Cluster headaches have been described as "one of the most painful conditions known to mankind." Thankfully, they afflict only one or two people in a thousand. But migraine headaches are not so rare. They affect 39 million Americans, and the pain is just a notch below the cluster type. A [...]
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of sugar-substitutes. Of course, there are mountains of evidence about the bad effects of sugar. But artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, are just as bad as sugar (sucrose), or worse. And I’ve never found the natural substitutes such as stevia very satisfactory. Still, [...]
Weight is a national obsession, for pretty obvious reasons, if you just look around you. So researchers are spending long hours trying to find ways we can shed those extra pounds, preferably without much inconvenience. And I have some good news: Many of their findings are easy-to-implement strategies that don’t [...]
Food allergies are on the rise. The reasons for this surge have been largely a mystery, but now there’s a new clue. The most common food allergies for adults include sensitivities to peanuts, fish, tree nuts (including walnuts, pecans and almonds), fish and shellfish. For kids, it’s peanuts, soy, wheat, [...]
(Second of Two Parts) The over-the-counter (OTC) painkiller ibuprofen seems to be safe for short-term use in the recommended doses, judging from trials conducted up to 2013. But as I noted in the last issue, alarming headlines appeared in the media in 2017 that left me in some doubt. When [...]
Back pain? Toothache? Fever? Headache? If you're like millions of Americans you'll reach for a trusted medication that's been available since 1984. Yet just a couple of years ago a leading newspaper said that taking it for just one day upped the risk of heart attack by half! The drug [...]
Now, I seldom offer wardrobe advice. Today is an exception because I’ve noticed a growing buzz in the health world about a tried and true clothing item: compression socks. I’ve spotted them on elite athletes at sporting events and even on savvy travelers embarking on long distance airplane flights. I [...]
Cats and dogs have been hanging out with humans for at least 10,000 years, and maybe three times that long. They have their own reasons. By living with people, our four-legged friends enjoy a more comfy and cozy existence than they could ever manage on their own. Just ask any [...]
If you’re reading this article, then I probably don’t have to explain why you should take a daily walk. Going by the stats, exercise is perhaps the most powerful medicine on earth. Not being an exercise buff myself, and with too many aches and pains to do strenuous workouts, I’ve [...]
The overuse of antibiotics in medicine and farming has become a major issue, because bacteria have become immune to them and cause infections that are very hard to treat. But bacteria are not the only type of pathogen to resist drugs. Fungi have likewise learned to do this trick. In [...]
