According to national health estimates, as many as 50–70 million Americans are affected by sleep disorders or sleep deprivation. That’s an enormous number of people! Now, it’s normal for most people to have an occasional poor night’s sleep. Things like stress, congestion and coughing from a cold, nighttime thunderstorms, or even a neighborhood dog barking at night can interrupt our sleep. But when poor sleep becomes a regular occurrence, it can affect much more...

  I do a fair amount of driving, especially on highways, and I’ve got to say—people seem more stressed, impatient and downright angry than ever. I’ve witnessed cut-offs, flip-offs, tailgating, weaving through traffic, passing on the right and all sorts of other aggressive behavior. I once even saw an SUV pass someone on the shoulder of I-95! Thank goodness no one was pulled over with car trouble. And it isn’t just on the highway. You...

  I’m often asked what the most important vitamins and minerals are, and my response is always, “All of them.” But a certain mineral stands out from the others because it supports great health in a variety of ways—and getting too little of it can have serious consequences. I’m talking about magnesium! Here’s the scoop on all that magnesium does for you, why you may not be getting enough (because falling short is more common...

  If you’ve been a reader of mine for a while, you may recall that I’ve written several times about subtle signs your body can give you when things aren’t quite right. Take, for instance, your “products of excrement.” You can learn a whole lot from looking in the toilet bowl before you flush. The tongue is another example. A healthy tongue is generally pinkish and relatively smooth. Changes in its color, coating, texture or...

  In a perfect world, reliable information and advice on how to stay healthy and prevent disease would be all around us. No matter what health agency or practitioner you consulted, their advice would be truthful and centered on safety and effectiveness, with no influence or bias in any way. Hopefully, you realize we don’t live in a perfect world. Much of the health information we are exposed to is incomplete, misleading or influenced by...