Practically everyone has heard the old saying that dogs are a man’s best friend. Well, it turns out that saying may be truer than most people realize, after research showed that owning a dog may be good for cardiovascular health. People who owned pets were more likely to report having Read more…
People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of developing some forms of cancer compared to the rest of the population. Researchers have finally figured out why, and it has to do with damage to a person’s DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid, most commonly known as DNA, forms Read more…
I’m excited to announce that I’m working on a new medical thriller, this one centered around heart transplants. On December 3, 1967, Dr. Christian (Chris) Barnard performed the world’s first human-to-human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Since then, the number of heart transplants has risen rapidly. Today, Read more…
Many people may not realize that Braille literacy among visually impaired Americans is on the decline. During the 1950s, up to half of all visually impaired U.S. schoolchildren learned Braille, according to the National Federation of the Blind. Today, only 10% of visually impaired students are learning Braille, and fewer Read more…
It’s no surprise that we all spend too much time on our devices. Between computers, Smartphones, tablets, and TVs, sometimes it seems like we simply shift from one device to another. Adults log about 11 hours of screen time per day, according to a 2014 Nielsen report. Rarely do people Read more…
Osteoarthritis is a condition that mainly affects middle-aged to elderly adults. It involves the wearing away of the protective cartilage around a person’s joints. Cartilage is a type of firm tissue that enables smooth joint movement. If the cartilage wears down completely, the bones may rub directly against one another. Read more…
As covered in some of my previous posts, Alzheimer’s is a truly heartbreaking disease. Loved ones watch while their family and friends disappear in front of their eyes—physically present, but no longer the person they once were. That’s why it’s so exciting that doctors have found a blood test that Read more…
You have probably heard the old adage, “Drink eight glasses of water per day.” While water consumption is important in preventing dehydration and for overall health, there is no magic number for how much water you should drink per day. Plus, that figure doesn’t even take water from other sources Read more…
Almost everyone has experience with supplements—taking them, or watching others take them, to treat a variety of ailments or achieve other goals like improving their energy levels. People often take supplements to promote weight loss, improve their overall health, increase sexual performance, or to help ease specific medical conditions. Supplements Read more…
What are they and why are they important? You might not be familiar with the term, or know what it means, but you’ve almost certainly heard of some lipids, including cholesterol, fatty acids, and saturated fatty acids. Lipids are essential to human health. In the body, they perform various functions Read more…