We know the things that are bad for us, right? Smoking, drinking, eating processed foods… but what about not getting enough sunlight? That one has probably never crossed your mind, but according to a recently published study, sunlight deficiency may be as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. Published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, the study…
Few things reveal the power of the human mind more than the placebo effect. Put simply, a dud pill or treatment can have a powerful effect on everything from depression and pain to sleeping disorders. It largely depends on the patient’s perception. And it works even when you know you’re taking a placebo. So what’s really…
Honesty makes life so much easier. But unfortunately, honesty isn’t always what you get from people. And while lying is not instantly an indicator that someone’s a bad person (people lie for many, many reasons, including mental illness), sometimes you need to know what’s really going on. And that’s where these five obvious signs will come…
Awhile back, I wrote a piece about vestigial structures we all have — the physical traits that once served a very practical purpose but are now obsolete. On the list, I included the appendix. And indeed, for years medical professionals have agreed that the appendix is useless, the shrunken remainder of a large intestine of a…
Ahhh, the many choices we have when deciding on a gum to buy. Cinnamon, Winterfresh, Spearmint, Peppermint, Classic Bubble, Sweet Watermelon, Mixed Berry, Cinnamon Roll… the list goes on and on. If you chew gum to help keep your breath fresh, you probably stick with the minty flavors. But for some, chewing gum is just…
While suffering a stroke may seem almost impossible to a young person, the truth is that there is no such thing as being too young for a stroke. The risk of having a stroke increases with age, but doctors are seeing more young adults and even children suffering from “young strokes.” In patients over the…
When the body’s hormones become unbalanced, the body starts to experience problems. There are many factors that can contribute to an increase or decrease of certain hormones, and knowing the causes and symptoms can help you to identify when something isn’t quite right, and figure out how to treat it. Estrogen is a hormone produced…
We are told from the beginning about how important sleep is for the body. But how important is it really? Healthwise, chronic sleep loss can put you at an increased risk of heart disease, heart failure, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. Some even say it decreases one’s sex drive. Although we know sleep is important for…
Alzheimer’s can be an extremely debilitating disease, and millions of Americans are effected by it each year. Decades of research have shown that a buildup of toxic proteins in the brain – beta amyloid and tau – can lead to Alzheimer’s. Something that has been less clear – the factors that cause these proteins to…
Gone are the days where young children are visiting the dentist for a simple routine cleaning. The tremendous amount of sugar that many children consume are leaving them with tooth decay, and dentists around the world are having to pull out teeth, due to rotting. A 3-year-old boy in New Zealand recently had to undergo 11…
A clinical study has found that adding one simple food to your diet has the power to restore health, reduce the risk of heart disease, and even reverse illness in heart disease patients. Published in the journal Atherosclerosis, researchers have confirmed that pomegranate extract may prevent and/or reverse the primary pathology associated with heart disease.…
Colon cancer or colorectal cancer starts in the large intestine or in the rectum. It is treatable when caught early, but it’s still the third most common type of cancer in men and women in the United States. Most colorectal cancers begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids, causing a tumor…
We’ve dished the dirt on everything from tuna to McDonald’s chicken nuggets, and now it seems like the dirt train’s rolling its way around to everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure – chocolate. Let’s face it, it was really only a matter of time. It turns out that some of the chocolate brands we all know and love the…
According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that about 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in American women by the end of 2016, and about 40,450 women will die from breast cancer. The harsh reality is that breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among…
It’s common knowledge that consuming large amounts of sugar can be harmful to the body, but just how harmful are we talking? A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation concluded that not only is sugar a fuel source for cancer that has already developed, but it may in fact be a primary driver…