It’s almost summer, a time for outdoor activities including sleeping in the great outdoors.  Camping helps us refresh our mind and soul. There’s nothing better than seeing the wilderness wake up as the sun lights up the sky! Camping requires some preparation to keep you warm, safe, and healthy. If you are planning a camping trip this year, keep in mind these essential health and safety tips.   Assess your fitness level.  If you are planning a particularly strenuous trip, make sure you are fit enough to withstand the strain of the journey. You may want to consider working with a fitness... Read More

May 31st is World No Tobacco Day.  7 out of 10 smokers say they want to quit. Quitting tobacco, including chewing tobacco, is one of the best things you can do for your health. Smoking in particular harms nearly every organ in your body, and nearly one-third of deaths from heart disease are the result of smoking and secondhand smoke. Some smokers have switched to e-cigarettes to ease the transition to a smoke-free life.  E-cigarettes are devices that vaporize a nicotine-based liquid which is then inhaled, much like a cigarette.  Is the e-cigarette a better alternative to smoking tobacco?  Here... Read More

For me, summer is the time when I drink iced tea. I like all kinds of tea on a hot day – iced black tea, half and half (aka Arnold Palmer), and those great shaken teas at coffee shops. Tea is awesome and can be healthy. In fact, I’ve found green tea particularly appealing because it is so good for you. Green tea is made from Camellia sinensis leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process used to make oolong and black teas. For those interested in managing their caffeine intake, eight ounces of green tea contain about 35 mg of caffeine, about half the amount... Read More

On a recent trip to visit my family, I brought home an unwelcome souvenir–chigger bites.  Chiggers are mites, but they have many nicknames like harvest mites, harvest bugs, harvest lice, mower’s mites, or red bugs. Technically chiggers are arachnids, in the same family as spiders and ticks. Since I haven’t experienced chigger bites since I was young, I had forgotten how heinous those bites can be.  I want to share my experience with you, so you can avoid a week-long itch fest if you get chigger bites. Where chiggers reside. Chiggers live in every country. Their favorite spots are... Read More

The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 40 million adults—18% of the population—struggle with anxiety. Anxiety is normal; job interviews, public speaking and other everyday occurrences can cause anxiety.  It only becomes a problem when it extends beyond worry in an unreasonable, uncontrollable way. Anxiety can be a symptom of another mental illness, such as panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  Anxiety and anxiety disorders are the most common behavioral health issues in the U.S. There are some important health habits... Read More

Thirty percent of Americans only brush their teeth once daily.  That is certainly enough to reduce the level of plaque-causing bacteria–it takes about 24 hours to develop on teeth–but you are more likely to have cavities if you only brush once daily, particularly if you are only brushing in the morning.  If you are going to brush once a day, it should be at night. It is always tempting to take a few shortcuts to simplify our lives.  I’d like to make the case that brushing once daily is not enough. Let’s talk about the health benefits of brushing twice daily. Prevent gum disease.... Read More

This week we celebrated Earth Day, the world’s largest environmental movement. Our impact on the environment is complex and often interrelated.  For example, bees are dying from a variety of factors—pesticides, drought, habitat destruction, nutrition deficit, air pollution, global warming and more. Ninety percent of the world’s food crops are pollinated by bees, and humans are responsible for two major reasons that bees are dying: pesticides and habitat destruction. If bees die out, the world will face a serious food crisis. Our oceans are clogged with plastic, which is harmful to marine... Read More

On Monday evening, a massive fire broke out at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  With about 13 million visitors each year, the cathedral is the city’s most visited monument, and has been part of Paris for more than 800 years. Many across the globe are expressing shock and distress about the burning of such an iconic Gothic structure that housed religious artifacts and works of art, some of which are lost, some moved just in time. When tragedy strikes, some of us never recover from it. The way we cope with these situations differ greatly. Some people immediately fall into a deep depression,... Read More

You may have already noticed some sniffles and sneezes from pollen and other spring allergens. That’s because allergy season is starting earlier than it has in years past.  In a recent paper written by a plant physiologist at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, the authors considered temperature and pollen trends in the Northern Hemisphere going back decades. The paper, published in Lancet, found a clear correlation between the change in temperature, the change and the increase in the length of the allergy season, and also the amount of pollen that’s being recorded. What does this... Read More

Spring brings to mind rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, and resurrection.  According to Wikipedia, “During early spring, the axis of the Earth is increasing its tilt relative to the Sun, and the length of daylight rapidly increases for the relevant hemisphere. The hemisphere begins to warm significantly, causing new plant growth to ‘spring forth,’ giving the season its name.”  This time of year is the perfect time to spring forth with a new exercise routine. Changing your workout is important to avoid boredom, overcome plateaus, and achieve new levels of fitness. Here are some ideas for... Read More