Latest Stories

Latest Stories

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

The other supplement that helps you get the most from vitamin D

Low levels of vitamin D have been shown to go hand-in-hand with conditions ranging from osteoporosis and heart disease to Alzheimer’s. But there’s a mineral deficiency that could be working against all your best efforts to get enough of the valuable vitamin D your body needs…

Carolyn Gretton

How an early breakfast can help you dodge diabetes

We’re finding out that when it comes to chronic disease, when you eat may be as important as what you eat. Researchers are finding that an early breakfast may be key to reducing the risk of this common condition that sneaks up on far too many of us…

Rick Kaselj

Ageless backs: Maintaining a strong and supple spine after 50

Who says you can’t have good times after 50? With a healthy body and a strong spine, the sky’s the limit. But if yours isn’t as supple and strong as it should be we’ve got age-friendly exercises and supplements to get your vitality back…

Carolyn Gretton

The emotion that worsens heart trouble in diabetics

Certain factors can increase a person’s risks for heart trouble. Like a broken record, we’re warned to eat right, exercise and not to smoke to keep all our numbers low. But for diabetics there’s one risk factor that’s been found to worsen them all…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The snack that fills you up and makes weight loss easier

Whatever the time of year or our excuses, the weight we wanted to lose may still be hanging around — on hips, thighs and middles. Don’t feel bad. Even with the best laid plans, when trying to lose weight the odds are stacked against you — unless you know an inside secret…

Joyce Hollman

More lean muscle may lower Alzheimer’s risk

As we age, our lean muscle mass declines, but that doesn’t mean we’re helpless to stop it. There are many reasons to preserve it. If you need one more, consider what research has found about its connection to Alzheimer’s…

Margaret Cantwell

Black cumin seed and diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is considered preventable. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Other conditions can make it harder to reverse, including obesity, hypertension and metabolic syndrome. But there is quite a bit of published research that indicates an ancient seed could help…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

5 ailments to take apple cider vinegar for

Overweight, diabetic and suffering from everything from heart disease to cancer could describe a large percentage of U.S. adults today. If you want to make sure you don’t end up this way, there could be powerful help sitting on your kitchen shelf right now…

Jedha Dening

For lowest BP, eat your beets this way

Beets are a root vegetable we love for their bright purple flesh and pleasing sweet flavor. And if you’ve beat around the bush for a while, you might be aware that beets help your body produce a heart-healthy compound called nitric oxide. Here’s how to get the most of it…

Joyce Hollman

Fluctuating cholesterol: Causes and links to dementia

For a long time, the only concerns the medical community had about cholesterol were high levels and an inconsistent link to heart disease. Then, research uncovered cholesterol’s significant role in the brain, and that levels can do much more than climb high or lay low…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

What an extra cup of coffee does for diabetes risk

Considering that 1 in 3 of us have prediabetes, researchers know the implications could be huge if they could could find a simple fix. Especially if it’s something most of us enjoy, don’t need a prescription for and tackles a key inflammatory biomarker…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Cut heart failure risk in half just by sitting less

Staying active is one of the best ways to keep your heart healthy. But according to the American Heart Association, simply getting your recommended levels of exercise might not be enough. In fact, if you’re a woman over 50, you might be doing everything right and still doubling your risk of heart failure…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Why you should take sleep as seriously as nutrition and exercise

So much research has come out on the impact of sleep on our health that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has declared sleep “essential to health” in a statement that has now been endorsed by 25 organizations. Statements like these aren’t made lightly. Here’s why they hope you’ll heed this wake-up call…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

A chiropractor’s tips to avoid back and neck pain when working from home

Working from home has its perks: no more rush hour commute and who doesn’t love taking Zoom meetings in pajama bottoms? But it also comes with some downsides — like back and neck pain if your home office setup isn’t supporting you properly. From your neck down, here are seven tips straight from your resident chiropractor.

Carolyn Gretton

Antibiotics may be driving colon cancer among those under 50

For years, public health experts have advised doctors and patients to curb unneeded antibiotic use, mainly because of the rise in infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. But there may be an even more urgent health reason for people to avoid antibiotics whenever possible — particularly if you’re under 50…

Joyce Hollman

6 habits that help dodge the Alzheimer’s bullet

If you’re not genetically predisposed, lifestyle changes may be enough to keep Alzheimer’s at bay. But there are people whose brains already show the effects of Alzheimer’s, but continue to function without any signs of dementia. Who are these “cognitive super-agers,” and how can you increase your chances of becoming one of them?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The 5-minute breathing technique that lowers blood pressure like a drug

Fewer than 40 percent of people with high blood pressure meet the recommended exercise guidelines to bring their readings down. If you’re one of them, you might be thrilled about a simple breathing technique that, in just five minutes a day, lowered blood pressure far more than the exercise and some medications doctors recommend.

Carolyn Gretton

The red wine secret to living better post menopause

Following menopause, women are at a higher risk for osteoporosis, heart disease, and osteoarthritis. Also, chronic pain is a symptom that isn’t discussed nearly as much as more familiar symptoms, like hot flashes. Research says a plant compound in some favorite foods can be a big help in all of these areas, so you can live better post menopause.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

More proof coffee is a liver-protecting beverage

Coffee is hands down the world’s most popular beverage. But studies have been piling up for years about how it can improve health. It’s looking like, as far as the health of your liver goes, coffee has definite superpowers…

Joyce Hollman

Is it possible to eat French fries and lower blood pressure?

Potatoes have gotten a bad rap for years, especially that baked potato slathered in butter and sour cream. And don’t get me started on those French fries covered in salt and ketchup. Hypertension waiting to happen, right, or is it? Well, it’s time to think again about the humble potato and what it may do for your blood pressure.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Tai chi may help stroke survivors beat depression, anxiety and sleep problems

For approximately one-third of stroke survivors, the future can feel less than rosy. That’s because afterwards, many face three common problems: anxiety, sleep problems and depression. But there’s hope and help available from an ancient practice that’s already been proven to be good for both the mind and the body…

Carolyn Gretton

Chronic pain? It could be what you’re eating

Chronic pain affects people around the world, making it difficult for them to work or carry out day-to-day tasks. And current treatments for pain have many shortcomings. That’s why scientists are looking to more holistic ways to relieve pain. And they’re finding that the answer could be as simple as eating more…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How stress increases pain sensitivity and how to get relief

Have you noticed that when you’re stressed, pain from your bad knee or a headache kicks in? And it’s the last thing you need, right? The fact is, stress can make everything in your life worse, including pain levels. This inescapable truth starts with immune cells and that one abomination that contributes to everything “unwell.”

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ are hiding in your cosmetics

Think the makeup you put on your skin each day is safe because the label says, “Clean” or “Natural”? Think again! Testing of more than 200 cosmetics sold across the United States and Canada, found your cosmetics could be hiding a dirty toxic secret — “forever chemicals” associated with everything from thyroid disease to cancer.

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The nutrients that lower depression up to 70 percent

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for reasons other than your body not producing them on its own. From improved heart health and cognition to longer life, omega-3s have long been identified as important nutrients to avoid numerous health problems. Add relieving depression to the mix, but there’s one caveat…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Research confirms how diabetes drives Alzheimer’s

Doctors and researchers have long known that some sort of link exists between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Yet, while they could see that the two went hand-in-hand for so many patients, they never actually understood why. Until now…

Margaret Cantwell

How leaky gut leaves you vulnerable to a virus, like COVID-19

As you already know, COVID-19’s symptoms weren’t just upper respiratory. It’s been reported that many people with the virus experienced GI problems, too. It may seem random, but the connection with viral infection is much more concerning: A condition that can act as an open door to disease…

Joyce Hollman

Postural muscles: The key to reducing your fall risk

Injuries and deaths related to falls in older adults are such that the problem has been described as a “hidden epidemic.” My balance is no longer something I take for granted. Because I don’t want to end up incapacitated and unable to enjoy doing the things that give my life meaning, here’s what I’ve learned and practice….

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Boosting blood oxygen levels may halt early sign of Alzheimer’s

Healthy, oxygenated blood flow is vital. That’s why during a stroke, seconds matter. But a catastrophic event isn’t the only concern when it comes to blood oxygen levels. Research has found that the brain is operating on the bare minimum, even on a good day. On a bad day, it can lead to Alzheimer’s earliest sign…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Hops compounds may fight fatty liver

While heavy drinking can lead to liver disease, a quarter of the people in the United States today have a dangerous liver condition that has nothing to do with alcohol. But there may be hope to defeating this condition from an unlikely source — hops.

Carolyn Gretton

How to get up to 10 times the benefits from eating blueberries

Blueberries definitely pack a health punch. But it can be tough for our bodies to absorb all the antioxidants present in the fruit. Now, researchers may have found a way around that problem by combining blueberries with this common food…

Joyce Hollman

10 natural pain relievers and what the science says

No one wants to live with chronic pain. In fact, if given a choice, no one wants to live with pain even for a short time. But standard methods of pain relief can be risky, including acetaminophen, ibuprofen and opioids. Here are 10 alternatives that all fight the root cause of most pain…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The proof is in the spinal fluid: The Mediterranean diet deters Alzheimer’s

The list of diets you can choose and trends you can follow is virtually endless. But when it comes to one that consistently scores high for both brain and body health, it’s the Mediterranean diet. And it may be hands down the most protection against Alzheimer’s plaques you can eat.

Carolyn Gretton

Sore throat? OTC cold remedies won’t help and may harm

Catching a cold is a drag and little is worse than a sore throat. But if you turn to drugstore cold remedies to ease the discomfort, think twice. They not only do little good, but they also harm upper respiratory cells…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The best prescription for better blood pressure and cholesterol

You might want to ask your dotor about your prescriptions. If they’re treating your cholesterol, you could end up with double the dementia risk. If it’s your blood pressure, they may have you on the medication found to thicken blood vessels and makes things worse. Maybe it’s time to walk away with a brand new and surprising prescription.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Bloodroot offers promise against triple-negative breast cancer

One of the most difficult forms of breast cancer you could be up against is known as triple-negative breast cancer. It doesn’t respond to traditional treatments and it’s especially aggressive in African American women. A simple plant compound may lead to more effective treatments…

Carolyn Gretton

The nutrient with huge disease prevention potential we don’t get enough of

Between the glut of highly processed foods in the average Western diet and the popularity of meat-heavy diets like keto and carnivore, too many of us are not getting enough of a simple but powerful health-boosting nutrient that wards off heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and more…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Superfoods for blood sugar, blood pressure, inflammation and more

Superfoods have a valuable impact on our health because they’re nutrient-dense or possess special compounds. Three new studies have taken a closer look at the science behind these superfoods. And they’ve discovered benefits that go far beyond what we previously knew…

Joyce Hollman

How heavily weight factors into prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is only second to skin cancer among men. When diagnosed early, the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer is nearly 100 percent. Except, that is, if you’re obese. It’s important to understand weight’s connection to agressive prostate cancer, the worst fat and how to lose it…

Carolyn Gretton

The lifestyle habits that can outweigh a family history of dementia

Having a first-degree relative such as a parent or sibling with dementia can increase your dementia risk by a staggering 75 percent compared with someone who doesn’t have this familial history. While this statistic is sobering, there’s more and more evidence that it’s by no means set in stone…

Carolyn Gretton

How effective is garlic for osteoarthritis knee pain?

It’s no secret that obesity can put you at risk of a number of chronic illnesses. It can also increase your risk for osteoarthritis and make you a tough candidate to find relief from osteoarthritis knee pain. You may have heard that garlic can help. But how effective is it really?

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