Staying Healthy Archive

Drinking is linked to increased risks of high blood pressure. Alcohol elevates levels of the hormone renin, which narrows blood vessels and decreases urine output. The more often someone drinks, the more likely high blood pressure will result.

It's easy to feel too busy to be mindful, but everyone can find a few minutes during the day to pause and reflect. Even a brief, regular mindfulness practice provides a respite from the pace and stress of life, and can help with memory, concentration, and focus.

It's unnecessary to clean inside the ears unless someone has a blockage of earwax. Experts advise against using home earwax removal tools. Such tools include tiny cameras, scoopers, or vacuums that are placed into the ear. The safer, tried-and-true method of earwax removal involves placing a few drops of earwax lubricant (oil-based drops), water, or hydrogen peroxide in the affected ear, and then allowing it to dissolve the earwax and drain from the ear. If that doesn't work, a doctor can remove earwax.

Intermittent fasting is a weight-loss approach that involves not eating for a designated amount of time over the course of the day. One popular approach is called 16/8. Here, people eat during an eight-hour period followed by 16 hours of fasting. Intermittent fasting is often used to help with weight loss by placing the body in short-term ketosis, where the body burns fat for energy. While the supporting research is mixed, there's not much downside to trying intermittent fasting, and it also may help people manage their eating habits.

Older adults who consume ultra-processed foods as a substantial part of their diet have a higher risk of early death than those who eat less of these foods.

People who have trouble swallowing pills can try several strategies, such as changing head position when swallowing, adding pills to food that's easy to swallow, and breaking up pills into smaller pieces.

Osteopenia is the precursor stage to osteoporosis (weak, thin bones that break easily). Ways to treat osteopenia include taking medications that slow bone loss and reduce fracture risk, exercising, eating protein- and calcium-rich foods, taking a calcium supplement to make up for a lack of dietary calcium, taking a vitamin D₃ supplement to help absorb calcium, and avoiding excessive alcohol intake. Vibration therapy (standing on a small vibrating platform) is not yet proven to be effective.

Many Americans aren't getting preventive medical care. About 12% are unsure when they'll schedule their next check-up, and about 20% don't have a primary care doctor. But skipping regular medical care can increase the risks of serious health consequences, especially for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or obesity. To smooth the process of re-establishing primary care, people should take stock of their health goals and make a list of health-related occurrences or questions before their appointment.

The way people's bodies absorb and process medications changes as they age. This, along with additional health problems, muscle loss, or frailty, can make seniors more vulnerable to drug side effects and interactions. Adults 65 and older use more over-the-counter drugs than any other age group in the United States. Nonprescription drugs to reconsider include aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, proton-pump inhibitors, and older types of antihistamines.

A 2024 study found that people with erratic sleeping habits—going back and forth from sleeping less than seven hours to more than nine per night—had a 50% higher risk for diabetes than people who regularly slept the recommended seven to nine hours.