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Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, could shield women from this skin issue, finds a pilot study in the latest issue of Radiation Research. Only 29% of the 14 breast cancer patients who took 6 grams of curcumin daily experienced blistered, peeling skin, while 88% of the 16 women in the supplement-free group suffered from it. Oncologists usually steer cancer patients away from antioxidants, because they can defend both healthy and malignant cells from the effects of radiation....

A: Yes and no. It’s not stress, it’s the way you handle it that can potentially shorten your life. Fretting over problems can lower your immune system’s ability to protect you from infection and diseases, disrupt your sleep (an effect that’s been linked to diabetes), and increase your levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, which can lead to high blood pressure. [sidebar]Handling stressful events poorly creates ripple effects: Losing sleep makes you prone to overeating and obesity, which contributes to chronic diseases, including cancer....

A: Will a dose of caffeine and sugar—the getup-and-go ingredients in most energy drinks—give you a jolt? Yes, temporarily, and having one occasionally is fine. But you shouldn’t be relying on chemical stimulants to keep you up every day (especially when there are better, caffeine-free energy boosters out there). For one, they can cause a steep rise and fall in insulin levels, triggering inflammation, potential hormone imbalances, and moodiness. That boost you get from a caffeine-sugar fix is usually followed by plummeting blood sugar—which will have you reaching for another lift....

Before you launch into yet another slim-down plan, beware: Your workout plan may be working against you. In a study from the United Kingdom, some new exercisers compensated for their workouts by eating as much as 270 extra calories a day—negating more than half of the calories they burned. This self-sabotage has a ripple effect. As the number on the scale inches down at a painfully slow pace, many women give up altogether....

Daytime carb consumption boosts insulin levels in your blood, which increase your body’s release of ghrelin (that hunger hormone). But by eating carbs at night, the hormone patterns seem to reverse themselves, the study shows. Hunger hormones stay low during the day and fullness hormones dominate the afternoon—meaning you’re more likely to feel satisfied at times when you’re most likely to snack. So what’s for dinner? Individuals in the study ate a couple pieces of bread, a potato, or 1 to 2 cups of pasta or rice every night with dinner....

While rare, the FDA issued a recent warning that the risk is real. “In many cases, burns where the product was applied occurred after just one application, with severe burning or blistering occurring within 24 hours,” the agency wrote in a press release. More from Prevention: 13 Important Questions About Arthritis But there’s no need to panic at any sign of redness. Because your typical pain cream uses counterirritants like capsaicin (an extract of cayenne pepper), a little redness and skin irritation is common because that’s how they work, says Alex Moroz, MD, an associate professor of rehabilitation medicine at New York University Langone’s Center for Musculoskeletal Care....

Turns out, we were afraid of the wrong thing. It has long been known that humans have various levels of environmental chemicals in their bodies. The CDC has been tracking exposure for years, and among the chemicals they measure are brominated flame retardants (BFRs), which include tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47). The CDC takes no official stance on the possible effects of these chemicals on the body, they merely gather the data to provide exposure information....

Height 5'5"Weight Now 160 PoundsWeight Then 186Pounds Lost 26 MY STORY I was watching a morning show in February 2008 when I saw Prevention magazine’s Flat Belly Diet segment. After seeing the show and learning about how MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) target belly fat, I called my chocolate-loving friend Debbie Stamp in Michigan to tell her about the diet. Debbie ordered the book even faster than I did. More than a year later, I have maintained a 26-pound loss, going from size 16 jeans to size 10....

Better than good. Like nothing I had ever experienced, and I’ve had my share of relaxation experiences. On the mind front: with ears under water there was a quieting of the mind that was particularly powerful. On the body front: gravity does all the work. All I had to do was simply lay there and do nothing. Nothing. On the spiritual front: sensational. We live in stimulating times with a rare hour with nothing to do....

All people with type 1 diabetes have to pay close attention to diet, but those who also have celiac disease need to be extra vigilant. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the protein gluten (found in wheat, barley, and rye, and sometimes in oats) causes a person’s immune system to attack and damage the small intestine. People with type 1 diabetes have a higher risk of celiac disease, and about 8 to 10% of people with type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease....

But there are ways to jumpstart your motivation: Sign up for a race. It doesn’t matter whether you’re fast or slow. The idea is to set a goal. Now you have a tangible reason to put your sneakers on—you’re in training. Making that commitment can be really motivating, because you’ll want to do well on race day. Choose a race that’s happening about 8 to 10 weeks from now. That should give you enough time to get back in the exercise groove....

I was never really a big fan of pasta—and I didn’t miss it much when I first started eating gluten-free. But when I make this recipe, I just get it: There’s something about a plate full of tender noodles dressed in rich pesto that is so, so satisfying. This easy dinner is like a pot full of pure comfort. MORE: Simple Shrimp and Bell Pepper Stir Fry Total time: 40 minutesServes 4 2 bulbs baby fennel, ends removed, cut into quarters1 leek, white parts only, chopped into ½"-thick slices1 c vegetable stockZest and juice of ½ lemon½ c cashews2 handfuls parsley + extra for topping1 handful dill + extra for topping4 Tbsp olive oil⅔ lb gluten-free pasta1 clove garlic, thinly sliced1 c sliced mushrooms1 c cherry tomatoes⅔ lb deveined shrimp1 sm red chile, finely chopped...

The videos showed people handling kitchen towels with dirty hands and after splash-and-dash washing jobs, and also drying well-cleaned hands with the same contaminated towels. People also checked their phones while cooking, likely transferring germs from everywhere they’ve been, including the bathroom (where microorganisms such as norovirus and E. coli commonly dwell), to the towel and ultimately, their food. “Probably the most surprising things we saw were lack of hand washing and how people consistently overhandled towels—even wiping the counter with them,” says lead study author Jeannie Sneed, PhD, Kansas State University food safety specialist....

Now, a small new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism might tell us why: Researchers at UC Davis found that eating sugar shuts down the release of the stress hormone cortisol. In other words, sugar soothes us when we’re feeling stressed, which could be making us come back for more and more. MORE: 4 Restaurant Sugar Bombs And Their Healthier Swaps Nineteen women were assigned to one of two diets: The first drank beverages sweetened with plain old sugar, and the second drank beverages with the artificial sweetener aspartame....

The details: A Dutch woman reported random orgasmic sensations originating in her left foot and traveling to her vagina, says a case study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Unlike the “coregasms” you may have heard of, which may be triggered by increased blood flow to the pelvic region or indirect pressure on the genitals during exercise, the “foot orgasm” was completely spontaneous. And while it had nothing to do with arousal (meaning, it didn’t happen when she was clicking through The 40 Sexiest Men Over 40), she did experience the foot orgasm during sex with her husband....

The gig is up, ladies. A new study from Louisiana State University finds that a woman’s craving for chocolate does not significantly vary at any point during her menstrual cycle—making that purchase of six Ghirardelli bars, three brownies, and a pack of Hershey’s kisses 100% on you. The study also shows that menstruation doesn’t affect fat and salt cravings either. Why You Should Just Grin And Bear It [The Daily Mail] There may be something to that old adage....

Are certain food cravings your body’s way of telling you that you need certain nutrients? Not so much. Research consistently finds that cravings are most often related to social rather than nutritional cues. But that doesn’t mean that cravings aren’t real and don’t have a true, physiological origin. Researchers have been able to determine that brain regions associated with memory, emotion and—big surprise!—stress light up when a person is having an intense food craving....

Fifty-three year-old Dr. Karen Jaffe is an active doctor, wife and mother of three. Seven years ago, the Cleveland Heights, Ohio, resident was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. “I was only having some pain in my shoulder, and I went to go see an orthopedic surgeron,” Jaffe said. “He actually did an injection of a steroid, and then my arm started acting funny after that—so for a year I thought it was from the injection, which it turned out not to be....

That’s a shame, since the survey also found that a whopping 87% of this age group would qualify for subsidies to help pay for their insurance. For instance, a 27-year-old earning $20,000 a year would pay about $48 a month for the least expensive plan, one that covers 60% of medical costs (you can get a sense of what you’ll pay with this sample calculator). In addition, nearly 40% in this age group didn’t know they could remain on their parents’ health insurance policy until they turned 26....