Hooray, summer has arrived! It’s the perfect time to keep your feet cool with a pair of easy-breezy flip-flops. Besides being cute and convenient, they can be pretty comfortable, too. But are flip-flops good for your feet?

The not-so-fun medical answer is ... no. Here are some reasons why: 

While it’s often easier to talk about sports, current events or work, discussing your personal wellness could make a profound difference when it comes to your longevity and quality of life. Most men, however, are reluctant to talk about their health with anyone, let alone a medical professional. In fact, 60 percent of men don’t go to the doctor, according to a Cleveland Clinic study.

The most common reason people seek medical care isn’t diabetes, cancer or even heart disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, it’s pain. In fact, it’s estimated that 100 million Americans struggle with pain symptoms daily, and chronic pain is the nation’s leading cause of long-term disability.

Lack of energy and concentration. Sleepiness. Lost of interest and appetite. Mood swings. While these are only some of the symptoms of clinical depression, they’re all pretty good reasons to avoid exercise. That said, working up a sweat can be as effective as medications for fighting depression.

So if you’re one of the millions of Americans living with this chronic disease, lacing up your walking shoes or slipping on your swimming cap might be just what the doctor ordered.

Between Netflix and limitless fast food options, the temptations to indulge are vast and varied. While it’s not surprising that our lifestyle choices impact our overall wellness, did you know that healthy living can prevent or even reverse as much as 80 percent of chronic disease? 

While TV commercials make menstruation seem like a breeze, with women making the most of everything—from water sports to ballroom dancing—you’re probably not eagerly awaiting your next cycle. This may be especially true if you experience 
menorrhagia (heavy periods). 

Menorrhagia affects more than 10 million American women every year. If you’re one of them, your period is, well, no picnic. You may be suffering from complications like heavy blood loss, severe pain and even anemia. 

Most of us have visited a casino or played the lottery. In fact, about 85 percent of U.S. adults have gambled at least once during their lives. But when does occasionally rolling the dice or buying a scratch-off become problem gambling?

The third most-common cancer in the U.S., colorectal cancer, happens when abnormal cells grow and form tumors in the colon or rectum. While this life-threatening disease can often be successfully treated when caught in its earliest stages, only about half of people older than 50 receive the necessary screening tests to detect or prevent colorectal cancer.

Reasons why adults between 50 and 75 are not up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening include:

While heart disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S., there’s good news: Treatment advancements continue to improve, and perhaps even more importantly, prevention is trending. That means more and more of us are finally realizing we have power when it comes to our own health and longevity. 

Americans tend to have an all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to eating, and for generations, we’ve been told to forgo fat because it raises cholesterol and increases our risk of heart disease. 

After decades of research, however, experts are questioning and reevaluating the link between fat and heart disease. The skinny is, researchers now believe the relationship between cholesterol and heart disease is much more complicated than it was thought to be in the 1960s, when concerns over fat intake reached a fever pitch.