Latest Stories

Kidney stones may be one of the most painful things you’ll ever experience… many people compare it to giving birth. Arming yourself with ways to dissolve small stones and preventing new stones from forming is so important. Here are the natural options you can use at home…

When most people think of healthy greens, they think of kale or spinach. But have you tried arugula? This peppery-spicy, delicate-looking green can help lower your blood pressure and save you from bone fractures, and that’s just for starters…

Your skin, hair and metabolism aren’t the only things that start to show the signs of aging once you hit 40. The cells in your retina do too. And that can cause major vision problems as you get older. But red light could help you protect these critical cells and keep your eagle eyes a bit longer…

Your vagus nerve runs from your brain to your gut and controls a long list of automatic body functions. It keeps you breathing and keeps your heart beating. There are things you can do to keep this nervous system “superhighway” functioning optimally.

Even with successful cancer treatment, many people suffer toxic damage from the chemotherapy designed to save their lives. But new research has found a diet has the power not only to boost the effectiveness of tumor-shrinking treatments but also to protect cells against the DNA damage caused by chemo…

New research into hypertension recently proved that a condition long considered to be an uncommon cause of high blood pressure is actually quite common. The problem? Doctors weren’t testing for it enough and when they did their technique was highly inaccurate. Could this be the cause behind your BP problems?

Despite its reputation for raising the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, some recent studies show that eating red meat in moderation isn’t that bad for you. But that doesn’t mean you’ve got a free pass to indulge until the cows come home. Red meat does contain a compound that poses harm to your arteries and brain.

Over the past decade, the number of people taking muscle relaxers long-term has skyrocketed. These drugs were never approved for long-term use. But that’s not the worst of it. Here’s what you need to know about the potential dangers of muscle relaxers, plus other options to stop the spasms and the pain…

Putting your feet up at the end of a long day comes naturally. But what if your feet, ankles and legs are swollen and painful? More than an annoyance, this could be a sign of a much more serious condition. Here are a few to check out…

Acupuncture, medical marijuana, cognitive behavioral therapy, curcumin and anti-inflammatory diets are all popular, effective options for pain management. But there’s one more natural pain solution I’m willing to bet you’ve never heard about…

Once you hit middle age, chronic and degenerative diseases become the biggest threat to your health and longevity. Many of these diseases occur when oxidative stress causes free radicals to attack your cells… including Alzheimer’s. But a few potent antioxidants could protect you from the oxidative stress that puts you at risk for debilitating diseases like Alzheimer’s…

According to research, the way most of us shower could increase our risks for eczema and even skin cancer. Here’s what you need to know about getting clean, plus the only three areas you should soap in the shower…

Patients and readers often ask me about the risks of soy: Is there a connection to cancer? Can it help hot flashes? And as a cardiologist, I’m probably asked most often… Is soy really beneficial for heart health? Recently, the evidence really swung in soy’s favor…

Chewing your food thoroughly does more than prevent you from choking. It eases the strain on your digestive system, prevents disease and guarantees that the nutrients in your food will be put to good use and not wasted.

A new study has found a plant compound known as the “sugar destroyer” that’s been used in Ayurvedic medicine, a tradition that goes back three centuries that could help you beat your sweet tooth and put down that chocolate bar…

Everyone loses some bone mass with age, but women going through menopause lose the most by far. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to protect your bone mass during menopause, but, unfortunately, one of the most popular methods for maintaining bone density may not work for menopausal women…

Millions of Americans suffer from chronic knee pain and turn to surgery. But after knee surgery usually comes weeks of physical therapy. If you’re going to have to work to rescue your knees and regain range of motion after surgery, it may be easier and less painful to try these Harvard-backed exercises before going under the knife…

Checkpoint inhibitors are the latest powerful cancer drug. They show promise but come with a price tag… they can cause colitis, a form of irritable bowel disease that can itself lead to colorectal cancer. That’s why researchers are looking to an easily available supplement to not only help prevent cancer, but to also help their therapies work better.

A lot of us are working from home now. If you are, or even if you’re still going into a workplace where you sit for much of the day, you’ll want to develop some new habits now, before your health deteriorates. That’s because yet another study indicates not moving can increase your risk of death by cancer up to 82 percent….

Depending on what microbes you have in your gut, you’re going to end up with different metabolites… and potentially, different diseases. If you want to change these metabolites to support a healthy heart with less cholesterol and arterial plaque, a new study shows exactly what you need to do…

For a long time, red meat has been Public Enemy #1, making us more likely to have high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes. But there’s some good news for meat lovers: New research on red meat consumption calls much of this into question.

Diet is one of the most effective weapons you have in the fight against heart disease. But can you narrow down all the diet advice to what does your heart the most good? Recent research from Harvard did and found these four approaches can lower your heart disease risk by as much as 21 percent…

The symptoms of low thyroid function, or hypothyroidism, can mimic symptoms of many other conditions. But given the right testing, a case of hypothyroidism is hard to miss. The problem is that the “standard” test for thyroid malfunction can actually hide the problem. Here’s what you should know if you suspect hypothyroidism is behind your symptoms.

If you get diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor will advise you to reduce your salt intake. At one point, several large-scale studies conclusively linked high-salt diets to high blood pressure, but we’ve learned that the connection between salt and blood pressure isn’t so cut and dry… and it includes your gut.

Your microbiome goes way beyond your gut. It extends across your whole body, including your most sensitive area. When the bacterial balance gets out of whack down there, you’re left with a nasty infection known as bacterial vaginosis. Luckily, a few specific strains of probiotics can quickly get your vaginal microbiome back on track…

Have you ever heard about the heart-health liver link? Scientists have known for a while that poor liver health can lead to a diseased heart but weren’t sure exactly why. Now they know… and if you want to keep your heart pumping strong, you’ve got to love your liver…

Making a habit of eating close to bedtime can really pack on the pounds. That’s no secret. But beyond weight gain, eating against your circadian rhythm can set you up for one of the most preventable diseases, and that’s just for starters…

Decades of scientific evidence supports the mind-body connection. Still, it’s easy to forget just how closely your mental and emotional state impacts your health. Here’s a good reminder: a new study shows feelings of well-being and happiness could protect you from dangerous intestinal pathogens that cause infection. Here’s how to boost yours…

If you’ve been putting off your trip to the dentist, you may be risking more than just a cavity. In fact, you could be setting yourself up for inflammation of your gut lining. Here’s the connection you’ve probably never heard of between the bacteria in your mouth and your chances of developing inflammatory bowel disease.

If you’re not already taking vitamin D, it’s time to rethink that strategy. Not only can it help you maintain healthy bones and a strong immune system as you age, an exhaustive review of scientific research has found the sunshine vitamin can protect against cancer and even improve prognosis. But it all comes down to your vitamin D status…

The latest research has shown a way to actually restore your body’s natural ability to burn fat and use it for energy instead of storing it on your hips, belly, and thighs… and no more crash diets required.

It’s easy to get obsessed over one food, thinking it’s the “cure-all” ingredient, and that’s where things can falter… Because foods and ingredients never exist alone in our diet. Foods work in synergy to create a greater overall effect.

Leg strength, endurance and dynamic balance are vital to wellness. The mini trampoline is a terrific tool because your body is forced to keep firing all different muscles at different rates and intensities to keep you in balance.

Are painful, swollen knees or tight, stiff shoulders keeping you from enjoying the things you love to do? If you want pain-free joints but don’t want to risk your life, there is a safe, natural answer discovered by a scientist at the National Institute of Health…

Are you bored with the same old core exercises? Core exercise is one of those things that you just can’t skip out on. So, if you’re begrudging them or finding your routine stale, here’s a fun and effective solution…

Bad bacteria like E.coli, listeria, Campylobacter and salmonella do more than send you running to the bathroom with a bad case of food poisoning. They stick around in your gut and screw up the delicate balance in your microbiome. They may even lead to chronic diseases…

When Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” he may not have had erectile dysfunction in mind, yet the principle holds. Certain foods possess qualities that can be helpful for managing ED…

The way you think about food, prepare food and eat your food has a huge impact on your health. That’s because your eating habits, not just the number of meals or calories you eat in a day, have a direct impact on your well-being. Eating mindfully leads to the most positive improvements.

If you could get less sleep without sacrificing your health or energy levels, would you be interested? Getting enough sleep is critical to your health. But “enough” sleep is different for everyone. And who couldn’t use a few more hours in the day to get things done…

A few years ago, a landmark breakthrough discovered there were nine key hallmarks of aging. Among them were telomere length, stem cell exhaustion and mitochondrial dysfunction. While these all sound very scientific, they have one overriding commonality that’s within your power…

Scientists are seeing how the emotional and cognitive centers of the brain are closely linked with intestinal function. Connections between infections, the subsequent use of antibiotics or other drugs, and increased risk of mental conditions, adds further insight into these complex interrelationships.

There’s a powerful, anti-cancer spice you’ve probably been missing out on, just because it may seem a little too exotic for American tongues. If you give it a try, you might find you like its spicy sweet flavor. But something you might like even better is its uncanny ability to switch off a cancer gene.

Unless you live a very sheltered life, you’re constantly being affected by the toxins in our world. No one escapes this and some are affected environmentally more than others. But you can take steps to significantly reduce toxin exposure within your personal environment. For starters…

You may do a lot of sitting during your day and the message you’ve been given is that sitting is the new smoking. But there’s research that counters that. It turns out your mindset can have a major impact on your health, so stop believing that this or that is killing you…

The signs and symptoms of anxiety are often difficult to recognize, and can take a real physical toll on your body. Most patients are sure there’s an underlying health problem at the root of symptoms like these. But most often you can blame them on your mind-body connection…

My first memory was waking up, and slowly realizing my family surrounded my bed. I didn’t understand why they were asking if I was ok. And I didn’t remember the evening before. I threw the pill bottle out that very day and never had it refilled. The last thing I needed was a prescription for amnesia.

One in five people who die of lung cancer never smoked a day in their lives. That’s why smokers and non-smokers alike need to take steps to prevent this deadly scourge, just like you would to avoid breast cancer or prostate cancer.

As men’s bodies begin to change with age, beginning during the second and third decades of life, it’s time to pay special attention to different nutritional needs that can help meet those changes head-on.

You know that sitting can be hard on your hips. Strength training and stretching are often recommended but they’re not always convenient or easy to start. But you can do this practically anywhere…

At least 7 hours. That seems to be the perfect dose your body needs each and every night to fend off seasonal cold and flu viruses. That’s because sleep is the ultimate immune-booster…

Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day. To keep that action from stressing stiff arteries, you should drink the juice that enhances arterial health.

If anything can truly add years to your life, it’s exercise. Research backs that up. But if you’re not into hitting the gym every morning or doing high intensity interval training a few times a day, can you still benefit? You might be surprised…

When you first notice your memory starting to slip, it’s alarming. Why can’t you remember the name of the person you just met? Or the movie you just saw? And, most importantly, does it mean you’re on the path to Alzheimer’s?

Age-related bone loss. It happens to everyone to some degree or another. But how badly it happens to you can mean the difference between living a stress-free, active life and living in constant fear of falls and bone fractures that can steal your independence.

By now you know, cholesterol was never really the health boogeyman the medical community made it out to be in the 80s and 90s. And, even worse, depriving your body of cholesterol might have prevented one of your vital organs from getting the fuel it needs to thrive…

Daily we’re faced with an increasing burden of unnatural substances that invade our bodies, from pesticides, herbicides and fungicides to air and water pollution, mercury, arsenic and other toxic heavy metals and microscopic plastic particles. Time to fight back…

Glyphosate is the world’s most common herbicide. Recently, it was classified as a probable carcinogen, in addition to being linked to other serious health conditions. And it accumulates in your body…

When prepared, your own body can fight off viral infections better than any antibiotic can. To fight viral respiratory infections such as bronchitis, you will need a well-hydrated body and optimal nutrition, but that’s just the start…

How can you guard against advice that may not be personalized to you? Know yourself. As a woman flipping 50 you are unique and your approach to fitness is unique. Look for advice made especially for you…

Triple-negative breast cancer is highly aggressive. And it’s especially known for its ability to spread to other areas of the body and come back after a period of remission. An all-natural compound in foods may help prevent it…