And so it begins. You find few strands of hair on your pillow and more than the usual amount on your hair brush. As you are cleaning your house, you begin to notice hair on the floor, in the shower, on your clothes, and then it dawns on you that you are not only leaving behind a trail of hair in every area of the house, but a hairless patch possibly somewhere on your scalp.

W. somnifera, also known as Ashwagandha, is an important herb that has been used for over 3000 years. The important constituents of the root are steroidal alkaloids and steroidal lactones referred to as withanolides. It is used for anxiety, inflammation, Parkinson’s disease, cognitive and neurological disorders, and as a supportive adjunct for people undergoing radiation and chemotherapy.

Headaches are annoying and, depending on their severity, can prevent us from performing our daily tasks. There are many types of headaches, but the most common ones are tension headaches, cluster headaches, and migraines.

Male fertility is measured by sperm quality and count. A man is considered at risk for infertility if his sperm count is less than 20 million per millilitre, and may be sterile if the sperm count is less than 500,000 per millilitre. Semen analysis is commonly done by light microscope and scanning electron microscope. Female infertility has become a medical hot topic, but what about men; the other half of the equation?

Niacin is one form of vitamin B3. Niacinamide and inositol hexanicotinate are the other two forms of B3 that exist; these forms are generally used to treat different conditions within the body. B vitamins ultimately help the body utilize fats and proteins; they also help convert food into fuel which is then used to produce energy.

Probiotics are a popular intervention used by naturopathic doctors in the treatment of these atopic conditions, such as eczema, allergies, and asthma, as well as digestive disorders; in fact, epidemiological evidence has shown children with atopic diseases have different intestinal (probiotic) flora compared to healthy children.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the medical name for anxiety. Everyone worries about important things in life, such as family, work, and health. People who have GAD are extremely worried about these and other smaller things, even when there is little reason to worry about them. There are multiple ways in which the worrying of GAD is worse. The first is the intensity of the worry.

Fibrocystic breasts are characterized as ‘lumps’ or ‘cysts’ found within the breast. Fibrocystic breasts arise from estrogen predominance and progesterone deficiency resulting in hyper-proliferation of connective tissue. This condition can be either asymptomatic or present with breast nodularity, swelling, and pain.

The immune system is able to discriminate self from non-self antigens, substances that trigger the immune system, which protects the host from infections and cancer. Autoimmune diseases are characterized by deregulated immune responses. Autoimmune diseases affect 5-8% of the population in the United States and can affect almost every site in the body

Sunlight has been an integral part of human evolution and the development of life on this planet. Sunlight provides energy to grow plants, providing us with food, shelter and various tools. It is also essential to regulating the seasons. Thus, it has become a necessary component of life as we know it.

Pre-eclampsia is a condition that has life-threatening consequences if not treated immediately. If you are a pregnant woman experiencing symptoms of pre-eclampsia, it is important to seek medical attention. Although the cause remains unknown, advancements in research are being made, and several theories exist for the cause of the condition.

Periodontitis is the result of gingivitis progressing to a more serious stage. It is characterized by swollen, reddish, and bleeding gums, as well as bad breath. Severe periodontitis affects 10–15% of adults, while moderate periodontitis affects 40–60% of adults. Despite its high prevalence, it is largely unrepresented as a chronic inflammatory disease.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has skyrocketed in North America over recent years, and weight management strategies employed have had little widespread success. Both science and the public have been interested in natural and synthetic weight loss aids for decades, the most recent slimming agent being Garcinia cambogia (G. cambogia) and its extract (−)‑hydroxycitric acid (HCA).

The “stomach flu” or a “stomach bug” are the common names for what is officially known in medicine as gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis essentially means “inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract”; it usually involves the stomach and the intestines. It causes a set of highly unpleasant symptoms: usually a combination of diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and abdominal cramping.

Origanum vulgare (the scientific name of oregano) has been studied in depth due to a number of interesting and exciting potential clinical uses. There is also an ongoing interest in a number of industries to replace synthetic chemicals with natural products that have similar properties. Many bioactive compounds can be found in aromatic plants, and there are a number of different ways they can be extracted.