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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…

Here come the holidays… and the potential for weight gain. But if you go into the season with a game plan, you can still indulge without feeling deprived or being desperate to lose weight after the new year…

So many people love running. And there are a lot of solid reasons to. Runners get that release of feel-good brain chemicals known as a runner’s high. They can load up on carbs because they’re burning crazy amounts of calories. But there’s one more thing you may be missing out on if you’re not running…

Remember that there is no safe blood level of lead. It’s been tied to illnesses ranging from mystery military ailments to heart disease. Fortunately, it’s treatable. Chelation is a method of binding up metal molecules so it can be eliminated via the urine. There are also antioxidants that help get your health back…

It takes a lot of experimentation to get the right sleep program that puts you out at night — and most importantly, keeps you out! So, here are some alternative sleep therapies you may want to try.

Subjective age is the term used for that number you give when someone asks, “How old do you feel?” How do you answer? It matters because it’s that sort of thinking that can not only prevent physical disabilities and ailments but can even protect against future dementia and Alzheimer’s…

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.

For those of us who put the pounds on easily and can’t seem to get them off again, here’s some news: It appears some of us actually have an “obesity gene.” This may sound like very bad news, when in fact, it’s not as bad as it sounds. That’s because research found an exercise more powerful than your genes.

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!

I recently read about a U.S. Army veteran who went through years of misdiagnosis and was even accused of faking his health problems by the Army before finding chronic lead poisoning was making him so ill. I’d like to share his story with you and new findings about lead and heart disease…

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.

Menopause symptoms can be miserable. Some women turn to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). But a lot of women don’t feel comfortable with the potential side effects, including a higher breast cancer risk. So, what else can you do? Check out herbs that work just as well…

As you get older, your brain ages with the rest of the body. If you want to keep a better-working brain, here are seven steps you can take to keep your wits about you as you grow older.

Lung cancer is an incredibly scary disease… Not only is it the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women — beating out colon, prostate, ovarian and breast cancers combined — it’s also very sneaky, generally showing no symptoms until it has reached an advanced stage.

This time of year, I start wondering what flu season is going to be like. So I started digging and found my answer: a report from Harvard Medical School confirmed my worst suspicion. In fact, they say that we are likely to have an “active and possibly severe flu season.” Let’s get ready to beat this…

If you’re a smoker who’s tried to quit, you know it’s a hard addiction to fight. But what if you only smoke “once in a while?” Are you safer than those pack-a-day smokers? Well, reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke daily may be the first step to quitting entirely, but you’re far from out of the woods…

You’ve probably heard that trans fat is the unhealthiest kind of fat you can eat. It increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. In fact, they’re so bad they were banned… but you’ll be surprised to learn you may still be eating them and they could increase dementia risk by 50 percent…

The keto diet is a big thing these days. No wonder, since it’s been shown to have the potential to boost weight loss, improve heart health and brain function, and maybe even reduce the risk of cancer. But not everyone should just jump into the keto diet headfirst…

Living with diabetes puts you at greater risk of infection, including skin and respiratory infections. Why? High blood sugar weakens your immune system, leaving you a wide-open target for infectious bacteria. That means you must be vigilant about more than your blood sugar. You must know these signs of infection…

You may know that hypertension in middle age is also associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s later in life. Long-term blood pressure damages vessels in the brain creating “white matter lesions” which can be seen on brain scans. But the good news is that this damage can be reversed…

Once you turn 50, things in your body start to change. We expect some changes in appearance and abilities, but a few of these are just plain weird. If you know they’re coming, you’ll be better prepared for them. You may not be able to reverse them, but there are ways you can continue to feel like yourself and enjoy what’s to come.

For a long time, healthy living and coffee drinking were at odds. But by and large, the perspective on coffee and health has changed a lot in the past 20 years. Why? Because science keeps proving that coffee is good for you. Case in point: A recent study shows coffee brews better gut bacteria…

In 2018, there was a big hullabaloo about the heart health benefits of fish oil. The major news outlets reported on a research review of existing clinical trials on the heart health benefits of fish oil — and found that there really weren’t any. But a bigger, better and higher quality review has all those naysayers eating crow.

There’s been a lot of talk over the last decade about so-called superfoods that have the power to ward off disease, slow aging, and help you stay healthier and more active longer. But one of the really super ones is a drink — tea. And now we know more about its amazing effects on the brain…

You’ve probably read about the benefits of drinking red wine. As long as you stick to a glass or two a day, you can get those protective benefits. However, there are certain times when drinking wine, or any other alcoholic beverage, will do more harm than good. Here are three everyone should be aware of…

If you compare your body to a 7 story building, a healthy gut is the first floor or foundation. Without a proper and strong foundation, all other floors of this building may come crashing down.

Picture this… you’re sleeping soundly in your bed when you’re jolted awake by a burning pain in your big toe joint. It’s swollen, red and tender. You didn’t injure it. So what the heck’s going on? Well, it’s gout, an uncomfortable form of arthritis caused by too much uric acid in your body. Let’s talk about relieving that pain and saving your joints from permanent damage…

The best part about eating fruit is that something so scrumptious can help ward off one of the deadliest diseases in the world. In fact, certain fruits are highly researched for their cancer-fighting abilities. But which are best?

Thousands of midlife women recently responded to a survey about their greatest challenge with exercise. They shared what they most wanted as a result of the “perfect program.” This is how you can get it…

A couple of weeks ago, while rushing around the house, I slipped, fell and cut my head. It wasn’t quite serious enough to necessitate a trip to the hospital. So I put a homemade ointment on it that, within about a week, helped erase just about any sign of the injury.

If you do this simple posture correcting exercise two times per week, it will not only strengthen your core, it will correct your posture, align your muscles and skeletal structure, and relieve the pain associated with muscles that are out of balance and tight.

Kidney problems represent a serious issue for many people who are obese and greatly overweight. But researchers with the Laboratory of Bioactive Substance at the Center of Biotechnology in Tunisia have found that grape seed and skin extract (GSSE) may help prevent this type of kidney damage.

Martial arts were a large part of my early life. I loved the work outs. They were perfect–and I had strength, balance and interval training in those classes–which I now know are excellent for improving nerve growth factors in the brain and improving cardiovascular and pulmonary fitness.

Dessert really isn’t the problem. It’s what we’ve done to it. Done right, dessert can be a healthy part of a balanced diet, and the satisfaction it gives you can go a long way in helping you stick to a healthier way of eating.

I’m not saying that eating certain foods will completely eliminate your joint pain. However, if you choose foods that can reduce pain and discomfort in your joints and avoid those that promote inflammation, you could go a long way toward improving your quality of life and your ability to participate in the activities you enjoy the most.

In addition to black and green tea, there are other teas that are used for specific desired health effects. These range from weight loss and increased energy to improved mood and sleep to fighting off a cold virus.

Exercise is one of the essential things humans need for quality of life. It keeps the blood pumping the heart and lungs active, the tendons and joints pliable. And these exercises are great for developing lower body strength, leg strength, stability, balance, and endurance.

School started back this week. Already, my family’s schedule is full. That’s why I rely heavily on my slow cooker and my freezer during this time of the year.

Without a deep core foundation, muscle-targeting exercises can aggravate or cause back pain. But deep core muscles act as your personal girdle to protect and strengthen. So get ready to flatten your belly safely and effectively!

Remember your 40s? I certainly remember mine… And although I’m approaching the middle of my fifth decade, I’m feeling just as good as I did a decade ago.

“It was only the placebo effect.” Scientists and doctors say that often. And every time, it leaves me flabbergasted. Despite what they’d have you believe, the placebo effect is powerful medicine in its own right…

Certain foods have health benefits so amazing that calling them a “superfood” seems like an understatement. Take the simple black seed that’s been revered in the Middle East for thousands of years…

It may start in the gut, but leaky gut syndrome affects numerous organs and systems throughout the body. For those facing leaky gut syndrome and the food sensitivities that fire it, the first step towards regaining good health is …

Everyone is talking about TEAM USA’s purple spots! The latest rage in athletic performance is an ancient technique found in cultures in Egypt, the Middle East and China. It’s referred to as “cupping” and here’s what it can do for you…

I can’t say enough about the healing power of a perfect night’s sleep. But if yours isn’t, take it seriously. Poor sleep sets you up for three strikes that could put you out of the game… permanently.

If you’re still relying on unfiltered tap water to stay hydrated, you may want to reconsider. Because there’s a very good chance you’re getting more than a sip of cancer-causing chemicals with every swig you take…

Back pain is America’s third leading cause to visit the doctor, behind joint pains and skin disorders. Not only is back pain super common, but it affects young and old alike…

My children and I love to hike. Just this past weekend, we went hiking at the Walls of Jericho nature preserve on the Alabama/Tennessee line. Luckily, we packed snacks. It was a 6-mile hike up and down a mountain.

Mushrooms are among the most powerful botanicals known to man. And a growing body of research confirms the immune-boosting benefits of fungi. But if you think that’s where the benefits stop, get ready to be mind blown…

Back pain is quite common these days and pain pills are not the answer. These moves can strengthen your core muscles, keep your back strong and safe, and prevent back pain when performed regularly.

Seniors fear dementia more than heart attack or stroke. But you can play a game to put your mind at ease–preferably the brain-training game that cuts your risk by 50 percent…

While it may seem you can’t run and you can’t hide from cellulite no matter who you are, once you understand a few things about cellulite, you can get the upper hand… without resorting to drastic measures.

It’s not just a matter of being heavy; when your waistline grows, so does your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. That’s why getting stubborn hormones in check matters.

It’s okay if yoga isn’t your cup of tea. Because you can get some of its benefits in a cup of this tea. And studies have shown that some of its phytochemicals can help prevent skin, liver, oral and lung cancers too.

Having a loose and supple waist, low back and hamstrings is one of the best things to reduce injury and increase feelings of wellbeing in the body. There is a simple exercise that can do it without having to leave the home.