In the United States, about 200,000 people are hospitalized for diverticulitis each year. Diverticular disease can be a painful and upsetting disturbance in the digestive tract, and in severe cases, it can lead to hospitalization and surgery due to complications from diverticulitis symptoms. The foods you eat and a variety of other risk factors can…
A large body of research shows that a healthy, unprocessed diet is very important for managing autoimmune disorder symptoms, including those caused by lupus, because it helps control inflammation stemming from poor gut health. The majority of your immune system is actually located in inside your gastrointestinal tract, which is also known as the microbiome,…
Seborrheic dermatitis, a type of skin condition that most often causes facial dryness and scalp itchiness, affects about 6 million children and adults in the U.S. It can be tricky to recognize or diagnose seborrheic dermatitis because the skin reactions it triggers mimic those caused by similar conditions like psoriasis, other forms of eczema or even allergic reactions.…
A popular food additive used in everything from dill pickles to ice cream is now linked to colon cancer, thanks to the way it impacts the gut. Emulsifiers are added to most processed foods to improve food texture and extend shelf life. But it also throws off healthy levels of intestinal bacteria, triggering chronic, low-level inflammation…
Social isolation and feeling very lonely, trapped and hopeless are some of the most common warning signs that someone could be heading toward having suicidal thoughts. Every year, in the U.S. alone, there are more than 40,000 completed suicides and many more partial attempts. Millions of family members, friends, teachers and therapists are left behind…
For a country obsessed with losing weight, spending more than $60 billion a year trying to shed pounds, Americans are failing miserably. Even though we know the health risks that come with being too overweight, almost 78 million adults and 13 million children are obese — that’s one in three adults. (1, 2) It’s obvious…
The terms narcissist and narcissistic personality disorder are thrown around rather loosely today. While a touch of self-centeredness, need for admiration or difficulty being criticized may seem narcissistic, it doesn't necessarily warrant a diagnosis of true narcissistic personality disorder. (And here's an important point to remember: Narcissism is not the same as confidence.) But when…
Never heard of homocysteine before and wondering what causes someone to have elevated homocysteine levels? Homocysteine is a specific type of amino acid that's created in the body during metabolic processes, as opposed to consumed in food. It's produced in the body as a byproduct of methylation, the process of producing an essential protein called…
A fungus may trigger Crohn's disease, a devastating inflammatory bowel disease that often requires heavy-duty drugs, surgery or a combination of both to keep at bay. The new finding, published in the September 2016 edition journal mBio, opens the door to more probiotic-based treatment options that could more gently treat and possibly even cure the digestive disease Crohn's…
Asthma is a common problem that affects more than 25 million Americans, especially children and teens. Rates of asthma have been increasing steadily over the past several decades as well — today one in 12 people has asthma, or 8 percent of the U.S. population, compared to about one in 14 people less than 10 years…
