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Gain the Skiers Edge by Eating Right in the Mountains The aim of this article is to discuss how physical activities at high altitude can potentially affect nutritional requirements. Medium altitude is defined as (1500-2500m) at this altitude oxygen saturation remains above 90% but altitude illness is possible. At high altitude (2500-5300m) oxygen saturation falls below 90%, altitude illness is common and acclimatization is necessary. As a poin...

Kelly Parcell, ND Boulder, CO   Iron helps form hemoglobin, the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen and thus plays an important role in the body’s delivery and use of oxygen to and by working muscles. A lack of iron in the body can reduce aerobic capacity and impair endurance performance.  What remains unclear is the extent to which iron depletion without anemia and iron supplementation above basic needs affect athletic per...

Do Men Go Through Menopause?. By Steve Parcell, ND By the time men are between the ages of 40 and 55, they can experience a phenomenon similar to menopause, called andropause.  Alternative names for Andropause have been suggested including the Male Menopause, Androgen Deficiency in Aging Male (ADAM) and Partial Androgen Deficiency in Aging Male (PADAM) .  Unlike women, men do not have a clear-cut benchmark such as the end menstruation to ma...

By Steve Parcell, ND The predecessor of naturopathy may have been the great Jewish philosopher Maimonides (1135-1204) who, in contrast to many of his medical colleagues, downplayed the importance of drugs and surgery and argued that diet, exercise, and mental outlook were the keys to vibrant health. A court physician to the royal family in Cairo, Egypt, his book Preservation of Youth, espoused completely natural healing methods. Written for a dis...

Steve Parcell, ND Erectile dysfunction and low libido are common problems here in my Boulder practice. Should low testosterone be identified as the problem, testosterone administration would be indicated, assuming there are no contraindications such as prostate cancer and there are no obvious neurologic explanations for a lack of sensation such as multiple sclerosis. This is because the integrity of the dorsal nerve is androgen dependent. I...