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A colleague of mine is mad for hot sauce. Any time I meet him for a bite to eat or visit his office, there’s always a bottle of hot sauce nearby. Sure, he enjoys spicy fare, but there’s more to it than that. My friend, like me, scours the latest scientific journals in search of [...]

Since COVID-19 reared its ugly head months ago, scientists and medical experts have been working hard to determine the factors that predispose people to this new and sometimes deadly virus. From obesity and diabetes to high blood pressure, we’ve covered many of these suspected risk factors in this newsletter. We’ve also offered the latest findings [...]

Up to half the pathogens that cause surgery-related infections and a quarter of those that cause infections after cancer chemotherapy are resistant to antibiotics. These drug-resistant bacteria kill 700,000 people annually across the globe. This number is expected to skyrocket in the years ahead, creating a death toll of 10 million by the year 2050. [...]

Regular readers of this newsletter will recall that my team has written quite a few articles on how getting enough sleep is critical to our health and well-being. Insufficient sleep can drain your energy, lower productivity and increase the risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, dementia and even cancer. Melatonin is a [...]

For too long, conventional doctors have been convincing their patients to take statin medications that lower their LDL cholesterol – so-called “bad” cholesterol (also known as LDL-C) – because it can lead to blocked arteries. The long-held belief is that lowering LDL cholesterol can improve heart health and reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke [...]

I’ve said it more times than I can count – exercise is essential for better health. And one of the best, most accessible forms of physical activity is walking. For brain health, heart health and every other kind of health I can think of, taking a walk most days, even if it’s just around the [...]

It appears that COVID-19 is not leaving us anytime soon. As the pandemic continues, scientists are working to better understand this deadly virus and why some people have mild cases of the disease while for others, infection turns fatal. Recently, we reported on a study confirming what doctors nationwide have noted anecdotally among COVID patients, [...]

Not long ago a friend told me about a particularly thorny dispute he had with a neighbor. While he was telling me about the argument, my buddy’s face got red and I could almost feel his heart rate quickening. Granted, he had good reason to be angry about the incident. But here’s the thing... The [...]

In general, I advise readers to steer clear of fad diets and supplements. They usually promise much and deliver little in terms of meaningful weight-loss. With that said, I’ve noticed a supplement that keeps popping up in research circles that’s worth investigating. Let’s unpack the findings on the popular supplement calcium pyruvate. Calcium pyruvate is [...]

Since fever is a key symptom of coronavirus, many people have rushed out to buy thermometers. Some businesses in different parts of the nation and the world are even taking temperatures at the door. That's fine for the younger generation, but the body may not be able to produce a higher temperature in older people, [...]

Scratching an itch might seem like a meaningless, harmless reaction to an irritation on your skin. But what occurs when you feel an itch and then scratch can be more than skin deep. The latest research shows that scratching your skin can damage your immune system. Scratching can shift the balance of immune cells in [...]

Google searches for "why am I constipated" and other digestive issues surged dramatically in recent months, with the coronavirus lockdown being the likely culprit. Extended time indoors.Disrupted routines.Heightened stress. All these and more can stymie normal digestion and regular bowel movements. Constipation is not only uncomfortable, but it can cause serious health problems and should [...]

The death toll from heart disease continues to be staggering. It accounts for one in four deaths – killing 647,000 Americans a year.1 But medical researchers are still figuring out what causes hearts to seize up, not to mention uncovering proven natural ways to protect heart health. Recently, they’ve come up with a few surprises [...]

It's a commonly held view that going to the gym compensates for all those hours sitting in the office. Actually, it doesn't. The science is clear about this. Prolonged sitting increases the risk of heart disease and an early demise regardless of how much exercise people engage in. Yet human evolution favors energy conservation. Resting [...]

Sadly, it seems the list of anxiety-provoking issues in our world is getting longer by the day, and Americans are feeling the negative effects to our mental health. In recent months, the rates of anxiety and depression have grown across the United States.1 Regardless of what’s going on in the world around you, the latest [...]

At this writing, we are in the middle of the summer season and looking at a leveling off in the number of COVID-19 cases in some parts of the United States. Let’s hope this respite lasts. However, experts warn people should not get complacent as it’s likely that the virus will come roaring back in [...]

Official figures from the United Kingdom show a quarter of hospital deaths from COVID-19 are in patients who also had diabetes. If you have diabetes, the deadly pandemic should be all the incentive you need to overcome the illness. Because, in many cases, it can be overcome with lifestyle changes. Let’s take a look at [...]

It’s safe to say that never has such a little piece of cloth given birth to such a big controversy. I’m talking about the face masks you may wear to reduce the risk of being infected with COVID-19, or infecting someone else if you’ve got the disease (perhaps without knowing it). Now I’m not going [...]

Every year 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke and 140,000 die.1To put that number into perspective, someone dies of a stroke in the U.S. every four minutes. While people of both sexes can suffer from a fatal stroke, the research shows that it’s women who are more likely to die from one. The Centers for Disease [...]