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Preventing Cognitive Decline as We Age
In 2016 people age 65 and over represented 15.2% of the population but that number is expected to grow to 21.7% by 2040. Those 85 and older are projected to more than double (6.4 million in 2016 to 14.6 million in 2040). Many have labeled this trend the “Aging Tsunami” and they speculate about the…
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Common Drugs that May Increase Dementia Risks
Over the past few years dementia has skyrocketed to become the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. Dementia is a general term for a decline in memory, reasoning or other thinking skills severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s on the other hand is a degenerative brain disease that is caused…
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Trauma-Informed OB/GYN Care for Sexual Abuse Survivors
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that physicians elicit a sexual abuse and rape trauma history for every patient. Yet in practice, physicians may still struggle to understand how best to obtain this history and what clinical obligations arise when a physician inquires, and a woman discloses a remote history of childhood or…
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When Sexual Abuse Survivors Give Birth
When we undergo an experience that is upsetting or traumatic, people typically have various reactions. Take for example, a person who is in a car accident. It is common for them to have a strong reaction when they think of the accident, begin driving again, or drive past the spot of the accident. The triggers…
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Rape Culture in America
The term “rape culture” has been used to describe the attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate sexual violence. Behaviors commonly associated with rape culture include victim blaming, slut-shaming, sexual objectification of women and girls, trivializing rape, denying the widespread prevalence of rape, and failing to acknowledge the harm caused by sexual violence. We are groomed and…
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Mental Health in the United States
Americans have been shaken in recent years by the news of tragedies caused by individuals suffering from inadequately treated depression or other mental illnesses. Mental illnesses have increased significantly among adolescents and young adults. Since 2008, suicide has ranked as the 10th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States. In 2016,…
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IT’S TIME
The Constitution was written many years ago and really needs some changes. Here are my suggestions: Clean and easy, the president can be born anywhere. Becoming president is a rigorous experience. If the public votes you in, your birthplace is irrelevant. Presidents should serve 5 or 6-year terms. It’s a waste of energy for a…
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Income Inequality’s Effects on Diabetes & Diet
So often, we echo sentiments about “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” and working hard for what we want in life, but there’s a reality we usually seem to miss. Frequently, the systems within which we work are not set up to actualize the dreams we strive for. All too often, our systems are constructed…
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Gratitude: Our Bodies’ Natural Anti-Depressant
If you look up the word gratitude in the dictionary you will find it is a noun that describes the state of being grateful, thankful, and appreciative. But research has found is when you turn that noun into an action, expressing gratitude on a regular basis, there are numerous mental and physical health benefits, including…
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Malnutrition in America
While the news is full of stories of malnutrition elsewhere in the world, many people don’t realize that malnutrition is a problem in the United States, as well. Malnutrition is the condition that develops when the body is deprived of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. The…
