Latest Stories

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…

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.

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?

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…

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.

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…

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.

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.

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?

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.

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…

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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?

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.”

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.

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

There are a lot of ways to gauge how long you’re going to live… You can look at your family tree. You can take your lifestyle into account. If you’re eating well and exercising, the odds of a long life are in your favor. But what about the condition of your back?

There’s never been a question that sugar is at the root of metabolic syndrome  and diabetes. But even before it gets that bad, sugar is doing its dirty work in your body. You may be among those who have a sugar intolerance or, more rarely, a full-blown sugar allergy.

Most prescriptions are way too high. That’s why drug companies offer some incentive programs to help us afford their expensive medications. But insurance companies aren’t too happy with these financial incentives, and may soon put patients in a bad spot…

The genes that metabolize food so efficiently during the day don’t work that well at night. They think they’re off duty. That means late-night snacking could lead to metabolic imbalances and weight gain. But there’s more to the story than just that…

It’s no secret sleep is vital to your health. And now we know if you’re not getting it, you can’t control cravings, improve your metabolism or keep your blood pressure stabilized. No wonder it leads to diabetes and obesity…

Nearly half of all older adults are using seven or more prescription medications that could impair their driving ability — making them dangerous not only to themselves, but to others. Are you one of these people? It’s not something your doctor always catches…