November 28, 2021 — Medical terms can carry a lot of baggage. Leprosy, cancer, diabetes, autism, and obesity are just a few examples. What they all have in common is that they describe conditions that can cause a lot of trouble, but either don’t or didn’t have an easy resolution. So to greater or lesser degrees, people attached stigma […]
December 24, 2020 — Watching the pandemic of COVID-19 play out this year has given us an education in so many things. Will it prompt us to wrap our heads around a persistent pandemic of racism? Or shall we fall back on tired rhetoric? Racism has profound effects on health and lifespan for people of color. The facts are […]
August 31, 2020 — A chronic disease is a medical condition that stays with you. Doctors don’t have a cure, so the goal is to control it. To come as close as possible to living a healthy life despite whatever chronic condition might trouble you. Diabetes? By carefully controlling your blood sugar and your body’s response, most people can […]
June 16, 2020 — This is a problem that makes your brain hurt. We face an acute threat with COVID-19. New data from CDC tells us that chronic diseases amplify that risk. In fact, the risk of death is 12 times higher for people who have chronic diseases – diabetes, heart disease, severe obesity, or a host of other […]
January 1, 2019 — Popular culture all over the world spells it out. We should aspire to live a healthy lifestyle. And we surely do. In the spirit of living healthfully, gym memberships will soar with the beginning of the new year. Roughly half of us will resolve to lose weight or improve our fitness. It’s a big business. […]
June 17, 2013 — Chronic diseases will affect half of all Americans by 2020, and most of those diseases will stem from obesity and excess weight. Those diseases are responsible for most of the growth in healthcare costs and we cannot hope to get those costs under control without giving patients and physicians as many tools as possible for […]
May 1, 2013 — Good news keeps rolling in about the health benefits of following a Mediterranean diet. The latest study published by investigators from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) adds evidence that following a Mediterranean diet helps to keep your brain functioning well. These findings come on the heels of a randomized study in the New England […]
April 18, 2013 — Employers are talking a lot about employee wellness programs, with some stirring up controversy by weighing their employees and imposing penalties on employees with obesity. A pair of new studies adds to the understanding that prolonged sitting time at work is a significant risk for cardiovascular disease, obesity, and a host of health problems. This growing body of […]
April 4, 2013 — The recent news of CVS demanding employees turn over weight, body fat, and other health data or pay a penalty stirred up quite a controversy. Regulations for wellness programs under Obamacare are on their way to becoming final. Health advocates are concerned that these new regulations might open the door to schemes that unfairly punish […]
February 10, 2013 — Asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness and has markedly increased over the last few decades. A 2009 study by Cook Children’s Health System found that youth in a six county area around Fort Worth were diagnosed with asthma at rates as high as 25% of their age group. Evidence is mounting that cement plants […]
