Food & Drink Remedies
Thousands of years ago, Hippocrates said Let food be your medicine. Foods and beverages provide relief from an amazing number of common ailments.
Pectin and Grape Juice to Ease Sore Joints
People with arthritis usually rely on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen for pain relief, but these medicines can cause trouble if a person takes them for a lo…
Will Nuts Protect You from Afib?
Nut lovers are less prone to the heart rhythm abnormality known as atrial fibrillation. In this condition, the upper chambers of the heart don’t pump blood rhythmically and efficiently. As a result,…
How to Control Your Blood Sugar Without Drugs
How is your blood sugar? According to the CDC, 84 million American adults have prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar is elevated but doesn't reach the threshold for a diagnosis of diabetes (12…
Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen in the Produce Bin
Most health experts emphasize the importance of eating lots of vegetables, but which ones have the least pesticide residue? If you want to avoid pesticides as much as possible, but can't afford to buy…
Why Grandma Was Right about Vegetables
Your grandmother may have told you to eat your vegetables. Ours certainly urged us to do so. Was Grandma following her own advice? She should have. A new study from Australia reinforces the benefits o…
Why You Should Eat the Mediterranean Way
The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a number of health benefits. We have written previously about studies showing that a Mediterranean-style eating plan can protect the brain, reduce arthr…
How Much Gluten Is in a Gluten-Free Diet?
People with celiac disease react badly when they consume gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley or rye. Their immune systems go into overdrive and attack the lining of the intestine, resulting in da…
Have You Tried Onion Syrup to Calm a Cough?
The 2017-2018 flu season might have set some records for being long-lasting and rough. But even after the flu fades from memory, respiratory tract infections will cause coughs and sniffles, sore throa…
What Are the Health Benefits of Hibiscus Tea?
Many traditional remedies may appear more like food than medicine. In many parts of the world, people attribute wonderful properties to a tart red tea made from hibiscus flowers. Are there really heal…
Can Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) Blow A Hole…
People have been using a natural antacid (sodium bicarbonate, aka baking soda) for a very long time. It is cheap and surprisingly effective for easing symptoms of indigestion. But too much of a good t…
Will Garlic Really Lower Your Blood Pressure?
Humans love variety in their food, and have found numerous ways to enliven it. Spices of various sorts have been used to give food an interesting flavor. Many of these additives have also been used me…
Should You Drink Cranberry Juice to Avoid Cystit…
Sometimes it can be difficult to determine whether simple approaches often dismissed as "old wives' tales" are helpful or useless. New scientific findings often tend to support such wisdom as "eat you…
Stop Leg Cramps and Muscle Spasms Fast With a Si…
Have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night with a leg cramp? One minute you are fast asleep and the next you are in agony with muscle spasms. When a muscle cramps up it can take a long tim…
Are Coffee and Alcohol the Fountain of Youth?
Have you heard the phrase, "everything in moderation"? Ever wonder where it came from? Some trace this concept back to the Bible. Others say it originated with ancient Greek philosophers. Regardless o…
Will Natural Approaches Control Your Blood Sugar…
Type 2 diabetes has become very common. Consequently, many people must pay close attention to their blood sugar. What influences blood glucose levels? There are, of course, medications that may be nec…
Show 1112: How and Why to Eat Sinfully
Nutrition experts have demonized a lot of foods over the past several decades. Eggs, shrimp, butter, cheese and meat were all taken off the table because they are rich in fat and cholesterol. No chole…
Is Wine Bad or Good for People with Diabetes?
People with diabetes are often cautioned to avoid alcohol altogether. Doctors reason that a drink can make it much harder to control blood sugar. On the other hand, wine has a reputation as a healthfu…
Enjoy a Vegetable-Rich Diet to Prevent Depressio…
A vegetable-rich diet is known as DASH, for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This eating plan has been shown to help people control their blood pressure. That, in turn, helps reduce their risk…
Nuts Reduce Chance of Colon Cancer Recurrence
Eating nuts has been shown to be good for cardiovascular health. But could nuts reduce the risk of colon cancer recurring? Nuts Reduce Rate of Recurrence: Now, researchers have found that people who e…
Will Decaf Coffee Help You Keep Your Edge?
What is your biggest fear about aging? Many people worry about loss of independence, whether they imagine that due to lack of mobility or due to cognitive decline. As a result, many baby boomers and o…
Is There a Diet That Will Work Best for You?
Which weight-loss diet works best, low fat or low carb? That was the question a team of Stanford scientists were striving to answer (Gardner et al, JAMA, Feb. 20, 2018). It has been a bone of content…
What Are the Health Benefits of Black Pepper?
Cinnamon, ginger, fennel, turmeric and other spices have long been used medicinally. Scientists have confirmed that these natural food additives have physiological effects. We hear less often about th…
Natural Blood Sugar Control to Benefit Sex Life
Doctors are taught that erectile dysfunction (ED) is a red flag. It should encourage them to look for other health problems, such as heart disease or diabetes. Patients, too, are becoming aware that p…
Can Kefir Help You Recover from an Infection?
Have you been looking for a way to boost your immune system? Especially during the season when colds and flu are rampant, many people would like to know how to recover from an infection more readily. …
Will Honey and Vinegar Ease Your Joint Pain?
Some home remedies continue to be popular for decades or even centuries. One that we are aware of is honey and vinegar for sore joints, indigestion or other common difficulties. We've been writing abo…
Can What You Eat Change Your Risk of Cancer?
A new study published in JAMA Oncology reports that pro-inflammatory foods increase the risk of colorectal cancer. An anti-inflammatory diet, on the other hand, reduces the risk of cancer (Tabung et a…
Spices for Unexpected Cough and Cold Relief
When half the people you know are sniffling, sneezing and coughing, you might want something for cough and cold relief. As it turns out, you won't need to make a trip to the drugstore. You can probabl…
Which Berries Are Best for Your Brain?
Would you like to stay sharp as you grow older? Almost everyone would. Memory lapses can be extremely frustrating as well as embarrassing, particularly when they start to become more frequent. Experts…
Will Pomegranate Juice Help Lower Blood Sugar?
Having blood sugar and insulin rise rapidly after a meal has been linked to a number of metabolic problems. Products, like crackers, cookies or bread, that cause such a rapid increase are termed high-…
Can You Prevent Migraines by Watching Your Diet?
Migraines are a pain. Even worse than the pain, though, is the life disruption. Some sufferers lose days every time a headache strikes hiding in a dark quiet room. They may feel horribly nauseated or …
Help Yourself to Leafy Greens for Better Brain P…
New analyses appear to show that nothing works to prevent dementia. Nonetheless, one promising study found that a daily serving of leafy greens might help (Morris et al, Neurology, online Dec. 20, 20…
Should Youngsters Eat Fish for Better Grades?
According to the old wives, fish is supposed to be brain food. They have just been proved right again, at least in part. A study published in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that kids who eat …
What Is the Benefit of a Hot Cup of Tea?
Over the past year, the health benefits of coffee have gotten a lot of attention. Now it is time for black tea to take the spotlight. An epidemiological study suggests that people who drink a hot cup …
What Is Granuloma Annulare And How Can I Get Rid…
Don't you love it when doctors characterize a condition as "idiopathic." That is a fancy medical term for "we ain't got a clue as to what causes this." That's the case with granuloma annulare. If you …
Can Cocoa in Oatmeal Ease Arthritis Pain?
Scientists have found that compounds in cocoa can affect the balance of bacteria in the intestines (Magrone, Russo & Jirillo, Frontiers in Immunology, June 9, 2017). Those changes in turn seem to …
How to Make Your Own Cough Syrup
What do you do for a nasty cough? You might smear Vicks VapoRub on the soles of your feet; many readers find that approach helpful. Or you might look for an over-the-counter cough syrup. In the US, th…
How to Use Pickle Juice for Muscle Cramps
Muscle cramps are a vexing problem. They are understandably common during or after exercise, when muscles have become fatigued. Many people also suffer from painful leg or foot cramps at night. These …
How Can You Lower Your LDL Cholesterol with Snac…
Choose your snacks wisely, and you may lower your dangerous LDL cholesterol. That’s what researchers found when they did a small but careful study at Penn State University (Lee et al, Journal of the…
Will Cinnamon Help You Stay Slim?
Cinnamon is delicious, but it also has potential health benefits. You may be able to use cinnamon to lower your cholesterol. In addition, scientists believe they have discovered how a compound from ci…
Can You Lower Blood Sugar Safely with Cinnamon?
Many people would prefer to use natural approaches to healing as much as possible. When they do so, they should evaluate both the benefits and the risks of the herb, spice or supplement they plan to u…