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.
Which Cinnamon Lowers Blood Sugar Safely?
Over the past 15 years, researchers have reported that cinnamon can amplify the effects of insulin and help cells respond more appropriately (Khan et al, Diabetes Care, Dec. 2003; Mang et al, European…
Will Apple Cider Vinegar Cure Your Heartburn?
Do you get uncomfortable after a big meal? A burning sensation under the breastbone after eating is common. If you have ever suffered from this type of indigestion, you may want to know how to cure yo…
For Healthy Kidneys, Avoid Sugary Drinks
Usually, people are advised to drink plenty of liquids to keep their kidneys healthy and functioning well. A new study suggests, however, that sugary drinks are more of a problem than a help. What Is …
Can Kiwi Fruit Overcome Horrible Canker Sores?
Canker sores (aka aphthous ulcers) are painful spots that appear on the tongue, inner lip or lining of the cheeks. Unlike cold sores, which are caused by herpes virus, canker sores are not associated …
Will Raisins Help You Sleep More Soundly?
Would you like to sleep more soundly? Many readers complain that they need to rise to urinate several times a night. Then they frequently have trouble getting back to sleep. Several years ago, one per…
Will a Mediterranean Diet Protect Your Heart?
Will the Mediterranean diet protect your heart? Such diets have a reputation as a tasty way to cut your risk of heart disease. Previous randomized controlled trials, such as the Lyon Diet Heart Study …
Which Coffee Compounds Protect the Brain?
If you, like many people, can’t face the day without a hot cup of coffee, there’s good news. Scientists at Rutgers have evidence that the combination of caffeine with a special fatty acid present …
How to Make Thyme Cough Medicine
Have you ever found yourself coughing in the middle of the night and reached for the cough medicine? If your household is like ours, once in a while that bottle was used up two months ago. Luckily, yo…
Does Fructose Raise Your Risk for Diabetes?
Do people who often indulge in sugary soft drinks sweetened with fructose have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes? Previous studies have suggested a link. Processed Foods and Diabetes: An ana…
Do Sunflower Seeds Keep You Alert Behind the Whe…
How do you stay alert when you are driving? Some people listen to the radio or to audiobooks. Others sip on a travel mug full of coffee. One interesting tactic that some readers use is munching on sun…
Do You Swallow a Spoonful of Mustard for Heartbu…
Do you suffer from heartburn? Many people do, judging from the popularity of acid-suppressing drugs such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) or omeprazole (Prilosec). Antacids like Maalo…
Men Who Love Veggies Have Better Memory
Men who want to maintain better memory do well to load their plates with colorful vegetables and berries. Harvard researchers have been following more than 25,000 male health professionals for at leas…
Coca-Cola Saved the Day When Food Got Stuck
Have you ever had a problem when food got stuck in your swallowing tube? If it blocked your breathing, that would be a life-threatening emergency. But food stuck in the esophagus is uncomfortable and …
How Can You Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally?
Do you know how to lower your cholesterol naturally? Frequently, when doctors discover that a patient has an elevated cholesterol level, they offer a prescription for a statin drug to lower these bloo…
The Low-Carb Diet Wins Diet Wars…Again!
Many nutrition experts have maintained that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. In other words, all calories are created equal. The more calories you consume the fatter you get. Put another way, thes…
What Is It About Coffee That Protects Your Brain…
Java lovers appear to enjoy a variety of health benefits, including a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Now a team of Canadian researchers reports that they have figur…
Are Organic Food Enthusiasts Protected from Canc…
French scientists have added a new entry to the long-running debate over organic food. Some previous research has focused primarily on whether organic food is more nutritious than conventionally-grown…
Januvia Joint Pain | A Disabling Side Effect
Sitagliptin (Januvia) is a type 2 diabetes drug that has been on the market for more than a decade. It belongs in a class of drugs called gliptins or DPP-4 inhibitors. These meds enable the body to ma…
Surprise–Coffee Drinkers Have Less Chance of R…
Rosacea is a skin condition in which the skin flushes or reddens easily and may stay red chronically. People may also develop pimple-like bumps on the skin. People with rosacea are often advised to av…
Arthritis Remedy Does Double Duty Overcoming Con…
We first heard about the grape juice and Certo treatment for arthritis over 20 years ago. We wrote about it in our syndicated newspaper column on March 2, 1998. Here is that very first letter: "My wif…
How Can You Use Beets for Better Blood Pressure?
With concerns about contaminated antihypertensive medications, many people are interested in ways to lower their blood pressure without drugs. There is a wide range of options: exercise, weight loss, …
Is Whole Fat Dairy (Milk, Cheese and Yogurt) Goo…
Cardiologists have been admonishing Americans to avoid saturated fat in the diet. Whole fat dairy products have been especially vilified. That is why skim milk, margarine and low-fat yogurt have becom…
Will Certo and Grape Juice Help Your Sore Knees?
The recent news that diclofenac, like other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), can make people more susceptible to cardiovascular complications is disturbing. It is not particularly surpri…
Are High Carb Diets Better Than Low Carb Diets?
Do you shun fats and focus on carbohydrates for most of your energy? Or do you subscribe to a low-carb lifestyle? Proponents of both high carb diets and low carb diets have been debating their pros an…
What Are the Health Benefits of Cinnamon in Coff…
Have you been hearing that cinnamon is good for you? Or maybe you're worried about the potential health hazards of cinnamon but unsure of what they could be. Perhaps you have been wondering how you mi…
Is Salt Good or Bad for Your Health?
You have heard for years that salt is sinful. People who sprinkle salt on their food are frowned upon by many health professionals. The diet dictocrats will tell you that if you eat chips and salsa, c…
Will a Mediterranean Diet Help Your Psoriasis?
Following a Mediterranean style diet with lots of vegetables, extra-virgin olive oil, whole grains and fruit is good for your heart and your metabolism. Now a French study suggests this way of eating …
How to Prepare No-Gas Beans
You may have heard about the benefits of dietary fiber, but such diets have one drawback: flatulence. That's why our readers get excited about no-gas beans. How Fiber Helps the Heart: People who consu…
Will Extra Vegetables Protect You Against Breast…
Your mother was right when she urged you to eat your vegetables. And if she took her own advice and consumed extra vegetables, she was lowering her own risk of breast cancer. What Is the Value of Extr…
Can You Use Almonds to Stop Heartburn?
Heartburn may seem like a recent problem, but in fact, people have been struggling with indigestion for as far back as medical history reaches and probably beyond. Hippocrates wrote about it more than…
Try Olive Oil for Your Dry Mouth
Dry mouth is not a life-threatening condition, but it certainly can make you miserable. Quite a few medications can cause this irritating symptom. If your prescriber writes it off as a "minor" side ef…
What Health Benefits Can You Get from Spices?
You may be well aware that vegetables and fruits are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Perhaps you've even heard about additional compounds we call phytonutrients. These may not be considered essenti…
Will Eating Walnuts Lower Your Cholesterol?
Could eating walnuts lower your cholesterol? A few decades ago, people were warned to avoid walnuts as well as other types of tree nuts because of their high fat content. Experts expected this to lead…
Rediscovering How Hot Water for Itches Works for…
We love it when people discover a home remedy on their own. It’s doubly sweet when renowned experts support the treatment. It’s triply sweet when we have an explanation for why hot water for itche…
Better Diet for Poor Americans Is Not a SNAP
Poor diet may underly a wide range of undesirable health problems, from obesity to diabetes and heart disease. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was designed to help very low-income…
Will Raisins in the Evening Help You Stay in Bed…
Have you ever had to get up at night to urinate? Most of us have. Going once or even twice in the course of the night may not be much of a problem, but having to trek to the bathroom multiple times ca…
How Much Beet Juice Will Lower Your Blood Pressu…
People with high blood pressure are more likely to experience heart attacks and strokes. That is why doctors emphasize blood pressure control. They often prescribe medication to achieve this goal. Som…
Make Sure Your Vegetarian Diet Is High Quality
A vegetarian diet can be beneficial, but even vegetarians need to pay attention to the quality of the food they eat. Harvard researchers who have tracked the dietary habits and health of more than 125…
Should You Try Yogurt to Combat Constipation?
Anyone who has suffered from constipation would be grateful for advice on preventing this troublesome problem. Avoiding medications such as opioid pain relievers or even supplements like calcium that …
Is Stevia a Safe Sugar Substitute?
Artificial sweeteners have been controversial for decades. In the 1960s, when the idea of low-calorie substitutes for sugar was still fairly new, animal studies suggested that saccharine and cyclamate…