Health

Aging

Your sense of smell is your most primal sense and exerts surprising influence over your thoughts, emotions, moods, memories, and behaviors. Scents are experienced long before words.

This is why it’s nearly impossible to describe them with language. Olfaction is different from your other senses, processed through different pathways in your brain…

Synthetic polyester workout wear has become popular because it’s lightweight and fast-drying. But there‘s a downside to opting for synthetics over cotton, especially for those working out around you…

Certain fabrics will make you stinkier than others, although it’s not the fabric itself that’s to blame. It turns out that Micrococcus bacteria prefer the open-air lattice of synthetic fibers over cotton, according to new research by Chris Callewaert (aka “Dr. Armpit”) and colleagues…

Earlier this year, the Labor Statistics Bureau released data that stated Americans get an average of nearly nine hours of sleep per night.1 This seems high, considering most other surveys suggest Americans are largely sleep deprived.

And if the data relied on Americans’ notoriously inaccurate self-reporting their sleep time each night, it is seriously flawed. Most people calculate their sleep time by counting…

Eating a high-quality, nutrient-dense diet is one of the most powerful ways to maintain health and prevent disease. Your gut in particular needs proper nourishment in order to allow your health to really flourish.

Here, Hilary Boynton and Mary Brackett, authors of The Heal Your Gut Cookbook: Nutrient-Dense Recipes for Intestinal Health Using the GAPS Diet, shares helpful tips on how to “heal and seal” your gut so that profound healing can take place…

Exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, and depression, and it can increase your energy levels, help you think clearer, and even slow down the aging process. However, there are pitfalls that can hamper your workout progress.

I was guilty of mistake #3 and #4 below. For thirty years, my only form of exercise was long distance running with little to no strength or interval training.

Kale is an unassuming leafy green that many people bypass due to its slightly bitter flavor. But if you learn to use it creatively, kale can be quite tasty, which is only one reason to eat this vegetable. In the realm of superfoods, and certainly of green leafy vegetables, kale is king (or close to it!).

One cup of kale contains just around 30 calories but will provide you with seven times the daily recommended…

Aging

If you live in North America, the unusually long cold winter may have had you cooped up indoors for far too long. Now that the weather is finally feeling like spring and summer, you’re probably thrilled to spend more time outdoors… and hopefully your kids are too.

One of the most beneficial activities for children is simply…

Potassium is a mineral and an electrolyte that conducts electricity in your body. It plays an important role in heart function, skeletal health, digestion, and muscular function, and is essential for the proper function of all cells, tissues, and organs in your body.

Despite the fact that potassium is available in many foods, especially fruits and vegetables, only 2 percent of US adults get the recommended daily amount of 4,700 milligrams (mg).

According to a survey by Gardeners’ World magazine, 80 percent of gardeners reported being happy and satisfied with their lives, compared to 67 percent of non-gardeners. This feeling of well being can have other more-far reaching implications for your physical health as well. According to research from Johns Hopkins, having a cheerful temperament can significantly reduce your odds of suffering a heart attack or sudden cardiac death.

Water is essential for life, and we typically assume that water is “clean” or “good” provided you’re not getting your water from a contaminated source. But can water ever “go bad”?

If you have a water filtration system in your home, it may not occur to you that your water could become contaminated after a while—until you go to clean out the holding tank, that is…