U.S. life expectancy rose by more than a year from 1997 to 2007. Life expectancy continues its upward trend in the U.S., notching up by about two-and-a-half months in 2007 over 2006. That may not sound like a lot, but step back and look at the gain over a decade: Babies born in 2007 have a life expectancy that’s 1.4 years greater than babies born in 1997. Read More…
American Heart Association Issues Guidelines on How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much
The American Heart Association today released new recommendations on limiting intake of added dietary sugars. Back in 2006, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommended minimizing consumption of beverages and foods with added sugars. Now, the AHA is getting more specific, with recommendations detailed down to the teaspoon based on a person’s age, sex, and activity level. Read More…
Trying to establish a connection between humor and mood, the Dutch researchers discover how a good laugh distracts us from negative emotions. After a rough day at the office or a nasty interchange with a rude store clerk, a great joke can often quickly lift us out of a bad mood. Now, Dutch researchers think they’ve verified why this is so and how a joke helps us, most of the time, laugh it off and turn our negative mood positive. Read More…
Amber Gates admits to feeling a little stressed when she finds herself in the shampoo aisle at her local drugstore in Ada, Okla. “What’s confusing is that the price can be so different while the shampoo ingredients are so similar, says the 28-year-old finance administrator for a car dealer. “I decided on the type of car I wanted to buy faster than I can pick a bottle of shampoo.” WebMD’s suds-savvy will guide you to the wild and wacky ingredients listed on shampoo labels. Read More…
Researchers find differences in blood clot risk in different birth control pills. When it comes to the risk of blood clots, some oral birth control pills are safer than others, according to new studies by European researchers. “Oral contraceptives with levonorgestrel and a low dose of estrogen are associated with the lowest risk of venous thrombosis and are therefore the safest option.” Read More…
Sweating, as stinky and uncomfortable as it can be, is a natural and healthy part of life, helping to cool the body. But excessive sweating can pose problems in your social life and relationships, and perhaps even to your emotional health. How can you tell if you sweat excessively, beyond the body’s normal needs? Check the answers below to find out if your sweating is excessive. Read More…
Hair has been credited with being a man’s strength, a woman’s allure, and the savior of modesty. But even if you’re not Samson, Rapunzel, or Lady Godiva, the mythology of hair also has applications for those of us living in the stressful reality of modern life. It has been said that stress can make you go gray, or cause you to lose your hair. Is that possible? Read more about stress and hair. Read More…
Study shows people who follow four healthy habits sharply reduce risk of serious disease. “Don’t smoke. Get off the sofa and take a walk. Stay away from the junk food. Watch your waistline.” You may have heard the advice before. But did you know that if you follow all four of these healthy habits together, you could decrease your chances of developing some of the most common and deadly chronic diseases by nearly 80%? Read More…
Lower blood pressure, fewer colds, better stress management are just the beginning. “I need somebody to love,” sang the Beatles, and they got it right. Love and health are intertwined in surprising ways. Humans are wired for connection, and when we cultivate good relationships, the rewards are immense. But we’re not necessarily talking about spine-tingling romance. Read More…
Workout not working? Who has time to waste on ineffective, risky exercises? Not you. Considering that you are making workout exercises in order to improve your health, you should be very careful with the workout exercise you are doing, or you will damage yourself instead of improving your physical condition. So ditch these nine moves that may not deliver the results you want and may even cause injury. Read More…
Healthier hygiene is an important issue nowadays. In the 1981 film The Incredible Shrinking Woman, a toxic brew of ordinary household chemicals shrinks Lily Tomlin’s character to microscopic size. The movie became a smash hit, capitalizing on our fear of the unpronounceable substances all around us. Today, a growing group of environmental activists, scientists, and ordinary people is calling attention to the possible real-life risks of the products we swallow, spray, and smear on our bodies every day. Read More…
Some people never seem to get sick. What are they doing that the rest of us aren’t to keep illness at bay? Are you secretly envious of your co-workers and friends who, like superheroes, never seem to get sick? You know, the ones glowing with good health while everyone around them is sneezing, sniffling, and coughing like villains. Don’t hate the healthy people. Instead, steal the secrets of people who manage to stay above the sickroom fray and take steps to boost your body’s immunity. Read More…
Ginseng, Fish, Berries, or Caffeine? Listen to the buzz about brain foods and dietary supplements and you’ll believe they can do everything from sharpen focus and concentration, to enhance memory, attention span, and brain function. But do they really work? There’s no denying that as we age chronologically, our body ages right along with us. The good news is that you can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain, if you add “smart” brain foods and beverages to your diet. Read More…
Most people share a common misconception after organ transplant surgery, according to Marwan Abouljoud, MD, director of the Transplant Institute at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. After their organ transplant, most people just do not understand the magnitude of the surgery they went through. Many think recovery is a matter of a few weeks. Not true, Abouljoud has to tell them. Recovery is hard work, as well as coming to the realization that the organ transplant surgery carries benefits as well as challenges. Read More…
But study shows disease can still spread even when condoms are used. Condoms use reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of contracting genital herpes, according to a new review of research. Researchers found consistent condoms users have about a 30% lower risk of contracting genital herpes than those who never used condoms. Read More…
Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may boost memory in healthy aging adults. In a new study, people 55 and older with age-related memory complaints who took the fatty acid supplements for six months had almost double the reduction in errors on a test that measures learning and memory skills, compared with those who took a placebo. Read More…
