Bringing wholesome healthy tips
Every day, it seems that research is finding another organ system that is vulnerable to damage by a COVID-19 infection. The lungs, clearly, are affected. And the condition known as “long COVID” results in damage to the kidneys, heart and nerves. It can cause blood clots and gangrene. Thyroid damage has also been reported as a result of long COVID. Now, researchers have added yet another organ to the list…
We’ve all heard the term “good cholesterol.” While it’s true that just a couple of decades ago, doctors were telling us that all cholesterol was bad and to eliminate it from our diets, science proved them wrong. Now we know the different lipids work differently in our bodies. LDL, or “bad cholesterol,” was found to be problematic so we’ve been advised to try to keep it low, while HDL is…
It’s been a hot, muggy month so far. Even here in coastal Maine, where we enjoy sea breezes and temperatures are generally lower, I’ve been wishing for an air conditioner lately. Then again, maybe not. Air conditioning is a mixed blessing. In climates that are consistently hot, it can be a lifesaver. But it does have its tradeoffs. You should be aware that living in a consistently air-conditioned environment can…
If you’re a woman in menopause seeking relief of symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, hormone therapy can seem like a catch-22. Take it, and you get blessed relief from your symptoms — but you also raise your risk of stroke, blood clots and heart attack. At midlife, your cardiovascular risk is already elevated because of the aging process and an increase in risk factors like high blood pressure…
If you have chronic kidney disease, you know how rough it can be on your body. Kidney disease can lead to fluid retention that causes your arms and legs to swell, as well as high blood pressure, weakening of the bones, anemia and nerve damage. Because your kidneys aren’t filtering waste from your blood the way they should, it puts stress on your other organs, including your heart. Chronic kidney…
With COVID-19 cases on the rise again, it’s more important than ever to protect yourself and to do your part to prevent the spread of the virus to others. Researchers have uncovered details about COVID-19 symptoms that will help you do both. With the help of artificial intelligence, British scientists have refined our ability to predict which early symptoms of COVID-19 you should look for, based on your age group.…
Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, insulin resistance. They’re all manifestations of the same metabolic dysfunction, just to a different degree. And all individuals who develop type 2 diabetes are initially pre-diabetic. And all pre-diabetics are initially insulin resistant. So how does insulin resistance develop? Through consuming excess calories and, especially, excess fat. Our bodies are incredibly efficient energy storage machines. We are evolutionarily pre-designed to always be prepping for surviving lean…
Some things simply go hand-in-hand, like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, a needle and thread. And according to scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology and the Emory University School of Medicine, another pair where you can’t have one without the other is vitamin C and strong, stable immune cells. In fact, their research has revealed a powerful connection between the vitamin we all take when we…
If you’re nearing 50 and find that you’re simply not as tall as you used to be, you’re not alone. That’s because height loss due to the shrinking of your spinal discs, compression fractures and poor posture often start adding up by your 5th decade. And the process even starts speeding up in your 70s. However, while some degree of height loss is associated with natural aging, it could also…
It’s no secret that most of us eat way too much sugar on a daily basis. In fact, it’s estimated that the average American eats approximately 22 teaspoons of extra sugar each day. That’s more than double the amount recommended for men and a whopping three times the allowed amount for women! And while we all know that having a sweet tooth can lead to Type 2 diabetes and other…