On an especially cold morning last winter, Nancy arrived for her minimum-wage job as a mail clerk
By Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO Stress: a multi-factorial problem for so many as we move through a busy and sometimes chaotic life. Under stress, the body has to adapt by altering a variety of hormones and making adjustments in blood pressure and other regulations. Stress could be emotional or mental – imagine a work deadline, relationship problems, or balancing money or family priorities. Stress could also be physical – toxins in our environment, an unhealthy diet, chemical exposure from cleaning and body products, or air pollution. Some stress is good; for example, physical activity challenges the body and helps […]
In today’s food-conscious world, many of us want to get more benefits from the food we eat. Functional foods provide just that. A functional food is a natural food or manufactured food that has benefits beyond basic nutrition and calories. According to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D., “All foods are functional because they provide varying amounts of nutrients and energy to sustain growth or support vital processes. However, functional foods are generally considered to offer additional benefits that may reduce the risk of disease or promote optimal health.” Functional foods can also act like health supplements. For […]
Women of childbearing age need more education about the benefits of taking certain vitamins — even before they become pregnant — to prevent birth defects, according to a survey released last month by the March of Dimes. While 97 percent of women surveyed who have been or are currently pregnant reported taking prenatal vitamins or multivitamins during their current or last pregnancy, only 34 percent say they started taking the prenatal vitamin or multivitamin before they knew they were pregnant, the survey shows. That number drops to 27 percent for Hispanic women and to 10 percent for black women. The […]
The American Society of Anesthesiologists issued the following news release: Think the shorter winter days, ice and snow put your older loved one at greater risk for a fall and broken hip? Think again. A preliminary study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY(R) 2017 annual meeting shows that the majority of falls occur during warm months, and a greater number of the falls happen indoors rather than out. “Falls are one of the most common health concerns facing the elderly today,” said Jason Guercio, M.D., M.B.A., study author, North American Partners in Anesthesiology at The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain. “And this population is the fastest growing […]
We’ve all heard the recommendation: eat no more than a teaspoon of salt a day for a healthy heart. But there’s one big problem with this: the vast majority of us don’t need to eat low-salt diets. In fact, for most of us, more salt would be better for our health, rather than less — not to mention, much tastier. Now, Dr. James DiNicolantonio’s new book, The Salt Fix: Why the Experts Got It All Wrong—and How Eating More Might Save Your Life, reveals the incredible, often baffling story of how salt became unfairly demonized—a never-before-told, century-spanning drama of competing […]
A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study reported recently in the American Journal of Therapeutics found that drinking Montmorency tart cherry juice extended sleep time by an average of 84 minutes in older patients with insomnia. “Insomnia is quite common among older adults and it can lead to a range of health issues if left untreated,” observed lead researcher Jack Losso, who is a professor in the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge. “However, many people are hesitant to resort to medications to help them sleep. That’s why natural sleep remedies are increasingly of interest and […]
Another day, another superfood elevated to the canon and, for once, it is something most of us already eat
More of today’s modern beauty concepts and products are incorporating Ayurveda—a 5,000-year-old Indian medicinal system that combines yoga, diet, meditation and herbal remedies. “The focus of modern beauty regimens has shifted away from chemical-based therapies to natural, herbal-based treatments and almost every such therapy can trace its roots to Ayurveda,” says Sushrut Badhe, Ayurveda expert and executive manager of KVM Research Laboratories. As we seek holistic approaches to skin and hair care, mindfulness practices and ancient traditions are also making their way into our beauty regimens to clear not only our skin but also our minds. Some of these practices […]
Almost everyone knows someone who has survived cancer, but until now no one knows anyone who has survived Alzheimer’s Disease. Since it was first described over 100 years ago, Alzheimer’s disease has been without an effective treatment. That may finally be about to change with The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline, a paradigm shifting book by Dale Bredesen, MD, that offers real hope to anyone looking to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer’s Disease and cognitive decline. Revealing that AD is not one condition, as it is currently treated, but three, The End of […]

