Is early detection of cancer going to the dogs? You be the judge. Scientists have discovered that a dog's sense of smell can be trained to detect cancer in people.

It was his cough that led him to the store to seek some relief with a cough syrup, and it was the dizzying array of cough syrups that prompted him to call me from the supermarket aisle for advice.

The following fruits and vegetables are the most likely to be contaminated by pesticides, according to research conducted by the USDA and FDA.

Scientists in Germany have discovered that the vitamin C in grapefruit can significantly reduce the gum bleeding and inflammation associated with periodontal disease.

According to a recent study in Physiology and Behavior, the term "comfort food" has different meanings for men and women.

Scientists at the University of North Carolina have discovered that a lack of selenium is associated with arthritis of the knee.

A recent study says the same anti-inflammatory properties that make fish oil so effective in preventing heart disease may also work to combat the inflammation that triggers exercise-induced asthma.

If I were grading the PSA test for prostate cancer, I would say it definitely flunks.

According to a recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, bilberries (a European cousin of the blueberry) may help improve night vision in people who are nearsighted.

Q: I was very interested to learn that Adelle Davis started you on your path to nutrition and healing.

Q: I’m so mad I just had to write! In case you hadn’t heard, here in Vermont, Blue Cross/Blue Shield has stopped covering prescriptions for bio-identical estrogens. When I didn’t know any better and took that horse-estrogen junk, the insurance covered it. When I used one of those hormone patches, Blue Cross/Blue Shield covered that, too.

Let me just say this right up front: Don’t let your grandkids get the hepatitis B vaccine. It was designed specifically for “high-risk” groups: drug users, prostitutes, and others. When these groups wouldn’t cooperate with the hepatitis B vaccination program, los Federales decided that, suddenly, your children and grandchildren “need” to be vaccinated, even though their risk of hepatitis B is small. What makes this shift in focus more outrageous is that giving children the hepatitis B vaccination triples their risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

A couple of months ago, I read an article in my local paper, the Tacoma News Tribune, about the FDA’s plans to investigate the safety of elevated mercury levels in millions of cans of light tuna. David Acheson, the FDA’s chief medical officer, said the agency had been unaware that some canned light tuna is made with a species that is often high in mercury. “We will definitely look at it through our office of seafood and determine whether there is something that requires further pursuit,” he said.

Using saw palmetto to treat prostate problems isn’t news: Tons of research has proven its effectiveness in treating an enlarged prostate and has shown that it’s even more effective than conventional drugs. But what you may not know is that there’s a way to make this already proven remedy even more effective in treating an enlarged prostate (also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH).

It’s been known for more than 70 years that a severe deficiency of niacin, a form of vitamin B3, can lead to dementia in a relatively short period of time. But now we know that for some people, even a slight deficiency over a much longer time period could have the same devastating effects.

When you hear about folic acid, it’s typically in regard to pregnancy and preventing birth defects. And while that is extremely important, I want to make sure that the rest of us don’t overlook its significance in our health and vitality as well.

People send in all types of information to the Tahoma Clinic. Every week we receive dozens of newspaper and magazine articles, books, audio and videotapes, and printouts from the Internet. Believe it or not, we do look through them all (although we don’t always read every word).

Just because you don’t have a family history of the disease doesn’t necessarily mean you have a “Get out of jail free” card when it comes to Alzheimer’s. In fact, according to a 1989 Harvard-affiliated hospital study of 3,623 older individuals, 47.2 percent of everyone over 85 years old had “probable” Alzheimer’s disease.1 That’s nearly half! A dismal prospect, at best.

IN THIS ISSUE: Bio-identical hormones (and 3 other ways) to beat the odds of developing Alzheimer’s; 101 benefits of fish oil; Your checklist for Alzheimer’s prevention; Rush Limbaugh gets the flu; What every woman needs to know before becoming pregnant; A new twist on the tried-and-true prostate treatment