We already know that mood disorders are running rampant in America – but it may be a lot worse than anyone thought.

I was alarmed when I read the numbers in Psychological Science: Half of all young adults suffer from anxiety disorders, 41 percent of them experience major depression, and a third are drinking too much.

These numbers double previous estimates.

Is the next Alzheimer's breakthrough in your kitchen right now?

Featured in the Mediterranean diet, it's already celebrated for numerous health benefits. But this delicious food could have one more trick up its sleeve—prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's.

The multi-billion dollar phenomenon of energy drinks has the attention of scientists everywhere. One of the main reasons is taurine, a big player in the caffeine and sugar-laden concoctions.

There’s a general view that overweight and obesity are the result of eating too much and/or not exercising enough. Essentially, the idea here is that obesity is the result of greed and/or laziness. I am sure these this may be true for some people. I am also sure that this thinking is over-simplistic and does not adequately explain why some people are over-fat.

Today, the World Health Organization recognizes depression as one of the top four disabling diseases in the world! Clinical depression is much more than a case of the blues. Depression is both a mental and emotional state, a feeling of being in a box that you can’t escape. It’s closely tied to illness; over 80% of terminal cancer patients have a history of chronic depression.

Does eating a whole bag of a salty snack make you feel better?  If it does, you may not be alone.  A recent study at the University of Iowa concluded that salt may be “nature’s anti-depressant.”  The study found rats did not participate in activities they normally enjoy when deficient in sodium chloride (common table salt).  Since they didn’t act with their usual zest, the researchers concluded they were depressed. 

Feeling stressed? Stop and smell the roses. Or perhaps get a good whiff of lavender, lemon, mango, mint, coriander or other fragrant plants.

We`ve all heard the old adage that we should take breaks and "stop and smell the roses" to relieve stress. Now, scientists in Japan have reported the first scientific evidence that inhaling certain fragrances does indeed alter gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that can reduce stress levels.

In India, Alzheimer's disease is relatively uncommon. People over the age of 65 living in certain rural areas of India have a less than 1 percent (0.84%) chance of developing the disease. In the larger cities and rural areas of India, the risk is just 2.4 percent. [1,2]

Compare these findings to people over the age of 65 living in the United States. Again, depending on where we are living, our chances of developing Alzheimer's disease range from a little under 5 percent to an astonishing 17 percent. [3,4]

It’s true! You really can eat your way to optimum brain power and continue to feed your brain at any age.

The right foods will help you use your brain to the max, and the more you use it, the more you’ll challenge your brain to grow new cells, create new connections, and improve your problem-solving and memory functions.

I’m sure you’ve heard that alcohol can be beneficial when consumed in low to moderate quantities (about 1-3 standard glasses of alcohol per day), but there are thousands of studies on alcohol consumption and its effects on your health, and researchers still can’t prove that moderate drinking leads to a longer, healthier life.

What they have found, however, is plenty of evidence showing structural damage in your brain as well as other detrimental effects, even when consumed in small quantities.