Heart disease is one of the biggest health concerns facing Americans today. As the No. 1 killer in the United States, it accounts for one in every four deaths, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

The good news is it is also preventable. You might think that heart disease is only a concern for older adults, but even at a young age, lifestyle decisions can put you at a higher risk for heart issues later in life.

According to experts, 80 percent of our New Year’s resolutions fail. That number is quite discouraging, not to mention that’s a lot of pressure to put on ourselves.

If your your enthusiasm has stalled in past years, or you're starting to lose steam this year, don’t worry, read on for six great strategies to help you reboot your resolve and rebalance for 2020.

It’s bedtime.  You toss and turn. Or you fall asleep, exhausted, then wake up at 2:00 a.m. Maybe you work a night shift and your internal clock just won’t reset. Whatever the reason you can’t sleep, you are not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 30 percent of American adults report not getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

Whether you just learned that you have a chronic medical condition or you have struggled to manage a chronic illness for many years, you may be among a growing number of Americans considering complementary and alternative medical treatments to manage their conditions.

The start of the New Year is the most common time when people try to lose weight. Whether you want to shed extra pounds gained over the holidays or your weight loss plan is part of a long-term New Year’s resolution, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can increase your chances of success.

Our bodies are home to tens of trillions of microbial cells. The entire collection of microorganisms which inhabit our body, both inside us and on our skin is known as the microbiome.

In recent years, an increasing amount of research has emerged demonstrating the effects of the organisms that live with us, especially the bacteria living in our gut microbiome.

The gut microbiome can be influenced by antibiotics, the type of food we eat and possibly other factors like stress. When the balance of microbes is out of whack it can cause many more problems than just digestion issues or an upset stomach. Here are five ailments that may also be caused by an imbalance of bacteria in your gut.

During November, also known as Movember, men grow mustaches to raise awareness about men’s health. These awareness efforts have become more important in recent decades as the mortality gap between men and women has remained significant.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in 2016, men lived to an average age of 76.1 compared to an average age of 81.1 for women.

With this mortality age gap even widening slightly compared to 2015, it’s important to discuss health issues specific to men. Raising awareness, particularly about being proactive is key in helping many men reduce their risk of common health issues.

Here are five things you might not have known about men’s health issues.

Did you know that aside from physical benefits, massage therapy also provides numerous mental and emotional benefits?

Massage therapy, broadly defined, is the manual manipulation of muscles and certain other soft tissues in the body, including connective tissue, ligaments, and tendons, with the purpose of improving a person’s health and well-being. Licensed massage therapists are highly-trained and well-versed in anatomy and physiology, and they use their expertise to improve wellness in a variety of ways.

Let’s take a look at some of the practical mental benefits that come from participating in massage therapy.

Movement and exercise have a great number of health benefits. A new study this month suggests that forgoing exercise may even be worse for you than smoking and diabetes. 

Not only can exercise improve your health and prevent a wide range of health concerns, it is also recommended to treat certain health ailments like depression, diabetes, and heart disease. In 2017, The American College of Physicians also recommended exercise to help treat low back pain as the first line of treatment before resorting to pain medication.

Exercises don’t need to be time consuming in order to make a difference. Here are some quick and easy exercises that you can perform on a daily basis to improve your overall health.

 If you’re looking for natural ways to keep your children in optimal health, come visit us! National University of Health Sciences is hosting the Second Annual Healthy Kids Open House on October 20, 2018 from 12 p.m to 4 p.m. at our Illinois campus located at 200 E. Roosevelt Road in Lombard.

At this fit, fun and free event, our clinicians and interns will be on hand to host activities, talks and demonstrations for both children and adults to enjoy. This year’s event will feature new lecture topics along with last year’s popular activities.