Latest Stories

Latest Stories

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…

Carolyn Gretton

Mediterranean diet improves cancer treatment for melanoma

Polyphenols are a subset of phytonutrients that are especially “bioactive.” They’re known for drug-like effects in human health. Considering the plethora of nutrition in the Mediterranean diet, finding it’s helpful in cancer treatment is no surprise…

Joyce Hollman

12 conditions that throw you off balance

As we get older, our sense of balance can weaken somewhat. But if you’ve seen your balance worsen in a way that’s not gradual, something else could be going on. Here are twelve health issues that can make you less steady on your feet…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Breaking the link between air pollution and osteoporosis

Is it any wonder that 80 percent of Americans living with osteoporosis are women? By nature, the odds are against us. And now we’re learning with every breath, it gets worse. Air pollution is eating away at our bones, but we’re not as helpless about it as it might seem…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The green fruit that keeps deep belly fat away

When we think about weight loss, we think about dropping body fat. But when you lose “deep” fat, you drop risks for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Problem is, it’s a lot harder to get rid of than regular fat, unless you eat this green fruit daily…

Carolyn Gretton

Is 11 minutes a day enough to keep early death at bay?

If you think you don’t have time to exercise, you’re far from alone. The recommended amount of 150 minutes a week often stops people cold. What if, in the amount of time it takes to drink a cup of coffee, you could reduce several risks that often lead to an early grave?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

What any man can do to ‘last longer’

It’s no secret that having a good sex life can make your whole life feel better, your relationships run more smoothly and boost your confidence. But problems can sneak into the bedroom that create more frustration than joy. Here’s a secret every man should know…

Carolyn Gretton

Why skipping breakfast means getting sick more often

There are many proven reasons breakfast has earned the title of “most important meal of the day.” And the popular practice of fasting is proving yet another reason why: a chain reaction set off by inflammation that can make you sick easily and more often and set you up for heart problems…

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.

Carolyn Gretton

Conclusive: Vitamin D’s viral ‘protective effect’

During the pandemic, there was a lot of research into how nutrition might give us an edge, and one vitamin stood out. Now that the worst appears to be behind us, you may be wondering what was ultimately decided. Does vitamin D have exceptional clout or not?

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…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The CBD solution to painful mouth ulcers

Random mouth ulcers are just plain painful. Over-the-counter topicals or prescription mouthwashes may reduce the pain, but they don’t help heal those canker sores so much. So a group of scientists decided to put CBD to the test. It’s been shown to do so much, why not?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Blood clots linked to COVID’s long-haul symptoms

While most people recover within weeks, many are left with what’s been dubbed long-haul symptoms, lasting weeks to even months beyond the initial infection. The exact cause of the condition now known as long COVID syndrome has been a mystery, until evidence pointed to the dangerous role blood clots play in symptoms that won’t go away…

Jenny Smiechowski

8 foods most likely to trigger diarrhea

My gut is somewhat out of whack thanks to long-term antibiotics I took several years ago. So I’m familiar with an urgent bathroom run. But there are some surprising things about some foods that can trigger diarrhea even if you have an iron stomach. If you’d rather not be caught off guard, watch out for these eight…

Joyce Hollman

Could you omit just 200 calories a day to save your heart?

The aorta, the main artery coming into the heart, becomes gradually stiffer with age, even without other risk factors, like smoking or obesity. This stiffening is the main reason the risk of hypertension increases as we get older. But even if weight is a problem, you might be surprised to find you don’t have to starve to make a significant difference in your heart health…

William Davis

How do you know if you have leaky gut?

How can you know if leaky gut is at the root of health issues plaguing you? It’s not easy, considering symptoms can affect the entire body, even though they start in the gut. That’s why people suffering the condition spend years looking for relief. Knowing the symptoms and conditions that can be tied to leaky gut is a good starting point for you to nail down what’s ailing you…

Carolyn Gretton

The milk protein that’s a potential treatment for COVID-19

Even with the availability of vaccines, COVID-19 is on the rise again thanks to variants like Delta that are easier to transmit. It’s spurring researchers to find ways to more quickly identify and test potential COVID-19 treatments. And one team may have identified an inexpensive and readily available solution in milk protein…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How fructose supersizes the way your gut absorbs fat and calories

It’s no secret that high amounts of fructose are hiding in hundreds of foods, from condiments, like ketchup, to luncheon meats, apple sauce, breakfast cereals and more. It’s contributed to an obesity epidemic, but scientists were truly surprised to see exactly how: by conditioning the gut to absorb supersized amounts of fat and calories…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The strange connection between migraines and diabetes

The fact that migraines and diabetes are linked at all seems rather unlikely. While migraines happen in your brain, diabetes is caused by issues with your pancreas. And there’s a lot of body separating these two organs. But research has uncovered an odd connection that may seem like a silver lining for at least one of these conditions…

Carolyn Gretton

The surprisingly big benefits of starting exercise later in life

You may believe there comes a point when taking up exercise won’t make any difference to your health. But don’t give up just yet. Research in more than 30,000 people indicates that becoming physically active later in life can be almost as good for a longer, healthier life as having exercised consistently for years…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Want to feel better fast? Try a canine cuddle

From watching funny pet videos to relaxing with our favorite pooch, pets make us laugh, make us smile, and make us feel better. That’s why doctors and hospitals have long enlisted therapy dogs to help patients, whether they’re recovering from a physical injury or need emotional support. Here’s how your pet can help you feel better fast…

Joyce Hollman

Walnuts crack the code to longer years and less disease

Certain foods have a reputation as superfoods, meaning they possess particularly heathy attributes that confer improved health and even longer life to those who eat them. You can include them as part of healthy diet or, in the case of this one, the worse your diet is, the bigger the benefits you’ll see…

Carolyn Gretton

Two times when COVID-19 is most likely to spread

The Delta variant is reminding us just how easy it is to catch the COVID-19 virus and transmit it. That’s why knowing exactly when someone is most contagious could go a long way toward slowing the spread. Thankfully, researchers have zeroed in on two times when it’s most critical for someone infected with COVID-19 to stay away from others…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Study finds 4 big benefits of intermittent fasting

Time-restricted eating is a type of intermittent fasting. It’s an eating plan where you restrict consuming your calories or food to a specific window of time each day. You might eat during an hour 8 hour period and fast for 16 (a chunk of that when you sleep). It’s not for everyone, but these four big health benefits might inspire you to give it a try…

Joyce Hollman

Alzheimer’s to stroke: What playing an instrument does for your brain

At any given moment, I can listen to the right tune to help me feel calmer, happier, more focused or primed for sleep. But playing music also improves your life in multiple ways. In fact, learning to play a musical instrument is well worth the effort, especially for your brain, even if you don’t start learning until you’re an older adult…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

When erectile dysfunction is a three-alarm warning for your heart

Erectile dysfunction is a subject most men don’t want to talk about. After all, many men take it as another sign, along with laugh lines and a receding hairline, that they’re just getting older. But if you’re experiencing problems in the bedroom that you’ve been ignoring, the results of a study of over 95,000 men in Australia may be a wake-up call for you…

Carolyn Gretton

Missing link explains how heart disease can start in the gut

There’s a reason we’ve learned to trust our gut instincts. Research has revealed that it works for the body like a second brain and that its effects on total body health can reach far beyond its intestinal confines. That’s why when scientists had a gut feeling about its connection to heart disease, they couldn’t shake it until they discovered this missing link…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Keto: The diet with potential to starve cancer cells

Nobel Prize-winning physiologist and biochemist Otto Warburg hypothesized over 90 years ago that cancer cells use sugars for energy. If you take a cancer cell’s preferred energy source, what happens then? On the keto diet, the body turns to burning fat for energy instead of carbohydrates, but cancer might starve…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

5 immediate benefits of exercise says science

Sometimes staying motivated to exercise can weigh heavy on your fitness goals, no matter what they are. We’ve been conditioned that achieving them depends on the long haul. Not so for these five benefits that science says you can experience immediately. Hint: some of these may be the motivation you need!

Joyce Hollman

What ‘diabetes remission’ really looks like

Is it really possible to send type 2 diabetes into remission? That’s the word scientists used when they reviewed almost 100 papers about the effects of various diets on the disease. Their final assessment? It certainly is, as long as these two key strategies are part of the plan….

Jonathan Sharp

Is your mattress leaking fiberglass? Here’s how to know

If you’ve ever shopped for a mattress, you know that there’s a lot to consider, including size, price, and of course, comfort. Oftentimes, we get so preoccupied with finding the perfect mattress that will last a decade, that we totally overlook potential hazards. But how dangerous could a mattress be? Quite dangerous, actually, especially if it’s leaking fiberglass…

Carolyn Gretton

Walking significantly raises survival odds after a stroke

Walking is probably one of our favorite forms of exercise. But many hardcore fitness freaks might cast doubt on the benefits of waking a few hours a week. If they are ever unfortunate enough to experience stroke, they may change their minds. Reducing risk of death up to 80 percent is nothing to scoff at…

Joyce Hollman

Why napping won’t make up for your sleepless nights

Is napping your favorite pastime? Of late, it’s been mine. I’m not sure if the heat is to blame or just age. But I’ve been catnapping more often. That may sound nice, but I’ve noticed I don’t wake refreshed or any better able to focus. Turns out there’s a good reason for that. It’s called slow-wave sleep…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The age when metabolism really slows (it’s later than you think)

Maybe you remember a time that you could eat anything you wanted and not gain a pound. Yet now, if you even look at a cheeseburger, you can feel your hips and thighs expanding. If so, you’ve probably placed the blame on a slow metabolism due to age. But new research says your metabolism stays strong longer than you might think…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Meditation: Better concentration now and less degeneration later

Although millions of people around the world seek mental clarity through meditation, most of us in the U.S. ignore this powerful tool. True, most of us have little time to set aside for ourselves. But considering how much science shows the simple practice can improve concentration now and lessen the risk for degeneration, even Alzheimer’s, later, we can’t afford not to make time…

Carolyn Gretton

Osteoporosis: The forgotten mineral that lowers the risk

It takes more than calcium and vitamin D to maintain bone health. These popular nutrients tend to take the spotlight, though strong healthy bones depend just as much on important micro- and macronutrients. In fact, a single trace element — and don’t let that word diminish its big benefits — is instrumental in boosting your bone density…

Joyce Hollman

Can a COVID-19 infection cause diabetes?

COVID-19 hasn’t been shy about wreaking havoc on multiple organs in the body. And it’s come to light that in many cases, it goes after the pancreas. There it begins a dangerous game of cat and mouse with hormones that regulate blood sugar. In fact, there are real concerns that a bout with COVID-19 may leave lifelong blood sugar problems in its wake…

Carolyn Gretton

Considering hormone replacement therapy? Check your ‘vascular age’

For years, doctors have used a menopausal woman’s chronological age and years since onset of menopause to determine whether hormone therapy is too risky for her cardiovascular health. Now, researchers are suggesting physicians look at a completely different kind of age for a more accurate measure…

Carolyn Gretton

Combining metabolic syndrome with kidney disease can be deadly

Metabolic syndrome is bad enough on its own since it raises your risk of problems like heart attack, stroke and diabetes, not to mention premature death. But when combined with chronic kidney disease, the cluster of conditions that make up metabolic syndrome can send those risks into the stratosphere. Here’s how to avoid them…

Joyce Hollman

10 factors that increase bone fracture risk

Research has identified 10 factors that, if they apply to you, add up to a 30 percent higher chance you’ll suffer a fracture in the next two decades. Some of them are beyond your control. But there are a few you can address now to prevent broken bones later on.

Joyce Hollman

Early signs of COVID-19 differ by age: know yours

Did you know that the earliest COVID-19 symptoms are not the same for everyone? We’ve learned a lot through the pandemic and new research shows that, depending upon your age, the early warning signs may be different from what you think. Knowing your earliest symptoms can help you protect yourself and others…

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