Everything you need to know about kidney stones

Kidney stones can be unpleasant, to say the least. But if you know what symptoms to watch for, how to prevent them and what your treatment options are, you’ll have the upper hand when it comes to fending off kidney stones.

Fructose: The good guy or the bad guy?

There are different types of sugars – your table sugar, corn sugars, and then there’s fructose. Fructose is found mostly in fruits and vegetables as well as honey and agave nectar. Fruits and veggies that are high in fructose include apples, grapes, watermelons, asparagus, peas and zucchini. And fruits and veggies that are low in fructose include bananas, blueberries, strawberries, carrots, avocados, green beans and lettuce.

A new issue in the gluten controversy

Gluten-free is a booming business. Over half a billion dollars get forked over each year to supermarket clerks and bakers for the coveted “GF” flours, pastas and breads. The point is to prevent agony and malnutrition (celiac disease), mild discomfort (gluten intolerance), weight gain (dieters) or hyperactivity (moms of kids with autism or ADHD).

Can probiotics lower your cholesterol?

Probiotics are living microorganisms that, when ingested, offer many potential health benefits. People typically take probiotic supplements for the digestive and immune-boosting benefits. They can also be found in fermented drinks like kombucha or in yogurts. Research continues to show there’s still much to learn about the potential applications of probiotics. One such potential – lowering cholesterol.

How much magnesium do you really need?

By now, there should be no dispute that magnesium is an extremely important mineral for optimal health. Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles and kidneys, needs magnesium. It is required for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body and is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body. Around 50-60 percent of all the magnesium in the body is found in the skeleton, about 27 percent is found in muscle, 6-7 percent is found in other cells, and less than 1 percent is found outside of cells. It is required for healthy teeth and bones, activating enzymes and energy production.

Do you have enough benefits in your health plan to cover your hospitalization?

When you seek treatment at a doctor’s office or hospital, you will typically be asked for your health insurance information. If you have a health plan, the doctor or hospital will contact your health plan to verify whether you are a member and to verify your benefits. Often, the information received from the plan can mislead the verifier into thinking that you have more benefits than are actually available.

Get the most out of your doctor’s visit

Time and money – these are the two things that seem to hold people back from going to the doctor, unless something serious comes up. Perhaps it’s a busy schedule, or ever-rising health care deductibles and costs, as salaries lag behind. More and more, it becomes a luxury to spend time with a health care professional to actually discuss preventive measures for your health.

Signs you may have leaky gut syndrome!

There is not a lot of credible information available about leaky gut syndrome. It is an odd description of a condition that seems to suggest that you might have holes in your intestines that cause it to leak. So let’s keep it simple and understand the theory behind what is referred to as a leaky gut.

A natural option for joint pain relief

One in five adults in the U.S. report having doctor-diagnosed arthritis. It’s a common problem. The pain can be anywhere from mild to severe, but either way, it’s unpleasant. So it makes sense that someone would try different medications to find some relief. But then those medications may end up causing other issues such as gastrointestinal damage. Shouldn’t there be a way to get some joint relief without the unwanted side effects? You do have options. One of them may be Kaprex, by Metagenics.

Excessive estrogen? Might be time to ‘detox’

When it comes to estrogen, there are some misconceptions floating around out there. Many people think estrogen is strictly for women. But men need estrogen too. Estrogen is an important hormone for sexual and bone health -- in females and males. So does this mean we should all load up on estrogen? Certainly not. Though the hormone estrogen serves important functions, having too much stored in the body can lead to some seriously negative health consequences. This has prompted some people to seek out an “estrogen detox.”

New Year’s resolution for weight loss – What actually works?

Most people know that there is an obesity epidemic in the U.S. Although excessive food intake and lack of activity remain the main culprits, there are many reasons why people become overweight. Some of them include more sugar being added to foods, environmental toxins, excessive antibiotic use, diet drinks, hormone-treated cattle, increase in stress levels and lack of sleep. The problem is only getting worse.

What sources can you trust for health information?

There is a seemingly bottomless well of health information online, both good and bad. You can Google your health concern of choice and find pages and pages of articles, ranging from researched to ridiculous.