Posts

Keep a few N95 masks on rotation, and give the masks time to air out between wears. Image Credit: Andrey Zhuravlev/iStock/GettyImages N95 masks have officially become the gold standard when it comes to protecting yourself against COVID-19. They block more viral particulates compared to their cloth or surgical cousins, making them the best choice for when you’re indoors in crowded areas or around people who are at higher risk for severe illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)....

Can you lose weight with elliptical workouts? You bet — with the right approach. Image Credit: Mike Kemp/Tetra images/GettyImages It’s no secret that regular exercise can help you reach your weight-loss goal faster. And hopping on the elliptical is a great option, for a number of reasons. Advertisement Working out helps you burn more calories, which can add up to pounds lost. And while any form of exercise can ultimately help you get the job done, the elliptical machine is great because it's low-impact and you can adjust the intensity to meet your needs....

Bodybuilders are strongly focused on consuming enough protein each day so that their muscles have enough building blocks to grow bigger and stronger. Beef, pork and lamb are excellent sources of protein, as well as being tasty. However, eating excessive amounts of meat each day is not healthy for anyone, even bodybuilders who have much higher protein requirements. There are other animal sources that are high in protein and considered healthier than meat....

Eating oatmeal in your regular diet may help fight colon cancer. Image Credit: Prostock-Studio/iStock/GettyImages Whole grains such as oats are good for your health and considered an important part of a balanced diet. But can eating oatmeal and other foods containing oats also help extend your life and even fight cancer? Read on to learn about this and more. Advertisement ​Read more:​ The One Breakfast Dietitians Want You to Eat More Often Video of the Day Oats and Cancer Oatmeal is one of the many foods made from oats, a type of whole grain high in soluble fiber, important for heart and colon health....

Milk, cheese, and butter. Image Credit: Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images A diagnosis of lactose intolerance means that your body lacks the ability to digest lactose, a sugar that occurs naturally in cow’s milk. An estimated 30 million to 50 million Americans have lactose intolerance, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Though lactose is present in a vast assortment of foods, ranging from milk, yogurt and cheese to various bread products and lunch meats, numerous other foods fit well within a lactose-free diet....

Sub sandwiches on a table. Image Credit: karandaev/iStock/Getty Images If you started a gluten-free diet because you developed stomach pain after eating products that contained wheat and you still have pain, you may have been misdiagnosed. If you haven’t been clinically diagnosed by a doctor, you need to see a gastroenterologist to determine the cause of your stomach pain. Celiac disease, also called gluten intolerance, is commonly confused with a wheat allergy, notes MayoClinic....

Honeycomb contains wax, honey and bee pollen. Honeycomb is a waxy, hexagonal structure built by worker honeybees to store honey and pollen, as well as to house developing larvae. The honeybees produce the wax by eating their own honey. Honeycomb has to be removed in order to harvest honey, but it is often returned to the hive to avoid unduly taxing the worker bee's efforts. Raw honeycomb is eaten, especially with bread, although the nutritional value comes almost exclusively from the honey, pollen and undeveloped larvae within the honeycomb and not from the beeswax....

Wheat and corn aren’t as one-dimensional as you might think. They’re labeled as carbohydrates because that’s mostly what they contain, but both plants have other important nutrients. You might not want to live solely on wheat or corn, but they can be part of a well-balanced diet. Amber Waves of Grain Try making it through an entire trip to the grocery store without purchasing any wheat or corn products — you’ll quickly realize that many foods contain wheat or corn, or their derivatives like flour and corn syrup....

Herbal teas made of chamomile, fennel or peppermint may soothe IBS symptoms. Drinking herbal tea may soothe the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that can cause abdominal pain, gas, bloating and diarrhea or constipation. Caffeinated tea may aggravate IBS symptoms by stimulating bowel activity. However, non-caffeinated teas brewed with herbs such as chamomile, peppermint and fennel may act as muscle relaxants, easing bowel cramps. Although herbal teas may relax your digestive muscles, they are not a substitute for conventional medical treatment....

Balance exercises, including many yoga poses, are among the best natural, at-home remedies for dizziness. Image Credit: Stígur Már Karlsson /Heimsmyndir/E+/GettyImages Vertigo may sound like a sci-fi experience, and in some ways, it is. “Vertigo can be the sensation or hallucination of motion,” Darius Kohan, MD, an otolaryngologist who specializes in vertigo at Northwell Health in New York City, tells LIVESTRONG.com. Advertisement In short, you either feel everything moving around you or you have the feeling that you're moving around, even though you're perfectly still....

Is this an emergency? If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, please see the National Library of Medicine’s list of signs you need emergency medical attention or call 911. The best comforters for hot sleepers are made with lightweight, breathable materials to keep you cool. Image Credit: amenic181/iStock/GettyImages Image Credit: amenic181/iStock/GettyImages How We Chose Best Overall Best Value Best Lightweight Best Eco-Friendly Best for Couples Best Duvet Best Duvet Insert Best Weighted Best Down Alternative What to Look For Want to create a truly comfortable sleep experience?...

A glass of Perrier mineral water. Image Credit: igorr1/iStock/Getty Images Perrier mineral water bubbles up from a natural mineral spring in France. The water is carbonated by natural gases that form under the spring. The water not only helps keep you hydrated, which is essential to health, the minerals offer a surprising number of health benefits. Advertisement Calories No calories are in plain Perrier mineral water. The flavored varieties of Perrier, including lemon, lime and grapefruit, are flavored with essential oils....

Glucose can come from corn starch. Image Credit: tugbastock/iStock/Getty Images There’s so much information about carbohydrates and how they affect your body that you might wonder how they’re all related to one another and where they come from. Glucose, a kind of sugar, can come from many places, but one common source of industrial glucose is corn starch, which comes from a specific part of the corn kernel. Advertisement Corn Starch Corn kernels, like kernels of other grains, have many parts....

These five tweaks are simple and will help alleviate pain. Image Credit: anilakkus/E+/GettyImages Add a standing desk, under-the-table bike and high-end ergonomic chair to your online shopping cart, and the total will likely shock you. But you don’t need to invest a ton of money on high-end office equipment to optimize your work space. Advertisement In fact, you don't need to spend any money to start improving your posture and relieving that nagging neck pain....

Turmeric spice and curcumin supplements have many potential uses and benefits. Image Credit: ThamKC/iStock/Getty Images Spice lovers all over the world have long used powdered or grated turmeric to add color and a deep, earthy flavor to food. However, the spice’s uses and benefits go well beyond the culinary: Turmeric and curcumin — its yellow pigment — are available as supplements, which people take to ease digestive problems, speed wound healing, soothe skin diseases, treat liver conditions, and more....

White spots on your nails may be a sign of a nutrient deficiency, but the marks are normal and generally not reflective of your health. Image Credit: Nadya So/iStock/GettyImages Here’s something you probably don’t do very often: Take a good long look at your fingers. See any white spots on your nails? Advertisement Perhaps you've heard that these white marks are a sign of a vitamin or mineral deficiency. But it turns out that most white spots on fingernails aren't related to nutrient consumption, per the National Health Service....

There's no harm in eating a banana each day. Image Credit: SasaJo/iStock/GettyImages Bananas are sweet and satisfying, and the perfect food when you need a little boost of easily digestible energy. However, eating too many bananas isn’t healthy. It could cause weight gain and an imbalance in your nutrients. Advertisement Tip Eating too many bananas can lead to weight gain and nutrient imbalances. Calories in Bananas One medium banana contains 105 calories, according to the USDA....

Eat low fat meals while taking Alli. Image Credit: Qwart/iStock/Getty Images Alli is the first Food and Drug Administration approved weight loss pill. Alli contains half the prescription strength of the weight loss drug orlistat. To avoid unwanted side effects, users of Alli are advised to follow a low fat diet. To eat the right things, the makers of Alli recommend eating healthier foods when you actually are hungry and not just emotional eating....

If you have symptoms of anxiety, your doctor will discuss potential next steps. Image Credit: FatCamera/E+/GettyImages You might notice something different at your next annual doctor exam. In addition to checking your physical stats, your doctor might want to know about how you’re doing emotionally. Advertisement All adults under 65 should now regularly be screened for anxiety, per a September 2022 recommendation statement from the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF). Anxiety affects nearly one in five U....

Here's why you might poop more when you're losing weight — and why the opposite might happen. Image Credit: Terry Vine/DigitalVision/GettyImages What you put in your mouth majorly affects what comes out the other end. So, it should be no surprise that shifting your diet for weight loss can modify your pooping habits. Advertisement Here, Niket Sonpal, MD, a New York-based internist and gastroenterologist, discusses four big bowel changes you might see during your weight-loss journey....