Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Carolyn Gretton

How antibiotics wreak lasting damage in your gut

The good news is that antibiotic use is on the decline after years of discovering the damage they do to the gut microbiome. But, there are times they’re necessary, and that means the risk of another sinister way they cause harm long after their use…

Carolyn Gretton

The surprising risk AFib carries for early-onset dementia

Atrial fibrillation is more common in people over 65. But trends in certain risk factors are changing that, and linking the condition with more than a 50% increased risk for early-onset dementia, even without stroke…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The habit that helps cancer survivors live like they never had cancer

Colorectal cancer is growing among folks 50 and younger. But a potent daily habit could help survivors live longer, in some cases, than their peers who never had cancer. Here’s what we all need to know to kick our bodies into high gear for cancer survival and prevention…

Joyce Hollman

Diversify your flavonoids to ditch disease and live longer

“Eat the rainbow” was coined for a good reason: To reap the incredible disease-fighting benefits of flavonoids and reduce your risk of early death, research suggests it’s key to get them from these different sources…

Joyce Hollman

Why cannabis is as bad for your heart as cigarettes

There’s no question that smoking is a significant risk factor for heart disease and stroke. But if you thought cannabis, smoking or eating edibles, was safer, we’ve got a warning about how it could impact your blood vessels…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The chemical exposure behind early onset breast cancer

Health experts are sounding a warning as rates of early-onset breast cancer in women under 50 are growing dramatically. It’s a trend, they say, that cannot be explained by genetics alone, and we know eactly why…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The weird warning your feet send about your blood vessels

Feet get cold, sore and tired. It’s par for the course, right — or is it? Your feet are surprisingly responsive to what’s going on in your body. One serious signal spells danger for your heart and blood vessels. Here’s how to recognize your feet are flashing a warning light that requires attention…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The deficiency threatening to bring back goiter

While goiter was once a common health problem, it seemed to all but disappear. So why are we now hearing it may be making a comeback, the kind no one wants to see? The reasons may surprise you…

Joyce Hollman

The vitamin treatment for COPD that delays cellular aging

COPD is an inflammatory lung disease with no cure that can compromise quality of life. A simple vitamin holds much promise as a potential treatment and improves levels of a coenzyme that delays cellular aging…

Joyce Hollman

The secrets to healthy aging found in your gut

Every day we learn more about the far-reaching role the gut plays in our health. The latest? It holds clues that can reveal if frailty or healthy aging and longevity are in the cards for you and how to play them for a winning hand…

Joyce Hollman

Boost your cancer-killing white blood cells in 30 minutes

The immune system’s first line of defense is white blood cells that fight infection and disease, including cancer. But some white blood cells support cancer growth. If you’ve got 30 minutes, you can increase the good guys and take down the bad ones…

Carolyn Gretton

Tick bite? Take this first step to avoid disease transmission

Multiple sources report this tick season is going to be a doozy. Not only do there seem to be more ticks, but they are also more likely to carry diseases, including Lyme disease, Babesiosis, and Anaplasmosis. Here’s your first step to reduce your chances of getting sick…

Joyce Hollman

Are these TikTok trends really self care?

I’m not sure when I first noticed that “life hacks” were a thing, but now they’re everywhere, and anyone and everyone is an expert. But here’s the thing, are these hacks worth the hype and truly helpful? Let’s find out…

Joyce Hollman

The protective ‘signal’ fiber sends your heart

Americans eat much less fiber than we should. So what? Constipation troubles? It’s a lot more serious that that. Without enough fiber your heart misses out on protective signaling that, among other things, lowers blood pressure…

Joyce Hollman

How antioxidants reverse the damage of a high-fat diet

A high-fat diet doesn’t just cause weight gain; it makes enzymes that break down sugar and metabolize fat dysfunctional, making weight harder to lose and increasing prediabetes risk. But there’s a secret weapon…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The full-body impact of depression: Chronic disease

In the U.S., one in 10 adults takes antidepressants. And when you come with physical complaints, it gets blamed on the depression. But depression doesn’t just hurt. It contributes to the diseases that cut our lives short.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The common condition rapidly aging American’s brains

It’s not Alzheimer’s yet. But it could be. That’s because this common condition not only shrinks brains, an MRI study shows it’s rapidly aging them, too. Luckily, it also links a single nutrient to keeping them young and plump…

Joyce Hollman

The liver link to coronary artery disease

Your liver health is a big deal. But your heart health ends up in the spotlight more often. Considering the role the liver has been found to play in coronary artery disease, that maybe changing…

Joyce Hollman

How to make managing blood sugar less stressful

Plenty of dietary guidance is available to manage diabetes. But that doesn’t make developing meal plans and choosing the right foods less daunting. Can you imagine carrying this weight every day? Cut yourself some slack…

Carolyn Gretton

How your gut could be aging your blood vessels

With age, our blood vessels stiffen, hindering circulation, increasing blood pressure and risk for heart attack and stroke. Poor lifestyle habits often get blamed, but it turns out your gut may be prematurely aging your blood vessels…

Joyce Hollman

The weird connection between mouthwash, gum disease and diabetes

There’s an especially complex relationship between gum disease and type 2 diabetes. It’s a loop where one condition exacerbates the other, and vice versa. But research says it may be possible to gargle away both problems. Let’s look at the facts…

Margaret Cantwell

Cancelling the mercury threat in tuna

Toxic metals, like lead and mercury, cause brain damage, heart problems and kidney dysfunction. Abundant in daily life, the threat is real, but the news is good: Mercury can be manufactured out of our favorite nutrient-rich fish.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The least number of steps to lower heart disease risk

Wallking is great exercise with big benefits. Luckily, research is showing that while getting close to 10,000 steps a day might be an admirable goal, it takes far fewer steps to tip the scales in favor of a healthy heart and longevity…

Joyce Hollman

The easy way to improve fitness factors for healthy aging

If you’re looking forward to good health in older age, exercise is essential. And if you plan your activities around your personal peak hours, you’ll improve two measures of healthy aging by working smarter, not harder…

Carolyn Gretton

It’s not normal aging: Dementia and a surprising driver

Some of us worry about losing physical independence with age, while others fear falling victim to dementia. But here’s the thing: neither frailty nor dementia is part of normal aging. And you can intervene early enough to keep one from leading to the other.

Carolyn Gretton

The ‘guardians’ that balance immune system response

The immune system is great when it’s working properly. But when it becomes overactive, it attacks healthy tissues and organs and can lead to devastating autoimmune diseases. That’s where guardians come in…

Joyce Hollman

Heart-protecting drugs that backfire when it’s hot out

It’s common for people with coronary heart disease to take medications that protect the heart and reduce risk of a heart attack or stroke. But these very same protective medications may actually elevate these risks during summer heat. Take these precautions…

Joyce Hollman

Embrace your cravings and still lose weight

Are pesky cravings your downfall when it comes to losing weight? It’s natural to desire what we perceive as off-limits. Would you believe there’s a way to have it all that can actually boost your weight loss efforts? Read on…

Carolyn Gretton

A hidden cause of Alzheimer’s that starts 20 years early

Alzheimer’s is a disease you often don’t know you have until damage is done. But now a marker has been identified that can predict it up to 20 years before symptoms appear, and the best part? It’s something we can actively work on.

Joyce Hollman

Why women face a higer risk of death from heat-related illnesses

Older adults are vulnerable to heat exhaustion and stroke. But the threat is more often deadly for women and starts in middle age. In other words, women need more help cooling down. Here’s one way to get it.

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…

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…

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…

Carolyn Gretton

Keto: The diet that combats polycystic kidney disease

The ketogenic diet has proven great for weight loss and blood sugar control, but not so great for the kidneys. Or so investigators thought, until they took a closer look at the impact of keto on a specific type of kidney disease….

Carolyn Gretton

Brushing twice daily may keep respiratory illness away

Dentists advise toothbrushing twice a day to reduce the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Those are good enough reasons for practicing good oral hygiene. But it turns out toothbrushing may cut down on at least one serious respiratory disease…

Carolyn Gretton

How nutmeg could lead to a longer lifespan

We’ve all heard the saying “the spice of life.” And nutrition research has proven several spices are exactly that. Spices have been found to improve specific conditions and improve health in general. Now one such spice has given up its secret for healthy aging…

Carolyn Gretton

Why only some of us get a brain boost from cocoa

Flavanols have a great reputation for heart and brain health. Cocoa is a source that’s been shown to be a real brain booster in some studies, but not so much in others. Researchers dug to the bottom of these mixed results, and found something interesting about cocoa and who benefits the most…

Carolyn Gretton

Mitochondria may hold secret to Parkinson’s diagnosis and treatment

Parkinson’s disease affects millions. Yet there is no single test to diagnose it, so years may pass before the standard treatment starts. But a revelation about mitochondrial involvement could lead not only to a definitive blood test but new treatment as well…

Joyce Hollman

When heart disease can spell dementia later in life

Most of us think that heart disease is a condition of old age. It happens to people in their 60s and 70s. But this is a fallacy. It can strike much earlier than most of us realize. And the earlier it does, the higher the risk of dementia down the road…

Carolyn Gretton

The seed that could help prevent breast cancer

Seeds, arguably the smallest part of any plant, often contain potent nutrition. Some exert particular influence on the gut, where their benefits are elevated even more. In fact, one seed and its action in the gut could play a key role in preventing a disease women dread…

Margaret Cantwell

10 best ways to blast inflammation from your body

Autoimmune problems that arise when your immune system attacks your own organs may afflict as many as 50 million Americans. However, making certain dietary changes may bring a measure of relief and offer protection against this widespread health issue…

Carolyn Gretton

Dropping one teaspoon of salt lowers blood pressure like medication

Fewer than 1 in 5 of the more than 1 billion people worldwide with high blood pressure has it under adequate control. Doctors usually recommend a combination of medication and lifestyle tweaks to bring it down. But it turns out one teaspoon of salt could have an impact as powerful as medication…

Joyce Hollman

How calorie restriction changes your body to slow aging

In early 2023, a first-of-its-kind study proved calorie restriction can indeed slow the pace of aging, not just in mice, but in humans. A second look showed how: It led to genetic changes that prevented a common aging condition that normally develops in older people…

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