Bringing wholesome healthy tips
There’s no end to the benefits exercise offers to your body. In fact, research has already shown that regular exercise can beat back everything from heart disease and stroke to diabetes and cancer. And we’ve revealed that exercise can even help you slow brain aging and reverse age-related brain shrinkage. But it seems that when it comes to the power of staying active, the good news just keeps stacking up.…
One of the worst parts of living with an inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, is the unpredictability. You can be feeling good, but suddenly, your symptoms flare up. Maybe you experience abdominal pain. But what if you know diarrhea is next? There are times when this can be more than just inconvenient. What if there were a way to predict your next flare-up so you don’t…
In 2014, I followed a hunch and joined a community chorus in my area. Before that, the only singing I’d done was in the shower or driving with the windows open on a beautiful spring day (exactly when I got the hunch!). Now, ten years later, it’s the centerpiece of my life. Singing magnificent music with my “chorus family” has not only eliminated the periodic bouts of depression I was…
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common condition that roughly half of all women experience it to some degree. In this condition, the muscles and connective tissues of the pelvic floor weaken and allow the organs they usually hold in place — like the bladder and uterus — to shift downward and press against the vaginal wall. POP is usually a result of pregnancy, childbirth or menopause and typically results…
Before the invention of the electric light, people tended to go to bed when the sun went down and rise when the sun came up. Nights were dark, and days were bright, a cycle conducive to sleep. This natural cycle, known as the circadian rhythm, is a 24-hour internal clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and other bodily functions. Today, things are different. Light bombards every part of our lives…
Alzheimer’s is characterized by alterations in the brain that include chronic inflammation, synaptic loss (loss of communication between brain cells) and death of neurons (cells that communicate actions from walking to talking, eating and thinking). For decades, researchers have associated these changes with two markers in the brain: beta-amyloid and tau. However, in recent years, scientists have explored a new wrinkle in Alzheimer’s research: Discovering that the gut and the…
Prostatitis is a common male condition that can cause pelvic pain, urinary issues, sexual problems and other symptoms. It can be caused by bacteria, but the most common form of prostatitis, chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS), does not usually involve bacteria and is often caused by problems elsewhere in the body and outside of the prostate itself. The most frustrating part about CPPS is that it is very difficult to…
As many as 40% of people worldwide live with a headache disorder, like chronic migraine. And I’m sad to say that I’m one of them. So, I understand better than most when I say it can feel as if migraines run your life. After all, dealing not only with the horrible pulsing headache but also the nausea and extreme sensitivity to lights and sounds for days to weeks at a…
Picture this scenario: You’re in the grocery store. One minute, you’re fine; the next, you’re on the floor with the worst headache of your life. People around you keep asking you to repeat yourself because your speech is indecipherable. And you can’t seem to make your hands or feet work properly. You’ve suffered a stroke. A stroke is a medical emergency that can come on without warning, even though the…
Yogurt is my go-to food for a filling breakfast or a healthy snack. And I’m not talking about those fruit-flavored yogurts full of sugar. For me, it’s plain Greek yogurt – thick, creamy, and even better when mixed with a teaspoon of honey. Yogurt is packed with probiotics such as Bifidobacterium animalis that help keep the gut in tip-top shape. When the gut is healthy, your digestion, mood and cognition…