When you think of oregano, what first comes to mind? If you are a fan of either Greek or Italian food, you should almost certainly be picturing a fresh Greek salad of cucumbers, olives, onions, and feta cheese, with dried oregano sprinkled on top. Like many other culinary herbs and spices, oregano has also been around for centuries as a medicinal herb for a wide variety of conditions and illnesses. What are some of these conditions, and how might oregano help?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than one in three Americans can be labeled as obese. Not overweight. Not slightly pudgy. Obese. This puts these individuals at risk for serious health conditions like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, even raising their risk of cancer. Obesity can also affect people financially as individuals who are obese pay out roughly $1,429 more in medical costs than those who are able to achieve and maintain a healthier weight.

The thymus gland is perhaps one of the least-understood organs in the human body. It actually starts working before you are born, and will gradually be replaced by fatty tissue, beginning after puberty, until it is completely replaced once you reach your 70s.1,2 Furthermore, your thymus will become less effective as it shrinks in size. Despite its relatively short lifespan, compared to other body organs, the thymus serves some vital functions to keep your body healthy.

You have no doubt come across a number of news stories talking about how this current flu season has been particularly bad, compared to previous years. Not only are more people coming down with the flu, but there have been increased rates of visits to the hospital that can be attributed to the flu. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) states that the rate of flu-related outpatient visits for this flu season so far rose to 7.7 percent, which is a significant increase from the usual rate of 2.2 percent.

As a DC, you can probably pick out which patients will have relatively straightforward health issues that can easily be addressed. A patient with neck or back pain will generally start to see relief from having their vertebrae shifted back into proper alignment with a series of spinal adjustments. However, not all of your patients will be this easy to treat. You will invariably have more complicated patients at some point during your career.