Posts by Sara Szal MD
Nailed! Nail Polish Brands That Mess with Your Hormones (Plus the Polish I Personally Use)
New study proves that synthetic chemicals in nail polish may leach through your nails and into your bloodstream, leading to a sevenfold increase in toxic metabolites . . . . I’m doing something that feels totally weird. I’m at the nail salon in my Berkeley neighborhood, staring at a wall of pretty nail polish colors.…
Read MoreGMOs: Guilty until Proven Innocent (Plus 5 Ways to Reduce Damage to Your Gut and Brain)
Is it safe to eat genetically modified foods? What about if you eat the meat of an animal raised on genetically-modified food? At this point, the scientific community is still gathering data but my hunch is that GMs are not good for your body, and we need to apply the precautionary principle. Here’s why…. You…
Read MoreBerberine, Blood Sugar and Weight Loss
Since I saw my first patient in 1989, I’ve refined my approach to health and healing. Probably the biggest needle mover is my growing respect for plant medicine and its role in healing. My enthusiasm for berberine is in lockstep with my personal and professional experience prescribing herbs, but also as the evidence continues to…
Read MoreHashimoto’s and AutoImmune Thyroiditis
Hashimoto’s disease deserves a spot in the conversation about hormone balance, as it’s one of the most common conditions that can cause hormonal burnout and a host of vague symptoms you might attribute to other things. Before we delve into those, however, let’s recap what Hashimoto’s disease is: an autoimmune condition that involves thyroid dysfunction.…
Read More15 Reasons to Rethink Red Meat
Who doesn’t love a grilled steak, washed down with red wine? Um, potentially your microbiome, the aggregate microbes that live in your gut and play a major role in your risk of disease such as obesity, cancer, and diabetes.((Turnbaugh, P., J. et al. “An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest.” Nature 444, no. 7122…
Read More10 Surprising Facts about How Hormones Disrupt Your Health and Weight
Do any of these feel familiar? I’m so tired when I wake up, all I can think about is coffee. I crave sugar, and must eat chocolate every day. My hair is thinning, and my doctor says I’m just getting older. That doesn’t seem right to me. No matter what I try, I can’t lose…
Read MoreAnxiety: 5 Ways to Reset from Anxious to Zen
When most people think of anxiety, they envision someone having a full-blown panic attack, but the truth is that anxiety may show up in subtle and sneaky ways. In fact, from a more Eastern perspective, any time you move away from a feeling of peace, you are experiencing a form of anxiety. Consider the following…
Read MoreDr. Sara Grades Different Forms of Exercise for Women: Tabata Gets ??
You may think that you can’t get something for nothing, but when it comes to exercise, that may not be entirely true. Imagine an exercise routine that could give you that toned, lean body you always wanted, but in less than a quarter of the time. That’s the promise of the Tabata Protocol, a form of…
Read MoreDr. Sara Grades Different Forms of Exercise for Women: CrossFit Gets a ??
When it comes to women and fitness, not all forms of exercises are equal. If you had a chance to read other parts of my series where I grade different forms of exercise, you know that I’m in favor of barre fitness (barre-liever all the way!), Tabata, and Chi Walking. But as a medical doctor…
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