Now that it's late February, many New Year’s resolutions have probably fallen by the wayside. However, I hope that everyone can remain committed to just a few small changes throughout 2016 which may improve your health, wellbeing and life expectancy. For instance, this year, resolve to break your "fat phobia” by including MORE FAT, i.e., healthy fat, in your diet.
More and more people are focusing on brain health and with good reason. As Americans live longer, age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s are rising.
According to AARP’s 2015 survey 93 percent of Americans consider brain health important but few know how to improve or maintain it. And while many people may be aware that exercising regularly, managing stress and being social can help keep the mind sharp, many Americans don’t realize that brain diseases are intimately connected to our gut bacteria (also known as gut microbiome).
Years of studies suggest that happiness can improve quality of life because happy people tend to have better jobs they excel at and are more satisfied with marriages and friendships. But in recent years, scientists have begun focusing on how that happiness impacts people’s health and happiness.
And the news is good if you’re happy. Happiness can positive affect your:
• Heart health;
• Longevity;
• Risk for certain cancers.
If you’re like most Americans, you are probably sleep deprived. Why aren’t we sleeping? Stress, caffeine and conditions such as heart disease, obesity and depression can keep us awake, according to WebMD. Although both genders struggle with sleeplessness, a lack of sleep may affect women more, according to a study conducted by the University of Loughborough (UK).
After pop music icon Prince died at 57, media reports linked his death to painkillers, specifically opioids. And while no official cause of death has been released, prescription painkillers are still dominating stories about the singer’s death and drawing attention to an epidemic of opioid overdose.
Even if the holiday season is your favorite time of the year, preparing for festivities can cause a lot of stress. But you can ease some of the pressure with these simple tips.
For most of us, gift giving doesn’t end with just our family and closest friends. You may buy gifts for co-workers, your neighbor, your doorman or your hairdresser. If shopping stresses you out, save yourself hours roaming the mall when you:
Nearly all of us experience back and neck pain at some point. It doesn’t matter if it’s occasional or every day--when it happens, it significantly affects your quality of life. Unfortunately, holiday stress and preparations are common triggers for pain. Here are some tips that can help prevent neck and back pain this holiday season.
Your holiday lifestyle is probably different than your usual routine. Maybe you consume more calories—a lot more if you’re like most people. Or maybe you stress over juggling social, work and family commitments. Or maybe the shopping, decorating and gift wrapping is enough to push you over the edge. Holiday stress can turn the “most wonderful” time of the year into the “least healthful.”
But you can help minimize weight gain and lower your chances of getting sick by following these tips:
Zika may be public enemy number one when it comes to mosquito-borne viruses, but it’s not the only threat these insects pose. Other mosquito-borne viruses such as West Nile virus, dengue fever, malaria and Chikungunya also worry public health officials.
As we age, many of us begin to worry about our cognitive health, which includes memory, language skills and reasoning. It's easy to attribute cognitive decline to routine memory glitches that are quite different. Let’s start by understanding the differences between the two; then we'll consider the risk factors for impairment, review some recent studies and examine steps we can take to help preserve our brain function.