July 10, 2018

Your Online Resources for Depression Help

If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, use these resources to find help. Anxiety and Depression Association of America Includes a searchable database of support groups across the country and offers a list of questions you should ask potential counselors, including practical ones (“Do you accept my insurance?”) and more clinical ones (“What is your treatment approach?”). Geriatric Mental Health Foundation Up to 13.5 percent of elderly people suffer from mild to severe depression. Mental Health America Mental health screening tests, educational resources and a search tool for finding an affiliate in your area who can help you […]
July 7, 2018

New Ways To Reduce Inflammation

When most people think of inflammation, they think about swollen joints and arthritis. That said, limiting the amount of inflammation in your body might not be on your radar screen at all, especially if you don’t have joint problems. But inflammation is way more than arthritis, and reducing the amount of inflammation your body encounters should be on everyone’s radar. When any unwanted invader (such as a virus or bacteria) enters your body, inflammation is the body’s first line of defense. White blood cells are soldiers in the inflammation army, and they protect your body when it’s attacked. This is […]
June 28, 2018

5 Reasons to Test for Celiac Before Going Gluten-Free

A rapidly growing number of people are turning to gluten-free diets to cure all kinds of ailments. If the removal of gluten results in symptoms decreasing or disappearing, then all is well, right? Not so fast. There are very important reasons to get tested for celiac disease before you eliminate gluten from your diet, and we’ve got the 5 main reasons detailed for you here. The Gluten-Challenge If you decide to test for celiac later on, you’ll have to do a gluten challenge. Celiac testing (which includes blood tests and an endoscopy), looks for your body’s reaction to gluten and […]
June 28, 2018

Probiotics Can Prolong Your Bones

In a first, Swedish researchers have discovered protective effects for probiotic supplementation against the loss of bone that occurs in aging humans. The study was reported on June 21, 2018 in the Journal of Internal Medicine. In a randomized trial, 90 women with low bone mineral density who were between the ages of 75 to 80 years were given a placebo or the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri 6475 for 12 months. Tibial bone mineral density was assessed at the beginning and end of the study. “When we finished the study after a year, we measured the women’s bone loss in their lower legs with a CT […]
June 20, 2018

Liver Recovers Faster On Low-Sugar

Liver damage caused by diet high in fat, sugar and cholesterol may be difficult to reverse even if the diet is generally improved, a new study shows. The damage can also lead to more serious health problems, such as cirrhosis or even cancer, the study says. For more significant liver recovery, the intake of sugar has to come down, probably along with other improvements in diet and exercise, said Donald Jump, a professor at Oregon State University in US. Researchers found that diets low in fat and cholesterol could, in fact, help with weight loss, improved metabolism and health. But, […]
June 20, 2018

Eat Early and Fast Late to Improve Blood Pressure

A pilot study conducted at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center shows that eating all your meals by midafternoon and fasting the rest of the day improves blood sugar control, blood pressure and oxidative stress, even when people don’t change what they eat. “Ours is the first study in humans that shows consuming all of your calories in a six-hour period provides metabolic advantages compared to eating the exact same amount over 12 hours or more, even if you don’t lose weight,” said study co-author Dr. Eric Ravussin, Pennington’s associate executive director and director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center. “Our data also indicate that our […]
June 20, 2018

Top 7 Nutrients Needed To Live Longer

When it comes to Anti-Aging Medicine, I’m always on the lookout for the latest research on new methods, substances and thinking, that will help my over-50 patients (and my readers) stay younger and healthier longer.  In the last decade or so, researchers have come to better understand the many anti-aging and immune-system boosting properties of nutrients found in the foods we eat.  It’s becoming increasingly clear that maintaining good health and longevity may really just come down to eating optimal levels of these foods and/or getting the specific nutrients in supplement form.  Let me tell you what these nutrients are. […]
June 12, 2018

Two Cups of This Improves Memory in 30 Days

I make a point to read a lot of research findings on many common foods and nutritional products that will boost heart health.  But, many people don’t know that your heart health is directly linked to your brain health.  As such, I came across the findings of a recent study that showed that a common food already found to boost heart health a few years ago is now being credited for improving brain health – specifically memory.  Let me tell you about it. The Heart Doctor’s Rx for Good Brain Health It’s generally accepted amongst doctors and medical researchers that […]
June 12, 2018

5 Steps to Lengthening Lifespan

Americans don’t live as long as people in most other high-income countries, but modest lifestyle changes could increase their lifespan by as much as 14 years, according to a new study. The study, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, examined how lifestyle factors like regular physical activity, not smoking, moderate drinking and a healthy weight and diet might raise life expectancy among Americans. Although the U.S. is one of the world’s wealthiest nations, it ranks 53rd in the world for life expectancy at birth, according to 2015 data from the World Health Organization. Researchers at Harvard University studied data from 123,219 patients compiled during […]
June 12, 2018

Excess Salt Spells Trouble for Female Bones

I recently had an over 55-aged female patient get a disabling femur (thigh bone) fracture. I was surprised as her recent bone scans showed that she had good bone density for her age.  Yet, I learned later that she also had a high salt intake in her diet and this can spell trouble for older men and women, particularly post menopausal ladies. High Salt Diets Cancel Good Bone Density I was recently surprised to learn that research has proven that post menopausal women are at greater risk for a disabling fracture if they have excessive salt in their diets – […]