Beans and franks. Chips and dip. Mac and cheese. Peanut butter and jelly. Spaghetti and meatballs.

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

Of course, not all food pairings make for healthy meals. But there is one that most certainly does.

Not only will this delicious duo invigorate your taste buds, but it will invigorate your heart health, too…

So what is it?

Dark chocolate and olive oil, that’s what.

I know that sounds like a strange combination, but if you try it, you’ll be surprised at how delicious these two foods are together.

And when it comes to boosting your heart health, these two superfoods may just be the perfect pair…

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Olive oil and chocolate protect your heart

Researchers from the University of Pisa in Italy discovered that adding a dash of extra virgin olive oil to your daily dose of dark chocolate can be beneficial for your heart health.

They conducted a study that included men and women with at least three risk factors for heart disease (things like smoking, abnormal amounts of lipids in their blood, hypertension, a family history of cardiovascular disease, etc.)

They gave these people a serving of dark chocolate for 28 days straight. But this wasn’t plain old chocolate. It was infused with one of two foods — extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or the Panaia red apple (an ancient variety rich in bioactive compounds).

Now, scientists already know that plant polyphenols (like those found abundantly in dark chocolate, EVOO and the Panaia red apple — and a variety of berries) are great for your heart health. These antioxidant compounds protect your body from free radicals and help prevent a long list of diseases, including heart disease. But they wanted to see just which polyphenol-rich pair was most potent.

And dark chocolate combined with EVOO came out on top.

Researchers found that eating dark chocolate enriched with EVOO significantly increased the number of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) circulating in the body. These cells help repair the vascular system and keep the endothelium (the lining of blood vessels) operating properly.

The EVOO-infused dark chocolate also increased HDL (good) cholesterol, lowered blood pressure and decreased levels of compounds known as carnitine and hippurate, which are tied to metabolic changes that are bad for your heart.

All these changes show that when study participants ate dark chocolate enriched with EVOO daily, they were also slowing or preventing the deadly process known as atherosclerosis (the narrowing of the arteries due to plaque build-up), which means much better heart health in the long run.

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Embracing EVOO-infused chocolate

Trying to figure out how to fit more dark chocolate and EVOO into your diet?

Well, the easiest way is to buy an EVOO-infused dark chocolate bar.

Yes, they do exist… although they may not be easy to find. And you’ll always want to check the label to ensure the one you buy contains 70 percent cacao content and no artificial ingredients.

Or just enjoy your chocolate and EVOO separately, but daily…

In the study, people ate about 40 grams of dark chocolate a day, so you should shoot for a similar amount. Most conventional-sized chocolate bars are 100 grams, so that’s a little less than half a bar per day.

EVOO is so easy to incorporate into your diet on its own. Aim for two tablespoons a day and use it in salad dressings, as a dip for bread, drizzled over your meals, or even mixed into a smoothie. It is also tasty drizzled on roasted vegetables after they come out of the oven.

Editor’s Note: You’re invited to join a tiny handful of Americans who enjoy rare, fresh-pressed olive oil all year long. Take my word for it, there’s a difference in taste, quality and benefit! Click here to learn more…

The post How olive oil and chocolate keep your arteries clear appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Then I’d venture to guess chicken is one of your go-to protein sources.

One of the healthiest diets around — the Mediterranean diet — encourages people to get most of their protein from lean sources like chicken and fish. So, chicken finds its way onto the plates of health-conscious people.

The problem is, chicken isn’t just a healthy source of lean protein. It’s a breeding ground for bacteria.

You probably know that you have to be extra careful when handling raw chicken — even more cautious than when you handle other types of meat.

Part of the reason is that dangerous bacteria like Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli are present in chicken while they’re alive, and stick around even after the bird is processed for sale in a supermarket.

If chicken is cooked at a high enough temperature, that should be enough to ensure your chicken is safe to eat.

However, it appears that even if you think you’re cooking your chicken thoroughly and don’t end up with food poisoning, these dangerous bacteria can still find their way into your body and cause an extremely uncomfortable, and often resistant, health problem…

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E.coli: The cause of resistant and recurrent urinary tract infections

A few years ago, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had a nagging suspicion about the poultry on our plates.

They thought it could be bringing dangerous bacteria into our bodies that eventually end up in the urinary tract and potentially the bladder, too.

They first began piecing together the connection between chicken and urinary tract infections (UTIs) after noticing that, in previous research, antibiotic-resistant UTIs were typically caused by a particular strain of E. coli related to the E. coli found in chicken.

“When we compared the fingerprints of the E. coli from the poultry and the human UTI cases, we found there’s an overlap of some genotypes,” said study author Dr. Lee Riley, a professor of infectious disease at Berkeley’s School of Public Health.

Since those findings in 2017, the treatment of UTIs has become complicated. Today, many of the E. coli strains behind UTIs have become resistant to multiple drugs, including fluoroquinolones like ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin.

A 2024 study found that patients with recurrent UTIs had higher rates of resistance and noted that resistance increases with subsequent infections.

It’s an uncomfortable and dangerous situation… one that could put your life in jeopardy. An untreated UTI, after all, can spread to your kidneys and even your bloodstream.

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How E. coli infects the urinary tract, and how to avoid it

It’s not an uncomfortable conversation, but we need to talk about how E. coli from chicken can make it into someone’s urinary tract.

They suspect that people who end up with these infections are either eating chicken that hasn’t been handled correctly in the kitchen or cooked thoroughly enough to kill the bacteria.

Of course, washing hands is paramount before cooking or handling food, but washing them after handling raw meat is just as important. When cooking chicken, ensure the meat has no pink tint (use a food thermometer to verify the chicken’s internal temperature is at least 165°F).

Still, how does the E. coli make it to the urinary tract?

Anatomy is the reason women are more prone to UTIs — though men have plenty of ways to end up with painful UTIs, too. But in women, the urethra, which carries urine from the bladder to exit the body, is typically shorter — and it’s in very close proximity to the anus.

This is the reason women grow up hearing the mantra “wipe front to back.” If you don’t wipe front to back, and you’ve ingested E. coli, it’s possible to bring the bacteria up from the anus to the urethra, where they can invade the urinary tract.

Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to antibiotic-resistant infections. Cranberry juice, already popular as a remedy, recently had its credibility backed by science. That’s why it’s included in this three-part system my friend Dr. Adria Schmedhorst shared, that could help you keep the threat of recurrent UTIs at bay.

The post The food that may give you an antibiotic-resistant UTI appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

They become harder, narrower, and filled with a sticky plaque that slowly chokes your blood flow. These changes are known as atherosclerosis, and they occur in more than 3 million Americans each year.

Most people with atherosclerosis don’t know they have it until it’s too late, because it doesn’t have any obvious symptoms until the blockage becomes severe. But your doctor can check for it.

The thing is, whether you have atherosclerosis or not, everyone’s arteries harden some with age. That means, it’s a good idea to proactively protect your arteries, pronto.

So, what can you do to keep your arteries clear?

Eat your vegetables, that’s what. But what if you are just not a fan of the plant stuff? No problem — there’s just one kind you really need to get a little of every day for clear arteries…

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The artery-clearing power of cruciferous vegetables

In 2018, Research at the University of Western Australia in Crawley found that older women who eat their vegetables have much clearer arteries.

The study included 954 women aged 70 or older. They were asked to fill out a food questionnaire and received sonograms to gauge the thickness of their carotid arteries.

Carotid arteries are in the neck, and like the arteries in your heart, they can develop atherosclerosis. The difference is that when carotid arteries get blocked, blood flow to the brain gets cut off, and you have a stroke rather than a heart attack.

The good news is that atherosclerosis can be prevented by pumping your body full of one kind of fresh produce…

The women in the study who ate a lot of vegetables had thinner artery walls than women who didn’t, meaning less atherosclerosis or buildup. Their arteries were 0.05 millimeters thinner. This may not sound like a lot, but researchers say every 0.1-millimeter decrease in carotid wall thickness lowers your risk of having a stroke or heart attack by 10 to 18 percent.

The food questionnaire asked women about their intake of five different types of vegetables. But, researchers determined that there was one type that was doing all the heavy lifting… cruciferous vegetables.

They found that every 10 grams of cruciferous vegetables women ate per day reduced the thickness of their carotid artery wall by 0.8 percent. Since a typical serving of broccoli is about 36 grams, that probably leads to a nice reduction in stroke and heart attack risk.

Additional research in 2020 revisited this data and also found the women who consumed the highest amounts of cruciferous vegetables had less abdominal aortic calcification (an early warning sign of heart trouble) than the women who ate less.

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Plenty of Cruciferae to choose from…

Research says the positive effect of cruciferous vegetables may be due to their abundance of vitamin K, including phylloquinone (vitamin K1) found in leafy green vegetables, broccoli and Brussels sprouts and menaquinones (vitamin K2) found primarily in animal-based foods.

Phylloquinone can break down to menadione, an intermediate that is then converted to menaquinone, a form believed to reduce vascular calcification.

Broccoli is probably the best-known member of the Cruciferae family and a well-known superfood. But there are plenty of other cruciferous vegetables to choose from (even a few surprising ones) if you want clear arteries, like:

• Arugula
• Bok choi
• Broccoli
• Broccoli rabe
• Brussel sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Chinese Broccoli
• Collard Greens
• Horseradish
• Kale
• Radish
• Turnips and turnip greens
• Wasabi
• Rutabaga
• Horseradish

Sources:

1. “Vegetables may help protect elderly women from hardening of neck arteries.”  https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-vegetables-elderly-women-hardening-neck.html. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
2. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/atherosclerosis.html. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
3. P. Toth. “Subclinical atherosclerosis: what it is, what it means and what we can do about it.” International Journal of Clinical Practice. 2008 Aug; 62(8): 1246–1254.
4. “Carotid Artery Disease.” MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/carotidarterydisease.html.Retrieved April 12, 2018.
5. “Cruciferous Vegetables: Cruciferous Definition And The List Of Cruciferous Vegetables.” Gardening Know How. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/cruciferous-vegetables.htm. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
6. Cruciferous Vegetable Intake Associated with Abdominal Aortic Calcification — Natural Health Research

The post Not a veggie fan? Eat just this ONE for clearer arteries appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Muscle cramps are a common problem with a lot of potential causes. But no matter what’s causing your muscle cramps, regular cramping isn’t something you should ignore. It’s your body’s way of telling you something’s not right…

It’s not always easy to get to the bottom of mysterious muscle cramps. But if you pay attention to the signs you can most likely narrow it down to one of six common causes of cramping:

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1. You’re overworking your muscles

If you’re exercising extra hard, you could end up with muscle cramps. These type of muscle cramps are pretty easy to spot because they usually happen after a vigorous workout. The best way to prevent cramps caused by overworked muscles is to tone down you exercise routine and make sure to stretch before you work out.

You also may have strained a muscle. A strain happens when you’ve stretched your muscle too far. And muscle cramping is one sign of a serious strain.

Read: 13+ natural ways to ease leg cramps

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2. You’re dehydrated

Dehydration is probably the most common cause of muscle cramping. That’s because low water levels can lead to low sodium levels. When you’re muscle isn’t getting the sodium it needs, it starts cramping.

Of course, there is an easy fix for this… stay well hydrated.

Read: 4 surprising dehydration danger signs

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3. You have a compressed nerve

If the nerves in your spine are compressed, you can experience cramps in your legs. You can tell if this is the cause of cramping, because the pain gets worse the longer you walk. The pain should also improve a bit if you walk with your back in a slightly flexed position, like you would if you were pushing a shopping cart.

Read: 3 steps to natural nerve pain relief

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4. You have poor blood circulation

If your legs aren’t getting enough blood, it’s likely you’ll experience some painful cramping. If poor blood circulation is the cause of your cramping, you’ll feel more pain while you’re exercising. When you stop exercising, the cramps should get better.

You can also boost your circulation with this veggie juice.

Read: This ‘hero’ may save you from poor circulation

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5. You have a mineral deficiency

Missing minerals are a likely culprit if you’re having mysterious muscle cramps. Some mineral deficiencies that can cause muscle cramps are potassium, calcium and magnesium deficiencies.

If you suspect one of these deficiencies is at the root of your constant cramping, you can get a simple blood test to know for sure.

Read: 5 Common signs of nutrient deficiencies (infographic)

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Hopefully, you can finally get the bottom of your cramping muscles. Once you do, you’re one step closer to a permanent solution for this pesky problem. In the meantime, if you’re looking for immediate relief from a painful muscle cramp you can try:

• Stretching. It will help get blood flowing to the muscle. Get up and stretch this way to feel great!
• Essential oils. Clove oil and wintergreen oil can ease a cramping muscle if you apply them directly to the site. They both have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Peppermint oil is also a good choice.
• A heating pad. Heat can also increase blood flow to the site. A heating pad is even more effective if you alternate it with an ice pack.
• Massage. If you apply light pressure to the cramped muscle, you can improve blood flow and loosen up the tight muscle.
• Vitamin E. Taking vitamin E can improve the health of your arteries and enhance blood flow to your muscles, which makes muscle cramps much less likely — so can beet root juice.

Sources:

1. Muscle Cramp — The Mayo Clinic
2. 11 Best Home Remedies For Muscle Cramps — Organic Facts

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Nine detox foods that “cool down” inflammation

A gentle, seasonal cleanse is an excellent way to jumpstart your body’s healing capacities and cure chronic inflammation, reduce stress, heal ongoing infections and unhealed injuries, relieve allergies and much more. Continue reading…

The post 5 health issues that cause muscle cramps appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Statins have serious side effects, like muscle damage, liver damage, memory loss and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, to name a few.

If you are searching for statin alternatives, you may have heard a thing or two about a pretty popular one — niacin (also known as B3).

Doctors usually use niacin as the next line of defense against high cholesterol in people who don’t respond to statins or who develop some of the side effects I mentioned above. And it seems like a good alternative at first. After all, who wouldn’t want to replace dangerous statins with a simple vitamin?

But before you embrace this B vitamin as the cholesterol solution you’ve been searching for, there’s something you need to know…

Niacin has side effects, too… some of them pretty serious.

High doses of niacin (like those you might use to treat high cholesterol) could cause a rare but serious toxic reaction in your eyes.

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Too much B3 can make you go blind

Retina specialists at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) came across an unusual case recently…

A 61-year-old man came to the hospital with blurry vision that was gradually getting worse. It started roughly a month prior. At the time they examined him, he was almost legally blind.

He shared his medical history, which included a history of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. And eventually, he disclosed another interesting fact — he was taking high doses of niacin to lower his cholesterol.

Doctors used high-tech scans to take a closer look at his retinas. And it turned out, there was damage to his retinal cells caused by a rare toxic reaction called niacin-induced maculopathy.

This reaction is triggered when high doses of niacin cause fluid to build up in the macula (a small area in the center of the retina that allows you to see details on objects). The fluid retention leads to swelling and cellular damage. But here’s the good news…

Doctors figured out the cause of the man’s vision loss early enough. He stopped taking niacin, and he got his vision back again.

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Seeing the side effects of niacin clearly

I didn’t tell you about this side effect to scare you from using niacin for your high cholesterol (or to avoid Alzheimer’s for that matter). It’s still a very good treatment option. I just want you to know about this risk, so you can be careful with your dosage.

It’s easy to think something that’s typically good for you (like a vitamin that balances cholesterol) is even better for you if you take more. But more isn’t always better.

The man I mentioned above took three to six grams of niacin daily for several months. That’s far more than what’s recommended. The daily upper limit for adults over 19 is 35 mg according to the National Institutes of Health.

Also, remember this was a rare occurrence. In fact, as you age, you can become prone to niacin deficiency, as we don’t process nutrients very efficiently as we get older.

If you decide to use niacin instead of statins, make sure to tell your doctor what you’re up to. That way, you can let him or her know immediately if you develop any odd symptoms that might be related to the supplement.

Sources:

1. Eye damage linked to popular over-the-counter vitamin that lowers cholesterol can be reversed — MedicalXpress
2. Optical Coherence Tomography, Fluorescein Angiography, and Electroretinography Features of Niacin Maculopathy: New Insight Into Pathogenesis — Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases
3. Niacin to boost your HDL, ‘good,’ cholesterol — Mayo Clinic
4. Cholesterol Control: Statins vs. Niacin — Healthline
5. Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks — Mayo Clinic
6. Help for your cholesterol when the statins won’t do — Harvard Health Publishing

The post This cholesterol-lowering vitamin could cause eye damage appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But those plates and cups adorned with golden turkeys, silver bells and even Santa’s jolly red suit, may be less innocent than they look…

They may contain surprisingly high levels of the toxic heavy metals lead and cadmium.

Now, I’m not trying to put a damper on your holiday. But I think if you’re going to use this type of dishware you should know there may be a health risk involved…

Lead and cadmium are heavy metals that can negatively impact your health in many ways. Studies show exposure to these toxic metals is connected to a shorter lifespan, a higher cancer risk and are worse on your heart than cholesterol and smoking.

The stakes are even higher if you’re feeding kids and grandkids off these dishes. You already know how bad lead paint is for the neurological development of children. So just imagine the impact of lead-laced cups and plates.

The good news is, that once you’re aware of this risk lurking in your kitchen cabinets, you can make wise choices to reduce your exposure.

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Are cadmium and lead leaching from your dishware?

A study from researchers at the University of Plymouth in the UK found that dishware painted with decorative designs contains potentially toxic levels of lead and cadmium.

These researchers conducted 197 tests on 72 new and used glass products, like tumblers, beer and wine glasses and jars. And they found dangerous heavy metals on the surface of the glassware and sometimes even on the rims.

Alarmingly, some of these dishes contained lead concentrations that were 1,000 times higher than the recommended limit. And it seems, that the more you use and wash these decorative dishes, the more likely the paint is to chip off and end up in your body.

Another recent study from researchers at the University of Plymouth found that the paint on playground equipment also contains dangerously high levels of lead, but the risk from drinking glasses is far greater, according to researchers.

Researchers said that lead and cadmium were found in both the paint and the glaze of decorative glassware and that about 70 percent of the products they analyzed tested positive for these heavy metals.

Lead was found in all decorative paint colors, as well as gold leaf designs. The greatest risk for cadmium exposure came from red enamel (That means, those Christmas designs are probably pretty dangerous).

The US Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment says that lead concentration on the lip area of decorative cups should be limited to 200 parts per million (ppm) and cadmium concentrations should be limited to 800 parts per million (ppm). Lead concentrations on the glassware that researchers studied, however, ranged from 40 to 400,000 ppm for lead and 300 to 70,000 ppm for cadmium.

And even though researchers only studied drinking glassware, they did confirm that the same type of paint and glaze are used for a variety of items in your kitchen, including beer, wine and liquor bottles, egg cups, jugs, measuring cups, coasters and chopping boards.

“Given that safer alternatives are available to the industry, the overall results of this study are both surprising and concerning,” Dr. Andrew Turner, lead researcher in the study. “I believe consumers should be made aware of this, while retailers and the glass industry have the responsibility to eliminate toxic metals from decorated products.”

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Avoiding heavy metals in your dishware

Now, don’t get discouraged if you love your collection of holiday dishware. The fact is, if you’re only using decorative dishware during the holidays, your exposure is pretty minimal and the risk involved is probably low. But if you’re using potentially dangerous dishware every day, that’s another story…

That’s precisely how this entire family got lead poisoning if you would like to read about their experience. They picked up what they thought was a nice set of daily dishware while on vacation, and it was anything but.

Because of the concern, easy at-home tests are available to test dishes, jewelry, toys and other items that could potentially harbor toxic metals, especially lead. A simple search on Amazon pulled up this one for me.

For everyday use, choose plain plates and cups — no paint and no designs — just to be safe. Organic inks are also becoming more popular in dishware, so search for decorative options that use these instead of the metallic variety. That way, you can still have a fun, festive and safe holiday!

Sources:

1. D. Vaziri, H.C. Gonick. “Cardiovascular effects of lead exposure.” — Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2008 Oct;128(4):426-35.
2. Lead Exposure in Adults – A Guide for Health Care Providers — New York State Department of Health. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
3. Drinking glasses can contain potentially harmful levels of lead and cadmium — MedicalXpress. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
4. “High levels of migratable lead and cadmium on decorated drinking glassware.” — Science of the Total Environment, 2017.

The post Avoid hidden heavy metals this holiday season appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

People have used it to fight everyday respiratory infections like colds and flu. And though it’s a proven champion of respiratory health, it’s often overshadowed by vitamin C.

Those in the know swear by its ability to ease the coughing, wheezing and phlegm that make you so miserable when you’re sick. And at least one study shows that taking 600 mg of NAC twice daily reduces the likelihood of getting the flu by more than 50 percent.

Other studies show that NAC can help people with serious respiratory issues too, like acute respiratory distress syndrome, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.

So NAC is worth having in your medicine chest for its respiratory benefits alone. But new research shows it has another surprising but super helpful skill that makes it a must-have in your household — it starves cancer cells.

NAC cuts off cancer’s food supply

A clinical trial published in the journal Seminars in Oncology shows that NAC stops a group of cells (known as tumor stroma) that contribute to the spread of cancer.

Based on the results of this study, researchers believe NAC stops these cancer-spreading cells by halting the production of MCT4, a protein that feeds cancer cells. MCT4 feeds cancer cells by bringing them lactate from nearby cells, which gives them energy.

Previous research in cell cultures showed that NAC got rid of this cancer-feeding protein almost completely. Researchers confirmed that it works in living, breathing people with cancer too…

They gave NAC to 12 people with breast cancer awaiting surgery, and they found that it slashed the amount of MCT4 in their tumors by 80 percent. Without that protein, these patients’ cancer cells would have a hard time feeding off nearby cells, which means they aren’t as likely to spread.

“High levels of stromal MCT4 are extremely worrying, as they are linked to aggressive cancer behavior and poor overall survival, so this is a very encouraging result,” said study researcher Professor Michael Lisanti. “To be able to inhibit MCT4 protein expression, in a non-toxic way, is a huge step forward.”

But why can NAV help fight everything from colds to cancer?

Well, when you pop an NAC supplement, your body uses it to make an amino acid called cysteine, which your body eventually converts into a powerful antioxidant called glutathione, that resists age-related decline. Antioxidants protect cells and DNA from free radical damage. Scientists believe this may be why NAC can help with colds, cancer and many conditions in between.

Even more benefits of NAC

Now, this was a small study, so it’s too soon to say if NAC will work for people with other types of cancer or even other people with breast cancer. But one thing is for sure, NAC has a lot of proven benefits that may inspire you to add it to your supplement collection regardless…

I already told you how NAC can ease short-term and long-term respiratory problems, but that’s only a small piece of the NAC puzzle…

It also detoxifies the body and may help prevent liver damage by increasing cellular antioxidant levels. It’s used in high doses in hospitals for acetaminophen overdose and exposure to toxic heavy metals.

It’s also been around for a long time and has been used as a medication, so it’s considered quite safe. But always choose supplements from a reputable manufacturer and never take more than is recommended.

So if you want to try N-Acetylcysteine, you’ll most likely reap some benefits — not only during cold and flu season but year-round considering its tremendous scope of benefits.

Sources:

1. Decongestant ‘highly effective’ at starving cancer cells — MedicalXpress. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
2. Monti, et al. “Pilot study demonstrating metabolic and anti-proliferative effects of in vivo anti-oxidant supplementation with N-Acetylcysteine in Breast Cancer.” — Seminars in Oncology, 2017. DOI: 10.1053/j.seminoncol.2017.10.001.
3. The Overlooked Compound That Saves Lives: N-acetyl Cysteine — Life Extension Magazine. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
4. “Improvement by N-acetylcysteine of acute respiratory distress syndrome through increasing intracellular glutathione, and extracellular thiol molecules and anti-oxidant power: evidence for underlying toxicological mechanisms” — Human & Experimental Toxicology. 2007 Sep;26(9):697-703.
5. Cysteine — University of Maryland Medical Center. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
6. NAC (N-acetylcysteine) — Whole Health Chicago. Retrieved December 5, 2017.

The post The flu-fighting supplement that starves cancer appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Frequently, fibromyalgia symptoms begin after an infection, surgery, stressful events or some type of physical injury. However, it can also strike with no obvious cause.

But a study at York University in England shows that doing yoga exercises can help reduce the physical pain of fibromyalgia, and here’s why…

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A needed boost of cortisol

According to scientists, yoga influences what is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis).

The HPA axis consists of a cascade of endocrine pathways that respond to specific negative feedback loops involving the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary gland and adrenal glands. One role of the HPA axis centers around the release of the hormone cortisol.

Studies show that women with fibromyalgia have below-average cortisol levels. Those reduced levels make them much more sensitive to stress, pain and fatigue.

It’s been proposed that adrenal fatigue or adrenal insufficiency is part of the cause behind fibromyalgia.

The adrenal glands are small glands that sit atop both kidneys. They’re your “lifesaving” organs — a  nickname they earned because they act as a control center for our “fight or flight” response by secreting hormones that kick in during stressful situations.

However overworked adrenal glands become fatigued and function much less effectively, resulting in insufficient output of cortisol.

The research shows that doing 75 minutes of yoga twice a week for at least two months can beneficially increase your cortisol levels and help the body produce cortisol at the correct times of day.

“Ideally, our cortisol levels peak about 30-40 minutes after we get up in the morning and decline throughout the day until we’re ready to go to sleep,” says researcher Kathryn Curtis. “The secretion of the hormone, cortisol, is dysregulated in women with fibromyalgia.”

She adds that “Hatha yoga promotes physical relaxation by decreasing activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which lowers heart rate and increases breath volume.”

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Give Hatha yoga a try

Hatha yoga is a term that encompasses most types of yoga practiced in the Western hemisphere, including vinyasa, believed to open up the body’s energy channels and let the energy flow more freely.

In fact, in my experience, yoga and other types of strengthening and balancing exercises can also improve your mood and sense of well-being by demonstrating how you can shape your mind and body for the better. No matter what physical problems you may suffer, whether it is fibromyalgia or some other chronic issue, yoga can often help you cope with its symptoms more effectively.

Although today’s conventional doctor seems to feel as though almost every problem should be treated with medication, exercises like yoga, and even vitamins and herbs that reduce pain, demonstrate that you have the potential for aiding your own wellness — and that’s healing that a doctor can’t provide.

There are several easy-to-follow yoga videos available on youtube.com if you don’t have a local yoga studio in your community. But if you do live near a studio, I would highly recommend you go. Part of what makes yoga a soothing, healing experience is personal instruction.

The post Boost this hormone to banish fibromyalgia pain appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

This means they can live happy and independent lives well after they hit the century mark.

If you think this sounds like a dream come true, then you’ll be happy to hear that you can become one of these people too.

But first, you have to understand their secret to longevity. Lucky for you, it’s a secret that science is finally on the verge of cracking…

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Researchers from Newcastle University’s Institute for Ageing and Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo found that if you want to attain centenarian status (live past 100) or even supercentenarian status (live past 110) you have to stay short on inflammation and long on telomeres.

Telomeres are the DNA at the end of chromosomes… and scientists have gotten really excited about their connection to aging and disease in recent years.

Well, it turns out, that people who live to 100 and beyond maintain long telomeres for a long time (much longer than most of us)… and so do their offspring.

Telomeres gradually get shorter as you age, but the children of centenarians (who researchers expect might become centenarians themselves) have the telomeres of a 60-year-old even when they’re 80 or older.

But researchers also found that once you get really, really old, your telomere length does eventually shorten… so they don’t believe that long telomeres are the single most important factor when it comes to reaching that 100-year mark.

That honor goes to the biological process of inflammation. ..

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Avoid inflammation: avoid disease and death longer

Researchers found that the offspring of centenarians and centenarians themselves have noticeably lower inflammation levels than the rest of us.

Of course, inflammation levels continue to increase with age, even in centenarians, but those who were able to keep inflammation levels low stayed cognitively alert, physically healthy and managed to cheat father time by living a good decade or two longer than your average Joe.

“This study, showing for the first time that inflammation levels predict successful aging even in the extremely old, makes a strong case to assume that chronic inflammation drives human aging,” said Professor Thomas von Zglinicki, one of the lead researchers in the study.

Numerous medical experts have written about inflammation and its role in chronic disease. So it makes sense that keeping it under control — thus avoiding disease — contributes to centenarian status.

The good news is that there are a lot of ways to decrease inflammation in your body… so if you want to become a centenarian or supercentenarian you can. Just try doing some of the following:

• Eat alkalizing anti-inflammatory foods like polyphenol-rich green tea, turmeric, onions, berries, green leafy vegetables, salmon, walnuts and broccoli. And conversely, avoid inflammation-producing foods like dairy, sugar, alcohol and trans-fats.
• Take inflammation-reducing supplements like omega-3s, white willow bark, curcumin, cat’s claw and resveratrol.
• Exercise a lot. The best type of exercise for reducing inflammation is any exercise that brings your heart rate to about 60 to 80 percent of its maximum capacity. So a power walk would be a good inflammation-reducing exercise option.
• Relieve stress with practices like meditation, yoga, tai chi and massage. All of these have documented inflammation-reducing properties.

One thing is for sure… if you do all of these things, you’ll stack the aging deck in your favor — which means you’ll be well on your way to being a future member of the centenarian (or supercentenarian) club.

Sources:

1. Arai, C.M. Martin-Ruiz, M. Takayama. “Inflammation, but not telomere length, predicts successful ageing at extreme old age: a longitudinal study of semi-supercentenarians.” EBioMedicine. October 2015, V. 2:10, p.1549–1558.

2. C. Maroon, J.W. Bost, A. Maroon. “Natural anti-inflammatory agents for pain relief.” Surgical Neurology International. 2010; 1: 80.

3. A. Woods, K.R. Wilund, S.A. Martin, B.M. Kistler. “Exercise, Inflammation and Aging.” Aging and Disease. 2012 Feb; 3(1): 130–140.

The post What centenarians and their children have in common appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Did you know, for example, that a medium-sized sweet potato gives you over 400 percent of your daily vitamin A? Sweet potatoes also give you a healthy dose of:

• Vitamin C
• Manganese
• Copper
• Pantothenic acid
• Vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6
• Vitamin A (to nourish your skin)
• Biotin
• Potassium (to support normal blood pressure)
• Phosphorus
• Fiber
• Beta-carotene (a double whammy against cholesterol and inflammation)

But if you’re planning on preparing sweet potatoes for the holidays or any time after, there’s something else you should know: if you boil them instead of baking them (which you may want to do from now on) — they release a peptide that could lower your cholesterol and…

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Help you lose weight!

Researchers from the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Japan found that mice who ate this sweet potato peptide lost weight even when they were overindulging in fatty foods — like we often do during the holidays.

But that’s not all. Mice who were fed the sweet potato peptide also had:

• Healthier livers (vital to processing body fat)
• Lower cholesterol
• Lower triglycerides
• Higher levels of leptin (natural appetite-suppressing hormone) and adiponectin  (lipid-controlling hormone)

Researchers believe sweet potato peptide is beneficial to your waistline and your health because it helps your body digest fat more efficiently and suppresses your appetite (both of which are useful during the holidays when tempting treats are around every corner).

So next time you boil a batch of sweet potatoes, make sure you save the water — because drinking the water the potatoes were boiled in is the best way to get those super slimming peptides.

If you’re not picky about taste, you can wait for it to cool down and sip it plain. Just think of it as a cheap and natural weight-loss drink.

Of course, a more palatable option would be to put it in a storage container in the fridge and use it in smoothies, for soups and sauces, to cook rice in, or for any other recipe you can think of. But whatever you do, make sure you use your slimming sweet potato water within a few days because those valuable nutrients won’t last. And most importantly, make sure you buy organic sweet potatoes, so you don’t end up drinking a cup full of pesticide residue.

Just give the skins a good wash and dice them up a bit before boiling. for tips on making mashed sweet potatoes, check out this recipe.

Sources:

1. Ishiguro, et al. “Effects of a sweet potato protein digest on lipid metabolism in mice administered a high-fat diet.” Heliyon, 2016; 2 (12).

2. “Sweet Potatoes: Health Benefits, Nutritional Information.” Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com. Retrieved December 13, 2016.

3. “Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes.” Organic Facts. https://www.organicfacts.net. Retrieved December 13, 2016.

The post Do you know the sweet potato weight loss secret? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But there’s one holiday dish that can help you burn off those extra calories — candied nuts.

I know what you’re thinking… “Don’t those contain a ton of sugar? How’s that going to help me burn calories?”

Well, you can easily make candied nuts that are low in sugar — or even sugar-free — by tweaking the recipe a bit.

And it’s worth a try because this seasonal snack contains two powerful metabolism boosters (cinnamon and walnuts) that can help you counteract the less healthy holiday foods you’ll be tempted to munch on.

I’ll share a healthy, metabolism-boosting candied nut recipe with you in a minute. But first, let me explain why this dish is so helpful during the holidays…

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Cinnamon and walnuts: The perfect pair

In case you haven’t heard, cinnamon is a super healthy spice. It can improve circulation, ease inflammation and relieve pain, among other things. But recent research suggests cinnamon’s biggest benefit may be related to metabolic health.

Several studies have confirmed that cinnamon has a powerful impact on blood sugar and insulin resistance.  Now, that’s great news for people dealing with diabetes and prediabetes. But it’s also helpful if you’re eating poorly for a short period of time — like during the holidays.

Foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients (like holiday cookies, casseroles and dips) have a rapid effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. And that’s part of the reason they’re tied to weight gain. So any food that counteracts blood sugar spikes and insulin resistance is a food you want around during the season of overindulgence.

But cinnamon’s metabolism benefits go beyond managing your blood sugar and insulin levels. Cinnamon also helps your body to burn more fat quicker…

A recent study from the University of Michigan found that a compound in cinnamon called cinnamaldehyde triggers genes that boost fat metabolism in your body. It also encourages thermogenesis, a process where your body burns energy (i.e. calories) to create heat.

So cinnamon is good for you. It can help keep your blood sugar stable, ward off insulin resistance and help you burn more calories. Now on to walnuts…

Walnuts have several benefits that can help keep your weight and health in control this holiday season. Studies in mice show that the omega-3s in walnuts can counteract the effects of an unhealthy diet by boosting metabolism, improving blood sugar and fighting inflammation.

And studies in people show that walnuts make you feel fuller and prevent unhealthy food cravings. So not only will walnuts help you burn calories quicker, they may prevent you from overeating in the first place!

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Candied nuts can save you from bad food choices

Ready to check out a candied nuts recipe that can protect you from those unhealthy food choices this holiday season?

It’s pretty simple. And there are a lot of approaches you can take. Easy Health Options’ own Kelley Martin recommends throwing walnuts, almonds, pecans and cinnamon into the crockpot with the sweetener found to support heart health — honey. Check out her recipe here.

You could also try making your nuts over the stovetop with butter (or coconut oil), vanilla, cinnamon, salt and a healthy, low-glycemic sweetener like monk fruit or stevia. Here’s a recipe if you want to take that approach. However when using stevia, look for 100 percent pure with no filler, particularly avoiding erythritol.

You could even opt for no sweetener at all and bake your nuts in the oven. This sugar-free cinnamon-roasted almond recipe calls for egg, cinnamon, water, nutmeg, salt and almonds… but you can easily swap in walnuts if you prefer. Of course, almonds have some dang impressive metabolism and weight loss benefits in their own right!

The post The best holiday food to hamper holiday weight gain appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Millions of women find themselves looking longingly at a pair of shorts or a new swimsuit wishing they could put them on.

But instead, they throw on the same old beach cover-up they’ve worn for years. Why?

They’re too embarrassed by their varicose veins.

If you have varicose veins, this internal struggle is probably pretty familiar to you. You want to get into the spirit of the season and wear cute clothes. But those dang varicose veins keep cramping your style. Or maybe you’ve learned to wear what you want and embrace your body exactly how it is — varicose veins and all. And if that’s your approach, you rock! More power to you!

But either way — whether you’re self-conscious about your varicose veins or you don’t let a few veins get you down — you should know that varicose veins are more than a cosmetic issue. They could put you at increased risk for blood clots.

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Varicose veins signal blood clot trouble

Varicose veins are generally a benign condition, but they can increase your risk for another condition that’s a lot more concerning…

A new study from researchers at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan found that varicose veins can significantly increase the risk for dangerous blood clots.

The study included data from more than 425,000 people. Half of these people had varicose veins, and those who did had a 5.3 times higher risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

If you’re not familiar with it, deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in veins deep within your body. Typically, it occurs in your legs and causes symptoms like leg swelling, pain, red or discolored skin or a feeling of warmth in the affected leg. Sometimes, however, it doesn’t cause any symptoms.

Deep vein thrombosis is dangerous because the blood clot that develops in your leg can travel to other parts of your body. It can even cause something called a pulmonary embolism, where the clot gets lodged in your lungs and prevents you from breathing. And that can be deadly.

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Tackling the serious side of varicose veins

So now you may have forgotten all about your seasonal struggle with shorts — you’ve got blood clots on the brain. But don’t let this latest information about blood clots stress you out. Instead, let it inspire you to tackle those varicose veins and lower your blood clot risk. Here are six natural ways you can do that:

1. Try compression. Compression socks are one of the more popular ways to improve and prevent varicose veins. They’re far from glamorous, but they do work… and that’s what counts. Compression socks promote healthy circulation in your legs, and poor leg circulation is something most varicose vein sufferers struggle with. Compression socks are affordable, easy to find, and they even come in fun prints and patterns nowadays. These aren’t your grandparents’ compression socks! Compression socks won’t completely get rid of varicose veins, but they will make them less noticeable. They’ll also help prevent new varicose veins from forming.
2. Exercise more. Varicose veins are often caused by a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting at a desk (or even standing) all day can take a toll on your circulation. That’s why exercise is so important if you’re prone to varicose veins. Most experts agree that exercise is one of the best ways to prevent new varicose veins from forming. But it can also lessen the appearance of existing varicose veins, especially if it leads to weight loss. Extra body weight puts more pressure on veins, which can make them bulgy and more noticeable.
3. Eat more fiber. Some research suggests there might be a connection between varicose veins and constipation. In fact, one study found that countries that have fiber-deficient diets (like the U.S.) also tend to have more issues with varicose veins. Researchers suspect that’s because a lack of fiber leads to constipation, and the straining that accompanies constipation puts enormous pressure on your veins, which can lead to that bulging effect.
4. Give horse chestnut a whirl. The herb horse chestnut is probably the most popular supplement used to treat varicose veins. Studies show it can help with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition where the vein valves in the legs don’t work properly leading to leg circulation issues. Many people who have varicose veins also have chronic venous insufficiency and vice versa.
5. Turn to gotu kola. Gotu kola is another herb that can help with chronic venous insufficiency. Studies show it can even relieve symptoms like swelling and leakage from the veins, so you may want to give this Asian herb a try.
6. Be sure to eat your bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids found in foods like berries, leafy greens, garlic and onions promote healthy veins. So make sure to eat plenty of these foods. The flavonoids found in the bioflavanoid rutin have also been shown to strengthen the walls of the veins and ease the symptoms of varicose veins. You can get rutin in a supplement or in foods like apples, citrus fruits, figs, black tea, green tea and buckwheat.

Sources:

1. Varicose Veins — Mayo Clinic. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
2. Deep Vein Thrombosis — Mayo Clinic. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
3. Varicose veins tied to higher odds for blood clots — MedicalXpress. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
4. Varicose Veins: 7 Myths You Shouldn’t Believe — Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
5. P. Burkitt. “Varicose Veins, Deep Vein Thrombosis, and Haemorrhoids: Epidemiology and Suggested Aetiology” — British Medical Journal, June 1972.
6. Varicose Veins — University of Maryland Medical Center. Retrieved March 5, 2018.

The post 6 ways to make your varicose veins and blood clot risk vanish appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s why your mom told you to eat your carrots. They’re full of antioxidants that support healthy vision. So are leafy green veggies, citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables and plenty of other plant-based foods.

But what if you’re in the mood for something a bit more decadent and delicious than a serving of broccoli? Is there another antioxidant-rich food you can turn to for healthy eyesight?

Well, the latest research shows a dose of dark chocolate could be the eye-saving sweet snack you’ve been searching for…

Dark chocolate boosts eyesight in two hours

It sounds too good to be true… especially if you’re a chocoholic… but the antioxidants in dark chocolate may be able to help your vision.

A recent study from researchers at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas found that eating dark chocolate can give you a small boost in vision in just two hours.

It was a small study. It only included 30 adults whose average age was 26. But the results were fascinating…

Researchers gave half of the study participants dark chocolate and the other half milk chocolate and then tested their eyes two hours later.

When study participants took the eye test, those who ate dark chocolate had better visual acuity (the ability to identify the letters on the eye chart) and better large-letter contrast (the ability to distinguish an object as the lighting changes intensity).

Why did dark chocolate have such a quick impact on vision?

Well, going into the study, researchers knew that the antioxidants in dark chocolate could increase blood flow to the nervous system, improve heart function and slow brain aging. All of this has been demonstrated in other studies.

Since those antioxidants boost blood flow to the brain, researchers suspect that they increase blood flow to areas important to vision like the retina, the brain’s visual pathways or the cerebral cortex.

Supporting healthy eyesight with dark chocolate

So, next time you head to the eye doctor or DMV for an eye test, snack on a few squares of dark chocolate. It’s too soon to say whether dark chocolate can save you from eye diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts, but it may be able to give your vision a little boost just when you need it.

Plus, it’s delicious and improves your health in other ways. It can help balance your blood pressure, support heart health and improve your athletic performance, among other things. So, there are more than enough reasons to include dark chocolate in your diet.

In the study, researchers gave people a 1.5-ounce Trader Joe’s 72 percent Cacao Dark Chocolate bar, but any dark chocolate bar with more than 70 percent cacao content should do the trick. Just make sure it doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners or ingredients. As always, the simpler the ingredient list, the better.

Editor’s note: One of the biggest modern problems with deterioration of eyesight is overexposure to blue light, and it’s almost inescapable…unless you give up your computer, smartphone or flat-screen television or live your life in the dark. But you shouldn’t have to… Peak Vision Support contains the only brand of lutein that’s been patented for its outstanding blue light protection. Click here to try it today!  

Sources:

1. A bit of dark chocolate might sweeten your vision — MedicalXpress. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
2. C. Rabin, et al. “Effects of Milk vs Dark Chocolate Consumption on Visual Acuity and Contrast Sensitivity Within 2 Hours.” — JAMA Ophthalmology, 2018.
3. Antioxidants & Age-Related Eye Disease — American Optometric Association. Retrieved May 2, 2018.

The post What dark chocolate does to your eyesight in just 2 hours appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But some viruses don’t go away when your symptoms do. They stick around silently for years and can put you at risk for serious diseases in the future.

Take the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) as an example.

This common virus causes mononucleosis (aka the kissing disease), which sweeps high school and college campuses every fall. Mononucleosis can keep you glued to the couch for days, weeks or even months. But eventually, the symptoms go away and you’re back to your normal self again.

The only problem is, once you get EBV, everything doesn’t go quite back to normal. EBV lies latent in your body for the rest of your life. And as a result, you have a much higher risk of major diseases like cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Now, the Epstein-Barr virus is a member of a larger family of viruses known as the herpesvirus family. And it turns out, EBV isn’t the only herpesvirus that can set you up for serious health problems down the road.

The latest research shows that several herpesviruses are connected to another major disease — Alzheimer’s.

Herpes increases Alzheimer’s risk

I already mentioned that mono is caused by a herpesvirus. But there are plenty of other herpesviruses besides EBV. In fact, there’s eight of them… human herpesvirus 1 (HHV-1) through human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8). They cause everything from genital herpes to cold sores to chicken pox.

And now research shows these common viruses may increase your risk of Alzheimer’s…

A study published last month by researchers at Arizona State University and Icahn School of Medicine found that people with Alzheimer’s disease are more likely to have human herpesvirus-6A and human herpesvirus-7 (both of which cause the childhood disease roseola) in their brains.

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This discovery inspired researchers to look back at other studies on herpesviruses and dementia, and here’s what they uncovered…

A 2018 study and a 2017 study found that human herpesvirus-3 (the virus that causes chicken pox and shingles) increases dementia risk too.

Plus, another 2018 study found that human herpesvirus-1 and human herpesvirus-2 (the ones that cause cold sores and genital herpes) more than double the risk of dementia. People with these viruses were 2.5 times more likely to develop dementia than people without them.

Can antiviral treatment prevent Alzheimer’s?

After hearing about this alarming connection between common herpesviruses and Alzheimer’s, you’re probably wondering…

If herpesviruses increase the risk of dementia, can antivirals help prevent dementia?

And based on this latest study, the answer is yes.

People in the study who took antivirals to treat their herpes infections had a 10 times lower risk of Alzheimer’s. Pretty amazing, huh?

So, if you have a herpes infection of any kind, get it taken care of. If you prefer natural antivirals, my colleague Joyce Hollman recently wrote about six ways to cure the common cold sore, which is caused by a herpesvirus. She recommended antivirals and immune-boosters like:

• Lysine
• Licorice root
• Peppermint oil
• Vanilla oil or extract
• Lemon balm
• Manuka honey

She suggested applying these remedies to a cold sore topically. But they can be taken internally too. You can also try powerful, antiviral herbs like garlic, oregano, echinacea, olive leaf, astragalus and elderberry. Whatever approach you choose, do your brain a favor and get those herpesviruses in check before it’s too late.

The post This common virus more than doubles Alzheimer’s risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Do you remember the days when cottage cheese was the go-to health food?

In the 80s and 90s, it seemed like every restaurant had a cottage cheese dish listed in the healthy section of its menu… like those strange-sounding cottage cheese stuffed tomatoes (FYI… I’ve never had one, so they might actually be really good).

As long ago as that was, this old-school superfood is making a comeback. Suddenly it’s everyone’s favorite post-workout snack — especially if you have problems with lactose…

In a small randomized controlled trial, both milk and cottage cheese increased the rate of post-workout muscle protein synthesis when consumed after exercise. But cottage cheese is much lower in lactose than milk or yogurt. Win!

Personally, I never stopped enjoying cottage cheese. I eat it often because the benefits of this retro superfood still hold strong several decades later — and new ones keep stacking up. But there’s one caveat…

Half a cup of cottage cheese has about as much sodium as a can of soup, about 300 to 400 mg. So if you must watch your sodium very carefully, I’d give up the soup and eat the cottage cheese… because here’s what eating it every day can do for you…

The post Cottage cheese: 3 big benefits of this old-school superfood appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But now you need to take a nap after grocery shopping and doing a load of laundry.

What happened?

Well, unfortunately for us all, a loss of energy is normal with age.

As you get older, you lose precious mitochondria, the powerhouses of your cells. Your body also creates less adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule that’s like the energy delivery man. When optimal, it drops off delightful packages of energy that keep your cells going. But when this delivery man stops coming as frequently, your cells get depleted.

On top of all that, other factors can zap you as you get older, like depression, chronic disease and certain medications.

But the big question is: What can you do to restore that youthful zest, so you don’t feel like a zero-energy zombie for the rest of your life?

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Well, lifestyle plays a powerful role in how much energy — and ATP — you have too. So, you have the power to put more pep in your step by making strategic lifestyle changes.

Here are six changes you can make to reignite your youthful energy:

1. Be more active
When you’re feeling low energy, it’s hard to stay active. You’d rather binge-watch Game of Thrones for the third time than head to a Zumba class. But energy begets energy. If you can push past your doldrums and exercise anyway, soon you’ll have more energy overall. Why? Because physical activity conserves ATP, that energy delivery man I was telling you about. It strengthens muscles, making them more efficient, which makes them use less ATP. It also causes your brain to release chemicals that make you feel more energetic.

2. Stop stressing
When you’re stressed, your adrenal glands pump out the hormone cortisol. Cortisol causes your body to produce less ATP. Cortisol also causes inflammation, and inflammation slows the production of ATP too. Additionally, when people experience a constant state of stress, their adrenal glands cannot keep up with the body’s hormonal needs. But if you adopt daily de-stressing practices, you can easily restore your ATP and energy and make cortisol your friend again. Try practices that help you slash stress and stay mindful like meditation, tai chi, and yoga.

3. Eat better
It should come as no surprise that what you eat affects how much energy you have. Eating lots of processed food triggers inflammation. More inflammation means less ATP. Not getting enough vitamins and minerals can hamper your body’s ability to produce ATP too. Then, of course, there’s the matter of how much you’re eating. Eating too little calories can make you feel fatigued. But eating too much can trigger blood sugar spikes that lead to fatigue as well. Try to maintain a balanced and healthy diet that includes mostly fresh, whole foods. You should also get plenty of protein because the fatty acids in protein-rich foods increase the production of ATP.

4. Get plenty of sleep
Not getting enough sleep will make you feel tired — no shocker there. But you may not realize what’s going on behind the scenes in your sleep-deprived body. A lack of sleep increases cortisol levels, which amps up inflammation and decreases ATP. Sleep issues like sleep apnea can also lower the amount of oxygen in your blood, which means less ATP too. Now, if you struggle with insomnia, getting enough sleep may be easier said than done. Some of the more effective ways I’ve found to manage chronic sleep issues include sticking to a set sleeping schedule, cutting back on blue light from electronics, ditching caffeine, supplementing with melatonin, resetting your energetic balance with acupuncture and making yourself sleepier with medicinal marijuana.

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5. Drink more water
Research shows that 75 percent of Americans may suffer from chronic, low-grade dehydration. And dehydration is a serious energy zapper. On top of that, plenty of Americans choose sugary beverages instead of water. These drinks cause blood sugar spikes, which can lead to fatigue. Caffeinated and alcoholic drinks can also contribute to dehydration and fatigue. So, make sure what you’re sipping on daily supports healthy energy levels. Get at least eight cups of water per day, and cut back on caffeinated, sugary and alcoholic beverages.

6. Stay social
When you’re tired all the time, it’s tempting to cancel your dinner plans, curl up on the couch with your dog and read People magazine. But keeping up with your social life will give you more energy in the long run. Isolating yourself puts you at a higher risk of depression. Depression is a major factor in fatigue. Socializing with family and friends also causes your brain to release feel-good chemicals that increase energy levels.

Hopefully, these minor lifestyle changes make you feel as energetic as you did years ago. If they don’t and you find yourself struggling to keep up with daily tasks because you’re so tired, take a trip to your doctor to make sure there’s no medical cause behind your lagging energy levels.

Now, I’ve saved the best til last. All of these six steps can help you kick up your energy levels and produce wellness benefits for your entire body. But I can’t leave without sharing the easiest way to increase your ATP…

And that’s to get more CoQ10 in your body. CoQ10 helps your body produce ATP, and they both fall off with age. You can read more about why CoQ10 may be the magic bullet to a healthier, more energetic life!

Sources:

1. Losing steam? Avoid these energy zappers — Harvard Health Publishing
2. 75% of Americans May Suffer From Chronic Dehydration, According to Doctors — Medical Daily

The post 6 ways to reignite your youthful energy appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And, if you do have any food allergies, you know that the only apparent solution is to stay away from these foods at all costs, or else face the uncomfortable or even deadly consequences.

But this can get tricky, especially when you’re faced with several food allergies at once and a dwindling list of foods you can actually eat.

If you’re one of the 15 million Americans dealing with this problem, you’ve probably already resigned yourself to a life of difficult and inconvenient food restrictions or uncomfortable allergy-related symptoms. But, you should know, that you don’t have to…

Because there are ways you can diminish, possibly eradicate, your food allergies…

In fact, researchers recently found a promising solution to food allergies in the sea: edible algae that have anti-allergy and anti-asthmatic properties.

This commercially available red algae, known as Gracilaria lemaneiformis, can counteract the negative effects that food allergens have on the immune system.

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In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Industry, mice that were given a compound from Gracilaria lemaneiformis, as well as a food allergen compound known to trigger an immune response in their body, experienced fewer allergy symptoms than mice that weren’t given the algae compound.

But this isn’t the first time that researchers have delved into the therapeutic potential of algae and other seaweeds to solve the problem of food allergies.

In previous studies, researchers identified a type of polysaccharide in certain seaweeds that eased allergy symptoms. This most recent research confirms that the polysaccharides in Gracilaria lemaneiformis have similar properties and therefore similar benefits.

This is great news for food allergy sufferers because the red algae that researchers studied is actually available for purchase as we speak. It’s already well-known for its immune-boosting properties, so it’s no surprise that it’s able to help your immune system overcome difficult food allergies as well.

Once you get your hands on some of this red algae and start the fight against your food allergies, you can also try other methods for helping your body overcome allergies…

For example, many chronic food allergy sufferers say that by healing their gut health (and getting rid of a leaky gut) they were able to overcome a long list of food allergies. The best way to restore your gut health is to pump up your probiotic intake through supplements and fermented foods and avoid sugar. So with a bit of red algae, a lot of probiotics and a lot less sugar, you could be on your way to a food allergy-free life.

Sources:

1. “Food Allergy Basics: Facts and Statistics.” Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). https://www.foodallergy.org. Retrieved June 1, 2016.

2. Qing-Mei Liu et al. “Anti-Food Allergic Activity of Sulfated Polysaccharide fromis Dependent on Immunosuppression and Inhibition of p38 MAPK.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2016).

The post Does the sea hold the solution to your food allergies? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You’re at home in a plush robe and warm slippers. Bing Crosby’s crooning “White Christmas” from your speakers, and there’s a fire glowing in the fireplace.

You have a cup of hot cocoa in one hand and a roll of wrapping paper in the other. It’s Christmas eve and you’re getting ready for the Christmas festivities that await you tomorrow.

You’re just about to tackle the pile of unwrapped presents beside you when you feel tightness in your chest — like a clenched fist. Your arm hurts too.

You sit down, thinking the feeling will pass in a few seconds. But it doesn’t, and now you feel lightheaded and you’re breaking into a cold sweat. You’re having a heart attack on Christmas Eve.

It may seem like an unfortunate coincidence. But the sad fact is, holiday heart attacks are more common than you’d ever imagine…

More likely to strike on Christmas Eve

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden uncovered some alarming facts about holiday heart attacks…

Did you know, for example, that heart attack risk rises 37 percent on Christmas Eve?

Or that it’s 29 percent higher on Christmas Day?

Even the day after Christmas (known as Boxing Day in England, Canada and other former British territories) comes with a heightened heart attack risk of 21 percent.

And New Year’s Day isn’t safe either. Heart attack risk is 20 percent higher then. (It isn’t higher on New Year’s Eve, though, strangely enough.)

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Lund University researchers figured all this out after examining 16 years’ worth of hospital statistics that included 283,014 cases of holiday heart attacks.

And this isn’t the first time scientists have connected the holidays to heart problems. A 2004 paper published in the journal Circulation found that deaths from all sorts of heart disease are higher on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Researchers don’t know why people have a higher risk of holiday heart attacks. But they have one guess…

Stress.

People are stressed this time of year. And previous research shows that negative feelings like anger, anxiety, sadness, grief and stress raise heart attack risk.

Managing negative emotions during the holidays

The theory that stress causes holiday heart attacks is just that…a theory. Still, it makes sense to manage negative emotions during the holidays not just for your heart sake…

Stress, anger, grief and other negative emotions take a toll on every aspect of your physical and mental health, not just your ticker. So, take these feelings seriously, and do what you can to get them under control.

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Here are a few simple ways to feel happy and bright instead of frazzled and down during the holidays:

• Give yourself downtime. Sometimes, the holidays feel stressful because they’re so busy. As you’re filling your schedule with parties, shopping and holiday events, make sure to schedule plenty of downtime where you can be alone and relax. You may not be able to participate in as many holiday festivities, but you’ll enjoy the events you do participate in more because you’ll feel relaxed, not overburdened.
• Keep up with healthy habits. A lot of people abandon healthy habits during the holidays. They stop exercising. They eat tons of sugar and processed foods. But this only makes stress worse. Exercising is one of the best de-stressors. And sugar and processed foods are known contributors to anxiety and depression. So, keep taking care of yourself during the time of the year you need it most.
• Focus on what’s important. We feel most stressed during the holidays when we lose sight of what’s important. Maybe we’re stressed because we can’t find the right presents for loved ones. Or because we’re worried about money. Or because you want to throw the perfect holiday party. In the end, none of that stuff really matters. Focus on having fun and enjoying family. That’s all that truly matters this time of year…or any time of year. So, remind yourself daily that material things and perfection are pointless, while connection and enjoyment are what makes life worthwhile.

Sources:

1. On Christmas Eve, Santa delivers presents—and a few extra heart attacks — MedicalXpress
2. Warning Signs of a Heart Attack — American Heart Association
3. Stress, depression and the holidays: Tips for coping — Mayo Clinic

The post Tis the season for high risk heart trouble on Christmas Eve appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

From antibiotics to antidepressants, we’ve all taken something in our lives (even if herbs and acupuncture are more our cup of tea). And if prescription drugs are a certainty, then so are prescription drug side effects. The two are like thunder and lightning — rarely separated.

That’s why it’s always a good idea to ask your doctor about common side effects before you start a new drug. He or she will give you the Cliff’s Notes. Or if you’re like me, you can Google all the possible side effects (even the rare and obscure ones) and freak yourself out.

But even if you do your due diligence when it comes to side effects, there’s one problem — secret side effects. The ones doctors don’t know much about yet. And researchers are just starting to discover.

Make no mistake, these secret side effects exist for plenty of drugs — even super common drugs that masses of people take. And a new study just revealed a big one for the most popular prescription drugs today….

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The drugs that take a wrecking ball to your microbiome

You already know that your microbiome is closely linked to health. But what if the drugs you’re taking to make yourself feel better are messing with your microbiome and making your health worse? According to a new study, that seems to be the case….

Researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen and the Maastricht University Medical Center found that at least half of common drugs affect the microbiome in a big, bad way.

Researchers took fecal samples from 1,883 people to examine the effect of 41 commonly used categories of drugs. They found that many of these drugs increased the number of harmful bacteria in the microbiome. Some also contributed to antibiotic resistance. Here are four of the worst offenders:

• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) used to treat acid reflux
• Metformin used to treat diabetes
• Antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections
• Laxatives used to treat constipation

Just to give you an idea of the negative toll some of these drugs took, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) increased the amount of potentially dangerous bacteria that live in the upper gastrointestinal tract. And Metformin increased the amount of Escherichia coli in the gut. As you probably know, E. coli is not one of the good guys. It causes diarrhea and urinary tract infections, among other problems.

Dishonorable mentions go to SSRI antidepressants, which increased the amount of the potentially harmful bacteria Eubacterium ramulus in the guts of people with irritable bowel syndrome, and oral steroids, which caused high levels of methane-producing bacteria tied to weight gain and obesity.

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Give your gut some love

So, now it’s time to ask yourself a serious question…

What are your medications doing to your gut health?

If you regularly take any of the medications above, the answer is… probably nothing good.

Of course, you shouldn’t make drastic changes to your medication without talking to your doctor. But if you’re taking medications that are hard on your gut, you should make other gut-friendly decisions….

Don’t eat lots of sugar, for example. Sugar feeds the bad bacteria in your gut. Processed foods, refined flours, and refined oils are also known for encouraging bad bacteria to take over your microbiome.

Make feeding the good guys in your gut a priority too. You can do that with high-fiber foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains and fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha.

And don’t forget to exercise. It sounds weird, but exercise improves gut health too. So, get moving!

Sources:

1. Common drugs may alter gut bacteria and increase health risks — Medical News Today
2. Half of all commonly used drugs profoundly affecting the gut microbiome, warn experts — EurekAlert!
3. Antibiotics Screwed Up My Gut. Now What? — U.S. News & World Report

The post 4 common drugs that help bad bacteria thrive in your gut appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Sometimes it seems like these negative moods strike at random.

But the truth is, when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, it may be because you’ve been putting the wrong food on your plate…

Scientists are learning more and more about which foods set you up for a happy, positive mood — and which ones leave you feeling depressed, anxious and irritable.

Fast food, for example, is tied to an increased risk of depression in many, many studies.

So what should you eat to feel good?

Well, research has shown that the answer varies depending on your age. The foods that make you feel good when you’re young, aren’t the same ones that do the trick once you get older…

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Feel-good foods for your age group

When researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York conducted an anonymous internet survey about diet and mood it was an eye-opener…

They asked participants to complete a Food-Mood Questionnaire that closely examined their intake of foods that are known to have a powerful effect on brain chemistry and biology. And here’s what they found…

People between the ages of 18 and 29 feel better when they eat foods that increase the production of mood-boosting brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. The food that has the strongest impact on these brain chemicals is meat (white or red).

Exercise also has a powerful effect on serotonin and dopamine, which explains why young adults who ate meat less than three times per week and exercised less than three times per week were more likely to feel major mental distress. They just weren’t building up a large enough supply of these critical brain chemicals.

But for people past 30, meat isn’t the most important mood-booster on the menu. Eating a steak won’t do the trick anymore, but there are two dietary choices you can make to promote a positive mood:

1. Eat more antioxidants.
2. Eat less of the foods that trigger the “fight or flight” response and lead to adrenal fatigue.

Researchers found that people over 30 who followed these habits felt happier overall. Why?

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According to Lina Begdache, assistant professor of health and wellness studies at Binghamton University, the “mature adult mood seems to be more sensitive to regular consumption of sources of antioxidants and abstinence of food that inappropriately activates the innate fight-or-flight response (commonly known as the stress response).”

“With aging, there is an increase in free radical formation (oxidants), so our need for antioxidants increases. Free radicals cause disturbances in the brain, which increases the risk for mental distress. Also, our ability to regulate stress decreases, so if we consume food that activates the stress response (such as coffee and too many carbohydrates), we are more likely to experience mental distress.”

And when it comes to foods that trigger the “fight or flight” response, it’s pretty obvious why those would make your mood take a dive. They encourage your body to produce excessive amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, which makes you feel jittery and irritable. Some of the worst offenders are processed, fried and chargrilled foods that are high in advanced glycation endproducts which promote oxidation and inflammation.

Here are your happy foods…

Ready to make food choices that keep you feeling good?

Well, if you’re 29 or younger, that’s easy enough — getting meat in your diet a few times a week should help. Just make sure to steer clear of processed meats and lunch meats, and eat less read meat.

If you’re 30 or older, it’s time to up your antioxidant intake. You can do that be eating more antioxidant-rich foods like:

• Berries
• Dark chocolate (Here are 7 reasons to eat more!)
• Green tea
• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Barley
• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Artichokes
• Kale
• Olives
• Beets
• Plums
• Apricots
• Clove
• Peppermint
• Sage
• Cinnamon
• Oregano
• Thyme

You’ll also want to avoid those “fight or flight” triggering foods, so reduce or cut out foods like refined carbs, sweets, processed foods, alcohol and caffeine. And don’t forget to eat breakfast every day, because skipping that can activate the stress response in your body too.

If you follow these simple tips, you should be well on your way to a more balanced mood…and much happier mornings.

Your mood depends on the food you eat, and what you should eat changes as you get older — Binghamptom.edu

The post The best feel-good foods by age group appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Long before your doctor looks at you with concerned eyes and tells you there’s something up with your blood sugar, your body is most likely becoming more and more resistant to insulin.

As you may already know, insulin is a hormone that helps your cells absorb the sugar they receive from food and turn it into energy. When your cells become resistant to insulin (i.e., they don’t respond to it anymore), your cells aren’t absorbing sugar properly and it’s left in your bloodstream.

Diet, exercise and weight all contribute to insulin resistance. But recent research shows there’s another invisible culprit fueling your insulin resistance… a type of free radicals known as reactive oxygen species.

Reactive oxygen species are an unavoidable part of life. Your body creates them in response to pollution, cigarette smoke, chemicals, X-rays and other stressors in your environment. But reactive oxygen species also form naturally in your body during essential bodily functions like when your cells create energy. These reactive oxygen species cause DNA damage that leads to premature aging and disease.

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But there’s good news…

If reactive oxygen species contribute to insulin resistance, it’s a safe bet that antioxidants — your body’s protectors against free radicals — can help reverse it. In fact, it’s more than a safe bet. It’s scientifically proven.

And a recent collaborative study from U.K., Australian and U.S. researchers shows there’s one particular antioxidant that could help people with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes reverse their insulin resistance and reclaim their health.

CoQ10 fights free radicals that fuel diabetes

In a major collaborative research effort, researchers from the University of Sydney, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Genentech Inc. and the University of New South Wales recently demonstrated that the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) reverses insulin resistance.

These researchers examined the correlation between CoQ10 levels and insulin resistance in a bunch of studies, including experimental laboratory studies, mouse models and studies that used samples from human tissues.

They determined that as the CoQ10 levels in tissues got lower, insulin resistance got higher. In other words, cells without an ample supply of CoQ10 were more likely to be insulin resistant. Researchers think this connection relates to reactive oxygen species.

In fact, they confirmed that more reactive oxygen species formed in cells that didn’t have enough CoQ10.

But there’s a positive side to their findings…

When researchers restored healthy CoQ10 levels to those depleted cells, insulin resistance reversed. That means the antidote to insulin resistance may be an inexpensive supplement available at your local health food store.

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Using CoQ10 for insulin resistance

So does this research prove that CoQ10 supplements are the answer to type 2 diabetes?

Not quite. More often than not, type 2 diabetes is caused by lifestyle — not getting enough exercise and eating an unhealthy diet. Stress plays a big role in the disease too.

So I’m not suggesting you take a CoQ10 supplement and completely ignore these other factors. That would be silly. And probably wouldn’t work.

Start exercising, eating right and destressing daily. Then if you want extra help getting your insulin and blood sugar back on track, try a CoQ10 supplement.

But you should know, CoQ10 supplements are hard for your body to absorb, so some of them are a waste of money.

Choose a CoQ10 supplement called ubiquinol. Ubiquinol is the natural antioxidant form of CoQ10, and it’s absorbed eight times better than the conventional form of CoQ10 (known as ubiquinone).

You’ll also want to look for a supplement that’s crystal-free since your small intestine can’t absorb the crystals found in some CoQ10 supplements.

Once you start exercising, eating healthy and taking the right CoQ10 supplement, your insulin resistance will probably resolve itself. Then you can reverse your body’s descent into type 2 diabetes and send it on the path toward better health instead.

Sources:

1. Prediabetes & Insulin Resistance — National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
2. Simple molecule could prevent, alleviate pre-diabetes — MedicalXpress. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
3. J. Fazakerley, et al. “Mitochondrial CoQ deficiency is a common driver of mitochondrial oxidants and insulin resistance.” — eLife, 2018.
4. Lobo, et al. “Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health.” — Pharmacognosy Reviews. 2010 Jul-Dec; 4(8): 118–126.
5. Hajhashemi, et al. “Are antioxidants helpful for disease prevention?” — Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2010 Jan-Jun; 5(1): 1–8.
6. Bajaj and A. Khan. “Antioxidants and diabetes.” — Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2012 Dec; 16(Suppl 2): S267–S271.

The post The anti-diabetes antioxidant that reverses insulin resistance appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Even better, this same unusual method for sleeping better will help you fend off colds and feel less anxious too.

So what does research from the world’s most revered scientists suggest you do to tackle colds, insomnia and anxiety all at once?

Add a bit more greenery to your bedroom, that’s what…

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Fewer colds, less anxiety and better sleep

Back in 1989, the scientists at NASA conducted The Clean Air Study to figure out what houseplants were best at getting rid of nasty toxins in indoor air.

Based on the results of this study, journalists from Elle Décor and the Joy of Plants recently developed a list of the top 10 plants that, when added to your bedside table, could make a big difference in your sleep and health.

Before I give you the list of plants and send you on your way to your local plant nursery, let me explain why houseplants have the power to improve your sleep and health…

As you probably already know, plants purify the air. And even in your most sacred and private sanctuary — your bedroom — there’s a lot to purify.

Chemicals like trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, benzene, xylene and ammonia seep from paint, plastics, leather, plywood, paper products and other everyday items into our indoor air.

Depending on the amount of the chemical and length of time you’re exposed to it, these chemicals can make you dizzy, confused, give you a sore throat, give you a headache, cause liver and kidney damage, cause heart problems or even put you into a coma.

So they’re not great for you. And since most of us spend 90 percent of our time indoors, finding ways to get them out of our air should be a top priority.

Of course, besides purifying the air, there’s another, more simplistic reason houseplants are good for you: People find plants calming. Greenery, whether indoors or outdoors, is known for easing anxiety and improving mood, which is why they may be able to help you sleep.

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So which houseplants would be the most beneficial addition to your bedroom? Well, according to the research from NASA and the analysis from journalists at Elle Décor and the Joy of Plants, these are the houseplants you should put on your shopping list if you want a better night’s sleep and better health:

1. Areca Palm: This plant releases moisture in the air, making it easier to breathe and fall asleep. Because it helps you breathe easy, it’s also one of the best houseplants for people who get a lot of colds or have chronic sinus issues.
2. Aloe Vera: This plant does more than just heal sunburns. It’s an air-purification powerhouse, because it releases oxygen all night long. It’s also great at sucking the chemicals benzene and formaldehyde out of your air.
3. English Ivy: Research suggests that if you buy an English Ivy plant today, you could get rid of 78 percent of airborne mold in as little as 12 hours.
4. Dwarf Date Palm: A good, hardy choice if you don’t necessarily have a green thumb, this plant is highly efficient at getting rid of airborne chemicals like xylene.
5. Boston fern: This beautiful fern is among the top 10 air-purifying houseplants identified by NASA in their study. It’s especially great at getting rid of formaldehyde.
6. Chinese evergreen: This one’s easy to take care of, because it doesn’t need much light. It’s also know for becoming even better at removing toxins from the air the longer you have it.
7. Peace Lily: This gorgeous lily removes mold spores from the air and can improve your indoor air quality by 60 percent.
8. Spider Plant: If you head to the store and buy a spider plant now, two days from now, you’ll have 90 percent less toxins in your bedroom air. Scientists say if you have dust allergies, this one’s really helpful.
9. Lady Palm: This plant’s best known for purifying your air of nasty toxins like formaldehyde, ammonia, xylene and toluene.
10. Weeping fig: Your carpeting and furniture are some the largest sources of formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene in your home. But the weeping fig can save you from these dangerous chemicals by sucking them out of the air.

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About houseplants and pets…

Now, if you have pets, be warned… some of these plants are toxic to dogs and cats. As a pet owner, that’s always something you should check for before bringing new plants into your home.

You can look up any plant that you’re planning to purchase in the ASPCA’s searchable Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants List to make sure it’s safe for your pets.

Once you know which houseplants are safe for your pets, decide what plants fit best with your bedroom décor and most closely match your health goals. Then you can head to the store and buy a bit of greenery!

The post 10 houseplants NASA says will make you feel better appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But sunscreen is far from perfect…

Conventional sunscreens are filled with chemicals. Based on what the FDA and the American Academy of Dermatology have always told us, these chemicals are safe. At least, in the doses we’re exposed to them in sunscreen. But I have my doubts. And I’m not the only one…

FDA researchers are starting to question the safety of conventional sunscreen too because their studies keep showing that our exposure to sunscreen chemicals is actually far higher than even they think is safe…

These sunscreen chemicals are seeping into your blood at dangerous levels

Researchers from the FDA have taken a closer look at six common chemicals in sunscreen sprays and lotions: octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate, avobenzone, octinoxate, and oxybenzone. What they found is alarming…

The FDA’s safe threshold for these chemicals is 0.5 nanograms (ng) per milliliter (mL) of blood plasma. They tested sunscreens containing these chemicals on 48 people, and guess what? Their blood concentration of these chemicals was higher than that. In fact, one of the chemicals — oxybenzone — had blood concentrations 360 times higher than the FDA’s safety threshold.

Even worse, blood concentrations of these chemicals stayed above the threshold for a long time —anywhere from seven to 21 days. Octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate, avobenzone, octinoxate, and oxybenzone stayed high for seven days after use. Homosalate and oxybenzone were still too high 21 days later.

Why is this worrisome? Well, there are a few reasons…

• Research shows oxybenzone can potentially cause cell damage that could contribute to skin cancer.
• In a 2017 study, octocrylene damaged DNA in aquatic animals.
• According to another 2017 study, avobenzone mixed with chlorine (the stuff found abundantly in swimming pools) has toxic effects on the kidney and liver.

Many of these chemicals are also linked to hormone disruption, which makes them endocrine disruptors. They can cause trouble from reproductive problems to thyroid diseases.

But even though these ingredients are under FDA scrutiny, they’ve not yet decided to ban them. According to information a the Environmental Working Group site, the FDA proposes these ingredients are “not generally recognized as safe and effective due to insufficient data.”

The secret to safer sun protection

As scary as this all is, I’m not going to tell you to chuck your sunscreen. There’s too much evidence that protecting yourself from UV exposure reduces your risk of skin cancer. I am going to tell you to look for a safer type of sun protection…

There are UV filters with a lower risk of toxicity. Two of them are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. But you’ll need to pay attention to more than the active ingredients in your sunscreen. Inactive ingredients like the vitamin A derivative retinyl palmitate and parabens come with serious health baggage too.

So, before you purchase another bottle of sunscreen, I recommend looking at the Environmental Working Group’s safe sunscreen database to find an option that protects you from the sun without putting you at risk for other health concerns.

Oh, and eat more grapes for an added layer of protection, in addition to practicing sensible sun exposure. Multiple studies have found that eating grapes protected against UV skin damage, increased resistance to sunburn and reduced cellular markers of UV damage. 

Sources:

1. Sunscreens leach up to 360 times more toxic chemicals into the blood than the FDA allows, raising risks for liver and kidney failure, study finds —The Daily Mail
2. Effect of Sunscreen Application on Plasma Concentration of Sunscreen Active Ingredients — JAMA
3. The Trouble With Ingredients in Sunscreens — Environmental Working Group
4. Is sunscreen bad for you — The Cleveland Clinic

The post 6 common sunscreen chemicals aren’t safe even by FDA standards appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But I’ll tell you one type of attention that doesn’t feel good… attention from blood-sucking insects. And for some reason, they seem to pay more attention to me than anyone around me. Do you have the same problem?

I wouldn’t be surprised if you do. Science shows there’s a group of us that have the good fortune of being very attractive to those little buggers. The question is… why are we so lucky?

Why can everyone around us sip their beer, eat their burger throw their frisbee in peace, while we get swarmed by disease-carrying, welt-inducing insects?

Well, it turns out, there are several potential reasons why you could top the mosquitoes’ most desirable list…

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What makes you a mosquito magnet

Research shows that about 20 percent of people are particularly appealing to mosquitoes. And the attraction usually comes down to one of these things:

1. Blood type. Mosquitoes land on people with type O blood about twice as often as people with type A blood. People with type B blood attract more of the insects than type A people but less than type O people.
2. A lot of us (around 85 percent) give off a “scent” (really, a chemical signal) that tells mosquitoes our blood type. Those of us who give off this “scent” are more likely to attract mosquitoes no matter what blood type we have.
3. When you sweat, you release lactic acid, uric acid, and ammonia, which is like putting a mosquito-sized sign on your forehead that says, “Come and get it.” Body heat attracts them, too… another reason they’re more likely to go after you when you’re hot and sweaty.
4. Studies show that drinking alcohol turns you into mosquito bait. So, if you’re already a mosquito-attracting mama, you may want to pass on the cocktails when you’re sitting outside at dusk.
5. Carbon dioxide. Maybe you’re a heavy breather. Maybe you’re pregnant. Maybe you’re just a large person. Regardless, you’re giving off more carbon dioxide… which means you’re attracting more mosquitoes. Carbon dioxide helps them hone in on their prey.

How to make yourself less of a mosquito magnet

So, why are you a mosquito magnet? Is it because you like to drink? Because you’re a sweaty Betty? Because you’re pregnant? Because you have type O blood?

Regardless of the reason, you’ll want to protect yourself from mosquitoes since they’re drawn to you like a moth to a flame (or a mosquito to a cocktail-drinking, sweaty, pregnant woman with type O blood).

Like I mentioned earlier, cutting back on the cocktails can reduce your odds of getting bit by mosquitoes.

So, can your clothing choice. Mosquitoes are drawn to dark clothing, so keeping things light can save you from a bite (a motto to remember when you get dressed in the summer).

You can also keep mosquitoes away with natural bug repellents. They’re available online and in health food stores. You can even make your own repellent using essential oils. Some of the most effective oils for keeping mosquitoes at bay are catnip oil, cinnamon oil, and lemon eucalyptus oil.

Sources:

1. Why Mosquitoes Bite Some People and Not Others — TIME
2. Why Do Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others? — Smithsonian.com
3. Landing preference of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) on human skin among ABO blood groups, secretors or nonsecretors, and ABH antigens — Journal of Medical Entomology
4. Heritability of Attractiveness to Mosquitoes — PLOS ONE
5. Beer Consumption Increases Human Attractiveness to Malaria Mosquitoes — PLOS ONE
6. Alcohol ingestion stimulates mosquito attraction — Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association

The post 5 reasons mosquitoes love you and how to turn them off appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But you may not know that it’s a food additive as well. A “food grade” version is found in everything from chewing gum to cheese to chocolate to condiments. And unfortunately, this ingredient is in so many everyday foods could have a serious impact on your health…

Research shows that it can cause genetic damage in mice, decrease the ability of intestinal cells to absorb nutrients, decrease the immune system’s ability to fight pathogens and increase inflammation. It’s even been linked to type 2 diabetes.

Yet, somehow, it’s still in our food. Granted, a lot of the research on this food additive so far has been conducted on mice, but that doesn’t mean we should shrug it off.  Especially since yet another study has found that this popular food additive is fueling poor health and chronic disease…

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Titanium dioxide: Bad for gut bacteria and colon health

You’ve heard time and time again that good gut health is the foundation of good overall health. The bacteria in your gut influence your risk of pretty much every major disease, including type 2 diabetes, autoimmune conditions, cancer and more. So, anything bad for your gut is bad for your disease risk… and based on new research from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, titanium dioxide isn’t doing your gut any favors.

In their study, researchers fed mice two different versions of titanium dioxide: titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) and E171.

E171 is the type of titanium dioxide that’s added to food products and contains different-sized titanium dioxide particles. About one-third of the particles in E171 are nanoparticles. Nanoparticles are thought to be the most problematic type of titanium dioxide because they’re absorbed in the body easier than bigger particles, and they tend to accumulate in bodily tissues.

Previous research has shown it can collect in the organs, primarily the liver, spleen and kidney, so this current research is not all that surprising…

In this study, researchers found that both E171 and TiO2 NPs disrupted the gut bacteria of mice. The nanoparticles caused more negative changes. But that’s to be expected since we already know that nanoparticles are more harmful.

TiO2 NPs decreased short-chain fatty acids levels, too. Short-chain fatty acids are essential for colon health, so fewer of them could trigger gastrointestinal disease down the line. These nanoparticles also increased pro-inflammatory immune cells and cytokines in the colon, which doesn’t bode well for gastrointestinal health. In fact, these changes could ultimately trigger inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Researchers found that obese mice were more negatively impacted by nanoparticles than non-obese mice, which means titanium dioxide may create bigger health burdens for some people than others. But all in all, the message from this study was clear — it isn’t good for the gut.

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Protect yourself from titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide is already banned in France. But as you probably know, the FDA tends to take a slower approach to protecting us from potentially dangerous additives in our food than its European counterparts. That means, it’s up to you to pay attention to what you’re putting into your body and avoid titanium dioxide whenever you can.

Titanium dioxide is found in a wide variety of foods… although, the most common culprits are chewing gum, candies, pastries, chocolates, coffee creamers and cake decorations. If you want to avoid titanium dioxide, it’s best to read all labels. It’s usually listed as E171.

Titanium dioxide is also a common ingredient in cosmetics, and it can be absorbed through the skin. So, keep your eyes peeled for it in your beauty products. And don’t forget to check personal care products, like toothpaste, because it’s often in those too. In fact, you might as well read every label of everything you buy, because the truth is, you never know what they’re sneaking into the stuff you buy nowadays.

Sources:

1. Common Food Additive Causes Adverse Health Effects in Mice — University of Massachusetts Amherst.
2. Titanium Dioxide in Food — Should You Be Concerned? — Healthline.

The post The ingredient sunscreen and cheese have in common appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You’re stuck in the bottomless pit of fatigue. And it stinks. It sucks the joy out of life and makes everything feel like an insurmountable chore. So, the question is… how do you get more energy?

Some people have plenty of energy. They’re out at Fleetwood Mac concerts. Cooking boeuf bourguignon for their family. Keeping a house so clean and well-decorated it would make Martha Stewart cry tears of joy.

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How do you become one of those people? How do you turn yourself from an energy-less lump of flesh to a vibrant, enthusiastic human who wants to participate in life?

Well, the first place to look when your energy levels are critically low is your lifestyle. Are you stressed? Getting enough sleep? Eating a healthy diet? Exercising?

But when lifestyle changes fail to restore your depleted energy reserves, there’s somewhere else you can look for energetic support — supplements.

Here are six supplements that can help you lift those lagging energy levels and get your life back:

1. Iron

The first supplement to consider if you’re struggling with low energy levels is iron. Iron deficiency is one of the most common causes of fatigue, especially among women, vegetarians, vegans, people who exercise a lot, and people who donate blood frequently.

If you’re feeling unusually fatigued, head to your doctor to get your iron levels checked — particularly if you fall into one of the at-risk groups mentioned above. A 2012 study found that menstruating women with unexplained fatigue were able to reduce their fatigue by nearly 48 percent in 12 weeks just by taking an iron supplement.

Even if you don’t fall into one of the groups most at risk for iron deficiency, make sure you’re getting plenty of iron. Fish, spinach, red meat, and legumes are great dietary sources, and most multivitamins contain your RDA of iron too.

2. B vitamins

Since your body needs B vitamins to create energy in your cells, B vitamin deficiency is another common cause of fatigue. Vegetarians and vegans have a higher risk of B vitamin deficiency (animal products are one of the richest sources of B vitamins, after all). Older adults are also at risk for B vitamin deficiency because they don’t absorb B vitamins as efficiently.

If you’re struggling with fatigue and you’re older or following a vegetarian or vegan diet, you may want to test your B vitamin levels. If your levels are low, taking a B vitamin supplement should help your energy levels.

Unfortunately, B vitamins aren’t a quick fix for the rest of us. There’s no evidence that B vitamins improve energy levels in people without a B vitamin deficiency. But don’t worry, there are a few other energy-boosting supplements that may work…

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3. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is an herb used in the ancient Indian healing system known as Ayurveda.  It’s an adaptogen, which means it helps your body adapt to stress. Why would that improve energy levels?

Well, the negative emotions that accompany stress use up massive amounts of energy. A 2012 study found that ashwagandha can help you manage those emotions. People who took ashwagandha for 60 days felt less stressed and had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Does that for sure mean more energy?

Well, it did for people in another 2012 study. Cyclists who took 500 mg of ashwagandha twice daily had greater endurance than those who took a placebo.

4. Coenzyme Q10

You may have heard a thing or two about the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). People use it to help with everything from migraines to heart disease to Parkinson’s. It occurs naturally in your body, but it’s also found in food like meat, fish and whole grains.

A 2014 research review examined 25 studies to identify the most reliable markers for fatigue. And guess what? There was a significant connection between low coenzyme Q10 levels and fatigue.

So, if you’re someone who deals with lagging energy levels, CoQ10 is something you should consider. Standard daily dosages range from 60 to 500 mg of CoQ10 per day. People with serious health issues often take 200 mg or more per day. It’s well tolerated by most people. But the higher dosages may cause side effects like headaches, diarrhea and nausea.

5. Creatine

If you’re dealing with physical fatigue that prevents you from staying active, creatine could help. Creatine is an amino acid that can boost muscle strength and endurance. It does this by increasing the amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in your cells. ATP is a source of energy, but your cells can only produce so much. That’s why you get tired so quickly when you perform intense exercise, like sprinting. Your cells don’t have enough ATP to keep you going.

A 2017 research review on creatine and exercise found that creatine supplements improve exercise performance, help people recover better from exercise and reduce the risk of injuries. This review also included evidence that creatine supplements can help people with neurodegenerative disorders exercise more effectively and improve health markers with age.

Creatine is a safe supplement that’s tolerated well by most people. People taking creatine to build muscle and increase exercise endurance often take 20 grams per day for five to seven days to build creatine stores in their cells. They follow that with three to five grams per day to maintain levels.

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6. L-theanine

If mental fatigue is your main problem, L-theanine could be the solution you’re searching for. L-theanine is an amino acid that can boost cognitive performance, especially when it’s combined with caffeine.

At the same time, L-theanine is stress-relieving and promotes calm focus.

A 2017 study found that L-theanine on its own improves attention in men. But attention improved even more when L-theanine was combined with caffeine. A 2010 study had similar findings. Young adults who took 97 mg of L-theanine and 40 mg of caffeine had better cognitive performance and felt more alert.

The good news? L-theanine and caffeine both occur naturally in tea. So, you may already have this “supplement” in your pantry. Green and black tea are the best natural sources of L-theanine.

But there is a chance you won’t get a potent enough dose from tea alone. Tea typically contains anywhere from 5 to 25 mg depending on tea type and brewing time. It’s usually well-tolerated, but wise to follow manufacturer guidelines on the serving amount for any supplement you take.

Sources:

1. The best vitamins and supplements for energy — Medical News Today
2. Effects of eight-week supplementation of Ashwagandha on cardiorespiratory endurance in elite Indian cyclists — Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine
3. A Prospective, Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Safety and Efficacy of a High-Concentration Full-Spectrum Extract of Ashwagandha Root in Reducing Stress and Anxiety in Adults — Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine
4. 9 tips to boost your energy — naturally — Harvard Health Publishing
5. Association of mitochondrial dysfunction and fatigue: A review of the literature — BBA Clinical
6. Coenzyme Q10 — Mayo Clinic
7. Coenzyme Q₁₀ Supplementation in Aging and Disease — Pubmed
8. How Creatine Helps You Gain Muscle and Strength — Healthline
9. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine — Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
10. The combination of L-theanine and caffeine improves cognitive performance and increases subjective alertness — Nutritional Neuroscience
11. Acute effects of theanine, caffeine and theanine–caffeine combination on attention — Nutritional Neuroscience
12. Effect of iron supplementation on fatigue in nonanemic menstruating women with low ferritin: a randomized controlled trial — Canadian Medical Association Journal 

The post 6 supplements that lift lagging energy levels appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

These complications don’t happen to everyone with diabetes. But the longer you have the disease and the worse your blood sugar control is, the more likely you are to eventually develop one (or more) of them.

Why does diabetes impact so many different organs and systems in your body?

Because the excess sugar can damage the body in a multitude of ways:

• It can damage the walls of tiny blood vessels known as capillaries that supply blood to your nerves, particularly in the legs, and lead to nerve damage.
• It can damage the filtering system in the kidneys that removes waste from the blood, eventually triggering kidney failure.
• It can damage the blood vessels of the retina, causing vision problems or even blindness.

And that damage can extend to your bones as well…

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Diabetes puts you at risk for hip and other debilitating fractures

Researchers from the University of Sheffield reviewed health records from previous studies and determined that people with diabetes (type 1 and 2) have a higher risk of developing hip and non-vertebral fractures (fractures that don’t impact the spine or skull).

Like other diabetes complications, researchers found that the risk of bone fractures was higher for people who had the disease longer and those whose blood sugar control was worse. The risk was also higher for those with type 1 diabetes versus those with type 2 diabetes. But people with type 2 diabetes who used insulin had a higher risk too.

Even though bone fractures aren’t on most people’s radar as a possible diabetes complication, this isn’t the first study to show people with diabetes have a higher fracture risk…

• A 2014 study found that people with diabetes are as much as three times as likely to get a bone fracture as people without diabetes.
• Another from 2018 found women diagnosed after age 40 with diabetes experience a 30 percent increase in their risk of non-vertebral fracture and an astonishing 82 percent increased risk for hip fracture.

Hip fractures, in particular, are known to cause disability in older people and even increase the risk of dying within a year of the injury.

What’s the connection between diabetes and poor bone health? Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs).

AGEs are associated with elevated fracture prevalence or incidence, in particular among people with diabetes.

AGEs cause oxidative stress and inflammation. They also physically affect bone quality when they accumulate in bone collagen fibers. A growing body of evidence indicates that AGEs play a significant role in the progression of classical diabetes complications and diabetic osteopathy.

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Better controlled blood sugar for better bones

So, how do you protect your bones if you have diabetes?

First, you have to do everything in your power to keep your blood sugar under control. For many people with diabetes, that means using diabetes medication, exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet.

Avoid foods that contain AGEs. Meat contains 150 times more AGEs than fruits and vegetables, so switching a meaty meal to a vegetarian meal a few times per week is one of the best ways to lower your AGE intake.

When you do eat meat, avoid grilling, roasting, searing, frying or baking. These cooking methods, which use high heat for long periods, increase the amount of AGEs produced in the meat. Wet cooking methods like steaming, poaching, stewing and boiling result in lower AGE production.

Snack on berries. One in particular, the Aronia berry, also known as the chokeberry not only helps lower the amount of sugar entering your bloodstream after you eat but is the highest berry source of chlorogenic acid (CGA) — an antioxidant compound that has been found to not only decrease bone loss but promote bone growth.

Next, you may have your doctor check your vitamin D levels. Why?

• According to McMaster University, many people with diabetes are
  low in vitamin D.
• Another study found that people with vitamin D blood levels of 50 ng/mL (considered adequate) were five times less likely to develop diabetes than those with 20ng/mL. The lead author of that study suggested that rather than focusing solely on obesity and sugar and fat intake, we should be focusing on vitamin D levels.

And not only is vitamin D known to help regulate insulin levels, we already know it helps promote bone health.

Sources:

1. People with diabetes at higher risk of bone fractures — co.uk.
2. People with diabetes are at greater risk of bone fractures —  EurekAlert!
3. Advanced glycation end products and bone — Science Direct.com
4. The risk of hip and non-vertebral fractures in type 1 and type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis update — Bone.
5. Diabetes — Mayo Clinic.
6. Bone Fractures: Prevention — Cleveland Clinic.

The post AGEs: Why diabetes is bad for your bones appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It uses it to make hormones, make vitamin D and help you digest your food… not to mention the fact that it’s essentially brain food.

That’s why statins have so many side effects (like muscle damage, liver damage, blood sugar issues and dementia). They prevent your body from making the cholesterol it needs to stay healthy.

But once your body has enough cholesterol to do what it needs to do, the rest is just superfluous. And the most recent research has revealed it’s the small, dense LDL cholesterol particles that cause problems in your arteries. That’s where HDL cholesterol (also known as “good” cholesterol) comes in…

HDL cholesterol is like the cholesterol garbage man. It travels around your body collecting excess cholesterol from your cells and tissues and brings it back to your liver for disposal.

So when you have high HDL cholesterol levels, it’s good because it means you have a lot of little garbage men clearing out the waste. In fact, having more of these cholesterol garbage men also means having a lower risk for stroke and heart attack.

So the question is, how do you get more cholesterol garbage men on patrol in your body?

Easy… eat more almonds.

These tasty nuts not only increase the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body, but they also help HDL perform its garbage-collecting duties better than ever…

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The healthy way to boost HDL

A study from researchers at Penn State University found that adding more almonds to your diet could improve your HDL levels and help these little cholesterol collectors work more efficiently in your body.

The study included 48 men and women who had high LDL cholesterol levels. Over the course of 12 weeks, all study participants tried two different diets. Everyone tried a diet where they had a daily snack of almonds for six weeks. And for another six weeks, everyone tried a diet where they had a banana muffin daily.

After each six-week diet was over, researchers measured cholesterol levels to see if switching up these snacks had an impact on HDL. And it most certainly did…

The six-week period spent eating almonds paid off. Not only did participants have more HDL cholesterol, but they also had bigger HDL particles. Now, when it comes to HDL particles, the bigger the better because it means they’ve collected more excess cholesterol from your body.

“We were able to show that there were more larger particles in response to consuming the almonds compared to not consuming almonds,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State and study researcher. “That would translate to the smaller particles doing what they’re supposed to be doing. They’re going to tissues and pulling out cholesterol, getting bigger, and taking that cholesterol to the liver for removal from the body.”

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The answer is almonds…

So when it comes to cholesterol, HDL is a good thing, but can almonds do anything about LDL, AKA “lousy” cholesterol?

According to a post by Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a raw almond’s brown skin is especially high in antioxidants and studies have shown reductions in biomarkers of oxidative stress with regular raw almond consumption.

So that’s one way almonds have a role to play in fighting inflammation and oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol. For LDL to deposit in our arteries, it has to be oxidized. Reducing LDL oxidation reduces the chance that any of it actually causes us harm.

Also, researchers in another study found when a group of adults, ranging in age from 30 to 70, gave up their regular snacks and switched to almonds for two weeks, there was a definite drop in the plasma levels of LDL compared to the control (the usual snacks).

So, if you don’t eat almonds already, it’s time to start. Most experts advise a hefty handful of almonds daily. But avoid the salted ones. Too much sodium can create its own problems.

Dot it right and almonds can help you battle belly fat, give you the calcium you need for healthy bones and help you get a good night’s sleep, too!

Sources:
Almonds may help boost cholesterol clean-up crew. — MedicalXpress.

Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks. — Mayo Clinic. Retrieved

Snacking on whole almonds for 6 weeks improves endothelial function and lowers LDL cholesterol but does not affect liver fat and other cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy adults: the ATTIS study, a randomized controlled trial — The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

The post What almonds do to your cholesterol appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You take the antibiotics and spend weeks on the couch re-watching every season of Downton Abbey. But you still aren’t feeling better. So, you go see your doctor again. This time she looks more concerned. She sends you for a CT scan. The diagnosis? Lung cancer.

Lung cancer is a very treatable disease if you catch it early. But those weeks you spent immersing yourself in early 20^th century aristocratic Britain, your cancer was spreading. And now your odds of surviving are lower.

Talk about a nightmare. But it’s more than a nightmare for hundreds of thousands of Americans. In fact, diagnostic errors are one of the most common — and serious — medical mistakes. Over 100,000 Americans die or are permanently disabled because of them.

The question is… how do you prevent a nightmare like this from becoming your reality?

Well, it’s helpful to know which conditions are most likely to be misdiagnosed in the first place. And lucky for you, a new study just revealed the top three…

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Misdiagnosing these serious conditions leads to death and disability

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality just figured out the three disease categories that are most likely to be misdiagnosed: vascular events, infections and cancers.

They did a thorough analysis of 11,592 malpractice insurance claims and found that these three types of disorders make up three-fourths of all misdiagnoses that lead to death or permanent disability. More specifically, they found that:

• 8 percent of serious misdiagnoses were cancer
• 8 percent of serious misdiagnoses were vascular events
• 5 percent of serious misdiagnoses were infections

If you’d like to know even more precisely what conditions to look out for, researchers identified the most misdiagnosed condition in each of these three categories:

• The most misdiagnosed cancer is lung cancer
• The most misdiagnosed vascular event is stroke
• The most misdiagnosed infection is sepsis

Besides the big three listed above, several other conditions were likely to be misdiagnosed and lead to death or disability, like:

• Heart attack
• Venous thromboembolism (blood clots in the legs and lungs)
• Aortic aneurysm and dissection (a rupture of the aorta)
• Arterial thromboembolism (a blockage of the blood supply to internal organs)
• Meningitis
• Encephalitis
• Spinal infection
• Pneumonia
• Endocarditis (a heart infection)
• Breast, colorectal, prostate and skin cancers

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Don’t become a misdiagnosis statistic

How can you use this information to decrease your odds of becoming one of the people a misdiagnosis harms?

Well, I’d start by paying close attention to the big three: lung cancer, stroke and sepsis. If you ever develop symptoms that correspond with these diseases, don’t be shy about asking your doctor whether he or she has ruled these serious conditions out. And if you have a gut feeling that your doctor’s diagnosis is wrong, seek out a second opinion. It’s your life on the line, after all.

Sources:

Researchers identify health conditions likely to be misdiagnosed — MedicalXpress

Serious misdiagnosis-related harms in malpractice claims: The “Big Three” – vascular events, infections, and cancers — Diagnosis

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And if you’re one of the more than three million Americans suffering from atherosclerosis, you know this all too well.

Atherosclerosis is the primary cause of heart attack, but it also causes about half of all strokes. And there are often no symptoms until it’s too late and a plaque ruptures or blood flow is completely blocked.

That’s why prevention is key. And this time, it’s pretty easy…

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3 powerful nutrients could make one heart-healthy supplement

When it comes to treating or preventing atherosclerosis naturally, three is the magic number. That’s because when used together, there are three ingredients that, when supplemented, may help keep your arteries free and clear, according to research.

Researchers from Cardiff University collaborated with UK nutritional supplement manufacturer Cultech Ltd to test their theory that three was better than one when it came to treating atherosclerosis with nutritional supplements.

“A variety of active food ingredients have been shown to impart beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease although little is known regarding their actions when taken in combination,” co-author of the study Dr. Dipak Ramji from Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences.

The artery-clearing cocktail that Ramji and fellow researchers devised included fish oil, cocoa extract and phytosterols. And based on their initial results in cell-based models, it looks like a promising way to stop the progression of atherosclerosis. The next step is to test their results on humans.

Considering what the health world already knows about these three supplements, the results are no surprise. Because of its high content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, fish oil has been a frontrunner to promote artery and heart health.  And krill, which many believe to be a superior form of omega-3s, works just as well at promoting your heart health — maybe even better.

And, due to its high flavonoid content, cocoa too has developed a reputation as an anti-inflammatory hero that keeps arteries clear and heart-healthy (a reputation that is also backed up by a significant amount of science).

Last but not least, plant phytosterols (available as supplements) have been added to the atherosclerosis-fighting arsenal because they contain fatty acid esters, which are proven to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.  According to the Cleveland Clinic, when phytosterols are combined with omega-3 (DHA) they not only lower LDL but also improve HDL (good cholesterol) and lower triglycerides.

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Lowering risks means more choices

With research-backed nutritional resumes like these, you would only expect that these three supplements would pack a powerful punch against arterial plaque. But perhaps most important is that this solution is natural and completely non-invasive.

And if you get a jump on the game you could avoid medical options that are risky.

Doctors would recommend stenting, which is often done as a “precautionary measure.” But a review showed that there is no data confirming that these procedures reduce the risk of stroke, which is the stated reason for the surgery and the stent in the first place. In fact, carotid stenosis screenings often lead to false positives, which lead to unnecessary procedures, which lead to people dying unnecessarily.

The results of a major $100-million study on the effectiveness of stents and bypass surgery found lifestyle and medications worked better.

But not all medications are risk-free.

Take statins? There are the studies they want you to see that make it out to be a miracle drug. But other studies show that for every 10,000 people on statins, there were:

• 307 additional patients with cataracts.
• 23 more patients with acute kidney failure.
• 74 additional patients with liver dysfunction.

Another scientific review found that statins were even worse for women, actually increasing their risk for cardiac disease.

Just remember, this dangerous condition is often symptom-free and alarmingly common, affecting up to 80 percent of Americans over 30 years old. Taking supplements, along with following a healthy diet and exercising regularly, could decrease these odds so surgery later or risky drugs aren’t your only option.

Sources:

Could a combined dietary supplement help ward off heart disease? —Science Daily

Flavonoids: Antioxidants Against Atherosclerosis — The Journal Nutrients

Chocolate Consumption is Inversely Associated with Calcified Atherosclerotic Plaque in the Coronary Arteries: The NHLBI Family Heart Study — Clinical Nutrition

Omega-3 fatty acids in atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease — Future Science OA

The post Triple nutrient cocktail could help stave off heart attack and stroke appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Research from 2014 shows that around 70 percent of Americans now have detectable levels of glyphosate in their bodies compared to only 12 percent in the mid-1970s. Yikes. And an even more recent study found that every participant had detectable levels of glyphosate in them.

Of course, glyphosates aren’t the only pesticides that are likely in your system. There are dozens of different pesticides used on our food, many of which have been linked to hormone disruption, developmental problems, immune system issues, neurological effects and more.

I know all this is a downer to think about. But I have good news, too. New research shows that you can clear as much of 70 percent of glyphosate from your body (and a large percentage of the other pesticides) in just six days by eating one particular type of diet. Any guesses what type? An organic one, of course!

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5 pesticides organic eating clears from your system quick

The environmental nonprofit Friends of the Earth conducted a study on the impact organic eating has on pesticide levels in our bodies. And the results were pretty amazing…

In the study, researchers asked four American families to eat a non-organic diet for six days and then switch over to an entirely organic diet for another six days. During both diets, researchers tested pesticide levels in the bodies of these families, and here’s what they found

Eating an organic diet for just six days reduced the amount of detectable pesticides in their bodies by an average of 60.5 percent.

Researchers found 16 pesticides, along with pesticide metabolites (compounds produced by the body when it breaks these chemicals down) in every study participant. They said their findings indicate that each person was exposed to 40 different types of pesticides. Here are the ones they witnessed the most dramatic drops in after participants started eating organic diets:

1. Organophosphates

Organophosphates are neurotoxic pesticides that have been linked to things like autism, learning disabilities and low IQs in children. After eating an organic diet, metabolites for two types of organophosphates — malathion and chlorpyrifos — decreased by 95 and 61 percent.

2. Neonicotinoids

Neonicotinoids are known endocrine disruptors, and they are also linked to developmental disorders. On top of that, they’re believed to play a role in the dramatic decline in pollinating insects we’ve experienced in recent years. After eating an organic diet, levels of the neonicotinoid clothianidin dropped 83 percent.

3. Pyrethroids

Pyrethroids are tied to endocrine disruption, neurodevelopmental issues, immunological problems, an increased risk of Parkinson’s and sperm DNA damage. But in this study, eating organic slashed pyrethroid levels in half.

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4. Glyphosate

As the active ingredient in RoundUp, glyphosate is probably the most widely recognized pesticide. Besides being a suspected carcinogen, it’s also linked to kidney damage and reproductive issues. Luckily, eating organic lowered glyphosate levels by 70 percent.

5. 2,4-D

2,4-D is one of the ingredients that was used in Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. It’s linked to endocrine disruption, thyroid problems, an increased risk of Parkinson’s, a higher risk of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, damage to the liver, immune system impairment and more. Organic eating lowered 2,4-D levels by 36 percent.

Time to go all-in on organic eating

So, if you’re concerned about pesticides and the impact they have on your health, you know what you need to do… go all-in on organic eating.

It’s not easy (or cheap) to eat an all-organic diet, but if you can make it happen, it could have a remarkable impact on your long-term health. And remember… the food you eat doesn’t have to be USDA certified organic as long as you know pesticides weren’t used on it. That means growing foods in your backyard works and so does buying from small farms you trust who can’t afford to jump through hoops to get certified.

Sources:

6. The Study — Friends of the Earth.
7. You have pesticides in your body. But an organic diet can reduce them by 70% — The Guardian.
8. Organic diet intervention significantly reduces urinary pesticide levels in U.S. children and adults — Environmental Research.

The post The diet that gets most glyphosate out of your body in just 6 days appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The tart lemon. The tang of Worcestershire sauce. The kick of hot sauce. It all makes my mouth water. And then, of course, there’s the crux of the whole cocktail — tomato juice.

I’ve always loved tomato juice. Even as a kid, I could chug down a can of V8 no problem (I was a strange kid).

But I didn’t know until recently that this earthy, savory (sometimes even sweet) beverage could tackle a serious health problem that affects 75 million people — high blood pressure.

And you know what else? It battles high LDL (bad) cholesterol too!

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Tomato juice drops numbers

Researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University found that drinking tomato juice can lower blood pressure in people with hypertension and prehypertension.

The study included 184 men and 297 women who were given unsalted tomato juice and told to drink as much as they wanted for a year. Within this group, there were 94 people with untreated prehypertension or hypertension. And guess what happened to this group by the end of the year?

Their blood pressure dropped significantly!

Systolic blood pressure fell from 141.2 mmHg on average to 137.0 mmHg on average. Diastolic blood pressure dropped from 83.3 mmHg on average to 80.9 mmHg on average. But people with BP problems weren’t the only ones who benefitted from drinking more tomato juice…

There were also 125 people in the study with high cholesterol. By the end of the study, their cholesterol decreased from an average of 155.0 mg/dL to an average 149.9 mg/dL.

So, if you struggle with high BP or high cholesterol start chugging the tomato juice!

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Choosing the healthiest tomato juice

If you’re more of a drinker than me, I bet this study will inspire you to order a Bloody Mary next time you go out to brunch.

Of course, the negative effects of alcohol would likely counteract the positive effect of tomato juice. So, why not make it a Virgin Mary?

In fact, I think I’ll order one of those myself next time I’m enjoying a delicious arugula eggs benedict on the patio of my favorite brunch restaurant.

But there’s one important thing to remember…

In the study, people drank unsalted tomato juice. Traditional tomato juice (like V8) contains a heck of a lot of sodium. And eating (or, in this case, drinking) too much sodium can send your BP soaring. So, make sure to choose the salt-free stuff.

While you’re at it, you might as well go organic. Tomatoes were on the 2022 Dirty Dozen list, after all. So why subject yourself to all those pesticides?

If you follow these simple rules, you can drink tomato juice until your heart’s content (and your heart will be very content — and healthy — if you get your BP and cholesterol down). That’s what people in this study did, and look how it worked out for them?

Sources:

1. High Blood Pressure Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2. Unsalted tomato juice intake improves blood pressure and serum low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol level in local Japanese residents at risk of cardiovascular disease — Food Science & Nutrition
3. Unsalted tomato juice may help lower heart disease risk — MedicalXpress

The post Drink away high blood pressure and bad cholesterol appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But what about watching sports?

You wouldn’t think being a spectator at a sporting event would have a positive impact on your health. But it does — at least when it comes to one sport in particular, whose fans could put just about anyone’s Fitbit score to shame…

I’m talking about golf.

And, just so you know, I’m not talking about being a spectator at home on your couch as you listen to the golf commentators calming whisper through your TV speakers.

I’m talking about getting out there and watching a golf game first-hand. Because, the thing is, when you go watch a live golf game, you do a lot of one particular activity that’s fantastic for your health… walking.

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Get your exercise at a golf game

In a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that attendees of the Paul Lawrie Match Play event at Archerfield Link (a European golf tournament) averaged around 11,500 steps per day.

Most experts agree you should shoot for at least 10,000 steps per day if you want to stay healthy and in shape. Unfortunately, most Americans only get somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000. These golf enthusiasts, however, exceeded their recommended daily activity level just by watching their favorite sport.

So there you have it. Golfers may very well be the healthiest sports fans of all because they spend so much time trekking across the golf course.

“Walking is one of the best things you can do for your health, adding years to life, and increasing health and happiness. These pilot findings show that golf spectators can gain physical activity which could benefit their health- while watching top quality sport at close quarters,” says Dr. Andrew Murray, a researcher in the study.

Now, besides the benefit of accruing a good deal more steps on your fitness tracker, watching golf also gives you an opportunity to be outside in the fresh air, spend time socializing with friends and family and to feel a rush of endorphins at seeing your favorite golfers in the flesh.

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Learning to love golf

This is good news for golf fans, but not necessarily for other sports fans. Most other sporting events involve a lot of sitting and not nearly as much walking as golf spectators manage to squeeze in. But hey, if you do enough cheering, dancing and celebrating at your next baseball, basketball, football or hockey game, who’s to say it won’t give you a bit of a health boost too?

Of course, you can always become a golf fan, if you’re not one already. And don’t worry. If you don’t have the money to shell out for the more high-profile golfing tournaments, check out local amateur golf tournaments. They’re a good way to get into golf and get some more steps in while you’re at it.

Or, if you’re up for it, playing golf is an even better way to get your steps in and build your butt, core, chest, back and forearm muscles to boot! Here are 7 ways to improve you golf swing.

The post Golf lovers do this better appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

As you get older, cell regeneration gets sluggish, and it becomes harder for your body to create new tissue. That’s why you get wrinkles, gray hair, stiff joints and failing organs.

But that’s not the worst of it…

Your cells also accumulate toxic, damaged material as you age. A cell-cleaning process called autophagy removes this toxic junk. But this process happens less frequently in your older years. And if that weren’t bad enough, the more toxic junk your cells accumulate — the faster you age.

But with the boom in anti-aging research, experts say there are a couple of ways you can trick your cells into detoxing more frequently regardless of your age…

One way is exercise. But the best way is through calorie restriction or fasting. That’s because autophagy happens when your cells go into starvation mode. They eat the toxic junk as a source of energy.

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For years, most of the research surrounding fasting had been on flies and mice. Then, adult rhesus monkeys, a primate fairly similar to humans, were able to live longer and disease-free when fasting, so scientists felt positive about the same effects in humans.

So in 2023, an international team of researchers led by Columbia University conducted the CALERIE study — which stands for Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy — the first-ever investigation into the effects of long-term calorie restriction in humans.

Participants who were able to stick to a 25 percent calorie-restricted diet for 2 years experienced a 2 to 3 percent slowing in the pace of aging. This translates to a 10 to 15 percent reduction in mortality risk, which is similar to the impact of quitting smoking.

Of course, calorie restriction or fasting isn’t for everybody. It requires a will of steel to reduce your caloric intake by such extreme amounts.

Fortunately, there is something else you can do to turn back the clock on your cells’ aging process — without starving yourself…

There’s a compound found in certain foods and synthesized by your body that encourages autophagy in your cells.

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How spermidine guards against aging

Research has found that spermidine increases lifespan in mice, flies, worms, yeasts and human cells. It appeared to have potential to fight off age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. All because of its ability to make cells call in the cleaning crew.

And a spermidine study in human participants didn’t disappoint…

A cohort study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined the association between spermidine intake and mortality among 23,894 participants (ages 18 and over).

They were categorized by lowest, middle, or highest third of spermidine intake. The good news?

Compared with the participants who had the lowest intake of spermidine, the participants with the highest intake had a lower risk of both all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.

The researchers concluded that their findings “lend epidemiologic support to the concept that nutrition rich in spermidine is linked to increased survival in humans.”

How can you put spermidine’s impressive age-reversing powers to work for you? Well, don’t starve yourself for sure. That’s for the birds. Instead, just eat more spermidine-rich foods. That means more plant-based foods including these in order of highest content:

1. Wheat germ
2. Soybeans and soy derivatives including tofu, natto, miso and soymilk
3. Mushrooms
4. Chickpeas
5. Hazelnuts and pistachios
6. Green beans
7. Onion
8. Peas
9. Broccoli
10. Cauliflower
11. Legumes
12. Pears
13. Potatoes
14. Shellfish

I do have one quick caveat about increasing spermidine in your diet though. If you have psoriasis, spermidine is not the anti-aging compound for you. That’s because scientists believe spermidine might contribute to the disease by causing skin cells to regenerate at a rapid pace.

If psoriasis isn’t a problem for you, you should be safe to eat more spermidine. Researchers say the effects of adding more spermidine to your diet should kick in within three months. That’s how long it takes for spermidine levels to increase in your bloodstream.

Sources:

Caloric restriction improves health and survival of rhesus monkeys — Nature Communications

Higher spermidine intake is linked to lower mortality: a prospective population-based study — American Journal of Clinical

NutritionPolymines in food — Frontiers in Nutrition

Polyamine-Rich Diet Elevates Blood Spermine Levels and Inhibits Pro-Inflammatory Status: An Interventional Study — Medical Sciences Journal

Yamaguchi, K. Otsu. “Role of autophagy in aging.” — Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. 2012 Sep; 60(3):242-7. doi: 10.1097/FJC.0b013e31824cc31c.

“Healthy ageing — longer healthspan with spermidine.” — MedicalXpress. Retrieved September 2, 2016.

Eisenberg, et al. “Induction of autophagy by spermidine promotes longevity.” — Nature Cell Biology 11, 1305 – 1314 (2009).

A. Ali, et al. “Polyamines in foods: development of a food database.” — Food & Nutrition Research. 2011; 55:10.

J. Lowe. “Cutaneous polyamines in psoriasis.” — British Journal of Dermatology. 1982; 107:1.

The post Forget fasting: These 14 foods turn back time appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You may believe that once you’ve crossed the line into type 2 diabetes territory, there’s no going back. You’re stuck with this disease for the rest of your life. But that’s far from the truth.

Sure, it’s not easy to get your metabolic health back in order once it’s gotten that far out of whack. But it is possible. People have done it through diet and exercise.

Or maybe you’ve known for a while that it’s possible to reverse type 2 diabetes through diet and exercise, but you still struggle to nail down (and stick to) an exact plan that will help you do so.

If that’s the case, this latest study from researchers at Newcastle University could help…

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A proven diabetes-reversing diet

In a recent study, researchers from Newcastle University found that following a low-calorie diet for eight weeks reverses type 2 diabetes.

In fact, within just one week of starting the low-calorie diet, participants in the study experienced a dramatic improvement in insulin sensitivity, and their fasting blood sugar levels returned to normal.

But be warned… the low-calorie diet used in the study was extreme. Study participants only ate 600 calories per day for eight weeks. The recommended calorie intake for the average adult is between 1,500 and 2,500 calories per day (depending on sex, age and weight loss goals), so that’s quite a difference.

Of course, if you’re considering trying it anyway, you may be wondering why drastically reducing your calorie intake has such a dramatic impact on diabetes…

When it comes to reversing type 2 diabetes, researchers say it all comes down to weight loss. Most people who develop type 2 diabetes have been overdoing their calorie intake for far too long.

Eating too many calories causes a condition called fatty liver to develop, which is an accumulation of excess fat in your liver.

Once you get fatty liver, your liver starts making too much glucose. Your liver also starts sending extra fat to your pancreas, which interferes with one of the pancreas’ most important jobs—insulin production. So too much glucose and not enough insulin becomes a recipe for disaster, which eventually causes type 2 diabetes.

But according to researchers, losing body weight can also help you shed weight off the pancreas, which can get things in working order again.

In the study, researchers found that you only have to lose one gram of fat off of your pancreas for its insulin production to normalize. And by following this low-calorie diet, people were able to do that and lose an average of 11 pounds of overall body weight in eight weeks.

“Many have described to me how embarking on the low-calorie diet has been the only option to prevent what they thought — or had been told — was an inevitable decline into further medication and further ill health because of their diabetes,” said the lead author of the study Professor Roy Taylor.

And Professor Taylor has more good news…

Even if you’ve had type 2 diabetes for as long as a decade, Taylor says you can reverse it by trimming fat off your pancreas.

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Using a low-calorie diet to ditch your diabetes

Now, there’s something I want to emphasize here…

Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition. As it progresses, it can cause heart failure, blindness, kidney disease and leg amputations. So making an effort to reverse it is one of the best choices you can make for yourself and your health.

But you shouldn’t undertake it lightly — especially if you’re planning on following an extremely low-calorie diet like the one used in the study.

If you’re going to reverse your type 2 diabetes through a major lifestyle change like this, you shouldn’t go it alone. Partner with a trusted healthcare professional who can guide you, monitor your progress and provide support and encouragement along the way.

Of course, if you do decide to try this low-calorie diet challenge, it will be life changing. Not only did it reverse type 2 diabetes, but researchers said study participants didn’t even feel hungry and tired from cutting back on calories. They actually felt better.

If you’re looking for a solution that’s more moderate, you could also try something known as intermittent fasting. One version, known as the 5:2 diet, only requires you to lower your calorie intake to 800 calories for two days per week and allows you to eat normally for the other five days. This diet has also been shown to help you lose weight and lower blood sugar levels.

But if extreme low-cal dieting or fasting isn’t for you, just stick to healthy eating and exercise. It may not be a quick fix for losing weight and reversing diabetes. But if you’re committed and consistent, you will get to your goal and reclaim your health.

The post Say goodbye to type 2 diabetes in 8 weeks appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s because weight loss ultimately comes down to achieving a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you’re consuming).

You can exercise until every muscle on your body aches, but if you follow that vigorous workout with a double bacon burger, fries, and a milkshake, you’re still probably consuming more calories than your burning.

And let’s face it…

Burning calories through exercise is harder than cutting calories through diet. You can easily cut out 500 calories by giving up soda and your morning bagel or eating a slice or two less pizza for dinner. But to burn 500 calories you’d have to do an intense hour-long aerobics class or run for 45 minutes at a pace equivalent to running a 10-minute mile. Most of us don’t have the time or energy to exercise that vigorously daily.

So, if you want to lose weight, focus mostly on cutting calories in your diet and complement that with a modest calorie burn in realistic daily workouts.

But what about maintaining the weight loss you’ve already achieved? Do the same rules apply?

Well, even though 80/20 is the rule to live by if you’re trying to shed pounds. A new study shows you may want to take a different approach once you’ve lost the weight and you’re trying to keep it off…

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Exercise outdoes diet when it comes to maintaining weight loss

A recent study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center (AHWC) shows exercise may trump diet when it comes to maintaining weight loss.

The study looked at the habits of people who’d lost 30 pounds within a year and kept it off. And it appears, these folks maintained their calorie balance by staying super active rather than watching their calorie intake.

In fact, researchers found that the people who maintained their weight loss consumed much more calories than people of average weight who hadn’t lost weight. These weight loss maintainers consumed a similar number of calories as people who were overweight and obese. They just exercised a lot more. To give you an idea of the difference in activity levels observed in the study…

People maintaining weight loss got about 12,000 steps per day. People with an average body weight who hadn’t lost weight got 9,000 steps and overweight/obese people got 6,500 steps.

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Move more to maintain weight loss

This study is great news for anyone who’s lost pounds in the past and wants to keep them off. Why?

Because it means you don’t have to deprive yourself to do it. However, you do have to stay serious about your activity levels. As I mentioned earlier, it can be challenging to find the time and energy to do this. But if you get creative, it’s totally possible.

If you want to squeeze in 12,000 steps per day (about six miles) like the people in the study you can:

1. Walk your dog before or after work
2. Walk during your lunch break
3. Walk to a co-worker’s desk to talk instead of emailing
4. Walk to the grocery store
5. Take business calls while you’re walking
6. Park at the far end of every parking lot
7. Take the stairs instead of the elevator
8. Try a treadmill desk
9. March in place during commercial breaks
10. Take a short walk after every meal (it’s supposed to improve digestion)
11. Do a few extra laps around grocery stores and malls
12. Turn get-togethers with friends and family into walks

Sources:

1. Is Weight Loss Really 80 Percent Diet and 20 Percent Exercise? — Women’s Health
2. 20 Ways To Burn 500 Calories — Breaking Muscle
3. 50 Ways to Burn 500 Calories; Fifty 500 Calorie Workouts — Fitness Blender
4. Study reveals exercise is more critical than diet to maintain weight loss — MedicalXpress
5. 25 Simple Ways to Get More Steps In Your Day — Health

The post Keeping weight off requires different approach than losing it appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

SSRIs are the most widely used treatment for depression. Even if you’ve never taken them, you probably recognize popular brand names like Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Lexapro from commercials.

Unfortunately, these pervasive pills leave much to be desired…

When SSRIs first came out, doctors thought they were 80 to 90 percent effective at treating depression and certain anxiety disorders, so they began passing them out like candy.

But it turns out that prescription drug companies manipulated those initial statistics. They’d concealed studies with negative results to sell more drugs and make more money.

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Over the years, we’ve learned that SSRIs are only 33 percent effective. That’s about the same as a placebo pill.

Of course, SSRIs have more side effects than a placebo — like insomnia, skin rashes, headaches, joint and muscle pain, stomach upset, nausea, diarrhea, internal bleeding, low sex drive, tics, muscle spasms, repetitive muscle movement and compulsive restlessness.

So SSRIs aren’t effective. And with that long list of side effects, it’s a wonder anyone is still taking them…

The problem is, most people don’t know how else to treat their depression. But a common mineral could save the day for depression sufferers everywhere.

In fact, a recent study suggests this mineral may be effective enough to step in and steal the crown away from SSRIS as the go-to treatment for depression…

Magnesium diminishes depression

In one of the first clinical trials to study the effect of magnesium on depressed people, researchers from the University of Vermont found that magnesium supplements could be an effective treatment for depression.

The study included 126 adults with mild to moderate depression. After six weeks of taking 248 milligrams of elemental magnesium per day, many of them showed a significant improvement in their depression and anxiety symptoms.

Even more exciting, it didn’t take the full six weeks for participants to experience an improvement in their mood. Many experienced a positive difference within two weeks. And barely anyone experienced adverse side effects either. Only one person had nausea and lethargy that was significant enough to stop taking the supplement.

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“The results are very encouraging, given the great need for additional treatment options for depression, and our finding that magnesium supplementation provides a safe, fast and inexpensive approach to controlling depressive symptoms,” said Emily Tarleton, MS, RD, CD, a graduate student in Clinical and Translational Science and the bionutrition research manager in the University of Vermont’s Clinical Research Center.

Now, researchers don’t know precisely why magnesium does the trick for depression, but they have a few theories…

One theory relates to how magnesium affects your brain chemicals — particularly serotonin. Low magnesium levels have been shown to reduce your brain’s production of serotonin. And, as you probably know, low serotonin levels are thought to be one of the primary culprits behind depression.

Inflammation may have something to do with it as well. Studies show that magnesium fights inflammation, and inflammation has been tied to depression in previous studies.

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Should you take more magnesium?

Now, if you’re thinking about changing the way you treat your depression, it’s a good idea to partner with a trusted healthcare professional first. Depression is a serious disease, so you don’t want to take these changes lightly. It helps to have a health expert available to guide you as you get your treatment approach right.

When it comes to using magnesium to treat your depression, it’s generally pretty safe. You can even take it while you’re still taking your SSRI antidepressants. Avoid magnesium salicylate and magnesium sulfate, because they may cause an adverse reaction with certain SSRIs. Your body tends to absorb magnesium citrate best anyway, so look for that. You can take up to 400 mg per day. And, who knows? Maybe magnesium is the missing link in your depression treatment plan.

Sources:

1. “Five Reasons Not to Take SSRIs.” — Psychology Today. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
2. “What are the real risks of antidepressants?” — Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
3. “With health care cuts looming, low-cost magnesium a welcome option for treating depression.” — MedicalXpress. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
4. K. Tarleton, et al. “Role of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial.” — PLoS ONE, 2017.
5. “Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.” — National Institutes of Health. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
6. “Can You Take Magnesium With Lexapro?” — Livestrong.com. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
7. “Magnesium.” — Whole Health Chicago. Retrieved June 29, 2017.

The post The simple mineral that could replace anti-depressants appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Want to boost your brain power? Maintain your memory? Reverse age-related brain shrinkage?

Then hop on that bike, roll out your yoga mat, and dust off those weights for some exercise. Better yet, get a stair platform (you’ll see why below!)

But as simple as that sounds, you may be wondering how much exercise it ACTUALLY takes to keep your brain healthy. More specifically, how much time do you have to put in to prevent the most dreaded of age-related diseases — dementia?

Will 30 minutes per day do the trick? Or should you shoot for an hour? Does moderate exercise count? Or do you need to get your heart pumping and brow sweating every time? So many questions!

Luckily, science has a solid answer for you. Swedish research determined a fitness goal you can set to obliterate your dementia risk.

It’s not an easy goal. But it’s completely possible. And it’s worth achieving if you’re serious about keeping your brain sharp until the very end…

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Dementia skips highly fit people

A recent study conducted at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found that women who had a high fitness level at middle age were almost 90 percent less likely to develop dementia.

The study included 191 women who were an average age of 50. At the start of the study, these women took a bicycle physical fitness test. They biked until they were exhausted so researchers could measure their peak cardiovascular capacity.

Based on this test, 40 women had a high fitness level, 92 had a medium fitness level, and 59 had a low fitness level. Researchers tracked the health of these women for the next 44 years. They tested them for dementia six times over that 44-year period, and the results were pretty amazing.

Over those 44 years, 40 women in the study developed dementia. But most of those women were in the low or medium fitness groups… 25 percent of women in the medium fitness category and 32 percent of the women in the low fitness category went on to develop the disease. But here’s where things get interesting…

Only five percent of the highly fit women developed the disease. That means women with a high fitness level were a whopping 88 percent less likely to get dementia. And the highly fit women who did get dementia, got it much later in life. Moderately fit women who developed dementia typically got it around 79 years old, but highly fit women didn’t develop the disease until 90 years old.

So if you want to keep your brain healthy and prevent dementia, get yourself into that highly fit category!

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How to gauge your fitness level

Most of us don’t get to go to a fancy research lab and have doctors gauge our fitness level for us. So we have two options…

We can go to our doctor and ask for a fitness test, or we can find a DIY way to test ourselves.

In the study, researchers measured cardiovascular fitness. One of the easiest ways to measure cardiovascular fitness at home is through a step test.

You’ll need an assistant at your side to spot you and track your measurements. You’ll also need a step or bench that’s roughly 15.75 inches tall if you’re a man and 13 inches tall if you’re a woman. You’ll also need a stopwatch and metronome, but you can download apps or find online versions of both of those.

Here’s how you get started:

1. Face your step bench.
2. Have your assistant start the metronome at 90 beats per minute.
3. Start stepping up on to the step or bench (one foot, followed by the other) and down on to the floor (one foot, followed by the other), keeping up with the beat of the metronome.
4. Make sure your assistant starts the timer or stopwatch as soon as you start stepping. The timer should be set for 5 minutes.
5. Your assistant can help you along by saying, “Up-one, up-two. Down-one, down-two” as you step.
6. Keep your back and legs straight when you’re standing at the top of the step. Your assistant can remind you if you start slouching.
7. Once five minutes is up, sit down immediately.
8. 15 seconds after completing the test, you or your assistant should count your pulse for 15 seconds. You can do that by placing two fingers on the side of your neck or on the thumb-side of your wrist.
9. Once you’ve recorded that 15 second pulse count, you’re done! You can cool off by walking around and giving your quad and calf muscles a good stretch.

Your pulse after the step test determines your maximal oxygen consumption, a measure of your cardiorespiratory fitness.

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Say you’re a 50-year-old woman who weighs 140 pounds, and your pulse after the step test was 35. That means your maximal oxygen consumption was 42, putting you in the excellent fitness category. Here’s a link to several charts that help you determine your fitness level based on the results of your step test.

If your fitness level isn’t very good when you take this test, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to improve your maximal oxygen consumption and fitness level.

In fact, if you start doing aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes every day, you’ll end up in that high fitness category in no time. And you don’t even have to go to the gym to do that. You can do housework, yardwork or anything else that gets your heart pumping.

The post How to reduce dementia risk by 90 percent appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

If you’ve ever had issues with high blood sugar, you know that these two changes make for a far better blood sugar reading. And you know what else?

The blood sugar benefits of exercise can last for a full 24 hours after your workout. So clearly, you better keep moving if you want healthy blood sugar.

But how much activity do you need per day to keep your blood sugar balanced?

That’s the million-dollar question. Many of us are short on time and stuck in sedentary jobs, so we need to know how little exercise we can get away with, without putting metabolic health in jeopardy.

Lucky enough, we may finally have the answer…

The short, simple exercise routine that balances blood sugar

An international collaborative study from researchers at the University of Otago, the University of Prince Edward Island and the University of Guelph in Canada answered the question that all diabetics and prediabetics want to know….

How much do I need to exercise to improve my blood sugar?

The answer is two minutes every half hour.

In the study, researchers reviewed 44 international studies that looked at how prolonged sitting impacted metabolic health. And they found that short, repeated bouts of movement can lower blood sugar for up to nine hours after you eat.

They also found that short, frequent bursts of movement can lower the amount of fat in your blood, which means better heart health.

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Move more frequently

It’s scary to think that most people spend 75 percent of their day sitting. Considering the effect exercise has on blood sugar, it’s no wonder prediabetes and diabetes are epidemics in this country.

But now we know that preventing blood sugar issues could be as simple as stopping every half hour to walk around for two minutes.

I’m lucky enough to work in a home office where my only co-workers are my dogs and cats. They’re always reminding me to get up and fill their food dish, fill their water dish, give them treats or let them outside. They keep me moving frequently throughout the day (sometimes too often) those furry little buggers.

But if you don’t have needy canine and feline friends with you throughout the day, set a timer on your phone for 30-minute intervals. When it goes off, take a walk around the office, go up and down some stairs, close your office door and do some jumping jacks, turn on a song and dance… whatever you need to do to squeeze in two minutes of movement.

The people around you may think you’re crazy. But there’s nothing crazy about taking care of yourself. If anyone asks, tell them exactly what your doing and invite them to join along. God knows, we could all use more movement in our lives.

The post The 4-minute hack that lowers blood sugar for hours appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Research shows that the “fountain of youth” is hiding inside your microbiome (the collection of microbes that live in your gut).

These microbes impact how long you live, what diseases you do or don’t get and how quickly you age. And that news should have you jumping for joy. Why?

Because there’s so much you can do to influence your microbiome in a positive way. A few simple changes could have you looking and feeling better than you have in years… even if you got your AARP membership card decades ago.

Case in point?

A new study shows the Mediterranean diet could quickly cause changes in your microbiome that make you more youthful and less inflamed…

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The Mediterranean diet triggers big bacterial changes

A recent study published in the journal Gut showed that older adults living in long-term care facilities were able to reduce inflammation and improve markers for aging by eating a Mediterranean diet for a year.

As you probably know, as you age, your body starts breaking down and becomes more inflamed. This leads to frailty… or what’s commonly thought of as “getting old.” You walk slower, feel creakier and weaker and just don’t have as much physical or mental spunk as you once did. But here’s something you may not know…

The onset of frailty is tied to changes in your microbiome. And these changes are usually triggered by a poor or restricted diet.

Older adults living in long-term care facilities, for example, often restrict their diets because of health problems, dental problems or preferences. As a result, they don’t always get the good stuff the gut needs. That’s why researchers wanted to see if a Mediterranean diet could get their guts back in shape… and it did.

The study included 612 people between 65 and 79 years old. Researchers analyzed their microbiomes at the start of the study. Then they asked study participants to eat a Mediterranean diet for 12 months. After 12 months, researchers analyzed their microbiomes again. And guess what? There were some GOOD changes…

• The Mediterranean diet improved bacterial diversity… something that’s usually lost with age.
• It also gave a boost to bacterial strains specifically tied to improvements in aging markers like walking speed, handgrip strength, brain function and memory.
• And it boosted a strain of bacteria tied to lower production of inflammatory chemicals… and one tied to the increased production of bacteria that produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids.
• There was also a decrease in bacteria that produce a type of bile acid associated with insulin resistance, fatty liver and cell damage.

Those are some impressive microbial shifts!

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But do you know what’s even cooler? Researchers say that the bacteria produced as a result of the Mediterranean diet were like a “keystone species.” If you remember high school biology class, you know that keystone species are the foundations of an ecosystem. If you lose a keystone species, the entire ecosystem doesn’t last long after. So, the bacteria produced by the Mediterranean diet are the foundation of a stable gut ecosystem.

You may be wondering why a Mediterranean diet is so good for gut health. Here’s the answer… Fiber, vitamins and minerals.

When you eat a Mediterranean diet, you eat lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, legumes and other foods filled with fiber, as well as vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, copper, potassium, iron, manganese and magnesium. You also get healthy fats from olive oil and fish.

Mastering the Mediterranean

Are you ready to go Mediterranean? At this point, how could you not be! If you are, here’s how to get started:

• Eat lots of vegetables and fruit. Produce should make up the majority of your diet. Shoot for five to ten servings of fruits and veggies per day. A serving is about a half-cup cooked or a whole cup raw.
• Pick your animal protein carefully. The Mediterranean diet focuses on lean protein, like fish and poultry. Although, red meat is allowed in moderation. You can also eat eggs.
• Get plenty of plant-based protein. Nuts, seeds, and legumes are all an important part of a Mediterranean diet.
• Only go for whole grains. You’ll have to ditch refined grains in favor of whole grains if you want to reap the benefits of a Mediterranean diet.
• Heap on the healthy fats. Fatty foods like olive oil, avocado, walnuts, and almonds play a huge part in the Mediterranean diet’s health benefits, so eat a lot of them.
• Do dairy in moderation. Some dairy is allowed on the Mediterranean diet. But choose healthier options like probiotic-rich yogurt, cottage cheese or kefir.

Sources:

1. Mediterranean diet promotes gut bacteria linked to ‘healthy ageing’ in older people — MedicalXpress
2. Mediterranean diet intervention alters the gut microbiome in older people reducing frailty and improving health status: the NU-AGE 1-year dietary intervention across five European countries — Gut
3. The Microbiome and Aging — Annual Review of Genetics
4. Can the gut microbiome unlock the secrets of aging? — Medical News Today
5. No Need to Limit Healthy Fats With the Mediterranean Diet, New Study Says — Health
6. 10 Things to Know About the Mediterranean Diet — Health

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