You may not have heard about compressed morbidity, but it’s an important concept related to health and quality of life.  James Fries, a professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, was the first to discuss compressed morbidity or the idea that we can compress the time horizon between the onset of chronic illness […]

We all know the risk factors for heart disease – using tobacco, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle. These risks get a lot of play in the media, because they have been identified as circumstances that can lead to narrowed or blocked blood vessels, the precursors to heart attack, stroke and other […]

What if a device could give you proper health advice based on your age and weight? Amazon, the American electronic commerce and cloud computing company, has launched a new KidsMD skill that can help parents decide to call a doctor on symptoms like fever, cough, headache, rash, vomiting, sore throat, diarrhea, fatigue or shortness of breath.  […]

March is National Nutrition Month and this year’s theme, Put Your Best Fork Forward, is an opportunity to improve your eating habits by improving your overall habits.  Have you ever noticed that when there is an abundance of choices it is harder to make a good one?  That’s because we have less stress about decision […]

On Sunday, the New England Patriots pulled off an incredible come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons.  Much has been made of quarterback Tom Brady and his amazing performance as an athlete at what, for most athletes, would be the twilight of their careers.  Love him or hate him at 39, Brady’s performance does not seem […]

If you haven’t heard about the current Congress’ plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, you may have been hiding under a rock.  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a federal agency of the US government that provides budget and economic information to Congress, recently released a report outlining the anticipated consequences of repealing […]

People don’t  make resolutions and then spring into lasting action. Behavior change researcher James Prochaska and others (link is external) have written about how people actually change — in stages. The actual behavior change, like starting to exercise, or going on a diet, is not the first stage of change, but rather comes after contemplating a change and then preparing […]

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season. While the holidays should be a happy time, for many people, it is a time filled with sadness, self-reflection, loneliness, and anxiety.  Typical reasons for the holiday blues include stress, fatigue, financial concerns, and separation from family and friends. Stress and depression can ruin your holidays and […]

We’ve come a long way in our understanding of how the body works and how food influences the body’s performance.  Back in the 80s and 90s, we were obsessed with the low-fat lifestyle, eschewing foods with fat like cheese, butter and yogurt, for their low-fat, and usually less satisfying, siblings. Recently, a trend called Carb […]

Now that Daylight Savings Time has ended, we face a few months of shorter days and less sun exposure.  For those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), this is a particularly difficult time of year. SAD is a type of depression triggered by seasonal light changes. In most cases, symptoms begin during late fall […]