The first place many of us turn for headache relief is to a bottle of acetaminophen-laced pills. We don’t blame you…it does work. But the problem is that it’s dangerous to take it all the time.

Constant use of acetaminophen can cause liver damage, kidney damage, and even stomach bleeding. That’s why it’s important to find an alternative that works just as good…without any side effects. Now, research shows that one natural oil can fill that role.

A German study from the highly-regarded University of Kiel shows that applying this oil to your head can significantly reduce headache intensity after 15 minutes.

Sometimes the best new solutions come from already proven remedies. If you’re looking to improve your mental performance, there’s an already beneficial tree bark extract that can help you out.

The new study comes out of Pescara University in Italy. Dr. Gianni Belcaro led the study and he’s published a number of recent studies on this extract. This time, he tested it in a clinical trial and the results were published in the Italian journal Panminerva Medica.

“This study indicates (it) improve(s) cognitive function,” he says.

There’s good news if you want to regain lost memories and hold onto the ones you still have. A body of research now shows an extract from the periwinkle plant can improve memory and boost brain function.

Dr. Marios Kyriazis has recently looked at the newest evidence. He’s a Royal College of Physicians graduate and anti-aging advisor to the British Longevity Society.

“Non-clinical and clinical studies (show it is) beneficial,” he says.

Researchers have now discovered another supplement to cut your stress levels. It’s an amino acid…and it’s only found in two natural sources. But the good news is…it’s widely available as a supplement.

Lekh Raj Juneja, Ph.D. is the man behind the study. He graduated from the prestigious Nagoya University in Japan. Dr. Juneja has written over 200 research papers…he’s internationally acclaimed…and has received many awards for his work in this field.

He suspected the amino acid could influence the body while under stress. So he put his theory to the test…and got the good results he was hoping for…

This week…we told you about a beverage that can slow weight gain. Today…we look at another drink…one that combats depression. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health recently found that the drink cuts the risk of depression for women. That comes off the tails of another study…which showed that the drink also reduces depression [...]

2,400 years ago, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, found many uses for a powder made from the bark of a tree. It was his remedy of choice for everything from headaches to fever to gout to the pain of childbirth.

It wasn’t until the 1800s that scientists identified the active ingredient in the powder. It was a compound called salicin. And they used it to develop aspirin, the wonder drug of the 19th century.

Now the tree bark offers hope for people suffering from lower back pain.

We’re taught to respect and trust authority figures like teachers and priests. But that trust is never more sacred than with doctors. After all, you literally trust them with your life. When you consult a doctor, you trust they have your best interests at heart.

But a new phenomenon in spinal surgery may make you revise that thinking.

The back pain business is a billion dollar industry that offers enormous financial rewards for savvy doctors. The next time you’re laid up in bed with back pain and you think a trip to the doctor’s is your best bet, think again. There’s a very good chance that the pill she prescribes… the device she promotes… or the surgery she suggests… may not be necessary at all. And the best solution might have been something else entirely… something cheap, simple and safe.

If you suffer from back pain, your doctor is going to pull out his pad and write you a prescription. Is that drug going to ease your pain? It might. But it is likely to produce a host of harmful side effects, with addiction at the top of the list.

There’s a better option: a Bushmen medicine derived from the tuberous roots of a plant native to Africa. It has been used by traditional healers for hundreds of years. It’s just as effective as prescription drugs… But it has none of the side effects.

Dr. Sigrun Chrubasik is a researcher at the University of Freiburg in Germany. She’s in the Department of Forensic Medicine. She specializes in pain therapy and is the Research Coordinator of the Herbal Drugs Working Group.

As people age, they lose mental agility. They have trouble remembering things. And concentrating. They forget where they put their keys. What they ate for breakfast. If you’re one of the 79 million baby boomers in this country, this may already have started happening to you. You worry that it will only get worse. And one day lead to Alzheimer’s.

You’ll be happy to know that there’s a natural memory enhancer. One that can actually reverse cognitive decline.

It’s a plant extract derived from an herb. It was discovered in the marshes of India. Traditional Indian healers have used it for thousands of years.

You may not know that toxic heavy metals accumulate in your body over time. But it’s true.

These poisons include mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, and aluminum. On Wednesday, we told you how your dentist could be filling your mouth with mercury-laden fillings.

But amalgam fillings aren’t the only source of these toxic elements. Heavy metals are often used in conventional agriculture and storage. Many fish at the top of the food chain are contaminated with mercury. Some vaccinations contain thimerosal, a mercury preservative. Even second-hand smoke inhalation causes metal buildup in the body. And if your home was built prior to 1978, it could have lead-based paint.