What’s more, people with COPD are actually more likely to catch viral respiratory infections in the first place. “Their lung immune cells are a bit suppressed,” says Frank Sciurba, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and medical director of the Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. That means their lungs tend to be less effective at fighting off the germs they’re exposed to....

When it comes to whipping up the perfect dish for picnics and barbecues, look no further than blueberries. This refreshing fruit is a common star in warm-weather recipes — and it’s easy to see why. Not only do blueberries add a pretty, eye-popping hue to any party spread, but they’re also packed with good-for-you antioxidants and vitamins. New York City-based Alanna Waldron, RD, a wellness coach for New York Presbyterian at Columbia University Medical Center, and owner of the Eat Real Food blog, says one cup of blueberries contains only 70 calories and a hearty 24 percent of our recommended daily vitamin C....

Generally speaking, if you leave a bee alone, it’ll leave you alone. Bees typically only attack when they feel threatened or if you get too close to their nest. (2) But even if you’re perfectly okay with giving bees their space, you may stumble upon a nest accidentally or instinctively swat at a bee that’s buzzing in your face. This may be all it takes to get a bee riled up, and if so, you’ll be left with an unforgettable experience....

Bondurant was doing well with the transplants until October 2014 when he acquired a bacterial infection during a trip to visit his uncle. The infection caused the ulcerative colitis to spiral out of control and he was eventually forced to have his colon removed. Despite what happened, the 56-year-old financial adviser has no regrets. “I believe the fecal transplants helped me keep my colon for two to three years longer than I ever could have,” says Bondurant....

Check out Health Bistro for more healthy food for thought. See what Lifescript editors are talking about and get the skinny on the latest news. Share it with your friends (it’s free to sign up!), and bookmark it so you don’t miss a single juicy post!Talk to us on Facebook and Twitter! title: “Do Sweet N Low Dangers Still Exist " ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-19” author: “Anne Alexander” Check out Health Bistro for more healthy food for thought....

Fizzy water may be rising because more people are turning to it as a healthy alternative to soda or booze. Some people don’t love the flavor of tap water or find drinking nothing but plain H2O all day long boring. Carbonation feels a bit more exciting, and there are countless calorie-free flavors to choose from. But does sparkling water meet your hydration needs the same way still water does? And does it have any side effects other than pure refreshment?...

An “emotional meltdown” isn’t exactly a medical diagnosis. “It’s used in popular discourse to describe when we are overcome emotionally, when we hit a breaking point,” says Robin Stern, PhD, licensed psychoanalyst and cofounder and director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence in New Haven, Connecticut. For some people, a meltdown may look like crying uncontrollably. For others it may look like snapping at others or lashing out angrily....

Self-Confidence Strength, self-reliance, determination, resourcefulness, perseverance, courage, optimism, and humor External Factors Personal Relationships Friends, loved ones, colleagues, and others Purpose and Meaning Things that motivate or inspire you Communities and Social Support Your tribe, including people who can empathize with your circumstances at life’s challenging moments These factors and the assessment are adapted from Sood and his team’s model of resilience, which has been validated and proven reliable through numerous clinical trials....

The Evie ring and its companion app can measure multiple key health metrics: activity level and calories burned, heart rate and variability, blood oxygen levels (sometimes called SpO2), sleep cycles and quality, and body temperature. The app also lets users track their menstrual cycle and ovulation, and over time can help predict how users will feel depending on the time of the month. The ring is water-resistant, so you can wear it even while swimming or showering....

Depending on the areas of your body that are affected, you may find it difficult to use the range of motion that many types of activity require. You may also find that during psoriatic arthritis flares, forms of exercise that normally pose few problems can become painful or physically difficult. Even though it may not always come naturally, staying active is an essential part of managing psoriatic arthritis. While exercising regularly doesn’t directly affect your disease process, it can help keep your joints flexible and your muscles strong — both of which can reduce your perception of psoriatic arthritis symptoms....

If you’re one of the millions who are planning to opt out — because of some alarming claims about the vaccine you heard from a friend or read on social media, perhaps, or because you think you are too healthy to need a flu shot — public-health experts are asking you to reconsider. They are urging all Americans who are eligible for the influenza vaccine (which includes nearly everyone over the age of 6 months, including pregnant people) to get a flu shot, ideally by the end of October....

That’s the whole idea behind the “food as medicine” movement — a philosophy that has roots in the HIV epidemic and began in the 1980s, when public health advocates launched nutrition programs to aid management of AIDS. Now, many people are catching on to the notion that certain eating styles have the potential to influence disease prevention, too, not to mention influence quality of life, health, and longevity. “We have known for literally decades that 80 percent of all chronic disease and premature death that happens in the world around us is completely preventable just by routine physical activity, not smoking, and eating optimally....

This could be true, says Jerry Bagel, MD, dermatologist and director of the Psoriasis Treatment Center of Central New Jersey in East Windsor. It’s just that there is no scientific proof to back it up. Still, Dr. Bagel says, if you find that something you eat or drink seems to aggravate your psoriasis symptoms, it can’t hurt to limit it or cut it from your diet. For instance, in a survey of more than 1,200 people with psoriasis published in May 2017 in Dermatology and Therapy, over half of respondents said they noticed improvement in their symptoms after reducing their intake of alcohol, gluten, and nightshades....

Now, a new discovery holds promise for people with advanced melanoma skin cancer: inheriting a certain version (or variant) of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene may help prevent cancer from spreading (metastasizing) to other parts of the body, and even boost the effects of immunotherapy treatment. The research, published May 25, 2020, in the journal Nature Medicine, is in its early stages, but offers the first evidence that inherited genes are able to drive cancer’s spread....

To become what she is today — one of the most sought-after models in the industry — took some family pedigree (her mom, Yolanda Hadid, is a former model who also starred in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Lifetime’s Making a Model With Yolanda Hadid) as well as a lot of hard work. British Vogue called Gigi part of “the new age of models” because of her “strong work ethic, good manners, and the ability to speak out....

“When I went gluten free and made other dietary changes, I regained control over my digestive system,” explains Hanks, a holistic nutritionist who specializes in chronic disease management. “I’m regular, healthy, and no longer have to be near a bathroom at all times.” Hanks isn’t alone. Many people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease — report an improvement in their symptoms after cutting out gluten....

Working together, several leading heart groups agreed on patient treatment guidelines and published their recommendations in December 2014 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Atrial Fibrillation Care: Changes to Expect Four atrial fibrillation assessment and treatment changes patients can expect are: The newer medications are Pradaxa (dabigatran), Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Eliquis (apixaban), and most recently Savaysa (edoxaban) — which work by preventing pooled blood in the heart from clotting....

Exactly what is the gut microbiome? “The gut microbiome is the collection of bacteria and other microorganisms [both good and bad] that exist within an ecosystem in our gut,” says Christopher Damman, MD, a clinical associate professor at the University of Washington in Seattle and the chief medical officer and chief scientific officer at Muniq, a probiotic shake producer. And that community of microbes has a lot to do with your overall physical and psychological health....

“It’s a nice way to get a little strengthening going and lets patients sense what their level of activity might be,” explains certified hand therapist Alice Pena, PT, who is a former spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association. Some Rules of ‘Thumb’ for Maximizing the Benefits If anything hurts, stop. In general, you can repeat the following exercises up to five times per session, once or twice a day....

In fact, the night would be one of the worst experiences of her life. After arriving at the dinner party with her husband, Stewart nibbled on appetizers of shrimp, crab, and pasta salad and nursed half a glass of Chardonnay. Then she sat down to have a conversation with a dear friend she hadn’t seen in a while. Suddenly, Stewart felt a wave of disorientation and fatigue. She chalked it up to exhaustion and hormonal changes and, after splashing water on her face in the bathroom, she returned to continue chatting....