Health Advice
/Health
Food swaps that are good for you and Mother Earth
Remember when Oprah shed 67 pounds in the 1980s? She's gained it back and lost it over and over again since then. Not surprising. The Cleveland Clinic points out that 80% to 95% of dieters who lose weight end up gaining it back -- and more! That's because severe reduction in calorie intake messes with your metabolism, cultivates feelings of ...Read more
Salting your risk for Type 2 diabetes
According to the World Population Review, people in China eat the most salt, taking in almost 18 grams a day. In the U.S., they report that we average 8.9 grams a day. That's despite the fact that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines say limiting intake to 2,300 milligrams a day (2.3 grams) or less is what's healthy. The ...Read more
Improving sperm concentration and sperm count
Male fertility in the U.S. is declining. From 1973 to 2011, sperm concentration plummeted by 52% and around 9% of guys of reproductive age experience fertility challenges. Reasons for that decline may include the epidemics of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, the use of certain medications, excess alcohol intake, and abuse of recreational drugs. ...Read more
Aspirin pros and cons
Salicylate, a compound found in willow trees and the active ingredient in aspirin, has been used to ease pain for over 4,000 years. These days, it's used to help prevent additional heart attacks and blood clots, reduce the risk of cancer, treat pain, and lower fevers. According to Harvard Medical School researchers, around 29 million Americans ...Read more
Are you experiencing aging-anxiety?
Iowa State University experts have looked into the impact of "aging anxiety," characterized by physical and psychological changes, fear of losing autonomy, and loss of relationships as people move away or die. In their study in the journal Physical Activity and Health, they discovered that if you have high anxiety about getting older, you're ...Read more
Statin status update
By 2032, the worldwide statin market will hit $22 billion -- with generic statins accounting for around 70% of sales. Today in the U.S., around 818 million prescriptions are written annually for the drugs, with atorvastatin accounting for 36% of all scripts. So it's great to learn that atorvastatin and another popular statin, rosuvastatin, are ...Read more
Walk this way -- or that way, but walk
Whether you're "Walking on Sunshine" (Katrina and the Waves) or "Walking in Memphis" (Marc Cohn), it's smart to keep on keeping on. Walking is great for you at any pace and any distance -- as long as you're committed to doing it regularly and extending your endurance and speed over time.
A new study found that sedentary folks benefit from ...Read more
The high blood pressure and fibroids connection
It probably comes as no surprise that middle-aged women with high blood pressure (HBP) have twice the risk of acute cardiac syndromes such as heart attack and unstable angina as women with healthy blood pressure. (110/75 is a good target.) But did you know that according to a study in Fertility and Sterility women with untreated HBP are at an 18...Read more
The fast, fasting, fastest way to lose weight
Gabe Kaplan's "Fast Break" (1979), "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" with Sean Penn (1982), and Vin Diesel's "Fast & Furious" franchise (2001-2023) prove that, intermittently, Hollywood loves to go fast. A really good idea -- and not just on the silver screen.
A study in JAMA Network Open looked at the weight-loss benefits of intermittent fasting ...Read more
A connection with nature nurtures you, body and spirit
Some celebs put their money where their mouth is when it comes to protecting Mother Nature. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has focused on the health of oceans, rainforests and Antarctica and access to clean water since 1998. That's a health-boost for all of us.
Plants, herbs and minerals have the power to protect and heal, and simply being "...Read more
Untreated adult ADHD and dementia
It's estimated that 10 million U.S. adults contend with ADHD -- and many are undiagnosed and do not know that it's a contributing factor in their work and relationship problems, depression and frustration, according to CHADD -- Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
That's why a new study linking untreated ADHD in ...Read more
Red meat and diabetes -- one more reason to change your diet
There's a lot of talk about how red meat is unhealthy -- but what exactly is red meat and what makes it unhealthy?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, all meats from mammals, except white meat from poultry, are red because they have higher levels of myoglobin, a protein that gives flesh a reddish color. Beef, veal, lamb, mutton, ...Read more
Cannabis use disorder and heart attack
Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's good for you -- especially if you're inclined to overdo it. Alcohol comes to mind, but even something that provides welcome relief such as a laxative can be abused. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that with the legalization of cannabis products and marijuana, that cannabis use disorder (CUD) is on...Read more
Wave 'hello' to your curls
Curling, that sport in which a skater frantically sweeps the ice in front of a gliding stone with a handle on top, is finally getting its day in the sun. These days it rates as one of the most watched contests in the Winter Olympics.
If curling can achieve widespread popularity, maybe curly hair can, too. As many as 40% of African American ...Read more
Reduce your risk of cancer: get involved and have fun
Around 30% of American households are one-person abodes. According to the 2020 census, that's the case for around 4% of folks ages 18 to 24 and about 26% for those over age 65. And about one in six Americans 55 and older don't have children.
Living alone at any age turns out to have some health risk -- emotionally and physically. A new study ...Read more