experiment, we decided to get serious about our backyard garden plans.  That’s been going [...] Read the full article

Naysayers decry the fallibility of BMI measurements as an accurate representation of “ideal” weight.  There are many arguments against the use of BMI, such as the fact that it doesn’t consider body type, or the fact that it doesn’t consider body fat percentage.  Despite the arguments, the real question that must be answered is if, [...] Read the full article

Before I became a husband and father, I never bothered with a flu shot.  However, since those changes in my life, I’ve made it an integral part of my Fall wellness routine.  Having a son who is asthmatic, and a diagnosed epileptic, I strongly believe it’s imperative that I take every possible effort to protect [...] Read the full article

As a parent, I always worry about whether I’m making the best decisions for my kids.  After all, I’m certain that there are small things I did in childhood that influence me even today, as I approach 40 years of age.   As more evidence rolls in about how your childhood determines paths later in [...] Read the full article

During a recent day at the lake, my 7-year old was swimming around the boat, when he suddenly started complaining that something on his leg was burning.  He got pretty vocal, which prompted us to pull him out of the water, where we were able to identify a spider bite.  He seemed to be OK, [...] Read the full article