10 Worst Habits for Your Heart

There’s good news and bad news when it comes to your risk of developing heart disease, the leading killer in the U.S. Let’s start with the bad. Several factors raise a person’s risk for getting heart disease — a term used to describe a range of conditions that affect the heart — including some that can’t be…

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What Your Blood Type Says About Your Health

Do you know your blood type? There’s a good chance that you don’t. More Americans know their horoscope sign (66 percent) than their blood type (51 percent), according to a survey published last year by laboratory company Quest. There are compelling health reasons why you should know, especially when it comes to your heart. Research suggests that…

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Will I Lose My Memory?

This has happened to me more than once: I walk into the kitchen, my mind ticking through the day’s chores and errands, and as I open the refrigerator, I realize I’ve forgotten what I’m looking for. My first thought: Am I losing my mind? My second: Is this a sign of looming dementia? Moments like this…

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Is the Snooze Button Ruining Your Sleep?

The snooze button should be charged with false advertising: It sells us more sleep and a brighter day but often delivers worse sleep and a drowsier day. Still, we fall for it. According to one survey of 20,000 people who wore an activity-tracking watch, 50 percent hit snooze at least once every morning. “Hitting snooze can be…

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12 Fantastic Book Club Reads Now in Paperback

Many book clubs prefer to wait for a book to come out in paperback before selecting it for a group read. Paperbacks are less expensive and more portable than hardcovers, and by the time they are released, the books are often easier to find in libraries. Well, good news: These 12 great reads — many…

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6 Science-Backed Breathing Exercises That May Lower Blood Pressure

A valuable tool to lowering high blood pressure is completely free and always with us: our breath. While it’s an essential function for life, many of us aren’t utilizing breathing to its full potential, including its ability to reduce hypertension, a condition that affects most older Americans. Breathing affects not just your lungs but also…

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11 Medicine Mistakes to Avoid

Taking even one medication correctly and on time each day can be a challenge. In fact, research shows that as many as half of all patients don’t follow their medication instructions properly. For older adults who often juggle multiple medicines, the challenge is even greater. “Their regimens are more complicated,” says David Bates, M.D., director of…

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Driving After a Stroke: What You Need to Know

After having multiple strokes in 2009, I recovered my ability to speak, read, write and count, but my car sat idle in the driveway for three years, literally becoming a hornet’s nest, before I had nerve enough to get behind the wheel.  I missed the sense of independence that driving brings, but I had so…

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10 Things Your Toes Could Say About Your Health

You probably don’t think of your toes much unless someone steps on them. But your toes and toenails can tell you a lot about your health. They can indicate bacterial, yeast or fungal infections; medication side effects; trauma; autoimmune disorders; chemical exposure; diabetes; kidney or liver disease; and even skin cancer, says Ashley Dikis, an…

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