Your hair goes through the ringer every time you color it, blow-dry it, use the curling iron or flat iron, hang out at the beach, or swim in a chlorine-filled pool. Diet, stress, medical conditions and medicines you may be taking, hormonal changes and vitamin and mineral deficiencies can all affect your hair, too. Using special…
As each year goes by, we get a little older and a little less sprightly. But is it possible that you’re thinking your way into gray hairs and more wrinkles? Do thoughts make you age faster? That’s what a scientist and psychologist are proposing in their new book. Telo-what? Telomeres and Aging Now, there’s no…
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that sickle cell diseases (SCD), especially sickle cell anemia, affects around 100,000 Americans. Sickle cell anemia is a type of inherited sickle-cell disease. It affects red blood cells and the protein called hemoglobin. Because it's an inherited disorder, sickle cell anemia is different than other types of anemia, as…
America's No. 1 favorite comfort food is testing positive for some disturbing ingredients, and you won't find them on the label. New testing confirms that chemicals in mac and cheese include a variety of phthalates, chemicals that disrupt the body's normal hormonal function. Some are even linked to certain cancers. But is it time to panic…
TB may seem like a deadly disease of the distant past. But just this year, up to 50 babies were exposed to the disease in a United States hospital and nearly 200 staff and patients of another medical center were also believed to be exposed to TB. In fact, about 1.7 billion people (about a quarter of the…
Did you know that 55 percent to 60 percent of your body weight is water? Water flows throughout your body from one area to another. It is present inside and outside of your cells and it keeps your tissues moist. Your bones, joints, spinal cord and brain need water, too. (1) But sometimes too much…
Before you venture outdoors this summer, be sure to protect yourself against ticks. Due to recent unusually warm winters in the U.S., which allowed insects to better survive, tick populations are up — and so is the risk of contracting a nasty tick-borne illness. In addition to the usual suspects, like Lyme disease, a rarer…
Do you have swollen and tender red streaks that start at an opening in the skin and radiate to the armpit or groin? If so, you may be suffering from lymphangitis, a bacterial infection that is commonly caused by the same bacteria that causes strep throat and cellulitis. Lymphangitis is an infection that can spread…
Using hand sanitizers like they're going out of style (unfortunately, they're not) and popping antibiotics at the very first sign of an illness. Yes, without knowing it, many people practice antibacterial overkill. Although the dangers of antibiotics are becoming more known today, many people remain confused or misinformed about when and when not to take prescription…
You may have heard a lot about the body's natural "feel-good" chemicals, but what are endorphins, exactly? These natural peptide chemicals produced in your body interact with receptors in your brain to help you feel focused, less impacted by pain and put you in a better mood. In fact, endorphins have a lot in common…
