Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Carolyn Gretton

When a fall may be a stroke warning sign

Most people have experienced a fall at least once in their life. Most of the time there’s a reason (you tripped over a tree root, for instance). But there’s a concerning connection to falling that could mean increased stroke risk…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

3 symptoms of ovarian cancer you shouldn’t ignore

Ovarian cancer is a mostly silent and fast-moving disease. But researchers have found symptom-triggered testing can pick up early stage aggressive ovarian cancer in one in four women. Know what to look for and the tests your doctor should be running…

Joyce Hollman

Low back pain? Walking it off really works

It may seem counterintuitive, but if you’ve got low back pain and you’re not walking, you’re missing out on a simple, free and proven-effective way to reduce your level of pain, enjoy more pain-free days and keep pain from interfering in your daily life…

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

Can You Slow Down Alzheimer’s by Taking Care of Your Heart?

Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease are two of the most significant health challenges we face today — and top the list of conditions my patients want to avoid. But what if these two seemingly separate conditions were more connected than we ever thought?

Carolyn Gretton

The metabolism-busting secret in olives rivals those new weight-loss drugs

The race is on to find safe, inexpensive alternatives to weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, like this naturally derived compound that melts the weight and may work better than two medications commonly used to treat diabetes.

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Move over high blood pressure: There’s a new ‘silent killer’

Hypertension has long been the silent killer, damaging blood vessels without obvious symptoms until heart disease develops. However, experts are warning about a new silent killer, just as pervasive and sneaky, making up 60 percent of the average American adult’s diet…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The Alzheimer’s-diabetes connection that may be hard to escape

There’s no doubt diabetes and Alzheimer’s are intertwined. That’s why some experts labeled Alzheimer’s as type 3 diabetes. Finally, the mechanism behind the connection has revealed why people with diabetes may have a harder time escaping the buildup of amyloid plaques…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The one change that lowers BP and improves heart and kidney health

High blood pressure can do more than heart damage. It can weaken blood vessels, limit blood flow and dramatically reduce kidney function. This causes a fluid backup that can raise blood pressure even more. One change can fix that…

Joyce Hollman

When your urine test finds heavy metals and heart trouble

Scientists are drilling down into the serious heart threat heavy metals present to our health, and it’s not pretty. Nor is how easily we are exposed. If you have any doubt how ubiquitous these toxins are, just see what a urine test can reveal…

Carolyn Gretton

The nut that slays pesky pounds, diabetes and high cholesterol

Losing weight, like so many things, gets harder with age, while packing the pounds on seems to get only easier. Lucky for us, one of our favorite nuts may be the answer. New research says it’s powerful enough to be designated a superfood…

Carolyn Gretton

Alcohol and longevity: Does it help or hurt your lifespan

Some studies show alcohol is great for your health, in moderation. Others point out some definite risks. But the anecdotal evidence linking red wine, the drink of centenarians, to a long healthy life is extensive. When the research was revisited, though, the conclusion was sobering.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

10 serious reasons to rethink lash extensions

Eyelash extensions are a popular, non-surgical way to improve on what Mother Nature didn’t give you or takes back when menopause nears. Just like hair, eyelashes thin, become brittle and lose their upward curve. But before heading to the salon, you need to weigh some serious risks…

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

The not-so-sweet stroke danger of two popular sweeteners

Low-calorie or no-calorie substitutes are often recommended, especially for people with cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. But more evidence about an increasing stroke and heart attack risk may have experts singing a different tune…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The seed that takes out disease-causing cells

Traditional seeds are making a comeback as people turn to options like quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat and black cumin to avoid gluten, but benefits don’t end there. One such seed used in a medicinal Chinese liquor has been found to kickstart a process that helps rid disease-causing cells associated with Alzheimer’s and alcoholic liver disease…

Carolyn Gretton

Microplastics: From your gut to your kidneys, liver and brain

The dangers that microplastics present is no longer speculation. They’re in artery-clogging plaques and may cross the blood-brain barrier. Now it appears the gut may be an open door to how they wreak even more havoc on the human body…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

6 supplements that put the brakes on late-stage AMD

Age-related macular degeneration will strike around one in three of us by age 75. With no cure, slowing progession has been the best hope, except for those already in late AMD, the vision-threatening stage. But a second look at a group of supplements says otherwise…

Joyce Hollman

The 8-week diet proven to slow aging

Making a diet change is a big commitment. But there’s one diet that appears to confer substantial anti-aging benefits, even when followed for just a matter of weeks. This may be the nudge you need to give it a try and slow your rate of aging in the process…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Fat burning ‘default’ switch?

What’s the difference in white, brown and beige fat cells? Beige cells burn energy (calories) and your body can be coaxed to produce them throughout your lifetime. Even better, scientists say a switch could turn hard-to-get-rid-of white fat cells to beige for a fat-burning metabolism…

Joyce Hollman

Accelerated aging: the downside of sugar you can slow

Over the years I’ve shared sugar’s unsweet impact, from heart disease to aggressive tumors. The fact it cuts life short is no surprise. But the discovery that it can undermine our healthiest efforts makes understanding how it hurts us all the more compelling…

Carolyn Gretton

What facial exercise can and can’t do for these signs of aging

Even with a positive attitude about aging, many of us struggle with the signs we see in the mirror and the desire to put our best face forward. Botox and fillers work, but they’re invasive, costly and temporary. What about those face exercises you’ve been hearing so much about?

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

The effects of probiotics on cholesterol levels

Probiotics have been linked to various health benefits, including enhanced immune function, reduced inflammation, and most notably, improved gastrointestinal health. But what can they do for your heart health? Let’s start with cholesterol…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Feel like your body fell apart after 40? Here’s why

If you’ve ever felt like your body is breaking down all at once, you’re not wrong. Researchers have found the aging process isn’t that gradual. We’re hit particularly hard during two specific times in our lives. Here’s when and a tip on avoiding the worst of it…

Joyce Hollman

Orange peel extract: Natural heart disease prevention

People with higher levels of TMAO in their blood may have more than twice the risk of heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular problems. And when we eat a juicy orange, we’re throwing away the part that can inhibit this dangerous enzyme…

Carolyn Gretton

3 foods to take down blood sugar, blood pressure and weight

Few of us eat the recommended eight to 10 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, and it’s bringing our health down as a nation. Easy fix. Focus on just three: one you can drink and the other two only require one serving a day…

Joyce Hollman

Stopping ‘recurring loop of infection’ can end chronic UTI

Want to make a woman cringe? Just mention urinary tract infection. For the really unfortunate, UTIs can become a chronic problem, recurring over and over. Finally, they’ve figured out why that happens: Doctors have only been treating one body part responsible for harboring the virulent bacteria…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Olive oil: The easy antidote for a high-fat diet

We all know that eating greasy, high fat foods, like burgers with fries and a milk shake, aren’t good for us and can lead to health problems, like fatty liver disease. But, what if you could enjoy these foods and still remain healthy?

Carolyn Gretton

7-decade study reveals lifetime of diet on dementia risk

Cognitive performance can keep improving well into middle age, but typically begins to decline after the age of 65. And severe conditions such as dementia can develop alongside these aging-related declines. 70 years says there’s one sure fire way to avoid them…

Carolyn Gretton

Explained: How a high-fat diet fuels anxiety

If you tend to eat when you’re anxious, you probably go straight for your favorite junk foods hoping to feel better. But in reality, you’re fueling a vicious cycle of anxiety that starts in your gut and travels a superhighway to your brain…

Joyce Hollman

The changes that happen when you eat less red and processed meat

So, you’ve gotten the message loud and clear, and are ready to reduce the amount of meat you eat. What changes could you expect to see? How would your health improve? And just how much do you have to give up? If you need those answers to take the dive, read on…

Easy Health Options Staff

Another spice-related recall for lead contamination

Cinnamon is in the news again as yet another recall for a lead-contaminated brand has recently affected a few states. Here are the details you need to keep safe, and news you need to know about spices as a growing heavy metal health threat…

Carolyn Gretton

Low-dose radiation: Common diagnostics linked to heart disease

Few of us are exposed to high-dose radiation (unless it’s to kill cancer cells). But what about the exposure that comes from X-rays or CT scans? We’ve been told for years not to worry about low dose radiation. But the effects on the heart aren’t so benign…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Bone loss: A significant risk factor for dementia

Bone loss and dementia are both health problems we have a higher risk of as we age. So for years, there’s been speculation about a connection between these issues. What they’ve found will have you running for your next bone density screening.

Joyce Hollman

Anticipatory stress: How worry over politics is harmful

Studies show stress affects physical health. But not just stress in the moment. Anticipatory stress is stress you’re anticipating, and politics is a big trigger. If this sound like you, there are a couple of ways to manage it and avoid the harmful effects…

Carolyn Gretton

The link between a hunger hormone, immune response and COVID-19

During the pandemic, a few things became clear: certain segments of the population were hit harder than others. One group was obese patients who seemed otherwise healthy. And it has shone a light on fighting leptin resistance, not only for healthy weight but for healthy immune response…

Joyce Hollman

Regulating forever chemicals in your water: Too little too late?

The EPA has taken the first step to regulate forever chemicals in our drinking water. These chemicals get stored in our bodies and wreak havoc on our health. So is it too little too late? Here’s how to protect against this dangerous exposure…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Is fitness enough to save a man’s heart from high blood pressure?

Hypertension is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke and premature death. For years, we’ve been told exercise can help. In some analyses, exercise was as effective as drugs. But a 29-year study came to a surprising conclusion about exercise, blood pressure and man’s risks for heart trouble…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Losing weight and gaining it back still benefits the heart

Losing weight and then putting it back on is something most of us can relate to. But don’t get too down on yourself. If improving heart health is your goal, you may be surprised to find how long even temporary weight loss does a heart good…

Joyce Hollman

Why exercise is essential to surviving colon cancer

Exercise is one of the healthiest habits we can practice. You know it protects the heart, but there’s a strong connection between cancer and exercise too. Even following diagnosis, find out why you should start moving as much as possible…

Carolyn Gretton

The ‘every day’ nutrient that takes down the Alzheimer’s gene

It’s unsettling to get news you carry the Alzheimer’s gene. But even though it may raise your risk of cognitive decline, there are ways to offset it. One of them is a nutrient you already eat every day, and if you eat more, you can lower that risk by 30 percent…

Dr. Michael Cutler

Testing for hormone imbalances

Your hormonal system is like a symphony orchestra. When everything is in harmony your health and vitality are great. When they’re off, so are you. From stress hormones to sex horrmones, men and women alike can suffer. But the more you know, the better your chances of getting back on track…

Carolyn Gretton

Paxlovid mouth: The unpalatable truth about the COVID-19 antiviral

One of the most common treatments for COVID-19 is the antiviral Paxlovid. While it’s reported to be effective at shortening the severity and duration of the virus, it has its drawbacks — among them a nasty side effect known as “Paxlovid mouth” you’ll need this advice about…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Significant sign of cellular aging linked to Alzheimer’s

It’s a given that short telomeres accelerate aging. But after decades of research into plaques and tangles as hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, new insights show those tiny caps at the end of our DNA strands also affect brain structure, and why we need to keep them longer as long as possible…

Carolyn Gretton

Peripheral artery disease: How sleep contributes to the pain in your legs

The most noticeable symptom of peripheral artery disease is pain and cramping caused by poor blood flow to the muscles in the legs. It occurs most often when walking, but you may be surprised how much sleep has to do with it…

Joyce Hollman

7 medications that make your bladder work overtime

About half of all adult women deal with some level of incontinence. Many men do too. A surprising cause is often medication that’s taken for other conditions. Here are seven classes of medications linked with urinary incontinence, and some natural ways to take back control of your bladder.

Craig Cooper

I took metformin for a week and this happened

Metformin, the leading prescribed “wonder” drug for type 2 diabetes, is reported to be anti-aging, anti-cancer and even helpful with weight issues. So, truth be told, I wasn’t looking at metformin as a drug — I was looking at it more as a “superfood.”

Dr. Mark Wiley

Simply press these points for headache relief

Headaches don’t have to ache. Before your head starts hurting again, check out this quick and easy guide to the acupressure points that can head off headache pain before the suffering intensifies. You may be amazed at how well and fast these points quell pain.

Carolyn Gretton

Why experts say this is the prostate cancer prevention diet

Prostate cancer is one of the most common and fatal cancers in men. For men with low blood levels of lycopene and selenium, there’s an increased risk not just for the cancer, but the damaging effects of the radiation used to treat it. There’s a diet that can help that and more…

Carolyn Gretton

‘First of its kind’ study: Restricting calories slows pace of aging

By far, the most convincing evidence for slowing aging has come from calorie restriction. For years, studies involving fruit flies, worms and even mice have shown it can extend lifespan and delay onset of age-related disorders. Finally we know what it can do for us too…

Joyce Hollman

The ‘invisible’ chemical increasing Parkinson’s diagnoses

Trichloroethylene is a chemical used in manufacturing as a solvent and degreaser. Up until the 1970s, it was used to decaffeinate coffee, of all things. Now, there’s a strong possibility it’s increasing cases of Parkinson’s disease…

Joyce Hollman

The one factor that outweighs obesity-related cancers

Obesity has been synonymous with poor health, especially cancer, for decades. But does the label hold? After a review of 40 years of data, the picture of health might change. There’s more than weight behind these cancers…

Easy Health Options Staff

Alert: Blood thinner recalled for cancer-causing impurity

Another drug recall is in effect due to high levels of the cancer-causing impurity nitrosamine. This follows on the footsteps of two similar recalls over the past two years. This time, it is the blood thinner Dabigatran. Here’s what you need to know…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Reading: The guilty pleasure that could save your memory

There’s nothing better than getting lost in a book. Whether it’s a steamy romance novel or a seat-of-your-pants mystery that keeps you turning those pages late into the night, never feel your “guilty pleasure” is a waste of time. The truth is, it just might save your memory…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Using microbes to shrink your waist and cardio risks

Live microbes, and not just probiotics, from food have finally gotten the credit they deserve: the first real-world evidence that consuming more of them could be the easiest way to not only shrink your waist and BMI, but take down a whole host of health complications with them…

Carl Lowe

To make vitamin D work better, eat this superfruit

Vitamin D offers serious health benefits, from heart disease to autoimmune problems and lots in between. But there’s a superfruit you should eat to make its head to toe benefits even more powerful…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The sneaky gland causing cholesterol problems

If statin side effects weren’t bad enough, there’s the fact you may not even need those drugs in the first place. Your high cholesterol could actually be the result of a completely different health problem.

Carolyn Gretton

For infection prevention, hit the sheets

A lot of us don’t spend enough time in the bedroom. Then again, some of us could be spending a little too much time there. Why does it matter? Your time between the sheets has been linked to how well you can fight off infection.

Joyce Hollman

From postnasal drip to infection: Tips for a lingering cough

There are few things more annoying than a persistent cough, one that lasts for days or weeks and just won’t go away. Here’s what we know about chronic coughing, what it means, when you should be concerned and the treatments that work…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Is your thyroid causing your cholesterol trouble?

From muscle pain to kidney problems and double the dementia risk, it’s no wonder people are wary of statins. Besides those concerns, targeting high levels with statins, might not get to the root of your problem. That’s because cholesterol problems can start in a tiny, butterfly-shaped gland that produces some of the body’s most important hormones instead of your blood vessels.

Joyce Hollman

Is this trace mineral behind your blood sugar problems?

Type 2 diabetes is a major health issue that’s reached epidemic proportions. Exercise and diet are your main weapons against diabetes, but there’s a little-known mineral that could help in a big way…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The stroke risk linked to depression

Depression is considered a serious mood disorder. But there’s a big difference between having a blue mood occasionally and being depressed. It’s not usually something you can just push through, and that’s just one reason to seek help. Another is the increased risk for stroke…

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