For many years doctors had a nickname for pneumonia. They called it the “Old Man’s Friend.”1
Before antibiotics, pneumonia had a reputation for carrying the old and infirm to a swift and relatively painless death.
Merle Haggard was not so lucky.
He battled the disease for months. The country star had pneumonia in both lungs. He died Wednesday. It was his 79th birthday.… Read More
A woman in England started craving lettuce. Soon she was eating four entire heads a day. Her worried husband, a forensic scientist, felt there had to be a medical reason for her craving.1
His research revealed that lettuce contains sulforaphane. This is a compound that slows the growth of cancer cells. Could her body be craving lettuce to fight cancer?… Read More
Researchers at Purdue University have uncovered a simple diet change that makes weight loss easier.
The discovery was unveiled recently in the journal Obesity.1
Their solution is simple: Eat more protein. Protein targets the thing people hate the most about dieting…hunger.
Food cravings are the number one reason people quit their diets.2 They cause 40% of dieters to quit within the first week.… Read More
Exercise is good for your body—especially your heart. Physical activity can ward off heart disease and stroke, the two top causes of death in the U.S.1
But exercising when your body is telling you to stop could kill you.2
When you put a finger on a hot burner, your body tells you to remove it quickly. It also warns you when it feels exercise is threatening your well-being.… Read More
Hollywood legend Patty Duke likely had one chance at survival.
The beloved star of “The Patty Duke Show” contracted sepsis after suffering a ruptured intestine.
The best hope for any sepsis patient is early treatment, say doctors.1 Once the condition progresses, it spins out of control. Poisons spill into the blood and death follows quickly.
… Read MoreActress Patty Duke lost her life on Tuesday to America’s invisible killer.
Unlike breast cancer, it has no iconic ribbon. President Obama has not made it a priority like he has done with Alzheimer’s disease. It has no high-profile fundraising efforts like those against colon cancer, stroke, or diabetes.
Yet it kills far more people than any of those conditions.
Sepsis takes 258,000 American lives a year.… Read More