Heart Awareness Month

What is heart disease? Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. More than 600,000 Americans die of heart disease each year. That’s one in every four deaths in this country. The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type is coronary artery disease, which […]

NATIONAL THYROID MONTH

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, just above your collarbone. It is one of your endocrine glands, which make hormones. Thyroid hormones control the rate of many activities in your body. These include how fast you burn calories and how fast your heart beats. All of these activities are your body’s metabolism. […]

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

What is breast cancer? Cancer occurs when changes called mutations take place in genes that regulate cell growth. The mutations let the cells divide and multiply in an uncontrolled way. Breast cancer is cancer that develops in breast cells. Typically, the cancer forms in either the lobules or the ducts of the breast. Lobules are […]

NATIONAL CHOLESTEROL AWARENESS MONTH

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that your body needs to make hormones and digest fats. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs, but you can also get cholesterol from eating certain foods, such as egg yolks and fatty meats. Having high blood cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries, putting you at […]

NATIONAL PSORIASIS AWARENESS

What Is Psoriasis? Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease* (a disease with an unclear cause that is characterized by inflammation caused by dysfunction of the immune system) that causes inflammation in the body. There may be visible signs of the inflammation such as raised plaques (plaques may look different for different skin types) and scales on the […]

Vision Health Month

If your eyes feel healthy, it’s easy to assume they are healthy. But many eye diseases don’t have any warning signs — so you could have an eye problem and not know it. The good news is, there’s a lot you can do to set yourself up for a lifetime of seeing well! Get a comprehensive dilated eye exam […]

National Migraine and Headache Awareness

What Is a Migraine? A migraine is a strong headache that often comes with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light. It can last hours or days. Migraine Symptoms Migraines are different in everyone. In many people, they happen in stages. These stages may include: Prodrome Aura Attack Postdrome Prodrome Hours or days before a headache, about 60% of people who have […]

PARKINSON’S AWARENESS MONTH

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing (“dopaminergic”) neurons in a specific area of the brain called substantia nigra. Symptoms generally develop slowly over years. The progression of symptoms is often a bit different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease.  The cause remains largely unknown. Although […]

Colorectal Cancer Awareness

Colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts in the colon or the rectum. These cancers can also be named colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where they start. Colon cancer and rectal cancer are often grouped together because they have many features in common. Most colorectal cancers start as a growth on the inner lining […]

HEART AWARENESS MONTH

What is heart disease? Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. More than 600,000 Americans die of heart disease each year. That’s one in every four deaths in this country. The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type is coronary artery disease, which […]