The Importance of Good Posture

Good posture is a goal for everything from sitting at your desk to walking down the street. What is good posture?  Posture, for this case describes the position of the spine, but it also has other body parts acting on it.

Background:

The spine is divided into three groups of bones called vertebrae.  The bottom vertebrae form your lower back and top vertebrae form your neck.  Both of these have a natural curve, which is in the same direction: the inside of this curve faces backwards.  The upper back’s vertebrae form a curve with the inside facing forward.  The vertebrae of the upper back  attach to your ribs in back.  Your ribs connect to your breast bone in front.  On each side of the vertebrae of your upper back, muscles and ligaments hold your shoulder blades onto the back of your ribs.  Your arms are attached to your shoulder blades.  All of these bones and curves comprise posture.

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Heatstroke: Stay Safe this Summer

Guest post by Danielle Jardine, MD

New Yorkers know the drill. When summer temperatures soar into the 90s, we run from one air-conditioned venue to the next, stopping only to refill our ice-cold beverages. Breezes from approaching trains deep within the subway provide temporary relief on our way to beaches, pools or community cooling centers. But what if our jobs or activities have us outdoors or exposed to the summer heat for extended periods of time? (more…)

Women and Heart Disease: We Are Not Just ‘Small Men’

Here is the bad news: Heart disease kills more women than do all cancers combined, yet many women still cite breast cancer as their chief health concern. Young women, especially, do not think heart disease is a threat. But, since 1984, more women than men die each year from heart disease. Although death from heart attack has declined in both men and women over the last 30 years, the decrease has been more pronounced in males than females. Depression after a heart attack is twice as likely to occur in women than men, and depression increases the chance of a second heart attack. (more…)

Introducing the Low FODMAP Diet

The low FODMAP diet may sound like yet another gimmicky weight loss plan to many of you, but it’s actually a science-backed regimen aimed at alleviating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Developed by Australian researchers, the efficacy of the low FODMAP diet for IBS is supported by encouraging studies in numerous medical journals, and has increasingly become the go-to dietary intervention for this highly prevalent condition.

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