Bringing wholesome healthy tips
When I was a kid, eggs were not my thing. My mother, however, was determined. She slipped chopped hard-boiled eggs into tuna salad. She baked them into cakes. And every so often, she’d try her luck with a cheese omelet — because cheese was the one thing that could make eggs negotiable. These days, I’m still particular about how my eggs are cooked. Runny yolks? No, thank you. But I…
Chemotherapy is tough on the body. But for many women with breast cancer, it can play an important role before surgery — helping shrink tumors and, in some cases, making less extensive surgery possible. This approach is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which means chemotherapy is given before surgery to remove a tumor. Research has shown it can help some women become eligible for breast-conserving surgery instead of mastectomy, especially in more…
There are numerous scientifically validated ways to support brain health and avoid cognitive decline. Like eating blueberries, take regular walks, getting decent sleep and controlling stress. And you might be doing all of them. But every day, you’re breathing in microscopic pollution particles, known as particulate matter, that can enter the brain, bypassing the blood-brain barrier via the olfactory nerve (nose to brain) or by crossing from the lungs into…
Roughly 1 out of every 4 adults worldwide may have insulin resistance — a metabolic problem that makes it harder for the body to use insulin and keep blood sugar in check. Over time, that can raise the risk of type 2 diabetes. Sugar gets most of the blame. But researchers say another part of the diet deserves attention: the quality of the fat you eat. A recent review from…
Fiber is finally having its moment. That’s worth celebrating. But it also points to a bigger problem with some wellness trends: They often take a sound health principle and push it to an extreme. Fiber is essential. “Maxxing” is where things can get tricky. Adults generally need 22 to 34 grams of fiber per day, depending on age and sex, and many fall short. Fiber helps keep digestion moving, supports…
Your mouth and kidneys may be more connected than you think. In fact, gum disease (periodontitis) and chronic kidney disease may fuel each other in a harmful cycle. When gums stay inflamed, harmful oral bacteria and inflammatory compounds can enter the bloodstream, stressing blood vessels and adding to body-wide inflammation. At the same time, chronic kidney disease can weaken immune defenses and keep the body in a low-grade inflammatory state,…
Thanks to modern health practices, we’re living longer than ever. But with that longer lifespan can come a host of issues that make aging feel like a tough slog. One reason? Your immune system ages right along with the rest of you. As we grow older, the immune system naturally begins to undergo a process known as immunosenescence. That means the body’s defenses become less sharp and less flexible. Too…
Smoking is nowhere near as popular as it was in decades past. The rate of U.S. adults who smoke has plummeted 74% since 1965 to 11.6% as of 2022, suggesting that the battle to get people to quit smoking (or never start) is all but won. That should mean lung cancer rates have dropped accordingly, right? Overall, that’s true. Since peaking in 1984, the rate of new cases of lung…
It’s easy to think of memory loss as something that happens “later.” But the changes that affect brain health can begin years before they become obvious. And researchers are paying closer attention to one surprising influence: the gut. Your gut and brain are in constant communication, which means the foods you eat every day may shape memory and thinking more than you realize. One food that has come to the…
One of the more common conditions I encounter in my clinical practice is Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). AFib is a very irregular, often rapid heartbeat that can be associated with palpitations, reduced exercise capacity, and fatigue. In some cases, it causes no symptoms at all. But whether symptomatic or not, AFib can increase our risk of developing a stroke — and that’s what makes the rhythm dangerous. For decades, doctors have treated AFib…