Positive feelings are good for your heart
We all know that stress and anxiety have been clinically shown to be detrimental to one’s physical health, but what about the opposite? Can holding positive thoughts be an elixir for good health?
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Increase in allergies and asthma linked to antibiotic use
Is the overuse of antibiotics and antibacterial products to blame for the pandemic levels of allergic diseases?
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Music’s positive influence on the immune system
Over the past decade, the use of music as medicine has been evolving into an accepted part of recovery programs at hospitals and clinics nationwide. As an adjunct to standard medical treatment, it is used primarily to reduce stress, ease pain, and reduce nausea. Now, researchers are linking certain types of music with enhancing the immune system.
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Naturally boosting the power of pain relief, without drugs
Two natural forms of pain relief – the placebo effect and redirecting one’s attention, usually by a high-level cognitive function – were previously thought to rely on the same brain mechanism since both activities originate in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. But a recent study counters that belief and actually shows that adding the two together greatly increases the pain-relieving effect from both applications.
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Eat dessert for breakfast…and lose weight?
As part of a healthy weight loss diet, desserts have long been taboo. Until now, that is. In a surprising discovery, researchers from Tel Aviv University found that when dessert is incorporated into a 600-calorie breakfast, balanced with proteins and carbohydrates, dieters are able to lose more weight — and keep it off in the long run.
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Many doctors over-prescribing instead of using drug-free conservative approaches
With almost half of all Americans using a prescription in the past month according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, experts are worried about the rampant practice of over-prescribing.
And other statistics related to the issue are of grave concern:
Consuming olive oil may prevent strokes
If you, or someone you know, is 65 or older, researchers are now suggesting the inclusion of more olive oil in your diet to help prevent stroke.
In a study by the University of Bordeaux of 7,625 people aged 65 and older, those who regularly used olive for cooking and as a dressing had a 41 percent lower risk of stroke compared with those who never consumed olive oil.
“Our research suggests that a new set of dietary recommendations should be issued to prevent stroke in people 65 and older,” said study author Cécilia Samieri, PhD, with the University of Bordeaux and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Bordeaux, France. “Stroke is so common in older people and olive oil would be an inexpensive and easy way to help prevent it.”
Olive oil is associated with other proven health benefits as well, such as protective effects against diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.