What Every Baby Boomer Needs To Know About Hypertension

I lost my mom at a relatively young age to complications from high blood pressure (hypertension). For as long as I could remember, she took medications for hypertension and its complications. She visited doctors regularly for this problem in her late 50s, was frequently hospitalized in her late 60s and 70s and died in a hospital from its complications at the age of 78.

Is a Forbidden Romance Weighing on Your Health?

France’s new president Emmanuel Macron has something in common with U.S. President Donald Trump … an age gap of more than 20 years with his wife. Macron, however, is the younger one in the relationship at 39-years-old. He is married to Brigitte Trogneux, 64-years-old. Of course any relationship in the public eye will have its fair share of scrutiny, but a significant age gap coupled with the fact that the woman is the older of the two seems to add an extra layer of public interest. It made me wonder whether there are health implications of a marginalized relationship?

7 Really Good Reasons To Eat Cherimoyas

You probably know by now I have a green thumb and a love for exotic fruits. I recently shared with you I added loquats and kumquats to my garden, and now there is another fruit in season on my radar. This fruit is the cherimoya, and Mark Twain called it “the most delicious fruit known to man.”

Your Genes Are Not Your Health Destiny!

Insight into my DNA has been made possible by personal genomics. Now, I am able to know whether I have cancer-causing or other alterations in my genes. However, you might be someone who adamantly refuses to learn about your genes and whether you are at risk for certain diseases. Avoiding information that threatens happiness or health is not abnormal and is sometimes referred to as information avoidance.

Lady Gaga Swears by a Gluten Free Diet. But Should You?

You may have noticed almost all supermarkets have gluten-free sections now. Why? Because being gluten-free continues to be very popular (even though these items are often more expensive!).

There’s a Fungus Among Us! How Can You Be Proactive?

If you’re a germophobe, you probably go on high germ alert and chronically wash your hands when you have to be in a hospital. Although hospitals are here to make us healthier, they are inevitably high breeding grounds for germs due to the many people (both sick and healthy) coming in and out the doors.

Is Massage Therapy the Missing Link in Pain Management?

As unpleasant as it is, pain is good because it protects us. The human brain has neurons or nerve cells, which “carry messages” that tell us if something is painful or pleasurable. If you couldn’t feel the sensation of being burned, this could be deadly so pain is actually a lifesaver.

Fatty Liver Disease, the Silent Killer that Took George Michael

Music icon and sex symbol George Michael was practically unrecognizable before dying at the age of 53 on Christmas Day. Before his death, he was visibly very overweight, a complete contrast from the many years his fans were used to seeing him wear tight jeans and leather jackets. But what we could not see on the inside is part of what actually killed him. A fatty liver!

For Those of You Who Fear Broken Bones, Don’t Forget the Magnesium

Over the past few years, I’ve learned so much about minerals and how critical they are in order to live your healthiest and happiest life. Copper, chromium, phosphorus and molybdenum are examples of important minerals we need, but I think at times we get intimidated by their names and possible associations. Pennies, for example, used to be mainly made of copper, and today they are made of zinc, another necessary mineral!

For the Love of Loquats: A Fruit You May Have to Grow but Well Worth it

I’m an avid gardener and always interested in adding different fruit trees to my existing collection. I recently discovered and planted kumquats in my garden. Growing a variety of nutritious fruits that I can snack on, throw in a smoothie or make a simple fruit salad with is one of my special ways of being proactive about my diet and health.

Soda May be More Taxing Than You Think

Sometimes it’s so hard to stick to our health and fitness goals, we have to get motivation through financial incentives. For example, there are multiple fitness apps out there, such as PACT, which provide users who eat healthy and go to the gym a chance to reap cash rewards from other users who do not practice these healthy habits.

Does Your Doctor Have a Racial Bias? Study Suggests False Beliefs Could Affect Black Patient Treatment Recommendations

We previously discussed a study published a couple of years ago online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study found that some medical students’ false beliefs about biological differences between black and white patients may affect how they perceive a patient’s pain.