Can long COVID affect the gut?
Low energy, brain fog, and lung problems are a few of the lingering aftereffects reported by some people who have had COVID-19. Could gut troubles also fall among the constellation of chronic symptoms that people with long-haul COVID experience? And if so, what do experts suggest to help ease this? What happens to the gut […]
Easy ways to shop for healthful, cost-conscious foods
Three months into the year is a good time to recalculate if you’ve been slacking on your resolution to eat healthy. And if you’ll be leaving home base or school soon and foraging for yourself (plus or minus roommates), it’s a great time to learn about healthy, low-cost choices for your grocery list. The basics: […]
Why eat lower on the seafood chain?
Many health-conscious consumers have already cut back on hamburgers, steaks, and deli meats, often by swapping in poultry or seafood. Those protein sources are better than beef, and not just because they’re linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Chicken and fish are also better for the environment, as their production […]
Helping children make friends: What parents can do
We all want our child to have friends. We want them to be happy, and to build the social skills and connections that will help them now and in the future. Sometimes, and for some children, making friends isn’t easy. This is particularly true after the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of isolation and remote school, many […]
Does running cause arthritis?
When I took up running in college, a friend of mine scoffed at the idea. He hated running and was convinced runners were “wearing out” their joints. He liked to say he was saving his knees for his old age. So, was he onto something? Does running really ruin your joints, as many people believe? […]
Preventing ovarian cancer: Should women consider removing fallopian tubes?
Should a woman consider having her fallopian tubes removed to lower her risk for developing ovarian cancer? Recent recommendations from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), endorsed by the Society for Gynecologic Oncology, encourage this strategy, if women are finished having children and would be undergoing gynecologic surgery anyway for other reasons. Why is this […]
Slowing down racing thoughts
Everyone has moments when their brain suddenly goes haywire. They repeatedly fixate on the same thought, like being stuck on a hamster wheel. Or their thoughts aimlessly bounce from one random topic to the next like a pinball. People often refer to these thought patterns as racing thoughts, and the most common cause is anxiety, […]
When replenishing fluids, does milk beat water?
Driving along the freeway recently, a billboard caught my eye. In bold letters it proclaimed: Milk hydrates better than water. Wait, could this be true? And if so, should I be rehydrating with milk after a workout? And should we all have milk, rather than water, in our water bottles? What’s behind the claim? Unsurprisingly, […]
Can electrical brain stimulation boost attention, memory, and more?
Imagine this as a morning routine that replaces your first cup of coffee: You wake up feeling a bit foggy, so you slip on a wearable device that looks like an extra-thick headband. You turn on the power source and settle in while electrical current flows into your brain. Twenty minutes later, feeling more focused […]
Does less TV time lower your risk for dementia?
Be honest: just how much television are you watching? One study has estimated that half of American adults spend two to three hours each day watching television, with some watching as much as eight hours per day. Is time spent on TV a good thing or a bad thing? Let's look at some of the […]