Bringing wholesome healthy tips
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…
Sometimes you don’t need “hard science” to tell you that something makes sense. Sometimes, an observational study is convincing enough to be considered a valid source of evidence. And while it may not offer “cause and effect” proof, an observational study, when done well, gives us enough information to convince us that changing our behavior could benefit our health. This is especially true when it comes to what we eat.…
Do you get the “Sunday blues” or the “Sunday scaries”? No matter what you call it, most of us have experienced those unsettling feelings of dread and anxiety in anticipation of the beginning of another long, busy, likely stressful week. Even though the feelings may intensify Monday morning, we march on, able to dismiss them — until Sunday night rolls around again. Unfortunately, it’s a cycle that evidence connects to…
My husband often struggles to get good sleep. It worries me a lot because I know sleep disruptions can have far-reaching consequences — from hardening of the arteries and increased risk for type 2 diabetes to cognitive decline and peripheral artery disease, among other things. For a while, he was relying on over-the-counter sleep medications to get better rest. But they never really worked all that well, plus the potential…
When we think about heart health, bones usually don’t come to mind. But growing research shows a powerful connection: the same choices that protect your heart may also strengthen your bones — and vice versa. Shared Risk Factors Across Systems Osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease may seem like two completely different conditions, but they often share the same root causes. Poor diet, a lack of physical activity, smoking, and chronic inflammation can all…
Anyone of us could become a patient in a hospital intensive care unit (ICU) — more easily than we think. A severe injury like a car accident or a burn, a heart attack or stroke, or pneumonia is just a few of the ways you could land in the ICU. Even the need for observation and monitoring after a complicated surgery could make you an ICU patient. And statistically, the…