Why don’t they usually work? It’s that time of year when making our New Year’s resolutions. Typically, most people select something that they want to improve about themselves. The problem is that most of us are unable to stick with it and fail to meet our goals. Why...
Your Health Consult 2019
Medication Shortages
What is the cause? Recently, there have been several medication shortages of medicines that many people need to take every day in order to survive. The sad thing is that medication shortages are not new, but are increasing in frequency. Why is this happening? What...
Childhood Obesity
What can we do to fix the epidemic? For the past several years, there have been numerous reports on the fact that childhood obesity is increasing and has reached the level of being an epidemic. This is very concerning because of all the health risks that accompany...
Hidden Germs
Where are they lurking? You probably know that there are germs in and around your toilet. You also probably know that there are germs on a cutting board after using it to slice raw meat. While these are obvious places that you would find germs, there are plenty of...
Loneliness & Health
What’s the correlation? Whether you’re a child, teen, adult or elderly, it’s not fun to be lonely. People are supposed to be social beings. This is why it might not come as a surprise that being lonely can negatively impact your health. What are the consequences? What...
Menu Calorie Counts
Do they make a difference? Recently, the new law went into effect that requires restaurants to put the amount calories an item or meal has on their menus. The thought is that this will help people make more informed choices when ordering. Does it work? Do people...
Exercising & Mood
Is there an impact? There’s no question that exercise can have a significant positive impact on your body. You probably can list many of the physical benefits that it can provide. However, it can have an effect on your mental wellbeing too. One thing might seem...
Climate Change a Public Health Emergency
How so? When you hear the term “climate change,” most likely you think of the environment and the impact it’s having. However, climate change doesn’t just affect the environment. These changes that are occurring influence all of our health. How does this happen? What...
Male Birth Control Pill
Does it work? Women have had many varieties of birth control to choose from for several years. All of these are fairly safe and effective. For men, they only have two options—condoms or vasectomies. What if there was another option? What if men could take a pill that...
Millennials & Less Babies
What's the connection? For the past several years, the birth rate across the nation has been declining. This has the potential to pose some very serious implications on the future. Millennials are the group that is in the prime child-bearing range. Why they aren’t...
Dieting Teenagers
Why is it not a good thing? Given that a significant number of people are overweight and our society’s current outlook on body image is that we’re supposed to be thin, it’s no wonder that most of us have tried dieting at some point. A surprising fact is the number of...
Recycled Toilet Water
Is it safe? Water is an important part of our lives. We need it to survive, but in some areas, it’s becoming increasingly scarce. In order to make sure that there is enough water for people to drink, many places are looking at creative solutions. One such solution is...
ASMR
Why is everyone whispering? If you’re on any of the social media platforms, you might notice people talking about ASMR. Or, maybe you’ve stumbled across weird videos of people whispering or doing other strange things quietly. Why are they doing this? What is ASMR? Is...
Uninsured Eligible Americans
Why are there so many? In the United States, there are nearly 28 million people without health insurance. Did you know that half of these people are eligible to receive it, but don’t? Why is this the case? How can this be rectified? If you don’t have health insurance,...
Cellphones & Cancer
Is there a correlation? Most people nowadays have a cellphone and use it almost constantly. There have been some concerns that due to the electromagnetic fields that phones create, you might have a higher risk of developing cancer. How likely is this true? If it is...
Weather, Season & Health
How are they connected? When you think about weather, you’re most likely concerned with whether or not your need to bring an umbrella or coat with you when you walk out the door. When you think about seasons, you’re probably thinking about the different activities...
Vaping Sickness
What is it? If you’ve seen the news lately, you’re probably aware of a few hundred people across the country who have experienced vaping sickness. Unfortunately, one person has died from it. The individuals involved are young and healthy, but have a sudden onset of...
Probiotics
How do they work? You’ve probably heard the word, “probiotics” before and know that some foods contain them. Some people take supplements that are comprised of probiotics. Why are they so important? What benefits do you gain by making sure that your body has them?...
Health Risks at College
What do you need to know? It’s that time of year when college starts. For the freshmen, this is exciting because it’s usually your first chance at living on your own and a sense of taking charge of your life. The experience should definitely be enjoyed! However, there...
CBD Products
What are they supposed to do? You’ve probably noticed that there are CBD shops everywhere. CBD has become increasingly popular within the past few years. Why? What are the benefits of using it? Isn’t CBD from marijuana? So, how can these shops sell it since marijuana...
Healthcare Cost
Why is it so expensive? If you hear the word healthcare, one of your first thoughts is probably how expensive it is. This is definitely true. The cost of healthcare in the United States is significantly more than that of other countries and some of these countries...
Evidence Based Practice
Why is it important? When you hear the words evidence-based practice, you assume that means that a doctor, nurse or hospital follows proven treatments on providing the best care to you and everyone else. Is this true? What exactly is evidence-based practice? Does it...
Health Apps
Do they really work? If you’re like most people, you want to improve your health in some way. This could be exercising more, eating better or learning more about a health condition. A tool that you could use to accomplish this is one of the thousands of health apps...
Body Image
Why do we struggle with it? It has been in the news everywhere in recent months…fat shaming or body shaming. Every celebrity seems to have something to say regarding it. What is body image? Why is fat shaming or body shaming so detrimental? What can we do to stop it?...
Dieting
Why do we still do it? Most people have tried a diet at some point during their life. Truthfully, you have probably tried more than one. The results are all usually the same. You might lose weight initially, but as time passes, it is increasingly challenging to...
Pollution
It is worse for your health than you realize! Pollution and ways to prevent it have been in the news for years. Typically, it makes headlines when some form of it affects the environment or human health. Most of us are aware of how bad pollution is for the...
EPA
Why is it necessary? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been in the news lately as there has been talk of cutting funding and reducing the number of employees. This has brought the EPA to forefront for many Americans that normally wouldn’t give it a second...
Hep C & Baby Boomers
What do you need to know? When you turn the TV on, there are several commercials that are encouraging Baby Boomers to get tested for Hepatitis C. What is Hep C? If you’re a Baby Boomer, why should you be concerned? Did you know that if you’re a Baby Boomer,...
Cancer
Why won’t it ever be curable? When you consider that worldwide, cancer is one of the leading causes of death and it is something that mankind has known about since Hippocrates was alive (2300 years ago), it is no wonder that we have state-of-the-art medical facilities...
Marijuana
Should it be legal everywhere? Marijuana is a not a new substance, but the debate about whether or not it should be legal for medical, recreational or both has been gaining more ground on a national level for the past few years. As more and more states are looking at...
Personalized Medicine
Genetic testing could save your life! Personalized medicine, or genomic medicine, is a new discipline that uses genetic information from an individual as part of their care either in diagnostic or therapeutic decision-making. It also affects health outcomes/policy...
Measles Outbreak
What’s going on? Every time you turn on the news, it seems that the measles outbreak is continuing to spread at an alarming rate as more people are being infected across the country. Why is this happening? How bad are measles to have? Should you be concerned? What can...
Group Thinking/Mob Mentality
Why is this such a bad idea? From the time we are small, we are encouraged to participate in groups collaborating with other to use critical thinking to come up with important ideas. While this is an important skill to have, there are several things that can go wrong...
Mental Health Disorders
Why is there such a stigma? For centuries, people with mental health disorders have been shunned or excluded…that is the best-case scenario. In worst case scenarios, these people were tortured and killed. What is it about mental illness that makes others react so...
Social Media & Relationships
Is there a disconnect? Most of us use social media not only every day but several times throughout the day. Some of us are even on it for hours at a time. We are definitely more connected to people that we might never have met without social media and that is a great...
Food Recalls
Why are there so many? You expect your food to be safe, but it seems whenever you read the news there is some sort of food recall. Why is this happening? Is the safety of the food supply deteriorating? Are the agencies that monitor and enforce the food safety...
Super Drug Resistant STDs
What should you be concerned about? Sure, we all know STDs aren’t something you want and, hopefully, you take all possible precautions to prevent contracting one. This is especially important because it has recently come to light that there are certain STDs that are...
Plastic
Why is it so bad? Everywhere you look there is plastic. It’s used for everything from our cellphones to storage containers to pens to toothbrushes and much, much more. While it can definitely be useful, we are starting to realize just how much of a problem it is...
Alternative Treatments
Do they really work? Modern medicine has only been in existence since the early 19th century. Prior to that, there were treatments available, but many have been proven to be ineffective due to the developments in science and technology. However, in recent years the...
Honesty with Your Doctor
Why does it matter? We all know that the significance of being honest in any relationship, whether it’s with your significant other, family members, boss or co-workers. However, the person you should definitely always be honest with is your doctor. Why is this so...
Work & Your Health
What's the impact? You spend a significant amount of your time at work, which means it greatly impacts your health. The outcomes can be positive or negative. How do you determine which one your experiencing? What can you do to create more positive results? In...
Veterans Healthcare
What needs to improve? For many years, the healthcare system for our veterans has been under fire for have numerous problems and providing inadequate care. Considering what these brave men and women sacrifice while serving our country this is definitely unacceptable....
Plastic Surgery Abroad
Is it a good idea? There is no question that plastic surgery is expensive and, in most cases, it isn’t covered by health insurance. Since the cost is coming directly out of your own pocket, it would be nice to save some money where possible, right? This has led many...
Center for Disease Control
What's its role? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seems to be constantly in the news. It can be related to food safety concerns, epidemics or environmental threats. With all this information being shared, it can make many people wonder what is the...
Genetic Edited Babies
Where do we draw the line? With the recent announcement of a scientist who genetically edited babies, controversy has been plentiful. If you haven’t followed the story too closely, you might be wondering many things. What exactly happened? Why does it matter? What...
PrEP (HIV Medication)
How does it work? Did you know that there is a medication available to help prevent you from developing HIV? Probably not. Given how devastating the disease used to be and how life altering it still is, one would think that this ability to prevent the transmission of...
GMO Products
Are they bad for you? GMO products seem to be making the news more and more. Did you know that they’ve been around for years? So, is the media attention just hype or is it really a concern? What exactly are they? Why does it matter? Should you be worried about...
Soda Tax
Does it work? Who doesn’t love to have a nice, cold soda on warm day? Going to the movies and not getting a soda with your popcorn just doesn’t seem right. However, over the past several years, several cities have passed laws that increase the amount tax that is being...
Child Car Seats
Why does size and position matter? Everyone loves their child and wants what’s best for them. So, when it comes to their safety while riding in the car, you have a car seat specifically designed for them. Depending on the age and size of your child, the type of car...
Stimulant Epidemic
Is this the next drug problem? We all know about the opioid epidemic. Hopefully, we’re starting to make some progress in combating it. Did you know that we are also in the midst of a stimulant epidemic? How is this the case? Why is this so concerning? What should we...
Celebrity Fads
Are they really good for your health? Celebrities always seem to be endorsing a product, diet or exercise routine. Given the power of social media now, these endorsements are constantly being placed in front of us. It doesn’t matter if they truly believe in what...
Pets
Are they good for your health? After a long and stressful day at work, all you want to do is go home and relax. The minute you walk in the door, you are greeted by your dog. She is so happy to see you that her body is shaking with excitement. You set down your...