Many people have no idea whether a multivitamin is essential or a total waste of money. Or something in between. So what’s the truth? As with many things, it’s controversial. And not even the “experts” can agree. Some studies have shown benefit. Others have been equivocal, or downright discouraging. For example, the Annals of Internal […]

I’ve been doing lots of reading on happiness lately. And one of the first books I picked up (and promptly devoured): The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. If you haven’t heard about it…in a nutshell: Woman with a good life (writer, mother, living in New York City) realizes she’s not as happy as she would like to be. Decides […]

There have been phases in my life when I had plenty of time for exercise. Now is not one of those phases. Between work and taking care of my two young kids, exercise goes right to the bottom of the priority list. We’ve all received the memo about the many benefits of exercise: longer life, more energy, improved sleep, better […]

Stressed? Overwhelmed? If there is one change you could make, just one thing you could do to help with stress, I believe it’s this: work on breathing. Maybe this sounds ridiculous. Of course we all breathe. All day, and all night. There are systems in place to ensure that we breathe without thinking about it (this […]

There’s a lot of carb confusion out there. Are carbs evil? Do they make you fat? Do you need to go low-carb to be healthy? Should you eliminate carbs completely? Is such a thing even possible? Truth is, we need carbs. In our bodies, carbohydrates get broken down to their building blocks–glucose–the essential fuel for […]

It’s this little thing I do: I like “collecting” things that, traditionally, have been considered bad for you…but turn out to be healthy. Girl’s gotta have a hobby! Anyway. Here’s my lovely little roundup of vices you should be indulging in. 1.Shopping. Oh yes, it’s true. In a recent study, seniors who shopped every day had […]

I’ve been reading a lot about happiness lately, and it turns out there’s a whole lot of science behind what makes us happy. And more research being done all the time. There is an excellent argument to be made that happiness is the one true goal. The one thing we all crave–the deep meaning underneath […]

One of my all-time fave indulgences is going to the spa. To me, it’s heaven. It’s relaxing, it’s pampering, and it’s rejuvenating. Are you with me on this? Well, it gets better. Researchers are starting to discover that spa treatments have bona fide health benefits. The origins of spa reach back to our earliest civilizations: ancient Egyptian, Greek, and […]

In the short term, inflammation is not a problem. It’s the body’s normal response to injury, and it’s a healing response. It’s also part of our immune system, and how we fight infection. But when inflammation doesn’t shut off like it should, and becomes chronic? That’s a problem. Why inflammation is bad for you We’re not […]