Urgent or Emergent
How to know where to go when things suddenly aren’t how they should be Accidents happen, and we don’t get to say when or where—including after hours or away from home. As a result, it can be difficult to know whether to go to the emergency room or an ur care facility. How serious is serious enough for the ER? Can an urgent care clinic address your specific injury? How do you balance the time you’ve got with the budget you’ve...
New Knees, Please
Knee replacement surgery that’s a real game changer. Is chronic knee pain slowing you down? If nonsurgical treatments aren’t providing adequate relief, it’s probably time to explore full or partial knee replacement surgery with an orthopedic surgeon. Knee replacements are often performed using minimally invasive techniques if you are a good candidate, and with surgical innovations that include robotic and computer-assisted knee...
Back to Basics
Back pain is one of the most common ailments sending Americans to their doctor’s office for treatment.
A Resolution to Stick With
Resolve to keep your other resolutions by caring for yourself first
On the Mind: Using Your Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
If you have put off medical or dental check-ups or procedures and you have FSA money stashed, now is the time to use your FSA funds and improve your health.
Taking It All In
Over the holidays, help friends or family deal with eating disorders by being observant and compassionate
Health IQ: Restless Legs Syndrome
The severity of RLS symptoms ranges from mild to intolerable.
7 Healthy Habits for a Healthy Life
Though many of us live stressful, demanding lives, with just a little tweaking here and there, we can develop habits that will help us live healthier and more productive lives.
On the Mind – How many calories should I be eating each day?
Calories are simply a tool of measurement.
Take Heart
A cardiologist can treat your symptoms and advise you on the road back to heart health.
What do I need to know about vaccines?
What’s a vaccine? Vaccines are dead or weakened viruses or bacteria introduced into your body where your immune system is meant to recognize them and create antibodies to defend against future infection. Ancient history Ancient civilizations in India and China were believed to have inoculated their children against smallpox, 1,000 years ago, using a process called “variolation.” Early attempts Physician Edward Jenner first poked...
Health IQ: Endometrial Ablation
Are you finished having children? Is your regular visit from Aunt Flo ruining your vacations and your life? Would you rather avoid taking oral contraceptives to control your periods? If you answered yes to any of these questions, keep reading. There is a way to reduce (or possibly even stop) heavy periods without having to remove any lady parts. It’s called endometrial ablation. Endometrial ablation is a surgical procedure that...
Health IQ: Shin Splints
The best way to cure shin splints is to prevent them by following these simple principles…
Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care: Which is right?
After-hours medical issues are never convenient, and much confusion exists about where to where to go for life’s minor (or major) emergencies when your doctor’s office is closed.
Alzheimer’s affects 5.2 million Americans—1 in 9 people aged 65 and older have it.
This year, add mental wellness to your Thanksgiving list
In The Know—Learning About Nutritional Supplements
It only takes cruising the vitamin and supplement aisle of your local grocery store to get confused about what your body may actually need in dietary supplements.
New Ammunition in the Fight Against Breast Cancer
Make breast wellness a priority this month
Healthy Veins, Healthy You
The vascular system is something most people don’t think about until something goes wrong.
Battle the Bulge with Bariatric Surgery
Could this body transformation be a life saver for you?
Taking the Pain Out of Gain
Using sports medicine tips to maximize your workout and stay safe
Spotting Skin Cancer
The American Cancer Society estimates 3.5 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year. That’s more than all other cancers combined. And that’s only non-melanoma skin cancers (melanoma is the most aggressive—and deadliest—kind of skin cancer).
Our Kids
How well do we really know them? Where does your mind go when you hear the word “teenager?” How about “emerging adult?” What is your first reaction, your initial instinct, to what drives them, what they need, and who they are? If you are typical, the answer may begin with an appreciation for someone you know or have observed, but on the whole you may discover a general sense of everything from concern to frustration. As a person who...
The Underappreciated Organs
Our kidneys keep everything clean How much do you know about kidney wellness? Chances are, not very much. Doctors say the misunderstanding is complicated by the lack of symptoms for kidney disease. Before exploring the illnesses, it is important to first explain how kidneys maintain life. The abdominally located, bean-shaped organs filter blood, remove waste products, and wick away excess salt from the body, as well as transfer water...
The Ins and Outs of Autism
Each April 2, autism organizations around the world celebrate World Autism Awareness Day with fundraising and events. Global landmarks get cloaked in blue lights, and the hashtag #LIUB (Light It Up Blue) is peppered throughout social media. A decade ago, Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, was in its infancy, and families of children with autism encountered limited resources and social stigma...
Living with MS
How a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis can change your life It started with a tingling on her left side, like an electrical current coursing down her leg. Later she would step into the bath and not feel the hot water envelop her left leg as it nearly scalded her right. Walking across a cold floor would feel as though she had a sock on her left foot while both feet were bare. After multiple trips to a handful of specialists—Could it be...
Heart to Heart
Healthy practices and medical innovations for keeping your heart happy Of the health issues facing our nation today, heart disease in all its forms is one of many that is highly preventable yet still remains a threat. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease consists of conditions that include diseased vessels, structural problems, and blood clots. Luckily, everything from lifestyle choices to...
Seasonal Havoc
Do you choose to be miserable with allergies this time of year? Ahh… Texas in the springtime, where cerulean waves of bluebonnets threaten to splash onto the highways and Indian Blankets burn a path of crimson in their wake. Go ahead and enjoy the brilliant blooms—they’re not the reason you can’t take a deep breath or why you sound as though you’re talking in a tunnel. Blame your seasonal allergies on tree pollen, for the most part,...
Is Sitting Killing Us?
You wake up, pour your coffee, and settle in to watch the morning news. You check on the weather and driving conditions, shower, then sit in your car for the commute to work. You sit behind your desk for six, seven, eight hours. Quick workout at the gym and you’re back home again, unwinding on the couch with a little Netflix. Before you know it, it’s time for bed—and then you start the whole thing over again. Sitting. It’s being...
Don’t Sweat the Pet
Simple solutions for living comfortably with allergies and your four-legged family members There’s no doubt about it, pets enrich our lives in ways too numerous to count—our furry friends are members of the family. So what do you do when someone in the house is allergic to a beloved family pet? It’s not so easy living with the allergy-inducing dander pets leave in their wake. Luckily, there are dander-defying solutions every member of...
Hidden Health Problems—Are you in danger?
After you’ve put away the holiday décor, returned items that didn’t fit, and established your New Year’s resolutions, be sure to add scheduling checkups with your doctor and dentist to your to-do list. While it might be difficult to prioritize your health—especially when you’re feeling fine—putting off recommended screenings, exams, vaccinations, and physicals can be a source of huge regret later on. Is Your Operating System Working...
Healthy Kids—Tips from a medical expert for 2016
No matter their age, from infant to college kid—your baby is still your baby! It’s important to stay aware of some of the most common health concerns as your kids grow. Read on for some input from Dr. Juliet Breeze, founder of Next Level Urgent Care. Babies You may not hear about it as much as the flu, but RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is even more common than the flu and appears to be increasing in frequency. Parents should be on...
No Pressure
High blood pressure affects millions—check out these surprising ways to elevate your health and lower your BP. Don’t be fooled into thinking you can live with “just a touch” of high blood pressure. It can quietly damage your body for years, ultimately eroding your quality of life and limiting your lifespan. A reading of 140/90 and higher signifies high blood pressure. This puts you at greater risk for heart attack, heart failure,...
A Joint Effort
Easing the pain and limitations associated with osteoarthritis Holiday gatherings provide a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with loved ones, and spending one-on-one time with older relatives can make us more aware of their health issues. Maybe we have to speak a little more clearly and slowly to be understood. Perhaps we need to provide an arm for someone to descend some steps. Even offering to twist the lid of a jar that’s hard to...
Daydream Believer
Reawakening the art of positive, constructive daydreaming Daydreaming gets a bad rap along the path from childhood to adulthood. In our culture—one that often embraces goal-oriented productivity—to allow our minds to start wandering like they did when we were children is a behavior all-too-often replaced with the mantra of grown-ups: “Be a doer and a go-getter, not a dreamer.” Who doesn’t wish to be free to daydream from time to time?...
Those Burning Questions – A Users’ Guide to UTIs
Consider the urinary tract—it’s one of the body’s amazing systems you never think much about until it’s not working properly. But when something goes wrong, the symptoms of a urinary tract infection can be quite uncomfortable and cause serious concerns. Understanding the anatomy Your urinary system is comprised of your kidneys, ureters (tubes linking the kidneys to the bladder), bladder, and urethra (tube that dispels urine from the...
From Relaxation to Peaceful Sleep
Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Can Make the Perfect Holiday Gift Anyone who is fortunate enough to have visited a spa for a luxurious massage or a cleansing facial has likely experienced the many benefits of aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is a treat for the senses, and not just because of the wonderful aromas. Also referred to as essential oil therapy, aromatherapy can be defined as the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted...
Dying To Take Type 2 Diabetes Seriously
Switch on the television or flip through a magazine and you’re likely to see an ad about diabetes. While it’s good to know treatment breakthroughs abound, it’s important to focus on ways to avoid getting diabetes in the first place. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. A person diagnosed at age 50 dies, on average, six years earlier than someone without diabetes, according to the American Diabetes...
The Ups and Downs of Self Esteem
A few tips on how to keep it balanced. Are you your own worst critic or your biggest fan? If you’re like most people, you go back and forth between the two. Slip on that little black number and you feel like Gisele. But catch a glimpse of yourself in a window and you’re George Wendt in a dress. Turn in a report thinking it’s the greatest idea since seamless stockings. Five minutes later you want to snatch it back before the boss can...
We’ve Come A Long Way Baby—Mammogram tech is on the move
Most women have a love-hate relationship with screening mammograms. Breasts are not made to be compressed and squished flat like a pancake, even if it’s only for a few seconds. On the other hand, we embrace mammograms because they remain the best method of early breast cancer detection, and the earlier it’s detected, the better our chance for survival. When it comes down to it, a couple of minutes of discomfort for a non-invasive,...
The Dizzying Facts About Vertigo
Imagine opening your eyes and the room appearing to be whirling around you like a tornado. Turning your head ever so slightly sends your world spinning, and even when lying still, there’s a moving sensation. Standing up and trying to walk sends you lurching to and fro as you attempt to maintain your balance. You feel nauseous, like you have motion sickness or the flu. Your mind races as you wonder, “What in the world is wrong with...
Cancer Yesterday and Today—How Treatments Have Changed
Gone are the days when hearing the word cancer from your doctor meant an automatic death sentence. In fact, advancements in cancer treatment over the past twenty years have been resoundingly encouraging. Our nation’s top oncologists report advances in chemotherapy and the development of targeted radiation that greatly reduces the risk of damage to surrounding tissue. Cancer surgeries are less invasive. Improved supportive therapies...
Best Ways to Get a Good Night’s Sleep – Focus on Sleep Apnea
Do you feel like the world is speeding up while you are slowing down? Do you have trouble concentrating on conversations or keeping your mind on work? Have you caught yourself dozing off during the day or, more ominously, at the wheel while driving? Does your spouse complain of your snoring keeping them awake? All of those are signs of a condition known as “sleep apnea,” a condition that affects almost 45 million Americans. “New...
Fitness Wearables. What’s all the hype?
If you’re not already one of the 19 million people using an activity tracker, a.k.a. fitness wearable, you should be. Why? Because they work. “We can improve what we can measure,” said Ted Vickey, ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Senior Consultant on Fitness Technology. “By understanding our daily movements, we can create a baseline and create goals and objectives from that baseline.” Today’s electronic fitness wearables measure...
5 Reasons Why Getting Older is Awesome
Sure, being young has its appeal—joints move without creaking or popping, hair remains grey-free (or simply remains!), eyes focus on a menu even under low lighting, and most of the time you remember exactly where you left your keys. But getting older also has its perks. From discounts and deals to more time to do what you want, aging is all the rage. 1. Retirement Living If you’ve never explored your options for retirement...
Is a Full-Body Scan a Good Stop on the Road to Wellness?
One of the mysteries of life is what lies beneath our skin—systems both complex and miraculous keep us alive every second of every day. But what if, hidden deep within, something was amiss? Wouldn’t it be helpful to know? Those questions have spurred the accessibility of optional, full-body CT (computerized tomography) scans to reveal 3D images of the body. If we can detect abnormalities early, surely we can improve our chances for...
Is A Trim Figure The Fountain Of Youth?
The secret to longevity starts with using a common household item. Only a few seconds on your bathroom scale may indicate the number of years you can extend your life. An Oxford University study revealed that being just 30 pounds overweight can shave three years off life expectancy. So think of it this way: for every 10 pounds you shed you may gain a year. Just 10 pounds for a whole year! Here are a few ways that can help you trigger...
How to Live (and we mean really live) Longer
Tips for aging with vitality well into your golden years. When you were young and seemingly indestructible, did anyone ever wag his/her finger at you and say these words: “Just wait until you hit your 40s.” And did you subsequently ignore that “ridiculous” warning because 40 seemed eons away? Now you’re in your 40s (or beyond) and things, well, they are a-changin’. In fact, they’ve been changing since your 30s, thanks to inevitable...
Discerning When It’s Time for Assisted Living
Life is full of little choices and monumental decisions. Deciding whether it’s time to move a loved one into an assisted living situation is in the latter category. Here are a few things to consider, when evaluating whether it’s time to make the move. By Mimi Greenwood Knight Basic Red Flags That Tell You It’s Time for Assisted Living Is your loved one more accident prone? Has she had a fall, a medical scare or gotten into...
Facing the Elephant in the Room
LOW LIBIDO CULPRITS: ADDRESSING THE CAUSES AND BOOSTING YOUR SEX DRIVE During youth, the last thing you’re likely to worry about is losing your sex drive. Visual signs of age like wrinkles, weight gain, and thinning hair are on the distant radar screen. In contrast, considering a decline in libido as a rising tide of hormones rage through your body is unimaginable. Fast forward a few years and how things have changed! There are jobs...
Alzheimer’s Warning Signs
Early Detection May Make a Difference Statistics pertaining to Alzheimer’s disease can be grim. Five million Americans are living with the disease. That’s one in three U.S. seniors. Half a million will die from its effects this year and an estimated $214 billion will be spent on Alzheimer’s related care. However one light at the end of the tunnel may be early detection, targeting and treating the disease in its earliest stages. The...
Dr. Weight-loss
Medical supervision can help you realize your weight-loss goals Just yesterday it seemed we were flipping the calendar to 2014 and, with that motion, we vowed to lose weight, move more, get healthy. If you’ve seen the pounds melt away, then congratulations! If you’ve struggled to see any significant improvement, don’t despair. Being overweight or obese can cause serious health issues commonly referred to as comorbidities. A...
Ahhh … Allergies!
Today’s advice on how to get relief The surest signs of spring: trees blooming, grass greening, birds chirping, you … not breathing. When you suffer from allergies, even enjoying the simplest of life’s pleasures can cause major discomfort. Rather than stay indoors and cocoon, find ways to live, really live with your allergies. Know the essentials The list of allergy triggers is long. Common ones include pollen, mold, dust mites, pet...
The Heart-healthy Woman
The number one killer of women isn’t breast cancer or ovarian cancer or any form of cancer. In fact, this one disease kills more women than all other forms of cancer combined: heart disease. By Pamela Hammonds Know your risks Heart disease does not spare the young. It doesn’t discriminate based on race or socioeconomic background. But heart disease does have hereditary factors and can be attributed to lifestyle choices. Your risk of...
Today’s Yoga
Ask 10 yoga enthusiasts to explain yoga and you’re likely to get 10 different answers. Some will extol the stress-reducing aspects of this ancient discipline; others its fitness benefits. Still others will uphold it as a way to calm the mind to commune with their higher power. The best explanation probably incorporates some of each. A brief rundown of the eight basic types of yoga would look something like this. Anusara Based on the...
Make It Stop! Top Methods for Spine Pain Relief
By Pamela Hammonds Spine pain can range from a small twinge that temporarily sidelines you to chronic pain that immobilizes you for days—even months or years. Nearly everyone experiences some level of spine pain in their lifetime. In fact, lower back pain is the second most frequent reason to visit a physician for a chronic condition, the fifth most common cause for hospitalization, and the third most frequent reason for a surgical...
Get More Sleep Now
Want to feel better during the day? The secret may be more (and better!) sleep at night. Want to improve your nightly sleep? The key may lie in what you do during the day. Either way, these tips can help. Keep a regular sleep schedule Consistency is important. Going to bed and getting up at the same time each night can help you feel refreshed and energized. Set and stick to a bedtime. Select a time when you normally feel tired and go...
HEART ATTACKS UNDER THE RADAR
Silent Heart Attacks Pose a Deadly Threat By Anna Charles Does this movie scene sound familiar? A man starts to feel uncomfortable and clutches his left arm. Soon, he grips his chest feeling pressure and pain, staggers and falls to the floor. While “Hollywood heart attack” symptoms often occur, did you know that around 20 percent of heart attacks are nothing like this? They’re called silent heart attacks, and most people who...
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