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Mind Your Plate During National Nutrition Month

“Make healthier food choices” is sound advice, but it can sometimes be a lot harder than it sounds. With changes to food labels, sometimes-contradictory research news (eggs are bad/no wait, eggs are good), not to mention the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, the fasting diet, MIND diet and countless other approaches that come along every day, just knowing where to start can cause paralysis by analysis.

Improve your heart IQ during American Heart Month

When you hear the words “American Heart Month” the first thing that likely comes to mind is “heart attack.” But that’s only one part of the story. More than raising awareness of signs of heart attack, this month is all about heart disease, which covers an array of conditions that, combined, are the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women.

For a small gland, the thyroid is a big deal.

Your heart, brain, liver, kidneys and skin all rely on one, often-overlooked, butterfly-shaped gland: your thyroid. Located just under your voice box, this little workhorse regulates several body functions and plays a huge role in metabolism — if you need more energy, for example, it pumps out more hormones to deliver it. When you were young, it was also a major driver of your growth and development.

Two ways to stop the flu that go hand-in-hand.

This year, both National Influenza Vaccination Week and National Handwashing Awareness Week are being observed during the first week of December. While that may be a coincidence, it happens to be a happy one. Both a flu shot and good handwashing habits are instrumental in helping to prevent a communicable disease that’s uncommonly dangerous.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 37 million and 43 million Americans contracted the flu last year, leading to upwards of 647,000 hospitalizations and as many as 61,200 deaths. Needless to say, even if you’re able to outlast the flu at home (after a week or so of misery), avoiding the flu should be high on your priority list as we enter the heart of flu season.

Most people are familiar with physical therapy (PT) as a way to help with recovery from injuries, strokes or heart procedures. But the reality is that PT is far more comprehensive than that. From pain management to fall prevention, PT can prevent surgery, boost mobility, and treat, prevent and improve a wide array of health conditions.