Health Matters With Paul Rosen

What are probiotics, and why do we need them?  Simply put, probiotics are bacteria and yeasts that are good for you.  They help keep your gut healthy, which relates directly to your overall health, everything from your digestive system to the health and functioning of your brain. Probiotics are available in certain foods and can be used as a supplement, but some products may not be as probiotic-rich as they claim.  

Many functions of your body are out your control: your digestive system, your immune system, your nervous system.  If you had to think about every breath you took, you'd wear out yourself remembering to inhale. But what if your body isn't regulating every function properly?  Hello, fatigue and insomnia, symptoms that your body's worn out.  However, there is a technology that allows you to access the problems, and to fix them.

Back pain, neck pain, joint pain.  Yes, you can suffer a trauma or accident that can make you ache.  But a trip and fall or a car collision aren't the only things that can throw your body out of whack and invite the agony of chronic pain. Pain is a symptom of problems elsewhere in your body.  Fix those problems, and you fix your pain.  

Billions of dollars in medical treatment and lost productivity are among the consequences of migraines.  The problem is, millions of migraine sufferers are treating symptoms, not causes, and they're creating more problems with medications may provide temporary relief from pain, but leave users at the mercy of serious side effects. The solution, even for those with chronic headaches?  Stop relying on short-term relief and find out what's causing the pain.  Then take the necessary, individualized steps to fix your aching head.  

Osteoporosis is a loss of bone density that occurs over the course of decades.  Even though you may show symptoms at a young age, the real problems begin as you grow older. If you're eating poorly or leading a sedentary, non-active lifestyle, osteoporosis may be an unwelcome part of your future.

Over 60-million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, but nobody is doomed by genetics or habits to a bad heart. There are strategies you can adopt at any time in your life to avoid heart disease.  But the sooner you begin, the better. Hint: No matter what you've heard, cholesterol and fats aren't the problem.

The world's most dangerous food is everywhere.  It's an ingredient in countless products on your store shelves and the subject of decades of misinformation from food manufacturers.   What is this scourge, and how can you keep yourself safe from it?  

Is your food making you sick?  Anything from simple indigestion to inflammation could be a result of a food sensitivity.  If you're eating something your system can't handle, get ready for chronic pain and many other ugly symptoms. Environmental hazards can contribute, too.  But to make yourself healthier, you first have to know which foods may be bad for you, and why.

No medication is free from the dangers of side effects.  If you're treating high blood pressure, say, with a prescription medication, and you start experiencing fatigue, dizziness, weakness, brain fog or other symptoms, your drugs may be to blame. So what do you do?  Reach for more drugs, or consider something safer and more effective?  

Your body can't do much of anything well if you're not getting proper rest.  Chronic sleep problems may be the result of nutritional deficiencies, chemical imbalances or even home electronics.  Yes, that electric blanket you love so much may actually be costing you sleep.

The bad news?  Our homes are full of building materials and other environmental hazards that create indoor air pollution, a toxic brew of chemicals we breathe through our nostrils and absorb through our skin.  In fact, the air inside can be several times more toxic than the air outside. The good news is that awareness and avoidance of key products can help you avoid making your home unhealthy.  You can be even more proactive by running a fan, opening the windows once in awhile, or using an air purifier.

What's the big deal about genetically-modified foods?  It's that modified and engineered foods may result in bigger yields and huger profits for food producers, but they're just not good for you. The battle over GMOs is ongoing.  What should you know, and what sources of information are most reliable?

The secret to a powerful immune system, a means of making your body resistant to illness and disease, isn't medication, raw garlic, or useless hand sanitizers. Wash your hands with soap and water, wash them well, and you're doing the best thing possible to strengthen your body's ability to stay healthy.  Anything else, including vaccinations, may in fact increase your system's susceptibility to making you sick.

Millions of consumers believe that small, daily amounts of alcohol are heathy.  That's not an unpleasant notion, but it's way too simple. Wine, for example, includes healthy ingredients like antioxidants.  But those healthy ingredients are just as readily available in berries and other foods, and the health benefits of antioxidants have been oversold, anyway. Booze isn't health food, and the notion that red wine is good for heart health is as credible as the latest Bigfoot sighting, and not nearly as exciting.  

If you want to know what's in your food, read the label.  If there's an ingredient on there you don't recognize, don't buy it.  If the food includes added sugars, set down the package and leave it.  As for the nutritional information on food labels, it's mostly bunk.  Learn why that's the case, and the red flags that may make you a better, healthier shopper.  

Every year, millions of Americans line up and pay up for flu vaccinations.  But even the manufacturers of vaccines concede that the flu virus constantly mutates, and it's a crapshoot as to whether or not any given vaccine will be effective. Is there an alternative, something better than jabbing yourself with a needle and hoping for the best?  

Irritability, depression, hair loss, forgetfulness, carpal tunnel syndrome, irregular heart rhythms, migraines and many other debilitating conditions may be symptoms of a faulty thyroid. If you're suffering from any of these problems, or if your health is poor in general, job number one is to fix your thyroid.  

Since 1990, the USDA has been required by law to issue recommended dietary guidelines for Americans.  But these guidelines are based on countless misconceptions about cholesterol, grains, fad foods like kale, and more.   More importantly, there's a complete absence of personalization.  Here are some of the things you should be considering when planning your daily diet, as opposed to relying on guidelines based on faulty data.

Atkins, Pritikin, Beverly Hills, Blood Type, Mediterranean, Paleo, South Beach, Macrobiotic, South Beach, Five-Bite, and Werewolf.  Yes, werewolf.  These are among the countless fad diets that promise better living through eating like a caveman, dining by lunar cycles, and enjoying all the butter-basted lobster you want, among other dubious notions. Is there any fad diet that may actually work for you?  Or should you avoid them all?