Why Is the USA Only the 35th Healthiest Country in the World?
By ETIENNE DEFFARGES
According the 2019 Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, the U.S. ranks 35th out of 169 countries. Even though we are the 11th wealthiest country in the world, we are behind pretty much all developed economies in terms of health. In the Americas, not just Canada (16th) but also Cuba (30th), Chile and Costa Rica (tied for 33rd) rank ahead of us in this Bloomberg study.
To answer this layered question, we need to look at the top ranked countries in the Bloomberg Index: From first to 12th, they are Spain; Italy; Iceland; Japan; Switzerland; Sweden; Australia; Singapore; Norway; Israel; Luxe...
Source: The Health Care Blog - April 15, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Economics Health disparities Health Policy American healthcare Etienne Deffarges Mediterranean Diet Opioids world health Source Type: blogs
Caramelized Onion, Fennel and Mushroom Soup – Umami in a Bowl
What do you make when you want something hearty but light? Something that will warm the cockles of your heart but not make you feel stuffed? That will work for a light and early pre-theater dinner after a not so light afternoon lunch with your sister who was just in for the afternoon? (What a treat!)
You make this soup.
The Umami is strong with this one
I love onion soup, but never found it satisfying on its own without being topped with a ton of cheese and bread.
This soup is different. Between the mushrooms, fennel and beef broth, it’s packed with umami. Add some shaved parmesan and you’re in an umami paradi...
Source: The Blog That Ate Manhattan - March 31, 2019 Category: Primary Care Authors: Margaret Polaneczky, MD Tags: Soups broth caramelized onions easy fast Fennel light Mushroom umami Source Type: blogs
A practical guide to the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet has received much attention as a healthy way to eat, and with good reason. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, certain cancers, depression, and in older adults, a decreased risk of frailty, along with better mental and physical function. In January, US News and World Report named it the “best diet overall” for the second year running.
What is the Mediterranean diet?
The traditional Mediterranean diet is based on foods available in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. The foundation for this healthy diet includes
an abundanc...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 21, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Katherine D. McManus, MS, RD, LDN Tags: Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
Banishing dry winter skin
Do you have dry, itchy winter skin? You’re not alone. During the winter months, many of my patients come into clinic asking about the right cream to use to cure their dry skin. But dry skin care is about so much more than just moisturizers.
Here are some dermatologist-recommended tips for preventing and relieving dry skin:
Harsh soaps are not your friend. Many people love the feeling of being “squeaky-clean” after using harsh soaps in the shower. But these soaps strip your skin of essential lipids (fats) that keep the skin moisturized. Instead, try a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser and limit its use to cleaning the ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 14, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kristina Liu, MD, MHS Tags: Health Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs
“ I need something to dip into guacamole ”
Dipping foods into various dips and sauces surely ranks among the favorite ways to enjoy food: dipping chips into salsa, celery sticks into guacamole, crackers into cheese, shrimp into cocktail sauce, etc.
So how do we go about resuming our dipping habits sans wheat and grains? Here are some ideas for foods to use for dipping, healthy choices that contain no wheat or grains and provide limited exposure to carbohydrates, while remaining otherwise healthy. And some, like jicama and asparagus, also provide prebiotic fibers to nourish bowel flora; dip them into hummus and you’ll add even more probiotics to your day. Vegg...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - February 25, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates gluten-free grain-free wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Wheat Belly: Ten Rules for Healthy Eating
A hundred thousand years ago, you’d have no doubt what and how to eat. You would wake up every morning, grab your spear, club or axe and go kill something, wander and gather berries, nuts, or dig in the dirt for roots and tubers, or set traps for fish and reptiles. If you succeeded in the hunt, you would consume every organ that included thyroid, thymus, pancreas, stomach, liver, as well as meat. You’d drink water from streams and rivers, allow skin surface to be exposed to sunlight. You would NOT shower with soap or shampoo, apply hand sanitizer, drink chlorinated water, consume foods laced with herbicides and...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - February 20, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates autoimmune gluten-free grain-free grains Inflammation undoctored wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Planet-friendly, plant-based home cooking
With all the news about the health and environmental advantages of eating less meat, many people are trying to eat more plant-based meals. But where do you begin?
Instead of trying to cook an entire vegetarian meal from scratch, start with one small step and build from there, says Dr. Rani Polak, founding director of the Culinary Healthcare Education Fundamentals (CHEF) coaching program at Harvard’s Institute of Lifestyle Medicine. “For example, buy some canned beans. You can then make a simple bean salad with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Or if you have a favorite recipe for beef stew, try swapping in beans for ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 12, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Julie Corliss Tags: Cooking and recipes Food as medicine Health Healthy Eating Heart Health Source Type: blogs
Cream of mushroom soup with chives
Here’s a Wheat Belly favorite from the Wheat Belly 30-Minute Cookbook, perfect to warm you up during these below-zero days we’re experiencing.
This thick and creamy mushrooms soup makes a filling meal by itself or a substantial accompaniment to pork, chicken, or beef dishes. As written, this recipe is dairy-free. If dairy avoidance is not an issue for you, the olive oil can be substituted with butter, coconut milk substituted with cream, half-and-half, or whole milk. Regardless, using higher-fat coconut milk or dairy is the way we like it around here: full of healthy fats.
Prep time: 5 minutes Total time: 20 ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - January 30, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates gluten-free grain-free recipe wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Natural Ways to Relieve IT Band Syndrome
You're reading Natural Ways to Relieve IT Band Syndrome, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you're enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Your endorphins are up. Your stride is smooth. You glide through the park with peaceful solitude, having the track to yourself for once.
Then bang! Your foot hits the pavement and you buckle your knee in pain. When you try to straighten your leg, you feel a click so strong that you can almost hear it.
You have just developed Iliotibial Band (IT Band) Syndrome, one of the two types of “runner’s knee,” the most c...
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - January 17, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: smithwillas Tags: health and fitness IT Band Syndrome Pain management Source Type: blogs
Going Mediterranean to prevent heart disease
There is a mountain of high-quality research supporting a Mediterranean-style diet as the best diet for our cardiovascular health. But what does this diet actually look like, why does it work, and how can we adopt it into our real lives?
What is a Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is not a fad. It is a centuries-old approach to meals, traditional to the countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. The bulk of the diet consists of colorful fruits and vegetables, plus whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fish and seafood, with olive oil and perhaps a glass of red wine. There is no butter, no refined grains (like ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 16, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Food as medicine Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
Olive Oil and Garlic for Ear Infection Pain
In this study of about 100 children, the herbal drops worked as well as the prescription drops. This is great news, except the study is from July 2001 and Otikon Otic Solution is no longer available, or at least not in the United States.
From my perspective, eardrops of some type should play a large role in the management of ear infections. My favorite would be to use garlic oil for ear infections, in a potent high-quality extra virgin olive oil as a base. They would include mullein and other key organic and wild foraged herbs.
Many ear infections can be safely managed without antibiotics if children are given pa...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - January 14, 2019 Category: Child Development Authors: Alan Greene MD Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Bambini Ear Infections Garlic Oil Remedies Source Type: blogs
Garlic Oil for Ear Infection Pain
In this study of about 100 children, the herbal drops worked as well as the prescription drops. This is great news, except the study is from July 2001 and Otikon Otic Solution is no longer available, or at least not in the United States.
From my perspective, eardrops of some type should play a large role in the management of ear infections. My favorite would be to use garlic oil for ear infections, in a potent high-quality extra virgin olive oil as a base. They would include mullein and other key organic and wild foraged herbs.
Many ear infections can be safely managed without antibiotics if children are given pa...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - January 14, 2019 Category: Child Development Authors: Alan Greene MD Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Bambini Ear Infections Garlic Oil Remedies Source Type: blogs
Garlic Oil for Ear Infection Pain
In this study of about 100 children, the herbal drops worked as well as the prescription drops. This is great news, except the study is from July 2001 and Otikon Otic Solution is no longer available, or at least not in the United States.
From my perspective, eardrops of some type should play a large role in the management of ear infections. My favorite would be to use garlic oil for ear infections, in a potent high-quality extra virgin olive oil as a base. They would include mullein and other key organic and wild foraged herbs.
Many ear infections can be safely managed without antibiotics if children are given pain relie...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - January 14, 2019 Category: Child Development Authors: Dr. Alan Greene Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Bambini Ear Infections Garlic Oil Remedies Source Type: blogs
Eech (Armenian bulgur)
I saw this dish being made on a TV cooking show. It looked delicious, so I decided to make the grain-free equivalent.
It goes by the odd name “eech,” an Armenian dish made with onions, garlic, tomatoes. parsley, bell pepper, olive oil, lemon . . . and bulgur wheat.
Everyone here, of course, objects to the inclusion of any seed of a grass plant in their lifestyle to avoid becoming diabetic, overweight, and having to massage your painful joints with rheumatoid arthritis or applying topical steroid creams for skin rashes. I therefore replaced the granular bulgur wheat with riced cauliflower. I believe it turned ou...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - January 13, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates Source Type: blogs
