As if Wake County residents needed something else to keep them awake at night! Watery eyes, stuffy noses, and sore throats do much more than make daylight hours miserable, they are also a nightmare when it comes to falling asleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the severity of sleep disturbance is directly proportional to the […]
Knowledge is power, but the wrong “knowledge” is worse than ignorance. Sadly, a lot of misinformation is spread through well-meaning friends and family, whether through heartfelt advice or posted on your Facebook page. When it comes to breast cancer, you can’t afford to believe these common myths. Each year around Breast Cancer Awareness Month they seem to […]
One out of every three Triangle residents may have a painful disease lying dormant in their systems, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk of developing shingles, a painful, red, blistering rash that develops on one side of the body. It’s caused by the same virus that causes […]
First, some good news: millions of Americans with diabetes are able to manage the disease and live healthy, strong lives. Through diet, exercise, taking insulin and working with their doctors, they are able to avoid some of the diseases for which they are at greater risk. The bad news? If not properly managed, there are serious—even fatal– […]
That 9-to-5 job may be slowly killing you—and we’re not talking about stress, overtime or high blood pressure. We’re talking about sitting. Studies have repeatedly shown that those who sit for eight hours a day have a dramatically increased risk of health problems, particularly a cluster of symptoms called metabolic syndrome. In some ways, it’s easy to […]
Benjamin Franklin famously said that only two things in life were certain: death and taxes. We think “flu season” should be added to that list. It’s hard to pinpoint what each flu season will bring. Some, like 2015, may be relatively mild, while others—like the infamous 2009 swine flu—wrap around the globe. Unless you have […]
It’s called the “silent killer.” One-in-three Americans has high blood pressure—and many may not even be aware of it! High blood pressure (also called hypertension) frequently does not show any symptoms, so unless you’re having regular physicals or you’ve participated in a free screening at a health fair, you may not realize you’re at greater risk for heart attack or stroke. […]
Modern medicine has yet to create a crystal ball that can predict future health problems, but it has created useful tests and screenings that can provide a roadmap. These “maps” are tools that let patients know which diseases are most likely to present challenges to their health. This is where internal medicine is brought in. […]
There’s a lot you already know about urinary tract infections (UTI’s): they are painful, inconvenient and seem to happen more often as you age. But did you know they are the second most common type of infection, causing 8.1 million health care visits a year? Or if the infection is not treated in a timely manner, it can […]
Do you take Lipitor to lower your cholesterol? Have you taken an over-the-counter pain reliever like Tylenol or Advil? If so, you’ve benefited from a clinical trial. These research studies are vital because they help effective medications reach the marketplace and help healthcare professionals determine which approaches are best for certain situations. This means when you have […]