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…)
LGBT health post by Barbara Warren and guest blogger Beth Monkarsh
A recent study out of University of Montreal and McGill University found that people who were open about their sexual orientation identity were less anxious, depressed and stressed than both heterosexuals and people in the “closet.” Persistent stress can cause the hormone cortisol to spike, creating inflammation in the body. Inflammation has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. (more…)
The only thing to fear is fear itself. So please get tested. Of the approximately 1.2 million people in the United States who are HIV positive, 250,000 don’t know it.
There are two good reasons to know your HIV status. First, there are treatments available that let people live normal lives. The earlier they’re started in the course of the disease, the better they are at protecting people against complications. Second, people who are HIV positive and successfully suppress the virus with treatment are less likely to transmit the disease. (more…)
Communication includes listening, reading, writing and speaking, as well as nonverbal actions, such as body position, gestures and facial expression. All human interactions involve the use of one or more of these activities, and certainly our health is a vital topic worthy of our best communication efforts.
During an appointment with your health care provider, follow these tips for effective communication: (more…)
We often refer to hypertension (high blood pressure) as a “silent disease” because it does not always cause symptoms, and could go unchecked for years.
When you get your blood pressure checked at your medical provider’s office, hypertension is diagnosed with two blood pressure readings of 140/90 or higher.
• The first (top) number is the systolic pressure inside your arteries when your heart is contracting.
• The second (bottom) number is the diastolic pressure when your arteries are relaxed.
Many of the patients we evaluate for kidney transplant wonder how they could have found out they had kidney disease earlier, or before it progressed to the point that they needed to consider kidney dialysis or transplantation. (more…)