There’s a nutrient that’s absolutely essential to keeping muscles strong and healthy. If you’re not getting enough of this, you could be headed down a dark road to chronic illness and a loss of independence. And I’m not just talking about your body, but your brain too. When muscles shrink, so does your brain…

You might remember the first Pap smear you ever went through. It’s one of the most important things you can do for your health, though none of us look forward to it. Thing is… the Pap test can identify cervical cancer in the early stages — when it’s not too late to save your life. So don’t let age hold you back!

When you go for your yearly checkup, one of the boxes you’ll have to check on their forms is about whether you’re taking hormone therapy drugs. While it does come with some benefits, it’s been discovered that the risk it carries has been dramatically underrepresented…

Doctors prescribe statins to control cholesterol levels and protect the heart. Ironically, these very same statins could make it more likely that diabetes could develop, which weakens blood vessels, which can make you a target for heart disease. And round and round it goes…

If any disease desperately needs new treatment options, it’s Alzheimer’s. It’s been 17 years since a new drug was approved. And right now, the treatments available only offer minor symptoms relief. In the fight against this devastating and stubborn disease, hope is a very good thing, and it starts in your gut…

Research has shown that exercise helps keep dementia at bay. There’s a pretty logical connection here: Poor sleep is a known dementia risk factor. Physical activity promotes better and deeper sleep, for one thing. Of all the “exercise” you can partake in, some of the best for your brain involve no sweating at all…

More than 75 percent of Americans take vitamins. In the over 35 group, that number goes up to an impressive 81 percent. Yet, with all of the vitamins we’re taking, there’s one that many people don’t know about in spite of multiple clinical studies that have proven the necessity of the vitamin for fighting off age-related concerns.

When you first start eating a healthy diet, you feel fantastic. You have more energy. Maybe you even resolve long-standing health issues. But despite the amazing benefits (or perhaps because of them), healthy eating can easily become an obsession. This obsession even has a name — and it’s considered an eating disorder.

Jim was a patient of mine years back. He had come to me for holistic advice on heart health. His doctors were recommending statins to control his cholesterol. When Jim came to see me later in the year, I was struck by his decline. That’s when we discussed easing him off drugs and starting a recovery program…

Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s. Its causes and risk factors are different from AD, its symptoms show up differently, and it’s much more under our control. Symptoms of vascular dementia can vary. Here’s what to watch for and how to identify your risk…

Because obesity is a factor in so many health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer, it’s estimated that the extra weight Americans carry is responsible for one in five deaths. But a compound found in a certain green fruit could help not only kick obesity to the curb but diabetes with it!

Getting back in shape after you’ve let your physical fitness slide for years (or decades) isn’t easy. But if you can break through the wall of negative thoughts and get your butt moving, you’ll find some pretty amazing benefits waiting for you. And the older and more out of shape you are, the better these benefits are.