What we eat affects how we feel. Food should make us feel good. It tastes great and nourishes our bodies. When eaten in too little or in excessive quantities, however, our physical appearance can be altered, which can create negative feelings toward food. By learning how to make better choices, you might be able to control compulsive eating, binging, and gaining weight. In addition to better appetite control, you might also experience feelings of calmness, high energy levels, or alertness from…

This hearty soup is a real family pleaser and stomach filler.

Caring For Your Vagina Many women experience uncomfortable, vaginal infections at one time or another. Steps can be taken to relieve and prevent vulvar discomfort and vaginal infections. The vulva and vagina The vulva is the area of female sex organs that lies outside of the vagina. These organs include folds of sensitive tissue called the "labia" (labia means "lips"). There are two sets of labia. The outermost folds are called the labia majora. A second set of folds, called the labia…

What Is Sexual Dysfunction? Sexual dysfunction refers to a problem occurring during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual or couple from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual activity. The sexual response cycle traditionally includes excitement, plateau, orgasm and resolution. Desire and arousal are both part of the excitement phase of the sexual response. While research suggests that sexual dysfunction is common (43 percent of women and 31 percent of men…

March is Colon Cancer Awareness MonthStudies suggest that people can help reduce their risk of colon cancer by living a healthy lifestyle. You have the power to stop colon cancer before it starts!7 steps to reduce colon cancerGet regular colon cancer screenings beginning at age 45. Talk to your doctor about earlier screening if you have a personal or family history of colon cancer or polyps.A diet high in fat, processed foods and red meats increases colon cancer. Limit your consumption of these…

Is Colonic Cleansing Safe and Necessary? While it may seem like a recent health phenomenon, the practice of colonic cleansing dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dr. James Kellogg promoted “detoxification” therapy by colonic cleansing combined with the use of surgery to achieve better health and well-being. But, by the early 1900s, researchers were disproving many of his unscientific theories, which in turn led the American Medical Association to condemn these practices. By…

This recipe is perfect for St. Patrick’s day and healthy at the same time! You can multiply the ingredients to make additional servings, or you can also freeze or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Changing Hormones Can Be To Blame for Low Libido It is common for women to experience a low libido at some point in their lives and while hormones are not always to blame, they can play a big role. Menopause can introduce physical changes that interrupt a happy sex life due to the loss of estrogen. For some women the loss of estrogen can result in the vagina shrinking by 80%. Loss of estrogen can also wreck havoc on your genitals and thus your sex life. Menopausal women might also…

Now, you can make a quick King Cake recipe in your own home any time, without worrying about a complicated yeast dough. Kids love helping with this cake year round—try red and pink colors for Valentine’s Day, pastels for Easter, and red and green for Christmas! Recipe provided by Holly Clegg, author of Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets To Sizzle At Any Age.

Genetics isn’t always destiny, but knowing your family health history can be important to your health. That information can indicate whether you are at higher risk for diseases such as breast cancer, osteoporosis and certain forms of cancer. Dr. Sobia Khan discusses how understanding your family's health history can help you improve your health.

Regular Exercise Improves Quality of Life We all want our parents to remain as active and independent as possible, and we want the same thing for ourselves! Regular exercise is pivotal for seniors. Seniors are at greater risk for disease, lost mobility and falls than any other age group. Conversely, they often realize the positive effects of exercise more quickly than other age groups. If your parent hasn’t been exercising, it can be difficult to get started. 7 tips to start a new exercise…

Dementia Dementia is nearly the four letter word of aging. No one wants to watch their parents or partners fade away into a loss of memories and recognition. For so long it seemed that all we could do was sit back and hope the “d-word” didn’t come along. That is until now. The correlation between moving our bodies and maintaining our intellect is strengthening. It has long been presumed that there was a link between physical activity and keeping dementia at bay, but there was little concrete…

How Food Affects Your Mind Have you ever wondered what you can do to help keep your mind sharp and at its best? The choices you make in your diet do not just affect your waistline. Although our genes do play a role in if we acquire certain degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, the brain is a powerful organ and feeding it the optimum fuel or “brain food” is proven to keep it performing at its optimum level. Make sure to include these top five brain foods to your daily diet for their…

10 Heart Health Tips For Women 1. Know the facts Cardiovascular disease is the number 1 killer of women over age 25 in the United States. 2. Don’t smoke Even one or two cigarettes a day dramatically increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and other serious conditions. 3. Exercise Just 30 minutes of brisk walking reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer, too. 4. Manage your weight Normal body mass index (BMI) ranges from 18.5 to…

What is a Hysterectomy? Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. It ends menstruation and the ability to become pregnant. Depending on the reason for the surgery, a hysterectomy may also involve the removal of other organs and tissue. A partial hysterectomy is the removal of the upper part of the uterus. A total (or complete) hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus and cervix. A total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is the removal of the uterus, cervix,…

The Symptoms of Heart Failure The symptoms of heart failure may be mild to severe. The symptoms are related to the changes that occur in your heart and body (see below) and are the same in women as men. However, women seem to have more shortness of breath and more difficulty exercising than men. They also have swelling around their ankles more frequently than men. You may have one or all of these symptoms below. Sometimes, people with weakened or abnormal heart muscles do not have any…

Heart Failure Treatment Plan With the right care, heart failure will not stop you from doing the things you enjoy. Your prognosis or outlook for the future will depend on how well your heart muscle is functioning, your symptoms, and how well you respond to and follow your treatment plan. In general, women with heart failure survive longer than men with heart failure 1-2 but remain symptomatic (ie. shortness of breath) and functionally more limited 3-4. Women with heart failure also require…

Regular Screenings and Immunizations Staying healthy requires regular attention and screenings and immunizations are part of that. However, it’s easy to lose track of what you need, when and how often. Below is a list that will keep you on schedule: General preventive care screenings and immunizations Breast cancer screening, starting at age 40, with mammograms every 1-2 years for all women, especially between the ages of 50-79. Cervical cancer screening, starting at age…

Menopause presents many challenges to women, including mood swings, changes in sleep patterns and weight gain. The weight gain isn’t from menopause, per se, but because our metabolism slows with each decade. Peggy Zeller discusses how you can take on the battle of the bulge with these weight loss tips.

Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri discusses a type-2 diabetes diagnosis and how the first line treatment for diabetes is diet, exercise and prevention.