Conditions

As you probably already know, back pain is a very common complaint. About three in four adults will experience back pain during their lifetime-and that number may very well rise, given our aging population and recent trend of obesity.

Low back pain (pain in your lumbar spine) is the most common. Most back pain comes from sprains and strains caused by stressful movements: lifting something without using proper techniques or a sudden twisting motion are just two examples of how you can hurt your back.

During our lives, many of us will have neck pain, and most of us won't know exactly what caused it. In fact, neck pain can start from a whole range of causes.

Maybe you slept funny and woke up with a crick that won't go away. You might've been rear-ended in your car and now you have whiplash.

You know what it feels like: shooting pain down your leg. You might also have tingling or numbness. Your doctor says it's sciatica, but confusingly enough, sciatica isn't actually a condition.

It's a medical term used to describe symptoms-the shooting pain, tingling, and numbness-caused by a low back condition.

Headaches are one of the most common ailments to affect Australians, with between 75 and 90 per cent of the population suffering one or more headaches in anyone year.

If you have a headache, you're not alone. Some are occasional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing, and some cause debilitating pain and nausea.

Osteoporosis is one of the world's most common chronic diseases. It affects one-third of all women over age 50 thereby making it more common than breast cancer. One in five men also are sufferers, making it more common than prostate cancer.

A new report released by the International Osteoporosis Foundation examines some of the causes behind osteoporosis, and offers several suggestions for people of all ages on how to avoid the condition later in life.

It has been estimated that as many as 30% of people suffer from this prevalent but little understood illness. After years of suspicion we now know that drug antidepressants are of little value. Indeed they are no more effective than a sugar tablet, but can have serious side effects such as increasing the chance of suicide.

So there must be a better way in dealing with this issue that touches millions. Indeed research is uncovering a new role for vitamin, mineral and natural medicines in dealing with this disease.

Rarely a day goes by when I am required to assist a patient that has at least some of their symptoms are actually CAUSED BY their prescribed drug medicaiton.

Indeed some patients are killed or significantly injured by their prescription medication. And it could easily happen to you!

Otitis media is an infection or inflammation of the middle ear, and it's fairly common - affecting thousands of children 6-36 months of age.

In fact, it's estimated that one-third of the child population will experience six or more episodes of otitis media before starting school, and some will endure as many as 12 episodes in a given year.

Food, while nourishing, can also energise or subdue, comfort or agitate. A growing body of evidence implicates diet in the commonly diagnosed attention deficit disorder (ADD).

Simple meal modification may eliminate the need for the frightening array of drugs being prescribed to control children. Diet can mean the difference between a normal childhood and years of difficult behaviour or behaviour-modifying drugs.

In Australia recent reports state that up to 280 people per day are being diagnosed with diabetes.

Because obesity and diabetes often go hand in hand, a new term has been coined to describe our current healthcare crisis: "The Diabesity Epidemic."