ArcaMax

At this point, it should surprise no one that many of the foods Americans eat nowadays are ultra-processed and spiked with chemical ingredients designed to enhance their flavor, texture, color, shelf life and addictive appeal. They make up what Amy Bentley, a food historian and professor at New York University, calls "the industrial palate." As ...Read more

If you read my offering from last week, then you know I was addressing the fact that, despite modern medicine's many breakthrough cures and treatments, there remains no cure for the common cold. While a cure continues to allude us, there is no shortage of proposed treatments. According to a Statista report, "in 2024, the revenue in the Cold & ...Read more

Over the last century or so, we have been able to develop countless breakthrough medical treatments, many proving to be lifesaving. Thankfully, this pattern of medical advancement continues as a major part of modern medicine. But my question is: Why haven't we found a cure for the common cold? While lots of folks have adopted cold remedies that ...Read more

As a sports fan, I have felt for some time now the inescapable and escalating presence of slickly presented pathways to placing a wager or two, or more, on a sports outcome. It's become a relatively new and accepted form for nationally advertised opportunities beckoning folks to place a wager at their convenience, virtually any time, day or ...Read more

It is a time-honored tradition that with the arrival of another year folks make resolutions and set goals for themselves. According to a Pew Research Center survey from January, "Three-in-ten Americans report making at least one resolution this year, with half of this group making more than one." But, as we know, sticking with them can prove to ...Read more

According to USA Today, for the doctors and staff of Asheville North Carolina's Mission Hospital, the only designated trauma center in the western part of the state, "it's been a colossal undertaking to get clean water" since Hurricane Helene.

"Hospitals like Mission need potable water for staff to sanitize equipment, clean wounds and simply ...Read more

You say you're desperate to enjoy a better night's sleep? Know that a lot of folks are right there with you. According to a recent survey by the Sleep Foundation, "more than a third of U.S. adults slept worse in 2023" than they did in previous years, even though people are spending lots of money trying to achieve more satisfying shuteye, spurred...Read more

In America, we place a great deal of weight on the concept of care. As is the case in other developed countries, it's a word that gets thrown about a lot, especially in the context of health care or the idea of being a caregiver. But what of the concept of self-care? "Self-care isn't an indulgence -- it's essential," Palena Neale of the Harvard ...Read more

The world we live in is filled with so many colors. Yet have you ever stopped for a moment to consider how just the experience of being exposed to these colors may be subconsciously impacting your mood, perception and maybe even your diet? There is now a field of scientific study called color psychology dedicated to exploring just how the ...Read more

As reported by U.S. News, a recent survey from the Thriving Center of Psychology states that "72% of Americans are stressing about the upcoming election." Based on what we are seeing, this feels like a low number. At the same time, we are being told the stress of parenting in this country has risen to such a level that Surgeon General Vivek ...Read more

In what is considered a win for public health officials, the recently released 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey reports that a half-million fewer school-age kids vaped -- a practice that Oxford Dictionaries defines as "inhaling and exhaling vapor containing nicotine and flavoring produced by a device designed for this purpose" -- this past ...Read more

Here's hoping you and yours had an enjoyable Labor Day holiday on Monday. Yet I'm betting it's left a lot of folks feeling a day behind in their workload because of it. For countless others, Labor Day amounted to no time off at all. That's because it is a somewhat unconventional holiday. For many, it isn't even a day off work. "Unlike most U.S. ...Read more