The recent study confirm that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is a good way to lower your stroke risk. But the main reasons aren’t well understood. The University of Cambridge researchers measured vitamin C levels in more than 20,000 people, who were then followed for roughly a decade. Levels vitamin C in bloods are tend to be much higher in people who consume lots of fruits and vegetables than in people who do not.

The participants were divided into four groups based on vitamin C levels, those with the highest concentrations of the vitamin in their blood were found to have a 42% lower stroke risk than those with the lowest concentrations. The association was seen even after the researchers adjusted for a wide range of stroke risk factors. Read more

Having a dry, chapped hands can be painful and irritating. But, with proper care, you can get your hands in shape and keep them from drying out again. Here are some good tips from the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

* Don’t wash hands with very hot water or harsh soaps or cleansers.
* Keep hands moisturized with rich lotions, creams or ointments.
* To both treat and prevent chapped hands, try to keep them out of water. Use gloves when you do dishes.
* Don’t wash hands with very hot water or harsh soaps or cleansers.
* See a dermatologist if you continue to have trouble with chapped hands.

via medicinenet

Deepening smile lines and silver locks may be inevitable features of growing older, but rising cholesterol doesn’t have to be. And while higher cholesterol is often a consequence of aging, young people can have it too. But no matter your age, it poses a big health risk. That’s because unhealthy cholesterol levels can boost your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other problems.

According to experts, there are four basic ways to get your cholesterol where you want it: eating a healthy diet, exercising, losing weight, and taking medicine (in some cases).
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Headache is probably are the most common complaints or symptom that usually found in the doctor’s office. Even though drug treatments are effective, but people suffering from headaches often use a wide spectrum of complementary and alternative therapies. Chronic stress may contribute to the development of the most common types of headaches, including migraines and tension-type headaches. That’s why, is not surprising that alternative treatments aimed at stress reduction, such as relaxation and biofeedback, are well-studied and considered effective treatments for some patients with headaches. There are also additional “nontraditional” headache treatments, including acupuncture, massage, herbs, and diets, for which there are varying degrees of effectiveness. Read more

According to the report in the January issue of Pediatrics, A lower weight may be desirable in adults, but it is not always in the best interest of a young child. Dr. Brenda Kohn, a pediatric endocrinologist and an associate professor at the New York University School of Medicine and Medical Center in New York City said that nutrition is extremely important in infancy and childhood, and in the first two years, the child is growing in height and weight and the brain is growing, so it’s extremely important that proper nutrition is provided.

The study authors wanted to better understand the role that parental attitudes toward food played in their child’s eventual weight. Previous studies had suggested that when a parent tries to control food intake, it would eventually result in an overweight child, whereas a child who was pressured to eat seemed to end up weighing less. Read more