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Most spring allergies are caused by pollen. Though pollen is harmless, your body can mistake it for a threat and release histamines. In an attempt to repel the “invader,” histamines cause your eyes, nose and throat to swell, itch and produce mucus. Even if you know all about pollen, you may not know the best ways to combat it. Avoid these common spring allergy mistakes that can prolong suffering or even make symptoms worse. Mistake No. 1: Waiting too long to medicate. For best results, allergy medicine ...
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America is a diverse country, especially when it comes to health habits according to the United Health Foundation’s 2016 “America’s Health Ranking” annual report. The Northeast is the healthiest region. Four of its states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire) landed in the report’s top six based on factors such as smoking prevalence and rate of preventable hospitalizations. The Midwest is for meat-lovers. Residents in the Dakotas, Nebraska and Iowa consume more red meat on average than...
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Defined by the Whole Grains Council as grains that have remained largely unchanged by manufacturing methods over the last few hundred years, ancient grains are a nutritious alternative to wheat. Wheat ranks No. 1 in our diet. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American adult eats roughly 134.1 pounds of wheat flour each year. You can purchase many types of ancient grains online and at your local natural food and upscale grocery stores. Here are three ancient grains poised for a...
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At times, everyone feels angry, irritated, nervous or sad, but when do these feelings require professional treatment? Any of these feelings could be normal responses to events in your life, but they could also be signs of diagnosable, treatable mental illnesses such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Having these feelings shouldn’t be cause for concern, but why you feel them and how they affect you could be. For example, stress is a natural response to external f...
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Imagine this — you’re going about your day, working, exercising or spending time with your family, when all of a sudden you feel a sharp, stabbing pain in your abdomen. You’ve been a little nauseous all day, and you haven’t felt hungry, so you chalk it up to eating too much at your last meal. Right? Wrong. These are all signs that you have appendicitis, the inflammation of the appendix — a small tube attached to the large intestine. Appendicitis may occur when there is a blockage in the appendix caused ...
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If you or a loved one suffer from asthma, clearing dust from your home may seem like a good idea. But what you clean your home with can make all the difference. Many cleaning supplies contain chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that can aggravate asthma and other respiratory illnesses. VOCs can be found in chlorine bleach, detergent, rug and upholstery cleaners, and furniture and floor polish. How can you clean your home and keep your lungs safe? The American Lung Association recomme...
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It can be frustrating to misplace your car keys or forget the name of an old college friend. But it’s not just memory loss we contend with as we age. Our brains tend to slow down in our later years, making it harder to concentrate and retain new information. Here are three things around your house that you can use to boost your brain health: 1. A pair of walking shoes. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that people who walked at least 72 blocks — or about six miles — per week had more gra...
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When you think of a typical heart attack patient, there’s a good chance the person who comes to mind looks something like this: an older man in his 50s or 60s, clutching his chest in sudden pain. That doesn’t always align with reality, however. Which of these people do you think is most at risk for a heart attack? SCENARIO #1: A 65-year-old woman with a family history of heart disease is overweight, but gets a moderate amount of exercise and tries to follow a healthy diet. She is aware that her weight a...
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Breasts not only vary in size and shape — they can also differ in the proportion of various types of breast tissue. Compared with non-dense breasts, dense breasts contain more milk-producing glands and fibrous connective tissue and less fatty tissue. According to the American College of Radiology, as many as 50 percent of American women have dense breasts. Why Does Breast Density Matter? Dense breast tissue can make it harder for a screening mammogram to capture a clear image of the breast, which makes ...
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In a sea of information, recommendations and the occasional uninformed guess, knowing the facts about breast health can help keep you afloat. Don’t let misinformation make waves. Use the truth about breast health to design a breast wellness plan that stays true to your needs. For example, though breast cancer is less common in men, it is more likely to be fatal. Men should perform breast self-exams regularly and report any changes to their doctors. Myth: If you find a lump, it’s cancer. Fact: Not all lu...
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