Healthy, green friendly mouthwashes

Jan. 16   2 Comments  

Many mainstream mouthwashes contain ingredients that you wouldn't want to swallow or rinse down the drain. Fortunately, there are many natural alternatives available now, including recipes for making your own. (Thinkstock)

Is yours doing more harm than good?

Is Echinacea effective at preventing or treating colds?

Dec. 30, 2011   2 Comments  

Echinacea has gained popularity in recent years as a remedy for the common cold. But because it is not regulated as a medical drug by the FDA -- and given the variation between dosages and formulations available to consumers -- it is difficult to get definitive answers as to its effectiveness. (iStock)

Maybe?

Report: Asthma rates on the rise

Dec. 17, 2011   Leave a Comment  

Asthma rates have doubled since the 1980s, in spite of air quality in U.S. cities having increased over the same time period. This has led some experts to conclude that other factors -- including Vitamin D deficiency, obesity, overuse of acetaminophen (i.e. Tylenol) and spray mist from glass cleaners and air fresheners -- are now playing a role. (Thinkstock)

New factors contributing

Vitamin D supplements could decrease risk of heart disease by 60 percent

Dec. 7, 2011   3 Comments  

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Get some sun!

100,000 hospitalizations a year caused by four drugs

Nov. 27, 2011   16 Comments  

researcher

Allergic reactions and accidental overdoses

Large disease researcher makes major cutbacks until 2014

Nov. 27, 2011   9 Comments  

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Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria hit by economy

Does eating garlic and onions help prevent cancer?

Nov. 20, 2011   1 Comment  

Although there is no definitive proof, many studies seem to indicate that consumption of onions, garlic and other members of the allium family (leeks, shallots and chives) reduces the risk of certain cancers. (Thinkstock)

Short answer: Probably

Chemicals, pollution … and cancer.

Nov. 12, 2011   Leave a Comment  

Most researchers now agree that environmental factors -­ including exposure to chemicals and pollution -­ play a significant role today in determining who gets cancer and who doesn't. (Thinkstock)

President urged to take action

Influenza No More?

Nov. 7, 2011   Leave a Comment  

flu

New vaccine looks promising

Research: Sinus surgery also clears up fatigue

Oct. 21, 2011   2 Comments  

nose

Stops more than blockages

Four reasons women get depressed

Oct. 7, 2011   Leave a Comment  

(Media credit/YAY Micro images)

Not one size fits all

Mercury and other toxins in tattoo inks?

Oct. 1, 2011   2 Comments  

As a result of a 2007 lawsuit brought by the American Environmental Safety Institute, two leading tattoo ink makers must now place warnings on their product containers, catalogs and websites to say that the “inks contain many heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and others” and that the ingredients have been linked to cancer and birth defects. (Media credit/Thinkstock Hemera Collection)

Group calls for warning labels on ink bottles

Dogs promote a healthy lifestyle, according to experts

Sept. 26, 2011   3 Comments  

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A furry friend can help make a better you!

Pharmaceuticals in the water

Sept. 10, 2011   Leave a Comment  

Researchers have identified traces of pharmaceutical drugs -- including antibiotics, hormones, contraceptives and steroids -- in the drinking water supplies of some 40 million Americans. (Stockbyte)

Should you drink the water?

Gonorrhea superbug located

July 12, 2011   Leave a Comment  

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Avoid the clap

Just one drink impairs driving, research says

July 1, 2011   Leave a Comment  

drunkdriving

Likelihood of fatal accident increases even with a BAC of just .01 percent

Avoid spray sunscreens

June 25, 2011   Leave a Comment  

The Environmental Working Group recommends avoiding spray sunscreens entirely. With so little known about the effects of sunscreen chemicals on the body when rubbed into the skin, they say, we may never know how much worse the effects may be when they are inhaled. (ThinkStock)

Seriously

A sedentary life can be as bad for you as smoking, research says

June 24, 2011   Leave a Comment  

Cigarette-butt

Cambridge-based personal trainer gives advice on easy ways to sneak exercise into your day

Hula hoop your way to a bikini-ready body

May 22, 2011   2 Comments  

(Media Credit/Ernst Vikne via Flickr)

Get off that boring treadmill and hoop your way to a hot bod

Are temporary tattoos dangerous?

April 18, 2011   Leave a Comment  

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the recent past issued import blocks on temporary tattoos that do not comply with federal labeling regulations. Buyer beware: Make sure the ones you get clearly list their ingredients on the packaging. (Thinkstock)

FDA regulation?