This week (May 13-19) is National Women’s Health Week.  The purpose of this week is to empower women to make their own health a top priority.  An important way for women to remain in good health is to understand what preventive health measures are recommended for women as they age.  The guidelines below can help women find out about recommended screening tests at any age. These guidelines are based on U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendation, as well as those from the American Cancer Society. Keep in mind that these are guidelines only. All preventive health measures should be …

The first new case of mad cow disease in the U.S. since 2006 was discovered in a dairy cow in California on Tuesday.  The infected cow, the fourth ever discovered in the U.S., was found as part of an Agriculture Department surveillance program that tests about 40,000 cows a year for the fatal brain disease.  Mad cow disease, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is a progressive neurological disease that affects cattle.  Research indicates that a mutated prion protein infects the central nervous system of cattle, causing a spongy deterioration of both their brain and spinal cord.  This …

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions occur in the United States each year.  Emergency rooms treat approximately 170,000 sports and recreation related traumatic brain injuries among children each year. This number is on the rise, increasing 60 percent over the last decade. The extent of sports-related injuries is highlighted by East Brunswick orthopedic surgeon David Kirschenbaum, “Kris Dielman, the pro bowl offensive lineman, just retired because of multiple concussions.  Sidney Crosby, one of the best …

Valentine’s Day is all about our hearts, so follow these tips to keep your heart healthy for years to come: 1.  Stop Smoking.  This is one of the most important changes you can make to improve your health and prolong your life.  Smokers are twice as likely to have a myocardial infarction, or heart attack, than non-smokers.  The good news is that once you stop smoking, your risk begins to decrease. 2.  Exercise Regularly.  Exercising 30 minutes most days of the week will improve your overall health, as well as your cardiovascular health.  Women who exercise regularly reduce their risk of …

Each year, over 12,000 American women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer. Compared to other states in the US, New Jersey had the seventh highest rate of new diagnoses, with a rate of 9.2 new cases diagnosed per 100,000 women, while the rate in the U.S. was 7.9 per 100,000 women in 2007. At one time, cervical cancer was considered one of the most deadly cancers for women. Thanks to effective screening, most cases of cervical cancer can be cured.  The most common screening tool for cervical cancer, the Pap smear, detects both cancerous and precancerous cells.  Since the 1950s, when the use …

On the first of December, World AIDS Day is celebrated.  This day is an opportunity for people to unite in the fight against HIV/AIDS, to remember those who have died of the disease and to celebrate accomplishments, such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.  Today, despite advances in HIV treatment and in laws designed to protect those living with HIV; many people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others from HIV or about the stigma and discrimination that remain a reality for many people living with HIV.  World AIDS Day is an important reminder to…

As the cold weather starts, we begin to face the inevitable illnesses that go hand-in-hand with winter.  Luckily, there are measures that you can take to keep your kids healthy all year long. 1.  Keep them safe in the car. Although this may seem like an odd recommendation to lead the list of ways to your child healthy this winter, accidents are the number one cause of death among children, with motor vehicle accidents being the most common.  Following child passenger safety guidelines is the single most important way to keep your child healthy.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, …

You may notice your coworkers, neighbors and friends wearing purple todayl. Although purple is one of the hot trends in fashion, they are actually wearing this in honor of Alzheimer’s Awareness Day.  This day, sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, is meant to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.   Awareness is critical, given the burden of this horrific disease. Today, 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, with nearly 150,000 afflicted in New Jersey alone. Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country and the only cause of death among the top 10 …

As the summer of 2011 kicks off, it looks like it will be a scorcher.  The Farmer’s Almanac predicts hotter than normal temperatures this summer, and these high temperatures can be hazardous to your health.   Despite being preventable, excessive heat exposure caused 8,015 deaths in the United States from 1979-2003. During this period, more people in this country died from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes combined.   People suffer heat-related illness when their bodies can’t properly cool themselves. When this happens, a person's body temperature …

As the temperature climbs this July, so does the incidence of Lyme disease.  Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected tick.  It is one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in the United States, with the number of cases increasing since the mid-1990’s, according to the CDC.  In 2009, 95 percent of all Lyme disease cases were reported from 12 states, with New Jersey having one of the highest rates in the US.   Now is the time to be aware of this disease, since July is the month in which most new cases are reported.  Lyme disease is …

This week (May 8th-May 14th) is National Women's Health Week, which is a week-long health observance, designed to promote women’s health.  National Women's Health Week empowers women to make their health a top priority. It also encourages them to take steps to improve their physical and mental health and lower their risks of certain diseases. Top 10 things women can do to keep themselves healthy: 1) Get regular physical activity.  This means at least 2 ½ hours of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both, each week.  For women of…

When former East Brunswick resident Marian Dowd found a rash on her side, she assumed it was nothing.  But after the rash spread and became very painful, she realized this was not an ordinary rash.  After a visit to her physician, she was diagnosed with shingles, a painful, blistering skin rash that is caused by the Varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chicken pox.  The virus can reemerge after hibernating in nerves for decades, causing severe, burning pain, as well as blisters. Marian was typical of those who get shingles-she was over the age of 50, she was taking medication …

While the colors of spring begin to appear in the grey landscape, it is time to think about adding some color to your dinner plate, as well.  This is the focus of the American Dietetic Association’s National Nutrition Month this March, which is an annual campaign to highlight the importance of making good food choices.  This year, the emphasis of National Nutrition Month is adding variety to your diet.  “Eating Right with Color” emphasizes the importance of getting your daily nutrition from a variety of food groups and colorful seasonal foods.  By including a colorful variety of fruits, …

We’ve seen the pink products everywhere-T-shirts, hats, water bottles-to raise the awareness of breast cancer. But this Friday, Feb. 4, it is time to put away the pink and Wear Red. On the first Friday in February each year, thousands of women, businesses, schools and landmarks follow the American Heart Association’s advice and “Go Red” to help raise awareness of heart disease as the number one killer of women. Heart disease is the single leading cause of death for American women, killingapproximately one woman every minute and taking the lives of over 12,000 New Jersey women each year. Yet, …

 Although the holidays are behind us and many of us are already looking forward to spring, an unwelcome winter visitor is still in our midst…the flu.  In the United States, flu season is usually from fall through early spring, having its peak anywhere from late November through March.   Influenza, or the flu, is an upper respiratory infection that can be spread from person to person.  Flu symptoms may include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, body aches, chills and fatigue.  Although most people can catch the flu and recover without any serious complications, certain…