In the United States, someone suffers from a stroke every four seconds. And one in four of those strokes occur in someone who has already had one. The chances are high that you know someone who has had—or will have—a stroke. What is a stroke? A stroke is a disruption in blood flow to the… Read More
April is Occupational Therapy Month. The profession of occupational therapy was initially developed as a response to soldiers returning home from World War I with symptoms of “shell shock,” or what we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder. The original occupational therapists were women hired by the military to assist the soldiers in reclaiming their… Read More
You may have heard that 10,000 steps a day is the ideal goal for staying healthy and active. The idea has been around a while. As fitness trackers become more and more ubiquitous, you may see the number of steps you take each day and be somewhat disappointed. In our busy lives, it can be… Read More
February may be thought of as the month for hearts of the red paper variety, but American Heart Month reminds you to care for your cardiovascular health. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, and cardiovascular disease affects almost half of all Americans. Some risk factors—like age, sex, ethnicity,… Read More
The new year is often a time of reflection, where we consider the year behind us and what we want to see in the coming year. The excitement of the new year inspires many people to set new goals to try and make positive changes in their lives. However, surveys show fewer than 10% of… Read More
Could the rate of heart attacks spike during the winter holidays? Several studies have suggested that it does. The American Heart Association published a study showing that more people have heart attacks around the holidays, with a more serious outcome. Other research showed that more people die of a heart attack on Christmas Day than… Read More
November is National Diabetes Month. Diabetes is a serious illness that causes sugar to build up in the blood, and can lead to health complications including kidney failure, amputations and blindness. If you don’t have diabetes, maybe you’re tempted to skip the rest of this article. But consider this: According to the American Medical Association… Read More
Not so long ago, many people thought of depression as a sign of personal weakness. “Buck up,” the depressed person’s friends would say. “Pull yourself out of the blues.” But fortunately, a more enlightened attitude prevails today. More and more people are seeking help for depression, recognizing that it is a medical problem. What causes… Read More
September is National Falls Prevention Awareness Month. Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sounds the alarm about the life-changing impact of fall injuries, especially among older adults. They report that each year, millions of people aged 50 and older will fall, and 20% of those falls cause a serious injury, including… Read More
Experts from Newcastle University in the UK recently asked the question: Do people who exercise spend less on health care? To find out, they looked at the records of half a million people in the U.S., spanning the years 1996 to the present. The subjects reported their current activity level, as well as how active… Read More