Bringing wholesome healthy tips
I’ve always turned my nose up at golf. Not that I’m a real sports nut otherwise, but it just never seemed like “real exercise” to me, or like a real sport. Ever watch a game of golf on TV? Not very exciting. The truth is, it always seemed like an “old person’s game.” But now that I am an “older person,” I’m seeing things differently. And I’m re-thinking the possibility…
It’s no secret that shift work is hard on the body. After all, having to stay awake when everyone else is sleeping, and sleep when everyone else is awake, plays havoc with your circadian rhythm, which regulates hormones, mood, appetite and a multitude of other processes in the body. That’s why shift work has been linked to health dangers ranging from heart disease, diabetes and stroke to mind-stealing plaques… and…
Low back pain makes every day more difficult. It can stop you from doing things you love, like golf or spending time with your grandkids. It can even stop you from getting out of bed. So it’s no wonder that so many of us turn to our doctors to help us find relief and end up filling prescriptions for things like muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatories, steroids and even opiate drugs. The…
There’s evidence that high blood pressure can damage your brain as well as your heart. Research has linked high blood pressure to a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease and decreased cognitive functioning. One study even notes that women who develop hypertension in their 40s are 73 percent more likely to develop dementia. Investigators are still trying to work out exactly how high blood pressure impacts the brain. So far, they’ve…
When you hear the word “bacteria,” the first thing you probably think of is a disease-causing organism that needs to be eradicated. But the human microbiome is a world within us, made up of life-supporting bacteria that, on one end of the spectrum, aids in digestion — and on the other, helps facilitate the enteric nervous system (the body’s second brain)… and a whole lot in between. And we’re not…
According to the American Heart Association, American adults consume an average of 77 grams of added sugar per day. That’s about 18 and a half teaspoons. Add it up, and we’re consuming a staggering 60 pounds of sugar a year. That’s the equivalent of lining 12 five-pound bags of sugar up on your counter and digging in. Clearly, given the rising rates of diabetes and obesity, we’re eating way too…
While you may think of depression as nothing more than simply feeling blue, the truth is that the dangers of persistent feelings of sadness go far beyond the mind. In fact, it’s already been shown that people who live with depression are at far higher risk of chronic disease and even early death. However, what we didn’t know was why… But that’s all changed thanks to groundbreaking research from a…
Growing up in New York, I vividly remember driving down the highway to the city with my parents, staring at the strings of houses a stone’s throw away, so close I could almost see into their windows. I remember wondering, “How can they stand it? The smell? And the constant noise?” I was grateful I didn’t live there. I was too young to think about how their proximity to the…
When men over a certain age start making multiple nightly bathroom trips, two things usually enter their minds: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as enlarged prostate, and that other serious prostate problem no man wants to face. It’s just human nature to assume the worst. And now that anytime any of us has a symptom we’re worried about, we become internet doctors. Googling “men, frequent urination” tells you that…
Radiation therapy is a double-edged sword. High doses of radiation are often used to effectively kill off cancer cells. Unfortunately, they also come with a raft of potential side effects. And while most are short-term and only last as long as the patient receives radiation, others can show up months or even years after treatment. For instance, one side effect of radiation therapy for cancers in the chest (like breast…