Latest Stories

Ever feel like your body fell apart at a certain age? Seems unfair how some conditions seem to team up to take your health down. One such surprising tag team is high blood pressure and low bone density. Well, I know a vitamin whose tag team game is powerful enough to wrangle them both…

There’s enough convincing research to discourage anyone from being a “couch potato.” But when it comes to dementia and sedentary behavior, there’s a caveat: Your choice of activity while you sit can make all the difference, even if you run marathons all day.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of health issues (high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar) that elevate your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Some even refer to it as the “stroke syndrome.” By any name, you want to avoid it…

Exercise is good for the heart. We hear it so often, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who disagrees. But it might not be so cut and dry… There’s another healthy activity that, if you’re not getting enough of, turns exercise into a setup for heart attack.

As we get older, we expect that certain things just won’t work as well as they used to. We don’t move quite as fast and some activities may seem physically harder. However, if you have trouble getting off the sofa or opening a jar, it’s time for a serious assessment to turn things around — if you don’t want to end up in an early grave.

Manuka honey is the unsung hero of the world of natural remedies. And now it’s one-half of a new treatment to help attack lung infections that otherwise could be lethal. What’s more, it means fewer antibiotics and side effects, too…

One of the reasons glaucoma leads to vision loss is that it usually isn’t caught until the damage is done. Researchers hope to change that. After looking at every risk-raising factor, they’ve identified two that when they start early are a clear sign your eyes need help fast…

There’s no reason to let your manhood be stolen out from under you, Let’s take a look at the most common dietary sources of fake estrogen men encounter in their everyday lives — and what to do about them…

Conditions like dementia are influenced by certain aspects of heart health, like high blood pressure and stroke. But the connection is even more inextricably linked: If your heart health is poor, your brain is aging prematurely…

Probiotics may be the perfect pill to melt fat, fight disease and keep a body young. They heal gastrointestinal problems like irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. But their benefits extend far…

Calcium is an essential nutrient and many people, particularly women,supplement it to ward off osteoporosis. But calcium appears to contribute to the formation of arterial plaque and other factors that lead to heart disease. So here’s what you need to know…

While it’s been known for years that salt and blood pressure risk go hand-in-hand, the risk was associated with the increased fluid sodium pulls into the bloodstream and its effects on the kidneys. But it turns out salt’s effect on the immune system may be responsible for the real culprit.

When most people think about esophageal disorders, the first thing that comes to mind is acid reflux — where stomach acid backs up, resulting in heartburn. However, that barely touches the surface of the painful and disruptive problems that can affect your esophagus. But there’s one natural fix for most of them…

I think it’s safe to say there are three compelling reasons you’re interested in natural health… number one, you want to live longer. Number two, you want to live disease-free. And number three, you want to age well…

Some of us take daily medication along with vitamins and supplements. But some meds do you more good when absorbed quickly. Turns out that the direction you lean could make that more efficient or make it take five times longer to get your benefit…

If you’re struggling to lose weight for whatever reason, you’ve probably wondered whether or not paying for a professional weight loss program is worth it. What would you say to losing double the weight?

Most of us, if we had to choose, might opt to give up our physical abilities over our mental faculties. I know I would. But research demonstrates once again that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” In this case, it’s the breath of life for your brain…

If you don’t think you’re being over-exposed to blue light, you’re kidding yourself. Think about how often you talk, text, check Facebook, send an email or order groceries on your smartphone, tablet or computer. Now, the news about blue light has gotten more worrisome…

Extensive research has been published on the amazing health potential of green tea. But its bitter flavor isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. So are you out of luck if you prefer black to green tea? Not in the least, especially if you want to avoid stroke and heart disease and live longer…

We all know that smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer. But there are quite a few myths out there about what else causes the disease, and how you can prevent it. Here are ten of those myths, debunked…

If you’re living with an autoimmune disease, you’re probably focused on keeping it under control. But you should know heart disease could be just around the corner. Autoimmune problems that posed the highest heart risk included these four…

When you see your doctor about your heart, the main dietary advice you’ll get is to cut down on salt. While that’s been standard advice for more than a century, no one really knew how much salt is too much. Or in this case how little you have to give up for a lot of relief…

Muscle loss begins to really affect us around the age of 40 and ramps up with each year. But who knew scientists would find a connection between the same anti-aging ingredient we reach for to keep our skin firm and the process of age-related muscle loss?

Pneumonia is a dangerous condition for older adults. They’re nearly five times more likely to be hospitalized with it and half won’t come out alive. New research has revealed a surprising insight as to why: It has as much to do with the gut as it does with the lungs…

If you’re still not eating more plant-based foods, what’s holding you back? If you doub just how protective fruits and greens are at keeping heart problems at bay, we’ve got some hard and fast numbers that will have you saying ‘yes’ in a heartbeat…

Psilocybin, an active compound in magic mushrooms, has shown promise in treating anxiety and depression thanks to its power to enhance well-being and create change in areas of the brain. Now it may lend a hand to those who need it to give up addiction…

As we grow older, the odds of getting dementia increase. But is that a given? When you take a look at the relationship between age and 8 specific risk factors, you might just find you can keep your brain up to 20 years younger than your contemporaries…

Do you remember when eating eggs for breakfast was considered one of the worst things you could do for your health? I do! But research has found an important nutrient abundant in eggs has the potential to disrupt the inflammation and cell death commonly tied to neurological problems.

A team of neurologists and immunologists have discovered the immune system is capable of fast-acting and lasting protection against ischemic stroke thanks to a subset of first-responder cells that swoop in to protect the brain. Here’s how they can work to our benefit…

When we’re injured, pain and inflammation occur. At home, and at the doctor’s offices, anti-inflammatories have been the answer. But we’re learning that interfering with that inflammatory response can backfire and turn short-term pain into a long-term problem.

Once considered a new age therapy, like many people I was a little skeptical about what biofeedback could do for my headaches. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. Now, a new study has taken a deeper look at biofeedback and proven its worth for two other difficult-to-treat conditions…

Steroid shots are a common occurrence in most doctor’s offices. After all they may seem like a cure-all for what ails you… especially aches and pains in your joints due to inflammation. Here are 10 types of conditions they can help, and when to know if you need to consider other options…

Despite the debate on meat’s health merits, most meat-eaters are confident about one fact: White meat is healthier than red. Well, before you cook up a white meat feast fit for a king, you should know that chicken isn’t the perfect alternative to red meat we thought it was…

The benefits of B12 are real. But to be fair, many vitamins and supplements have benefits that rival the manufactured, high-price tagged drug options. Not only can you feel better with adequate B12, but it also helps tone down the highly inflammatory metabolite, homocysteine. Here’s why it’s a big deal…

Everyone knows the biggest risk factors for cardiovascular disease… Smoking. Age. High blood pressure. High cholesterol. Family history. Lack of exercise. Obesity. No surprises here. But there’s something else that’s seriously affecting your heart that’s not in the list of usual suspects…

After a sleepless night, you’re not your best self the next day. You notice every little annoying thing about everything and everyone you interact with all day. Because basically, the less sleep you get, the harder it is to see the world through a positive lens. And here’s the problem with that…

If you’ve decided to go vegetarian or vegan, you’re in good company. There are now more than 19 million vegans in the U.S! There are many admirable and inspiring reasons for giving up animal products. If you’ve done it, you deserve major props. But I need to warn you: It could be messing with your brain.

It’s a radical thought for many of us that we can cure ourselves. After all, we’re not doctors, right? But when it comes to mental illness, especially depression, we should probably take another look at this statement.

Restless leg syndrome is a harmless disease, or is it? It is true that restless leg isn’t caused by a serious medical problem. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t serious. People with this mysterious disease (doctors still don’t know exactly what causes it) face major risks that people without this disease don’t have…

Hearing loss is pretty much a given with age. Approximately one in three people in the United States between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss, and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing. But, of all the diseases and conditions we face with age, is hearing loss that bad?

We all get aches and pains, but when it’s your chest we’re talking about… well, that’s always concerning. Could it be heartburn or something serious? The body’s signals can be confusing, but when the signal comes from your chest, the stakes are too high to ignore. How do you know when to seek medical attention?

My mom and I are so similar it’s almost scary. We like the same foods. We share a lot of the same hobbies and mannerisms. We’re a true testament to the power of genes. But there’s at least one area where we’re opposites. Mom’s a slow eater and research shows if I don’t change my ways, I’ll be paying for it…

It’s that time of year again. Over 900,000 Americans get pneumonia every year, usually following a cold or flu bug. And it looks like a lot of those cases could be avoided. In fact, researchers have recently found just how important this one element is in your diet for fighting off pneumonia-causing bacteria…

It’s a moment most of us dread… You bend down to put on a sock, pick up a bar of soap, pet your dog, get into a yoga pose and — youch! — your lower back spasms. Suddenly, you can’t stand up straight. So, you’re out of commission for days, again! What can you do to find real relief from low back pain?

While you can’t change your chronological age, it is now proven that your biological age is influenced by your testosterone and estradiol levels. That’s according to newer studies which measure correlations between these hormone levels and chromosomal telomeres. First let me explain about telomeres and their important relationship to biological age…

We’ve all experienced a stressful event in our lives where we were completely overwhelmed. Our hearts beat faster, our hands started shaking and the world seems to close in around us. But then things got better… or did they?

Balanced blood sugar isn’t just about eliminating foods. It’s also about adding foods that help your body process sugar better. If you’re looking for a few blood sugar-friendly options to add to your grocery list this week, try these five foods.

Raise your hand if you’ve had a medical scan in the past year? We’re lucky to have technology like CTs, MRIs and X-rays. They let us see inside our bodies to figure out what’s wrong… and potentially save our lives. But you know the saying “too much of a good thing”? That applies to medical scans too…

Beyond genetics, most doctors look at your risk of dementia as a crapshoot. But the more research uncovers about its causes, the more you can do to prevent it. That’s why a new study out of Michigan State University was so interesting since it found a significant link between relationship status and dementia risk.

Beta cells are the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. Your body uses this insulin to manage blood sugar. People with type 2 diabetes have beta cells that don’t produce enough insulin. But based on this latest study, ginkgo biloba could fix that…

Some experts say fasting is great, not only for weight loss but also to enhance overall health. But how do you choose the right technique for you? If weight loss, longevity and avoiding disease are your goals, a study found some pretty amazing results that may give you the answer you need…

Hemorrhagic strokes (bleeding on the brain) are more difficult to treat and more likely to be deadly. Sounds pretty scary. But things got even scarier when news of a study came out warning of a two-fold increase in the risk of these strokes in women with low LDL cholesterol levels. Should you be concerned?

Kombucha. Keifer. Bone broth. There are plenty of drinks that encourage good bacteria to throw a party in your gut. There are also plenty of drinks that cause bad bacteria to crash that party: Soda. Diet drinks. Juices. And alcohol, which causes an unhealthy imbalance in your microbiome. But wait a sec…

Look at any web article on heart disease or any health-related magazine on the shelf at your local grocery store and you’ll find recommendation upon recommendation for the type of diet you should eat to keep your heart healthy. That’s why you may be surprised at what they found about the top three…

Exercising is one of the best ways to lower your blood pressure. In fact, getting more exercise can lower your systolic blood pressure as much as some medications. That’s empowering. But before you rest all your hopes of taming your blood pressure on your exercise regimen, you need to know…

We all know that one person who eats Taco Bell every day for lunch and TombStone frozen pizza every night, but still wears a size two skinny jean. Or that person whose idea of a diet is ordering a Filet-O-Fish instead of a Big Mac, so they get fewer calories. But eating like this could steal something from you…

Despite all our technological and medical advancements, Lyme disease isn’t being diagnosed accurately and efficiently. It takes a few weeks, leaving people untreated and at higher risk of long-term consequences. But a new diagnostic tool is in the works that could prevent all that unnecessary suffering…

Flu season is just around the corner and you know what that means, right? Soon everyone around you is going to be coughing, sneezing and spreading those virulent germs. Not at my house — if I can help it! We’ve already amped up immune-boosting efforts, starting with some essential immune-boosting supplements…

Sometimes warnings to live healthier just aren’t enough to give us the kick in the pants we need to change our habits. Now though, there’s a new warning for everyone who is overweight or obese that just might be the wakeup call that does the trick… Especially if you have concerns about Alzheimer’s.

If you live in a major metropolitan area like New York or Los Angeles, you’d expect to pay more for many consumer goods. I found this out (in reverse) when I moved from New York City to a small town in Maine. But should the same rules apply to a blood test, MRI or even life-saving surgery?