About Personality It's all the ways you think, feel, and act -- it's what makes you, well, you. It's your habits, quirks, and how you react to the world around you. Even though your moods change and you learn and grow over the years, there's still a certain you-ness to it all. But some health conditions can affect your personality and make you act in ways that are out of character for you. Alzheimer's Disease This illness affects your thinking, judgment, memory, and decision-

What Over-the-Counter Drugs Affect the Liver? Many people rely on OTC medications for relief from pain, cold symptoms, and other ailments, but some of these drugs can harm your liver. Painkillers like acetaminophen, and NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen, can cause liver damage if taken in high doses or over long periods. Even supplements like kava and green tea extract can be risky. The liver processes these substances, and excessive use can lead to liver toxicity, inflam

Not surprisingly, an annual eye exam is helpful for detecting and treating a range of age-related vision problems. But that’s not all your eye doctor might see. “Eye exams can help diagnose many medical conditions,” says Peter Nixon, M.D., a retina specialist with Austin Retina Associates in Texas. “That’s because your physician will look at the small blood vessels and retina in the back of your eyes. The health of the eye gives a good snapshot of what’s happening througho

Recommendations about the best materials for kitchen tools seem to change constantly. It can be hard to keep track of whether products like silicone utensils are safe, or if you should toss and replace them. For expert advice on how to stock your kitchen, we consulted an environmental toxicologist. What Are Silicone Kitchen Tools? Silicone kitchen tools like spatulas, whisks, baking mats, cupcake pans and tongs are made from food-grade silicone, a rubbery material derived fro

Fridge Smarts The fridge is the true workhorse of the kitchen — and many of us neglect it. Improper use and lack of care can lead to messes, wasted energy and even foodborne illnesses. While each fridge is a little different, here are some universal do's and don'ts to keep your fridge (and the food inside it!) in tip-top shape. Do Take Your Fridge's Temperature Keep the fridge set at a chilly 40 degrees F or below to slow harmful bacteria growth and keep your dinner leftovers

Definition A low-carb diet limits carbohydrates, often called carbs, such as those found in grains, starchy vegetables and fruit. A low-carb diet focuses on foods high in protein and fat. Many types of low-carb diets exist. Each diet varies in the type and amount of carbs you can eat. Purpose You or your healthcare team may choose a low-carb diet to help you lose weight. Some low-carb diets may have benefits beyond weight loss, such as lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes or

Exercise has various health benefits, from maintaining a moderate weight to improving heart health. While all exercise is beneficial, a recent study found that exercising in the morning may yield greater cardiometabolic benefits than later in the day. It’s unclear whether the relationship between exercise and cardiometabolic health is mediated by other factors or causal. However, the researchers noted that the findings could inform counseling approaches for physical activity

If you’ve noticed your grocery bill steadily creeping up, you’re in good company. From bread to eggs to meat, food prices have been on the rise in the U.S. In fact, grocery store and supermarket prices increased 1.1 percent in just one month this year (from September to October) and are 5.4 percent higher than they were in October 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It’s a concerning trend, but it doesn’t mean you have to choose between eating heal

Knee replacement is one of the most common orthopaedic surgeries. Nearly 800,000 people in the U.S. have the procedure each year, most often to treat knee arthritis. Surgeons can replace the entire joint or just the damaged parts. The goal is to reduce knee pain and improve movement. “Knee replacement surgery has been refined over the years so that we now have a more accurate recreation of the soft tissue tension and balance, part sizes and alignment of the knee joint,” says

Sometimes, you look at a mole and think, “ That doesn’t look quite right .” Don’t ignore those suspicions. There’s a chance that what you’re seeing may be a sign of melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer. So, how can you tell if you might have a cancerous mole? There are definite hints visible to the naked eye. Dermatologist Christine Poblete-Lopez, MD, explains how to spot potential trouble. How can you tell if a mole might be cancerous? Moles aren’t unusual. In fact, mos

The Religious Liberty Commission held a hearing at the Museum of the Bible on March 16 to examine religious liberty issues in health care and social services. Across multiple panels, witnesses described professional and legal consequences they said followed decisions to practice their faith. Testimony came from parents, physicians, counselors, and faith leaders who addressed topics including gender ideology, abortion, vaccines, and assisted suicide. Several witnesses said go

Taxpayers’ money once spent on funding abortions could now be permanently safeguarded for pregnancy centers to support women and families. The federal government grants more than $16 billion every year to support families, and soon that could include protecting life. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., has reintroduced the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act to protect funding for pregnancy centers and provide critical support for families. “Supporting women means en

Vitamin B12 can do all sorts of good things for older folks. It can support everything from brain health to how your nerves function. Some studies suggest it may even help prevent cognitive decline. But Kristin Zimmerman, associate professor in the department of pharmacotherapy and outcomes science at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Pharmacy in Richmond, grew suspicious several years ago when her mom, who was in her late 60s and living on Florida’s Gold Coast, qu

Also known as emotional eating, stress-eating involves using food as a coping mechanism to help you feel better. Typically, it has nothing to do with physical hunger and everything to do with soothing or suppressing uncomfortable feelings and situations. If you’re using food as a way to manage stress, you might be wondering why you want to eat when you’re stressed, how you can stop stress eating, and what you can do to reduce stress instead. Read on to learn why you eat when

A new study reports that excess belly fat is more strongly associated with an increased risk of heart failure than a person’s overall body weight or their body mass index (BMI) measurement. The researchers say that systemic inflammation is a key factor in the link between abdominal fat and heart disease risk. They estimate that one-quarter to one-third of the association is explained by inflammation. These findings suggest that reducing inflammation is a potential treatment

High: Makes You Pee More Your kidneys have to work hard to process all that extra sugar in your blood. When they can’t keep up, your body gets rid of it, along with water that your body needs. High: Makes You Thirsty To get rid of that extra sugar, your body draws water from its own tissues. Because you need that fluid to make energy, transfer nutrients, and get rid of waste, a switch flips in your brain to tell you that you’re thirsty so you’ll drink more. High: Dry Mout

Tongue Lashing Few muscles are as hard-working as the tongue. By day, it twists to form the sounds you speak and pushes around the food you eat. While you sleep, your tongue moves saliva down your throat. Go With Your Gut On average, your intestines are 25 feet long from end to end. Your small intestine is long -- over 20 feet. And while your large intestine is wider around, it stretches out only to 5 feet in length. Dirty Mouth You might think twice before kissing. In one m

Sleep is key for overall health and wellbeing—and research suggests that sleeping in cooler temperatures around 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit may support your health even more. From getting better quality sleep to improving your mood, here are some of the potential benefits of sleeping in a cold room. 1. Your Sleep Quality May Improve Because research suggests that many people get less sleep as the temperatures rise, sleeping in a cold room may help you get more, better quality

There are numerous reasons you might feel pain in your foot. Injury, poor alignment of the foot bones, or deterioration of the protective cushioning around the bones are a few of the issues that can contribute to foot pain when you walk. Sometimes, the pain worsens with each step. Depending on the cause, rest, specific foot exercises, or at-home remedies, such as ice or over-the-counter pain relievers, can help manage the pain. 1. Overuse Overuse injuries develop from repetit

During the middle of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are cold, dark and short. It’s not an inspiring time to accomplish much of anything, much less those New Year’s resolutions that so motivated you back on December 31. Early backsliders may have already called it quits. Twenty-eight percent of people who make resolutions have dropped at least some of them by the end of January, and 13% report they have dropped them all, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center sur

You’ve probably heard the good news about frequent walking: less stress, lower blood pressure, and better blood sugar. But there are additional health benefits that don’t get as many headlines. “Walking is a highly underrated exercise,” says Layne Nordquist, C.P.T., an area director and master trainer at VASA Fitness in Denver. In fact, any amount of walking — even five minutes—can give you a health boost, according to the latest fitness guidelines. That’s especially good new

If you’ve noticed your grocery bill steadily creeping up, you’re in good company. From bread to eggs to meat, food prices have been on the rise in the U.S. In fact, grocery store and supermarket prices increased 1.1 percent in just one month this year (from September to October) and are 5.4 percent higher than they were in October 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It’s a concerning trend, but it doesn’t mean you have to choose between eating heal

Some 25 percent of older adults fall at least once every year. In 2023, more than 41,000 people in the U.S. over age 65 died from one, according to a June 2025 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report also found that the death rate for falls in people ages 85 and older in the U.S. doubled between 2003 and 2023. A growing aging population increases the numbers. But there are other factors. For instance, people in this age range may have become mo

Spring has a way of making people want to hit reset. But if weight loss is one of your goals, that does not mean you need a cleanse, a juice fast or a list of foods to swear off. In practice, healthy weight loss is usually less about cutting out entire categories of food and more about building meals that actually keep you full and satisfied. The foods most likely to support weight loss are often the ones that make meals more filling with nutrients like protein and fiber. Spr