Physical Health & Well-Being Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 10-17-2024

Because of the health benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet and the recent studies that have highlighted the diet’s ability to reduce heart disease, decrease the risk of some cancers, prevent or mitigate the effects of diabetes, and more, many have embraced the Mediterranean diet’s key guidelines. Although this plant-based diet devotes the largest portion of a plate to fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, healthy fats, like those you get from olive oil and nuts, lean animal proteins, and red wine also take key roles.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-30-2024

Want some tips for your sobriety journey? This Cheat Sheet helps you challenge beliefs and societal pressures, break free from sobriety stigmas, understand your willpower’s role, and dispel conceptions about happiness.

Article / Updated 09-11-2024

The term hepatitis simply means inflammation of the liver. But when you're talking about hepatitis C, you're talking about viral hepatitis, and hep C isn't the only form of hepatitis caused by a virus. So far, five different viruses have been found that cause hepatitis, and they're named with letters: Hepatitis Avirus causes hepatitis A; hepatitis B virus causes hepatitis B; hepatitis C virus causes hepatitis C; and hepatitis E virus causes hepatitis E. Hepatitis D virus is a special case, because it can't infect you unless you also have hepatitis B virus. The different types of viral hepatitis have similar features but also important differences. Depending on the hepatitis virus, the disease may be temporary — an acute form, which lasts less than a year. With hepatitis B or C, though, infection can become chronic and last for decades, or life, unless you undergo successful treatment against the virus. Hepatitis A virus Hepatitis A (also called infectious hepatitis) was identified in 1973. Hepatitis A spreads through food or water that has been contaminated with infected feces. You can get hepatitis A from: Not washing your hands after exposure to feces: Examples include not washing your hands after using the bathroom or changing a diaper. Eating contaminated food: This situation can occur with uncooked food and food prepared by someone who didn't wash his hands after using the toilet. Drinking contaminated water: Dealing with contaminated water could be a problem when traveling. Sexual contact with someone who's infected: Practice safer sex and especially take care if you have anal or oral–anal sex. Hepatitis A causes an acute infection. In the United States, 200,000 cases of hepatitis A are reported yearly, and a third of all people have already been exposed to hepatitis A virus at some point in their lives but may not have known it. If you've been exposed to hepatitis A in the past or gotten a vaccine, you'll be immune, or protected from future hepatitis A infection. Hepatitis B virus The hepatitis B virus (serum hepatitis) was found in 1963 and spreads through contact with infected body fluids (including saliva, vaginal fluid, and semen) and blood. You can get hepatitis B from Injection drug use Unprotected sex Transmission from mother to child during birth The razor or toothbrush of an infected person Occupational exposure of healthcare workers or emergency personnel to infected blood or body fluids Hepatitis B can cause an acute or chronic infection, but chronic infection occurs in only approximately 5 percent of cases. A hepatitis B vaccine protects against hepatitis B (and hepatitis D). Hepatitis C virus The hepatitis C virus was discovered in 1989. For decades before that, it was called "non-A non-B" hepatitis because researchers knew that it wasn't caused by the other known hepatitis viruses at the time. Hep C is transmitted through blood, and 75 to 85 percent of people infected will have a chronic infection, which puts them at risk for cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure over many decades of infection. No vaccine is available for hepatitis C, so prevention is the key to avoiding infection. Hep C infection can last a lifetime, so you need to take good care of yourself physically, emotionally, and financially. Medical research is ongoing to develop more effective drugs with fewer side effects. Currently, combination therapy with two drugs — pegylated interferon and ribavirin — is the best treatment, but it doesn't work for everyone. Hepatitis D virus Hepatitis D was discovered in 1977 and is an incomplete virus thatcan't infect you on its own; it has to tag along with hepatitis B virus. When it does, it can produce more-severe hepatitis B disease. Transmission of hepatitis D is the same as for hepatitis B. Vaccination against hepatitis B prevents hepatitis D infection, too. Hepatitis E virus The hepatitis E virus was discovered in 1983 as another hepatitis virus that's transmitted through contamination of water with feces. Outbreaks of hepatitis E occur primarily in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Central America due to unsanitary water supplies. Hepatitis E is rare in Canada, the United States, and other developed countries. Hepatitis E is an acute infection. For some as-yet-unexplained reason, pregnant women appear to be at risk of a more severe disease when infected with hepatitis E. Other hepatitis viruses Researchers believe that most people with viral hepatitis have one of the hepatitis viruses from A to E. But scientists are always on the lookout for new viruses that can cause disease. The viruses called hepatitis G virus (HGV), TTV (transfusion transmitted virus), and sentinel viruses (SEN) have all been discovered in the blood of people with hepatitis. But it's not absolutely clear that these viruses actually cause hepatitis. Hepatitis F is a name for a virus that's no longer thought to cause hepatitis.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 06-24-2024

Diabetes, which is excessive glucose in your blood, leads to serious health problems if left untreated. You should follow the American Diabetes Association screening guidelines to get tested for diabetes at the earliest possible time. If you have diabetes, this Cheat Sheet is a handy reference to screening guidelines, rules for living with diabetes, and continuing your diabetes care to better control the disease.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-14-2024

Gut health doesn’t only have to do with the digestive tract and how it functions. The term has come to mean a state of physical and mental wellbeing enabled by what occurs within the digestive tract — including the activities of the 38 trillion microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses) that support the healthy functioning of the human body. This Cheat Sheet gives you the science-backed principles for shaping your gut microbes for better gut health and overall health. You’ll also get a crash course on probiotics and other biotics, along with how to choose a product that’s more likely to benefit your health.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-27-2024

The first step to dealing with high blood pressure is understanding your blood pressure measurement — those over and under numbers. When you know what your blood pressure is, you need to know what to do next. The good news is, you may be able to prevent high blood pressure or reduce your blood pressure by making some lifestyle changes. You also need to look for signs of resistant high blood pressure, and if you need high blood pressure medication, consult a physician to find the right medication for you.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 01-05-2024

The macro diet, also called the macronutrient diet, macro eating, macro tracking, or the If It Fits Your Macros diet (IIFYM diet) is a balanced eating style that can be tailored to help you reach any health or fitness goal. So, if you’re looking to lose weight, gain muscle, get fit, or simply feel stronger and more focused throughout the day, this evidence-based eating plan has you covered. On this program, you track the amount of protein, carbohydrate, and fat you consume each day to reach personalized targets for optimal health.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 12-01-2023

Calisthenics and bodyweight exercises are all you need to work out your entire body, whenever you want, wherever you want. Whether you’re an elite athlete or someone who hasn’t exercised in decades, calisthenics provide the quickest and most effective way to form your fitness foundation and build your peak physique. In fact, because most bodyweight exercises utilize your entire body, you can get a fantastic full body workout in just nine minutes! What’s different about calisthenics is that they don’t train you for a specific sport. They train you for life. Each workout helps prepare you for the muscular, joint, bone, and even mental stresses of life. That’s what real fitness does. Put simply, the more fit you are, the more you can move through life with ease.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-27-2023

Perimenopause is the phase of woman's life when her body begins to make the natural transition to menopause, which marks the end of the reproductive years. This Cheat Sheet summarizes some important information about perimenopause, including hormonal changes and symptoms that could signal medical problems.

Article / Updated 11-27-2023

Pilates (pronounced puh-lah-teez and not pie-lates) is similar to yoga but emphasizes your body’s core — the abdomen, obliques, lower back, inner and outer thigh, butt, and so on. For this reason, Pilates develops much of what exercisers need — strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, coordination, balance, and good posture — with a much lower chance of injury than with other forms of exercise. The discipline emphasizes correct form instead of going for the burn. With so many exercise variations and progressions, you may have a hard time getting bored with Pilates. Pilates moves require you to engage virtually your whole body. At times, you may try to strengthen one muscle while stretching another. The moves take lots of concentration; you can’t simply go through the motions like you can on gym equipment. And then, for every move you think you’ve mastered, Pilates has another version that’s a little different and a little harder. Consider a move called rolling like a ball: You balance on your rear end, roll backward, and then roll back up into the balanced position again. This move requires a good balance of abdominal and lower-back strength and is deceptively tough. Pilates teaches you to think about how you use your muscles during your workout so you use them better in daily life. For instance, because much of the focus is on good posture and body mechanics, you stand and sit taller and walk more gracefully. Here's a bit of trivia: Pilates is named after its inventor, Joseph Pilates, a former carpenter and gymnast who invented the exercise for injured dancers. Many of the moves were inspired by yoga or patterned after the movements of zoo animals such as swans, seals, and big cats.