Are Too Many People Taking Heartburn Drugs?

Too many people in the U.S. may be taking stomach-acid-suppressing drugs such as Nexium and Prevacid, new research suggests. The drugs, known as proton pump inhibitors, help those with serious stomach and digestive problems, but the risks may outweigh the benefits for people with less serious conditions, experts say.

Proton pump inhibitors can have rare but serious side effects,…

More Evidence that Exercise is Key to Brain Health

Regular physical activity—even walking—may be key to maintaining a sharp mind as we get older, two new studies suggest.

While that’s not a new discovery, the studies plug critical gaps in the scientific literature and corroborate previous reports linking exercise to reduced rates of mental impairment in older adults.

The message is now clearer than ever: “If you stay physically active,…

Men More Likely Than Women to Die of Cancer

Men are more likely than women to get and die of cancer, according to an analysis of 36 different types of tumors and blood cancers that affect both sexes.

Leukemia and cancers of the colon and rectum, pancreas, and liver killed about one and a half to two times as many men as women in the U.S. over a 30-year period. In addition, lung cancer killed nearly two and a…

Poor Sleep Tied to Incontinence, Impotence

Sleep problems are associated with erectile dysfunction and urologic conditions such as incontinence, according to the results of two new studies.

The first study examined the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and erectile dysfunction. OSA is a disorder that occurs during sleep, in which a person’s upper airway temporarily collapses, causing them to stop breathing. The study included…

Does Smoking Help Protect the Joints?

Smoking will increase your risk of cancer, emphysema, heart disease, stroke, and dying young, but if you manage to dodge all those bullets, it may actually reduce your need for joint-replacement surgery later in life.

Curious as it may sound, a new study of nearly 11,000 older men in Australia has found that the longer the men smoked, the…

The Personality Type Diet

The Personality Type Diet was created by Robert Kushner, MD, a recognized expert in the field of nutrition and obesity. This weight-loss program takes into account how your personality and lifestyle affect your eating habits. Dr. Kushner’s Personality Type Diet has been praised by many experts and endorsed by the Mayo Clinic.

“The Personality Type Diet is not…

The Perricone Diet

Nicholas Perricone, MD, is a dermatologist who believes that certain foods contribute to inflammation, your body’s response to infection and injury. Other foods, he says, reduce inflammation and can slow down your body’s aging process. Perricone found that people who followed the diet he recommended in his first book, The Wrinkle Cure, also lost weight. Since then, Perricone…

The Park Avenue Diet

If you want to look rich and famous, you need to be trim and fit. The Park Avenue Diet, which was created by Manhattan doctor Stuart Fisher — who actually has a Park Avenue diet center where he practices — is more than just a diet. It also gives you tips for a complete makeover, including beauty,…

Nutrisystem

If you have watched any television lately you have probably seen a sports celebrity advertising the benefits of the Nutrisystem weight-loss system. This program was once based in nationwide weight-loss centers; now you order your meals over the Internet and they are delivered to your home.

How Does Nutrisystem Work?

“Nutrisystem is a low-calorie weight-loss program that offers…

July 4 Weekend Dangerous for Underage Boys Who Drink

The number of U.S. teen boys who end up in emergency rooms for drinking-related injuries doubles over the July 4th weekend, federal officials say.

On July 3 and 4, drinking sends a daily average of nearly 1,000 youth under 21 — two-thirds of them male — to the ER for problems related to alcohol use, according to…

Evening TV, Video Games May Cause Sleep Problems in Kids

Watching television or playing video games close to bedtime can act like a jolt of caffeine to young children, making them more likely to experience difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, and daytime fatigue, a new study in the journal Pediatrics suggests.

In the study, 28 percent of preschoolers who watched TV or played video games for at least…