Midlife Depression: Common Causes and What You Can Do About It

One in five women and one in six men will experience depression at some point in their lives. Given the prevalence of depression, it is important to know the signs of midlife depression, its causes and, most importantly, what you can do about it. Signs of Depression While everyone experiences sadness on occasion, it is […]

When Healthy Eating Becomes an Uncontrollable Obsession

Eating healthy food is usually considered a good thing, but sometimes so-called healthy behavior can take a dangerous and compulsive turn. There’s a word for this phenomenon: orthorexia. The term was coined by Steven Bratman, M.D., and it refers to an obsessive fixation with righteous eating. While orthorexia is not an official clinical term—unlike anorexia […]

Scared Sugarless: Why Sugar is Making Us Fat

Evidence linking our love of sugar to the obesity epidemic is growing, while our obsession with low-fat food is proving futile. We are a nation raised on sugar, starting with infant formula and progressing to juice, chocolate milk, Gatorade and soda. While sugar-sweetened beverages are only part of the problem, they account for a large […]

Soy: Health Food or Hidden Threat?

If you’re anything like me, the only time you encountered soy growing up in the ‘60s and ‘70s was while consuming Chinese take-out. Even though soy has been integral to Asian cuisine for centuries, it was virtually nonexistent in the typical American diet until about 15 years ago. In fact, for a long time the […]

Quick and Easy: Apps That Give Back

With you and the kids on an extended vacation, it’s time to break out the phones for the good-giving apps. During the long morning commute, kids’ sports games, and time spent sitting in the carpool lane, we’re all guilty of being glued to our phones. And with an app for everything, our phone and tablet […]

Sitting is the New Smoking

Has sitting replaced smoking as the new health risk, causing sickness and early death? Smoking was popular until the Surgeon General announced, “Smoking can Kill!” in the mid 60s. In the last 50 years, the compelling scientific evidence has changed the behavior of Americans, reducing the number of smokers. However, as our population becomes more […]

Your Genes Aren’t Your Destiny

Some of our health is pre-determined by the luck of our genes, but new evidence shows that we can influence the outcome even when our genetics are stacked against us. One third of all cancers are caused by lifestyle choices: tobacco, alcohol, diet and obesity. The cancers caused by our habits can sometimes be prevented […]