Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Joyce Hollman

Severity of joint pain during menopause clue to deadly condition

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…

Joyce Hollman

Study identifies how many years your brain ages per drink

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…

Carolyn Gretton

The air pollutant increasing your risk for cognitive decline

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….

Virginia Tims-Lawson

‘Everyday’ plastics mess with metabolism, increase fat cells

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…

Joyce Hollman

New therapeutic target takes aim at Age-related Macular Degeneration

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…

Joyce Hollman

8 tips that take the stress out of eating for weight loss and wellness

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…

Joyce Hollman

Live longer strengthening muscles just one hour a week

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…

Joyce Hollman

Common painkillers can put you in the sodium ‘danger zone’

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.

Jenny Smiechowski

Hurting? Swap your NSAID for this vitamin

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…

Carolyn Gretton

The brain perks of pet ownership

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…

Carolyn Gretton

10 factors most likely to manifest before Alzheimer’s sets in

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…

Joyce Hollman

Is your doctor prescribing ‘low-value’ heart care?

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?

Carolyn Gretton

The surprising way your immune system helps burn fat

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…

Carolyn Gretton

The silent way your gut influences heart disease

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…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

How body fat can function to stave off old-age ailments

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.

Carolyn Gretton

The cholesterol-busting power of caffeine

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.

Joyce Hollman

How the right fiber helps slash dementia risk

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…

Joyce Hollman

Microplastic ‘magnets’ deliver poisons to your bloodstream

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…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How much meat can you eat and keep cancer risks low?

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…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Autoimmune disease over 50: Why the rise and how to stop it

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.

Joyce Hollman

The diet that slowed over-50 brain shrinkage

With age, the size of the human brain shrinks. Age-related brain atrophy occurs due to a loss of brain cells. With fewer brain cells, connections are lost and cognitive decline begins. What if you could pump up the volume with a simple diet adjustment?

Joyce Hollman

4 ways cherries make you feel better

It’s no accident that the small, sweet cherry has found its way into idioms that express how good life is. To “put the cherry on top” means to make a good thing even better. That’s because there are few downsides to eating cherries, and a lot of benefits to be had…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Melatonin + late-night eating: A recipe for diabetes

Late-night eating can lead to weight gain or high blood sugar levels. That’s a recipe for diabetes. But new findings show many of us carry a gene that can make that habit worse by turning a hormone naturally produced in the body against us.

Virginia Tims-Lawson

Better sleep provides better odds against mind-stealing plaques

When your sleep cycle gets screwed up, so does your health. Disruption to your circadian clock has been found to interfere with the brain’s ability to clear a protein closely linked to stealing your brain functions and memories. But getting it back on schedule isn’t so hard…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Study seems to settle the connection between cancer and alcohol

While none of us doubt that heavy drinking is a danger to health, the jury has been out for decades as to whether light to moderate alcohol use can be helpful or harmful. But one consistent debate has centered on alcohol’s connection to cancer. Well, now, the jury may have made a final decision.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The scientific myth putting men’s bones in danger

For years, if not decades, health care providers have assumed people with higher levels of body fat have high bone density and are at low risk of fracture. Turns out that was a mistake that’s left men, especially, in danger.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Is meat the link to autoimmune reactions and MS?

More and more evidence has mounted over the past decade suggesting that bacteria in the gut can affect the immune system, particularly an autoimmune reaction. If what we eat can affect the bacteria in our guts, could diet also play a role in whether or not we end up with MS?

Joyce Hollman

Red ginseng helps slow aging, boost energy after menopause

Ginseng is an anti-viral and anti-inflammatory that stops our stress response cycle, including the immune response that follows stress. But for those who need help with energy and aging, its benefits may go to the cellular level…

Joyce Hollman

Chronic pain: How the Keto diet can help

A ketogenic diet is a diet that’s very low in carbohydrates. Most people go on a ketogenic diet to lose weight. But research has established other benefits of the diet, including the potential to relieve pain. The reason may surprise you…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

What coffee can do about digestion, gallstones and your liver

Research is proving that coffee has more perks than ever previously thought. But there’s one negative holdover: Many people think coffee increases their intestinal problems, when that’s just not the case. A review of 194 research publications shows exactly what we mean…

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

Could the right food lower your heart disease risk better than meds?

When treating or preventing heart disease, the emphasis has been heavy on medications. But this pill-centric approach often ignores the tremendous impact foods have. Take cholesterol, where the right foods can be one and a half times even MORE powerful than drugs…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How to get over your cold quick and keep from spreading it

You wake up feeling terrible and wonder, is it a cold or flu? How contagious are you and for how long? How can you keep from spreading your germs… but most importantly: How can you feel better FAST? I’ve got all the answers for you…

Jenny Smiechowski

What heavy drinking does to your DNA

Drinking is an expected part of social life. That may mean only having a margarita with friends once a month at your favorite Mexican restaurant. But if your social circle brings out the heavy drinker in you, there’s something you should know…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The drink that helps lower breast cancer risk by half

Even though a small portion of breast cancers are genetic, a whopping 85 percent of women diagnosed have absolutely no family history. That means it can come out of no where. Thanks to research, there are a number of ways to reduce that risk…

Jenny Smiechowski

Independent agers skip the gym for this instead

There are a variety of reasons older adults can lose independence. But mainly, it comes down to a loss of physical mobility or a loss of cognitive ability. If the gym’s not for you, try this fun way to lower your risk of losing your independence from either of these causes…

Jenny Smiechowski

The common drug combo that causes brain and stomach bleeding

More than 30 million people take NSAID pain relievers daily. The problem is, a lot of these same people also take a popular antidepressnt. If you’re one of them, you should know about the increased risk for brain and gastrointestinal bleeding this combination can cause….

Joyce Hollman

Is your favorite juice harboring high levels of harmful heavy metals?

If you’ve switched to juice to cut down on sugary soft drinks, you need to heed this warning: 45 different fruit juice brands have tested positive for measurable amounts of arsenic, cadmium and lead. Are you drinking one of them? If so, do these things now…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Is it allergies or head and neck cancer?

When is a persistent sore throat or hoarseness, along with earache and maybe problems swallowing, something to be concerned about? If it’s your allergies, you’re probably thinking hardly ever. But this combination mimics symptoms of a common head and neck cancer, too.

Jenny Smiechowski

The blood test that catches Alzheimer’s 16 years before serious symptoms begin

If you knew right now that you were going to get Alzheimer’s in the next 20 years, what would you do to change your destiny? Would you exercise more? Eat better? Try kirtan kriya meditation? All the above?

Joyce Hollman

4 real health benefits of a good cry

When was the last time you had a good cry? For me, it was just the other day. When it was over, boy, did I feel good! Why? It turns out there’s science behind what tears do for your emotional well-being as well as your physical health…

Joyce Hollman

5 smoothie recipes to fuel a disease-free body

Here are five “go-to” smoothies that I’ve tried and enjoyed, in no particular order. They all contain a wealth of fruits and veggies and are geared to boosting nutrients that science says helps decrease your risk of a host of diseases…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Mindfulness won’t take away hot flashes, but it could reduce this killer

Science hasn’t found a lot to offer that works across the board to diminish menopause symptoms, like hot flashes and night sweats. But it may have found a way for menopausal women to overcome one dangerous symptom it certainly creates in their lives…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

How the antioxidant power of vitamin C could slay metabolic syndrome

It’s estimated that 35 percent of us suffer from metabolic syndrome, a serious condition associated with everything from heart disease to fatty liver disease to type 2 diabetes… even dementia. But getting more of an important nutrient could be your first step to defeating it.

Joyce Hollman

The drinking water contaminant killing sperm and men

It’s among the most frequently used weed-killing chemicals polluting our drinking water. Among it’s dangers, we can now add “fertility killer.” But if you think fertility isn’t an issue that impacts you directly, you should understand how it shortens men’s lives…

Jenny Smiechowski

2 surprising health tips modern-day ‘cavemen’ can teach us

Is everyone you know following the paleo diet to lose weight and gain health? Maybe you are, too. But there’s still skepticism about whether the caveman lifestyle really works. So to find out, scientists went to some real, live modern-day cavemen, and guess what they found?

Joyce Hollman

5 times burping might be something serious

In some parts of the world, belching might be considered a high compliment. But in the United States, well, it’s a real faux pas.The occasional burp can be embarrassing, but if it happens regularly, and often, it could be a sign of more serious concerns…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

When it looks like dementia but isn’t

If you spend time with an elderly relative or act as a caregiver, you know how those little signs their cognition is slipping can be cause for concern. But some seniors who appear to be headed down the path of dementia, are actually suffering from something totally treatable.

Jenny Smiechowski

Will eating fried food fry your lifespan?

No matter what diet you’re following, there’s one type of food that’s always on the no-no list — fried food. But how “dangerous” is fried food, really? What’s the true price of gliding through the KFC drive-thru and scarfing down a few chicken legs?

Joyce Hollman

Cancer’s complicated relationship with blood pressure drugs

Many people are unaware of just how many drugs there are to control blood pressure. That’s because if the first line drugs don’t work for you, the system is set up to get you on the next one. And that can lead you to a different and scarier disease threat…

Jenny Smiechowski

Can essential oils really cause male breasts?

Who doesn’t love essential oils? But if you’re male and use peppermint oil to ease a headache, lavender oil to relieve anxiety or tea tree oil to clear your skin, listen up… any potent substance that can make significant changes to your body comes with a risk of side effects…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How to avoid neck pain from computer use

Poor posture may seem harmless but the truth is that it compresses your neck and not only cause headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, and problems concentrating, but over time it can actually damage the vertebrae in your neck. And it’s happening at your computer…

Joyce Hollman

2 simple methods to try for better memory recall

As I get older, my ability to remember things is changing, and not for the better. This shift is in no way debilitating, thank goodness… just annoying. So I was thrilled to find these fun exercises to strengthen my memory, and hope you will be, too…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

The oil that works better than “those” ED Pills

Most men would like to boost their performance in the bedroom. Many men are tempted to turn to the little blue pill for help, but they could slash the chance of erectile dysfunction by a whopping 40 percent just by including plenty this oil in their diet.

Dr. Michael Cutler

15+ herbs, vitamins and nutrients that help fight dementia

Despite decades of research, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s dementia. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost to avoid this devastating disease. Current medications, at best, may slow the rate of disease progression. So, shouldn’t we consider natural options that may do the same, or better? Let me share them with you…

Jenny Smiechowski

The common household chemical that contributes to cancer and heart disease

Disease-causing chemicals are in our water, food, clothing, make-up, furniture — pretty much everything we encounter daily. We’re told they’e safe, but they’re making people sick. Case in point? This one raises your risk of two devastating chronic diseases…

Margaret Cantwell

The truth about lectins and the real reason beans ‘disagree’ with you

For years I struggled with digestive disorders. I tried elimination diets and finally found my problem was gluten. So I gave up grains. But still, certain foods, like beans, disagreed with me in a big way, and I mean more than gas. The reason why has been quite an eye opener…

Easy Health Options Staff

4 times you should pay attention to your breathing

The way you breath can increase or reduce stress and anxiety, effect the beating speed of your heart and the oxygenation of your blood supply — all things that impact your health. Here are 4 times you should pay attention to how you’re breathing…

Jenny Smiechowski

How to boost the Alzheimer’s-fighting hormone hiding in your brain

Right now, there aren’t many hopeful treatments for Alzheimer’s. Current drugs have minimal benefits and loads of side effects, including diarrhea. But research shows how you can  encourage your brain to release a hormone that could be the answer we’ve all been waiting for.

Joyce Hollman

The carcinogens hiding in your chewing gum

You wouldn’t eat food with cancer-causing chemicals in it, would you? Lucky for us, we have a government agency to warn us about such dangers. That is, when this government watchdog isn’t siding with the chemical producers, rather than with us, the consumer.

Jenny Smiechowski

The supplement that keeps your muscles from wasting away even when you can’t use them

It happens to all of us at some point… we throw out our backs. Or need surgery. Or break a leg. Or come down with a virus. And we’re couch-bound for weeks or months. In that time, your muscle mass can deteriorate fast, unless you’re getting plenty of this essential fatty acid…

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