My name is Andrew Styles and I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 2000. I hope my personal experiences help others by inspiring them to share their own stories. Anyone can get the Hepatitis C virus (HCV or Hep C): women, men, gay, straight, young and old; it does not discriminate.
For centuries before becoming the sweet treat we know today, chocolate, the product of fermented cacao beans, was used as medicine. Early Aztec cultures concocted remedies using cocoa from the “chocolate tree” to ease intestinal complaints and upset stomach, control diarrhea, reduce fevers, and boost strength before military conquests. Later eras linked chocolate to other properties, such as a cure for “chocolatomania” cravings in the mid-1900s, which were believed to occur in young women.
The Mount Sinai Hospital Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) was awarded a 2014 Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the leading society of acute- and critical-care nurses.
Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) is a common heart valve abnormality that affects up to 5 percent of the U.S. population. The mitral valve controls the flow of blood from the lungs to the main pumping chamber of the heart. MVP results from a degeneration of valve structure that leads to a regurgitation of blood backwards that can result in heart enlargement and weakening, as well as fatigue and shortness of breath.
What started as a casual observation among physicians almost a decade ago—that patients with HIV tend to develop hypertension and have a greater risk of heart attacks than the general population—has become a formal area of study and treatment within the Mount Sinai Health System.
Under the direction of Merle Myerson, MD, EdD, Director of the Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Roosevelt Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, and Director of the Cardiology Section of the Spencer Cox Center for Health, patients with HIV are being closely monitored and treated for heart disease and stroke. In fact, cardiovascular care has become increasingly critical to the overall health of HIV patients, as more of them live well into their 70s and 80s.
As we age our skin changes in many ways. For one, it loses some of the underlying layers of fat that give us a youthful appearance. Our skin also loses elasticity and tone, which leads to wrinkles, and becomes less able to retain moisture. The oil production glands on the face become smaller, as well.
While these changes are a normal part of aging, there are some things that can be done to slow the process and mask some of the appearance. Keep in mind that the key to skin care over the age of 50 is prevention, and consider adopting these healthy skin practices: