Insomnia can lead to depression, diabetes, and weight gain.
Roughly 60% of Americans polled in a new survey say they don't get enough sleep. And when you set your clocks to "spring forward" on Sunday, you'll probably be joining them!
Besides costing an hour of sleep, adjusting to daylight savings can disrupt sleep patterns—and affect the body's circadian rhythms. Sleep disturbances are clearly linked to depression and other forms of mental problems.
For the first time, a new Dutch study shows that sleeplessness may actually shrink the part of the brain (gray matter) involved in decision-making… Continue reading Categories
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Sleeplessness May Shrink Your Brain
March 12th, 2010Insomnia can lead to depression, diabetes, and weight gain.
Roughly 60% of Americans polled in a new survey say they don't get enough sleep. And when you set your clocks to "spring forward" on Sunday, you'll probably be joining them!
Besides costing an hour of sleep, adjusting to daylight savings can disrupt sleep patterns—and affect the body's circadian rhythms. Sleep disturbances are clearly linked to depression and other forms of mental problems.
For the first time, a new Dutch study shows that sleeplessness may actually shrink the part of the brain (gray matter) involved in decision-making… Continue reading Top Antiaging Secret: Omega 3s
March 5th, 2010
The right fats can keep you happy and healthy at any age!
Want to live a long, productive life? You need to slow the destruction of telomeres (protective structures on the end of chromosomes) that experts say control the body's biological clock.
A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that increasing your dietary intake of omega 3-rich fats will do just that. In addition, Marine-based omega 3s can improve lung function during and after exercise, which (in itself) is a terrific way to fighting aging. And much… Continue reading
Magnesium: A Must-Have Supplement for Your Heart and Bones
February 24th, 2010
This mineral also supports detox and cleansing big time.
An essential mineral involved in over 350 of the body's critical functions, magnesium doesn't get the attention it deserves. For starters, it helps coordinate the activity of the heart muscles and nerves that initiate heartbeat.
Magnesium appears to reduce high blood pressure, cutting the risk of heart attack and stroke. Because this mineral also lessens the risk of heart arrhythmia, it limits the complications of congestive heart failure.
Unfortunately, new research finds that women are getting less than 70% of the magnesium they need. Magnesium deficiency… Continue reading At Least 7 Reasons to Go Vegetarian
February 19th, 2010
Hint: healthy weight loss is only one!
Clinical studies show that a plant-based diet combats the leading killers: cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Type 2 diabetes. No wonder vegetarians live longer than meat eaters!
For heart health alone, giving up meat (including fowl) and seafood (including fish) can lower bad LDL cholesterol, blood pressure and hypertension, and body mass index (BMI). Most research finds that people following a plant-based diet eat fewer calories and weigh less than omnivores.
A vegetarian diet is also less expensive—and far more planet friendly—than eating meat… Continue reading How a Hug Can Protect Your Heart
February 12th, 2010
What you really need for Valentine's Day.
Love does far more than make the world go around. It helps remove plaque from the arteries, boosts the body's immune response, relieves stress, and lengthens life.
Do you have high blood pressure? Close friends and family can lower hypertension. In fact, a new study at Brigham Young University shows that women who are "married with children" have the lowest ambulatory blood pressure of any group.
Family and close social networks are critical to mental health, an underlying factor in heart disease… Continue reading Lost That Loving Feeling?
February 1st, 2010
Rekindle romance naturally in time for Valentine's Day.
Julia R. Heiman, PhD, director of the Kinsey Institute for Sex, Gender, and Reproduction at Indiana University, estimates that 25 to 53% of women of all ages have low libido. And judging by all those commercials for erectile dysfunction, estimates that 30 million men experience sexual dysfunction don't seem at all unreasonable.
Candlelight and soft music may not be enough to spark that loving feeling in today's high-stress world. Before you invest in a bottle of bubbly or a slinky negligee for Valentine's Day, ask yourself… Continue reading Fight Flab and Keep Your Muscles Toned
January 25th, 2010
The right protein is as important as exercise.
Like it or not, muscle loss is a natural part of aging. To prevent flabby muscles, most people head to the gym. But even a consistent weight-lifting regimen may not be enough to prevent flab.
"The older we get, the more we need to eat sufficient protein to keep muscles from atrophying," writes Nan Kathryn Fuchs, PhD, in this month's Women's Health Letter. We also don't digest what protein we do get as well as we did when we were younger.
Recent research in the Journal of… Continue reading The Best Way to Fight Aging: Maintain a Healthy Weight
January 15th, 2010
Flatten your belly and detox without sacrificing nutrition.
Nobody expects to live forever, but the number of centenarians (people who are 100 or older) has increased over 50 percent since 1990. As the human lifespan increases, you want your "golden years" to be healthy, happy, and productive.
Defined as "a progressive, generalized impairment of function, resulting in an increased vulnerability to environmental challenges and a growing risk of disease and death," aging is a multifaceted process caused by accumulated damage to the cells in the body. Free radicals—from a sugary diet, environmental toxins, stress… Continue reading Tylenol Recall Points Out Dangers with OTC Pain Relievers
January 4th, 2010
Combat Inflammation and Pain, Safely and Naturally.
In November, five lots of Tylenol Red EZ-Open Cap Arthritis Pain Caplets were recalled—due to consumer complaints of a sickening moldy or musty odor. Now the recall has expanded to include all lots of Tylenol Arthritis Pain caps, as more people have experienced diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, and vomiting from the use of these OTC (over-the-counter) pain relievers.
In October, Tylenol's manufacturer, McNeil Consumer Healthcare (a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson) recalled 21 children's and infant's Tylenol liquid products as a safeguard against potential bacterial contamination. And… Continue reading Secrets Your Face Can Reveal
November 16th, 2009
What Your Skin Says About Overall Health.
The largest organ in the body, your skin works hard to protect the rest of you from environmental toxins and unwanted pathogens. In fact, your body sheds approximately one-third of its impurities through the skin.
When the liver is on overload, toxins find their way through your skin and radically affect its clarity and elasticity. Wrinkles, blotchy patches, and blemishes appear. Your complexion may start to look sallow, grayish, or discolored—fairly quickly.
New cells are created at the lowest, or basal, layer of skin and gradually force their… Continue reading
The largest organ in the body, your skin works hard to protect the rest of you from environmental toxins and unwanted pathogens. In fact, your body sheds approximately one-third of its impurities through the skin.
When the liver is on overload, toxins find their way through your skin and radically affect its clarity and elasticity. Wrinkles, blotchy patches, and blemishes appear. Your complexion may start to look sallow, grayish, or discolored—fairly quickly.
New cells are created at the lowest, or basal, layer of skin and gradually force their… Continue reading 
Visionary, health guru, diet/detox expert, author, spokesperson, role model, and natural foods icon, Ann Louise Gittleman has always been a trendsetter. 
