Are you planning to have surgery? Did you know your success may depend equally on your surgeon's skill and your dedication to preparation and recovery? A few smart steps a few weeks before a major elective surgery can make a huge difference ..read more

A healthy diet not only means eating healthy foods and not overeating, it also means getting enough to eat. Feeding America, an organization dedicated to alleviating hunger, found that 5 million older Americans lack the food to be healthy. As you might imagine, this can compound the healthcare challenges many of these individuals may be facing. An inadequate supply of healthy food can be especially problematic for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes. Food security is a key social determinant of health – that is, environmental and social circumstances, as well as availability of r ..read more

The belief that a pregnant woman is responsible for the well-being of her fetus is easy to understand. After all, a fetus is literally connected to its mother. Many factors such as a mother’s physical and mental health, exposure to toxins, and whether she is well-nourished have long been recognized as determinants of newborn fitness. Yet the paternal role in producing a healthy baby is rarely considered. That’s unfortunate, because emerging science indicates that fathers play a more significant role in pregnancy outcomes than previously thought. Most pregnant women are diligent about not drink ..read more

For the first time in over a half century, more people in the United States are dying at home than in hospitals – a remarkable turnabout in Americans’ view of a so-called “good death.” In 2017, 29.8 percent of deaths by natural causes occurred in hospitals, and 30.7 percent at home, according to research in the New England Journal of Medicine. The gap may be small, but it has been narrowing for years, and researchers believe dying at home will continue to become more common. Studies show that about 80 percent of Americans prefer to die at home – not in an institutional setting ..read more

For the first time in over a half century, more people in the United States are dying at home than in hospitals – a remarkable turnabout in Americans’ view of a so-called “good death.” In 2017, 29.8 percent of deaths by natural causes occurred in hospitals, and 30.7 percent at home, according to research in the New England Journal of Medicine. The gap may be small, but it has been narrowing for years, and researchers believe dying at home will continue to become more common. Studies show that about 80 percent of Americans prefer to die at home – not in an institutional setting ..read more

About half of middle-aged Americans believe they’re “somewhat” or “very likely” to develop dementia, a University of Michigan survey suggests. And many try to beat the odds with supplements such as ginkgo biloba and vitamin E that are not proven to help. A separate poll found that older patients fear dementia more than cancer. Despite this fear, only about 5 percent said they had discussed dementia prevention with their doctor ..read more

About half of middle-aged Americans believe they’re “somewhat” or “very likely” to develop dementia, a University of Michigan survey suggests. And many try to beat the odds with supplements such as ginkgo biloba and vitamin E that are not proven to help. A separate poll found that older patients fear dementia more than cancer. Despite this fear, only about 5 percent said they had discussed dementia prevention with their doctor ..read more

For the first time in over a half century, more people in the United States are dying at home than in hospitals – a remarkable turnabout in Americans’ view of a so-called “good death.” In 2017, 29.8 percent of deaths by natural causes occurred in hospitals, and 30.7 percent at home, according to research in the New England Journal of Medicine. The gap may be small, but it has been narrowing for years, and researchers believe dying at home will continue to become more common. Studies show that about 80 percent of Americans prefer to die at home – not in an institutional setting ..read more

For the first time in over a half century, more people in the United States are dying at home than in hospitals – a remarkable turnabout in Americans’ view of a so-called “good death.” In 2017, 29.8 percent of deaths by natural causes occurred in hospitals, and 30.7 percent at home, according to research in the New England Journal of Medicine. The gap may be small, but it has been narrowing for years, and researchers believe dying at home will continue to become more common. Studies show that about 80 percent of Americans prefer to die at home – not in an institutional setting ..read more

Flip on the news, and whatever is being reported is likely not a positive, uplifting, or inspiring story. There is no question there is plenty of bad news out, but in the arena of global health – all things considered –there’s much good news to report. A lot of progress has been made in recent years. To start with, global life expectancy has never been longer. According to data from the United Nations, someone born in 2017 can expect to live to be more than 72 years old. It’s even higher in developed nations like the United States. Among the reasons behind this rise is that more expectant moth ..read more