Spending time outside might have some health benefits — and the ‘greening' of exercise might have some more.

Summer is the time when the outdoors beckons. We go to the beach in droves, have picnics and barbecues, paddle and fish and swim. Some hike, others bike, and a few do both — although not at the same time.

But these good times in the out of doors are really an exception to the rule, which is that most of us spend the vast majority of our time inside. According to one government estimate, the average American spends 90% of his ...

Can aspirin do that, too? Pain relief? Check. Cardiovascular disease prevention? Check. Protection against cancer? To be decided.

Bayer first started selling aspirin as a pain and fever reliever over 100 years ago. Now we've got a slew of other choices, including over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, other brands), and naproxen (Aleve), so aspirin for pain relief seems out of date. Children don't grow up taking aspirin like they used to, because it has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal childhood condition that involves swelling of the liver and brain. And there's no ...

 

Peripheral neuropathy causes strange feelings of numbness and sometimes pain.

We've all had a foot fall asleep because of the way we have been sitting or standing. The abnormal pressure pushes on nerves and compresses the blood vessels that supply them. The nerves react to their distress by sending signals that cause an unpleasant, even painful, tingling sensation. But it's a temporary situation: the pins-and-needles go away after we change position so blood vessels open up and the pressure is off the nerves.

For people with peripheral neuropathy, that tingling sensation — along with pain, burning, numbness, and other ...

"Good" cholesterol levels can be increased in several ways, but taking niacin is the most effective.

Until fairly recently, all eyes have been on low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol as the target for prevention of heart attacks and, to a lesser degree, strokes. Lowering LDL became the goal partly because we had the medications to do it. The statin drugs, which include Lipitor, Zocor, and several varieties now available as generics, are effective. In studies, each 40 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) decrease in LDL achieved with a statin has translated, on average, into a 24% decrease in the risk of having ...

I take ibuprofen p.m. on occasion - maybe once a month or so - to help me get to sleep. It seems to work. Is that okay?

I am confused about omega-3 fats. Are the different types equally good for you?