Published January 9, 2015

Will artificial or low-calorie sweeteners help you maintain your weight or not?

?I don't know if you know this, but in the late '70s and '80s there was a theory floating around that artificial or low-calorie sweeteners actually promoted weight gain. The theory was that they altered taste and metabolic signaling, which decreased the feeling of fullness and increased appetite, hunger, sweet cravings, and ultimately food intake. There was very little data to support the idea, but that didn't stop it from making headlines in various health magazines. In fact, many people still promote this idea. But is it true?

 

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Published January 7, 2015

When minor heartburn can mean a major problem

?Heartburn (the ten-dollar word is reflux disease) is sneaky. Sometimes the symptoms are severe. And sometimes the symptoms are minor. But here's the thing. Just because your symptoms may be minor in no way means that your problem is minor. And likewise, just because your symptoms are bad doesn't mean your condition is. A new study shows just how unreliable heartburn symptoms can be.

 

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Published January 5, 2015

Wouldn't it be great if flu shots really worked? They don't, but this will....

?I just saw one of our local pharmacies offering flu shots for $5! Wouldn't it be great if we could just go down there and for only $5 make sure we didn't get the flu? Of course, it would be great. But there's only one hitch to the plan. The shots don't work. They have to be one of the biggest health scams ever invented.

 

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