Latest Stories

Latest Stories

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…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Carbs aren’t the only macronutrient with an impact on blood sugar

If you’ve been ditching the bread, pasta and grains in order to keep your insulin in check, you might be missing some important information. It turns out two other macronutirents impact blood sugar in ways never before characterized by science…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Is revitalizing old blood the secret to slowing aging?

Research has demonstrated the power of young blood to rejuvenate older bodies, making hearts and muscles stronger and minds sharper. But you can’t walk into your doctor’s office and ask to be hooked up to an IV of blood from a 20-year-old. Here’s what you can do…

Joyce Hollman

How ultra-processed foods destroy your hunger hormones

Astrocytes are star-shaped cells in the brain that express receptors for hormones, including ghrelin, which signals hunger, and its counterpart, leptin, which signals fullness. But just 10 days of the wrong foods dismantles that whole system…

Carolyn Gretton

This early warning could save your heart years before signs of trouble

Given how deadly a heart attack or stroke can be, it helps to get as much advance warning as possible. But too often that’s not the case by the time the heart signals a problem. But there’s another part of the body where researchers have discovered a tell-tale sign that may save lives years in advance.

Jenny Smiechowski

Drink away high blood pressure and bad cholesterol

If you follow a few simple rules, you can drink tomato juice until your heart’s content (and your heart will be very content — and healthy — with lower BP and cholesterol!). That’s what people in this study did, and look how it worked out for them? Ready to give it a go?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How to lower sleep apnea risk in 20 minutes

Snoring, waking up gasping for air or with a headache in the morning and feeling tired and irritable are all signs of sleep apnea, a condition that affects more than 29 million Americans. A new study has found an easy way to reduce your risk of sleep apnea in under 20 minutes per day…

Joyce Hollman

5 ways eating a banana could save your life

Will a banana a day keep heart disease away? Let me count the ways… bananas are high in potassium, a mineral that plays a pivotal role in maintaining a healthy heart. Without enough of this mineral, your heart and arteries simply cannot function the way they’re supposed to.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How forever chemicals set you up for disease later in life

If you think forever chemicals are new, you’d be wrong. PFAS have been around since the 1940s. That means most of us have been around long enough for PFAS to have taken advantage of a vulnerable window of time when they set us up for disease later in life…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Why omega-3s came out on top of COVID-19

The health and longevity of people in blue zones is just one reasons for tons of research on omega-3 essential fatty acids. They’ve held an ancient secret that in today’s world is still proving they’re not only essential because we can’t produce them on our own, but good health depends on them.

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Erythritol: The sugar substitute linked to sticky blood and stroke

Blood clots in response to an injured blood vessel. It’s a normal response even to a paper cut. As the bleeding stops, the clot is no longer needed and dissolves. Things don’t always go as planned, but who would have thought an artificial sweetener could make things worse…

Jenny Smiechowski

Golf lovers do this better

You wouldn’t think being a spectator at a sporting event would have a positive impact on your health. But it does — at least when it comes to one sport in particular, whose fans could put just about anyone’s Fitbit score to shame…

Joyce Hollman

How irregular sleep hardens arteries

Studies have shown that not sleeping enough and having irregular bedtimes and wake-up times can put your heart at risk. Now, researchers have connected the dots between poor sleep and a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke…

Joyce Hollman

Laxatives linked to high dementia risk

Chronic constipations affects more Americans than care to admit. If you’re one of them and reach for laxatives for relief, take a close look at the type and how many you use. Your future brain health may depend on it…

Carolyn Gretton

The link between your toothbrush and silent brain damage

Over the years, we’ve learned more about how the health of your mouth can affect your entire body. But oral health risk factors that contribute to stroke prompted research into how caring for your mouth could save your brain from silent damage…

Carolyn Gretton

The surprising truth about olive oil’s benefits

A daily spoonful of olive oil could tame a lot of health ills. But what makes it so healthy? For years polyphenols, phenomenal plant compounds, got all the glory. But a component that makes up almost 80 percent of olive oil’s composition is stepping forward…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The silent surgery risk your doctor may not know about

If you’re age 65 or older and considering surgery, know your risks. Especially if the surgery is elective. You’ll need to weigh the chances of a newly recognized risk and what it could do to your life… against the potential benefits you’ll get from having the surgery. And it’s a threat your doctor may not be aware of yet…

Joyce Hollman

Forget dieting: Adopt an ‘eat more-live better’ food style

The word “diet” conjures up images of deprivation, tasteless foods, and constant cravings for what we can’t have. But deprivation diets set you up to fail… unless you have willpower like Superman. Instead of starting a new “diet,” pledge to gradually change your “eating style,” and you’ll have greater success.

Joyce Hollman

Obesity causes brain changes that mimic Alzheimer’s

Strange as it sounds, obesity is a form of premature aging. But though that’s been well established, experts were still shocked to see how similar obesity-related neurodegeneration is to changes in an Alzheimer’s brain…

Joyce Hollman

Old diabetes drug with a dangerous past may treat Alzheimer’s

Ever hear the expression, “out of the frying pan, into the fire”? It means going from a bad situation to one that may be even worse. Like taking a drug linked to heart issues, bladder cancer and liver toxicity and giving it new life as an Alzheimer’s treatment.

Joyce Hollman

One a day with a friend rids loneliness and stress

Within each of us is a unique ecosystem of bacteria known as the gut microbiome. When it’s well-balanced, well-being flourishes. The same can be said for your social biome. And whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, helping yours thrive entails more than quality or quantity…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Research links common medications to tinnitus

The ringing, buzzing, hissing, whistling, swooshing and clicking of tinnitus can drive anyone crazy. And though doctors have tried for years to help, there’s been little known about the causes of the condition — until now. It turns out it could be sitting in your medicine cabinet at this very moment…

Carolyn Gretton

Common medications increase bowel disease after 40

Inflammatory bowel diseases, like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, can be painful and debilitating, causing chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, bloody stools, weight loss and fatigue. If you’re in your 40s, certain medications can increase your risk of developing one…

Carolyn Gretton

The road that leads to tinnitus noise triggers

Tinnitus can be caused by hundreds of health issues and external stimuli. But one recently identified source is something we’re all exposed to at one time or another — and it’s not-so-great news for people living in urban areas…

Joyce Hollman

Thyroid, menopause and diabetes: The phthalate danger to women

Phthalates are colorless, odorless “everywhere” chemicals. They go by a host of names, but they’re all endocrine-disrupting chemicals. From thyroid to menopause trouble, women are hardest hit. Now, they’re why you can get diabetes from your shampoo…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Popular manicure may increase risk for skin cancer

Before you head off to the nail salon, there’s something you should know. Gel manicures may look lovely but they expose you to a very real danger. Just like the sun and tanning beds, those nail dryers pack a serious punch of UV radiation…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Mitochondria: Key to preserving fitness during aging

Exercise is one of the most powerful anti-aging tools we have. But even though physical activity can improve health during aging, evidence also shows that inevitably those beneficial effects decline. Research shows with the right intervention, they may not have to…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Common drug for back pain found to offer nothing but side effects

If you’re one of the 80 percent of people who suffers from low back pain at one point or another, there’s something that you need to know before you see your doctor: the prescription they want to give you probably won’t work. Even worse, while it does little to nothing for your pain, the drug could lead to problematic or even dangerous side effects…

Carolyn Gretton

How to make Kegels work better for bladder leaks

It’s no surprise that women’s bladders get weaker. And Kegel exercises have long been recommended to improve pelvic floor strength and relieve bladder leaks. But that didn’t always work well enough until they added a second step…

Margaret Cantwell

Wegovy: From rebound weight to that black box warning

Weight loss has never been easy. That’s why Wegovy sounded like a fairy tale. In truth, it’s a cautionary tale of miserable side effects, disrupted hormones, a black box warning and rapid weight gain that doesn’t live up to the hype for everyone.

Carolyn Gretton

Could the key to good sleep start in your gut?

Everyone has trouble sleeping occasionally, with the most common causes being stress, anxiety and depression, neurological problems and pain. But there’s another group of middlemen that can make sleep tough, and they reside in a surprising part of your body…

Carolyn Gretton

The nut that lowers cholesterol better than exercise

Nuts are givers of great health. Almonds have been called the world’s most nutritious nut. Walnuts have been known to crackdown on chronic disease. And pistachios have been hailed as natural weight loss helpers. But what is the best nut for lowering cholesterol? The one that dropped numbers significantly lower than exercise intervention…

«SPONSORED»