Researchers studied 60 subjects between the ages of 18 and 65 for the report. Each individual tested positive for birch pollen allergies a seasonal trigger of hay fever and began treatment three to eight weeks prior to the onset of birch allergy season in their area.

Patients were assigned to take an antioxidant plant extract derived from the bark of the French maritime pine tree or a placebo for the duration of the allergy season.

They found symptoms such as burning, itchy, watering or tearing eyes, redness, sneezing and stuffy, runny or itchy nose were fewer in the group that had taken the pine bark supplements twice each day.

"For the many people seeking alternatives to conventional treatment for allergic rhinitis, pine bark may represent an effective and completely natural solution, void of any side effects," said lead researcher Malkanthi Evans, Ph.D.

Hay fever is an allergic inflammation of the nasal airways that causes itching, swelling, mucus production, hives and rashes.

An estimated 60 million people in the United States are affected by hay fever, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI).

Nutritional supplements containing grape seed extract, quercetin, the European herb butterbur, freeze-dried nettles and a tonic made from the herb goldenseal may also be helpful in fighting allergies.

"I would not say that wolfberries are a medicine, but they can be used as a dietary supplement to traditional treatments to improve vision," said researcher Dingbo "Daniel" Lin. "Wolfberries have high antioxidant activity and are very beneficial to protect against oxidative stress caused by environmental stimuli and genetic mutations."

By using type-2 diabetic mice, Lin and his team are studying the effects of wolfberries on oxidative stress, one of the factors that occurs in diabetic retinopathy, which is a common complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness in American adults.

They have found that wolfberries have high levels of zeaxanthin, lutein, polysaccharides and polyphenolics, which have been shown to improve vision, including the prevention of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

Wolfberries, also known as goji berries, are bright orange-red, oblong-shaped and grown in China. They are known to help rebalance homeostasis, boost the immune system, nourish the liver and kidneys and improve vision.

Lin said wolfberries may be used as a dietary supplement. Consumers might find them in Chinese food stores or on the internet.

Researchers recruited 43 healthy volunteers with an average age of 29 years. They were tested for endothelial dysfunction by measuring the blood flow through their arm arteries. The volunteers were assigned to either gain weight or maintain their weight for eight weeks, and their blood flow was tested. The weight-gainers then lost the weight and were tested again.

They found that individuals who gained weight in their abdomens (known as visceral fat) had impaired blood flow through their arm arteries, even though their blood pressure remained healthy. Once the volunteers lost the weight, the blood flow recovered.

Blood flows were unchanged in those who didn’t gain weight and were less affected among those who gained weight evenly throughout their bodies.

"Endothelial dysfunction has long been associated with an increased risk for coronary artery disease and cardiovascular events," said cardiologist Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D. "Gaining a few pounds in college, on a cruise, or over the holidays is considered harmless, but it can have cardiovascular implications, especially if the weight is gained in the abdomen."

Researchers at Emory University analyzed United States government nutritional data and blood lipid levels in more than 6,000 adult men and women between 1999 and 2006. The study subjects were divided into five groups according to the amount of added sugar and caloric sweeteners they consumed daily. Individuals in the highest-consuming group consumed an average of 46 teaspoons (tsp) of added sugars per day. The lowest-consuming group consumed an average of only about 3 tsp daily.

They found that people who consumed more added sugar were more likely to have higher cardiovascular disease risk factors, including higher triglyceride levels and higher ratios of triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol.

Researchers say total consumption of sugar in the U.S. has increased substantially in recent decades, largely due to an increased intake of added sugars in processed foods and beverages.

"It would be important for long-term health for people to start looking at how much added sugar they’re getting and finding ways to reduce that," said the study’s co-author, Miriam Vos, M.D., in an online health report. "A diet based of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean meats will be low in added sugars."

"If you have knee pain that has lasted more than two weeks, you need to see a doctor because there might be something mechanically wrong with the knee," said orthopedic surgeon William Bryan, M.D. "Making a few lifestyle changes might give you a better chance at staving off arthritis and/or an eventual knee replacement."

Studies have shown that nearly half of adults will get knee arthritis in at least one knee by age 85. For overweight individuals, the risk is even higher since carrying additional weight puts great strain on the knee joints. Bryan says maintaining a healthy weight can help keep knees healthy.

In addition, exercises like swimming, cycling and other low-impact options better protect the knees than running or aerobics. Strengthening the core muscles (abs, back and pelvis) is another key component of maintaining healthy knees.

Many experts recommend glucosamine and chondroitin supplements to help keep the knee joints healthy, as well.

Reuters reports that researchers in Copenhagen followed nearly 19,000 individuals aged 20 and older for 20 years to assess their heart disease risk factors.

They found that those who were obese or were heavy smokers had an increased risk of developing VTE. Compared with non-smokers, those who smoked 25 cigarettes a day or more had a 52 percent greater risk of developing the clots.

In addition, obese adults were 65 percent more likely to have VTE, compared to individuals with a normal body mass index (BMI).

"The main message for the public from our study is that losing weight and quitting smoking are likely to not only reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and peripheral artery disease, but also of venous thromboembolism," lead researcher Anders Holst, M.D., told Reuters Health.

Previous studies have suggested that VTE has largely the same risk factors as heart disease, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking.

The findings, which appear in The American Heart Journal, highlight that nearly one in five study participants with early stages of CKD had evidence of AF, a rate similar to that reported among patients with end-stage CKD. In addition, these early-stage CKD patients were two to three times more likely to suffer from AF than the general population.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia in the general population, and is one of the strongest risk factors for stroke. While AF prevalence in the general population ranges from 1 to 8 percent, the estimated prevalence of AF among patients with end-stage renal disease has been reported to be between 13 and 23 percent.

"More than 25 million U.S. adults have chronic kidney disease and most of them are not on dialysis," said the study’s lead author, Elsayed Soliman, M.D. "Understanding the prevalence and risk factors of AF in this group of patients has important public health, epidemiologic and clinical implications."

During AF, the heart’s two small upper chambers quiver instead of beating effectively, resulting in the blood not being completely pumped out and creating pooling and clotting, which can cause a stroke.

Ways to reduce the risk of AF include lowering blood pressure, eating heart-healthy foods and increasing physical activity.

Aerobic exercise such as walking, aerobic dance, aquatic exercise, bicycling or exercising on stationary bikes, treadmills or elliptical trainers improves heart, lung and muscle function. For people with arthritis, this type of exercise has benefits for weight control, mood, sleep and general health.

Exercises that help to maintain or improve flexibility may help arthritis sufferers benefit from better posture, reduced risk of injuries and improved function.

Strengthening exercises help improve muscle strength to improve function and help reduce bone loss related to inactivity. Experts say people with arthritis should work to challenge the muscles without increasing joint pain.

Body awareness exercises, such as yoga and tai chi, can improve posture, balance, joint position sense, coordination and relaxation.

Healthcare providers say that inactivity, in addition to arthritis-related problems, can result in a variety of health risks, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In addition, decreased pain tolerance, weak muscles, stiff joints and poor balance common to many forms of arthritis can be made worse by inactivity.

Several nutritional supplements are also believed to help reduce arthritis pain. They include glucosamine, chondroitin, fish oil and flaxseed.

Muscle pain and weakness, called myopathy, is a known side effect of all cholesterol-lowering drugs classified as statins.

The FDA said that people taking the 80 milligram (mg) dose of Zocor^® face an especially high risk of developing muscle problems, including rhabdomyolysis, which is the most serious form of myopathy, and can lead to kidney damage, kidney failure and even death.

"It’s important for patients and healthcare professionals to consider all the potential risks and known benefits of any drug before deciding on any one therapy or dose of therapy," said the FDA’s Eric Colman, M.D.

Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise are often considered key to keeping cholesterol in check. Among the herbs and nutritional supplements believed to help lower cholesterol are fish oil, flaxseed, garlic, blond psyllium, guggulipid extract, green tea extract and beta sitosterol.

Reuters reports that researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, gave 1,600 milligrams of SAMe, along with their prescribed antidepressant treatment, to 39 people who had major depressive disorder that hadn’t gotten better with antidepressant therapy alone for a period of six weeks. A control group of 34 similar patients took a placebo pill on top of their antidepressants.

They found that the individuals who took the SAMe supplements responded to their treatment and got better, compared to those who took the placebo.

Researchers say the results are promising, as many traditional medications that are prescribed for people who have not seen improvement on antidepressants often have many dangerous side effects.

As many as 10 percent of people are expected to from major depressive disorder sometime during their lives.

Researchers involved in the study, which is published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, say long-term, larger studies are necessary to prove whether SAMe is an effective in supplement for treating depression, as their results indicate.