Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Metformin cancels out the diabetic benefits of exercise

Yes, you read that right. The most popular drug for treating type 2 diabetes may cancel out the biggest benefits expected from exercise when part of a treatment strategy. Beyond diabetes, that may be a setup for long-term health risks…

Carolyn Gretton

The scientific reason it really is better to give than receive

Everyone loves giving and getting gifts. But it seems we enjoy gift-giving a bit more. Turns out the old adage “it’s better to give than to receive” is actually true in terms of the response it elicits from your brain…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The serious threats that stick around after the virus is long gone

Fever, cough, chills, congestion and body aches… a viral infection can be rough. When the symptoms are gone, it feels like the worst is over. But a surprising symptom sticks around: elevated risks for stroke and heart attack.

Easy Health Options Staff

Read before hanging out under the mistletoe

A kiss under the mistletoe is a longstanding holiday tradition, steeped in ancient lore. Depending on the health of your kissing partner, when you indulge in a 10-second kiss, you exchange much more than good tidings…

Joyce Hollman

Half a dozen ways to avoid weight gain over the holidays

The holiday season isn’t kind to people who are trying to lose weight or maintain a holding pattern. But don’t give up hope. I’ve got some strategies to avoiding tipping the scales to share with you…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The best way to beat down inflammation

Inflammation seems like such a benign and common symptom. But as the saying goes, “give it an inch and it’ll take a mile.” Once it takes hold — which is easy because it’s fueled by stress, sleep loss, sugar, pollution and countless other modern-day threats — it can completely wreck your health.

Carolyn Gretton

A sweeter way to boost hair growth

Living with androgenic alopecia, a common cause of hormonal hair loss in men and women, is challenging, especially when the suggested treatment isn’t all that effective. That may be changing…

Joyce Hollman

The diet that could keep gum disease away

The Mediterranean Diet is always at the top of any “best diet” list. It just has so much going for it, promoting healthy aging, better blood pressure and protecting against cognitive decline. The lastest? Gum disease…

Joyce Hollman

How to have the memory of a 50-year-old at 80

Diet, exercise and sleep are important for keeping your brain sharp with age. But what if you can’t do it all, like exercise? SuperAgers do more of one thing that’s not on this list, and it works for them…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The hidden arterial dangers of being ‘skinny-fat’

You can easily zip your jeans and your doctor’s happy with the number on the scale. That means you’re fit and healthy, right? Not necessarily. Being skinny-fat may mask artery damage setting you up for stroke or heart attack…

Carolyn Gretton

What your neck size can reveal about your heart

BMI was considered the gold standard for estimating a person’s body fat, until we learned it overlooked a critical detail that’s a much stronger indication for heart trouble, one your neck size could reveal…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

9 signs of poor circulation you shouldn’t ignore

Good circulation is one of the most critical factors for good health. Your heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and everything in between receive life-giving oxygen via a complex network of blood vessels throughout the body. Do you know the signs if yours is failing?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Sugar ruins your gut surprisingly fast — but there’s an antidote

Thanks to all the sweet treats that go hand-in-hand with social gatherings, I have no doubt that I eat more sugar during the holidays than in the previous six months combined. But eating a high-sugar diet for even a short amount of time can result in shockingly fast health problems…

Jenny Smiechowski

Avoid hidden heavy metals this holiday season

Decorative tableware is never more popular than during the holidays. But those festive platters can serve up toxic metals that shorten lifespans and endanger your heart on par with cholesterol. Before you serve guests, how dangerous is your holiday setting?

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Simple hack stops ‘viral vitamin’ from plummeting during winter

It’s no secret why cold and flu season go hand-in-hand with the dark days of fall and winter. Luckily, scientists have discovered an easy way to bio-hack the ‘viral vitamin’ we need most this time of year…

Margaret Cantwell

More proof of skin cancer prevention in a vitamin

A few years ago, a small study from Australia, the skin cancer capital of the world, suggested a simple vitamin could help prevent the most common skin cancers. A much larger study just put those findings to the test, and they were right…

Carolyn Gretton

The real cholesterol culprit cracked: It’s not eggs

If you have elevated cholesterol, you’ve probably been avoiding eggs. Turns out, that advice may be as dated as bell-bottom pants. In fact, it’s this Western breakfast staple that may be the real villain in the cholesterol war…

Carolyn Gretton

The unusual link between HRT and women’s immune health

Hormone replacement therapy has largely shed its bad reputation, given the heart, bone and brain health benefits revealed in recent years. New evidence shows it could shore up another system critical to keeping women well…

Joyce Hollman

The perfect pair to beat disease-causing inflammation

There are lots of supplements that support gut health and fight disease-causing inflammation. But a perfect pair that produces a crucial short-chain fatty acid essential to healthy aging may be the most potent anti-inflammatory to do the job…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

10 sneaky conditions that lead to weight gain

When you do everything right and still gain weight, it can be frustrating. It’s probably not even your fault. Many health conditions, some you’d never suspect, can make it hard to maintain healthy weight or even cause sudden weight gain…

Joyce Hollman

The diabetes-cancer connection and how to take both down

If you or a loved one has type 2 diabetes, you know the importance of controlling it. But there’s another significant reason to manage it, better yet, help it go into remission: Cancer. Luckily, there’s one thing that can take both dangerous conditions down…

Amanda Wilks

6 Anti-aging superfoods that will make you feel younger

Take into account just how important a factor food can be when it comes to aging. Stuffing yourself full of foods with added sugars and bad fats can be almost as destructive as hours sedentary on the couch. If you want good health to feel and look better, try these…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

16 medical tests to expect in your 60s and beyond

Some preventative medical tests are a piece of cake, while we dread others. And it seems new ones gets tacked on with each passing birthday. Here’s what to expect at 60 and beyond, including when you can start saying ‘no’ to some of the poking and prodding…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

PQQ: The antioxidant that fights the most dangerous fat

There’s fat and there’s belly fat. It’s hard to lose and it takes your health down. That’s why so many reach for injectible GLP-1 drugs. Instead of dangerous side effects, battle the bulge with an alternative that not only fights fat three ways, but supports liver health and longevity…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

What is ‘Ghost Poop’ and what it signals about your health

‘Ghost poop’ is making the rounds on social media. Who you gonna call? Not Ghostbusters. We’ve got all the answers about what this spooky-sounding term means, who experiences ghost poop, and what it signals…

Jenny Smiechowski

Not a veggie fan? Eat just this ONE for clearer arteries

Most people with atherosclerosis don’t know they have it until artery-clogging problems show up, like stroke or heart attack. So, what can you do to steer clear? Eat the one vegetable that reduces vascular calcification.

Joyce Hollman

Two common conditions increasing pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is on the fast track to becoming the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Why? A common denominator in two common conditions turns cells cancerous, but there’s a way to throw a kink into the equation…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The unseen fat that’s your heart’s biggest threat

A layer of fat around the heart offers protection. Unless there’s a little too much and it’s composed of damaging substances that can leak directly into your heart. Here’s how that happens and how to gauge your risk…

Joyce Hollman

The shortcut to living longer than people who walk 3 hours daily

We’ve got all kinds of reasons for not exercising. But if you’re not walking because it takes hours a day to get in 10,000 steps, I’ve got the shortcut to better benefits in a fraction of the time…

Joyce Hollman

The Parkinson’s clues found in ear wax

Right now, diagnosing Parkinson’s is costly, subjective and slow, taking an average of three years. When the only hope is to slow progression, every second counts. Here’s why ear wax could lead to faster diagnoses, but don’t break out the swabs…

Joyce Hollman

The mineral that works like ‘insurance’ against dementia

If you’re health conscious, you might focus on getting important nutrients like vitamins through diet or by supplementing. But how much mind do you pay to minerals? There’s one that half of us are deficient in. Considering it just might be the best insurance against dementia, that’s a problem…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

3 prostate warning signs you shouldn’t ignore

Over half of men will encounter prostate problems by age sixty. With each passing year, those odds grow. Early warning signs can be vital to protect a man’s sexual and overall health. Here are three to never ignore…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The superfood compound that beats back prediabetes

Prediabetes isn’t just a stepping stone to type 2. Even in this stage, it can cause heart damage. Lifestyle changes may keep the scales from tipping, especially a diet that contains this glucose-lowering superfood…

Carolyn Gretton

14 steps that slow aging to avoid frailty

Frailty can rob you of your independence as you get older. One good way to fend off frailty is by walking. But whether it works depends on your cadence. That’s where the extra 14 steps come in…

Carolyn Gretton

The herbal compound that could reverse Alzheimer’s

Lifestyle factors help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. But once you have it, there’s precious little that can help. Or so we thought. Meet the herb research says slowed decline and turned brains back to normal…

Joyce Hollman

15 foods to undo binging over the holidays

‘Tis the season of overindulging. Even if you’re a healthy eater, you’re going to encounter foods you probably don’t the rest of the year. This can wreak havoc with your digestive system, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. These foods can counter the damage…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Biomarkers prove wine’s heart-supporting benefits

Conflicting reports about the benefits or harms of drinking wine came from studies relying on self-reported data that’s often flawed. But when researchers got serious about the science, it resulted in great news for wine lovers and their hearts…

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…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

6 changes that happen when you eat one ounce of walnuts

One of the easiest ways to grab big health and nutritional benefits is by adding nuts to your diet. But the cost of nuts, like everything else these days is going up. Good news: all it takes is one ounce to see these 6 improvements…

Jenny Smiechowski

The best holiday food to hamper holiday weight gain

They wouldn’t be holidays if we didn’t indulge, right? But rich, starchy, sugary desserts lead to weight gain and soaring blood sugar. There’s one seasonal treat that contains powerful metabolism boosters that can counteract the harm and help you enjoy the holidays guilt-free…

Margaret Cantwell

Don’t share these holiday foods with your dog

Is it hard to say no to your fur baby when the Thanksgiving turkey hits the table? Or maybe they just want to sample the ham. No matter how sweet those puppy dog eyes are, some under-the-table sharing can do your pet serious harm…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

How your diet can cause your bladder to leak

Bladder betrayal doesn’t discriminate when aging and hormones are involved. But diet? Surprising new findings about what you eat and don’t eat may explain why you run faster to the bathroom than the next person…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The snack your heart loves that boosts your ‘happy’ hormone

When you reach for sweets or salty chips, your waistline and your health suffer. Don’t worry. If you need a little something to hold you over, there’s one snack that hits so many health marks — if you’re not enjoying it daily, you’re doing yourself a disservice…

Carolyn Gretton

How sugary drinks help colorectal cancer spread

Having an occasional soda can’t hurt, can it? Turns out it can. Modest consumption of sugary drinks can raise your risk of cancer, and, if you’re battling it, can cause it to spread. Here’s how…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How germs in your mouth more than double stroke risk

Not one but two studies add to a growing body of evidence that what happens in your mouth doesn’t just stay there. In fact, your oral health can more than double your risk for stroke and more…

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…

Carolyn Gretton

That snap, crackle and pop in your knee may start with your thyroid

If you notice your knee crackling, it could signal osteoarthritis or a build-up of calcium crystals thought to only happen in really old age. Turns out they do structural damage much earlier than thought, especially if your mineral metabolism is off…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

What works to keep fatty liver inflammation from progressing

Fatty liver has become far too common a health risk, and it’s one that keeps on giving because it can progress to liver cancer with just a few steps in between. The key is stamping out the inflammation before that happens…

Joyce Hollman

The most effective strategy against heart disease and cancer

Diet is directly tied to health or disease. That’s why it has been and may always be a topic of research. But when a study comes out every week on this diet or that, how do you quantify it all? Analyze 20 years of studies and the disease-free diet comes to the top…

Carolyn Gretton

The vegetable that lowered blood pressure 36 percent

What you eat can make a huge difference in your blood pressure. Too much (or too little) salt and skimping on fiber can send your blood pressure soaring. But if you’re looking to lower your risk, there’s one food you should consider adding to your daily diet…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Guava’s secret liver cancer-fighting molecule

Liver cancer is on the rise. And just in time, scientists are on the cusp of an effective and inexpensive treatment, thanks to the secrets given up by the guava fruit, its seeds and leaves — chock-full of powerful cancer fighters…

Joyce Hollman

Nature’s appetite suppressant

Serotonin is best known for improving mood, reducing anxiety and promoting energy. But did you know it’s also nature’s appetite suppressant? It helps curb appetite and food cravings, and makes you feel satisfied. Here’s how to put it to use…

Carolyn Gretton

Why antioxidants are the answer for aging brains and muscles

Oxidative stress, which plays a significant role in age-related health issues, is the progressive cellular damage caused by free radicals. Exercise can help protect against some of that decline. But powerful nutrition goes straight to the cause…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The drink that makes antibiotics useless (and it’s not alcohol)

The list of effective antibiotics is getting shorter, especially against one bacteria behind some very common and difficut-to-treat infections. To protect your chances they’ll work when you’re in need, you may have to give up your favorite drink…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Try this weight-reducing fat trick to survive holiday eating

From Thanksgiving with its turkey, dressing and rich pies, to Christmas and endless cookies and cakes, I tend to eat my way through the holiday season. And then, come New Year’s, I’m looking at a long list of resolutions topped with “START DIET TODAY!” But not this year! Here’s why…

Carolyn Gretton

The ‘pickled’ food that took down weight and triglycerides

Wouldn’t it be great if fighting obesity was as easy as adding one specific food to your diet? Well, according to multiple studies, this may be possible with a food that’s been eaten for thousands of years…

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

Magnesium’s overlooked link to type 2 diabetes

Magnesium doesn’t get a whole lot of attention. But when it comes to type 2 diabetes, and the two-way connection that makes people with blood sugar problems especially vulnerable to deficiency, it should…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Drink this every day to lower your risk of heart disease and stroke

A lot of focus is on living longer and healthier. There’s a simple way to do that: lower your risk of heart disease and stroke and increase not only life expectancy but the quality of those extra years — all with one drink.

Carolyn Gretton

The supplement that kept prostate cancer from worsening

For older men, prostate cancer is a real concern. About 6 in 10 diagnoses are in men 65 or older. But research into food as medicine has revealed why one food can slow or prevent it from getting worse.

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The cortisol-link between stress and dehydration

Ever wonder why you can handle stress better on some days than others? Maybe it’s a car repair you keep putting off… maybe you’re being pulled in too many directions. Or, maybe, you’re just not drinking enough…

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