People, who catch cold, can recover quicker, and in some cases even prevent catching cold in the first place, as long as they help their bodies to improve it’s immune system. There are some well-known ways to improve your self-defense system and there are some surprising ways that are less obvious to us. For example, when you inhale a cold virus, it inflames your nasal passages. The inflammation process causes the body to release chemicals, which include histamine. When you have a weak immune system, you are at a higher risk of catching a cold or a virus. Your immune ...

As parents, we spend a lot of time thinking about the quality of snacks that go into our children’s mouths. But what about you? Are you snacking in a healthy manner, forgetting to eat at all, or just grabbing whatever you can get your hands on when you suddenly decide you are famished? Quick trips through the drive thru or grabbing a candy bar at the gas station limit the nutrition we are getting during the day, set unhealthy examples for our children, and can sap the energy we need to keep up with them. Here are some quick and healthy ...

Nutrient deficiencies appear to increase with age. Some colleagues at the University of Iowa looked at over 400 Iowans 79 and older living independently in rural areas and found that 80 percent reported consuming inadequate amounts of four or more nutrients. When declining energy requirements are not matched by decreased caloric intake then total body fat increases. The Atkins diet leaves your body shy on some important nutrients, such as vitamin B, and also is negative for vitamins A, C and D, anti-oxidants that slow the effects of aging and calcium. Once again the lack of exercise has to enter ...