Latest Stories

It’s no secret that a high-fat high-cholesterol diet is bad for the heart. But understanding why it’s worse for some people is another story. Until you understand the gut is a window to the body capable of turning the thermostat up on atherosclerosis…

I remember my first new car. It was exhilarating driving it around. And that new-car smell? Funny how we thought of it almost like a status symbol. But now we’re learning that new-car smell is a byproduct of a chemical process known as off-gassing, and the cancer threat stinks more than you know…

Can statins hurt your kidneys? My answer is a bit complicated. As a doctor, I could provide three observations right now, not necessarily pointing in the same direction. But let’s start with diabetics, those with established heart or vascular disease and those with familial hypercholesterolemia…

Summer is here, and the mercury is rising in parts of the country. Being outside in hot weather doesn’t just put you at risk of heatstroke and sunburn. If you have any of these 5 conditions, it could exacerbate your symptoms…

Broccoli is a superfood for many reasons, including protecting against diabetes and age-related ailments. But that’s not all. While further exploring broccoli’s health impacts, researchers discovered another molecule that closes the door on a frequent gateway to disease…

Being diagnosed with osteoarthritis can feel like a prison sentence. You might think your sporting days are over, but golfing has been proven to be one of the best activities for those with this condition. Here are the benefits and reasons why you should be golfing…

Dizzy whenever you stand up too quickly? You may have postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, a circulation disorder of the autonomic nervous system. Here’s what you should know about the condition and how to get help…

It’s hard to give up snacking. But what if you could snack and still meet your weight goal, all the while increasing your willpower? It sounds too good to be true. But just in time to help you hold on to your New Year’s resolution, I’m here to tell you it’s not…

The research shows exercise is crucial, from fighting cancer to turning back biological age. If you’re not doing it, you have no one to blame but yourself. Luckily, that research is honing in on findings that can help you make the most of it when you do…

If you’re not already eating blueberries daily, let me remind you: They have a solid superfood reputation for not just one good reason, but several. If you need convincing, I’ll lay out multiple ways this one tiny fruit is the best thing you can eat for a healthy heart…

For years now, researchers have noticed curious links between a handful of viruses and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. A new look into a staggering number of health records indicates even though the link may not be causal, it warrants serious attention…

Time to break out the grill, but you should know that grilling meat can generate two known carcinogens. The good news: there are a few steps you can take to reduce this threat, including the right marinade…

Long-COVID is no joke. Almost half who suffer from it experience crushing fatigue they say impacts their quality of life. Researchers hot on the trail of why it happens and how to relieve it may have hit a nerve… one that has a history of dysfunction related to other viral infections.

Over 100,000 Americans die or are permanently disabled each year because of diagnostic errors. How do you prevent a nightmare like this from happening? It’s helpful to know which conditions are most likely to be misdiagnosed in the first place. And lucky for you, a new study just revealed the top three…

If you struggle with weight issues despite sticking to a reasonably healthy diet and regular exercise routine, it’s time you got in on this little secret. It isn’t your fault. The standard American diet has made you the victim of a tragic nutrient deficiency that could otherwise shrink fat cells.

One in 10 women experiences a loss of their sexual desire. That’s 16 million women who’ve lost an important part of a healthy life. Maybe you don’t really think it’s a big deal, but there’s something you should know…

The moringa is a veritable vitamin powerhouse rich in phytochemicals, antioxidants, calcium, iron and potassium — and that’s just for starters. Praised for its healing properties for thousands of years, its popularity has reached the states and evidence is piling up. Here’s how to use it… Moringa is native to India and grown in Asia […]

You wouldn’t sit down in a restaurant and grab a little pink packet of bacteria to stir into your tea or coffee, would you? Or drink down a can of diet soda that has it already mixed in, right? Considering how artificial sweeteners ramp up and enable dangerous bacteria in your gut, you may as well…

I remember when I experienced my first night sweat. I knew it signalled menopause, but also knew there wasn’t much to do about it. After all, hormone therapy was dangerous. But did a flawed study scare women away from a therapy that could lessen thier heart disease risk?

You may remember when we broke news about arsenic, lead and cadmium contamination in juice. Well, that threat has grown and leached to popular “health drinks.” Considering daily exposure from other sources, your heart and brain health could suffer if you don’t cut these drinks out…

A fever is the body’s reaction to infection. Turning the heat up improves the performance of immune cells and stresses the pathogen behind the illness. So is it any wonder that the practice of medicating fever is coming into question or that skipping it could clear infection in half the time?

Early-onset dementia can hit much earlier than you might think. And even though a few signs are similar to what older people experience, some stand out. It’s important to know them and how up to 40 percent of early-onset cases may be avoided…

In some case, the smallest part of a plant contains the most powerful nutrition… Here are five seeds in particular that you should know about. Because these tiny powerhouses are so packed with goodness — they could actually help you live longer and healthier!

Atherosclerosis is the primary cause of heart attack, but it also causes about half of all strokes. And there are often no symptoms until it’s too late.

When it comes to supplements, most doctors say forget them. But nutrition science ignores the fact that most vitamins and minerals are not only needed to maintain daily health, they’re also required for processes that impact longevity. If you’re not taking in enough of the ones on this list, it’s your lifespan that gets cheated…

Using aspirin every day remains part of most therapeutic plans to keep people who’ve already had a heart attack or stroke from experiencing another. But there have been concerns about bleeding. Researchers recently took a look at which dose would be best as far as efficacy and safety, and what they found was surprising…

Because it’s increasingly common, it’s easy to forget just how insidious diabetes is. It can tear the body down — from your heart to your limbs. But new technology may harness a naturally occurring molecule to speed the healing of at least one common but dangerous complication…

Of all the benefits applied to coffee, there’s been some conflicting data about its effects on blood pressure. But Italian researchers have discovered something surprising about coffee, blood pressure and the best predictor of stroke and heart attack…

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. That’s still surprising to some, but consider this: the likelihood a woman will die of breast cancer is about 1 in 30. The chance that she will die from heart disease is 1 in 3. That means it’s never too early to take your risks seriously.

Not to sound paranoid, but my biggest concern about being outdoors isn’t snakes, it’s ticks. More than 475,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year in the U.S. Though early antibiotic therapy can help, a few plant extracts found to kill the bacteria may hold more promise…

Men need to be watchful for any signs of testicular cancer, especially if they are at higher risk for the disease because of age, race, family history or medical condition. Recently, a study turned up another risk factor for testicular cancer — a medical procedure that can be difficult to avoid but could raise the risk almost 60 percent…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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…

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!

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.

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…

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.

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…

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.

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…

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…

Taking a low-dose daily aspirin has been widely accepted for decades as an easy way to prevent a heart attack or stroke. But aspirin’s safety in prevention has been challenged over the last couple of years, and now it’s a call you should leave up to your doctor. Luckily an old test may provide new insight into whether it’s worth the risk for you or not…