Latest Stories

It’s a radical thought for many of us that we can cure ourselves. After all, we’re not doctors, right? But when it comes to mental illness, especially depression, we should probably take another look at this statement.

Restless leg syndrome is a harmless disease, or is it? It is true that restless leg isn’t caused by a serious medical problem. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t serious. People with this mysterious disease (doctors still don’t know exactly what causes it) face major risks that people without this disease don’t have…

Hearing loss is pretty much a given with age. Approximately one in three people in the United States between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss, and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing. But, of all the diseases and conditions we face with age, is hearing loss that bad?

We all get aches and pains, but when it’s your chest we’re talking about… well, that’s always concerning. Could it be heartburn or something serious? The body’s signals can be confusing, but when the signal comes from your chest, the stakes are too high to ignore. How do you know when to seek medical attention?

My mom and I are so similar it’s almost scary. We like the same foods. We share a lot of the same hobbies and mannerisms. We’re a true testament to the power of genes. But there’s at least one area where we’re opposites. Mom’s a slow eater and research shows if I don’t change my ways, I’ll be paying for it…

It’s that time of year again. Over 900,000 Americans get pneumonia every year, usually following a cold or flu bug. And it looks like a lot of those cases could be avoided. In fact, researchers have recently found just how important this one element is in your diet for fighting off pneumonia-causing bacteria…

It’s a moment most of us dread… You bend down to put on a sock, pick up a bar of soap, pet your dog, get into a yoga pose and — youch! — your lower back spasms. Suddenly, you can’t stand up straight. So, you’re out of commission for days, again! What can you do to find real relief from low back pain?

While you can’t change your chronological age, it is now proven that your biological age is influenced by your testosterone and estradiol levels. That’s according to newer studies which measure correlations between these hormone levels and chromosomal telomeres. First let me explain about telomeres and their important relationship to biological age…

We’ve all experienced a stressful event in our lives where we were completely overwhelmed. Our hearts beat faster, our hands started shaking and the world seems to close in around us. But then things got better… or did they?

Balanced blood sugar isn’t just about eliminating foods. It’s also about adding foods that help your body process sugar better. If you’re looking for a few blood sugar-friendly options to add to your grocery list this week, try these five foods.

Raise your hand if you’ve had a medical scan in the past year? We’re lucky to have technology like CTs, MRIs and X-rays. They let us see inside our bodies to figure out what’s wrong… and potentially save our lives. But you know the saying “too much of a good thing”? That applies to medical scans too…

Beyond genetics, most doctors look at your risk of dementia as a crapshoot. But the more research uncovers about its causes, the more you can do to prevent it. That’s why a new study out of Michigan State University was so interesting since it found a significant link between relationship status and dementia risk.

Beta cells are the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. Your body uses this insulin to manage blood sugar. People with type 2 diabetes have beta cells that don’t produce enough insulin. But based on this latest study, ginkgo biloba could fix that…

Some experts say fasting is great, not only for weight loss but also to enhance overall health. But how do you choose the right technique for you? If weight loss, longevity and avoiding disease are your goals, a study found some pretty amazing results that may give you the answer you need…

Hemorrhagic strokes (bleeding on the brain) are more difficult to treat and more likely to be deadly. Sounds pretty scary. But things got even scarier when news of a study came out warning of a two-fold increase in the risk of these strokes in women with low LDL cholesterol levels. Should you be concerned?

Kombucha. Keifer. Bone broth. There are plenty of drinks that encourage good bacteria to throw a party in your gut. There are also plenty of drinks that cause bad bacteria to crash that party: Soda. Diet drinks. Juices. And alcohol, which causes an unhealthy imbalance in your microbiome. But wait a sec…

Look at any web article on heart disease or any health-related magazine on the shelf at your local grocery store and you’ll find recommendation upon recommendation for the type of diet you should eat to keep your heart healthy. That’s why you may be surprised at what they found about the top three…

Exercising is one of the best ways to lower your blood pressure. In fact, getting more exercise can lower your systolic blood pressure as much as some medications. That’s empowering. But before you rest all your hopes of taming your blood pressure on your exercise regimen, you need to know…

We all know that one person who eats Taco Bell every day for lunch and TombStone frozen pizza every night, but still wears a size two skinny jean. Or that person whose idea of a diet is ordering a Filet-O-Fish instead of a Big Mac, so they get fewer calories. But eating like this could steal something from you…

Despite all our technological and medical advancements, Lyme disease isn’t being diagnosed accurately and efficiently. It takes a few weeks, leaving people untreated and at higher risk of long-term consequences. But a new diagnostic tool is in the works that could prevent all that unnecessary suffering…

Flu season is just around the corner and you know what that means, right? Soon everyone around you is going to be coughing, sneezing and spreading those virulent germs. Not at my house — if I can help it! We’ve already amped up immune-boosting efforts, starting with some essential immune-boosting supplements…

Sometimes warnings to live healthier just aren’t enough to give us the kick in the pants we need to change our habits. Now though, there’s a new warning for everyone who is overweight or obese that just might be the wakeup call that does the trick… Especially if you have concerns about Alzheimer’s.

If you live in a major metropolitan area like New York or Los Angeles, you’d expect to pay more for many consumer goods. I found this out (in reverse) when I moved from New York City to a small town in Maine. But should the same rules apply to a blood test, MRI or even life-saving surgery?

Most of your life, you’ve used aspirin to minimize everyday ailments… To fend off a splitting headache. To ease aching joints. To make a bad back bearable. But word on the street is, aspirin has much grander talents than that.

You know those people who can sleep for a few hours a night and wake up refreshed? They roll out of bed energetic and bright-eyed after four hours of sleep and hit the ground running. And weirdly enough they escape the health-related downsides of sleep deprivation that most of us won’t. Here’s why…

If you have diabetes, you understand what a dangerous disease it is. If your blood sugar stays too high for too long, it can lead to heart disease, kidney failure, and even blindness. But, did you know that low blood sugar can be just as dangerous?

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss for people over the age of 60. While, the medical community has known for some time that wet AMD is caused by the development of leaky blood vessels in the eye, the initial cause behind dry AMD has remained a mystery, till now.

Humans are social creatures. So it’s not surprising that people who feel isolated get sick more often. Ongoing loneliness is a very real risk factor for chronic health conditions like heart disease and stroke. These are a few reasons why breaking out of loneliness is important, but this one might matter most…

Your BMI calculates the relationship between your height and your weight to determine if you are overweight or obese. And, the medical community has increasingly used the calculation to determine whether or not you’re at risk for health issues like diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. But, what if your BMI is lying?

Even if you grow your own medicinal herbs in your five-acre backyard, get most of your medical care from a naturopath and buy your groceries from food co-ops, farmer’s markets and CSAs, you’ve probably had a dose of prescription antibiotics in the past decade or so. Here’s why it matters…

Mosquitos are more than annoying… they’re harbingers of disease. Malaria, West Nile, chikungunya and Zika are all deadly viruses known to spread through the sting of this tiny insect that strikes big fear in many parts of the world. Protect yourself…

We all have those moments—a forgotten appointment, a name we can’t recall, a word that’s on the tip of our tongue. For the most part, these incidents aren’t worrisome. However, as we age, they seem to increase in significance.

Even if you’re already dealing with a neurodegenerative disease, researchers say this targeted combination of nutrients can not only prevent the loss of your brain cells — it can reverse it.

Researchers found this nut has an extremely positive effect on your gut microbiome: it reduces your risk of colon cancer. So if you’re ready to make a small change that will have a big impact on your health, eat more…

Everything you strive for — money, a home, a car, vacations, nice clothes, good health — is a means to achieving the quality of life you desire. But something’s standing in your way…

Cancer can be a sneaky disease. Be alert for its unusual signs, especially swelling in these body parts, or you may miss the opportunity to catch it before it spreads, making treatment more difficult…

I don’t know if you’ve ever felt like a slave to unhealthy food cravings. But if you are anything like my patients, there are things you need to understand about the powerful brain chemicals involved and some important strategies to gaining your power back.

Opioid painkillers increase risk for addiction. But did you know that opioid painkillers can increase the duration of your pain by several months? You can experience more pain than if you never took them in the first place.

Type 2 Diabetes is a global epidemic. And its cause is no secret: People are not eating well and exercising less and less. So, in theory, the simple solution should be to eat right and exercise often, right? Not so fast…

At first glance, you’d probably think it’s the least glamorous of nutrients. But don’t let its low-profile fool you. It can do some pretty fabulous things, including keeping you young.

If researchers are right, this simple supplement known as herbal aspirin should do wonders when it comes to keeping your inflammation levels down and chronic diseases at bay…

Imagine going to the doctor and instead of getting an injection of a lab-created pharmaceutical, he injects your own cells into your body to repair your heart… save your joints from arthritis… or to stop multiple sclerosis from ravaging your nervous system?

After moving and settling into my new digs, I discovered I had unexpectedly put on 10 unwanted pounds which got my attention. At first I was puzzled at my weight gain but then I found the answer when I listed what had changed in my life …

Stress is bad news. Often time our psychological stress from the interactions of the day, mixed with our physical stress from overwork or sedentary positions, leads to muscle tension and pain. Learning ways to reduce stress and pain are essential to wellbeing.

The Europeans don’t want anything to do with our food, especially our chlorinated chicken, our hormone-treated beef and our genetically-engineered crops. They’re concerned that it would degrade their food standards. Can you imagine if America had food standards?

Did you sleep well last night? It may not be stress or insomnia … you could have a sleep condition known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Don’t be bamboozled by a drug company’s marketing message that insists their over-priced, side effect-ridden pills can keep you healthy when your body is crying out for a cure. Natural methods can be safer and better!

This seemingly simple exercise from grade school can help you regain strength, make you stronger, improve bone density and help you become more coordinated.

Heavy beer drinkers are not usually the picture of health, and we’d never recommend you become one. But as surprising as it sounds, beer could be considered a health food for several reasons…

Life is meaningless. And so is your health and wellbeing. Does that statement surprise you? Put you on the defensive? Let me explain …

As you age, it seems like your eyes are one of the first body parts to go. Even if you had 20/20 vision your entire life, when you hit middle age you start to see the world differently — and not in a good way!

There’s a surprising way to halt the progression of a very serious autoimmune disease — and possibly even cancer. But there’s a catch. The solution is one that will likely make your stomach turn…

Chemicals called furocoumarins can increase your risk for melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, by as much as 36 percent. And it naturally occurs in this food…

Can you name the best exercise for your health as you age? Did you say jogging or running? No thanks! The ‘hands-down’ best exercise to boost your testosterone levels is…

You probably already know that you can suffer from acne as an adult, even into middle age. But what you may not know is that acne isn’t isolated to the skin. If we look deeper, we can see numerous systemic issues going on.

Thyroid conditions are becoming more common. One in eight women will develop a problematic thyroid at some point in their lifetime. And women are five to eight times more likely to have a thyroid condition than men.

Put down the crossword puzzles and the Sudoku, because there is another way to keep your memory running like a thoroughbred stallion well into old age. One that is surprisingly simple…

The best approach is to uncover the reason for the pain, the trigger for the pain, the mechanism for the pain. In other words, “treat the root cause, not the symptom.” Because pain is a symptom that something is wrong.

Hormone replacement therapy increases your risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancers, as well as heart attack and stroke. So why risk it when mounds of research show there’s a safer alternative therapy?

If you’ve struggled for years to shed extra pounds, then you’ll be happy to hear about a simple trick that harnesses the power of your body’s natural cycles to help you lighten up on the body fat and reduce your risk of diabetes.