Latest Stories

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, […]

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 […]

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, […]

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. […]

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…

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 […]

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… […]

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…

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… […]

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…

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 […]

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 […]

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…

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!

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.

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…

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…

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…

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.

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…

Whatever the reason, hair loss affects millions of people around the world. And while some believe it’s just a fact of life, there is an all-natural solution that can help you stop hair loss, maintain a full head of hair for life and feel more confident…

When you’re trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, you often focus on things like building muscles and maintaining a healthy weight. But there’s something very important we often overlook — frankly, because we don’t realize our actions can have much effect on it. It’s the tiniest but most essential part of what makes you tick…

Maybe you’re used to light from street lamps streaming into your bedroom window every night… Or bright lights beaming down on you from car dealerships, grocery stores and big box retailers’ parking lots as you go for an evening drive. But there’s a dark side to living somewhere with a lot of artificial outdoor light…

You’ve been hearing a lot about the health benefits of coffee lately — like that it can protect your neurological health, ward off liver cancer and help you live a longer life. But there’s an unintended side effect of drinking coffee that you may not have noticed even though it’s definitely happened to you…

Are you battling belly bulge? Is that spare tire around your middle expanding? Counting calories alone is not enough to get the flat stomach you’ve always wanted. It’s also about what you eat and smart supplementing. With that said, here are the eight steps to a flatter stomach you can start taking today…

One simple activity can exert a tremendous influence over your health. Scientific research proves the health-power of this activity, but most people don’t seem to understand how much it can improve their lives.

Doesn’t your heart just ache for the people of Houston? Like me, you probably want to help. Fortunately, there are many ways you can. You may already know that, but here’s something I bet you didn’t: When you help someone, that act of generosity is returned to you in a scientifically proven and healthy way…

Cooking meat at high temperatures, like on a grill, produces the same carcinogens found in cigarette smoke and car exhaust, and they’re linked to colorectal cancer. Want to reduce your risk? Follow these tips on how to grill your red meat for a safe and tasty cookout…

Do you find yourself sitting more and more and moving less and less? Well, if you do, I hope this will be a wake-up call… According to experts, the single best predictor of whether or not you will end up in a nursing home is your leg strength. If you stop moving, the weakness sets in…

A few hours of T.V. time in the evenings, a little computer time here and there, or maybe going to see a movie or dinner with family or friends. These are all things you probably enjoy, but they have one dangerous thing in common…

Aerobic exercise not only prevents the brain shrinkage and cognitive decline associated with aging, it reverses it. But there’s one aerobic activity that has bonus brain benefits: It’s time to overcome any hesitations you have about dancing and head to the dance floor…

Do you have a surgery coming up? Are you dreading the pain that goes along with it and feeling anxious about how you will deal with it? While your doctor will most likely send you home with a narcotic pain medication, you might want to try an old-fashioned cup of coffee…

I took metformin for a week — and felt like I’d been pummeled with a sledgehammer. The research I did indicated that metformin could truly be a wonder drug that could impact my disease risk and signs of aging. So I gave it a go. But I found something better…

There’s something about the color red that fires up the belly. But more than stimulating your appetite, the red happens to have several potent heart-healthy benefits. And it’s all due to the pigment that gives pink and red-colored fruits and veggies their irresistible hue…

The single biggest factor that impacts your health is what you put in your body… High blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, type II diabetes and chronic disease and pain are all associated with a poor diet. All you have to do is focus on “eating clean.” But what does that really mean…

In our modern world, we treat living with stress as a normal phenomenon. But stress can lead to everything from digestive issues to heart problems. New research is once again demonstrating that living with chronic stress kills you… if you let it.

When your antioxidant defenses are low, your body can’t repair the cellular damage caused by free radicals. And if not corrected, normal healthy cells can switch to cancer cells. Antioxidant supplements to help combat these effects…

Elevated PSA, in addition to indicating possible prostate cancer, can also result from chronic inflammation and infection. But a compound extracted from the pith of citrus fruit peels show promise for these conditions and for people who are interested in strategies for healthy aging…

Eating healthy is hard, especially when you’re dealing with constant cravings for chips, cookies, cheeseburgers or whatever your particular vice is. Luckily, there’s an easy hack that can help you handle incessant hunger and unhealthy food cravings with willpower and grace…

More than 60 percent of adults with suboptimal thyroid function don’t have symptoms, at least not ones that they recognize, and testing is leaving them in the dark. So, what are the symptoms of low thyroid levels? In addition to unexplained weight gain, you can experience dry skin, thinning hair, anxiety, depression and even brain fog. If that sounds like you, it’s time to bring your thyroid back to life.

If you have celiac disease, it’s a given that you have to eat a gluten-free diet. Or, it may be that you’ve flicked the gluten-free switch with the goal of increasing weight loss or improving your health. Regardless, it’s a common assumption that a gluten-free diet is healthy, but…

By now, you know that your diet influences your cancer risk. In fact, scientists believe that 30 percent of all cancers could be prevented through proper nutrition. The question is, what naughty nutritional habits are putting you in peril?

Do you have pain and stiffness in your shoulder joint that makes it hard or impossible to exercise, keeps you awake at night and stops you from enjoying your normal day-to-day activities? If so, you could be one of the many Americans who suffer from frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis.

Inflammatory bowel diseases are more than just uncomfortable. They’re downright dangerous. But what if you could knock out your symptoms and one of the scariest complications of these diseases simply and simultaneously? Well, you can…

Painful chronic conditions that become more common with age, such as arthritis, cancers and neurological diseases to name a few, are among the top reasons your doctor may prescribe a certain medication that just might carry the worst of side effects…

People today are more than twice as likely to develop osteoarthritis than people before World War II. That means something in our modern lifestyle is making us more arthritic. You may guess it’s because people are living longer. You’d be wrong…

You may have read that evidence is stacking up against that supposedly “healthy” glass of wine with dinner. But that’s not the final word when it comes to drinking to your health. There’s been another twist in the alcohol-health debate…

Women in their mid-50s, with osteopenia, only face a one percent chance of fracturing a hip in the next 10 years, but their doctors have already scared them into osteoporosis. That’s 10 years that could be spent shoring up a major deficiency…

Stretching can give you flexible joints and help your body move more efficiently. And it should increase your range of motion, so you’re less likely to exceed it and injure yourself. But only if you do it the right way…

Aging can be difficult enough, especially if you’re facing thinning bones. But if you want to make it harder on yourself, there’s one surefire way… And that’s carrying around too much extra weight. But losing the weight is not so easy — or safe — for obese seniors, and here’s why…