Category: Better Living

AHA News: How You Feel About Aging Could Affect Health. Here’s How to Keep the Right Attitude

By American Heart Association News Is age really just a state of mind? Perhaps not the number, but how we age might be. A growing body of research suggests a person’s mindset – how they feel about growing old – may predict how much longer and how well they live as the years go by….


Maintain Your Muscle

You’ve likely heard that exercise can help you live a longer, healthier life. When you hear the word ‘exercise,’ you might think of going for a run or hopping on a bicycle. Or maybe playing soccer with your kids or basketball with your friends after work. But these activities don’t include all the types of…


Health Risks Linked to Leaving Lights on at Night

Ensuring your bedroom is pitch black at night—without light exposure from a television, window, cellphone, or even your alarm clock—is a simple way to reduce your risk of chronic disease. It was only about 130 years ago that electric light was invented, bringing with it drastic changes in the way humans function on a daily…


Research Finds Benefits of Guilt and Confession

Guilt plays a role in whether admitting to a lapse in self-control helps us resist temptation in the future or makes us more likely to give in again, according to new research. We’ve all slipped up when we’re trying to improve ourselves, perhaps by eating better or spending more wisely, and sometimes when we do,…


The Surprising Benefits of Cold Plunge Therapy

Perhaps you’re familiar with the polar bear plunge, where individuals willingly jump, run, or dive into icy cold water. Such events are typically done as fundraisers and aren’t a routine activity. However, some people participate in cold plunge therapy, a healing technique that can be helpful for a wide variety of conditions and ailments when…


Why Goals Fail, and How to Do Better

A goal is any outcome in your life that wouldn’t happen without an intervention. It’s a detour from the path of least resistance. Maybe you recognize that your current habits aren’t cutting it. You have greater ambitions for your life than the trajectory your current behaviors have you on. You’re going to need to change…


Pros and Cons of Guarana

If you enjoyed an energy drink recently, chances are it contained an ingredient known as guarana (Paullinia cupana). This plant, which is native to the Amazon rainforest, is the source of a substance associated with several health benefits, along with some cautionary notes. Guarana is a Brazilian plant highly regarded by natives for its healing…


Healthy Ways to Replenish Electrolytes

On hot summer days, you’re more at risk for becoming dehydrated and depleted or imbalanced in important minerals. Try these suggestions for getting more of these essential nutrients, without the sugar typically found in many electrolyte replacement beverages. Several years ago, my mother, who was in her 90s, became dehydrated and depleted in electrolytes after…


‘Chemical Imbalance’ Theory of Depression Hugely Profitable—and It’s Not Even True

“Lexapro appears to relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety by increasing serotonin,” says an ad on the Bonkers Institute, a website that archives drug ads and also satirizes pharma claims and shaky science. “Zoloft works to correct a chemical imbalance in the brain which may be related to symptoms of depression,” another ad says. “Paxil CR…


Everyday Activities That Can Cut Your Odds for Dementia

Reading, doing yoga and spending time with family and friends might help lower your risk of dementia, a new study suggests. “Previous studies have shown that leisure activities were associated with various health benefits, such as a lower cancer risk, a reduction of atrial fibrillation, and a person’s perception of their own well-being,” said study…