Archive : Health and Wellness

Bret Michael’s recent hospitalization with a subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH) demonstrates that fame and celebrity cannot shield you from medical realities.  The former lead for the rock band Poison and reality show star recently suffered a brain bleed, which has kept him in the ICU in critical condition.  Michael’s has been very public with his diabetes diagnosis, a chronic condition [...]

If you live in a college dorm or plan on traveling to Mecca during the annual Hajj pilgrimage you have something in common: you need to get your meningitis vaccination. Both places plus the meningitis belt in Africa during the dry season (Dec. – June) are an opportunistic place to contract meningitis. Viral meningitis will make you very sick but bacterial meningitis can maim or kill you. The [...]

Did I really do that last night? The alcohol made me do it! What was I thinking, I hardly know him/her. These are the morning after reflections on many sexual encounters. Don’t let the question of infectious disease go unanswered. If you have acted rashly or done anything that puts you at risk of a sexually transmitted disease(STD), get yourself tested. It’s your sex life – take [...]

As more patients flock to urgent care centers for non life threatening injuries and illnesses, like strep throat symptoms or minor lacerations, many facilities are not only meeting the needs of sick patients, but healthy ones, as well. To address consumer demand, more facilities are offering preventative care services like school and sports physicals, flu shots, occupational medicine and even cosmetic [...]

How will you find your next physician when you need one? Roughly 30 million Americans will soon be searching for physicians with the recent passage of the healthcare reform bill. In most communities the healthcare marketplace presents a large selection of physician specialties and practice styles to choose from. In most cases healthcare consumers are no longer subject to a one-physician, one hospital [...]

Sleep, it seems as a nation we are chronically deprived. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), more than 25% of the US population reports not getting enough sleep while nearly 10% report they experience chronic insomnia. While this may seem like a mere inconvenience to some, sleep is increasingly being recognized as an essential aspect of chronic disease prevention and [...]

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease is spread by a bite from an infected deer tick. Deer ticks feed on the blood of animals and humans and can harbor the disease and spread it when they bite. The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease come in three stages. Stage 1: Shortly after the tick bite Classic bulls-eye rash called erythema migraines at the site of the bite. Generalized [...]

The recent healthcare reform debate has been a great catalyst to expose the weaknesses in our current healthcare system. We are in the midst of national level discussions on healthcare that include health insurance reform, public plan options and so-called death panels. This is a perfect time to bring end of life issues into the light of day. What happens during your final hours depends a lot on [...]

Coughing up yellow and green mucus, fatigue, soreness in the chest: these are the symptoms of bronchitis. The acute form of bronchitis is usually a chest cold gone bad. The bronchial tubes in the lungs become inflamed which produces mucus and creates a cough. Other signs of bronchitis include a mild headache, body aches, a low-grade fever, watery eyes and a sore throat. Most of these symptoms will [...]

Empower yourself with these 10 tips for a safe hospital stay and help celebrate Patient Safety Awareness Week ‚ March 7-13, 2010. Insist on clean hands to prevent the spread of infection. This goes for all the medical staff as well as family and visitors. If you don’t see someone wash their hands or use an alcohol-based solution, politely ask them. Help prevent medication mix-ups by insisting [...]