Latest Stories

Just because millions may take a specific type of medication daily, it doesn’t mean it’s risk-free. And what we’re learning in the aftermath of the pandemic has put some very common medications in the spotlight. It’s important information no matter what virus you may have to fight…

If you suffer from chronic headaches, you’ve probably gone down every avenue trying to uncover the cause and find relief. But for millions, the answers remain elusive. But you may have been looking for relief from the wrong body part, now that researchers have found a trigger within the gastrointestinal system…

Most of us wouldn’t think twice about napping a little during the day. After all, as we age, our nighttime sleep can become more disrupted, so why wouldn’t we catch up on it during the daytime hours? Surprisingly, it could be a sign of brain changes that need attention.

You’ve probably heard that 10,000 is the optimal number of steps per day to add years to your life. Truth is, there’s nothing to back that up. But a look at 15 studies has plenty of data to back up the amount that can give you real benefits. And it depends on what side of 60 you’re on.

Even with the best of intentions, it’s easy to let exercise fall by the wayside. And it can be really tough to start up again. But it’s not just about willpower. There may be a biological reaction that makes it physically difficult to get back in the exercise groove again…

Numerous studies have confirmed head-to-toe benefits of vitamin D that go far beyond strong bones. But the disease connection to low levels of the vitamin is just the tip of the iceberg of what you should know to avoid the silent epidemic behind the rise in autoimmune disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and more…

For the longest time, having long or irregular periods was dismissed as something women just had to put up with. But that’s changing. We now know a menstrual cycle gone awry can be a sign of serious illness — including liver disease. A few ways to rebalance your cycle can also protect your liver…

LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in the blood are determined predominantly by two very different biochemical pathways. Depending upon which one is dominant for you, it’s possible to determine how well you’ll respond to medication versus simple diet changes to lower cholesterol.

The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has announced they are voluntarily recalling several lots of blood pressure medications due to the presence of a cancer-causing impurity known as nitrosamine. Find out if you’re affected and what to do…

Menopause is a natural part of a woman’s life. But because doctors expect to hear women come to them with complaints of fatigue, sleep problems, headaches and joint pain during this time, women are being left behind when it comes to a dangerous and potentially deadly condition…

What’s the harm in a daily drink? Despite what smaller studies have found, it turns out just one drink followed by just one more can exponentially age your brain by shrinking it. In fact, a shockingly small amount can steal a decade from your brain…

Some viruses that have a history of affecting male sexual health rarely occur in the U.S. But many men have been experiencing erectile dysfunction, testicular pain and prostate problems after a COVID-19 infection. A PET scan that showed how the virus spreads through the male genital tract explains why…

Breathing in ozone pollution is harsh on the lungs. It can also raise the risk of heart attack and stroke. Is that the worst of it? Long-term exposure to ozone has been found to contribute to cognitive decline. You have to breath, but you can still protect your brain….

Endless commercials tell us if we join weight loss programs and eat their pre-packaged meals, the pounds will drop. Maybe you’ve tried them or followed a diet at home, working out on top of all of that, but the scale keeps going up. Let me be the first to tell you to stop beating yourself up. Here’s why…

AMD leads to loss of the sharp vision required for activities like reading, driving, recognizing faces and seeing the world in color. It can also lead to blindness. To keep that from happening, research looks into gene therapy, inflammation and oxidative stress…

If you still think being mindful about your eating habits has something to do with meditation, you’d not only be wrong, you’d be missing out. Here are 8 ways to simplify eating better, losing weight if you want and avoiding disease to live healthier…

Anything you can do to develop stronger muscles will add years to your life — up to 20 percent more! But if you’re like me you’re not a fan of breaking a sweat. I have good news for all of us: When it comes to the benefits of muscle-strengthening exercise, less is more…

They plop. They fizz. And what a relief they bring. But the reason those fizzy pain relievers dissolve so well is the sodium they contain. Surely, it’s not that much, right? It’s enough to raise risks for stroke and heart attack even if you don’t have high blood pressure.

Arthritis, menstrual cramps, fibromyalgia, back pain — you’ve probably dealt with one or more of these forms of chronic pain in your lifetime. And maybe you’re still trying to rein in your chronic pain… even after you’ve tried everything medicine has to offer…

Having a pet is great for your health, particularly if you’re a senior. Your pet can keep your blood pressure and stress levels down, keep you from getting lonely and make sure you get daily exercise. And now, there’s evidence having a pet may even benefit your brain…

There are a lot of factors believed to contribute to Alzheimer’s. Without a cure, there’s hope that early identification of these factors may give us the chance to intervene. These 10 factors have been identified as those most likely to manifest many years before Alzheimer’s onset…

A review of cardiovascular care in the U.S. found it’s prone to a high frequency of “low-value” tests and procedures. It happens to nearly half of patients and leads to more invasive tests that come with higher risks, costs and questionable benefits. Are you one of them?

You may think your immune system is only activated when you’re sick. Truth is, it remains active in your body even when you’re perfectly healthy. In fact, It has cells stationed all over the body that are busy performing vital functions, such as those related to energy production and burning fat…

The gut influences processes in our body far beyond digestion. In fact, it’s known that disturbances in the microbiome and heart problems can go hand in hand. But there’s been some uncertainty about where the issues actually begin and what could be done to decrease the harm…

Most of us think of body fat as something we need to lose. However, growing research is proving it’s much more than a reservoir for storing calories. Depending on how well it functions, fat may be key to preventing some of the most common age-related ailments.

Caffeine has been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. But it’s been unclear exactly how. Turns out, there’s an interesting connection between caffeine and a protein that stimulates cholesterol production.

We’re always hearing we should eat more fiber. It helps maintain a healthy digestive system, reduces cholesterol and improves heart health. Now, research is finding that eating more of a particular type of fiber may also keep dementia away…

Who in their right mind would sit down and eat a bunch of plastic particles with their meal? But we have been for a long time. To the point that it’s poisoning us in an entirely different and alarming way…

More and more, research is proving that being a meat lover can put you at higher risk for cancer. But is it really an all-or-nothing deal? Maybe not. You may only need to follow a few simple rules to enjoy meat and keep the “big C” at bay…

If you’re at an age where heart and brain health are top of mind, you might be missing a threat that’s 50 percent higher in older adults than it was 25 years ago. The good news is that the nutrients that support your heart and brain can also decrease your autoimmune risk by 30 percent.

Blood pressure, especially systolic (the top number) naturally creeps up as arteries stiffen with age, raising the risk for heart attack, kidney damage, and even cognitive problems. But what if there was something easy that only took 5 minutes a day to bring it way down, without breaking a sweat?

Headlines report that type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. What’s equally concerning is people with prediabetes who don’t know their risk. But even worse than that (and yes, it gets far worse), there are human timebombs among us who think they are just fine because their diabetes test was WRONG…

Your body runs on hormones. They are the “chemical messengers” that make things happen, like controlling your body temperature, your moods, your sex drive, your sleep patterns, and your immunity against disease. Most people think of insulin as the hormone associated with diabetes. But that’s cutting it short…

Bacteria that live on your skin can also cause serious problems. They can put you at risk for painful, even dangerous, life-threatening infections from drug-resistant superbugs. Luckily, recommendations from a 16th-century text on Traditional Chinese Medicine may have the answer to fighting off skin pathogens…

Plastic water bottles make me think of chemicals leaching into every sip, even though most are supposedly BPA-free now. That might make some people feel better, but I hate to be the bearer of more bad news about America’s love affair with bottled water… If you’re drinking them, I’d have to ask you: what’s your poison?

It’s become a fact of life that being a caregiver, whether it’s for an elderly parent or a spouse, takes a toll on your health, leading many people to fear becoming caregivers or to feel as if their health is doomed if it becomes necessary. But are the health dangers of caregiving real? The key to successful caregiving…

New cholesterol guidelines allow for a more “personalized” approach to drug therapy, which could allow some patients to reduce the number of drugs they are taking (a good thing), though some will end up on more (not so great). But what these experts left out underscores how badly they’re failing at helping people achieve optimal levels…

In recent years, a certain cruciferous vegetable has risen to the top of the pile as a superfood. It’s been hailed as one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. In other words, it’s got a ton of nutritional value but few calories. But there are two problems… one involves your thyroid, and the other is a scary cancer threat…

Getting the news you have Parkinson’s can be hard on your bearings. Even if things weren’t looking good and you expected the diagnosis. Because a progressive nervous system disorder affects movement, exercise is a good recommendation because it can help slow disease progression. But the right exercise carries even bigger benefits…

There are a lot of downsides to having migraines…They’re painful and nauseating. They prevent you from going to work and having fun with friends. They increase your risk of stroke, heart attack, depression and anxiety. But what if I told you there’s at least one upside…

My husband is an early riser and likes to start his day with time on the treadmill. I’m barely able to get going in the morning hours and would rather workout in the afternoon. I’ve always told him, it doesn’t matter when you exercise, as long as you do. Unfortunately, a new study may have just proven me wrong…

During stroke, the right treatment can save a life and prevent permanent disability. But time is of the essence. The drugs that can break up those blood clots must be given within 4 ½ hours of a stroke. So you can see how seconds count. That’s why you need to know how the ‘wrong help’ could increase the danger…

Positive — or negative emotions — change your body chemistry. Think for a moment about this. How does it feel to communicate/show kindness, forgiveness, acceptance, or love?

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that significantly increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. While about a third of adults in the U.S. are estimated to be living with metabolic syndrome, many people don’t know they have it since many of the signs of the disorder are silent. Find out, right now…

Coffee has been called “the world’s most common recreational drug,” and with good reason. Every morning, roughly 83 percent of American adults reach for a cup of java to jump-start their day. Are you one of them?

The trouble all starts with a bacterium known as Porphyromonas gingivalis. When its numbers grow too large, your body’s immune system reacts, leading to inflammation, swelling, bleeding, and erosion of your gum tissue. Then, it can even travel from your mouth to your bloodstream, and to your brain….

A new study found lousy eating kills 11 million people per year. That means 1 in 5 deaths is caused simply by eating the wrong foods. That’s more people than both smoking and high blood pressure kill. But what exactly qualifies as lousy? I’ll tell you, as well as the 3 dietary habits that contribute to more than half of these deaths!

It’s 2 p.m., and lunch hour is long gone. You’ve got a stack of work to complete, and you just can’t focus. A nap is sounding really good. So, you reach for something sweet to get some pep and energy. Hold on… Researchers recently exposed the truth about what sugar actually does to your mood and your ability to perform…

Researchers took a broad, long-term look at what the obesity epidemic is costing us: Millions of lives lost, and millions of years of healthy, vital living missed, because we carry too much weight. It’s synonymous with heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. But the 13 cancers are most disturbing.

You’ve probably heard of “magic mushrooms.” Hallucinogenic trips are part of the mushroom’s reputation, but their health benefits have put them up front on the voting ballots in two states and could make them the next legalization trend, like cannabis. Here’s what you should know…

Your brain doesn’t create any new brain cells after it fully develops at age 25 or so? At least, that’s what you’ve been told most of your life. If you can’t make any more, your life is just one long descent toward cognitive decline. Well, that’s wrong and outdated.

You may already have some tricks up your sleeve for avoiding flu this spring and beyond. Maybe you get the flu vaccine every year, take special herbs or pump yourself full of vitamin C. But whatever you do to keep yourself safe from the flu, I have a flu-fighting tip I guarantee you’ve never heard before…

Despite the fact that women everywhere have been saying for decades that menopause makes them gain weight, no link had been proven between the hormonal changes of menopause and changes in body composition… until now. But extra weight is the least of the reasons it should concern you…

What’s that warm sensation on my skin? Yes, the sun is already beating down in parts of the country and that means you need to be protected from skin cancer and the unsightly damage of photoaging. Choosing what’s safe and works best to keep your skin protected can be confusing. But you’ve come to the right place…

Cheeseburgers, sugary sodas, candy and deep-fried foods are bad for us. So, like most people you may have made heart-healthy diet changes you thought were for the better… like less red meat and more chicken… swapping butter for margarine… and generally cutting back on fat and sugar. But are those changes as healthy as you think?

Do you know the scariest thing about type 2 diabetes? A lot of people have it and don’t realize it. The problem is, if you don’t know you have diabetes, you won’t do anything to treat it. And no good comes from unmanaged diabetes. It wreaks havoc on your body… especially vital organs like your brain.

If you drink beer, you should be familiar with hops, since the flower of the plant is used to make beer, including ales, lagers, and pilsners. Hops are best known for adding the flavor, color and bitterness, but for years experts have claimed hops aren’t just good for making beer, but good health, too. Hops may even fight cancer…

Remember the endless days of childhood? It seemed like so many things happened in a day! Now, as we get older, time goes faster and faster, and we’re not happy about it. Well, it turns out there’s a scientific explanation for this phenomenon, one that might show us how to feel like we’re getting more out of each day.

Stroke scares the heck out of just about anybody. But the right antioxidant-rich and anti-inflammatory nutrients can help reduce the development of cerebrovascular disease — which can lead to stroke. Find out how these foods, herbs and nutrients you can supplement can help push your stroke risk far away…

Peeing in a cup was once a routine part of getting a yearly physical. Doctors would test for traces of blood, protein or sugar, to check for hidden cases of diabetes or kidney disease. Some doctors still routinely check urine. If your’s does, it could pose an unexpected danger…