I’ve been a strong advocate of the idea that a little exercise is better than none at all. And I still am. Even ten or fifteen minutes of walking per day is better than being completely sedentary. And if you can manage a half hour per day it will probably [...]
Osteoporosis is largely thought of as a women’s disease. The commercials are all aimed at women, and it seems that most of the people you know with severe bone loss are women. After menopause the bone-building hormone estrogen drops off sharply. That's when women are more likely to be diagnosed [...]
Some medical practices may be totally useless, or even harmful. That's not just my opinion. It's shared by a group of doctors and researchers who analyzed over 3000 trials published in leading medical journals and recently published what they found. If you're taking medication or are about to undergo a [...]
Remember that classic Beach Boys song about “pickin’ up good vibrations?” The 60s megahit was about young love, but now there’s evidence that good vibrations of another kind may be good for your health. In past issues, we’ve explored the many benefits of music – from the social perks of [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
