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Being plagued by restless legs can make a good night’s sleep more than difficult. For far too long, RLS has been a miserable and poorly understood condition. But a link between a common vitamin deficiency and a neurotransmitter that may kick off the RLS cycle is stacking up…

After a heart attack, it makes sense that you’d want to sleep more. But the need for sleep is more than the physical exhaustion of going through a traumatic health event. It’s a signal for healing that if not heeded could mean a 2nd heart attack…

Superfoods get their reputation because they’re nutrient dense and do for your body what it normally takes a variety of other foods (in copious amounts) to do. Or because they contain that “one amazing” ingredient, like the natural answer for your sinus problems…

Nothing jolts you awake like a leg cramp. Sometimes they’re associated with a serious condition. Other times, they strike from too much or too little exercise. Say hello to this vitamin and goodbye to the pain…

The “cold sore” virus is extremely common. It’s believed to be present in more than half of all Americans. That doesn’t make it any easier to deal with when cold sores flareup. Gaining a better understanding of the virus may…

Apple cider vinegar is a versatile household staple, from brightening salad dressings to unclogging drains. It’s also touted as a health elixir. How can you separate the hype from the real benefits? See what the doctor has to say…

Environmentalists have sounded alarms about the harm it’s doing. But a more dire warning may be the estimated nine million premature deaths that happen each year because it’s hardening our arteries. As a doctor, this is how I’m protecting myself…

Insulin resistance is considered a driver for the cluster of conditions that make up metabolic syndrome. When blood sugar spikes often, the pancreas produces too much insulin and the body stops responding to it. Once the door’s open, it’s hard to keep the other conditions out…

The idea of a healthy diet has been based on older dietary measures that steer us towards food groups or specific macronutrients. But it’s the effect of food inside the body that’s the common denominator fueling disease…

Decorative tableware is never more popular than during the holidays. But those festive platters can serve up toxic metals that shorten lifespans and endanger your heart on par with cholesterol. Before you serve guests, how dangerous is your holiday setting?

Changes to your circadian rhythm that happen with age can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. That in turn, can increase your risk for heart trouble. This easy 3-minute activity can help you beat both…

With cold and flu season approaching, you need to hear an ugly truth: Many decongestants we’ve turned to for sinus pain and pressure have been deemed ineffective and will leave drugstore shelves soon. Here’s why some work and some don’t…

Migraines are like headaches on steroids. Bigger and badder, and typically require serious medication. But ironically, some medications for another very common condition can give anyone up to a 70 percent greater chance of suffering migraine.

The virus season is here. That means you need to ready your defenses against respiratory infections and the potential for pneumonia. As odd as this advice sounds, seeing your dentist may make the biggest impact…

A supplement that fights respiratory infections has been overshadowed by vitamin C, even though studies show it can reduce the likelihood of getting the flu by more than 50%. But its power to starve cancer might help it stand out…

The low FODMAP is as effective as medication in managing IBS symptoms, but it can be difficult to follow because it is so restrictive. What if you only had to restrict two things to get the same symptom relief?

Do you live with never-ending congestion and recurrent sinus infections? Feel like you can’t get enough air through your nose? Nasal polyps may be to blame. Your doctor can remove them, but to keep them from returning, do these 2 things…

How well do you think you’re aging? Considering all we now know about slowing the rate of aging so we can reduce risks for functional decline and disease, we’d be foolish not to try. The first step is to gauge your biological age…

For thousands of years, medicinal mushrooms have been used for tumor therapy in traditional Chinese medicine. But one stands out because it also has anti-diabetic qualities. And if you know cancer’s favorite fuel source, it’s a no-brainer how it works…

A lot of focus is on living longer and healthier. There’s a simple way to do that: lower your risk of heart disease and stroke and increase not only life expectancy but the quality of those extra years — all with one drink.

Acute pancreatitis is a painful sudden attack that could land you in the hospital. Damage from repeat attacks put you in serious jeopardy. Rest, IV fluids, pain meds and antibiotics can only do so much. But this vitamin may treat, protect and prevent…

When cellular energy diminishes, the body’s processes break down and so do we. That’s aging. But one key factor can be manipulated to slow it, and now research says potentially reverse it, including the outward signs we’d really like to do something about…

Flu isn’t just inconvenient. Complications can arise, like pneumonia, that can land you in the hospital. If you’ve got 10 minutes a day, you can start doing something now that could keep it from turning fatal.

Deciphering cholesterol readings can be complex but we all know HDL is the good stuff, or so we thought. For women, menopause can help bring out the bad side of HDL that could lead to the first sign of Alzheimer’s…

Harvard researchers say the life expectancy gap between men and women has grown to six years. That’s unsettling enough, but the underlying reason behind increasingly shorter lifespans among men is even more so…

Heart disease is not always top of mind. Maybe because we’ve become numb to it. Yet it remains the leading cause of death. While that almost makes it almost seem “normal”, it’s time to get scary serious about it…

The question of whether or not alcohol provides health benefits seems to have sparked a never-ending debate. It may have started with the French Paradox, but could end with these six cancers…

It’s America’s favorite berry because we love the taste. Now research shows if you’re having trouble managing your triglyerides and LDL, you have another good reasons to eat them…

A Thanksgiving tradition, few know that the humble sweet potato is a nutritional giant. So, let me share these six ways sweet potatoes are one food you can stuff yourself silly with — guilt-free — and introduce you to three delicious recipes you can use to impress your holiday guests…

Being overweight is considered a risk factor for heart disease. But rumblings among experts began casting doubt on BMI as a measure of that risk. It’s been missing an important fat distribution detail that gives a much clearer, potentially life-saving picture…

Doctors admit relieving chronic pain leaves them baffled. Often the pills don’t even work or their sides effects can be intolerable. If that’s where you are, a surprisingly simple answer might take a little time, but has been shown to work for thousands of people…

Researchers have found that in patients with Alzheimer’s, a neurotransmitter involved in memory and learning, called acetylcholine, gets depleted. If that could be avoided, could cognitive decline? Thankfully, a few simple changes could keep that from happening.

Migraine can accompany sleep disorders, like insomnia, trouble falling or staying asleep, poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness. But is migraine what’s causing these sleep problems or vice-versa? The answer could lead to relief…

There have been questions about whether running long distances is good for your health or not. Some data shows it could induce a heart attack but some says it lowers risk of death in general. If you’re on the edge, the longevity debate may settle it for you…

Far too many women still believe dangerous myths when it comes to heart disease, like it being an issue that mainly impacts men. The truth is it’s the #1 killer of women in the U.S. And your personal risk can be far higher depending on your drinking habits…

A Chinese medicinal herb has been shown to not only block bone loss, but encourage bone growth. That’s great news for anyone with osteoporosis. Even better, the active compound responsible for that phenomenal bone support is also found in coffee beans…

It’s known that rheumatoid arthritis carries a higher risk for heart trouble. But researchers are finding it can vary, and hope personalized treatments that tackle the effects of oxidative stress, sky-high inflammation and out-of-control immune cells can take that threat down…

If you’ve inherited a genetic predisposition that could shorten your lifespan, it may feel like the cards are just not in your favor. You might think “game over.” But is it really? A first ever study compared genetics to lifestyle and the findings might blow you away…

A car wreck is the worst we might expect when climbing into a car. But safety features have been designed that could limit injury. However, thanks to outdated federal standards, every single moment we spend in our vehicle means breathing in known carcinogens…

There isn’t enough confirmed evidence about the precise blend of influences, including genetic, environmental and dietary, that lead to prostate issues. This uncertainty means there’s no simple way to avoid these problems. But the connection between prostate and heart health is a place to start…

Stroke often hits with no warning. And your doctor may not even know you have an elevated risk for stroke until you’ve had one. Luckily, researchers may have found a way to detect stroke risk with a simple blood test…

If you didn’t know, there’s a vegetable you need to take advantage of right now on your next visit to the farmer’s market. It’s the one that provides huge amounts of 8 important nutrients, a compound that lowers blood pressure and one that fights disease-causing inflammation…

Not everyone has the knees to take the stairs. But if you’re able to, you should know it’s the answer to two types of exercise in one and can turn back several factors that add up to metabolic syndrome, heart attack and stroke in just a matter of weeks…

Ultraprocessed foods have been associated with bad health and early death. But avoiding them has seemed an impossible task, til now. A 30-year study reveals a starting point: Remove the two worst offenders shown to have the strongest impact on your health…

Feet get cold, sore and tired. It’s par for the course, right — or is it? Your feet are surprisingly responsive to what’s going on in your body. One serious signal spells danger for your heart and blood vessels. Here’s how to recognize your feet are flashing a warning light that requires attention…

Most of us think stroke is something that happens when you’re old. Not anymore. Not only can a stroke occur at any age, the numbers game shows more people under 65 are having strokes than ever before. Here’s why stroke rates are rising so dramatically in younger people…

Diet is directly tied to health or disease. That’s why it has been and may always be a topic of research. But when a study comes out every week on this diet or that, how do you quantify it all? Analyze 20 years of studies and the disease-free diet comes to the top…

You may have heard of kombucha, but not jumped on board the hype. Well, if you’re looking to reduce fat, lower triglycerides and lose weight, kombucha can get you there by boosting the bacteria your body needs to ramp up your metabolism.

We’ve read the research that exercise can boost cognition and prevent brain shrinkage, among other benefits. But what can it do against that scourge of aging marked by those nasty brain plaques? It gives back the fighting power of a youthful brain to eat them away…

Chronic inflammation can cause all kinds of problems. But how do you know you have it? As a diagnosis, it can be hard to detect, which is why we’re giving you 11 of the more unusual signs that it could be wreaking havoc inside your body right now…

We have no control over the passage of time. But we do have a lot of control over our physiological age. That means we have a lot of say over our health as we age. In fact, if you’re already taking care of your heart, you may have already slowed your rate of aging…

People with chronic fatigue syndrome have battled not only their condition but also skepticism that the condition could be psychosomatic. A landmark study that started eight years ago has compelling evidence that nothing could be further from the truth…

Most of us don’t think about what time it is when we take medication. Sure, you may have one or two your doctors suggest taking at a certain time of day. But if a headache hits, you probably pop a pain releiver without a second thought. That could be toxic and bad for you and your liver…

More than 50 percent of the half a billion people with diabetes suffer from a nerve condition that can cause pain and numbness. And most of them aren’t even aware they have it, the threats it poses or about the syndrome that quadruples their risk for it…

This is the true story of a 55-year-old man whose fate seemed to be sealed, When it came to genetics and dementia, he’d drawn the short straw: two copies of the APOE4 gene. But he didn’t take it sitting down. Today, his brain tells a different story, one that can belong to any of us…

Studies have connected a diet high in saturated fats with Alzheimer’s. But how these fats harm the brain hasn’t been clear. Now researchers reveal three distinct ways a high-fat diet can damage the brain in a short amount of time. But we wouldn’t tell you this if there wasn’t a way around it…

Research into the impact of microplastics on our health is still in its early days. But so far, the evidence is alarming, including the presence of microplastics in arterial plaques. Now researchers are finding microplastic blood clots deep inside the body…

For years, restless leg syndrome has puzzled the medical community. It’s not an autoimmune condition, but is a symptom of many. It disrupts sleep and carries a higher risk of death, heart problems and diabetes. For answers, international researchers have turned to genetics…

Fat cells release hormones that, especially in postmenopausal women, can fuel breast cancer. But additional factors have been found to significantly stack the odds, whether weight is a factor or not. The good news is you can do simple diagnostics at home to identify these risks and turn them around…

Diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease overlap so much that the American Heart Association has coined a new syndrome to describe people with two or more of these diseases. Here’s how to know if you’re at risk, and what to do about it…