Wondering what those numbers mean for your heart and your health? Here’s what you should know about your blood cholesterol levels, and how to keep them under control. To understand how cholesterol affects your health, you must first know what cholesterol actually is. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that your body requires to build cells
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Children and adolescents spend a lot of time watching screens, including smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, TVs, and computers. On average, children ages 8-12 in the United States spend 4-6 hours a day watching or using screens, and teens spend up to 9 hours. While screens can entertain, teach, and keep children occupied, too much use
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Summer heat and humidity can certainly put a strain on your exercise plans. While you may have the option to move your workout plans indoors into an air-conditioned space, that’s not the only way to stay cool during warm-weather workouts. With some planning and precautions, many people can still exercise outdoors safely on hot summer
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Each year, America observes National HIV Testing Day on June 27, raising awareness about the importance of testing for HIV and getting an early diagnosis. Called NHTD in short, this day is crucial for encouraging people to increase HIV testing and know their status, and thus get the care they need to treat this illness.
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World Blood Donor Day takes place on 14 June each year. The Day was created to: raise global awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion; highlight the critical contribution voluntary, unpaid blood donors make to national health systems; support national blood transfusion services, blood donor organizations and other nongovernmental organizations
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What is Alzheimer’s disease? Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive form of dementia. Dementia is a broader term for conditions that negatively affect memory, thinking, and behavior. The changes interfere with daily living. Dementia can have a range of causes, such as brain injuries or diseases. Sometimes the cause is unknown. According to the Alzheimer’s Association,
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Skin cancer refers to any cancer that begins in your skin. It may develop on any part of your skin and can spread to nearby tissues and organs if the disease advances. There are two main types of skin cancer: Keratinocyte cancer develops in skin cells called keratinocytes. It has two main subtypes, basal cell
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May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month Lyme disease is an infection caused by the spiral-shaped bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which is most commonly transmitted by a tick bite. There are over 300,000 estimated new cases of Lyme disease in the United States each year. The symptoms of Lyme disease depend on the how long the
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Overview April is IBS Awareness Month. Between 3 percent and 20 percent of Americans experience irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. The condition affects more women than men. Some people with IBS have minor symptoms. However, for others the symptoms are significant and disrupt daily life. What is IBS? IBS is also known as spastic colon,
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Why Are the Kidneys So Important? Most people know that a major function of the kidneys is to remove waste products and excess fluid from the body. These waste products and excess fluid are removed through the urine. The production of urine involves highly complex steps of excretion and re-absorption. This process is necessary to
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It’s March, and that means it’s Brain Injury Awareness Month. The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has the designated theme and hashtag #MoreThanMyBrainInjury to recognize the 5.3 million-plus adults and children in the U.S. living with some sort of permanent brain injury-related disability. Many of these injuries are a result of stroke, infectious disease
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Heart disease is a leading cause of death, but it’s not inevitable. While you can’t change some risk factors — such as family history, sex or age — there are plenty of ways you can reduce your risk of heart disease. Get started with these seven tips for boosting your heart health: 1. Don’t smoke
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