Bringing wholesome healthy tips
When a natural bodily process is harnessed and manufactured as a drug, there’s probably trouble ahead. Take the hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). It’s released when we eat in order to stimulate insulin. But GLP-1 does more than regulate blood sugar. It also suppresses appetite by slowing the passage of food from the stomach. Sure enough, the weight loss industry latched on to this and brought us the drug Ozempic,…
As we age, our digestive system naturally slows down and becomes less efficient. This is due to a combination of factors, including decreased digestive enzyme production, slower muscle contractions in the digestive tract and lifestyle choices that have left their mark. The result: nutrient deficiencies, acid reflux and constipation. But there’s one outcome of this slowdown in digestion that can be extraordinarily painful and even land you in the hospital.…
As we age, sex becomes more problematic for both men and women for different reasons. For women, menopause tends to knock out their libido and make sex more painful due to vaginal dryness and atrophy. For men, it’s a bit more complicated. While some older men with erectile dysfunction (ED) do suffer from low testosterone levels, it’s far from the only potential cause. Some others include: Heart disease Atherosclerosis High…
It’s no secret that food prices have been on the upswing lately, especially in the meat aisle. And it’s prompted me to do a little research into cheaper ways to get protein. One source I’ve overlooked that is incredibly cheap is legumes, a category of foods that includes beans, chickpeas and lentils. Dried beans can cost as little as 10 to 20 cents a serving, and canned beans aren’t much…
A poor night’s sleep could be the missing link in understanding why adults with ADHD feel less happy. It turns out that it may be insomnia that’s dragging their mood and quality of life down, rather than just the attention and emotional regulation challenges of living with ADHD. Adults with ADHD are at higher risk of depression and lower quality of life (QoL). But until now, it wasn’t clear how…
Menopause is defined as “the permanent cessation of menstruation due to the loss of ovarian function.” Pretty dry and underwhelming description considering the MASSIVE changes a woman’s body goes through as part of this transition. Given that this is a normal physiologic process and not a disease, menopause is supposed to be something women just endure and move beyond. But if you’ve been through it yourself or are in the…
Over the past few years, it’s become increasingly obvious that heart health and brain health are closely intertwined. Unmanaged high blood pressure can weaken small blood vessels in the brain. Over time, these damaged blood vessels can no longer deliver the same amount of oxygen to the brain, causing nerves and brain cells to gradually die off. This leads to what’s known as “white matter lesions,” areas of the brain…
If you’re someone who runs, trains, or engages in other physical activities that cause you to sweat a lot, staying hydrated is always crucial. But if you’re not — hydration is just as important. Even mild dehydration can harm your brain, joints, heart and other bodily systems more quickly than you’d imagine. Dehydration causes a buildup of acid waste, significantly contributing to the aging process. Dehydration combined with a lack…
Carrying extra weight is bad for the heart. Being obese is even worse. And in the U.S., obesity-related heart disease deaths have increased over the past two decades. An analysis of 21 years of data presented late last year at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2024 paints a grim picture… The analysis found that there was a significant and consistent increase in deaths from obesity-related ischemic heart disease from 1999…
I’ve never been much of a golf player myself. But I know plenty of people who love spending time on the golf course. Every weekend when the weather is nice, you can find them there, walking across the pristine, perfectly manicured courses as they play. A few years ago, I became aware that some of the pesticides used to keep that grass lush have been linked with Parkinson’s disease, a…