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Power up your plankperfect plank is one of the best exercisesHere’s how: You know that a for your core. Now make it one of the best for your back, too, by adding a row to your plank workout, says celebrity trainer Autumn Calabrese, creator of the 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme programs. This move hits the important upper push and pull muscles in your back—the ones that enable you to pick up heavy shopping bags, among other things....

According to CrossFit Games athlete Cheryl Brost, a 44-year-old mother of two, it’s because it works. And not just for the uber athlete, but for people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and fitness levels. “I’ve seen kids as young as 3 in the gym, all the way to people in their 80s going through the workouts,” says Brost, who started doing CrossFit in 2009, and has placed in the top 15 in the worldwide games....

The number of tick-borne diseases have more than doubled in the last 13 years, according to a 2018 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Why the increase? Ticks and the diseases they spread are making their way into new regions. Plus, people are traveling more than ever, boosting the odds of bringing an infection home from another country, where more rare vector-borne diseases may be robust....

Well, if you’re a health junkie or simply want some science to back you up in the kitchen, there is a nutritional winner between these two hardy fall favorites. While neither pumpkins nor sweet potatoes make the “superfood” cut, research shows that their nutritional makeup provides certain exceptional health benefits. Find out what they’ll do for you and which one is the ultimate nutrition champ. First, what kind of food are sweet potatoes and pumpkins, anyway?...

[sidebar]Unless you get adequate vitamin D, about half the bone-building calcium you take ends up down the toilet, notes Felicia Cosman, MD, clinical director of the National Osteoporosis Foundation. How much vitamin D is enough? “You should get 400 IU every day—and 600 after age 70—from a multivitamin or calcium-plus-D supplement,” says Dr. Cosman, who is an associate professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University. Some people might need up to 1,000 IU per day, depending on their current vitamin D levels....

But not so fast. As with all things in life, it’s possible to get too much of this good thing, finds a large new study of nearly 250,000 people conducted by the University of Copenhagen. “We found higher mortality in people with a low level of vitamin D in their blood, but to our surprise, we also found higher mortality in people with a high level of vitamin D,” said study author Darshana Durup, a pharmaceutical sciences researcher at the University of Copenhagen....

A no-brainer? Not by a long shot. The researchers found that half of the 1,355 study participants did not receive care from a rheumatologist, even though all had health insurance that did not restrict access to specialists. About 75% of the time, rheumatologists provided the level of care recommended by the American College of Rheumatology, such as annual doctor visits, blood tests, and drug monitoring. People who did not have a rheumatologist as part of their health care team received that level of care just 50%% of the time, says study author Catherine MacLean, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the UCLA Division of Rheumatology....

During the study, 20 nicotine users wafted a drop of one of the essential oils on a tissue for two minutes—about the length of time it takes to smoke a cigarette—when they felt the urge to smoke, dip, or chew tobacco. Although both essential oils effectively curbed cravings, they had different reactions. Reported intensity of cravings dropped more dramatically for black pepper users than for those who sniffed angelica, while angelica users were able to delay their next nicotine hit for longer than those in the pepper group....

Growing up, potato skins were one of my favorite foods. I’m talking about the bacon, cheese, and sour cream kind that you get at a TGI Fridays after a long Saturday of buying junk at the mall. Just writing this right now, I can taste them. They were so good, but so very, very bad. Obviously, my adult version of potato skins don’t have all that bacon, cheddar cheese, and sour cream I loved so much in my mall-going days....

But tea drinkers likely have the upper hand—especially when their beverage is green. New findings out of Columbia University’s Medical Center suggest that when women with breast cancer take oral green tea extract, Polyphenon E, their conditions improve. 40 women with breast cancer were randomly assigned placebo, 400 mg, 600 mg, or 800 mg of the extract twice a day for 6 months. Researchers collected blood and urine samples every couple of months....

Stefanie NealWho she is:License to Blog: Food Fix UpFind her on EatClean For:terrific allergy-free dishesStarter tip:Get a taste of the raw trend with Neal’s salad of fennel, pears, avocado, and honey-soaked pecans. Click here for the recipe! Food-app visionaryNeal is the culinary genius behind , a popular app featuring more than 100 gluten-, dairy-, and refined-sugar-free dishes. With 58,000-plus Instagram followers, Neal has inspired many to find both health and delight in the kitchen....

You’ll make healthier decisions that night: Happy hour, dinners out with friends, and relaxing in front of the TV can be just as integral to a healthy lifestyle as sticking to a workout routine, but scheduling gym time after work can keep you from making more indulgent plans a habit. Evening workouts can also help your diet — you can’t overeat or overdrink if you’ve got a yoga class to attend afterward!...

The next time you feel a binge coming on, try this flowing yoga routine, developed by Laura Madden, a yoga instructor and fitness director of the Scottsdale Resort and Athletic Club in Arizona. Hold each pose for 3 to 5 breaths, unless otherwise directed. Warrior II Photo by Terry Doyle Stand tall with feet together. Take a large step to right. Bend right knee into a lunge, right knee over ankle and toes pointing to right; point left foot forward....

Cure cuticle infections with vinegar.The natural antibacterial properties of vinegar can eliminate infections caused by an overzealous manicurist or picking at cuticles. Apply white wine vinegar combined with warm water for 15 minutes a day. (Check out these 9 other genius DIY uses for vinegar.) Eliminate dandruff with a DIY aspirin shampoo. Aspirin is basically salicylic acid, the anti-acne ingredient that sloughs off dead skin. “It does the same thing for your scalp—gets rid of flakes,” says Marie Jhin, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in San Francisco....

What folk medicine says: Called plague-flower for its use as a bubonic plague remedy, butterbur was also “good for those that wheeze much,” said the early 17th-century herbalist Culpeper. What new research confirms: In a study conducted in four Swiss and German general medicine and allergy clinics, 125 hay fever sufferers were split into two groups. One received butterbur root extract; the other, cetirizine (Zyrtec), a prescription antihistamine. After 2 weeks of treatment, the butterbur and cetirizine were equally effective at easing the general discomfort and lack of energy often associated with spring allergies, says study author Andreas Schapowal, MD, a Swiss ear, nose, and throat surgeon....

For years, Canadian researchers have been toying with this tiny seed—which has been primarily used as bird feed—in hopes that it could one day feed unfeathered folks, too. The tiny hairs on canary seeds made them inedible, until a researcher discovered how to grow a hairless variety through natural plant breeding methods. Turns out, the bald birdseed has a lot going for it, since it’s 24% protein and 7% fiber....

Some women my age open their refrigerator in the morning and reach for a green juice. For nearly a year, I opened my refrigerator in the morning and reached for my green chemo pill. There was also a white pill, a red and white pill, and a tan pill. These pills stared me in the face every day since last May, when I started on a clinical cancer-drug trial. They were pretty normal-looking as pills go, but these ones packed a serious punch....

A new report by the American Cancer Society estimates there will be 18 million cancer survivors living in the U.S. by 2022. Currently, the number of people living with a history of cancer is estimated to be 13.7 million, meaning this would be an increase of nearly five million people in 10 years. The report, which used data from the epidemiological SEER program funded by the National Cancer Institute, found that even as cancer incidence rates are decreasing, the number of cancer survivors is growing....