Healthy aging is not the simple absence of disease in the age group above 65. It is a set of habits and behaviors to be implemented at the age of 40 and beyond if we want to keep an active, independent lifestyle in the geriatric population. Adequate physical activity, heathy nutrition, use of preventive services,…

Childhood obesity continues to rise around the world, and the World Health Organization has called it one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. We know it’s on the rise and we know it’s a health risk, but what can we do as parents and as a community to stop it?…

As a primary care physician, one of the best tools that I can offer my patients is immunization, as it helps to prevent disease before it happens by providing the immune system with a “home-court advantage,” or as I like to tell my patients, “the answers to the test before it has to take it.”…

Supplements and multivitamins are taken by more than 100 million Americans, from women in their 20s to men in their 70s. Despite the popularity of these pills, studies have found that it’s best to get essential vitamins and nutrients from the foods we eat. Most people who maintain a healthy diet with a variety of…

As the summer vacation ends and the new school year approaches, parents prepare their children to do their best in school – proper nutrition, regular physical activity and optimal healthy sleep. Sleep profoundly affects school performance. Sleep has very important effects on growth, healing, immune function, cardiopulmonary function and metabolic activities. Sleep in humans is…

If you are reading this, chances are you are fully immunized. That means when you were a child, your parents took you to the doctor for your checkups and you got all of your shots. Since then, your immune system has protected you from a host of infectious diseases that used to kill a lot…

When I think about some of the more controversial public health issues that we see in the U.S., vaccinations are usually at the top of the list. People argue back and forth with pro and anti-vaccination stances but oftentimes are unfamiliar or unclear about the actual data regarding vaccines. I am not using this space…

Worries are common in the weeks leading up to starting back to school. Depending on the age and personality of the child, you might see temper tantrums, clinging, headaches or stomach aches, withdrawal/isolation, pleading, bargaining, even anger or flat refusal to go to school. It is important for the parent or caregiver to NOT give…

BMI is a term that gets used quite a bit in discussions about weight, obesity and bariatric surgery. The term has been the source of a lot of confusion. BMI is short for “Body Mass Index.” It is simply a number calculated from a person’s height and weight. The more a person weighs in relation…