Health Advice

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Health

Five steps to a more enjoyable walking routine

The average American walks around 2.5 miles a day -- with about 2,000 to 2,500 steps per mile, depending on the length of the stride. And while it's not what I recommend for healthy aging (10,000 steps daily or the equivalent is best), it's enough to do yourself some damage if you don't have the right equipment or technique.

You want shoes that...Read more

Healthy carbs promote healthy aging

You know that a glazed donut loaded with refined carbs and sugars isn't doing anything to improve your daily nutrition. But what's the impact of such a routine over three decades? That's what researchers from Tufts and Harvard wanted to know. So, they analyzed data from the Nurses Health Study that looked at the nutritional habits and health ...Read more

Healthy carbs promote healthy aging

You know that a glazed donut loaded with refined carbs and sugars isn't doing anything to improve your daily nutrition. But what's the impact of such a routine over three decades? That's what researchers from Tufts and Harvard wanted to know. So, they analyzed data from the Nurses Health Study that looked at the nutritional habits and health ...Read more

Cool it! Reduce the risk of Alzheimer's-related inflammation

Overall, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. -- and the fifth-leading cause among Americans age 65 and older. That's because AD is associated with complications related to progressive brain damage such as life-threatening dehydration and malnutrition, respiratory problems, emotional turmoil, infections, ...Read more

The off-color problems with green drinks

Green juice drinks are the toast of social media sites where influencers extol the latest nutrition fads. These beverages are often made from celery, kale, chard, spinach, wheatgrass, parsley, dill and mint, and sometimes with whey protein -- then sweetened with fruits or added sugar.

If you rarely eat whole green vegetables, juicing them may ...Read more

The connection cure

More than a third of Americans report they're socially isolated or lonely and 10% say they rarely feel there's anyone they can turn to for emotional and social support. Not only does that fuel depression and lack of physical activity (major health risks), but it also contributes to heart disease and stroke, Type 2 diabetes, memory loss, dementia...Read more

Reducing your risk from phthalates

Whoever came up with the name PHTHALATES must have wanted to make sure you couldn't figure out how to say the word -- or notice how harmful they can be to your health. Phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are chemicals that carry fragrances in personal care and cleaning products, improve the texture of cosmetics, and make plastic more flexible and ...Read more

How parents' 'technoference' harms kids

Kids younger than 18 months who are hanging out with a TV on in the background have poorer language development -- possibly because their parents (watching the TV) don't talk to them as much. And at 2 to 5 years old, spending two or three hours a day looking at a screen is associated with behavior problems, poor vocabulary, and delayed ...Read more

Three ways to reduce Parkinson's symptoms

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects 1 million Americans, and researchers project the number will double by 2040. That may be the result of environmental assaults, like exposure to pesticides, genetic and epigenetic influences, and age-related factors that lead to problems with mobility, speech, cognition, sleep quality, gastrointestinal functions, ...Read more

Walk this way -- or that way

I'm a great fan of walking 10,000 steps a day -- or the equivalent. But what exactly is equivalent? And how does that get figured out?

Well, the conversion of steps into other activities is based on the estimated effort, called a Metabolic Equivalent for Task or MET, that it takes for each activity. And while it's been determined based on solid...Read more

Screening for dry eye

In the blink of an eye, relentless screen use causes dry eye. And these days, around half of 18- to 25-year-olds suffer from the condition and 90% have at least one symptom. Those symptoms include gritty or burning eyes, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, redness, stringy mucus, itching, pain, or discomfort wearing contacts. In addition, ...Read more

It's never too soon to protect yourself from dementia

You may think of Alzheimer's and dementia as something that suddenly appears when you're in your 70s or 80s. Well, think again (while you still can). A study from The Lancet Regional Health-Americas reveals that important risk factors like cardiovascular issues and blood biomarkers (tau protein and amyloid tangles) can start showing up in your ...Read more

Become a real protein pro

Are you a protein pro-ponent, pro-curer, pro-vider? These days, 60% of Americans say they're obsessed with making sure they get "enough" protein, when, in fact, many get a healthy dose or even exceed recommended levels. What they don't get enough of, however, is protein from optimally healthy sources -- like fatty fish, skinless poultry, legumes...Read more

How to avoid being a pain in the neck

I don't want to be a pain in the neck ... but I'm betting a lot of you already have that condition, since it's often the result of talking on the cell phone, working on a computer or just sitting for too long. Around 25% of you spend 70% of your waking hours sitting down and more than five hours daily on your cell phone. And believe it or not, ...Read more

What if you could sleep away your risk for obesity?

We know obesity increases your risk for sleep apnea and GERD, both of which can make it tough to rest easy. But it now appears that it's a two-way street. Poor sleep habits contribute to becoming obese. A study in BMC Public Health found that the amount of sleep you get (too little or too much) and the quality of your sleep (you wake up ...Read more

 

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