Archive for the ‘ Health ’ Category
Pets Improve Quality of Life for Seniors
My 92-year-old Nana lives in an assisted living apartment complex outside Philadelphia. I’ve never known her to be much of a pet person, yet her face lights up every time she spots Sadie, the chocolate lab who hangs out in the lobby. My Nana has outlived my grandfather by more than a dozen years. She’s […] Read More
The Pot and the Kettle
Recently, Rush Limbaugh opened his big mouth to criticize Michelle Obama as a hypocrite for eating ribs for dinner after a day of skiing. After all, she is the spokesperson for Let’s Move, a program designed to develop healthier kids through better eating habits and more exercise. “The problem is – and dare I say […] Read More
New Fertility Options for Oncology Patients
Last year, when training with Team in Training, I heard more than a few stories about the fertility worries of leukemia and lymphoma patients. These blood cancers tend to strike at a younger age than many other cancers, making fertility more of an issue, and one that I admit that I’d never really thought about […] Read More
Does BMI Really Matter?
“According to the Kaiser BMI chart, I’m obese,” said a friend who does not visually appear to be anywhere close to obese. It was the sort of conversation that made me doubt the value of the body mass index (BMI) chart. Obese? Really? It was the sort of thing that made me question the validity […] Read More
Reading: Good For Your Health
When I’ve had a long, hard day, there’s nothing that relaxes me quite like a book. I had long assumed that this was just some sort of personal preference in the way that some people like watching TV or doing crossword puzzles. But it turns out that reading has actual health benefits, according to this […] Read More
Another One Bites the Dust
You probably made a few resolutions before the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve. So… how are you doing with that? You’ve probably broken a few. You’re probably feeling a little bit guilty about that. And you probably feel like the world’s biggest slacker. Here’s a tip: ask around the office or call your friends. […] Read More
The Numbers Game
I don’t weigh myself. I’ve always felt that the numbers game wasn’t as relevant as other factors, namely how you feel and how your clothes fit. It wasn’t until I broke my foot that I started to realize how true that was. When I went to urgent care, they weighed me: 151.5 lbs. Eight weeks […] Read More
The Hidden Calories
Congratulations! You’ve made it through most of December, which means that the bulk of the eating and drinking is now behind you. You sat at Christmas dinner — pants already too tight from Thanksgiving, a dozen holiday parties and countless cookies consumed over the course of 30 days — and you swore that you would […] Read More
Because You Never Give Any Thought to Tetanus
At my recent checkup, my doctor pointed out that it had been 10 years since my last tetanus booster, and I was due. No, I said. That couldn’t be right. After all, it had been the same year that we’d bought our first house… oh, I guess that has been 10 years. Time flies. Tetanus […] Read More
Hiding the Grays
Wednesday’s posts are usually dedicated to health topics, but I consider the topic of hair color to fall under the broader category of mental health. I’m prematurely gray. I spotted my first gray hair when I was 16, and the progress hasn’t slowed a bit in the last two decades. Judging by my roots, I’d […] Read More
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