Be proactive about your pancreas: What you can do now to keep it in tip-top shape

If you are like most people, you probably think of the pancreas as the organ that produces insulin – the critical hormone necessary to prevent diabetes. But the pancreas has another important function and that is to produce digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes are proteins that break up food into particles small enough to allow your body to digest it.

Live long and prosper

Life expectancy is one way to assess the overall health of different countries and populations. In the U.S., for example, life expectancy has been increasing over the years, according to the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control. The latest numbers are age 81 for females and 76 for males. The overall age for life expectancy in the U.S. is around 78. Many people can also attest that they know people well into their 80s and even 90s. But even still, we may be lagging behind.

‘Stand up’ for your life!

If your co-workers are asking for standing desks and eating their lunches while walking around the parking lot, they’ve probably heard the latest medical news — that sitting can kill you.

Beware: Statins may increase your diabetes risk!

Health recommendations are changing so often, it can give you whiplash. What is true today, may not be true tomorrow, and this is especially true as new studies continue to turn old recommendations on their heads! The latest to break the mold? The common recommendation that all patients with diabetes take statin drugs to reduce their risk of heart disease.

What does vitamin D have to do with hives?

Hives, also known as urticaria, is an immune condition that affects about 20 percent of people at some point during their lives. The condition can be triggered by many substances or situations, and usually starts as an itchy patch of skin that turns into swollen red bumps.

How nutrition complements addiction recovery

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease. It is considered a brain disease because studies have shown that drugs and alcohol physically change the structure of the brain and how the brain works. Research has shown that a majority of addicts suffer from biochemical, nutritional, and metabolic disorders, including depleted or malfunctioning brain chemicals called neurotransmitters and hypoglycemia (or low blood sugar), which causes a wide range of symptoms.

What’s the big deal about fiber?

Inadequate consumption of fiber is reported to be one of the biggest public health concerns for the majority of the U.S. population. So a good recommendation during this nutrition month of March is to incorporate more fiber into our diets. However, as consumers, we may not be clear why we really should include more fiber in our diets. It is one thing to say that we need to increase our fiber intake, but the message might be more readily accepted if it was more clearly explained to us what fiber is, what it does and where to find it. With so many misconceptions out there, many people don’t really have a clear understanding about the critical role fiber plays in our bodies.

Let a patient advocate guide you through the health care minefield

You talk to a real estate agent before purchasing a house; you hire an accountant to help you with your taxes; and you consult a life coach before making career decisions. But when it comes to your most important asset, your health, you probably blindly accept whatever your health care provider tells you or you consult with “Dr. Google.” In other words, you have a team to help you manage your wealth but you go it alone when it comes to your health. Does this sound like you? And does this make sense in today’s world?

Healing from the inside out: Why gut health matters!

Evidence has been mounting that it may not be enough to try quick fixes and over the counter aids (alka seltzer, antacids, H2-blockers, laxatives, etc.) to resolve your health issues. It seems this is the norm, plus maybe watching your diet a little, but you may be missing the bigger picture … a healthy gut!

Emotional health? There’s an app for that

Emotions play a key role in decision-making, productivity, relationships and overall quality of life. Your emotions can affect your health, and your health can affect your emotions. So it’s no surprise that as technology advances, people are looking for new ways to track and improve their emotional health. And yes, there’s an app for that – in fact, quite a few!

Milk with every meal? Probably not ideal

The milk industry, with its star-studded advertisements, tells you to drink milk every day for strong bones. But then you hear things to the contrary – that your body doesn't digest milk well and you’re probably allergic, it’s inflammatory, it contains hormones – the list goes on. Each side is armed with research showing that milk is either good for you or that it isn't, leaving everyone else confused. Let’s make sure you have all the facts.

Why doctors need better nutrition training in med school

Extensive research has shown a link between the food you eat and your health. But even still, nutrition receives little, if any, attention in medical practices, due in part to the lack of nutrition education in medical school curricula. Nutrition is considered one of the most important prevention strategies for obesity-related conditions including heart disease, cancer Type 2 diabetes, stroke and hypertension. This is a big issue -- more than a third of American adults are obese, the CDC says.

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