Virus

Joyce Hollman

Why showering less is a good idea, even during a pandemic

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…

Carolyn Gretton

Relieving the symptoms of shingles naturally

Shingles can strike anyone who’s had chickenpox, although older adults tend to be more susceptible. This painful, burning, itching rash takes time to heal. But you can relieve its symptoms through a number of natural means while waiting for it to disappear…

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

Keeping warm this winter could make avoiding flu and COVID harder

We’ve heard the warnings. The fall and winter months are expected to be rocky with the combined COVID-19 threat and a potentially nasty flu season. If there was ever a good time to consider the status of your immune system and mitigate your exposure, it’s now. Especially since homes and offices may have a built-in super-spreader threat…

Jenny Smiechowski

What you should know about the alarmingly common heart complications from a flu infection

Researchers have known for a while that a case of the flu is hard on your heart. In fact, serious heart complications following recovery, even fatal heart attack, can occur. But until recently, they haven’t known exactly how prevalent the danger could be…

Jenny Smiechowski

Honey beats medications at treating cough and upper respiratory tract infections

A lot of people see all-natural honey-based cough medicines on the drugstore shelf and think they need something stronger and more serious to tame their cough. But that just isn’t the case. Not only do popular drug-based cough medicines come with more risks, but they’re also not nearly as effective as plain old honey, according to the latest research.

Jenny Smiechowski

How a multivitamin could help you through our most challenging cold and flu season yet

The COVID-19 pandemic combined with our usual cold and flu season is going to make this autumn one of the most challenging ones we’ve ever faced. We need all the help we can get, especially those of us on the mature side, since the immune system naturally weakens with age. Luckily, a new study shows that taking a multivitamin could offer some critical protection…