Resetting Your Clock. According to new research, camping in the wilderness for a week can synchronize our internal clocks to the solar day, allowing our bodies to normalize melatonin levels. On average, study participants went to bed and awoke two hours earlier when only exposed to sunlight and campfire light. All of the participants’ sleep…

Lower Your Risk. During a decade long study, participants who slept 7 hours or more per night, exercised 3.5 hours or more per week, ate a healthy Mediterranean-style diet, consumed only moderate amounts of alcohol, and didn’t smoke had a 65% lower risk of a cardiovascular disease event and an 83% lower risk of dying…

Dad’s Lifestyle Choices? Germ cells are sperm and egg cells and their precursors. Mutations to a father’s germ cells caused by lifestyle choices (like smoking) are present in all the cells of his progeny. These mutations are also present in his children’s own germ cells. This means that a father’s lifestyle has the potential to…

Turmeric. Turmeric, an ingredient found in most yellow mustards, has long been known to have medicinal values. New research has found that curcumin, a substance in turmeric, provides lasting protection against potentially deadly lung damage (bronchopulmonary dysplasia) in premature infants. American Journal of Physiology, July 2013

Tea Tree Oil. Treating fungal infections of the nails (onychomycosis) with a cream containing 2% betenafine and 5% tea tree oil cured 80% of patients. Topical application of tea tree oil cream for athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) reduces the symptoms of tinea pedis as effectively as tolnaftate, an over the counter antifungal medication. Australasian Journal…

Prevent Stress. Among women who reported stress, 40% had psychosomatic symptoms in the form of aches and pain in their muscles and joints, 28% suffered from headaches or migraines, and 28% reported gastrointestinal complaints. University of Gothenburg, June 2013

Lifestyle Changes. The four lifestyle factors that lead to a healthy heart are regular exercise, eating a Mediterranean-style diet, maintaining a normal weight, and not smoking. Adopting these four lifestyle behaviors protected against coronary heart disease as well as the early buildup of calcium deposits in heart arteries, and reduced the chance of death from…

Not So Smart. Smartphones and tablets can disturb sleep. The cause is due to the bright light-emitting diodes that can interfere with melatonin, a hormone that controls the natural sleep-wake cycle. Dimming the smartphone or tablet brightness settings and holding the device at least 14 inches (~.36m) from your face while using it will reduce…

Check Your Stove! There is a strong correlation between air pollution from unsafe household stoves and infections, cardiovascular disease, maternal, neonatal health, child health, respiratory disease, burns, and ocular disorders. PLOS Medicine, June 2013

Fish Oil, Your Heart, and Stress. A new study finds that regular consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids (most commonly found in cold water fish like Salmon) improves cardiovascular health by dulling the connection between mentally stressful events and cardiovascular functions like heart rate, blood pressure, the fight-or-flight response, and blood flow. Those who frequently find…