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Similar to acupuncture, dry needling involves inserting thin needles into trigger points, or hyper-irritated muscle tissue, says Paul Mosier, a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner at the Acupuncture & Everything Wellness clinic in Amherst, NH. “The therapy is designed to release trigger points by engaging and twisting the muscle fibers with the needle.” If that sounds unpleasant, it (briefly) is. “A muscle can often be sore and slightly weakened after dry needling is done,” says Mosier, “but the patient will see benefits in range of motion and joint use right away....

Almost 45% of Americans say they’ve relied more on home remedies or OTC drugs in the last year to save money on doctors’ visits, according to a Kaiser Health Tracking poll. While you should always see the doctor for serious ailments, you may be able to soothe minor complaints with these inexpensive products already in your pantry, from The Big Doctors Book of Home Remedies (learn more about the book here)....

Eggs Hard-boiled eggs add protein and healthy fat to your salad and can help you absorb eight times more carotenoid antioxidants from veggies. But eggs produced by grain-fed chickens raised in cramped indoor cages aren’t nearly as humane, nutritious, or safe as eggs produced by happy hens that roam freely in the sunshine and nosh on a natural diet. Here’s how to make sense of the confusing labels. MORE: 9 Organic Meals That Cost Less Than $5 A Serving Energy Bars Bars are booming and can be a healthy, convenient way to snack on the go—provided they’re not filled with sugar and junk, which most are....

It’s easy to see why we spray: Particularly in the fall, houses are invaded by crawling, scurrying, and flying pests—many of which carry germs, allergens, even diseases—and they’re all looking for a warm place to spend the cooler months. Though the EPA regulates sprays, baits, and bombs for safety, testing was not required on new pesticides until 1972. As a result, many common pesticides that have been around for decades were never studied for long-term safety....

When it comes to sleep, strong emotions are a lot like strong coffee—almost guaranteed to make you toss and turn. One recent experiment even found that a minor sense of failure right before bed is enough to keep people up half the night. Fortunately, a new study published in the journal Emotion reveals a simple technique that prevents your feelings from warding off the Sandman. Scientists describe how we manage feelings as “emotion regulation,” and psychology experts have developed several different emotion regulation strategies....

So what’s a clean-loving gal to do? Fortunately, finding safer cleaners will soon be easier, with the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is set to release a first-of-its-kind database that will rank the safety of cleaners on the market. Due out this fall, the database will be similar to its popular Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. In the meantime, the EWG just released a “Cleaners Hall of Shame” list, exposing the worst of the worst....

Your days are packed. Your time is in demand. Your calendar is full. The end of the day comes around, and you wonder where the day actually went. Sound familiar? Frenetic lifestyles can max out your stress level and put you on edge, which when you’re more likely to turn to quick and unhealthy fixes to feel better—like overeating, or smoking or drinking to excess. But instead of making unhealthy choices to soothe frayed nerves, consider how exercise can be an ideal remedy to stress less....

Taking inspiration from the headstrong Scottish teenage princess in Brave, Town Sports International’s Sports Clubs has created a new class called “Brave—Change Your Fate Workout.” I was lucky enough to drop in on a class earlier this week, and to get pumped up, I first watched the film. I instantly fell for the central character Merida, a fiery redhead who loves archery, swordsmanship, rock climbing…and giving the boys a run for their money....

Back to some good news: You don’t have to give up exercise when you’re aching or even injured. Check out these safe—but still effective—workout solutions for common conditions in women over 40: Carpal tunnel syndrome Typically caused by repetitive motions, such as typing or gardening, carpal tunnel can also result from swelling due to rheumatoid arthritis, says Kimberly Safman, MD, a board certified physiatrist at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, California....

Photo by Kristian Sekulic/Getty Images Going to extreme lengths in the name of beauty is nothing new (stem cell face lift, anyone?), but a new trend may take the cake for kookiest. Women are paying the equivalent of a down payment on a nice car for, wait for it: eyebrow transplants. “There’s been a big increase recently in the popularity of this procedure as people are becoming aware that it exists,” says hair restoration surgeon Marc Dauer, founder of Dauer Hair and Eyebrow Restoration in Los Angeles....

Known as Buruli ulcers, the disease first appears as a red, small lump that looks like a pimple or a bug bite. But if left untreated, the lumps can grow larger and cause “severe destructive lesions of skin and soft tissue” within weeks, Daniel O’Brien, deputy director of the department of infectious diseases at Barwon Health in Victoria, told The Washington Post. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease belongs to the same family of bacteria that causes tuberculosis and leprosy and typically affects a person’s legs or arms....

Aphrodisiacs derive their name from the Greek goddess of sexual rapture, Aphrodite, the mother of our little archer of love. And, as most science types will tell you, that’s not where the mythology stops. The paltry research that does exist on love potions has built on original hypotheses thousands of years old, like those of first-century Roman philosopher and physician Pliny the Elder, who believed that the blood of a bat, collected on wool and placed under the head of a woman, would make her lusty....

Sometime soon after “I do,” this phrase tends to make its way into a marriage—and stays there. And while it’s common to feel like your spouse isn’t really hearing you from time to time, it’s not something you should brush off as a fixture of long-term commitment. According to a new study from the American Psychological Association that looked at 156 couples in the Boston area, women report feeling more satisfied in a relationship when they feel like their spouse understands when they’re angry or upset....

Gulp takes you deep inside your digestive system, out in the Arctic to explore the culture of eating organs, and inside a pet food lab to find out why dogs love the taste of rotting cadavers. Here’s a preview of 10 cool things you’ll learn from Gulp: Laundry detergent—it’s just like spit. You know how laundry detergent is always packed with “stain-fighting enzymes”? Those are actually digestive enzymes—like amylase, which breaks down starch, and lipase, which breaks down fat....

A new study from the University of California, San Francisco has found that the microbial makeup of your gut could help determine the types of foods you crave. At the same time, researchers say you don’t have to let microscopic organisms determine whether you eat a whole bag of chips: You may be able to swap out those bad bacteria for healthier ones in just 24 hours, subsequently reducing your cravings....

Meet health blogger and director of the Yale Prevention Research Center David L. Katz, MD, MPH. Get to know one of Prevention’s health experts and watch this 1-minute video. Follow along with Vital Finds for Your Health and learn how you can get important health information on Dr. Katz’s blog. You will find health news you can use. Learn More about the Diabetes DTOUR Diet! Meet the Fat-Fighting 4DTOUR Works!...

Rally against rejection People in powerful positions are better able to cope with rejection, say experts from the University of California, Berkeley. So what can you do if you don’t reign over your colleagues or household? Fake it by following our expert tips. Relationship got you down? It could have to do with your lack of sleep. In a series of new studies from the University of California, psychologists found that sleep deprivation reduces feelings of gratitude—making people less thankful for their partners....

Is sitting too much giving you diabetes? It’s no secret that sitting all day isn’t exactly a good thing, but now a new study review that involved more than 80,000 people shows that spending too much time sitting is linked to a two-fold increase in the risk of diabetes. So if you’ve been looking for a productive—life-saving!—way to roam around the office, we’ve got four of them. Check it out!...