Staying Healthy Archive

Taking 2,000 International Units of supplemental vitamin D₃ daily may help slow the cellular aging process, according to a 2025 study.

In robotic surgery, a surgeon controls robotic instruments that perform the operation, based on what the surgeon sees on a TV monitor. This type of surgery has many advantages: it involves small incisions, better views inside the body, and better range of motion than human hands. A research letter published in the May 2025 issue of JAMA Neurology described how robots controlled by a distant surgeon could reach in, grab, and remove blood clots stuck in a brain artery, reducing the damage from a stroke.

A 2025 research review found that healthy adults who paired exercise with time-restricted eating lost more fat than participants who didn’t restrict their eating window—without sacrificing lean muscle tissue.

Exercising barefoot can be done safely when walking on grass or a sandy beach, biking, or doing yoga or tai chi. But walking or running barefoot on pavement can pose numerous hazards to feet, including splinters or stress fractures.

The surge in heat waves and extreme heat poses serious health risks for everyone but is a particular worry for older adults. What can you do to manage heat-related risks, especially if you have existing health conditions or take certain medications?

In the summertime, one of the chief contributors to symptom flares of lung problems is hot air, especially if it’s also humid, stagnant, or very dry. Such weather might narrow the airways, making it much harder to breathe normally. This might occur because hot air irritates the nerves, widens blood vessels near the lungs, or causes people to breathe faster. To avoid breathing difficulty, doctors advise people with lung disease to follow strategies such as keeping their inhalers handy and staying in air-conditioned spaces.

Older men can get “flat” or weak buttocks from spending too much time sitting, which can weaken gluteal muscles and create tight hip flexors. This weakness can place excess demand on other parts of the body, which can lead to pain in the lower back, hips, and knees and increase risk for lower-body injuries. The best way to strengthen a weak backside is to break up prolonged periods of sitting with regular movement and perform exercises that build up gluteal muscles, such as deadlifts, bridges, and step-ups.

In a 2025 study, researchers estimated that fewer than four emergency department visits attributed to semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) occurred for every 1,000 patients taking the drug in 2022 and 2023. Most of the visits were related to gastrointestinal problems.