Health Advice
/Health
Smart choices for colon cancer screening
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death in men under age 50 and the second-leading cause in women in that age group. But fewer than 20% of the more than 19 million Americans between ages 45 and 49 have been screened for CRC. The recommendation is that everyone start getting screened at 45 -- and even younger with ...Read more
The newest oldest way to dodge advanced prostate cancer
If you catch prostate cancer early, it can often be actively watched or minimally treated. But, over time, it may progress, making aggressive treatment necessary to block or defeat its spread.
An exciting new Johns Hopkins University study says that if you upgrade your diet, you may be able to keep your cancer from progressing. How? By choosing...Read more
Smart natural additions to your medicine cabinet
American's medicine chests are stuffed with over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen (on-again, off-again users take about 30 billion doses annually!). And more than 15 million adults take prescription proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for acid reflux, and millions more pop OTC versions. Let's clear out some room for natural remedies that can ...Read more
Why walking is so good for you
We know you hear us say -- over and over again -- that you have to walk every day, no excuses. That's because we're so convinced of its importance! You see, walking (aiming for 10,000 steps daily) doesn't just strengthen your circulation, pump oxygen to your brain, improve your balance, and provide a chance to spend time with your posse, it has ...Read more
Soothing sciatica
Up to 40% of people experience the nerve pain of sciatica at least once in their life. It may strike like an electric shock, a numb tingling, or a persistent ache (or all three) and can affect the lower back, thigh, calf and toes. It may lead to leg weakness and even loss of bladder or bowel control.
Sciatica can be caused by a herniated or ...Read more
Getting a leg up on strength and balance
More than 14 million falls are reported every year among Americans ages 65 and older. And the fall death rate has skyrocketed by around 40% over the past decades.
If you want to substantially lower your risk of falling, you want to increase your leg strength and ability to balance on one leg. That's the conclusion of a study in PlosOne that ...Read more
Taming adult ADHD
Can't focus? Are easily impatient? Hate dealing with multitasking? You may be contending with adult ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Join the crowd.
More than 15 million American adults have been diagnosed with ADHD (many more go undiagnosed) and have to deal with the work, relationship and internal conflicts that can arise as a...Read more
How to keep your good HDL cholesterol healthy
"It's quality rather than quantity that matters." When the Roman statesman and Stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca declared that in the first century, he may have been wise. But there's no way he knew just how true that was for postmenopausal women when it comes to HDL -- the good cholesterol.
A new study in the Journal of Clinical ...Read more
A new trifecta: menopause, obesity and breast cancer
More than three-fourths of first-time breast cancer diagnoses are made in postmenopausal women. And a new study shows that 40% of hormone-positive breast cancer cases in those women can be linked to carrying around excess body fat.
That makes the risks of putting on postmenopausal pounds -- the average is about a pound-and-a-half every year -- ...Read more
Sugar blues
When "Sugar Blues" hit the bookstores in 1986, it blew the whistle on America's addiction to sugar and the health harms it causes. But almost 40 years later, adults in this country are still downing about 60 pounds of added sugar a year, and research is continually uncovering health hazards that added sweetness causes.
A recent study in JAMA ...Read more
Are you feeling off your game?
You know that feeling of being, well, not right? You're always tired, you think you might be getting sick, and you feel generally off your game. That's called malaise and it's more common than you might think. That's because it can be associated with a wide array of lifestyle habits, infections, chronic diseases, certain medications and ...Read more
Protecting your child's brain health
Did you know that in the first five years of life, a child's brain makes over a million neural connections every second -- influencing their future behavior, health and ability to learn? No wonder early nutrition is so important -- as is protection from environmental pollution.
One review of 40 studies found reports that there are striking ...Read more
Headspace: clearing out dangerous waste from your brain
When Riley Clemmons sings, "You can't have my headspace/Won't let you in my safe place," she's talking about defending herself from a toxic relationship. But she could just as well have been singing about the newly identified headspace in your brain that helps clear out toxic metabolic waste like tau proteins and amyloid, which are associated ...Read more
Drink this in: sweetened beverages linked to increased stroke risk
Americans are (unfortunately) crazy for sweet-tasting beverages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 63% of adults down at least one sugar-sweetened soda, sweetened fruit drinks, sports/energy drink, or sweetened coffee/tea drink a day.
Every year, around 610,000 folks have their first stroke.
What do these two facts have ...Read more