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.
Does Chocolate Really Help Your Heart?
Most people think of chocolate as a sinful indulgence. We may be prepared to pay the price of the extra calories, but we don't expect it to have any health benefits. Might we be wrong, though? Could c…
Are There Natural Remedies for Constipation?
Constipation is a very common complaint. While doctors rarely become concerned about constipation unless the patient seems to have obstructed bowels, sufferers find that this problem really affects th…
Women Who Eat Mediterranean Diets Improve Pregna…
The Mediterranean diet has gotten a lot of attention for the health benefits it can provide. These include common but important factors like lower cholesterol, a reduced likelihood of diabetes and eve…
Walnuts are Good for Heart Health!
There is growing awareness that chronic inflammation contributes to cardiovascular disease (CVD). We have reported that anti-inflammatory foods can reduce the risk of complications from CVD (Journal o…
Caffeine Consumption Cuts Risk of Type 2 Diabete…
The most common drug in the world has surprisingly strong health benefits. Caffeine consumption through drinking coffee and tea can help reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease or type 2 diabetes. Th…
People with Diabetes Do Better on Low-Carb Diets
For years, doctors and dietitians have been arguing about the best diet for people with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association has long recommended cutting fat, especially saturated fat, which le…
Show 1298: The Health Benefits of Tart Cherries …
In our nationally syndicated radio show this week, we talk with two scientists who have been studying how eating cherries affects our physiology. Both are experts in sports medicine who have done some…
Give the Best Gift This Holiday: Better Health f…
The most valuable gift is good health, not a new wallet, a fancy phone, or a smart speaker. The last thing mom needs is a new gadget. How about health info that lasts for years? What is most important…
Do People Who Skip Meat Have a Lower Chance of C…
Colorectal cancer is common and deadly. It is the third most common malignancy and the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the world. A new study published in BMC Medicine reports that diet ca…
Will the Gin and Raisin Remedy Help Hip and Knee…
We first heard about the gin and raisin remedy for arthritis nearly 30 years ago. On May 16, 1994 we received this letter: "A neighbor gave my wife a recipe for "arthritis relief" that involves soakin…
Could Almonds Overcome Constipation Problem?
Munching almonds could have a beneficial impact on our digestive tracts. But could almonds overcome constipation or other digestive difficulties? Researchers have found enough effects to make this pla…
Overcoming Insomnia with Tart Cherry Juice
Do you often toss and turn for hours? Wouldn't it be great to have a remedy that could help you overcome insomnia, preferably without next-day drowsiness or other undesirable side effects? Some scient…
What Are the Health Benefits of Cocoa Flavanols?
Do you think of chocolate as a sinful snack or a healthy bite? Chocolate candy itself probably should be considered sinful. It usually contains too much sugar to count as health food. The cocoa flavan…
Dandruff
Dandruff may be dastardly, but in general, it is not a serious medical condition. Though people who have it may be frustrated by it, or even desperate for relief, dermatologists don't get too excited …
Do Walnuts Really Interfere with Synthroid Effec…
Doctors prescribe the thyroid hormone levothyroxine (Levoxyl, Synthroid, Tirosint, Unithroid) for people whose own thyroid glands do not make enough of this hormone. However, too often they don't prov…
How to Lower Blood Pressure by Sipping Hibiscus …
Does your doctor frown over your blood pressure? Sometimes blood pressure is higher in the office than at home. (This is called "white-coat hypertension.") But if your pressure is starting to climb ev…
Study Shows No Need to Shun Coffee to Keep Heart…
Coffee has a bad reputation when it comes to irregular heart rhythms. Doctors often tell patients to avoid caffeinated coffee to keep their heart rhythm regular. A few recent studies contradict that c…
Cold Yellow Mustard Relieves Burn
We learn so much from our listeners, readers and visitors. They like to share the results of the home remedies that others have recommended. One of the most popular remedies is yellow mustard to ease …
How Often Do You Get Up to Pee at Night?
Do you have to get up to pee several times a night? Many people report that this is a problem, especially as they grow older. Having to urinate several times during the night is a major factor interfe…
People with Heart Failure Suffer on Low Sodium D…
Should you eat less salt? Public health authorities generally include cutting back on sodium as one of the important dietary steps we can all take for good health. In particular, doctors admonish peop…
Will a Plant-Based Diet Lower the Likelihood of …
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among American men after skin cancer. Roughly one man in eight will develop this disease sometime during his life. Can a man's diet reduce his likelihood of p…
Joe & Terry Share Favorite Home Remedies fo…
Want to watch Joe & Terry's appearance on "A Healthy You & Carol Alt"? This show aired on the Fox network on July 5th to great acclaim. In case you don't follow such things, Carol Alt was one …
Avocados Help Control Cholesterol
Would you like to find an easy, tasty way to lower your cholesterol and benefit your heart health? Many readers would be enthusiastic about this prospect. Avocados might be one approach worth explorin…
Juice-Vinegar-Pectin Mixture Eased Joint Pain
When your joints ache and creak, you probably want relief. Will you reach for aspirin or Aleve or try a glass of a juice-vinegar mixture? Some readers are surprisingly enthusiastic about home remedies…
Will Nopal Cactus Control Blood Sugar?
We love it when scientific research reveals that a home remedy actually works. One that seems quite improbable is eating nopal cactus pads to help with blood sugar control. A few readers have tried th…
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 Hot Peppers Can Improve Your Health and Exte…
OK, I admit that is one of those headlines that seems far too good to be true. Full disclosure, I must confess that I (Joe G.) am a pepperhead, ie, someone who loves (actually craves) hot chili pepper…
Can You Fight Depression by Eating the Mediterra…
Depression is challenging to treat during the best of times. During the pandemic it has been especially difficult, because therapists have been overwhelmed with cases. Zoom therapy is not always an id…
Will Spices Help Protect Your Memory?
Dementia is as frightening to most people as the prospect of heart disease or cancer. You probably know that to avoid heart disease you want to control your weight, eat a healthful high-vegetable diet…
Is It Safe to Drink Cinnamon Tea Every Day?
There is increasing interest in the power of spices for promoting health. Research on spices has also been growing, with scientists documenting their value in blood sugar control, for example (Food C…
Can You Help Nerve Pain with a Diet Rich in ALA?
Doctors often have a hard time treating nerve pain, also called neuropathy. When diabetes causes neuropathy, physicians ask patients to control their blood glucose very strictly. In addition, they may…
Will You Live Longer If You Sip Green Tea?
Is coffee or tea your beverage of choice? A study from China, where a lot of people prefer tea, suggests that you might want to sip green tea. Recently, a symposium sponsored by the US Tea Council sum…
Why Grandma Was Right About Vegetables
Your grandmother may have told you to eat your vegetables. Ours certainly urged us to do so. If she did, she was right. Vegetables and fruits are good sources of flavanols, plant compounds that appear…
Extract from Wild Blueberries May Help Wounds He…
Wound care can be an extremely difficult problem. Chronic wounds, especially pressure ulcers and diabetes-related sores, may fail to heal due to inadequate blood supply to the tissues. They can cause …
Will Drinking Dragon Fruit Juice Improve your He…
Have you seen a new product on supermarket shelves lately? Some stores are stocking dragon fruit juice, which might have you wondering what that is. One of our readers is wondering whether it has heal…
Can You Use Oil of Oregano With Confidence?
For years, readers have been telling us that they use oil of oregano as an antifungal or antimicrobial agent. Scientists have found data to support this use. For example, oregano oil applied topically…
What Should You Eat to Reduce Your Risk of Demen…
Do you know how to keep your brain healthy as you grow older? Often, people want to know what you should eat to reduce your risk of dementia. The Framingham Offspring Study offered some answers to tha…
What Is the Best Diet to Lower Cholesterol?
Have you ever wondered what you should be eating to optimize your health? Nutrition scientists have been arguing that the entire dietary pattern matters more than a handful of individual foods reputed…
What Is the Evidence That Cocoa Flavanols Improv…
An ongoing argument often surfaces around Valentine's Day, Easter and Halloween. You'll see a number of feature pieces suggesting that chocolate is actually good for you. These stories are frequently …
Can Eating Beets Benefit Eyesight as Well as Blo…
Do you like beets? We do, but we've heard that a lot of people object to their earthy flavor. On the other hand, research demonstrates that people who eat beets regularly may have less trouble with hi…