Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Joyce Hollman

Closing in on a key driver of aging and disease

Does aging have to come with a host of age-related diseases? If we work hard at keeping our health all our lives, is there an expiration date that takes it all south? No, but it does have a key driver we may soon put a hard brake on…

Joyce Hollman

10 natural ways to make ‘onion breath’ go away

Onions are right up there with green tea and red grapes for their polyphenol content. That makes them more powerful than a lot of highly-rated superfoods. So eat to your heart’s content and follow these tips to reap the benefits without the onion breath!

Jenny Smiechowski

The anti-diabetes antioxidant that reverses insulin resistance

When your cells become resistant to insulin, diabetes is at your heels. Research shows as the CoQ10 levels in cell tissues get lower, insulin resistance gets higher. In other words, the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 helps reverse insulin resistance.

Joyce Hollman

4 teas that naturally balance cholesterol

Diet and exercise can help keep your doctor happy about your cholesterol numbers. But you’ll definitely want to try some herbal teas. There are at least four different refreshing varieties that can help keep your cholesterol in check, thanks to powerful health-promoting plant compounds…

Carolyn Gretton

The consequences of removing the thymus (and why doctors routinely do)

Experts have long believed the thymus gland, which produces all the immune-boosting T cells the body needs during childhood, was of little use once we got older. Turns out they weren’t just wrong, they were dead wrong — as in “double the risk of death” wrong.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Try this at-home stem cell ‘therapy’ to regenerate aging cells

Stem cells are you’re body’s “master cells” and work as your internal repair system. But, they decline rapidly as you age. Luckily, there’s a way to rejuvenate your own stem cells in just 24 hours to start feeling like your younger self again…

Easy Health Options Staff

8 little-known berries for fierce free radical protection

As we age, we build up free radicals, dangerous little molecules that have been linked to everything from cancer and Alzheimer’s, to premature aging. So, as the amount of free radicals we’re exposed to goes up, so does our need for antioxidants to combat them. Here’s where to find them…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Weekend sleep-ins won’t undo sleep deficit heart damage

In recent years, experts have declared sleep “essential to health” for its significant impact on our health. So, if you’re still skimping by and thinking you can make up for it by sleeping in occassionally, this is your wake-up call coming from your heart…

Joyce Hollman

A clove a day to keep heart attack away

There are several types of drugs that treat hypertension, relax blood vessels, prevent clotting and generally try to head off heart attack or stroke. But there’s one food that’s been healing since Biblical times, and modern-day studies confirm its amazing effects on the heart…

Debra Atkinson

When hormones drain your workout energy

As a trainer, I frequently see women seeking energy from exercise but end up digging themselves into a hole. Or worse, giving up on fitness altogether and missing out on the best way to avoid disease. That’s because when adrenal fatigue hits, you may not realize what’s happening…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The dementia danger in common stomach medications

There’s not much worse than acid indigestion that hurts so bad, you think you’re having a heart attack — or is there? As bad as that can be, getting dementia from the very medications you use to feel better may take the cake, baby back ribs or spicy buffalo wings.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Break the feedback loop that fuels pain

Pain is often poorly understood until you realize that pain, depression and anxiety are frequent fellow travelers, thanks to a bi-directional feedback loop. If you only seek treatment for what’s happening in your muscles, joints and nerves, it could be a painful journey…

Carolyn Gretton

The ‘survival switch’ fructose flips to make us fat

Summer is almost over. And with winter just around the corner, you’ll want to give up the one thing that can make you pack on the pounds like a hibernating bear. And no, it isn’t a stew or casserole that’s the culprit…

Carolyn Gretton

The mind-eye connection to dementia

You may think poor vision simply raises your odds of bumping into things. Unfortunately, there may be more to it than that. A growing body of research indicates a strong link between vision problems and the development of a condition we all dread…

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

What garlic can do for the common cold

Garlic has been used medicinally for centuries. And modern research has found it can stand up to many strains of bacteria. But what about the common cold? Let’s see how it stacks up…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Coffee shown to decrease your Parkinson’s risk

Parkinson’s disease can progress quickly, stealing bits and pieces of your life as it marches on. There’s no cure — only treatments. News of a study that has found potent Parkinson’s protection in your daily cup of coffee was a must-read for me…

Margaret Cantwell

How to prep to survive flu season

The CDC recommends flu shots by the end of October. But for the last five years of available data, vaccine efficacy hasn’t breached 40 percent, and if you’re over 50, it was even less. Hopes are higher this year, but surviving flu season is best approached from multiple angles…

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

Nexletol for cholesterol: Blockbuster or just bust

Nexletol® is a fairly new cholesterol-lowering drug. It works through the same enzymatic pathways as statins, but affects a different part of the pathway and doesn’t share the same side effect profile. It’s been touted as a great alternative for patients who can’t tolerate statins. But is it?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How time-restricted eating can change your genes

Time-restricted eating could mean skipping meals for a day. Or just eating every day during an 8 or 9 hour period. I like the latter. But one thing’s for sure: It could be one of the best things for your health, say scientists who saw how it effects 70 percent of genes…

Carolyn Gretton

The sobering truth about alcohol and blood pressure

We’ve all heard the health pros and cons of drinking alcohol, and that the more you drink, the more the cons tend to outweigh the pros. So, as long as you just have one drink a day, you’re okay, right? Not if you want to keep your blood pressure under control…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Is acid reflux medication zapping your energy?

Are you exhausted, worn out and just plain tired? The problem could be a common medication, available over the counter or prescribed by your doctor, to help relieve stomach pain and indigestion. Problem is, it interrupts how your body turns food into energy…

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

The amazing effects of stretching for better blood pressure

We’ve all heard about the benefits of exercise for lowering blood pressure. Simply walking on a regular basis promotes pliable blood vessels and arteries which in turn supports blood flow. But would you believe there may be an even easier way?

Carolyn Gretton

How to keep insulin from shrinking your brain

When you don’t have blood sugar problems, most of us don’t give our insulin levels a seond thought. But research has found that as we age, what’s happening in the brain can differ from what’s going on in the body…

Joyce Hollman

VILPA: Your ticket to low cancer risk when you hate exercise

Move over HIT, here comes VILPA, and if you’ve been beating yourself up for not exercising and missing out on benefits like a lower risk of cancer, find out how adding a little gusto to every day activities can lessen your risks of developing certain cancers up to 32 percent!

Carolyn Gretton

More proof olive oil is what your brain needs

If you’ve not embraced olive oil yet, what’s the hold up? It’s packed with taste and health benefits that decades of studies are bringing to our attention. And what it can do to safeguard your brain keeps coming up again and again. Now, we can add reduced risk of death to the list…

Joyce Hollman

High urine levels of cadmium linked to endometriosis

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that is of no use to the human body. It’s a carcinogen, affects blood pressure and induces bone damage. And it’s difficult to avoid. But a large study just found another good reason why women especially should try hard to…

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

Two reasons to have your liver tested

If your liver was in trouble, could you tell? Probably not. By the time you or the doctor might, liver disease has often progressed and caused damage. That doesn’t mean you just have to wait and wonder. In fact, there are two major reasons to get your liver tested…

Joyce Hollman

The significant impact 500 steps has on your heart

Hold onto your wallet, because you won’t need an electronic step counter for this: Sure you already know walking is great for the health of your heart. But I bet you thought you’d need a lot more than 500 steps to make an impact like this…

Joyce Hollman

6 foods for a healthier heart and longer life

It seems that too much advice only warns us off foods that are unhealthy, when all we need is some simple advice, including food swaps, that can help us choose what to put on our plates every day to avoid the number one killer of Americans and add years to our lives. Well, here you go…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The surprising factor that accelerates aging faster than smoking

Most of us think of age as the number of years we’ve been on the planet, but the truth is not so simple. No matter your chronological age, certain things in life can make you older than your biological years. Of those, we used to think smoking was the worst, but not anymore…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Good news for your bones if you’ve passed menopause

Saying the word “menopause” immediately conjures up images of hot flashes, night sweats and bones becoming frail and prone to fracture. However, while menopause isn’t always a walk in the park, everything post menopause isn’t always bad news…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

12-year study finds 8 foods to beat cognitive decline

More evidence is stacking up that, when it comes to keeping your brain at its best, what you eat counts. According to research that spanned 12 years, there are eight foods you’ll want to make a part of your regular diet if you want to ward off cognitive impairment and dementia as you age — and one to avoid like the plague…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Short of breath? It could be COVID-19 heart damage

If you’ve recovered from even a mild bout with COVID-19, you know that even the weeks and months following an initial infection are no walk in the park. But if it’s been a year and a walk in the park leaves you breathless, you may not be scot-free quite yet. It could be a sign of problems you need to watch closely…

Joyce Hollman

Got 10 hours? Use it to turn metabolic syndrome around

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms affecting one-third of American adults that increases risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. If you have excess belly fat, high cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, you may be one of them. If you’ve got 10 hours, you can turn it around before it’s too late.

Jenny Smiechowski

Reversing age-related brain shrinkage is easier than you think

As you get older, the size of a certain vital organ becomes more and more important — your brain. That’s because, typically, the older you get, the smaller your brain volume gets. And if this shrinkage gets too out of hand, you end up with a serious cognitive impairment like dementia.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Why cool temps could slow down autoimmune diseases like MS

By definition an autoimmune disorder is one in which your own immune system goes haywire, attacking the healthy tissue in your body, causing the disease. MS is one such disease. New research shows its symptoms may be improved and progress prossibly slowed with a change of temperature. Here’s why…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

New way walnuts improve cholesterol discovered

From controlling type 2 diabetes to stopping cancer in its tracks, if you want to stay in tip-top shape, nuts could be your ticket to a longer, healthier life. And it looks like the benefits of walnuts just keep stacking up, especially where heart health is concerned…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Women with long COVID may need extra help regaining activity levels

You’ve certainly heard of long Covid, the phenomenon where people “recover” from the virus that causes COVID-19 but are left with a laundry list of symptoms. However, what you might not know is that if you’re a woman living with long Covid, you may have an extra hard time getting back to normal life, especially if you enjoyed an active lifestyle.

Joyce Hollman

How to tell if it’s age-related memory problems or Alzheimer’s

Memory problems can be unnerving, especially when we get older. It’s easy to begin second-guessing everything and wondering whether you’re simply forgetful or if something worse is happening — like Alzheimer’s. How can you tell the difference? Here are a few things to take note of…

Carolyn Gretton

The surprising connection between MS and the sun

Sun exposure may be rough on the skin, but it has a lot of upsides for our sleep, mood and vitamin D levels. And now researchers are discovering that the benefits of sunlight may go even further by protecting us from certain autoimmune diseases…

Carolyn Gretton

Catching AMD before you start losing vision

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of sight loss in the Western world. And most people don’t know they have it until they’re already losing their sight. Researchers have been looking for ways to catch AMD before that point, and they may have identified some new early warning signs that can help them do it…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

10 steps to simplify living heart healthy

To lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, we’re told to eat a heart-healthy diet. What exactly is heart-healthy? Is it only eating certain types of foods and eliminating others? Or is there a way to get to that elusive heart-healthy status without feeling deprived? Yes, according to these new rules…

Joyce Hollman

11 exotic superfruits with supersized nutrition

Instead of dreaming of tropical islands this winter, why not try some exotic fruits that hail from warmer climates? Here are 11 exotic “superfruits” that are fun to try, and packed with enough nutritional power to dispel the winter doldrums and most anything else that ails you…

Carolyn Gretton

Why more men are getting thyroid cancer

It’s been known for some time that people who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting certain cancers, including thyroid cancer. But it’s been unclear exactly how many cases of thyroid cancer are connected with weight — until now — and the findings should be a wake up call, especially for men…

Joyce Hollman

Study finds inflammatory foods feed Alzheimer’s and dementia

Research shows inflammation is a driving force behind obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Now research is stacking up that connects it with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The good news? Foods feed that inflammation in a dose-dependent manner and a change of diet could make a big difference.

Joyce Hollman

Weird causes and signs of low blood pressure

Low blood pressure, or hypotension, comes with its own set of troublesome symptoms. And, just like high blood pressure, it may also be a signal of other things going wrong in the body — surprisingly enough, even with your thyroid…

Carolyn Gretton

How grains can dash diabetes by more than 30 percent

The average American eats less than one daily serving of whole grains, and some studies show that over 40 percent of Americans never eat whole grains at all. When you know what whole grains can do for blood sugar, it’s no wonder so many Americans are in trouble…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The unexpected truth behind AFib triggers

AFib skyrockets your stroke risk. By throwing your heart out of rhythm, the condition can result in blood clots being released, blocking blood flow to your brain. If that wasn’t bad enough, strokes caused by AFib tend to be more severe than strokes from other causes. That’s why getting to the truth about AFib triggers is vitally important…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Best reason to exercise: rebuilding your body to live healthy longer

Aging means slowing down, doing less and retiring, right? Wrong! According to research from Harvard, if you’re taking it easier as the years pass, you’re missing out on processes in the body that can actually build your body back stronger and fight disease to help you live healthier and longer…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

An unexpected perk of housework: Healthy aging

Need a reason to stop procrastinating when it comes to household chores and get that sweeping, vacuuming and dusting done? A study looked at housework specifically for its ability to increase the amount of physical activity people get, and found quite a few unexpected perks that promote healthy aging…

Carolyn Gretton

The surprising habit that weakens your pelvic floor (and we all do it!)

Sucking in our stomachs can seem normal, especially for women. But it turns out it’s not exactly healthy for us to be holding in our stomachs all the time. Read on to discover the dark side of “stomach gripping” and why it might have you running to the nearest restroom faster…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The FODMAP diet: Reducing symptoms and disease-causing bacteria

The FODMAP diet has been found to reduce the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. But it wasn’t clearly understood how. Well, now we know. We also know that many people with IBS have a very unique microbial signature that’s downright dangerous…

Carolyn Gretton

15 chemicals linked to early menopause

It’s long been known that following menopause, women face an elevated risk of numerous health problems. But for women who experience early menopause (before the age of 50), the risks carry an extra wallop. And unfortunately, outside factors are contributing to this phenomenon…

Carolyn Gretton

‘Altered metabolites’ could be causing your migraines

Researchers have identified a connection between a genetic link and altered metabolites that appears to increase susceptibility to migraine. Good news is, to correct these metabolites and hopefully cut down on the painful condition, they’re looking at diet and a particular supplement that’s already shown major promise…

Joyce Hollman

The confusing way iron levels factor into Alzheimer’s

Iron is an essential nutrient. Iron deficiency anemia is all too common, especially in women and people over 65. But iron overload can also lead to serious health concerns. This conundrum is plaguing research over the past five years that has discovered a complicated relationship between iron levels and Alzheimer’s…

Joyce Hollman

The chemicals causing high cholesterol

We’ve known about the harmful effects of phthalates for some time now. They disrupt our hormones. They also cause thousands of deaths from heart disease each year. A new study has shown exactly how a specific chemical works in our bodies to raise cholesterol and cause heart disease.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Does your blood type increase your risk for certain diseases?

A Japanese concept called ketsueki-gata suggests that blood type shapes personality. The Blood Type Diet suggests certain foods may be healthier based on blood type. And while research on the validity of these concepts may be lacking, science is learning that blood type may influence disease risks…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The link between vitamin D, inflammation and COVID-19

Researchers are all still learning what can be done to stack the odds against COVID-19. Quite a bit of research has been stacking up — including recommendations about vitamin D. The latest? It may help shut down dangerous inflammation in patients with severe infection…

Easy Health Options Staff

Flurona: What is it and what to watch for

Months and months ago we warned that the fall and winter months were expected to be a little rocky thanks to the combination of COVID-19 and a potentially nasty flu season. There was concern the viruses could muddy diagnoses and delay effective treatment. But things have gotten more confusing…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

5 scary facts about flu and your heart

You might have heard the news that a bad flu season might be just around the corner. But while getting the flu might leave you worried that you’ll suffer from a complication like pneumonia, bronchitis or a bacterial infection of the lungs, most of us don’t think about what it’s doing to our heart.

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