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Pop Quiz: Crash Course on Caffeine

Caffeine plays a big role in the lives of many Americans, with coffee, tea, caffeinated soda, energy drinks, and energy shots being some people’s daily go-to drinks. However, few actually stop to consider how much caffeine they are consuming every day or how that caffeine can affect their health. Test your knowledge with our pop…
Touched by Type 1

Health Advocate Fulfilling Dream of Helping Youth With Type 1 Diabetes by TERESA SCHIFFER It can be overwhelming for both the parents and the child when a child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Careful monitoring of the diet and signs of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) become a primary daily concern, and the child is…
Let Food Be Thy Medicine

A Dietician’s Guidance Can Help You Make the Best of Your Health by PAMELA PALONGUE “Let food be thy medicine…” It’s funny how the wise words of the ancient physician Hippocrates still ring true today, some 2,500 years later. Beyond the DNA we’re born with, the three great influencers of overall health are sleep, exercise…

Brain Attack (Stroke or Mini-stroke): Are You at Risk?

Approximately 700,000 strokes occur in the United States annually. Stroke or brain attack is a disease that involves the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that brings oxygen to the brain gets blocked by a blood clot most commonly. With the oxygen supply to the brain…
Punctal Plugs

Many patients suffer from dry eye, and eye care professionals have many tools at their disposal to help with symptoms. For many patients, over-the-counter lubricating drops such as Blink or Systane can be helpful. It is important to avoid redness relieving drops, as these tend to cause more problems over time. When over-the-counter drops are…
Understanding Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Last year, I wrote about heart failure. At that time, I had said that about half the patients admitted with congestive heart failure have normal systolic function. This is true. The most common way to express heart function is by measuring ejection fraction (EF). This is the proportion of the amount of blood in the…