April 15-21, 2012 - Original Health Articles

An estimated one third of Americans aren't getting enough vitamin D—an essential compound that keeps your bones and immune system healthy. Recent studies also link vitamin D to lowering blood pressure, reducing cancer risks, warding off osteoporosis, and even preserving memory.

Studies show that beautiful smiles can increase your career success and overall attractiveness. Plus, crooked teeth or bite misalignments can lead to jaw issues, gum disease, and even tooth breakage. Different teeth straightening approaches follow the same basic principle: They apply constant pressure to teeth, causing them to move into the desired position.

Research shows the benefits of green tea may range from rejuvenating older skin to warding off cancer. It contains a cornucopia of antioxidants and minerals such as magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, and vitamins C, D, and K. Green Tea for Weight Loss You are right to be suspicious of the green tea "miracle" weight loss formulas, but there is some truth to the fad.

The septum is the wall that separates the two sides of your nasal cavities. Ideally, the septum would sit right in the middle of the nose, but for most people, nasal passages aren't symmetrical. A deviated septum is when the septum is out of alignment.

Heartburn is the result of acid reflux, which occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus, a tube in your throat that moves food from the mouth to the stomach. Heartburn sufferers describe the condition as a burning sensation in the chest behind the breastbone.

If you're living with diabetes, you know that keeping track of how many grams of carbohydrates you eat—and deciding how much insulin to take to "cover" those carbs—is an important part of managing your blood sugar.  But a new study is questioning whether a more effective way to regulate blood sugar would be to focus on a food's glycemic load instead.

Pain and fatigue can make it difficult to get your job done. But in a supportive work environment, you may be able to change the nature of your job without drastically changing your life. More than 75 percent of working men and women with osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis experience job-related changes due to arthritis, according to the results of a Canadian study published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

When guests come to visit they will bring with them an array of allergy triggers. Household allergens such as pet dander, dust mites, and mold can easily stick on clothes, hair, and skin. However, you don't have to become antisocial or send your guests packing in order to steer clear of these household allergens.

The alarm rings, and the first thing you do is groan. It's Monday and there are 40 plus hours separating you from the stress-free weekend. Often, we think of Mondays in a negative light, and rightfully so. A study conducted by British food company Marmite and reported in The Telegraph found that many people don't smile on Mondays until 11:16am, and more than half of workers won't arrive at work on time.

A number of effective seasonal allergy treatments exist today, but the key to their success is in using them correctly. Therefore, when you find yourself giving up some of your favorite spring activities because your seasonal allergies are so severe, consider giving up these five health-sabotaging habits: Waiting too long to medicate.

According to researchers from the University of Worcester, who presented their findings at a recent meeting of the British Psychological Society, the number of times a person checks his smartphone is directly correlated with higher stress levels. The reason comes from the feeling that one "needs" to respond to every alert.

Your makeup job depends as much on the application tools as the cosmetics themselves. Makeup brushes should to give you good control and be able to blend makeup into your skin. And good makeup brushes require an up-front investment that will be well worth it in their longevity and improvement to your look.

Did you know that hormones play an important role in the digestive system? Here are the key hormones and their roles in digestion, and what you can do to help these hormones do their job: To keep your system running smoothly. Once food enters your stomach, hormones help break down the food.

Refining a food is the process of stripping away certain nutrients in order to achieve a particular color, taste, or texture. Generally, health experts advocate avoiding refined foods as much as possible—not always easy in this country, where they are a huge part of many Americans' diets.

If you've had a baby in the last two decades, you may be familiar with sleep training. Sleep training, popularized by a pediatrician who studies sleep disorders in children, teaches babies to become more independent and be able to fall asleep without parental comforting.