Acupuncture is a practice that is over 2500 years old and promotes the natural healing of the body. Those who practice acupuncture explain that there are energy channels called meridians that run through the body. The energy that flows through the meridians is called Qi (chi). If Qi is blocked our energy becomes unbalanced and we can become sick. Using needles at specific acupuncture points (depending on the problem) can unblock the energy and allow the Qi to flow normally. Recent studies using functional MRI brain scans have found that when specific acupuncture points are stimulated on the body,... (Read More ...)
I can hardly believe that this is the third February in a row that I’m writing this column! If you’ve been with us from the beginning, or if you’ve read some of our past medical columns, then you’ll know what’s coming next. February is not only the month of Valentine’s Day, but also American Heart Month. (You can celebrate both by eating dark chocolate!) In keeping with those themes, and given how extraordinarily important it is for you to know about and understand how heart disease affects, and is different in, women, this month’s column will be on the... (Read More ...)
New Years Resolutions are a set up. We all tend to set lofty goals for ourselves, and eventually we break them (usually within the first month). Keeping that in mind, I have decided to take a new direction. I suggest you do the same. How about making resolutions that you can keep? These are the ones I propose: I will: Take at least one spontaneous trip this year Eat one hot fudge sundae and not feel guilty (this is a good one!) Make a new friend Try to learn to speak a new language Go to the movies once a month Laugh at least 10 times a day. Try and find things that are fun and do-able... (Read More ...)
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This important initiative, and organization by the same name ( NBCAM), was started over two decades ago to raise awareness about breast cancer in all women and their families. Over the years, the organization has evolved and made all issues related to breast cancer of year-round importance. NBCAM is comprised of professional medical associations – such as the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American College of Radiology, and the American College of Clinical Oncology; government agencies – such as the Centers for Disease... (Read More ...)
The month of September, possibly more than any other month of the year, always elicits vivid memories. Back to school, new notebooks and pencils, new outfits that simply must be in the fashion-of-the-moment (remember Papagallo shoes?!), football season, marching band practice, and of course, a back-to-school checkup. And included in that checkup was always the eye chart with those huge letters which inevitably led to stronger glasses and, happily one year, contact lenses. But since our eyes stop changing sometime in our teens and are stable until one day we realize we ‘re holding the newspaper... (Read More ...)
