Knowing your own daily habits and weekly routine is just as important as the medical recommendations a physician will give you. The details of your lifestyle will guide the types of recommendations that you will receive. So, during your next discussion with your physician, here are some tips to help get the most out of your health appointments. 1. Prepare for the appointment Don’t rack your brain trying recall the exact dosage of your medication or the year you received a tonsillectomy on the spot during appointment. Gather as much information as you can in advance so you can remain present d ..read more

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder often thought to be represented as attention problems and abnormally high energy levels. At first glance, that description does not seem any different from the everyday behavior of 5 – 12 year old children. However, these symptoms can be missed in children. Overlooking those differences could limit access to resources and treatments that could help an individual avoid issues in school, work, and relationships in the future. The patterns of behavior and challenges that come from ADHD vary in intensity from person ..read more

Nowadays, most primary care visits do not evaluate fitness, nutrition and stress management as thoroughly as they could. This is not because physicians want you to stay sick. As a matter of fact, many are pressured to see more patients rather than spending more time with each one. Some may not feel knowledgeable enough about possible lifestyle changes that are convenient for their patient’s unique situation. Others may feel downright hesitant to continue giving recommendations to patients who continue to ignore them yet come back for help. As a result, patients can be left with limited option ..read more

At one point in time, diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol were medical challenges that stumped both medical providers and society as a whole. Now, with major advancements in research and practice, the success of treating those diseases can almost be guarantee by following predictable formulas. Similar to transitioning from cooking from scratch to following directions from the box, the creation of successful, repeatable formulas for treating those disease made a diagnosis feel more like an inconvenience than an issue. Ironically, as the treatments for those diseases i ..read more

Photo by Tanya Oleksiivna from Pexels “Women who do not breastfeed are not trying hard enough.” “You could have breastfeed if you just…”      As a new parent, you feel pressured to do anything and everything to give your baby the best chance at success in this world. You read about babies, join parenting classes, and even try to look back at your childhood to see what you can do better than your own parents. When the future of your bundle of joy rests on you, it can be hard to face the reality of what you cannot control.      For many, one ..read more

Are your kids ready for back to school? Summer is flying by and back to school time is quickly approaching.  For parents and children alike, this time of year engenders both excitement and anxiety.  However, a little preparation can go a long way!  Below is a list of ways you can help prepare your child for a confident, happy, and successful first day. 1 month out: Schedule your child’s annual well child check, if not already up to date.  This is an important opportunity to ensure immunizations are up to date, medications are refilled, and preventative health has been addr ..read more

Dr. Aleem Janji shares tips on how to reverse prediabetes Approximately 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes, and 1 in 10 have diabetes. A diagnosis of diabetes can mean long-term medication and increased risk for heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, vision loss, as well as many other complications. Many Americans who have been diagnosed with prediabetes are looking for ways to naturally reverse this condition and prevent these risks. Our member Dr. Aleem Kanji is a board-certified endocrinologist and he helps Houstonians with prediabetes, diabetes, thyroid disease, and other endocrine conditions ..read more

There are many health benefits of strength and resistance training. Many people see exercise as a chore or something that they must do to lose weight. Only 1 in 5 adults fully meet the physical activity guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. There are many reasons to consider starting to incorporate an exercise regime into your everyday life besides the benefit of weight loss. It is recommended that you get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (aka “cardio”) and at minimum two days a week of muscle-strengthening training. While it does not matter the ..read more

May is Mental Health Month The month of May is Mental Health Month! I believe mental health is a very important topic that is at times ignored. A few tips may help when you think about mental health conditions. Mental health conditions are medical conditions. Meaning just like diabetes or high blood pressure is caused by organ dysfunction; mental health conditions can be caused by brain dysfunction. They are not just emotions. Imaging the brain of people with several mental health conditions including depression and anxiety actually show physical changes of the brain. Early treatment might he ..read more

Last month, a Kaiser Permanente study of nearly 50,000 people with COVID-19 concluded that consistently meeting physical activity guidelines was strongly associated with a reduced risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes among infected adults. In other words: Results of the study show inactivity is strongly associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes Physical activity provided strong protection from hospitalization, ICU admission, and death among COVID-19 patients Even being active some of the time was associated with lower odds for severe disease; suggesting that any amount of physical activity has ben ..read more