Bringing wholesome healthy tips
As we get older, our bodies change. That’s just a fact of life and one that I take with a grain of salt. It reminds me of how many years I’ve been lucky enough to live on this planet (68 and counting). But those changes can be accompanied by health problems we’d like to avoid — like osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, even cancer. The good news is that we have…
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is classified as an autoimmune disorder — a group of conditions where the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues. Inflammation is a characteristic of RA and a host of other diseases. One of those other diseases is heart disease, which people with RA are more susceptible to. All this inflammation may be why people with RA are also twice as likely to develop blood vessel disease,…
Over sixty percent of women who inherit the so-called ‘breast cancer gene’ will develop the cancer for which it’s named. Yet, that’s not the only type of cancer that women have to be concerned with, since the odds of developing ovarian cancer due to this genetic risk can be close to the same. Women with a family history of these diseases are encouraged by their doctors to get tested so…
At 68, I pride myself on the fact that I can still bend over and touch my toes in the morning. The younger folks on social media call that a “flex,” but my generation would call it bragging. This flexibility makes me feel younger. But now I’m finding out that it may help me live to the ripe old age of 100 that my mother reached. That’s my goal. If…
The itching and pain of bacterial vaginosis (BV) is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. And no, it’s not caused by poor hygiene. It’s a common vaginal infection caused by an imbalance of bacteria in the vaginal microbiome. More than half of women worldwide will experience the uncomfortable condition at some time in their life. Simply spending time in a hot tub, swimming pool or douching can upset…
You may think your drinking water is treated to make it safe. But the unfortunate truth is there are still a lot of chemicals lurking in a tall, cool glass. The most shocking might be perchlorate, a chemical found in rocket fuel (yes, you read that right!), fireworks, flares and matches. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has yet to set a limit on perchlorate levels in water even though anyone…
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Something about starting my day with food I know does my brain and body good, gives me some incentive to keep that healthy momentum going. Whether I succeed at that or not, at least I’ve got breakfast under my belt. And truth be told, it’s not a chore. Five out of seven days a week I’m more than happy with berries and…
Reviewed by Helen Kollias, PhD and Brian St. Pierre, MS, RD At some point in my mid-40s, the scale started climbing. A pound or two turned into five, then 10, then 20. It seemed as if I was doing all the right things: Eating less, moving more, rinse, repeat. Yet, the harder I worked, the less the scale seemed to respond. Had perimenopause destroyed my metabolism? It sure felt like…
Most of us have heard doctors recommend taking an aspirin a day to reduce the risk of heart disease. Many of us even know that taking the over-the-counter medicine could also help reduce the brain plaques that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. And even though low-dose aspirin has been found to be a potential preventative tool in the battle against colorectal cancer, there have been concerns. Doctors have questioned whether or…
We all know that we would die without a functioning heart. But many people aren’t aware that the liver, the body’s largest solid organ, is just as crucial to life and health. So it’s scary to think that over 100 million Americans have fatty liver disease, which makes the liver less and less able to perform its vital functions — more than 500 of them! Being without a functioning liver…