Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Carolyn Gretton

The urgent reason black women should check their vitamin D levels

Vitamin D is important for bone, muscle, brain and immune system health. But the vitamin’s cancer connections are also coming to light. Studies are looking at specific cancers on the rise, how the body produces vitamin D and how skin color comes into play in. The findings are something we can’t ignore…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How COVID-19 tricks arteries into producing blood clots

Covid-19’s affinity for blood clots has perplexed doctors almost since day one. Because blood clots can contribute to worse outcomes for those infected, researchers have focused on finding their cause. Some have speculated that the virus infects the blood vessels themselves. But it’s much tricker than that.

Joyce Hollman

Half a dozen ways to avoid weight gain over the holidays

The holiday season isn’t kind to people who are trying to lose weight or even just trying to maintain a holding pattern. But don’t give up hope. I’ve got some strategies to avoiding tipping the scales before New Year’s Eve, and I’d like to share them with you. Especially if you’ve been a victim of the “COVID 15.”

Joyce Hollman

7 reasons to try a persimmon now

Persimmons are a small, sweet fruit that’s around from October to January. If you’ve never tried them, you’re missing out! They’re chock full of nutrients that lower your blood pressure, protect your eyesight and keep your brain young…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The superfood that battles depression, anxiety and more

There’s one food that has racked up an incredibly impressive array of health benefits backed by science. From improving blood sugar and fighting obesity to boosting immunity and reducing joint pain, mushrooms are truly magical. And now researchers say you can chalk one more big benefit up to fungi — better mental health.

Jenny Smiechowski

The 3 most dangerous daily sources of aluminum and the damage it does

Besides breast cancer, aluminum exposure can cause neurotoxicity — a form of damage to the central and/or peripheral nervous system. It’s even linked to Alzheimer’s. So, you want to stay on top of your aluminum exposure, especially since research shows we’re regularly exposed to far too much…

Joyce Hollman

6 fruits anyone with blood sugar problems should be eating

Anyone with blood sugar concerns should be eating plenty of these stone fruits and a few choice berries. Not only do they contain phenols that help your body use insulin, they’ve been found effective against obesity, metabolic syndrome and a bushel of other serious conditions…

Joyce Hollman

The Alzheimer’s-sleep connection: quantity vs quality

Most often, cognitive decline and dementia in adults is a result of Alzheimer’s disease. And poor sleep is a common Alzheimer’s symptom that actually makes the disease progress more quickly. But researchers dug into what makes the most difference: more sleep or deeper sleep?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Bad flu season ahead: Are you ready?

To say the Covid pandemic has made much about the last couple of years difficult would be an understatement. But just as we are seeing some relief on that front, experts say there’s one more thing we might be able to lay at the feet of Covid… a bad flu season. Here’s why they think it could come back with a vengeance…

Joyce Hollman

Potential new strategy for treating UTIs kicks antibiotics to the curb

Experiencing a UTI is miserable. They cause stomach and pelvic pain, nausea, an almost constant feeling that you need to urinate, and a burning sensation when you do. But a new discovery has pointed the way to a potential non-antibiotic treatment based on the body’s response to the infection that might stop a UTI before it starts.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Tryptophan: The ‘Thanksgiving’ amino acid for healthy aging

Tryptophan is the amino acid that we all associate with that post-Thanksgiving meal slump. The truth, though, is that blame falls on the carbs. In fact, the maligned amino acid carries powerful benefits that can help us live happier and healthier, especially if you’re on the mature side…

Joyce Hollman

Can pomegranate juice really lower cholesterol?

Pomegranates have an extremely high antioxidant content. In fact, its juice has three times more antioxidants than either green tea or red wine! That’s just one of many reasons it’s considered a superfood. Another may be proof of what it did to particularly troublesome cholesterol numbers when it was put to the test…

Joyce Hollman

The cause of the most preventable disease shortening our lives

As a whole we may be approaching a “leveling off” point in terms of life expectancy. In other words, we likely won’t live any longer than we do now, but worse, our life expectancy may actually grow shorter. Why? Blame these four key symptoms tied to one in five deaths — all with one thing in common…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Why going for an eye exam could save your life

If your vision just isn’t as sharp as it used to be, you might not think much of it. After all, many of us simply believe that failing eyesight is just a normal part of aging that’s nothing more than an inconvenience. But new research has found a suprising relationship between vision loss and risk of death….

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Grab this grain proven to boost weight loss

The battle of the bulge isn’t just a challenging one, it can also be extremely confusing. There are so many questions… What diet will benefit me most? What foods should I not eat to lose weight — and what foods should I eat to lose weight? At least when it comes to grains, we have an answer: in a head-to-head weight loss battle, there’s one proven winner…

Cara McCarthy

Think yourself thin this holiday season

Thanksgiving is approaching and I am already full just thinking about how much I’ll eat that day. Then it’ll be December with Christmas parties. Come January 1, I’ll make the same New Year’s resolution I make every year—get skinny! But this year, I have an edge…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

How ‘normal’ blood pressure accelerates brain aging

Focusing only on your brain to avoid dementia may be a big fail. That’s because blood pressure has been found to quietly accelerate brain aging. That’s worrisome enough for any of us with high blood pressure, but anyone relying on the changing definitions of what constitutes normal blood pressure could be in for a big surprise.

Carolyn Gretton

Probiotics before exercise may be the secret to muscle growth

You may be one of the nearly 4 million Americans who take a daily probiotic to help support good health. If so, you’ll be happy to know that research shows caring for your gut microbiome can do more than keep your gut healthy — it may actually help you keep your muscles…

Joyce Hollman

Simple hack makes mindful breathing work for pain relief

Mindful breathing has been shown effective at reducing pain — but not for everyone. If you’ve tried it for chronic pain and been disappointed, there’s good news. The way that traditional mindful breathing “engages the brain” doesn’t work for everyone. This simple hack can turn all of that around…

Joyce Hollman

11 hidden sources of sodium that skyrocket blood pressure

Cutting back on sodium can improve your blood pressure readings. You’ll reduce your risk for heart and kidney problems, and can try out some delicious herbs and spices so you don’t cheat your taste buds. But don’t be fooled! If you’re eating any of these 11 foods, you’re probably eating a lot more sodium than you think.

Carolyn Gretton

How Alzheimer’s may start in the liver

A hallmark feature of Alzheimer’s disease is the progressive accumulation of toxic protein deposits within the brain called beta-amyloid. Though we’ve learned a lot about the disease, researchers haven’t been sure where the amyloid originated from, or why it deposited in the brain. New research indicates a surprising source…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

What your teeth can reveal about your dementia risk

You already know poor oral health can lead to heart disease. Well, there’s another concerning connection, especially if you’re already experiencing tooth loss. A large meta-analysis of scientific studies found that once you start losing teeth, dementia could be just down the road. That means the sooner you tackle the underlying cause, the better. These supplements can help…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

COVID’s long haul symptoms tied to ‘micro clots’

We’re all ready for COVID to just go away. And while new infection numbers are going down, the virus still found a way to hang on. Almost half of infected end up with Long Covid. Part of its strategy? Clots. But not just regular blood clots. Micro clots — or clots within clots. More proof it’s not just another viurs…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The surprising deficiency increasing new cases of heart disease

If you eat right and take a multi-vitamin, the thought of suffering a nutrient deficiency is the furthest thing from your mind. Besides, your doctor would let you know about it when he does your yearly blood work, right? But a silent deficiency is driving new cases of heart disease, partly because doctors could be unknowingly assessing a less accurate measure.

Carolyn Gretton

How nighttime workouts impact your sleep

When it comes to your health, there are few things exercise can’t improve. It’s great for your muscles, bones, heart, brain and weight. Exercise also can even help you sleep better — as long as you stick to this golden rule that’s entirely about the one time of day to avoid exercise…

Joyce Hollman

The drink that lowers stroke risk in 3 cups a day

Images of the hearts of heavy, moderate, and light coffee drinkers reveal that people who drank coffee daily had hearts that were of a healthier size, and that functioned more efficiently. But it was the association between habitual coffee intake and the incidence of heart attack, stroke, and death that really raised eyebrows…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Diet soda’s weird side effect that unfairly targets women

If you’re trying to maintain a certain weight or lose a few pounds, you may be relying on diet drinks to reduce the number of calories you consume. But in a sick twist of fate, those drinks may do the opposite, especially for women who seem to be the target of a newly discovered side effect of artificially sweetened drinks…

Joyce Hollman

10 heart symptoms you should never ignore

The image most people have of a heart attack comes from the movies. Suddenly and without warning, someone clutches their chest, moans, and falls to the ground, dead. But that cinematic version of a heart attack is misleading. Often there are signs that, if caught early enough, can turn that bad ending around.

Margaret Cantwell

Why I’m glad I started supplementing my amino acids

I’d been hearing about amino acids for a while, mainly in the context of athletic performance. I’m not a triathlete or marathon runner, so I didn’t think they held any value for me. Boy was I wrong. Amino acids are the catalyst for nearly every physiological function that occurs in the body. Think energy, hormones, metabolism, sleep, cognition and more…. see what I mean?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The two-step approach to beating resistant hypertension

For reasons doctors aren’t exactly sure about, some people with high blood pressure don’t respond as well to medication. Their hypertension is called “resistant.” Does that mean you’re at the end of the rope? Not at all. But you may have to work harder at it by going for a two-punch combo to bring it down…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Multiple minor symptoms could be a warning sign your health is derailing

We all know what a symptom is. After all, when you go to your doctor with a cold and they ask you what your symptoms are you’ll tell them that you’ve been sneezing, coughing, have a runny nose and a fever. But, as you age, the word symptom can take on new meaning…

Jenny Smiechowski

The best reason to get Botox

I’m cautious when it comes to Botox… I think it makes people look permanently surprised and, in some cases, older than they are. That’s why I’ve never gotten it myself. But, there’s one circumstance when even I think you should give Botox serious consideration…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The best reason to try intermittent fasting

You may have heard of intermittent fasting since it’s becoming super popular for everything from weight loss to heart disease and diabetes prevention. While drugs can help manage symptoms wouldn’t you want an option that can stop disease in its tracks?

Dr. Michael Cutler

SBI: The weird food that helps your gut — Part II

How well your gastrointestinal tract works is influenced by a variety of interacting factors that don’t always come together like they should. That’s why the same therapies don’t always work for everyone. But SBI is proving to be a big player in gut health…

Jenny Smiechowski

The strange eye symptom that signals a serious vitamin deficiency

Unless you get a blood test, most vitamin deficiencies are tricky to detect. Many of the symptoms are vague and easily overlooked… You may feel tired. You may get sick often. Or feel depressed. Luckily this one will get your attention…

Joyce Hollman

Feeling down? Get your hearing checked

If you or a loved one have experienced any degree of hearing loss, you know that it’s not just about losing your hearing. It’s hard to imagine what it must be like to have your world grow more and more silent. This symptom shouldn’t be surprising then…

Jenny Smiechowski

5 seemingly healthy habits that are bad for your brain

With so much conflicting information out there, it’s hard to know what habits truly make a difference in your brain health. You don’t want to develop a habit that’s bad rather than good for your brain. Luckily, there’s one way to clear the confusion: Ask a neuroscientist.

Jenny Smiechowski

The food additive fueling celiac disease

As much as three percent of us in the US has celiac disease, whereas it was previously thought to be one percent. This increase isn’t just because doctors are getting better at diagnosing it. More people are developing the disease thanks to a bacterial enzyme…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The most effective tool for healthy blood pressure we don’t commit to

It’s never a good idea to simply ditch your blood pressure medications. But there’s an important tool that science says really lowers blood pressure… without side effects. And chances are your doctor would be thrilled if you committed to using it…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Do this for one month and reap 10+ life-changing benefits

Whether or not you’ve already made your resolutions, there’s one you might want to add. You only need to do it for one month to get big results. In fact, it can help you sleep better, feel more energetic, lose weight — and then some…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

3 breast cancer risks you can control and 1 your doctor may not know about

What puts some women at risk, while others live a long healthy life free of breast cancer? Several things. But here’s the rub — some you can control and some you can’t… and one your doctor probably doesn’t even know about yet.

Jenny Smiechowski

How sugar blocks the bacteria that keeps you lean and healthy

Sugar. It’s delicious, but it’s dangerous… Say you eat a glazed donut from a local bakery. It’s packed with sugar. And that sugar stealthily glides through your body and into your gut. Once it’s inside, it attacks one of your body’s biggest assets…

Joyce Hollman

How tiny toxic plastic particles are ending up in your food

Microplastic is defined as pieces of plastic that are less than 5mm in size. Think confetti, or sprinkles on your ice cream. They’re that small, and they travel fast. They’re also poison and they’ve made it to your dinner plate. Here’s how to avoid eating them…

Joyce Hollman

Is it a chest cold or bronchitis and is pneumonia far behind?

What many people write off as just a “chest cold” is actually an inflammation of the lungs called bronchitis. Here’s how to know if you’ve got it, and how to treat it, keep yourself comfortable, and make sure it doesn’t become a more serious illness…

Jenny Smiechowski

Why your baby blues make you less susceptible to the winter blues

The winter months are tough for a lot of us… If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, it can be especially difficult. Some of us are less likely to be affected than others, but wherever you fall in the spectrum, you can slash your depression risk…

Jenny Smiechowski

The bigger this body part, the smaller your stroke risk

When if comes to body image, there are lots of body parts where size might matter. There’s one body part, though, where what really matters about its size isn’t so much for appearance’s sake, but what it might indicate about your risk for a potentially deadly event…

Jenny Smiechowski

The most critical habit for maintaining your brain power

Fortunately, most of us won’t get Alzheimer’s. But that doesn’t mean you get off scot-free. Many of us will develop some cognitive impairments as we age. So, what can you do to keep your cognitive abilities from slipping away? It’s simple, really…

Jenny Smiechowski

8 foods that could fuel MS flare-ups

As the years go on, we learn more and more about multiple sclerosis (MS). For a long time, scientists suspected that MS was caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. But did you know food allergies may be a major piece of the puzzle?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The controversial breakfast food that beats away diabetes risk

Can what you eat for breakfast really change your metabolic profile for the better, preventing the risk factors that lead to damaging blood sugar problems… and ultimately to type 2 diabetes? This food can, and that’s only the beginning…

Joyce Hollman

Is the secret to beating superbugs right under our feet?

Long before antibiotics, cultures around the world have used medicinal plants to treat bacterial infections. That’s a good thing, considering the rise of antibiotic resistance. But all along, a powerful bacteria killer has been hiding under our feet…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

5 full-body benefits of dancing

Hitting the dance floor (even in your own home) and boogying the night away (or the hour, or even just a few minutes) has been proven time and again to be one of the best things you can do for your health. Let’s take a look at just a few of the benefits dancing delivers…

Dr. Michael Cutler

Weird medical ‘food’ could be best treatment for gut conditions

As a former ulcerative colitis patient, I am very interested in ways to restore intestinal health. In 1997, I underwent drastic surgery for this condition. I’d like to be able to help others get relief without such extreme measures. That’s where SBI comes in…

Joyce Hollman

How your diabetes drug sets you up for heart attack

If you or someone you love is taking metformin for type 2 diabetes, it’s only a matter of time before a second-line drug will be necessary. But recent findings show that with some of these medications you’re jumping “out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

Joyce Hollman

9 times to listen to your body’s signals

Here are nine things you should never ignore, or chalk up to “nothing.” Go to your doctor and get them checked out. They could save you time and expense, and could quite possibly save your life.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The best nutrient for fighting autoimmune disease

Autoimmune disease is something that runs in my family… Over the years, we’ve tried everything from natural supplements to prescription drugs but as anyone with this type of disease knows, autoimmunity is difficult to defeat. Fortunately, a new study just might have the answer we’ve all been looking for…

Jenny Smiechowski

The simplest (and most entertaining) way to slash depression risk in half

The longer you’re on this earth, the more likely you are to experience depression. But there are plenty of ways to keep depression from dragging you down… including one super simple and entertaining habit you only need to practice once a month to feel better…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

The diet that makes statins more effective

If you live with high cholesterol or heart disease, chances are your doctor has prescribed statins for you. But certain enzymes in your body might keep them from working. Luckily, a new study has the answer to boosting statin effectiveness.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

3 overlooked causes of erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction affects at least one in five men over 60. But, the more you know about what contributes to erectile dysfunction, the more you can do to prevent it. In fact, there are three often overlooked causes that could be fueling your bedroom boredom…

Joyce Hollman

What your nightmares reveal about your health

Which comes first, the nightmare or the illness? It’s hard to say. But one thing is certain: your dreams, particularly your nightmarish ones, are intimately connected with your health. If nightmares are disrupting your sleep, something else might be happening…

Jenny Smiechowski

The surprising heart disease danger as risky as smoking and obesity

Everyone knows that smoking and obesity put you at risk for heart disease. But before you pat yourself on the back for staying away from cigarettes and keeping your BMI low, there are two equally dangerous risk factors you might not have under control…

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