Health - Elson Haas, M.D.

Health Articles

Winter Detox starts Jan. 16th

The New Year is an excellent time for a detox to reset your body after the Holidays. Join me on Saturday, January 16th at 10:30 AM for a 2 week healing journey.

Personally, I have been doing various detoxification and cleansing programs for over 40 years and it is a healing approach I offer to many of my patients with very positive results over many years. This article is an overview of my thoughts on this important topic.

The Flu and What You Can Do

I talk a lot about seasonal health, but what about seasonal disease? We are now in the midst of the flu season in the US and there are real concerns over the combination of Covid-19 and the regular flu virus. Here are some thoughts about what we can do to protect ourselves.

10 Tips for Staying Healthy this Winter

Even in normal times, it can be difficult to Stay Healthy during the Winter season and this year we have the added challenges of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, so it is more important than ever to take good care of ourselves. I hope these tips will help.

10 Tips for Autumn Health 2020

As the seasons change it is always valuable to look ahead and prepare. This is especially true when Autumn comes as the shorter days and cooler weather can impact our health and this year we have the pandemic as well. Here are my 2020 Autumn Tips.

The Glycemic Index and Sugar in our Diet

The use, overuse and abuse of sugar in the typical American lifestyle are increasingly known to be significant factors in creating poor health and chronic disease, especially among young people. The Glycemic Index is a useful tool in managing sugar in our diet.

Food Combining

Given the basic American eating habits, proper food combining may appear to be a fanatic indulgence contrary to the popular concept of a “balanced meal.” Don’t be fooled. This is a valuable way to think about what you eat and when.

Have Fun Sprouting!

Growing sprouts of all kinds indoors is a great way to add fresh chlorophyll plus protein, vitamins and minerals to your diet when the cooler climate may mean less fresh, leafy green veggies in your garden or at the farmers’ markets.

Acid Alkaline Balance

Each food when metabolized in the body breaks down into acid or alkaline elements. The body is normally slightly alkaline, the blood pH being 7.41. A diet that consists of 70-80% alkaline forming foods will keep eliminative and nervous systems strong. Use my simple guide to review your food choices from an acid-alkaline perspective.

What is Energy Medicine?

Energy Medicine is a very broad term covering many different approaches to health and healing. My introduction to this fascinating field was learning about Traditional Chinese Medicine over 40 years ago. While modern science is still skeptical about many such topics, my experience tells me that this will change in the years to come.

NEW Medicine Class Video

The video of my free online class in July about integrating Natural, Eastern and Western approaches for optimal health is now available on YouTube.

Staying Healthy in Troubled Times Video

The video of my free class in June, called Staying Healthy in Troubled Times, is now up on Youtube.

10 Tips for a Healthy Summer

Our connection with nature and the seasons of the year is a key part of Staying Healthy – even more so now during the unprecedented challenges of the ongoing pandemic. Here are some suggestions for changing your lifestyle activities to align with Summer.

10 Tips for Enhanced Immunity

With continuing concern over COVID-19, I have put together these 10 Tips for immune support and preventing viral infections. I hope you find them helpful. I have also put together posts offering stress reduction tips and other resources for these chalenging times.

Healthy Tools for Home Schools

Even though shelter-in-place is relaxing in most parts of the country, the schools are still closed and many families have children at home needing creative learning activities. It’s the perfect time for The Anatomix Comic Songbook and CD, which Dr. Haas helped create to offer fun health education for young children.

Getting Ready for Summer

Staying Healthy with the Seasons was the title of my first book and it is also a key part of my approach to health and healing. Aligning our lifestyle with the changing seasons is a proactive approach to better health. Let’s get ready for Summer!

Staying Healthy in Summer

Adjusting our activities and habits to the changing seasons is one way to practice Lifestyle Medicine. I recommend taking this approach in 5 key areas of our lives: Nutrition – Exercise – Stress – Sleep and Attitude. I also apply these principals to my personal health regimen.

Stress Reduction & Mindfulness Resources

Even if we are not impacted by the disease itself most of us are experiencing periods of stress caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Chronic stress – persistent and continuous – is its own health threat, but fortunately there are lots of excellent stress management resources online and many of them are free right now. Please send us your suggestions.

Resources for Challenging Times

The longer this pandemic lasts the more we need to find resources to support us as we shelter in place. Many online options have opened up in the last month. Here are a few suggestions – please send us links to what you are finding helpful.

My 10 Tips for the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

If there is any good news to be found in the current pandemic perhaps it is the environmental benefits appearing all over the world. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, let’s see what each of can do to build on this hard won progress.

10 Tips for a Healthy Spring 2020

Spring 2020 brings truly extra-ordinary health challenges for individuals, communities, countries and the planet as a whole. I am shifting focus from my usual Spring Cleanse online program to Immune Support. There’s a lot we can do to enhance our immunity and reduce the stress we feel.

10 Tips for Exercise & Fitness

As the weather warms, we start thinking about changing our exercise routine to align with the new season. Here are my 10 Tips for Fitness along with my own weekly exercise schedule as an example of how you might make your own plan.

What to do for the Winter Blues?

Some studies suggest that as many as 20-25% of adults in the US suffer from some symptoms of depression during the Winter months. Are you one of them?

Welcome Winter!

Let’s follow the advice of Hippocrates, often called the Father of Western Medicine, who said “pay attention to the seasons of the year and what affects they have on our health.” Ideally, we do pay attention to seasonal changes and adapt our lifestyle accordingly. Here are my 10 Tips for Staying Healthy in Winter.

Teaching at Ceres on Feb 26th

One of my maxims as an integrative doctor could be “Food is Medicine” and the CERES Community project, a non-profit based in my hometown of Sebastopol, California, takes that idea to a whole new level. They provide meals to people in the community who have serious illnesses.

Tips for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

During the recent Kincade wildfire in California Wine Country I was evacuated from my home while at the same time losing electricity at my home and clinic for several days because PG&E turned off power in hope of preventing further fires. It made me think about this article I wrote a couple of years ago.

Healing Sleep Class and more

If you couldn’t be part of my recent HEALING SLEEP Class online, I’m happy to report that the recording is now posted on Youtube. Check out this article to learn more about the class video and other resources for better sleep and improved health.

Staying Healthy as the Seasons Change

Being attentive to the cycles of our planet’s seasons and how they affect our life and health is really one of the simple yet key concepts in my integrative medicine philosophy and practice. Maintaining balance during the Summer to Autumn transition can be challenging.

On the Cover of Woman’s World

I have been featured in Woman’s World several times over the years so I am happy to be contributing to the publication again. The issue dated August 26th featured me on the cover with a two page article inside about detox focussed on liver cleansing.

How to Regain Your Natural Energy

If you want to Regain Your Natural Energy then first address Stimulation Sedation Syndrome: it’s a term I have coined to describe the way many people live in our modern society—using stimulating and sedating substances to manage their moods and energy—often resulting in chronic fatigue and exhaustion.

OMTimes Cover

Check out this issue of OMTimes which features me on the cover and an extensive article on my work.

Allergies – an Integrated approach

Allergies are a common, often disruptive and uncomfortable experience for many of us, and during the Spring-to-Summer transition we’re in allergy season. From an integrative medicine point of view, most allergic symptoms are seen as the body’s attempt to cleanse itself and detoxify, so how can we best address this problem?

Sebastopol Living Magazine article

I have lived near the town of Sebastopol in N. California for over 25 years so it was nice to be featured on the cover of Sebastopol Living in May with a nice article entitled The People’s Doctor. I will also be offering my Integrative Health services in town through the Sonoma County Health Academy. Read on to learn more

Best of Marin 3 Years in a Row!

I am very happy to announce that my clinic – The Preventive Medical Center of Marin – has been voted Best Holistic Center by the 2019 Pacific Sun reader’s poll. This makes it 3 years in a row that we’ve received this accolade.

Staying Healthy in Spring

Staying Healthy with the Seasons is both the title of my first book and one of the key principles of my health philosophy and practice. Here are some thoughts about what you can do to align with the energy of the season

A First Step to Better Sleep

Sleep is one of my 5 Keys to Staying Healthy, but we often don’t appreciate how important it is to our wellbeing until we’re not sleeping well. Here are some initial steps for sleep improvement.

My OmTimes Radio interview

I was recently interviewed by Sharon Sayler of OMTimes Radio. It was a wide ranging discussion of integrative health and healing which I hope you’ll enjoy.

10 Tips for Healing Sleep

This is the latest addition to my popular 10 TIPS series.

My Voiceamerica Interview

Listen to Dr. Haas on The Wellness Connection with Peter McCarthy and Rhadia Gleis – Thursday, February 21st 2019 at 12 Noon Pacific.

Love is in the Air!

During this Valentine’s Day season let’s consider the effect of Love on our health.

Recent Press & Influencer mentions

Check out a new blog page that summarizes all recent articles and posts that mention or include me and my healing work. It is updated regularly and you can also read each article directly from the blog.

What is the Stimulation Sedation Syndrome?

Stimulation Sedation Syndrome: It’s a term I have coined to describe the way many people live in our modern society—using stimulating and sedating substances to manage their moods and energy—often resulting in chronic fatigue and exhaustion.

35th Anniversary for PMCM

Recently I celebrated the 35 year anniversary of my clinic – The Preventive Medical Center of Marin. It was a fun evening with with my fellow healing practitioners and staff.

2019 Costa Rica Retreat – Save the Date

I am excited to announce my participation in 4 day wellness retreat at the award-winning Alma del Pacifico Resort in Costa Rica.

Check out this recent podcast

Check out my recent podcast interview with Dr. Brett Hill and George Bryant, two of Australia’s leading wellness experts, also known as the Paleo Guys.

Health advice for wildfire smoke

My condolences for all who have been affected by the current wildfires. Last year I put together these suggestions for protecting your health from the adverse effects of thick smoke in the air. Unfortunately we’re seeing a similar situation this Fall, so I am sharing them again.

Winter Detox Online

The New Year is an ideal time to reset you body after all the Holiday eating and drinking and a 2 week detox is a great way to begin 2020 SAVE the DATE and join me on January 18th for the first of 3 LIVE WEBINARS that are part of my annual online course.

Autumn Detox Online

The transition from Summer to Autumn is an ideal time to consider detoxing. Dr. Haas has been leading 2-3 week seasonal detox programs at his clinic for 40 years and he is now offering this opportunity online. Read on the learn more.

Seasonal Eating

Aligning our eating patterns with the changing of the seasons is one of the main tenets of my health philosophy so I am pleased to be inlcuded in this recent article in Experience Life magazine.

What is an Elimination Diet?

Learn more about the difference between regular detox cleansing programs and an elimination diet which helps you identify potential food sensitivities and reactions – based on Elson’s book “The False Fat Diet.”

Politics, Medicine and War

Part of my goal as a doctor is “first do no harm.” By contrast a lot of modern medicine derives from an attack and conquer mentality that has more to do with the ideology of politics or warfare. How can we reconcile these approaches?

Integrity, Healing and Peace

Let’s continue our exploration of this philosophy of politics, war and peace and how it permeates many parts of our life where an “attack and conquer” mentality often prevails, and this includes our relationships with others and most importantly with our one and only self.

Nourishing our Children

The lifestyle choices we learn as children often stay with us our whole life and they can have long term positive of negative health consequences. It is so important to teach children the basics of good health so they have a sound foundation.

Heart Disease & Special Nutrients

The bad news is that heart disease is one of the main causes of death in the US – the good news is that there are a lot of things we can do to lessen the risk. These well known lifestyle factors include nutrition, exercise and stress. Here I offer some more specific heart related nutrient information.

Male Aging, Hormone Support, & Prostate Health

For most men, whether we can ultimately alter our longevity is not as important as enhancing our health and vitality as we age. It’s the quality and vitality of life that matters, not merely the quantity.

An Integrated Approach to Depression

Depression is much more common than we realize, especially in its mild to moderate forms. Pharmaceutical drugs are the preferred treatment nowadays, but there are many integrative medicine approaches that can help.

Weight Loss Diets & Healthy Eating

It seems that every month or so there’s some new diet that promises better health and/or weight loss. While being overweight is a problem we still need to eating healthily as we address this issue. Here are my suggestions for how to find balance.

ADHD and Nutrition

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADAD, has become more common in recent decades and while genetics play their part there are many lifestyle factors we should take into account as we address this disorder.

Eating Healthy at School and Work

These simple guidelines will help you maintain good nutrition during the day when you are at work or your kids are at school. When we are busy it is easy to grab whatever food is quick or available and most often these are not good health choices.

Where are you on the Health Continuum?

Many of my patients don’t address their healthcare until they get sick. This is a reactive approach to health care and I encourage people to become proactive instead.

Bladder Health for Women

Dr. Haas draws on 40 years of practice and the experience of his clinic’s nurse practitioner, Judy Lane, to present the causes, treatment and prevention of this widespread and potentially painful condition.

My Annual Spring Cleanse Program Online

Every year I lead a Spring Cleanse class at my clinic in Northern California – The Preventive Medical Center of Marin – and now I am offering a live-hosted webinar-based online course sharing all that I have learned about this vital component of a healthy lifestyle.

My Seasonal Health Plan

With this natural, seasonal approach you are aligning yourself with the energy of Nature, which is after all the source of all health and healing.

Nutrition that’s Good for Each of Us and Planet Earth?

I believe that good nutrition is a cornerstone of great health, and when talking about food, my focus is often very personal – how each of us can find and maintain our optimal diet, but there is also a bigger question – is there a way of eating that promotes health both for people and our precious planet Earth?

10 Tips for Colds and the Flu

Here are my tips for preventing and treating colds and the flu – common diseases, especially in the winter months, that can be troublesome and even serious for young and old alike.

Toxins – too close for comfort

I believe that one of the main causes of dis-ease is cellular dysfunction caused primarily by a deficiency of needed nutrients and toxicity. Personal care products are one of the most common yet overlooked sources of environmental toxicity.

10 Tips on Staying Healthy in Winter

The colder and damper climate of the winter season can be one of the most challenging to our health and in addition we have colds and the flu to deal with. Here are my 10 tips for staying healthy during Winter.

10 Tips on Wise Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol is a big part of the way our society relaxes and celebrates, but if consumed unwisely it can have negative health consequences from simple ones like disturbed sleep patterns to more serious conditions.

Constipation & Diarrhea: Causes and Remedies

This is the concluding part of my three part introduction to treating common digestive problems. Here I discuss Constipation and Diarrhea which most of us have likely experienced at one time or another, with the resulting discomfort.

Indigestion and Heartburn: Causes and Remedies

Causes & Remedies for Common Digestive Problems – Part 2: Indigestion, Nausea and Heartburn
Part of a brief three-part overview of how to deal with some common intestinal symptoms. Offers some simple home remedies that may help to correct these common digestive problems.

Gas and Bloating: Causes and Remedies

Advice from Dr. Elson Haas about the causes of and remedies for gas and bloating, amongst the most common intestinal symptoms and dysfunctions.

10 Tips for Preventing & Treating Mild or Moderate Depression

Mild and moderate depression is a common problem for many people, from teens to the aged and everyone in between, but some simple lifestyle changes can help

10 Tips on your Heat and your Health

Keeping your body warm can be an important part of staying healthy in the cooler months so use these tips to help you with your personal central heating

10 Tips for Preventing Cancer

Cancer is one of the greatest fears of modern societies, but many cancers are largely preventable with lifestyle changes identified in the tips

A Great Time for Summer Detox

By August, there’s typically a bounty of fruits and vegetables in gardens and at local markets. That bounty includes virtually all of Mother Nature’s best aids in detoxing our bodies and infusing our systems with nutrients to achieve optimal health and an optimal weight

Self Care and Stress Reduction

It seems as though every week there is some new research confirming the negative impact of stress on our health. Stress can come in many forms and often it is quite personal. The good news is that we can learn to manage this mental-emotional part of our lives.

10 Tips for Preventing Heart Disease

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. so it is wise to address prevention as soon and as often as possible. These 10 Tips, published in Total Health magazine are a good place to begin. Link

Dental Pain or Mental Pain?

Pain management is an important part of mind-body medicine and in this post I explore the topic through my own experience at the dentist’s office – a place that provokes anxiety in most people.

What is NEW Medicine?

NEW Medicine is a unique combination of Natural, Eastern and Western approaches to optimal health developed and refined over the last 40 years by pioneering integrative physician Elson Haas MD.

The “N” of NEW – Natural Medicine

Before modern medicine, Nature was all we had to rely upon to heal us and we sometimes forget that even with all our amazing scientific advances it is still the body’s natural ability to heal that underlies all medicine

The “E” of NEW – Eastern Medicine

The best known form of Eastern Medicine is Traditional Chinese Medicine and my discovery and study of this ancient healing system back in the 1970’s was a key to understanding a truly integrative approach to healing that I now call NEW Medicine.

The “W” of NEW – Western Medicine

This is the form of medicine that we are familiar with in the US and most modern societies. It has brought unprecedented benefits in diagnosis and treatment for many diseases that have plagued humankind for centuries. Yet, like many other scientific advances, it has its limts and its dangers.

How to be the Best Patient

Let’s explore what it takes to the the best patient you can be so you can get the most from your Patient-Doctor relationship

What to look for in your Doctor-Patient Relationship

The relationship we have with our doctor, or primary care provider, is key to taking responsibility for our health care. Here are the 11 qualities that I think are essential to an ideal Doctor-Patient Relationship.

10 TIPS for Healthy Aging in Women

Healthy aging can be enhanced by wise lifestyle choices at any age. Many of these apply to both men and women, but some are gender specific.

The Politics of Sugar

Not only do we need to pay attention what food we buy and consume, but also what nutrition information we ingest and digest.

Making Progress with Sugar?

Some goods news about sugar – the nation’s largest drugstore chain, CVS, has announced that it is reducing space devoted to junk food and devoting more space to nutritious food and health products.

10 Tips on Healthy Aging for Men

Here are my 10 tips for how men can approach the aging process in a natural and healthy way – as published in Total Health Magazine

10 Tips on Weight Gain and Food Cravings

The problems of obesity and being overweight are a health crisis of epidemic proportions in our country. It is a complex problem, but these simple steps are a place to start with prevention and treatment.

What are the 5 Keys to Staying Healthy?

Each component of your lifestyle has a positive or negative impact on your health. Here we explore five interconnected keys to lifestyle enhancement that can greatly improve the quality of your overall wellbeing.

The 5 Keys – NUTRITION

Nutrition provides your body with fuel to promote growth, maintenance and all vital functions – it is a cornerstone of health. It is also an area of life where we can have significant control and therefore great positive effect on our wellbeing.

The 5 Keys – EXERCISE

A sedentary lifestyle is hazardous to your health. Your commitment to physical activity is one of the most important facilitators of healthy living

The 5 Keys – STRESS

Your stress-management techniques should always contribute to your greater emotional and physical health – change your circumstances or change your responses! Learn to not react, but to respond.

The 5 Keys – SLEEP

During sleep, the entire body restores itself. Your immune, nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems all require good sleep. Everyone’s individual sleep needs are different, but your mental, emotional and physical health benefit when you get plenty of rest!

The 5 Keys – ATTITUDE

Attitude is the 5th Key to staying healthy, but it could easily be the first! Our attitudes influence our lifestyle choices and they directly affect our health on many levels.

5 Keys and 5 Elements

My studies of the 5 Elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine inspired me to create The 5 Keys to Staying Healthy – a simple, practical way for you to begin actually improving your health day by day rather than just waiting to get sick before you act.

Detoxification and the Detox Diet

In several of my books I have referred to detoxification as the missing link in western nutrition. I have come to this conclusion through my own personal detox experiences and working with thousands of patients in my clinic.

Integrity, Healing and Peace

Is Cuba’s healthcare better than ours at 1/10th the cost?

Cuba’s per capita cost for health care is just over $800 per year while in the US it is over $9,400, yet the two countries have almost identical rankings in the World Health Organization’s assessment of health outcomes.

Winter Detox – Daily Menu Plan

A useful daily menu guide for detox during the colder Winter months

10 Tips for Healthy Detox

Detoxification has been a core healing principle and practice for me since I did my first cleanse in 1975. I believe it is the missing link in modern healthcare and nutritional medicine, and my book The Detox Diet tells you everything you need to know to get started.

10 Tips for Stress Reduction

Managing stress is one of my 5 Keys to Staying Healthy. These 10 Tips will help.

Keys to Prostate Health

Prostate health is a key issue for men especially as they age. Dr. Elson Haas outlines integrative medical approaches to prevention and treatment of various prostate conditions.

10 Tips for a Better Diet

Dr. Elson Haas offers his 10 tips for a better diet. He applies integrative medicine which combines Natural, Eastern and Western approaches to improve health in a balanced, natural and effective way.

10 Tips on Staying Healthy with Water

How much water do we need? Learn from Dr Elson Haas how correct hydration is crucial to your health.

10 Tips For Good Digestion

Nutrition may be the key to health, but its not just what we eat, but what we assimilate that’s key so a healthy digestion is central to our wellbeing and vitality. Follow these 10 tips from Dr. Elson Haas, author of Staying Healthy with Nutrition.

10 Tips For Emotional Well-Being & Heart Health

Dr. Elson Haas offers his top 10 tips for improving your emotional well-being and heart health! Drawing on more than 40 years of experience, he advocates positive change through better lifestyle and stress reduction habits.

10 Tips for The False Fat Diet: How to Minimize Food Reactions

Dr. Elson Haas presents his top 10 tips for minimizing food reactions based on his book The False Fat Diet.

10 Tips to Enlightened Eating

Food is an essential part of everyday life and a key component of your natural health. Read these top 10 tips from Dr. Elson Haas on achieving an enlightened eating plan and see how you can make strides at your very next breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

10 Tips on Healing Naturally and the Nature of Healing

Using an integrated medicine approach, blending Natural, Eastern and Western concepts and treatments, Dr. Elson Haas challenges you to revitalize your body and mind through practical, simple and effective steps each and every day.

10 Health Resolutions for the New Year

I have promoted a seasonal approach to health since I wrote his first book Staying Healthy with the Seasons in 1981. The New Year gives us a chance to review our health habits and plan to make a positive change. I hope these 10 tips will help you make improve your health in the coming year.

10 Tips for Nourishing our Children

Dr. Elson Haas has written extensively about children’s health and diet. It is never to soon to start developing healthy habits. His expertise draws on more than 40 years of private family practice in the field of Integrative medicine and he invites you to use these tips to help your own kids!