Learn how to separate the myths from the facts about drinking water. Everyone needs to drink eight glasses of water a day. Myth. Though water is the easiest and most economical fluid to keep you hydrated, the latest Institute of Medicine recommendation is that women should strive for about two liters or eight glasses a day and men should aim for three liters or 12 glasses a day of any fluid, not just water....

Simply put, kombucha is a fermented drink made by adding bacteria and yeast to a mixture of black or green tea and sugar, says Alissia Zenhausern, a licensed naturopathic medical doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona. (1) The ingredients used to make kombucha may sound sketchy. Yet this drink has become increasingly popular as a potential source of probiotics, which are live organisms that help balance the intestinal flora. (1) “It’s easy to drink and digest, and it allows you to replenish your gut with good bacteria and restore your digestive health,” says Dr....

What causes sinus pain and congestion? “The number one cause is allergies,” says Jyoti Gopal, MD, a family practice physician with the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Some people have seasonal allergies and are bothered most during the spring and fall, when the pollen counts are high, she says, while others have year-round allergies that continually trigger their sinus pain and congestion. The second leading cause is the common cold or flu, Dr....

That’s because your poop (stool) is an important clue to your overall digestion and health. Your poop can reveal serious signs of infections, digestive problems, and even early signs of cancer, according to Anish Sheth, MD, a gastroenterologist at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in Plainsboro, New Jersey, and the coauthor of the books What’s Your Poo Telling You? and What’s My Pee Telling Me? Take a look at these facts about poop, and then pay attention to how often you go, how long it takes, and what the result looks and, yes, smells like....

In essence, says Katz, there shouldn’t be a need for another nutrition book (like his!), and yet nutrition confusion remains. Here, we cut through some of the bigger myths out there to help you eat better starting today. 1. “Low-Carb” Means “Grain-Free” Carbohydrates include highly processed foods, like crackers, chips, bread, and breakfast cereal. But the category also includes berries, spinach, beans, lentils, and plant-based foods that contain fiber and a variety of health-promoting nutrients, says Katz....

One of the difficulties of the ketogenic diet, an extremely low-carb diet that uses fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates, is how restrictive it is. To keep your body in a state of ketosis, only 5 to 10 percent of calories can come from carbs, while 75 percent or higher must come from fat (and any remaining calories from protein), according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health....

According to the American Heart Association, eating beans as part of a healthy diet can help improve high blood cholesterol, a leading cause of heart disease. It may also keep you feeling full longer, without the saturated fat found in some animal products. According to research from the Mayo Clinic, feeling full on fewer calories can help with weight loss and controlling hunger. Beans are also high in minerals and fiber, and their fiber and protein have been shown to naturally help reduce blood pressure....

1. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups Few food combinations beat chocolate and peanut butter, but the classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups handed out on Halloween contain a slew of undesirable additives and refined sugar. Luckily, it’s very easy to make your own peanut butter cups. It requires only a freezer, a stove or microwave, and three ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry: dark chocolate bars, coconut oil, and peanut butter....

You can keep your skin looking and feeling great by guarding against a slew of skin woes, from chapped skin to premature aging to skin cancer. “We’re talking about things that happen over decades,” says dermatologist Samantha Conrad, MD, in practice at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. That’s why it is important to develop healthy skin habits —and it’s never too late to start. Here are five skin protection tips you can incorporate into your routine right away....

“Even small lifestyle changes can make big differences in your heart health if you stick with them,” said Jayne Morgan, MD, cardiologist and the clinical director of the COVID Task Force at Piedmont Hospital-Healthcare in Atlanta. Check out these heart-damaging habits and ways you can break out of these unhealthy routines: 1. Sitting All Day An international study surveying more than 100,000 individuals in 21 countries found that people who sat for six to eight hours a day had a 12 to 13 percent higher chance of dying at a younger age and having heart disease, while those who sat for more than eight hours daily, those risks jumped to 20 percent, according to a study published in June 2022 in the journal JAMA Cardiology....

The Center for Food Safety, a San Francisco–based nonprofit whose stated mission is to protect the earth from “harmful impacts of industrial agriculture,” has already filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to strike down this and other labeling laws instituted by the Trump administration. “Consumers have fought for decades for their right to know what’s in their food and how it’s produced,” stated Meredith Stevenson, an attorney for the center, in a press release....

A morning meal is so powerful that a February 2019 Public Health study found that people who regularly ate breakfast were 47 percent less likely to battle anxiety than those who skipped it. That’s because breakfast can provide nutrients that soothe and nourish the brain and fuel you up first thing in the a.m., so you can dodge whatever curve balls the rest of the day throws at you. After all, why wait to de-stress?...

“The wrong laundry product can be a real nightmare for someone with eczema,” says Jeffrey M. Cohen, MD, a dermatologist and an assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. “Some laundry products have chemicals that can be irritating to the skin, and any irritation to the skin can trigger eczema,” Dr. Cohen says. This can lead to itching, burning, redness, and other symptoms, according to the National Eczema Association....

Why should you up your intake? There are several reasons. “Fiber is really good for decreasing belly fat, which is associated with cardiovascular disease,” says Jessica Crandall Snyder, RDN, CDE, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator in private practice at Vital RD in Denver. “It also helps lower cholesterol levels by clearing out cholesterol that’s building in artery walls.” That’s not all, though. Foods that are rich in fiber can also help you control your blood sugar levels because they take longer to be digested, thus boosting your satiety levels, keeping you fuller longer....

Unfortunately, misunderstandings about migraines are widespread and extend well beyond the range of symptoms that often accompany an attack. Many people who have never experienced one don’t realize the profound psychological and social effects the condition can have or how disabling it can be. This lack of awareness helps further the stigma associated with migraines, that people who have the condition are simply overly sensitive or lack the will or desire to do what’s necessary to control them....

For starters, the sand provides added resistance, which means the workout will feel a little tougher, says Breann Mitchell, a Los Angeles–based National Academy of Sports Medicine-certified personal trainer, who teaches live and online HIIT, strength, kickboxing, and other fitness classes. Plus, because the sand is constantly shifting under your feet, you’ll engage muscles (to help stabilize yourself) that you wouldn’t normally use when you’re working out at the gym or on pavement....

In our modern, hectic world, meditation has gained traction in recent years as a way to manage stress. Scientific evidence has also emerged that shows meditation can be a helpful tool in fighting chronic illnesses, including depression, heart disease, and chronic pain. (1,2,3) There are many different forms of this ancient practice. If you’re interested in trying meditation, but do not know where to start, here’s a list of seven types of meditation practice: Mindful meditation can be done anywhere....

Acinetobacter baumannii is a bacterium that can cause a range of diseases. It typically infects people inside a healthcare facility — doctors refer to these as “nosocomial” infections. There are many different species of Acinetobacter that can cause disease, but A. baumannii accounts for about 80 percent of reported Acinetobacter infections in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Acinetobacter Risks Healthy people have a very low risk of getting an A....

In fact, when people with IBD perform moderate-intensity bouts of aerobic exercise, they tend to experience a boost in their nutritional health, psychological outlook, and quality of life, according to a review published in 2016 in Pharmacological Reports. “Moderate-intensity exercise decreases the inflammatory response in the body,” says David Stein, MD, a colorectal surgeon specializing in inflammatory bowel disease at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. Plus, he adds, physical activity also reduces stress — a common trigger of ulcerative colitis flares....

The best remedy for constipation is drinking more fluids, adding fiber to your diet, and getting more exercise. It’s also important to know that going a day without a bowel movement does not mean you have constipation. Sure, some people have three bowel movements a day, but others only have three a week. Normal is relative, especially in this case. How Do You Know When You Are Constipated? Constipation is one of the most frequent complaints doctors hear....