Health Tips

As we talked about last week, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain, primarily the nerve cells that produce dopamine.  We talked about the common symptoms of tremors, slow movements, muscle stiffness, and walking and balance problems.  Today we will talk about…

Parkinson’s a progressive disease of the nervous system that affects movement.  People often think of tremors when they think of Parkinson’s disease, as this can be the most noticeable symptom in the early stages.  The tremor is just a part of this disorder though.  Today we will talk about the…

Vaccinating a high percentage of the American population against COVID-19 is a crucial part of the strategy to stop the pandemic.  Approximately 63.1 million Americans have been fully vaccinated thus far, which is about 19% of the total U.S. population.  The rate of vaccination has increased significantly over the past…

How many times has someone told you that you should eat chicken soup when you are sick?  Your grandmother or mother perhaps?  My mother is certainly a believer.  Chicken soup has been praised for its healing qualities for centuries.  It turns out that chicken soup really does have properties that…

Good nutrition is a key component in preventing and managing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Making diet changes at the first signs of CKD can prevent further damage and slow the progression of the disease. Hypertension and diabetes are commonly associated with CKD. Controlling hypertension with a low sodium, healthy fat…

This week we will continue our discussion about kidney disease.  We will talk today about how to prevent chronic kidney disease (CKD).  We will also talk about treatment options and how you can help to manage CKD to prevent progression to kidney failure. What can you do to keep your…

Last week we started our review of kidney disease with some basic information about the function of the kidneys.  Today we will talk more about chronic kidney disease, including causes, symptoms, and how it is diagnosed. What is chronic kidney disease (CKD)? CKD is defined as having some type of…

March is National Kidney Month.  This is an opportunity for us to raise awareness about kidney disease.  I thought we could start this week with an overview of how your kidneys work and why they are so important.  Then we can talk about the different kidney diseases and what we…

Many of us are under a lot of stress.  Stress can lead to over-eating, especially over-eating foods that are high in fat and sugar.  Stress also can lead to drinking more alcohol, exercising less, and having a hard time sleeping. If you are experiencing stress, there are some ways to…

Is the skin on your hands dry and scaly?  Do you have cracks on your hands that are painful and sometimes bleed?  You may have thought this was just dry skin, but hand eczema might be the culprit.  About 10% of the US population has hand eczema.  This is often…