These supplements support brain health
Smart lifestyle practices — including healthy eating, exercise, good sleep, and continual learning — help keep your brain in top form. Certain supplements also may help bolster brain function.Although more research is needed, the following supplements may help. Consult your doctor prior to use.Ginkgo biloba extractThis supplement has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, ... READ MORE
Tips from the pros on how to lose weight
A food behavior researcher has tested a bunch of little ways to tip the scale toward success. His advice: Put it on autopilot. Make small changes in the kitchen, at the grocery store, and in restaurants to help you make good choices without thinking.“As much as we all want to believe that we’re master and commander of all our food decisions, that’s just not true for most... READ MORE
Studying a new way to stop arthritis pain
As many arthritis sufferers know, the loss of cartilage that coats the ends of our bones can cause excruciating joint pain.Many patients turn to pain medication, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Motrin and Celebrex. Unfortunately, NSAIDs can contribute to renal failure and gastrointestinal bleeding.Some try injections that help lubricate the joint, which help ... READ MORE
Drug prices can put sex beyond reach
Imagine not being able to afford one of life’s great pleasures — sex.That’s true for many older couples, doctors say. Soaring prices for prescription medicines for impotence and other problems have put the remedies out of reach for some.Without insurance coverage, Viagra and Cialis cost about $50 a pill, triple their 2010 list prices. The new “female Viagra,” a ... READ MORE
Taking a chance on romance
Hillary Finkel discovered “it was a whole new world out there” when she decided to try online dating four years after her husband passed away — swiping right or left, catphishing, photo editing apps that make people look 10 years younger. Finkel considers herself lucky that she didn’t encounter anyone who had created a fictional persona, the definition of catphishing, and... READ MORE
Eat more nuts for a healthy weight
For years, nuts — dense in calories and fat — were considered off limits for people looking to shed a few pounds. However, in the last two decades research has uncovered numerous health benefits of tree nuts — such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts and cashews — for heart health and brain protection. Now those benefits even extend to achieving a healthy... READ MORE
New statin shrinks artery-clogging plaque
For the first time, a new drug given along with a cholesterol-lowering statin medicine has proved able to shrink plaque that is clogging arteries, potentially giving a way to undo some of the damage of heart disease.The difference was very small, but doctors hope it will grow with longer treatment. And any reversal or stabilization of disease would be a win for patients and a long-sought... READ MORE
Ways to improve your cholesterol levels
If one-third of Americans have unhealthy cholesterol levels, why did the U.S. recently change its advice to limit the cholesterol we eat daily?Well, for most of us, dietary cholesterol has almost no effect on the cholesterol that ends up in our arteries. But keeping your blood cholesterol numbers down is still key to preventing heart disease.Two types of cholesterol are found in the blood,... READ MORE
Exercise when angry ups heart attack risk
If you’re angry or upset, you might want to simmer down before heading out for an intense run or gym workout. A large, international study ties heavy exertion while stressed or mad to a tripled risk of having a heart attack within an hour.Regular exercise is a healthy antidote to stress and can help prevent heart disease. In fact, the biggest problem is that too many people get too... READ MORE
A resource for the community
Ms. D., a 77-year-old woman who lives alone in an old, one-story house in Columbia, was without heat as winter was approaching. She called her contracted home services company to repair her furnace. The company refused, saying they discovered two dead cats in the crawl space beneath her home where the work had to be done. A company spokesman said they could not deal with the health and... READ MORE