Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The strawberry solution to heart disease and diabetes

Strawberries are the sweetest thing about summer, pun intended. What’s even sweeter is news that eating them isn’t just enjoyable: adding strawberries to your daily diet means better blood sugar and a significantly lower risk of heart disease…

Joyce Hollman

2 factors that protect women from stiff arteries at any age

Stiff arteries, a harbinger of heart disease, can happen for a few reasons. But mostly, it’s another age thing we just have to deal with. But research has found that for women at least, 2 modifiable factors can protect against it — at any age…

Joyce Hollman

40 things that go wrong with your body when you don’t exercise

Hippocrates warned that if all parts of the body “are unused and left idle, they become liable to disease, defective growth and age quickly.” Modern science has proven him right. Here are 40 ways your health can go wrong without exercise.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Sleep impacts microvascular complications in T2D

If you’re living with type 2 diabetes, you know the importance of taking steps to keep your arteries healthy. But if your doctor hasn’t discussed your sleep habits, you could be missing a crucial factor in guarding against microvascular damage.

Carolyn Gretton

What receding gums signal about this shrinking organ

The cause of Alzheimer’s is elusive. But studies that find an association with certain conditions or practices provide clues for prevention. The more we learn about what causes brain shrinkage, the more healthy habits we can adopt to keep it healthy and plump as long as possible.

Carolyn Gretton

1 change in 17 risk factors reduces risk of stroke, dementia and depression

Health conditions start popping up like a game of Whac-a-Mole as we age. Smash one down, and another pops up. That makes prevention our best bet. What better odds than making one change to beat three diseases of the brain?

Joyce Hollman

Phthalates & placenta: The danger that breaches the womb

The placenta was thought to act as a shield protecting a developing baby from harmful substances. But a modern scourge has found a way to get in and wreak havoc. Here’s what moms-to-be need to know…

Carolyn Gretton

Dopamine receptors link pathways from ADHD to Parkinson’s and more

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure and the brain’s reward center. New findings about it could lead to new treatments for disorders, including ADHD, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Why the fight against colon cancer might start in your mouth

In my work, I see the data regularly and know that colon cancer has been on the rise for several years. As more and more research is being carried out to get to the root causes and slow the tide, a disturbing revelation may have just been found in a surprising place — the mouth.

Joyce Hollman

The common condition accelerating Alzheimer’s

More than a blood sugar problem, T2D can set you on the road to cognitive decline by kickstarting mild cognitive impairment, a transitional phase from cognitive changes in normal aging to those typically found in dementia.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Need an excuse to clean your tongue? Try these alarming conditions

You brush and floss, but do you scrape your tongue? One reason for this practice is to get rid of smelly bacteria that cause bad breath. Another is to keep ahead of conditions that steal your health.

Margaret Cantwell

Cordyceps: Superfood or Brain-hijacking ‘zombie’ fungus

Mushrooms are potent botanicals. And at the moment, one fungus in particular is trending: Cordyceps. You should know about its history with (hopefully, not the last of) us, and the fungus that’s made the jump from soil to humans…

Joyce Hollman

What vitamin C can do for pancreatic cancer

Some cancers are especially cruel, like pancreatic cancer. It’s hard to detect and can progress rapidly. But a treatment added to standard chemotherapy, could double the life expectancy for those facing this challenge…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The warning men get 10 years before their brain shrinks

While we all face risk factors that could steal our brain health, men need to start paying attention to them an entire decade earlier than women. For one brain threat, in particular, men’s vulnerability is greater, begins sooner and lasts longer…

Joyce Hollman

The snack swap that takes cholesterol down

Eating lots of fiber and doing lots of exercise can help lower cholesterol — an important measure to avoid metabolic syndrome, stroke and heart attack. But a simple nutty snack swap could work just as well…

Joyce Hollman

The condition you won’t find in a long-lived family tree

Do you get leg cramps when you walk even a short distance? Do your legs feel heavy, numb, or weak? Don’t write these symptoms off as arthritis or “getting older.” It could be the reason your family gets short-changed when it comes to longevity.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The longlasting harm of brief glyphosate exposure

Glyphosate, the herbicide made famous by Roundup®, opened up a Pandora’s Box. It’s not in the news much, but it’s still a threat. That’s because even when exposed to a little, research shows it hangs around harming the brain…

Joyce Hollman

Sugary drinks linked to rising rates of oral cancer

Research has found clear links between sugary drinks and accelerated aging, diabetes and heart disease. Now, the popular drinks look to be outpacing smoking and alcohol in contributing to oral cancer…

Carolyn Gretton

The overlooked menopause symptom stealing your energy

During menopause, most women experience a new level of fatigue. There are a lot of reasons why, including hot flashes, sleep problems, pain and depression, to name a few. But a common culprit is often overlooked…

Joyce Hollman

Balance this organ to balance your stress response

Sleep is only one process your body clock handles. Stress response is another. If your stress response feels out of control, research has discovered how you can balance it by doing the same with an organ critical for regulating stress hormone secretion…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Are plant-based milks all they’re cracked up to be?

Plant-based diets are linked to better health, longevity and healthier body weight. But a close look at the nutritional value of plant-based milk and the process of making it that may bring cancer into the mix, begs this question…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Sleep apnea’s dementia double threat for women

Two conditions that seem to have nothing in common may team up to increase dementia in women. They both steal sleep and starve the brain of oxygen. But 90% of women with one of the conditions go undiagnosed. Bet you can guess which one…

Jenny Smiechowski

5 health issues that cause muscle cramps

It’s not always easy to get to the bottom of mysterious muscle cramps. But if you pay attention to the signs you can most likely narrow it down to one of six common causes of cramping.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

4 nutraceuticals for natural migraine relief

Most of my life I’ve been one of the 40% that suffer from migraines. Some medications have helped, but often with difficult side effects. It’s good to know there are other choices…

Carolyn Gretton

Is your brain care score enough to beat dementia and stroke?

Lifestyle habits impact brain health. And now, that impact can be measured with a simple online test. But here’s the real question: if you’re genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s, stroke or depression, can you change your brain care score to beat it?

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Got 5 minutes? Lower your blood pressure

Managing blood pressure has its ups and downs. But when research tested this option on 14,700 volunteers, they had great news. If you’ve got 5 minutes a day you could have an easier time keeping those numbers down…

Carolyn Gretton

The fruity swap that beats back insulin resistance

Insulin resistance is a slow but steady road to chronic illness, starting with type 2 diabetes. You can sit back and do nothing or reach for the tasty fruit that beats back blood sugar trouble…

Joyce Hollman

The best processed foods for weight loss

If you find it hard to follow a whole foods diet, abhor frequent trips to the market for fresh produce and enjoy the convenience of processed food, I’ve found a deal for you: Processed foods that make the weight fall off…

Carolyn Gretton

Medications that can increase your skin cancer risk

I learned at a young age that my pale skin burns fast. So I have an arsenal of all the “right ways” to protect it. Imagine my dismay at discovering all the medications that could sabotage my efforts…

Carolyn Gretton

The answer to reversing Alzheimer’s may already be on the pharmacy shelf

One reason Alzheimer’s disease is such a dreaded diagnosis is there’s no effective treatment to halt its progression. But one research team has found potential in medications that have been used for years to treat other conditions that appear to reverse it. But is the answer in the medications or the conditions themselves?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Potentially deadly fungus on the rise: What you need to know

A potentially dangerous fungal infection is in the news again. Though cases have cropped up recently, they’ve actually been on the rise for a few years in the U.S. So what do you need to know about C. auris and how can you determine whether you or your family is at risk?

Carolyn Gretton

6 ways to keep from having another kidney stone

Why do some people produce kidney stones multiple times, while others may only once? Those unfortunate folks are “stone formers,” and there are a few reasons frequency is a problem for them. Good news? Six of them can be managed to drastically reduce anyone’s risk of this dread experience.

Carolyn Gretton

Stoking the body’s fat-burning furnace

White fat makes up more than 90 percent of the body’s fat and is right where we don’t want it: the abdomen, buttocks and thighs. But brown fat uses energy and heat to eliminate unwanted fat. Harnessing it for weight loss may be the next big thing…

Joyce Hollman

The one thing women should eat for healthy aging

On average, women outlive their male counterparts by 6 years. And when it comes to the truly long-lived, those who live to at least 100, women make up 85 percent of the centenarian club. The challenge is decreasing the chronic disease that happens in those extra years…

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

Why winter raises cholesterol levels

Heart health is always in season. But during the winter season, there are a few reasons to pay it special attention. According to experts, just like the snow, some health-related factors can pile up to increase cardiovascular risks…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Did mild COVID zap your ability to exercise?

Long COVID has left some people with perplexing symptoms. But the most surprising may be how, in adults with only mild infections, it appears to steal their ability to keep fit, leaving them with extreme fatigue and pain even weeks after a single round of exercise…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

When eating a banana is a bad idea

Americans could really afford to increase our uptake of fruits, especially those containing flavanols that support brain, heart and blood vessel health. But the one fruit that surveys say is our favorite can undo all of that. Here’s when to avoid eating it…

Carolyn Gretton

The symptom that pushes metabolic syndrome over the edge

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of five conditions that can add up to serious health threats. You only have to have three to get a diagnosis. But one surprising factor not previously connected to the syndrome has been found to act on the body to accelerate aging and damage to your health…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Why you should take fish oil with your antibiotic

A growing number of germs are becoming harder to treat with antibiotics, like those that cause drug-resistant pneumococcal pneumonia, staph or even MRSA. But scientists may have the answer: next time you’re prescribed antibiotics, you should supplement omega-3s, too…

Margaret Cantwell

What you should know about lead levels and high blood pressure

Exposure to heavy metals comes in many forms. But when it comes to threats we can’t see or put a finger on, it’s easy to put them out of mind. We can’t do that with lead, even at low levels, since researchers have seen how strongly it impacts blood pressure…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Tinnitus: Helping the brain learn to filter sound again

Less is known about what causes tinnitus than about the risk factors associated with it. That’s why people with the condition are often told nothing can be done about it. Luckily, researchers who understand how the brain filters sound haven’t given up…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

How a car ride raises BP as much as a high-sodium diet

Long-term exposure to air pollution, like that caused by traffic, has been linked to dangerous health conditions, from heart disease to lung cancer. But what about in the short-term? You’ll be shocked at what a single car ride can do to your blood pressure…

Carolyn Gretton

The diet that takes diabetes down, except when it doesn’t

It can be tough to separate the good from the bad when choosing a diet plan. That’s why scientists are paying closer attention to the health impacts of certain ones. And when it comes to diabetes, they’ve discovered something interesting about plant-based diets…

Joyce Hollman

The one brain change that matters more than tau and plaque

Not long ago the amyloid hypothesis came into question. One reason: amyloid plaques are found in the brains of people with normal cognition. But did you know there’s an earlier sign of impending Alzheimer’s we may be able to do more about?

Joyce Hollman

The alternative fuel source that powers up your immune system

A metabolic by-product you can trick your body into producing more of appears to supercharge immune cells as they fight infection and disease, research is finding. There are a couple of ways to get them going…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Is this the hair-thinning solution we’ve been waiting for?

Have you looked in the mirror to realize your hair just doesn’t frame your face the way it used to? Is your forehead getting higher or your hair getting thinner? It’s likely the latter and happens to men and women. You might think it’s inevitable. You’d be wrong…

Carolyn Gretton

Omegas-3s may help slow pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease that involves lung scarring and low blood oxygen levels. Current treatments can only help its symptoms so much. But researchers have discovered a link between improved lung function and a common nutrient found in fish and flaxseeds…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Obesity’s weird effect on when the body burns energy

Losing weight isn’t easy. That’s why so many of us have just made resolutions to give it another go. But now we have a clue as to why. New research reveals simply being obese actually changes when your body burns caloric energy…

Carolyn Gretton

The cancer 900 chemicals have in common

Chemicals are everywhere and we know they carry health dangers. But if you’re a woman, you may want to pay special attention to more than 900 chemicals in consumer products and our environment that carry cancer-causing traits for one kind in particular…

Joyce Hollman

How incontinence increases your odds of disability

If urine leaks when you sneeze or laugh, it’s embarrassing and inconvenient. But it may also be disabling. Research from major university health centers have linked urinary incontinence in women to an increased risk for disability, and have a clue why…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Decade-long study reveals what slows cognitive decline despite APOE gene

We’re told with age we can expect our memory to fail. But does aging really mean an inevitable journey of cognitive decline? Or can we stave off memory loss, even in the face of a genetic predisposition to it? 10 years of research shows how to do the latter…

Jenny Smiechowski

What centenarians and their children have in common

Researchers found that the offspring of centenarians and centenarians themselves have something in common helping them live longer than the rest of us. But joining their club is not out of your reach…

Joyce Hollman

How cold would you go to burn fat and cut diabetes risk?

There’s a large body of literature claiming that cold water immersion can do all sorts of things: end chronic pain, reduce symptoms of depression, boost the immune system, prevent diabetes and help you lose weight. Some of those have recently been shown to be true…

Joyce Hollman

The safe, effective quit-smoking pill Americans can’t get

It’s the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing close to half a million people each year. The good news is a safe and highly effective quit-smoking pill is available. But Big Pharma greed is keeping Americans from ever using it.…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Understanding who gets long COVID and why

It’s been a few years since Covid-19 became well-known. Nowadays, it’s making the rounds with the common cold and flu and infections seem milder but frequent. And it is those frequent infections that health experts are now most worried about…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Exercising for lower blood pressure: How much is enough

Let’s face it, exercise comes easily in our teen years but seems much harder as we get older. Most of us slack way off after our 40s. But when it comes to maintaining healthy blood pressure, you can’t skimp, but you can get some extra help…

Carolyn Gretton

The 22-minute solution to a longer life

Sitting. It’s so bad for us, but is there any way to get around it? How can you possibly counter the damage to your health after sitting eight or more hours a day at work and then winding down in front of the TV for a few more? In 22 minutes, that’s how…

Joyce Hollman

The secret to staying out of the hospital

No one enjoys being hospitalized, even if the reason isn’t life-threatening. The food is bad, the gowns drafty, tests demeaning and the longer you stay, the more muscle mass you lose. Luckily, there’s a not-so-shocking way to cut down on your chance of a hospital stay, even if you’ve already had a few…

Carolyn Gretton

Why diabetics have higher risk of severe lung infections

People with diabetes are at higher risk of developing serious lung infections following a respiratory infection. Diabetes can weaken the immune system, but its specific effects on the lungs have been unclear, until now. What research has found may signal a way to dial it back…

Joyce Hollman

The prebiotic hack that curbs your appetite

We’ve long known about the gut-brain connection and how the gut’s influence extends far beyond, well, the gut. But can the gut be optimized so it influences the brain to help us make better food choices? Recent research points to a solid yes…

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