Latest Stories

Alcohol — is it good or bad for you? With consumption increasing due to the pandemic, it’s a good time to answer that question. It’s true that certain kinds of alcohol, like red wine, have some health benefits. But more and more research indicates the risks of drinking alcohol far outweigh the benefits, especially when it comes to cancer…

A huge amount of overwhelmingly positive research has surfaced in the last few years about coffee’s health benefits, including longevity and nootropic effects. But researchers down under have found a big problem with coffee that can lead to brain shrinkage, stroke and dementia. Don’t worry, there’s an easy way around it…

Orange juice is full of vitamin C which supports the immune system by increasing production of white blood cells that are on the front lines. But there’s more going on behind the scenes. Along with other nutrients, new research shows this old-fashioned remedy gets to the core of what leaves your body defenseless in the face of infection.

Whether you have celiac disease or an intolerance, gluten can send your world spinning out of control, leaving you in pain and dealing with miserable digestive issues. That’s why you avoid it like the plague. Unfortunately, that’s gotten harder. If you’ve suspected your favorite gluten-free products may not be what they claim, here’s why…

Do you have any of the following symptoms? Obesity, belly weight, high cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar? If the answer is yes to any of these, you have metabolic syndrome. When your metabolism is altered, it dramatically increases your risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

You have high blood pressure. You do all the right things and your doctor has you on handfuls of medications. Yet, when the nurse checks your blood pressure, the numbers remain stubbornly above the 140/90 threshold. If this sounds familiar, you’re suffering from what’s known as resistant hypertension. And research suggests you are far from alone…

Considering the risks of some medical treatments for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis — topical steroids that raise blood pressure and expensive biologics — the possibility of living symptom-free with simple dietary changes is a game-changer. But that’s just what happened when scientists put the standard American diet to the test against foods that heal instead of harm…

It’s no secret that every day we’re exposed to hundreds, if not thousands of chemicals. And though most chemicals are meant to improve our lives in some way, you may be shocked to learn almost 300 common household chemicals, likely lurking in your home right now, have been found to increase hormone levels to fuel breast cancer…

Cannabis has been approved for medical uses including epilepsy, and research is ongoing into how it can help cancer patients and people with Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and more. But how does it stack up against other kinds of proven natural relief for difficult-to-treat migraine pain?

Protein is vital to your health. Getting enough in your diet from healthy sources is important to prolong the lifespan of your cells and encourage their renewal — a process that slows down as we age. Here’s three ways protein enriches your life and how to be sure you’re feeding your body the amount it needs…

There are all kinds of tips for keeping your brain sharp as you age, from memory games to meditation to learning new subjects or taking up new hobbies. And we can’t forget sufficient exercise and sleep. But there’s an easier way to improve one of the biggest contributors of age-related cognitive decline… blood flow to the brain.

Leaky gut is hotly debated within the medical community. While opinions may differ on what it is, causes and treatments, all sides agree irritable bowel syndrome, stomach pain, bloating and GERD are on the rise. Worse, the effects of leaky gut can lead to chronic illness if you don’t address it before the damage spreads from your gut throughout your entire body.

From neurological diseases to depression and blood pressure, vitamin D is the golden child for fighting off health problems that often increase with age. The vitamin even took the spotlight during the pandemic. Now, more evidence is mounting to show that more vitamin D in your life matters against colon cancer.

It’s no secret that medical device manufacturers aren’t always truthful about the safety or track record of their products. But now, we also know that thousands of deaths that could be related to these devices are being hidden thanks to a loophole in a system designed to protect them, instead of us…

Decades of research have revealed that, while acute inflammation can help you heal from injuries and fight infection, chronic inflammation is a recognized component of some of our most threatening health problems. But one type of food can combat inflammation and help keep your body from becoming a disease magnet…

Multiple sclerosis can’t be cured, but its symptoms can be managed through both medication and more holistic means. Researchers are continuing to learn about the disease and different ways to fight it — one method that holds real promise involves feeding the gut microbiome the right stuff….

Research is suggesting that statins may provide an edge over cancer. But are statins wonder drugs? 40 million Americans take them every day, but heart disease is still winning. 655,000 Americans die from heart disease each year. Not to mention the other associated disease risks. Will conquering cancer make this drug shine?

There’s one habit that’s good for your heart, your lungs, your weight and your brainpower. Research has also shown it’s the best way to avoid cancer, especially hormone-driven cancers like breast cancer. Now, it’s been shown to not only lower the risk but also slow the growth of the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the US.

There’s been a lot of confusion about whether soy is good or bad for our well-being. What researchers are discovering is that whole soy foods can actually support brain and heart health. More good news? They may also relieve a particularly irritating symptom of menopause that’s proven especially difficult to manage…

You may know about the negative effects of blue light on your health. The light that is emitted from screens like your television, tablet or smartphone has been proven to steal sleep, increase cancer risk and even accelerate aging. Now researchers have found if you seem to be gaining weight or are having a hard time losing it, you can blame blue light from these devices as well…

Just when we thought we had the all-clear, we’re hesitating again. And the biggest reason for that hesitation right now is the new Delta variant our country is dealing with. That’s why we’re breaking down what experts at Yale Medicine are telling us about the variant to try to clear up some of the questions.

Have you noticed how some people can sweat buckets and smell like rain… but others? Let’s just say you wouldn’t want to sit next to them in a crowded room for long. Despite playground taunts, some of us aren’t born stinkier. It comes down to what’s causing you to sweat…

Overactive bladder (OAB) is just what it sounds like: A condition that causes the sudden and frequent urge to urinate. OAB isn’t uncommon, affecting 16 percent of men and 33 percent of women. The risk for OAB increases with age, but you shouldn’t consider it to be just an inevitable consequence of aging. If you’re experiencing problems, consider these common causes…

Omega-3 fatty acids — do they really help your heart? Or do they have no impact — or worse, a negative effect — on heart health? These are questions researchers have been trying to answer for the past few years. What did the latest meta-analysis involving almost 150,000 participants find? The evidence just keeps stacking up…

More than a year later most of us are breathing a sigh of relief. Yes, we’re still cautious but we’ve turned the corner. But what if you were infected? There’s a good chance you could be dealing with long Covid. Because healthcare workers and researchers are finding it’s much more common and may last even longer than anyone thought.

When it comes to keeping all your bodily systems healthy, the fact that refined grains are “out” and whole grains are “in” is no longer new news. But it turns out, there are very specific benefits for older adults on five major risk factors for heart disease, including waist size…

With more and more people developing chronic pain conditions, efforts are being made to find better pain management tools. This is especially important in managing fibromyalgia pain since many existing pain medications offer little relief. Luckily, this natural supplement is proving quite effective in treating the pain associated with fibromyalgia…

While many of us start out with perfect visual acuity — that 20/20 vision score based on how far down you can read letters on the eye chart — it starts going in the opposite direction (up to where the letters get bigger and bigger) typically with age. But we may have found the best way to impress your optometrist at your next visit…

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the US. And lifestyle factors play a major role. We’ve long known that red meat and colon cancer can go hand-in-hand, but there have been many questions as to why. Answers have now been found in the DNA of colon cancer cells.

Aging is due in part to varying rates of immune system decline that trigger chronic inflammation. People with healthy immune systems are able to fight off this inflammation to some extent, but those whose aren’t as strong will age faster and be more prone to frailty and disease. Since inflammation is treatable, all we’ve needed was a way to measure it.

What if you could knowingly take a sugar pill and still experience real healing power? It sounds far fetched but there’s proof it works. In fact, chronic low back pain sufferers knowingly taking a placebo pill had far less pain than people taking painkillers. We think we know why…

These tips were shown to impact a key component that could turn off premature aging much quicker than creams. But it’s about more than how you look. You can protect yourself from age-related diseases, like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers…

Even though people don’t always respond predictably to every kind of treatment, there are clear patterns of how your body works. Sometimes standard treatments and prescriptions work, and sometimes they don’t. You’ll be lucky to know those avenues are not your only choices…

Terrific snacks on their own, these dried fruits can be added to salads, baked goods, yogurt and any number of cooked dishes. And after you see how much they can impact your health, you won’t have an excuse not to incorporate them into your daily diet!

You’ve probably heard the term autoimmune disease before. Up to this point though, glaucoma has never been included in that list despite the fact that it affects nearly 70 million people worldwide. That could be changing, as well as advice on avoiding it…

Do you live alone? Without a husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, brother, sister, son, daughter or roommate? Now, let me ask you another one… Do you feel lonely? Some people are perfectly content to spend time alone. But if you’re not one of them, it can lead to…

Constipation. It happens to everybody on occasion, unless you’re unfortunate enough to suffer from “chronic” constipation. Let’s hope not, because that kind of prolonged constipation is known to significantly boost colorectal cancer risk — and more…

It’s long been thought that increasing the amount of vegetables you eat could help lower risk for colorectal cancer, and that the reason was, well, fiber. But it’s been discovered that the key to stopping colon cancer is a compound produced when your body digests…

For years, we’ve assumed a low-carb diet is best for weight loss… Too much starch packs on the pounds, after all. So, with that nugget of wisdom, taking the bun off the hamburger seemed the right thing to do. If you want to live longer, put it back on…

There are a lot of changes that come with menopause but giving up sleep doesn’t have to be one of them. Use these tips to help overcome the hot flashes that keep you awake, balance your hormones and reset your body’s internal clock for a better night’s rest.

Antibiotics destroy the healthy bacteria we need to balance our gut health and prevent disease. Now, we’re learning that there’s an intimate connection among antibiotic use, gut bacteria and the growing number of people diagnosed with diabetes each year…

Accepted medical wisdom tells us that diabetes is caused by a perfect storm of obesity and over-consumption of refined sugar, causing insulin resistance. But recent studies show that a simple vitamin deficiency may be equally responsible…

If you’ve never had a migraine, you’re one of the lucky ones. But, if you or a loved one suffers from these severe headaches that can come on without warning, last until you don’t know if you can take another second and even land you in the emergency room, there is hope…

As if the worry that you or a loved one could end up with cancer isn’t enough, the costs and side effects of cancer treatment are enough to send anyone running for the hills. Luckily, researchers are looking into a new way to not only fight off cancer but also improve the success of some treatments…

There’s a name for a sudden drop in blood pressure that makes you feel faint, lightheaded or dizzy when you stand up. It’s called orthostatic hypotension. And it comes with obvious and less obvious dangers. Then there’s the huge harm it can do to your brain…

One in three adults has prediabetes. If you do, take healthy living very seriously, and I don’t just mean avoiding sugar. Because if you have prediabetes and you slack off on this ONE healthy habit, you could make the transition to type 2 diabetes faster than you can say “insulin.”

In order to maintain the optimal weight for your body and ward off disease you need to eat a well-rounded diet. At least that’s what the experts have been saying for years. But it turns out that old adage encouraging people to eat a wide variety of foods actually backfires…

Recently, I was reprimanded by a fellow physician. It wasn’t for prescribing antibiotics over the phone for a patient with symptoms that were likely viral, as this doctor did… but for suggesting a treatment that could help my patients rely less on mainstream medicine’s biggest money makers.

You know the saying, “You’re only as young as you feel?” There’s a lot more truth to that saying than you may think… and science is proving it. So, take an inventory of the activities, people, interests and hobbies that make you feel happy and alive, because people who feel younger age better. Believe what you want to believe. But be warned… there’s proof it might affect how you age.

If you’ve ever gone into your basement and smelled that musty, damp basement smell, there’s a good chance that with each sniff you’re breathing in a substance that can be at best unhealthy and at worst deadly.

CBD has strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-depressant, anti-tumor and neuro-protective qualities. It has been used to treat health conditions such as Crohn’s disease, anxiety, antibiotic-resistant infections, arthritis and more. Time to add Lyme disease to that list?

If you’re living with high blood pressure and feel like a heart attack waiting to happen, there’s an effective way to get your numbers under control, naturally… sort of from the bottom up. Three studies show your gut is an important tool in effectively managing hypertension…

It turns out, the ancient Chinese were on to something when they used a specialized therapy to tackle tumors. Research shows their go-to cure has serious cancer-fighting powers that target various tumor types. In fact, they say it’s the anti-cancer compound of the future…

If your doctor gave you a medication that worked so-so for it’s intended use, but after taking it you find you’ve traded one problem for a whole set of new ones, you might not be too happy, right? What if the new problems included stroke and risk of early death?

Ticks suck… in every sense of the word. First, they literally suck your blood (which is gross enough on it’s own). Then they have the nerve to inject you with bacteria and viruses that can make you extremely ill or even kill you. So, beware the new tick on the block…

While there have been many natural things that type 2 diabetics have been able to do to control their blood sugar and stave off those risks, so far patients living with type 1 have been left out in the cold. But, a new scientific study may have changed that for good…

Air pollution increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, arrhythmias and heart failure. These risks are especially high when you’re exposed to seriously polluted air. Or when you’re already at risk for heart problems due to age or poor health. But here’s the scary thing…

The traditional take on type 2 diabetes is that once your beta cells (those important cells in your pancreas responsible for creating, storing and releasing insulin) stop producing enough insulin, they’ll never return to normal. Well, that’s been blown out of the water…

Bladder problems? No big deal, right. Just get a script from the doctor. Before you take another pill, there are four major health risks that come with taking that prescription bladder control medication that you need to know about…

There’s no doubt that surgery can be a life-changing event. In fact, the time leading up to surgery, as well as time spent recuperating can be a very stress-filled time. But normally your doctor prepares you for what to expect, right? Not necessarily…