In most kitchens, you'll find certain staples that are must-haves, such as apples for snacking or celery for cooking. The good thing about many everyday foods is that they're good for you. Here is a short list of staples (you probably keep on hand) with wonderful health benefits.
Apples. You may be able to keep the doctor away if you eat an apple a day! Apples help lower blood levels of oxidized LDL, which is tied to hardening of the arteries.
Did you know that when you eat blueberries before and after you exercise, your body continues to burn fat...
Plantar Fasciitis
Have you ever experienced an uncomfortable, lingering achiness or pain in the heel or arch of your foot? If so, you may have experienced plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis relates to the plantar fascia, which is a strong fibrous membrane that attaches the plantar tendon to the heel and toe bones. When the plantar tendon gets pulled it can cause the plantar fascia to become inflamed. Other causes of plantar fasciitis can include being overweight, excessive running, having flat feet, and spending too much time on your feet. Plantar fasciitis is a common condition, but that does not make it any...
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder consisting of two types: central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain does not send correct signals to the muscles that control breathing. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when throat muscles relax.
Symptoms can sometimes make it difficult to determine whether or not someone has central sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea, because the symptoms overlap. Breathing cessation, daytime sleepiness, insomnia, snoring, and sore throat are signs and symptoms of sleep apnea.
Both children and adults can have sleep apnea, but there are some factors that might put you...
Common Digestive Problems
If you have ever experienced stomach issues, you know how uncomfortable they can make you feel. Here are five common digestive problems with possible solutions to help you manage digestive discomfort.
Constipation. There are several reasons why someone may experience constipation: medications, too little fluids in a diet, too much fat in a diet, or perhaps your body's normal rhythm is off kilter due to sickness or traveling. You can try and treat constipation yourself by increasing fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole-grain breads and cereals into your diet. Taking a brief walk may help. You may want...
Five Ways to Help Keep Arthritis at Bay
Whether it's acute or chronic arthritis, one thing is for certain, all arthritis sufferers experience pain. If you have arthritis and want to try to keep arthritis at bay, here are some ways to live well with arthritis.
This may sound surprising, but according to a study in the British Medical Journal, women who drink more than three alcoholic drinks per week (beer, wine, or liquor) over a 10-year period reduced their risk of rheumatoid arthritis by about half. Research suggests that alcohol dampens the body's immune response.
According to the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, eating cherries can reduce gout...
Women's Health: Five Questions to Ask Your Doctor
The best patient/doctor relationships are those where the patient feels comfortable asking his or her doctor any question and the doctor is happy and genuinely committed to answer any question. Better health starts with knowledge, and these questions are helpful for women when it comes to maintaining their health.
If I am recently divorced and dating, should I be tested for sexually transmitted diseases? This question is so important because, in the last decade, there has been an increase in chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis among 45-64 year olds.
Is my weight within a healthy range? As women age, it becomes...
Men's Health: Five Questions to Ask Your Doctor
The best patient/doctor relationships are those where the patient feels comfortable asking his or her doctor any question and the doctor is happy and genuinely committed to answer any question. Better health starts with knowledge, and these questions are helpful for men when it comes to maintaining their health.
Should I be tested for prostate cancer? For men between the ages of 50 to 75, a yearly screening with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal exam is recommended, according to the American Urological Association.
How frequently should I be urinating? This depends. Body size, fluid loss...
Your Child and Ear Infections
Have you ever noticed how common it seems that children get ear infections? And have you ever wondered WHY children get ear infections? When children are… children… their Eustachian tubes—tubes that link the nasopharynx to the middle ear—are still developing. Their Eustachian tubes are horizontal, soft, and short; these three conditions make it easier for bacteria and mucus (from the back of a child’s nose) to travel up the Eustachian tubes and into the (generally dry) middle-ear area. As children age, their Eustachian tubes get more vertical, stiff, and longer, making it less possible for germs to travel up the...
Asthma
If you have asthma—a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways—you know how important your asthma action plan is.
If you have asthma, you may have days when your asthma is mild, or you may have days when your asthma exacerbations are more intense. Chest tightness. Coughing. Shortness of breath. Asthma symptoms can be unpredictable and sometimes frightening.
In order to help maintain the best possible control of your asthma, you may want to keep an asthma journal. Not only will an asthma journal allow you to look back and see how often and when your asthma flared...
Vitamin D
Did you know that vitamin D is a much-needed nutrient that helps maintain strong bones, helps muscles move, and helps nerves carry messages between the brain and various body parts? Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium from food and supplements. Vitamin D and calcium, together, also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis—a condition in which bones become brittle and thin. In children, this condition is known as rickets.
If someone does not get enough vitamin D—due to not consuming enough or absorbing enough from their food, not getting enough exposure to sunlight (the body makes vitamin D when the...
