Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Joyce Hollman

How to slash the dangers of sitting surprisingly fast

As someone who sits at her desk all day long, I’m a prime candidate for diabetes, heart disease and dementia. Obviously, my work day leaves only minutes to spare. But to lower blood pressure and blood sugar, that’s literally all I need…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Frontotemporal: The dementia that may be ‘repairable’

There are many different types of dementia, but no cures. One type though, known for severe behavioral changes, has been found to be rooted in a cause that could be repaired, reversing the disease..

Margaret Cantwell

Potato soup or toxic soap?

Each time I bring up the potato’s less than stellar qualities, it upsets some folks. I know you love your potatoes. I did too. But the science says that eating too much of this vegetable is just not good. Think Leaky gut, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

When hearing loss means your arteries are in trouble

Hearing loss is often lumped in with a long list of age-related changes many of us have a high chance of experiencing. Unfortunately, it’s not always a benign condition. Trouble hearing could be an indication of a condition that leads to stroke…

Joyce Hollman

An inconsistent link: Cholesterol, heart disease and statins

Doctors prescribe statins to lower “bad” cholesterol and to lower risks for heart attack or stroke. But do we really need to take a drug that can elevate risks for diabetes, liver damage, and neurological and cognitive problems — especially if there is any doubt it’s not at all what it’s cracked up to be?

Carolyn Gretton

The strange side effect of too much ‘good’ cholesterol

You probably already know there are two types of cholesterol: HDL (the “good” cholesterol) and LDL (the “bad” cholesterol). HDL supports heart health and fights inflammation. But, when it comes to HDL, too much of a “good” thing may hurt your bones…

Carl Lowe

The appetite suppressant the diet industry hopes you won’t discover

In the supermarket aisle that holds diet foods, you’ll find bars, shakes and an array of other processed foods that are supposed to help you lose weight. But there’s a superfood great for aiding your healthy weight efforts you’ll never find in that part of the store…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The common sense rule for best vitamin benefits

You can’t pick up a product these days without finding not only instructions on how to use it, but warnings on how not to, usually because one person did something most people with common sense wouldn’t dream of. Let’s talk about vitamin D and that guy…

Joyce Hollman

Lead and cadmium: The ‘dark side’ of dark chocolate

Some dark chocolate brands, even organic ones, have been found to contain dangerous amounts of cadmium and lead, heavy metals linked to hypertension, kidney failure, nerve damage and more. Take precautions if your favorite is on the list.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Anti-nutrients: The hidden danger of meat substitutes

Mountains of research and our doctors tell us a meat-heavy diet is a fast track to early death. But if you’ve embraced meatless burgers and other mock meat substitutes, you’re cheating your body of vital nutrition. It starts with ‘deception’ on the ingredient label…

Joyce Hollman

5 health-based benefits of kindness

Being kind to others feels good. But the benefits extend even further than that. Science shows acts of kindness have real effects that impact physical health, from depression to heart health. Check out these 5 you can get more of…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Fast food and fatty liver: How much is too much

Fast food, offering tasty and effective transport of unhealthy fat, is horrible on the liver. And the heart. We’d be kidding ourselves to think we could give it all up completely and forever. But knowing where the point of no return is would be really helpful.

Carolyn Gretton

Cannabis: A new breakthrough in anti-aging skincare

CBD products are growing in popularity. You can find tinctures, gummies and even topicals made from phytocannabinoids (pCBs). Topicals are non-intoxicating and include creams, balms and oils. One more thing you may want to know: they may be the next thing in anti-aging skincare…

Joyce Hollman

The obesity-AMD connection and the nutrient that helps both

Obesity can steal your heart health. Now, research shows it could steal your vision, too. Obesity appears to be a trigger that uses inflammation like fire on DNA and may be the reason some people get age-related macular degeneration and some don’t…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

This six-minute trick beats fasting for brain health

The neurons in the hippocampus, the brain area responsible for memory and learning, depend on brain-derived neurotrophic factor for their production and survival. But BDNF’s potential to halt cognitive decline and how to boost it is what should really interest you…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

What blood type can reveal about stroke risk

Stroke is a growing threat with age. In fact, after age 55 that risk doubles every 10 years. But people under 60 do have strokes. How can you know if that’s a probability so you can do your best to avoid it? See where your blood type stroke risk falls…

Joyce Hollman

How consistent hydration slows aging and prolongs life

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: it’s important to keep your body hydrated for reasons like termperature regulation, waste elimination and much more. But its effects on sodium may be the best kept secret yet…

Jenny Smiechowski

Keeping weight off requires different approach than losing it

You’ve probably heard weight loss is 80 percent diet/20 percent exercise. So, if you want to lose weight, focus on cutting calories and complement that with a modest calorie burn in realistic daily workouts. But for maintaining the loss, the same rules may not work…

Dr. Michael Cutler

Demystifying diagnostics: Blood tests and what they mean

Blood tests are part of annual health physicals for most of us. Sometimes, though, tests may be needed beyond the basics, including more advanced and in-depth tests for disease risk profiling. Here’s your insider’s guide to blood tests…

Carolyn Gretton

Plain and simple: The right diet keeps us from dying early

There’s just no denying the power of a healthy diet to reduce disease risk. But the payout gets bigger when you stick with it, as in reducing your risk of early death, period. But there is still the stroke conundrum…

Carolyn Gretton

10-minute test helps detect ‘curable’ hypertension

Is your doctor overlooking the most curable cause of high blood pressure? Nodules affect one-in-twenty people with the condition. Researchers found that a urine test and new scan help detect patients who come off all their medicines after treatment.

Margaret Cantwell

I gave up ONE food and my high BP vanished

I still remember the last visit with the doctor I saw for my blood pressure problems. She took my blood pressure and then matter-of-factly told me: “I guess your high blood pressure is gone.” And I was taking exactly zero medication. She didn’t know why, but I did. I had given up…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The silent liver disease that’s worse on your heart

There’s a one in four chance, unbeknownst to you, you’re living with a common liver condition, and it’s damaging your heart right now. Researchers are so concerned, they say we can’t view the heart and the liver as completely separate functioning organs any longer…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Verified secrets that supercentenarians share

Sister André was a supercentenarian, someone who lives significantly beyond 100. When she passed at 118, it reignited a well-known longevity theory. You may think you know all about the French Paradox. But few know what it does for artery health is its best-kept secret…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How well are you aging? Your nose knows

Frailty increases risks for infection, disability and hospitalization. This makes preventing frailty a vital part of healthy aging. You may still be active, but there’s an easy way to know if frailty is sneaking up on you, in time to do something about it…

Carolyn Gretton

When coffee and hypertension are a dangerous mix

Loads of research says coffee is protective against heart failure, heart attack and stroke. But depending on your blood pressure range, it could be a dangerous mix and do just the opposite. That’s why it’s important to know how much is too much…

Dr. Michael Cutler

9 types of cough and how to treat them

Cough is the most common complaint most doctors see this time of year. So, I thought it would be helpful to look at the different types and causes of cough and their treatments. Just remember, it’s always best to err on the side of precaution…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The vitamin duo that beats depression and anxiety: K2 + D3

If you’re living with depression and anxiety, don’t suffer in silence or from the unwanted side effects of prescription antidepressants. Two vitamins have been shown to boost a depressed mood and relieve anxiety — especially when combined. Get your groove back, naturally…

Carolyn Gretton

How scrubbing the toilet with gusto can help you live longer

Exercise is such a powerful tool, but we’re still not doing it. So researchers are working on creative ways to make it easier without sacrificing benefits. They may have hit upon the perfect formula: increasing the intensity of everyday activities a minute at a time, with huge results…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

What your tongue can tell you about your heart

If you’re worried about your heart, look in the mirror and say “ah!” Not because it’s time to relax. But because the tongues of people with heart failure look totally different from those of healthy people. Here’s what to look for…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

If you’re living with IBD, here’s the blood clot risk you need to know about

When you live with inflammatory bowel disease, you have a lot to watch out for. There’s the chronic inflammation of your digestive tract, the weight loss and diarrhea and the increased risk of colon cancer. But IBD also triples the risk of a life-threatening blood clot. For 1 in 7 IBD patients, it could be even higher…

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

How toxins in your home could give your family diabetes

The Endocrine Society has spent over 14 years researching our exposure to environmental toxins that are present in the air, water, soil and our homes. They interfere, imitate or alter pathways of hormones in the body that lead to disease. And now there’s proof that our exposure can lead to diabetes that we can pass onto our children.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

What, not when, you eat still matters most for healthy weight loss

You’ve probably heard that if you want to lose weight, you should eat your biggest meals early in the day. The theory is you drop weight faster by taking in most of the calories you plan to eat in a day several hours before bedtime (when your metabolism naturally slows). The idea of not worrying over what to eat so much as when seemed easy enough. But, we’re learning it may have sounded too good to be true…

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

4 powerful ways to naturally control blood pressure

While it’s normal and healthy for blood pressure to fluctuate throughout the day, when your blood pressure stays elevated, it can lead to many health problems. Many people require medications to control their blood pressure. However, there are several things you can do that will help to make it easier to manage your readings…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How your immune system and inflammation can lead to heart attack

It’s been long understood that when you have a heart attack, it’s because somehow blood flow to your heart has become cut off, either due to a blockage or a narrowing of your coronary arteries. Blood clots can detach and float off to block those arteries. But finding immune cells are the mechanism behind those clots came as a surprise to researchers recently…

Joyce Hollman

New development in stroke treatment gave me my life back

More than a year ago now, I experienced a life-changing event that wreaked havoc with my balance, my ability to swallow liquids and my memory. I got hlep in that “golden hour,” and I know many do not. But a new treatment may make that possible for more stroke sufferers.

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Largest randomized double-blind study shows why vitamin D and omega-3s matter

The number of people in the U.S. over the age of 65 has grown by over a third in the past decade alone. And with the increase in life expectancy, that means we need to make changes now to stay healthier later. The largest randomized double-blind study on aging has some advice with that in mind: two supplements that may go further for you than your retirement account…

Carolyn Gretton

The reason meat leads to cancer? Your body builds antibodies against it

Experts have long believed diet can influence the development of cancer, but data showing exactly why has been scarce. However, a new study has found why meat leads to cancer. It comes down to a meat molecule we build antibodies against — defining a molecular connection between cancer and a diet of animal-based products…

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

What anyone under 45 should know about stroke

Stroke can occur unexpectedly and at any age. In fact, stroke is on the rise among younger adults under the age of 45, and it turns out many don’t know the signs that could save a life or how to keep from becoming a victim of stroke in the first place. Time for Stroke 101…

Joyce Hollman

Why showering less is a good idea, even during a pandemic

Even in these strange pandemic times, there’s a real downside to washing your body every day. So, if sheltering in place has changed your hygiene habits, don’t worry. Experts are telling us that what we’re really doing in our daily shower is throwing our microbiome out of balance, and here’s why that is not a good thing…

Carolyn Gretton

The hormone missing from a low-fat diet that could treat Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease is like a thief stealing a person’s memories and personality. No treatment exists that can halt its progression, but researchers are coming closer to finding compounds that can unravel the complex mechanisms behind the onset of Alzheimer’s. The latest? A hormone that will make you want to ditch your low-fat diet.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How to time your exercise to lower your risk for cancer

Exercising is one of the best things you can do for your health. But what if I told you that timing your workouts could bring even bigger benefits — at least when it comes to cancer prevention? According to a brand-new study, just changing the time of day you work out could dramatically lower your risk of breast and prostate cancer.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Why wild olives might provide the healthiest oil yet

We’ve all heard that olive oil is one of the healthiest choices we can make in our diet. After all, the oil is known for lowering bad cholesterol and fighting heart disease, inflammation and cancer. And now, thanks to a new study, things just got even better with a new olive oil option made from ancient trees.

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

What your ear wax could reveal about your stress levels

Cortisol, which is made in the adrenal glands, is commonly known as the stress hormone. It’s crucial for helping your body deal with stressful situations. But too much cortisol for prolonged periods can lead to all sorts of health problems including high blood pressure, fatigue and type 2 diabetes. Here’s what to watch for, how to balance it and an interesting way to measure it.

Carolyn Gretton

A mushroom-derived compound that may treat depression like magic

Depression rates are spiking as the pandemic drags on, and although there are plenty of medications to treat it, they’re not always effective and can come with unpleasant side effects. To broaden the treatment options, researchers are taking a look at a mushroom with a less-than-savory reputation…

Carolyn Gretton

The cell in your body that may cause COVID-19 blood clotting

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, attacks the body in a number of ways. One of the most insidious is the way it causes blood clots in the arteries, veins and microscopic blood vessels. Researchers are now pointing to a process in the body that could be causing these clots to form…

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

How to DASH your risk for high BP, cholesterol, heart disease and more

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors or symptoms occurring together which increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. If you only have one of these conditions, it doesn’t mean you have metabolic syndrome — but if you have three or more of the following risk factors, then you could be on a fast track to serious trouble…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Root bacteria may be ginseng’s healing secret and answer to Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is a perplexing disease, but we do know more about it than ever before. Where conventional medicine has fallen short, research into natural solutions is pushing the envelope in Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment, most recently with the discovery of compounds wrapped around the roots of the ginseng plant that may work against amyloid plaques and tau aggregates.

Joyce Hollman

Rheumatoid arthritis and cancer: a tangled web

Rheumatoid arthritis and cancer often go hand in hand, but they present conflicts in terms of treatment. RA drugs suppress the immune system, while cancer drugs work to make the immune response stronger. Some cancer drugs make RA worse, and some RA drugs may cause cancer. It’s a tangled web to maneuver to know what’s best for you.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Avoid stroke and heart attack by avoiding these foods

Each year, heart disease and stroke kill more people in the U.S. than all cancers, lower respiratory diseases and cases of influenza and pneumonia combined. But you don’t have to become a statistic. Thanks to a new study, there’s now an easy cheat sheet so that you can know what foods to avoid to keep your heart healthy.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

45 is the new 50 when it comes to colon cancer

If there’s one medical procedure that’s universally dreaded and put off for as long as possible, it would have to be the routine colonoscopy. But considering the statistics on colon cancer, it’s the one procedure we should all be clamoring to get. Well, you may get your turn sooner than you expected…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How to save your muscles without moving

Whether you’ve been injured and stuck in a cast, imobilized due to surgery or stroke or maybe you just have a bad shoulder or knee, being immobile leads to muscle wastage that steals strength that’s hard to get back. But don’t let being sidelined prevent you from exercising the limbs you can move. New research shows the benefits can be transferred to the ones you’re not even moving!

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Why ‘normal’ blood pressure readings set you up for a false sense of security

Healthy blood pressure equals a healthy heart. Or so we’ve been told. But, according to recent research findings, relying on normal blood pressure as a sign that a heart attack or stroke is not in your future has painted a pretty picture that’s been revealed to be nothing but a facade — a false sense of security that could put you in deadly danger.

Carolyn Gretton

Why vitamin D keeps taking the spotlight in the pandemic

As the pandemic heats up, researchers strive to uncover all there is to know about COVID-19. A recent study has found a common vitamin deficiency among 80 percent of those infected in one hospital. And this connection isn’t the first. Growing evidence keeps placing vitamin D squarely in the pandemic spotlight…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Eat takeout? You’re ingesting up to 10,000 plastic particles yearly

A new study has some sobering information for those of us who’ve made a regular habit of it eating takeout. Along with your favorite foods and a hefty side of convenience, those takeout containers carry a mega dose of plastic that’s finding its way into your meals. Here’s how, why you should be concerned and how to reduce the harm…

Joyce Hollman

The secret cancer weapon in oats, barley and mushrooms

The human body has two different immune systems with different roles. But did you know that one of those systems can be trained to seek out and destroy cancer? That’s exactly what immunotherapy is all about and why researchers are excited about a nutrient found in certain foods that could double our immune power against cancer.

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

5 ways a heart-healthy diet helps beat cancer

When you eat in a way that helps lower cholesterol and improve overall heart health, you’re also helping lower risks associated with cancer, dementia, arthritis and other diseases. Here’s why and how…

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

Can diet reverse heart failure? Keto might

Based on available research, a ketogenic diet may be associated with improvements in cardiovascular risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes and HDL cholesterol levels. And now, it certainly looks promising as a nutritional intervention for heart failure.

Joyce Hollman

Is a lower body temperature the new normal?

Do you take your temperature and regularly find it hovering around 97 degrees? Or feel sure you have a fever only to find the thermometer reads a “normal” 98.6? There are several theories as to why this happens, but if you’re like me, you want to know if it’s anything to worry about. Here’s what we’ve found…

Carolyn Gretton

Relieving the symptoms of shingles naturally

Shingles can strike anyone who’s had chickenpox, although older adults tend to be more susceptible. This painful, burning, itching rash takes time to heal. But you can relieve its symptoms through a number of natural means while waiting for it to disappear…

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