Is fraud in your future? Protect yourself from medical identity theft (BPT) - With millions of Americans slated to gain access to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, many may find themselves unknowingly at risk for medical identity theft, a crime that costs the country $41.3 billion annually. In the United States, an estimated 1.5 million people have their ID stolen each year. “It ...
How to talk to a loved one about the difficult subject of hearing loss (BPT) - Full of festive gatherings, this time of year brings us close to friends and family. But if you know someone suffering from hearing loss, it may be hard for you both to fully enjoy time together. You can help improve your loved one’s quality of life by addressing the problem with understanding and care. With a f...
Help stay healthy this holiday season with a flu shot [Infographic] With flu season in full swing, older adults need to know that getting a flu shot doesn’t just help keep them healthy, it also helps prevent the spread of the flu to family and friends. This is particularly important during the holidays because family members of all generations spend time together in close quarters increasing the risk of spreading the flu. Individuals may be infected with the flu and spread it several days before showing symptoms. Older adults are particularly at risk for in...
Tips for traveling safely with your food-allergic child (BPT) - Traffic delays, long wait times and hungry little tummies – for all the rewards of spending time with your children, traveling with kids can be a challenge. But when the child has food allergies, those challenges can start to look like insurmountable - and even life-threatening - obstacles. “It is possible to t...
A new year brings opportunity for a new you (BPT) - The new year is widely accepted as a time to start fresh, and every year people make resolutions to better themselves. For many, this means vowing to make lifestyle changes to improve how they look and feel. However, sticking to restrictive diets and intense workout programs can be difficult and not sustainable ...
Women urged to speak up about silent symptom of menopause (BPT) - Mood swings, hot flashes and night sweats are common complaints from women going through menopause. But there is another common menopause symptom that is affecting millions of women, yet only 25 percent of sufferers seek medical help. Vaginal discomfort, which may be caused by a condition called vaginal atrophy...
Often overlooked, monitoring bone health is key for patients with blood cancer (BPT) - An aching back is painful and inconvenient for anyone, but for people living with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer, pain in the back and ribs can signal that the cancer has spread to their bones. Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the U.S., with an estimated 70,000 adult Americans living with the disease and another 21,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed in 2012. According to Dr. James Berenson, medical and scientific director at the Institute f...
The health secrets that women keep (BPT) - Secret bottles in the medicine cabinet? Frequent trips to the bathroom? Moodiness, fatigue or changes in social behavior? Everyone has secrets – that’s no surprise. But whether little or big, secrets can make a real difference in quality of life. When it comes to women keeping their health issues to themselves,...
Seven ways to a healthy home: Make wellness a priority this winter (BPT) - During the winter months, it’s important to take extra care of your home, your family and especially yourself. In addition to taking steps to prevent cold and flu viruses that are common at this time of year, you should also pause to relax and recharge, if only for a few minutes each day. Luckily, there are a...
Commitment is the new resolution (BPT) - The tradition of new year’s resolutions has been around 4,000 years, when Babylonians saw fit to start the year off right by making promises to the gods. Today, such promises are a media phenomenon, designed to be broken. “One reason most new year’s resolutions usually fail before the end of January is because ...
Dry eye - dealing with a common issue (BPT) - Dry eye affects up to 40 million Americans, has many causes, and a variety of symptoms. Those who suffer from dry eye know one thing: that it can be very uncomfortable. Common dry eye symptoms include scratchiness or grittiness, the feeling of a foreign particle in the eye, redness and even excessive reflex wate...
From hydrotherapy to massage, home therapies can help ease arthritis pain (BPT) - About one out of every five American adults has been diagnosed with arthritis, and it is the most common cause of disability in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The pain and stiffness caused by arthritis – and the high cost of arthritis medications – prompt ...
