Bringing wholesome healthy tips
Experts say that thanks to quick emergency treatment, seven in ten people now survive a heart attack. If you’ve been one of them, you might think that once you leave the hospital, the worst is over. After all, any heart attack survivor will have even more incentive to live healthier going forward. As long as that’s the plan, surely things can only get better. Sadly, research out of the U.K.…
The immune system has a lot of responsibility defending your body from injury and disease. It attacks pathogens like bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi, recognizes and neutralizes harmful substances from the outside environment and fights disease-causing changes in the body such as cancer cells. But what may not be as well-known is the immune system’s role in our psychological health. The immune system produces neurotransmitters like serotonin that affect your…
The evidence is clear: eating a diet poor in omega-3s is as good as saying “come get me” to cardiovascular disease. One reason is that omega-3s have also been associated with lowering blood pressure. They also beat back inflammation and other health conditions including depression and cognitive impairment. In fact, according to Dr. Philip Britz-McKibbin, a professor of chemical biology at McMaster University in Ontario, “Omega-3 fatty acids are primarily…
Women have to be especially careful when it comes to their hearts. That’s because not only do heart attacks in women often go unnoticed until it’s too late, they can be doubly deadly. Of course, men and women share some similar cardiovascular risks including unhealthy lifestyle practices, diet and obesity. But there are two factors unique to women that may give us extra pause when considering our risks — and…
For the past few years, my mother has had terrible gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms like pain, diarrhea and bloating that have made it tough for her to go about her day-to-day activities. Seniors can commonly experience changes that affect the gut and digestion, including leaky gut, but after extensive testing, she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In addition to the advice she got from her doctor, she did a…
Getting older is no picnic. There are certain signs of aging that we all hope to escape, but that’s much easier said than done. Consider what happens to your muscles… Research shows we can expect a substantial loss of muscle mass and strength (known as sarcopenia), decreased regenerative capacity (meaning muscle tissue that can’t repair itself) and loss of physical function — all thanks to aging skeletal muscle. But what…
Common wisdom has been that dementia before the age of 65 is due to genetic factors that we can’t do much about. But if you’re familiar with epigenetics, then you know genes don’t always have the final say. Epigenetics is the study of the mechanisms that control the activity of our genes — and how our behaviors and environment can affect how our genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes…
Staying well-hydrated can mean the difference between good and poor health. Drinking enough water daily helps keep your brain, heart and mood healthy, boosts weight loss and even slows aging and prolongs your life. It’s a healthy habit most of us get — one that’s clearly demonstrated by the popularity of big tumblers that help keep our water cold while keeping track of how much we drink. But if you’re…
One in eight men will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis in their lifetime and have to choose which treatment option is right for them. For decades, this has meant making decisions with far too little information on what to expect from treatment — especially regarding effects on sexual function and urinary, bowel and hormonal health. According to Dr. Bashir Al Hussein Al Awamlh, a fellow in Urologic Oncology at Vanderbilt…
Gum disease is more than just bad breath and bleeding gums. The gum inflammation that comes with periodontitis (gum disease) is associated with serious diseases like heart disease, kidney disease and Alzheimer’s But there’s an especially complex relationship between gum disease and type 2 diabetes… Periodontitis increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes increases your risk of developing periodontitis. In fact, people with diabetes are…