Latest Stories

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…

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.

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.

There has been considerable scientific interest in recent microbiome studies related to diabetes. But what exactly do the bacteria in your gut have to do with type 2 diabetes? Your gut microbiota can form a molecule that can lead to the progression of type 2 diabetes…

The prospect of anti-cancer properties is just one of the many researched benefits of curcumin. So why not add more curcumin to your life? Here are a few fun and easy ways you can…

Sugar offers little to nothing but calories. But we really like it, except when it leads to weight gain. A new study, however, may change the way you think about it. You know the saying — “the hair of the dog” — used often when someone suffering a hangover needs a little of what got them that way to get over it? It turns out that sugar could be the key to eating less over the holidays…

It’s no secret that a sedentary lifestyle can wreak havoc with your health. But sometimes it can seem impossible to work even 30 minutes of exercise into your busy life. Luckily, experts are finding more evidence that smaller stints of exercise can be just as powerful, yielding significant benefits you can’t afford to pass up.

Functional pain refers to pain that occurs without injury. Migraines and fibromyalgia fall into this category. Turns out more women suffer this kind of pain and now we know why. For starters, a female hormone acts on sensory pain receptors and may ramp up that stimuli. To make matters worse, certain pain treatments can kick it into high gear.

When inflammation goes unchecked for too long, the nervous system becomes damaged and can lead to diseases like Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis. That’s just one example of why inflammation is often called the root of all disease. But researchers have found a peptide in the beetroot that could make all that a thing of the past…

Walnuts are known to have numerous health benefits, many of which involve the heart — I’ve lost count of how many I mention in this one post! And now, the largest and longest study to date exploring the benefits of walnuts has discovered how they can help protect you from one of the most destructive processes in the human body…

A new study shows that people doing hard physical work have a higher risk of developing dementia than those doing sedentary work — 55 percent higher. Why? There’s a difference between hard labor and exercise. One of them hurts the blood supply to the brain and the other boosts it…

It’s time to stop thinking of menopause as something perfectly normal. While the menopause symptoms women experience may seem annoying, the truth is they can actually be a harbinger of things to come for your heart. So, what turns a menopause symptom into a heart disease trigger? The number of them you might suffer carries more weight, even if they’re moderate to severe…

2020 has been a very unpredictable year, and levels of anxiety and depression have skyrocketed. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. Even the thought of how to shake it seems like an insurmountable task. But what if all it took was just one thing… one step… one new habit to ditch what’s bringing your down and feel like your old self again? Not to mention the added benefits…

Vitamin D builds strong bones and teeth and prevents osteoporosis. It also helps control the overactive immune response. Now, research has shown that a lack of vitamin D in pregnant women could predict future cognitive deficits for their unborn children.

Researchers continue to uncover the ways in which COVID-19 affects our bodies. One connection they discovered between COVID and your heartbeat could raise the risk of death from the illness considerably or leave you with a lifelong condition…

Why do some people gravitate toward chili peppers and enjoy the burn while others can’t stand it? Perhaps they sense something that more and more research is revealing: that chili peppers may help you live longer. So, if you’re not traditionally a fan of spicy foods, it may be time to change your ways…

Men need to be watchful for any signs of testicular cancer, especially if they are at higher risk for the disease because of age, race, family history or medical condition. Recently, a study turned up another risk factor for testicular cancer — a medical procedure that can be difficult to avoid but could raise the risk almost 60 percent…

When you live with inflammatory bowel disease, you have a lot to watch out for. There’s the chronic inflammation of your digestive tract, the weight loss and diarrhea and the increased risk of colon cancer. But IBD also triples the risk of a life-threatening blood clot. For 1 in 7 IBD patients, it could be even higher…

The Endocrine Society has spent over 14 years researching our exposure to environmental toxins that are present in the air, water, soil and our homes. They interfere, imitate or alter pathways of hormones in the body that lead to disease. And now there’s proof that our exposure can lead to diabetes that we can pass onto our children.

You’ve probably heard that if you want to lose weight, you should eat your biggest meals early in the day. The theory is you drop weight faster by taking in most of the calories you plan to eat in a day several hours before bedtime (when your metabolism naturally slows). The idea of not worrying over what to eat so much as when seemed easy enough. But, we’re learning it may have sounded too good to be true…

While it’s normal and healthy for blood pressure to fluctuate throughout the day, when your blood pressure stays elevated, it can lead to many health problems. Many people require medications to control their blood pressure. However, there are several things you can do that will help to make it easier to manage your readings…

It’s been long understood that when you have a heart attack, it’s because somehow blood flow to your heart has become cut off, either due to a blockage or a narrowing of your coronary arteries. Blood clots can detach and float off to block those arteries. But finding immune cells are the mechanism behind those clots came as a surprise to researchers recently…

More than a year ago now, I experienced a life-changing event that wreaked havoc with my balance, my ability to swallow liquids and my memory. I got hlep in that “golden hour,” and I know many do not. But a new treatment may make that possible for more stroke sufferers.

The number of people in the U.S. over the age of 65 has grown by over a third in the past decade alone. And with the increase in life expectancy, that means we need to make changes now to stay healthier later. The largest randomized double-blind study on aging has some advice with that in mind: two supplements that may go further for you than your retirement account…

Experts have long believed diet can influence the development of cancer, but data showing exactly why has been scarce. However, a new study has found why meat leads to cancer. It comes down to a meat molecule we build antibodies against — defining a molecular connection between cancer and a diet of animal-based products…

Stroke can occur unexpectedly and at any age. In fact, stroke is on the rise among younger adults under the age of 45, and it turns out many don’t know the signs that could save a life or how to keep from becoming a victim of stroke in the first place. Time for Stroke 101…

Even in these strange pandemic times, there’s a real downside to washing your body every day. So, if sheltering in place has changed your hygiene habits, don’t worry. Experts are telling us that what we’re really doing in our daily shower is throwing our microbiome out of balance, and here’s why that is not a good thing…

Alzheimer’s disease is like a thief stealing a person’s memories and personality. No treatment exists that can halt its progression, but researchers are coming closer to finding compounds that can unravel the complex mechanisms behind the onset of Alzheimer’s. The latest? A hormone that will make you want to ditch your low-fat diet.

Exercising is one of the best things you can do for your health. But what if I told you that timing your workouts could bring even bigger benefits — at least when it comes to cancer prevention? According to a brand-new study, just changing the time of day you work out could dramatically lower your risk of breast and prostate cancer.

We’ve all heard that olive oil is one of the healthiest choices we can make in our diet. After all, the oil is known for lowering bad cholesterol and fighting heart disease, inflammation and cancer. And now, thanks to a new study, things just got even better with a new olive oil option made from ancient trees.

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?

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?

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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.

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?

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…

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…

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…

Up to about 70 percent of cancers are linked to factors you can control or change. In fact, there are three main steps you can work on right now to dramatically reduce your cancer risk…

For a long time, a low-fat diet was the go-to diet plan for people looking to prevent heart disease. We know that’s wrong now. But if a low-fat diet doesn’t work, then what diet does? One that decreases pericardial fat, boosts good cholesterol and does away with that dangerous belly fat, like this…

Being self-motivated is difficult at times, but there’s a fun way around it… Getting a fitness buddy is a great way to both get and stay motivated, and have someone to keep you on track and help you work out. Grab a friend and try this strengthening stretch…

Even before you reach menopause, your gut health could be responsible for compounding your symptoms and risk level for the health dangers that come with it. That’s because bacteria play an important role in your estrogen levels…

Mushrooms protect your body like nothing else. But some people turn their noses up at them. If you’re one of them, it’s time to get past any childhood phobia you may have had about mushrooms and embrace this exceptional source of nutrition…

Weight gain is defined by an accumulation of body fat. But what’s less understood is how fat accumulates. We’ve been led to believe it’s because we eat too much. And while that’s one factor, there’s more to it. And seeing the bigger picture can make it much easier to beat the bulge…

The onset of Alzheimer’s is thought to begin 17 to 20 years before signs appear. That means it’s never too early to try and prevent it. Risk factors can include age, genetics, environment and metabolic diseases, and one very modifiable thing you do daily…

Women are more at risk for autoimmune diseases, like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. In fact, 78 percent of all autoimmune disease sufferers are women. But, when it comes to one of the most devastating, there may be a simple way to lower your risk…

Just about anything worth achieving requires a plan. So, why then, do our best laid plans — like a weight loss or fitness goal — often blow up, leaving us disappointed and wondering what happened? Sometimes we have to look deeper, and an open mind helps…

Honey is really healthy… It’s antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and contains antioxidants. But there’s one particular kind of honey that stands out from the pack when it comes to health benefits…

Throughout the past decades, a substantial body of research has continued to demonstrate the potential therapeutic effects of bioactive phytochemicals found in plants. Recently published research has identified several natural compounds found in food as key ingredients that could support prostate health…

Though you likely think of metabolism in terms of weight loss, it’s actually much more than that. It’s your body’s ability to effectively carry out a range of complex chemical reactions that allow you to sustain your best health.

The reason diets fail is because they are based on restriction. Almost no one I know has enough willpower to maintain anything based on restriction over time. But what if you could simply burn fat more efficiently and really, really keep it off…

Your doctor could be the best person to guide you into better health… if our healthcare system didn’t get in the way. Doctors are trained to diagnose and then prescribe medications. This fails to influence real change for patients. So what can you do?

We typically begin to notice the earliest signs of aging in our skin — a few fine lines here and there — as we approach our mid 30s. Fortunately there are quite a few ways to help your body naturally produce more collagen and improve the look and health of your skin.

A healthy sperm count is not only important for better health and enjoyment of life, but a low sperm count increases your risk of death from all causes and puts you at higher risk of testicular cancer. But whether you’re in your 30s, 50s, 60s or 70s, you should know: your sperm are under attack…

Your mind is a powerful tool. When you are able to master it, not only can you experience deeper levels of awareness, but also healing of the body. Get started by integrating your mind and body with exercises that also strengthen and improve balance.

Low-fat diets are less effective at helping you lose weight and are linked to diseases, like Parkinson’s. But you shouldn’t overdo fat either. Here’s how to find the ideal amount of fat that improves your chances of making it to your 100th birthday in great shape…