Due to increasing rates of obesity, inactivity, and an aging population, type 2 diabetes is more prevalent in our society than ever before. In high-income countries, death from diabetes dropped from 2000 to 2010, but then increased from 2010 to 2016 — leading to an overall 5% increase in premature deaths since 2000. Particularly troubling […]
How to stock a plant-based pantry (and fridge) on a budget
Given the current pandemic and related economic stressors, many of us are trying to maintain healthy habits while watching our expenses. One of the areas where we can support our immune system is through our food choices. We all have to eat, and eat several times a day, and selecting foods that support our health […]
Higher blood levels of unsaturated fats linked to longer life
Image: Thinkstock A diet rich in polyunsaturated fats—found mainly in vegetable oils and fish—seems to protect people against cardio-vascular disease. A new study that measured blood levels of these fats in older adults now lends further support to this observation. The report, in the June 17, 2015, Circulation , included more than 4,200 Swedish men […]
Traffic noise may raise stroke risk
A constant drone of low-level traffic noise may slightly raise your risk of cardiovascular disease, according to British researchers. The study included data from the nearly 450,000 people admitted to London hospitals with cardiovascular disease over an eight-year period. Researchers estimated how much traffic noise these people were exposed to, day and night. Compared with […]
What is COVID-19 brain fog — and how can you clear it?
As a cognitive behavioral neurologist, I’ve been hearing from many individuals who are complaining of “brain fog” after infection with COVID-19. So I thought it was worth discussing exactly what COVID-19 brain fog is, and some things to do that might help clear it. What is brain fog? Let’s start by trying to understand brain […]
How can I know if my penicillin allergy is real?
People with a penicillin allergy on their medical record are not given penicillins (or often their relatives the cephalosporins) when they have infections. Instead, the antibiotics prescribed may be broader-spectrum, less effective, and/or more toxic. Penicillin alternatives may be less effective or more toxic One recent national study from more than 100 US hospitals with […]
The hidden long-term cognitive effects of COVID-19
The COVID pandemic has now claimed as many American lives as World War I, the Vietnam War, and the Korean War combined . Most of these deaths are due to the well-known pulmonary complications of the coronavirus. It has become increasingly recognized, however, that the virus also attacks the nervous system . Doctors in a […]
Taming traveler’s tummy
Travel is meant to transport you far from the same-old, same-old. But when you’re not eating the same foods and sleeping on the same schedule (or even in the same time zone), the ripple effects on digestion can be fierce. With more nerve cells than many parts of the central nervous system, including the spinal […]
A combination of healthy diets linked with longer life
Healthier eating leads to better health. But does it matter what kind of healthy eating plan you follow? Researchers looked at the effect of four healthy eating patterns on more than 120,000 people. The four patterns, all recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, were the Healthy Eating Index 2015, Alternate Mediterranean Diet, Healthful Plant-based […]
Problems with bloating? Watch your sodium intake
In the journals If you suffer from regular bloating after eating, you may want to check your sodium intake, suggests a study published in July 2019 in The American Journal of Gastroenterology . Scientists analyzed data from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension–Sodium trial (DASH-Sodium) from two decades ago. The original study compared the DASH […]