Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

5 scary heart health facts that could haunt you

Heart disease is not always top of mind. Maybe because we’ve become numb to it. Yet it remains the leading cause of death. While that almost makes it almost seem “normal”, it’s time to get scary serious about it…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

6 cancers associated with ‘too much’ alcohol

The question of whether or not alcohol provides health benefits seems to have sparked a never-ending debate. It may have started with the French Paradox, but could end with these six cancers…

Carolyn Gretton

The berry that takes down triglycerides and LDL

It’s America’s favorite berry because we love the taste. Now research shows if you’re having trouble managing your triglyerides and LDL, you have another good reasons to eat them…

Joyce Hollman

The vitamin-packed “sweet” you should include on your holiday table

A Thanksgiving tradition, few know that the humble sweet potato is a nutritional giant. So, let me share these six ways sweet potatoes are one food you can stuff yourself silly with — guilt-free — and introduce you to three delicious recipes you can use to impress your holiday guests…

Joyce Hollman

What to know about the new heart disease risk measurement

Being overweight is considered a risk factor for heart disease. But rumblings among experts began casting doubt on BMI as a measure of that risk. It’s been missing an important fat distribution detail that gives a much clearer, potentially life-saving picture…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

These scientists say travel could help us defy aging

Based on the theory of entropy, which translates to the breakdown of cells and systems in humans — exactly what happens with aging — scientists have stumbled on a novel anti-aging intervention. Here’s how you can put it to work…

Margaret Cantwell

The golden ticket to a fall free of allergy symptoms

If nature can throw allergens at us, it’s not surprising the answer to taming them is found in nature as well. If anyone understands the concept of balance, it’s Mother Nature. Thanks to these natural allergy relievers, you could enjoy fall without walking around in an antihistamine fog…

Carolyn Gretton

How bacteria linked to gum disease increase cancer risk

The oral microbiome is the second largest microbiome in the body. Research links it with whole-body health and longevity when it’s balanced. When it’s not, gum disease-causing bacteria can increase risks for certain cancers…

Joyce Hollman

The nut that heals a leaky gut

A leaky gut is exactly what it sounds like. So you can imagine having one can lead to all sorts of problems, from pain to autoimmune disorders. Just 2 of these nuts a day can make a significant improvement…

Joyce Hollman

Who’s most at risk for skimping on omega-3s?

Omega-3 fatty acids are associated with healthy aging throughout life, promoting healthy brain and heart function. But as important as they are throughout life, they need to be there at the beginning too…

Carolyn Gretton

Stroke among sour health risks of a sweet tooth

Indulging a sweet tooth occasionally seems harmless. But having a penchant for sweets, especially when sugars hide where we least expect them, can raise several markers for serious trouble, particularly stroke.

Carolyn Gretton

Move over Lyme disease: a new tick illness is on the rise

Longer warmer seasons are making ticks a year-round menace rather than just a summertime scourge. That could be one reason why rates of a certain tick-borne illness known as “American malaria” are on the rise…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

3,000-year-old spice battles autoimmune disease

Autoimmune disease turns your body’s once-balanced immune system into an overactive nightmare that begins attacking your own healthy cells and organs. Even with medication, many can be hard to manage. But an ancient spice may be what the doctor orders to improve your treatment plan…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The popular diet recommendation that could land you on dialysis

Before trying a high-protein diet to get healthy and lose weight, think again, especially if blood sugar is an issue. It’s advice that could backfire for those at higher risk for underlying kidney disease who may not even know it…

Joyce Hollman

The good and the bad: Drinks that impact stroke risk

Strokes seem to strike from nowhere. But in truth the risk of having one doubles every 10 years after age 55. Bad habits take it higher. But all of us know someone seemingly hit by one out of left field. Or was it? It could have been their favorite beverage.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Symptoms that can increase women’s dementia risk 74%

Alzheimer’s is almost twice as common in women, which makes identifying female-specific risk factors vital. Especially since experts estimate 40 percent of cases can be prevented or, at the least, delayed. These are the symptoms that need urgent attention…

Carolyn Gretton

The biomarker that could lead to a heart disease vaccine

There are a lot of differences between men’s and women’s heart attack symptoms and heart disease risk factors. But getting caught up in the differences makes it easy to miss lifesaving similarities, like a biomarker that may lead to a vaccine for heart disease….

Carolyn Gretton

7 food additives that can trigger type 2 diabetes

Emulsifiers do magic things to foods. They make them creamy, thick or even velvety smooth. They also keep our snacks on the shelves longer, so they’re always there when you have a craving. But that’s just the beginning of their bad side…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Manuka honey strengthens fight against ER+ breast cancer

Manuka honey comes from Australia and New Zealand, but what really makes it unique are anti-cancer compounds and that it blocks estrogen receptors. Here’s what researchers believe breast cancer treatment with Manuka honey could look like…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The vitamin deficiency behind restless legs

Being plagued by restless legs can make a good night’s sleep more than difficult. For far too long, RLS has been a miserable and poorly understood condition. But a link between a common vitamin deficiency and a neurotransmitter that may kick off the RLS cycle is stacking up…

Joyce Hollman

The heart disease warning a mammogram shows

One in 31 American women dies of breast cancer yearly, but heart disease kills one in three. While tools to assess women’s unique signs of heart trouble have been lacking, a routine medical procedure has identified a common denominator that could save more lives.

Carolyn Gretton

Brain’s blood vessels reveal path to halt cognitive decline

There’s nothing “mild” about mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to dementia. Early detection may slow it but that’s relied on ruling out other conditions. But blood vessels in the brain reveal clues on how it could be prevented…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How to eat processed food and not get diabetes

Rates of type 2 diabetes just keep going up, and a lot of finger-pointing is aimed at the standard American Diet. Is your only choice to give up convenience for whole-food home cooking? Not necessarily…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Medical panel finally admits we need more vitamin D

Despite decades of mounting evidence on vitamin D’s prevention potential, the medical community has held fast to a very meager RDA. But change is in the air, at least for certain people and conditions. Did you make the cut?

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The weekend warrior phenomenon: Beating disease 2 days at a time

Chances are we all know a weekend warrior: someone who gets in little activity during the week, but hikes, climbs, kayaks, or the like, every weekend. We could learn a lot from them, like how to avoid more than 260 diseases.

Joyce Hollman

4 common infections that spread cancer risks

Cancer isn’t as random as you might think. There are five types of cancer that are caused by four common viruses and bacteria. Knowledge is half the battle. Prevention can help you win it…

Carolyn Gretton

When sleep apnea sets you up for aortic aneurysm

Obstructive sleep apnea causes a person to stop breathing repeatedly throughout the night. It can raise the odds of several cardiovascular complications. Abdominal aortic aneurysm is the latest to join that list…

Carolyn Gretton

Hashimoto’s: An often misdiagnosed thyroid disorder

An underactive thyroid can make you tired, achy, overweight and lead to mysterious symptoms including anxiety. That’s why it’s important to know if your thyroid is working as it should. If not, it could be due to an increasingly common and misdiagnosed autoimmune disorder…

Carolyn Gretton

Move over coffee: Tea lowers dementia risk too

We’ve known for a while that coffee has loads of health benefits, especially for the brain. But what about tea? Well, it’s time for tea lovers to celebrate, because their beverage of choice looks to be just as good for the brain as that cup of joe…

Joyce Hollman

The conversation clue that signals cognitive decline

Who hasn’t had a little trouble sharing some particulars in a conversation? Maybe you lose your train of thought. Maybe you can’t find the word you’re looking for. Surprisingly, neither of these signal cognitive decline like this conversation clue…

Joyce Hollman

How the right foods protect against lung infection

Broccoli is good for a lot of things. For one it supports your gut’s lining, keeping bacteria from escaping and causing harm. Turns out, your lungs have a similar barrier, designed to let oxygen in and keep viruses out. Eat the right foods and you’re all set!

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Brain rejuvenation secret discovered circulating in our blood

Researchers had one goal: Discover exactly why three interventions have been found to turn back the clock on an aging brain. They didn’t expect to find a common denominator. And they certainly didn’t expect to find it already circulating in our blood…

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

The case against Ozempic and Wegovy

Ozempic and Wegovy are presented as miracle injectable drugs, both made from the same ingredient: semaglutide. The difference? The blurred lines between health and weight loss. If you’re on the line, see what the doctor has to say…

Joyce Hollman

Forever chemicals and testicular cancer: A direct link

Forever chemicals are endocrine-disrupting chemicals and known carcinogens. But some people still need “proof.” They’ve found it, sadly, in a group of men who’ve been diagnosed with testicular cancer at much higher rates than others…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Eating all the time? Put on a sweater

Do you slim down for the summer, only to find yourself pulling out the stretchy pants as the cold winter days drag on? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us routinely gain weight as temperatures drop, and there’s a simple scientific reason…

Carolyn Gretton

The post-heart attack symptom you should never ignore

Chest pain is one of the classic symptoms of heart attack. But that pain usually passes after the heart attack has been treated. Or does it? If you find yourself still experiencing any pain months or years after your heart attack, here’s why you should never ignore it…

Joyce Hollman

The pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s sign that starts in your gut

Slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s is all we have right now. But once cognitive decline is apparent, is it too late? Instead, the earliest sign may come from the gut. And the more we find out, the closer we are to heading off the mind-stealing disease…

Joyce Hollman

10 NEAT ways to burn calories without trying

What makes the difference between putting weight on and keeping it off? It’s already part of your daily routine, so why not put it to work? Here’s why it works, how to add more to your life, and the internal Apple Watch that tries to keep you moving and losing…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

This 6-ingredient drink squashes joint pain

You don’t have to take prescription arthritis medications with a laundry list of side effects, like stomach problems and the risk of heart attacks, strokes and infections to get the pain relief you’ve been looking for.

Joyce Hollman

Citrus for lower cholesterol and stroke risk

Want to manage your cholesterol, lower stroke risk and keep a healthy heart? Take a stroll down the produce aisle. A growing number of experts have been examining the connection between citrus fruit and cholesterol, and the evidence is pretty juicy…

Joyce Hollman

Closing in on a key driver of aging and disease

Does aging have to come with a host of age-related diseases? If we work hard at keeping our health all our lives, is there an expiration date that takes it all south? No, but it does have a key driver we may soon put a hard brake on…

Joyce Hollman

10 natural ways to make ‘onion breath’ go away

Onions are right up there with green tea and red grapes for their polyphenol content. That makes them more powerful than a lot of highly-rated superfoods. So eat to your heart’s content and follow these tips to reap the benefits without the onion breath!

Jenny Smiechowski

The anti-diabetes antioxidant that reverses insulin resistance

When your cells become resistant to insulin, diabetes is at your heels. Research shows as the CoQ10 levels in cell tissues get lower, insulin resistance gets higher. In other words, the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 helps reverse insulin resistance.

Joyce Hollman

4 teas that naturally balance cholesterol

Diet and exercise can help keep your doctor happy about your cholesterol numbers. But you’ll definitely want to try some herbal teas. There are at least four different refreshing varieties that can help keep your cholesterol in check, thanks to powerful health-promoting plant compounds…

Carolyn Gretton

The consequences of removing the thymus (and why doctors routinely do)

Experts have long believed the thymus gland, which produces all the immune-boosting T cells the body needs during childhood, was of little use once we got older. Turns out they weren’t just wrong, they were dead wrong — as in “double the risk of death” wrong.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Try this at-home stem cell ‘therapy’ to regenerate aging cells

Stem cells are you’re body’s “master cells” and work as your internal repair system. But, they decline rapidly as you age. Luckily, there’s a way to rejuvenate your own stem cells in just 24 hours to start feeling like your younger self again…

Easy Health Options Staff

8 little-known berries for fierce free radical protection

As we age, we build up free radicals, dangerous little molecules that have been linked to everything from cancer and Alzheimer’s, to premature aging. So, as the amount of free radicals we’re exposed to goes up, so does our need for antioxidants to combat them. Here’s where to find them…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Weekend sleep-ins won’t undo sleep deficit heart damage

In recent years, experts have declared sleep “essential to health” for its significant impact on our health. So, if you’re still skimping by and thinking you can make up for it by sleeping in occassionally, this is your wake-up call coming from your heart…

Joyce Hollman

A clove a day to keep heart attack away

There are several types of drugs that treat hypertension, relax blood vessels, prevent clotting and generally try to head off heart attack or stroke. But there’s one food that’s been healing since Biblical times, and modern-day studies confirm its amazing effects on the heart…

Debra Atkinson

When hormones drain your workout energy

As a trainer, I frequently see women seeking energy from exercise but end up digging themselves into a hole. Or worse, giving up on fitness altogether and missing out on the best way to avoid disease. That’s because when adrenal fatigue hits, you may not realize what’s happening…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The dementia danger in common stomach medications

There’s not much worse than acid indigestion that hurts so bad, you think you’re having a heart attack — or is there? As bad as that can be, getting dementia from the very medications you use to feel better may take the cake, baby back ribs or spicy buffalo wings.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Break the feedback loop that fuels pain

Pain is often poorly understood until you realize that pain, depression and anxiety are frequent fellow travelers, thanks to a bi-directional feedback loop. If you only seek treatment for what’s happening in your muscles, joints and nerves, it could be a painful journey…

Carolyn Gretton

The ‘survival switch’ fructose flips to make us fat

Summer is almost over. And with winter just around the corner, you’ll want to give up the one thing that can make you pack on the pounds like a hibernating bear. And no, it isn’t a stew or casserole that’s the culprit…

Carolyn Gretton

The mind-eye connection to dementia

You may think poor vision simply raises your odds of bumping into things. Unfortunately, there may be more to it than that. A growing body of research indicates a strong link between vision problems and the development of a condition we all dread…

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

What garlic can do for the common cold

Garlic has been used medicinally for centuries. And modern research has found it can stand up to many strains of bacteria. But what about the common cold? Let’s see how it stacks up…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Coffee shown to decrease your Parkinson’s risk

Parkinson’s disease can progress quickly, stealing bits and pieces of your life as it marches on. There’s no cure — only treatments. News of a study that has found potent Parkinson’s protection in your daily cup of coffee was a must-read for me…

Margaret Cantwell

How to prep to survive flu season

The CDC recommends flu shots by the end of October. But for the last five years of available data, vaccine efficacy hasn’t breached 40 percent, and if you’re over 50, it was even less. Hopes are higher this year, but surviving flu season is best approached from multiple angles…

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

Nexletol for cholesterol: Blockbuster or just bust

Nexletol® is a fairly new cholesterol-lowering drug. It works through the same enzymatic pathways as statins, but affects a different part of the pathway and doesn’t share the same side effect profile. It’s been touted as a great alternative for patients who can’t tolerate statins. But is it?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How time-restricted eating can change your genes

Time-restricted eating could mean skipping meals for a day. Or just eating every day during an 8 or 9 hour period. I like the latter. But one thing’s for sure: It could be one of the best things for your health, say scientists who saw how it effects 70 percent of genes…

Carolyn Gretton

The sobering truth about alcohol and blood pressure

We’ve all heard the health pros and cons of drinking alcohol, and that the more you drink, the more the cons tend to outweigh the pros. So, as long as you just have one drink a day, you’re okay, right? Not if you want to keep your blood pressure under control…

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