All About Health & Disease

Many behaviours qualify as addictions — things we feel overwhelmingly compelled to do, despite the consequences. What’s food addiction, and how can we treat it?

Ouch! That hurts! What do you do? Quit moving altogether? Suck it up and push through it? Neither. Find out how to treat acute and chronic pain with movement — the right kind of movement.

80% of adults report lower back pain at some point in their lives and 10-15% of all sports-related injuries involve the spine. Low back pain accounts for more lost person hours than any other type of occupational injury and is the most frequent cause of activity limitation in those under age 45. Thus, it’s important to understand what the spine is, what it does, and — most importantly — how we can keep it healthy.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases. The good news? You can control it significantly with diet, exercise, and lifestyle. Here’s how.

Acupuncture is an ancient art, but does it really work? Ryan Andrews reviews the evidence.

By age 70, about 1 in 10 Americans will have a very painful kidney stone experience. The good news is that you can decrease your risk by improving your diet.

Hey, where did that spare tire come from? Why doesn’t food X agree with you any more? Why is it so hot in here? And where did you leave your freaking car keys??! Menopause is a normal stage of life. Each woman’s experience is unique. The good news? Eating and living PN-style can help (although we can’t find your car keys for you).

Remember when you’d get done with a bowl of Froot Loops and the milk would be blue? Those were the days. But where did that colour come from? And are we all going to regret slurping up that milk?

Blood tests, aka blood work, can show us what’s in our blood — and by extension, what’s in our bodies. Blood can also show us changes in our bodies that we might not be able to see from the outside.

Since humans invented fire, we’ve enjoyed the benefits of cooking food. However, cooking food has its drawbacks, including the development of carcinogens. Here’s how to prevent harmful chemicals while still enjoying that summer cookout.

Yoga: It can relax you, enlighten you, help keep you from falling down, protect your heart, put the brakes on overeating, and just maybe give you a yoga booty. Om.

If you’re eating a standard Western diet, you’re probably getting less than half of the dietary fibre you need to stay healthy (and despite this, you probably think you eat enough). Yet dietary fibre is crucial for GI health, staying lean, and preventing chronic diseases. Live longer and leaner via lentils!

The thyroid is one of the “master controllers” that regulates nearly every major metabolic function in the body. If it slows down or speeds up, this can drastically affect health and body composition.

Whether it’s prebiotic or probiotic, learn how to care for all your zillions of biotics, aka friendly bacteria.

We all know that vitamins and minerals are important, but why? Here’s what you need to know about what’s in your food… or your Flintstones chewables.

Vague digestive complaints? Headaches and skin rashes? You may want to avoid that sandwich or plate of pasta. Why and how your daily bread may be making you ill.

It’s often made out to be the bad guy in today’s medical world. But cholesterol is an important molecule in the body. With the right diet and exercise program, you can put the power of cholesterol to work for you. No appointments to see your doc required.

You’ve probably heard of overtraining. In fact, it makes more sense to think about this phenomenon as “under-recovering”. Why you should make recovery protocols part of your overall training plan.

Bean sprouts aren’t just for hippies. There’s method in that madness — reducing the harmful effects of lectins, substances found in many foods. If you’re experiencing GI distress, lectins may be the culprit. Read more about these ubiquitous substances, and how to control their effects.

Cancer is a major cause of premature death. Yet cancer is treatable. Cancer is preventable. Good nutrition and avoidance of overweight are two of the most important strategies for keeping this killer from striking.

Should you supplement glutamine? Well, double check: are you lying in a hospital bed? Are you sitting at your Polish grandmother’s dinner table? In those cases, the answer may be yes. If not, you may want to save your money.

Vitamin D, aka the “sunshine vitamin”, is crucially important for the body. And yet most of us are probably deficient. Grab the convertible or get on your bike and head to the beach!

Sure, drinking water is good for you — water does a lot of important things for your body. But did you know that bottled water is over four times the price of gasoline? And that barely 1% of the world’s water is safe to drink? You might want to take a closer look at what’s coming out of the tap or bottle before you chug-a-lug.

Has anyone ever called you “unbalanced”? It might not refer to your mental state, but to your acid-base status. The foods we eat can affect our body’s pH levels, and if we consume too much of the wrong foods, our bodies have to work hard to keep things under control. Find out if you’re dropping too much acid.

Chocolate’s mysterious allure has lasted hundreds of years, from the ancient Mayans to the modern science of antioxidants. Where does chocolate come from? What makes it so appealing? And is it truly good for us?

What if we told you that there was a disease that struck 7% of the US population (and nearly one-third of people in some areas)… a disease that led to a multitude of other common and serious diseases, disabilities, and premature deaths… and that about 85% of these disease cases were completely preventable? Read all about diabetes mellitus, and what YOU can do to cut your risk, right now.

Diet soda is a no brainer. We drink it to avoid the sugar calories from regular soda, right? But do the benefits of consuming fewer sugar calories outweigh the risks of consuming artificial ingredients?

Feeling thirsty? Maybe it was that soy-sauce-laden takeout. Maybe it was the four beers after the game with friends. Or maybe it was that jog in Death Valley. In any case, you’d better drink up — because dehydration can put a cramp in your athletic performance.

Flax, one of humanity’s oldest cultivated crops, offers several potential health benefits, particularly because of its fibre and omega-3 fatty acid content. Yet in many cases, the data are mixed; we’re still not completely sure which health conditions flax definitively prevents or treats. (You might say: Flax on? Flax off?)

Poor nutrition can be a heart breaker, a love taker, and definitely not a dream maker, so don’t you mess around with CVD. (Apologies to Pat Benatar.)

From thyroid disease to GMOs, from breast cancer to infant formula, there’s been a lot of conflicting media reports on the safety of soy. We review the evidence, and explain the source of soy’s power as potential hero or villain.

How can ZZ affect your BF? (And your GH, TSH, IR, GT, and T2D?)

Whether the economic crisis keeps you awake at night, whether you’re stressed out at work, or whether you’re just hitting the treadmill too often and for too long, you might be at risk for chronically elevated cortisol levels. Find out what cortisol is, how it works, and how it can affect your health, performance… and even that six-pack you covet.

Gassy? Throat closing up? Sensation of digesting broken glass? It might not be just your spouse’s poor cooking skills; you could have a food sensitivity.

Benjamin Franklin was probably on to something with “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” but was he also right when he said, “The best of all medicines is resting and fasting”?

Drink to your health? What you need to know about alcohol consumption and physical wellbeing.

There’s nothing like a good ol’ espresso buzz before a morning workout; after all, research shows that caffeine can improve your athletic performance temporarily. But is it GOOD for you? How does it work? We review the evidence.

Afraid of apples? Petrified of pears? Don’t be — it’s not as scary as what may be lurking in your yogurt.

What do margarine, Doritos, and kinky caterpillars have in common? Find out!

Cracked lips? Weird tingling? Scratchy eyeballs? Could be the morning after the night before, or it could be a nutrient deficiency.