Medical Minutes

Healthy Holidays

The holidays are often accompanied by a cornucopia of potential health woes, from the cold and flu to stress and anxiety. As we roast the turkey, hang the stockings and trim the tree, it is important to be mindful of things you can do to stay healthy, and merry, as you shop, travel and celebrate.

Toss the Razor to ‘Shave Lives’

Movember, commonly referred to as No-Shave-November, is when men and women across the globe join together to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues – specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives. This month, as beards and moustaches become more prominent, Movember aims to change the ‘face’ of men’s health by putting a hairy twist on some serious issues.

Seminar on Chronic Heel Pain and Bunions Scheduled

According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, the average person takes between 8,000 and 10,000 steps per day, logging approximately 115,000 miles in a lifetime, roughly the equivalent of circling the globe four times. Walking puts about one-and-a-half times your body weight on your foot; running increases this pressure to about three or four times your weight; and as shock absorbers, our feet cushion up to one million pounds of pressure during one hour of strenuous exercise.

Finding the Right Care

Selecting a primary healthcare physician is an important step in managing your health and well-being.

Your primary physician is your medical home, a place you visit for most of your medical needs. Visits often include wellness assessments, screening, non-emergency illnesses and disease management. In general, internists and family practitioners serve as an individual’s primary doctor.

The Beat Goes On – Red Hot Mamas

Heart disease is the number one killer of women over the age of 65. Nearly twice as many women in the US die of heart disease and stroke as from all forms of cancer, including breast cancer. Studies indicate that along with aging, the natural withdrawal of estrogen at menopause puts women at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease over time.

Contraceptive Needs at Menopause

Birth rates among US women aged 35 to 44 years have doubled over the past few decades. While the number of women deferring pregnancy until later in life is on the rise, a significant number of pregnancies occurring in the later reproductive years are unplanned. In fact, among women 40 years and older, 51 percent of pregnancies were unintended.

Back to School – Stay Healthy

School children, teachers and day care workers are at a particularly high risk for contracting conjunctivitis, commonly called pink eye. The telltale symptom is red eye(s). Although conjunctivitis is a fairly common condition, it is important to be able to differentiate between viral and bacterial conjunctivitis as treatment depends on the type of conjunctivitis contracted.

How to Get a Toddler to Eat and More

A healthy diet provides adequate nutrition, is on target with a child’s age and state of development and results in appropriate growth. Yet, when it comes to toddlers, parents and caregivers often have a difficult time getting their busy toddler to sit in the high chair and eat real food. There are a number of reasons for the disinterest. First, children, one to three years old are learning many new skills, including walking and talking; food may take a backseat to their mobility and exploration.

Managing Stress at Menopause

Women, in their mid-40s and beyond, experience physiological, psychological and social changes that commonly cause a great deal of anxiety. While some women may feel frustrated, overwhelmed and anxious, other may feel sad, nervous and panicky and a fair number may even wonder if they are just going crazy. The good news, you are not going crazy. This stage in a woman’s life is complex; it is overflowing with both internal and external changes all of which, to some degree, cause stress.