ArcaMax

A recent American Psychological Association poll shows that 54% of Americans feel isolated,and 50% feel left out or lacking companionship often or some of the time.

You know that physical activity, meditation, developing a posse and finding a purpose (volunteer, paint, take a class, plant vegetables -- anything works!) can transform your ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: After a month of testing from my gastrointestinal doctor, I have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I have been sick for several months and have lost 12 pounds. (I'm now down to 100 pounds.)

I have been prescribed Xifaxan. The cost from my pharmacy is $811. Normally, I never have a co-pay. I checked around, and ...Read more

'Twas the season of feasts and festive beverages! And chances are you added a few pounds. One study found that between Thanksgiving and Christmas, most folks put on around 2 pounds and 14% add 5 or more. Unfortunately, what's added is rarely lost -- and year after year, it adds up to a serious health threat for millions of you.

You can reclaim ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 75-year-old man with an elevated A1C level; I was diagnosed with prediabetes. I feel healthy but have struggled to lose weight. I was wondering what your feeling are on using a glucose monitor. -- F.M.

ANSWER: A continuous glucose monitor is a device shaped like a disc, and the smallest of them are only just larger than...Read more

More than 60% of parents of 12-year-olds say their child has a smartphone; nearly 97% of kids age 13 do. And, according to new research, it turns out those phones are connecting the kids to more than Instagram and TikTok. They're directly hooking them up to depression, obesity and insufficient sleep.

A study in Pediatrics evaluated the impact ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife was having problems getting to sleep and has stocked our medicine cabinet with various p.m. versions of popular pain relievers that have been advertised as sleep aids. Recently, I've had problems getting to sleep as well and began taking a single pill before retiring, but I can't honestly say that they're helping.

I ...Read more

Take this to heart: Seven tasty everyday foods are front-line warriors against heart disease.

That's the conclusion of researchers from King's College London who recently published results of a 10-year study of the diet and heart health of more than 3,100 people and the metabolites in the urine of more than 200 of those adults. They found that ...Read more

When men and women are given exercise routines to reduce coronary heart disease risk, one group does better. It's not men.

Women had a 22% lower risk of coronary heart disease if they logged 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous exercise. Men doing the same amount of exercise had a 17% lower risk.

The caveat: As in previous similar ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your column daily in my local newspaper. The people who write in often describe themselves as "healthy" or "in good health." Then they always add that they are taking some sort of medication for some sort of ailment. Can you please clarify which attributes make a person healthy as opposed to unhealthy? -- L.S.

ANSWER: I...Read more

Around 180 million Americans contend with tension and migraine headaches, making them the top two nervous system disorders, according to a new study that looked at 36 unique neurological health conditions that affect more than half the U.S. population.

If you are battling tension headaches, you may be surprised to learn that stress isn't the ...Read more

Researchers are now advising folks who get a flu shot to consider refraining from taking a pain reliever like aspirin, Advil or Aleve after inoculation because it can dampen production of necessary antibodies that protect against viral illness.

Many over-the-counter pain and fever reducers are classified as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,...Read more

Even with modern medicine, vaccines and artificial intelligence helping to diagnose diseases early, the risk of dying before age 70 -- called probability of premature death, or PPD -- still varies widely around the world.

In 2019, 12% of people in the world's healthiest countries died before age 70. In sub-Saharan Africa, that number was 52%;...Read more

The so-called "California sober" trend involves swapping alcohol in favor of cannabis consumption in the belief that it's less harmful to the body and reduces the danger of using more potent drugs like opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine.

A small published study suggests the approach actually does reduce alcohol consumption, at least in the ...Read more

Let's look at some converging lines of population numbers. The United States appears to be trending toward a new club of nations: those in which annual deaths routinely outnumber births. Some countries in Europe and Asia, such as Japan, Italy, South Korea and Germany, already have more deaths each year than births.

The biggest driver appears ...Read more

Apart from their widely celebrated effect at weight loss and diabetes management, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy might also reduce alcohol use.

In a pilot study published in Scientific Reports, researchers found that GLP-1 agonists (which mimic the effects of GLP-1 compounds) slowed the speed at which alcohol enters the bloodstream, ...Read more