ALT MEDICINE  Imagine being diagnosed with cancer. Now imagine being nauseated and fatigued from chemotherapy. You probably want to curl up in a ball, and rest. Snuggle with the cat, maybe, and watch Seinfeld re-runs. Staying active might not sound appealing. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  Bobby definitely knows more than I do. In a Thursday afternoon class at the Aiki Institute of Spokane, the 10-year-old boy wears his experience — an orange belt — around his waist.
Bobby is patient and serious as I nervously laugh: I’m supposed to push him down. He wants me to. And James Landry, the sensei and chief instructor of the Institute’s Roshinkan Aikido dojo, is saying to do it, too. Grab his elbow. Take a step. Push Bobby on the mat. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  The camera zooms in on the bare back of a woman. She rolls around on a bed, slathered in satin sheets, wearing nothing but cut-off panties and a pair of Reebok EasyTone sneakers. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  As a Marine, Erik Seiler served in the infantry from 2003 to 2007. His deployment resumé reads like a checklist of the last decade’s violent situations: Haiti in 2004; Fallujah, Iraq, in 2005; and Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006. Seiler says he first sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after returning from Fallujah. “I had six months back [in the States], and then I had to deploy again. I used it to get my mindset prepared to deploy again. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  Stevia is sweeter than sugar. It’s all-natural — a plant, just like sugar cane. But unlike sugar, stevia sweeteners are calorie-free.
Don’t go throwing out your Splenda stash, though. Stevia hasn’t proven itself tastier — or less controversial — than other sweeteners on the market. Yet. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  Those who say migraines are just really bad headaches have never had one. A migraine — its introduction, its symptoms, its pain and its duration — is an altogether different beast. It comes on like fog to a bay, slowly, steadily and almost imperceptibly. Then you see it, the glitch in your vision experts call the “aura,” and you know what’s coming. The aura grows and, depending on the severity of the migraine, the sufferer can sometimes lose all of her vision, large swaths of her vision or maybe just her peripheral vision. Sight returns, only to be replaced by a sharp headache and nausea. Every light, no matter how dim, and every sound, no matter how quiet, causes pain. Hours, sometimes days, pass in this manner. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  Each year, in late April or early May, when the white flowers of White Camas (Lomatium canbyi) have dried up and the seeds are beginning to toast in the sun, members of the Spokane Tribe slip away to certain rocky scablands to dig white camas and other roots. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  Loki trots slowly through a clearing of spring-growth trees, his caramel color shining against the backdrop of prairie fields and blue skies. His home at Westar Ranch is a picturesque landscape of 110 acres, with white picket fences and horses the color of honey and dark chocolate. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  Costs are up, jobs are down, and the headlines are filled with news of strife and economic uncertainty. It’s enough to make anyone feel stressed.

Stress isn’t just an annoyance; it’s a significant contributor to many major health problems — obvious ones, like heart disease and hypertension, and less obvious conditions including autoimmune disorders and cancer. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  Who can ignore those Facebook ads? Sting, Denise Richards, and champion surfer Kelly Slater all love it. Açaí (“ah-sigh-EE”) has been featured on The Rachel Ray Show. CBS owner and media mogul Sumner Redstone, who’s 85, has publicly credited acai for his vigor and promotes it to his influential friends. Research dermatologist and media darling Dr. Nicholas Perricone has named açaí “the world’s top superfood” for its ability to fight aging. Read More>>