Staying Healthy Archive

Drinking apple cider vinegar before bedtime isn't proven to curb appetite or promote weight loss. Doing so can also lead to heartburn or reflux and erode tooth enamel. To consume it more safely, people can blend apple cider vinegar with water or into salad dressings.

About half of all falls take place in the home. To prevent them, it helps to eliminate fall hazards in every room of the home, such as floor clutter and throw rugs.

Your doctor may ask you to track your blood pressure at home to help decide if you need to start taking medication or to track your response to treatment. Here's how to get accurate readings.

Many chronic conditions seem to be related. Examples include obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease; hearing loss and dementia; obstructive sleep apnea and high blood pressure; various autoimmune diseases; and obesity and joint problems. People with chronic conditions should ask their doctors about the risk for associated diseases.In some cases, they should have certain health screenings to check for them. In other cases, additional screening isn't automatic.

Research into the health benefits of alcohol has not provided a clear answer. Some findings suggest that alcohol helps protect against heart disease and lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and drinkers tend to live longer than nondrinkers. Other studies say these benefits are less clear. If you don't drink alcohol now, there are no health reasons to start drinking. If you do enjoy it, it's best to have no more than 2 drinks in the same day.