Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Bacteria’s role in cancer development, treatment and avoiding it

Science has many times proven a link between the bacteria in your gut and your odds of both getting and surviving cancer. Now, a new study has revealed a surprising truth behind cancerous tumors that could hold the key to cancer care in the future — and yes, once again, it all comes down to […]

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Good news if you’re running low on alcohol-based hand sanitizer

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve been told to use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. But shelves that once were full of the germ-killing goo have gone bare. That’s ok, because research is finally catching up with what works and what doesn’t against the virus. And that applies not just to treatment but hand sanitizer too. […]

Carolyn Gretton

Diabetes care for the ‘new normal’

Diabetes is a disease that can be difficult to manage. Less than 50 percent of the half a billion people worldwide with diabetes meet glycemic targets, increasing their risk of complications. It’s a situation that cries out for innovation. And strangely enough, it is coming from a surprising source: the pandemic is changing diabetes care… […]

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

Why fad diets don’t work

How successful was the last diet you tried? Based on our experience and research, the answer is probably, “not very!” We’ve all tried the newest trendy diet and guess what? We rarely last more than a few days and the results never stick! Before you try another, let’s talk about why and discuss effective options… Fad […]

Joyce Hollman

6 head-to-toe reasons to use marula oil

The average person has about 22 square feet of skin. In fact, your skin is your body’s largest organ and the biggest barrier between you and disease. Natural oils keep skin healthy and flexible. You probably know about coconut oil for your skin and hair. But it may be time to try something new… Dry, […]

Joyce Hollman

The stand-alone COVID symptom that makes recovery harder

Respiratory symptoms are the hallmark of a COVID-19 infection. But others are pretty strange, like loss of smell and taste. Others are more commonplace, producing flu-like body aches, sore throat and headache. But about 20 percent may get “stomach bug” symptoms and be in for a long recovery. Research is showing that those patients who […]

Joyce Hollman

Use this ‘sign’ language to have a healthier relationship with your cat

For a cat owner, there’s nothing better than a loud, rumbling purr coming from a warm body in your lap. To us, it says that our feline friends love us. And we love that their companionship offers up proven health benefits, as do other pets. But cats can also be notoriously aloof unless you know […]

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Why high blood sugar could lead to a heart attack or stroke

If you’re living with type 2 diabetes, you’re at risk for more than just nerve pain, kidney issues and poor wound healing. In fact, according to a brand-new cross-sectional study, the largest risk you face due to your blood sugar problems could be to your life itself. In fact, if you have type 2 diabetes, […]

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

Blackcurrants’ powerful impact on blood sugar

Have you been struggling to keep your blood sugar levels under control? Dark blackcurrants have a noticeable impact on blood sugar and insulin levels after meals. That’s excellent news for those living on the edge of prediabetes or anyone looking for natural ways to improve insulin sensitivity, avoid blood sugar spikes and improve glucose metabolism. […]

Carolyn Gretton

How to help your lungs cleanse themselves

Our lungs are vital organs that must function properly for peak health. Breathing in toxins from air pollution, cigarette smoke and other sources can damage them and lead to problems like asthma and COPD. Give yours a hand to stay healthy…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Go coo-coo for cocoa for a sharper, healthier brain

You may have already heard that eating the potent little compounds known as flavanols that you find in brightly colored fruits and vegetables is good for your blood vessels, helping them to function better and keeping your heart healthy. Now, it turns out they’re also one of the healthiest things for your brain, too. New […]

Joyce Hollman

High blood pressure at middle age means brain problems in old age

If you’re like most, you figure you won’t really have to worry about hypertension until you’re well into your 50s or 60s. That’s a mistake that could set you up for stroke and dementia. New research says controlling your blood pressure is a “long game,” and we’d all be wise to start paying attention now… […]

Virginia Tims-Lawson

New and improved Mediterranean diet reduces heart risks even more

One of the best diets for lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke and even diabetes is the Mediterranean diet. But would you believe researchers have found a way to take those benefits up a few notches to help us lose more weight and lower cholesterol and blood pressure even more? Meet the better, greener Med diet…

Joyce Hollman

Women are more likely to die from heart attack and heart failure than men

Heart attack continues to be the leading cause of death in men. But women do suffer heart attacks, and when they do, they appear to get the shorter end of the stick. In fact, recently published research found women to be at a surprisingly higher risk for heart failure and heart attack death than men… […]

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Everyday activities that can skyrocket your well-being and mental health

It’s not always easy to feel happy, alert and bursting with energy, even if you’re on the healthy side of things. But you may look at some mundane activities you do every day quite differently when you understand this one major underlying benefit…

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

Three key periods in life when alcohol can hasten cognitive decline

The holiday season is buzzing with celebrations, albeit smaller this year, that include plenty of drinks to go around. But it’s no secret that alcohol affects the brain. Though the occasional celebratory drink may be alright, researchers have identified three key times in our lives when alcohol can be especially harmful to our brains. The […]

Carolyn Gretton

How antioxidants may reduce vulnerability to COVID-19

As COVID-19 spreads, scientists are unraveling the complexities of the disease and the virus behind it. One thing they’ve discovered is a particular mechanism that could explain why there are those among us, like the elderly and people with chronic disease, who are more vulnerable to infection, as well as provide clues to help them. […]

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

How to reduce heart failure risk by 42 percent

Sadly, almost 380,000 people are likely to die this year due to heart failure. And while numerous factors can raise your risk of becoming one of those statistics — like high blood pressure, heart attack and even diabetes that damages your blood vessels — there’s an easily modifiable risk factor that might surprise you… your […]

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC

Colds, COVID-19 and the flu? Here’s the doctor’s secret weapon

You know the mantra for how to avoid getting sick this winter: Wash your hands and wear a mask. And when the days start getting shorter, the temperature drops and cold and flu season kicks in, we could all use an immunity boost, COVID or no COVID. That’s where my favorite secret weapon comes in… Yes, […]

Carolyn Gretton

The ultimate diet for stress management

For a couple of years, stress has been fast approaching crisis levels in the U.S. Some of us have tried self-care, meditation, exercise and calming herbs. But managing stress could be even easier with the right diet… One that’s already known for amazing health benefits…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Stick with this habit to lower your Alzheimer’s risk up to 30 percent

Have you noticed a progressive decline in your cognitive skills? If so, you could be living with mild cognitive impairment, a condition that can precede Alzheimer’s disease. Even so, there is something you can do about it right now… You only have to commit to about 20 minutes a week to see big benefits. But one warning from the researchers: Don’t wait!

Joyce Hollman

Why sleep apnea can set you up for a severe COVID-19 infection

Sleep apnea is a progressive condition that causes a person to stop breathing during sleep, often multiple times a night. It’s linked to hypertension, stroke and heart failure. Now, researchers believe sleep apnea increases vulnerability for a serious COVID-19 infection partly because of how it affects blood oxygen levels…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Living with muscle pain? Look at what you’re eating

You pull yourself out of bed in the morning and your back aches. You head into the kitchen to get breakfast and notice that your neck and shoulders are tense and your hamstrings tight and painful. Every movement hurts. And you think, “Today, I’ve got to stretch.” But you may be surprised to learn that what you’re eating could be causing your muscle pain.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Losing just 5 pounds could cut your diabetes risk in half

According to the CDC, 88 million Americans are now living with prediabetes and are on the path to a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in the coming years. Yet, as scary as that number is, it can also be looked at as 88 million cases of diabetes that are preventable with the right steps. And those steps are exactly what a brand-new study published in the international journal JAMA Internal Medicine has given us…

Joyce Hollman

Good reasons to avoid egg-cess but don’t give them up completely

Eggs have had a bad rap. Many people stay away from them, to avoid high cholesterol and heart disease — and the newest research says eating eggs may lead to diabetes. But as it turns out, eggs could be one of the best things to include in your diet to stabilize your blood sugar — with one caveat…

Carolyn Gretton

The one thing a dog needs from the start for good health

If you have a dog, they’re part of your family. And you want to do whatever it takes to protect their health and well-being. Good nutrition is an important part of that equation, and it turns out the timing of a good diet needs to be precise to protect your dog from a particularly irritating health problem…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Another big win for the sunshine vitamin in the cancer battle

For years, doctors and researchers have seen a tantalizing connection between vitamin D and cancer. Yet, that connection has always been just out of reach. Now, a brand-new look at that VITAL study data has once again delved into the connection between vitamin D and cancer and found good news for us all — an up to 38 percent reduction of metastatic or fatal cancers.

Virginia Tims-Lawson

How your home hampers your ability to fight off disease and infection

Semi-volatile organic compounds hang in the air and dust of your home, and they’re changing the composition of your gut microbiome. That’s a big deal considering your gut is command central for your immune system and helps fight off not only bacteria and viruses, but also myriad diseases. This danger may be invisible, but the threat to you and your family is not…

Carolyn Gretton

Scientists look to rein in ‘calcium wave’ to reduce stroke damage

The damage caused by stroke can range from mild to life-threatening, depending on the severity and how quickly health care professionals intervene to stop it. Researchers are working overtime to find ways to combat stroke damage… One new way focuses on calcium’s confusing relationship with ischemic stroke.

Margaret Cantwell

How I’m beating the migraine trigger I didn’t know I had

Light is connected to migraine in more ways than one. Anyone who suffers from them knows that during an attack light is like salt on a wound. Light hurts and makes a migraine worse. But light can also be a trigger. When I changed the light in my life, I also changed how migraine affected my life.

Craig Cooper

Erectile dysfunction and early death: What’s the link?

For all men who think ED stands for erectile dysfunction, let’s introduce another possible meaning: early death. The relationship between ED and early death has a common factor: vascular disease, or more precisely, coronary artery disease, especially for men who…

Dr. Mark Wiley

Improve focus and concentration through meditation

The practice of meditation is thousands of years old and there are many ways to do it. In the U.S. the methods of mindfulness meditation and transcendental meditation are most popular. But, if you’re new to meditation, you might find this method particularly helpful, especially if you need focus…

Jedha Dening

How leaky gut makes you sick and how to stop it

Do you generally just feel “off your game?” Or worse, have you been hit recently with an illness you doctor can’t quite put his finger on? Because, what you can’t see when you eat, is that the lining of your intestines may be leaking food particles back into your bloodstream…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Slow down your stomach to speed up weight loss

Plump, stout, large, chubby, portly, flabby, paunchy, heavyset… If you’d like to lose these adjectives and a few pounds, listen up: While it can seem like you couldn’t even blast the extra weight off with dynamite, there is a simple way to drop those extra pounds without resorting to dangerous options…

Jenny Smiechowski

The secret to energizing your cells for a long, healthy life

Who doesn’t want to live healthier longer? All of us, of course. That’s why you’ll see lots of products on the market now, promising to turn back time by prolonging the life of your cells based on what we’ve learned from research. But I’ll let you in on a secret: you can power up your mitochondria all on your own…

Joyce Hollman

Your heart on sugar: The truth revealed

“A high-fat diet is bad for your heart.” You’ve heard this for so long, you know it like the back of your hand. But you know better… Fish oil, coconut oil, olive oil and the healthy fats in avocados and nuts contain fatty acids that support your health. So why was the truth about the real villain sugarcoated?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Bye bye period, hello heart disease and Alzheimer’s?

While menopause means not having to deal with a period anymore, it can also mean weight gain, hot flashes, anxiety and moodiness. But that decrease in estrogen is more than annoying… These inevitable hormonal changes can significantly impact some surprising body parts…

Dr. Michael Cutler

Injectable nutrients: Worth it to feel better fast?

If you’re like me, you don’t feel an immediate change when taking oral supplements. That doesn’t mean they won’t help you in the long run… But what if you could get an injection of health-boosting nutrients and really feel better right away? Would you want to try it?

Jenny Smiechowski

The single best way to battle high blood pressure

It’s no secret that your blood pressure tends to go up as your age does. So how can you can keep your BP levels low and lower your risk for stroke and heart attack while you’re at it? Research shows these 5 factors will bring it down — but one stands out more than all the others combined…

Jedha Dening

The best comfort foods for stress management

You know how bad you feel when a stressful event hits — it not only affects your emotions but can also keep you tossing and turning all night. Now, researchers have discovered an unusual reason that stress steals our sleep, and an equally unusual way to cope…

Cara McCarthy

7 superfoods to watch for (slideshow)

Superfoods have a powerful health-promoting effect. Only about 20,000 of a possible 70,000 or even 100,000 medicinal herbs and botanicals have been identified, and more than a few are bound to be fruits and vegetables you’ve never heard of — like these seven…

Dr. Mark Wiley

5 reasons you need to tone your butt

You hear a lot about “a strong core” these days. But it’s not just a buzz phrase… your core muscles are those central to your body. Glutes are considered minor core muscles — but they have a major job. Just ask your lower back, hips and legs…

Virginia Tims-Lawson

7 drug-free ways to get better blood pressure

Elevated blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors of cardiovascular disease. That’s why it’s vital to check it regularly so you can quickly take action to respond to any changes and nip blood pressure problems in the bud. But, don’t be so quick to jump on the drug bandwagon…

Jenny Smiechowski

The disease-causing toxin you get with every purchase

By now, you’ve heard all about the dangers of Bisphenol A (BPA), like breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. But your bottles, cans and Tupperware containers may be the least of your worries. There’s another way you’re being handed this dangerous toxin that’s worse for your body…

Craig Cooper

Supplement synergy: the prostate cancer secret

What do you think are the four best supplements for prostate cancer? This is an interesting question, and experts don’t necessarily agree on the answer. However, the important thing is, there are numerous candidates, but the real power is the unique synergy that develops in certain combinations…

Jenny Smiechowski

Zinc fights more than colds… it fights cancer

Part of the reason zinc is so important for cancer prevention and overall health is because your body needs it to create certain proteins and enzymes. Without these proteins and enzymes, your cells can’t function, and that increases risk for some specific types of cancer…

Jedha Dening

4 reflux remedies that won’t give you a stroke

GERD is a condition where stomach acid splashes up into the esophagus. If you suffer with reflux, you know the heartburn sensation, the acid regurgitation and sometimes even chest pain. But be careful with meds that provide little relief and big danger…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

These steps can melt your middle-aged spread

The middle age spread is something most of us battle if we want to maintain a fit body and a healthy weight past the age of 45. Luckily, taking some extra steps can help you keep from packing on the pounds after middle age, without resorting to drastic, crash diets or dangerous weight loss drugs…

Joyce Hollman

Would you take a chocolate pill?

Here’s news that will warm a chocolate-lover’s heart: The health benefits of eating chocolate are indisputable. In fact, dark chocolate has been proven to be one of the healthiest foods around, holding its own even against many fruits and vegetables. But would you prefer a pill or a delicious chocolate bar?

Jenny Smiechowski

The best diet for preserving your brain

Brain inflammation is a serious problem that contributes to pretty much every neurological disorder… Epilepsy, dementia, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, depression, suicide — all tied to an inflamed brain. The question is, how do you prevent it?

Easy Health Options Staff

The hidden danger of juicing

Juicing can be a wonderful way to give your body the nutritional boost it needs, and ensure that you experience a range of benefits as a result, it’s important to know that you have to have the right ingredients if you want the best results. Otherwise you set yourself up for this hidden danger…

Dr. Mark Wiley

Get the health you want with a personal plan

Last week, I introduced a concept called a SWOT analysis that helps you uncover the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats surrounding your ability to achieve your health and wellness goals. Today, let’s see how we can leverage them to accomplish what’s important to you…

Dr. Isaac Eliaz

2 things eating at your health

You are what you eat. You probably hear that all the time, but are you taking it to heart? Most of us don’t. Our most popular meals are highly inflammatory. And if you factor in alcohol, caffeine, stress and exhaustion, you get a perfect storm for chronic inflammation and the many degenerative conditions it can fuel.

Jedha Dening

Bitter melon for better blood sugar

Bitter melon is also known by several other names — bitter squash, bitter gourd, bitter apple, and it’s botanical name momordica charantia. And with more than 32 known beneficial phytochemicals, this unusual-looking fruit is now becoming increasingly popular to help balance blood sugar…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Take a break to lose more weight

Have you been dieting but just can’t seem to either lose the weight or keep it off? Your “famine reaction” may be blame. It’s an ancient protective mechanism that helped our ancestors survive, but may be to blame for making us fat. New research reveals how to get past it for weight loss success…

Jenny Smiechowski

Why hard water is hard on your health

You’ve probably heard that hard water (due to a high mineral content) is hard on your pipes, but it’s also hard on your skin. A lot of it has to do with pH. The pH of your skin is typically acidic, but hard water has an alkaline pH. As a result, hard water interferes with your skin’s natural pH, which makes your skin susceptible to bacteria and infection.

Jenny Smiechowski

What happens if you give up sugar for 9 days?

People are sucking down more sugar than ever before. But how dangerous is the average sugar addiction? And, more importantly, would it really make that big of a difference to give up (or drastically reduce) sugar in your diet?

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

A basic mineral could determine if you get dementia or not

Losing your memory is not a natural part of aging and there are things you can do to preserve your brain’s function and your precious memories. But when it comes to one important nutrient, the Goldilocks factor comes into play…

Dr. Mark Wiley

4 factors to fight blood sugar woes

Managing type 2 diabetes is vital to keep your health from spiraling out of control, and it can be overwhelming. But if you can focus on just these four factors, you might reduce your symptoms — or better yet, avoid it in the first place…

Margaret Cantwell

What’s making you “old?”

Have you taken a “what’s your true age” quiz? Of course it’s just a game. Otherwise I’d be quite upset to know it found me to be 10 years older than I actually am! But I know better… that’s because as part of my diet, I’ve given up the one food that’s been shown over and over again to make you old…

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