Category Archives: Education

Sugar has become Public Enemy Number One in the world of nutrition, leading many consumers to eager select artificial sweeteners in their effort to avoid real sugar. While cutting back on added sugar intake is a worthwhile goal, artificial sweeteners may not be a better alternative! The truth is, artificial sweeteners have dangers lurking beneath the surface, including links to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and a number of other health risks. Read More →

In the beloved 1990s sitcom Friends, there is an episode that follows simultaneous storylines in a hospital: Phoebe is giving birth to triplets while Joey is down the hall trying to pass kidney stones. The juxtaposition of the two scenes suggests that passing kidney stones is the closest that men will ever come to experiencing the pain of childbirth. Indeed, kidney stones are known for causing incredible pain as they leave the body.

What Are Kidney Stones? Read More →

We live in a world wrought with tension, and unfortunately that stress often culminates into health problems. One of the most common results of this stress is the tension headache, a headache of moderate pain that causes the head to feel like a tight band is being pulled around it. If you know this feeling well, there are steps you can take to alleviate your pain in the future.

How Do You Know You Have a Tension Headache? Read More →

Getting sick is always a miserable experience, but the stomach flu, also known as the norovirus, pops up this time of year to add insult to injury. The 2017 January through March stomach flu season has proven to be about normal, with reports of the illness spreading around the country like wildfire. If you haven’t fallen victim to the stomach flu yet, keep your fingers crossed that you can remain so lucky. Read More →

It’s easy to connect obesity and unhealthy eating habits with heart health risks, but what about gum disease? As it turns out, there is a close link between a person’s oral health and heart health. Grab your toothbrush and floss, because it could save your life.

Oral Hygiene and Heart Health

Simply put, if your mouth is unhealthy, your heart might be too. Research is still in the works, but here is what we do know.  The gums inside of the mouth are vascular, which means they are full of blood vessels, and the mouth itself is filled with bacteria. When unhealthy gums become inflamed, the dangerous bacteria in the mouth can seep into the bloodstream and travel anywhere within the body, creating more inflammation as they go. This is incredibly dangerous, especially to the heart. Read More →

Americans have an interesting relationship with antibiotics. We rely on them to alleviate a number of conditions, but we worry about antibiotic resistance and largely criticize farmers who use antibiotics on their animals. It begs the question, are antibiotics good or bad?

What Are Antibiotics?

An antibiotic is a medication meant to slow down and destroy the growth of bacteria in the body. A great deal of bacteria in the body is good and even necessary for health, but the bacteria targeted by antibiotics is known to cause infections like meningitis, salmonella, sinusitis, and many more. The antibiotics essentially slow the bacteria down enough that the body’s natural defense mechanisms can then step in and finish the healing process. Read More →

Many months have passed since the Zika virus started triggering international health concerns, and unfortunately the situation seems to be getting worse instead of better. Florida has now officially joined the ranks of other foreign cities with internal Zika infections. Two domestic cases of Zika were just confirmed in Miami-Dade County, leading the Department of Health to implement many preventative and protective measures.

Prevention in Schools Read More →

Gluten has been the hot topic word in health and wellness for years now, but it can be tricky to understand where to find gluten and exactly how it interacts with the body. Many people, like those with Celiacs Disease, must avoid all gluten for specific health reasons, while others cut gluten out due to a sensitivity or desire to feel cleaner.

What is Gluten? Read More →

The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games are just about upon us, beginning Friday, August 5th and wrapping up on Sunday, August 21. Sadly, the Olympics has been shrouded in controversy for a long time now, first due to the spread of the Zika virus and later due to other issues of safety. Now more athletes are boldly stating they are withdrawing from the Olympics due to the threat of Zika.

The Zika Basics

The Zika virus is currently circulating in more than 45 countries and territories. As a mosquito-borne disease, this virus is particularly dangerous because an infection during pregnancy often leads to a birth defect called microcephaly, in which an infant is born with brain damage and an abnormally small head. The virus can be tricky, because the majority of infections are mild and go unnoticed by those affected. The symptoms that do present themselves in 20 percent of cases include joint pain, red eyes, rash, and fever. Read More →

The body’s muscles play a vital role in health and wellness, and until the age of 30 they continue to grow longer and stronger. However, as you approach the big 4-0, your muscles will slowly but surely lose some of their mass and function. This occurs at an accelerated rate if you are inactive, but can still impact you if you’re physically fit. It’s an age-related trend called sarcopenia, but fortunately it can be prevented and minimized with certain exercise and diet choices. Read More →