Medical science has proven time and again that when the resources are provided, great progress in the treatment, cure, and prevention of disease can occur. - Michael J. Fox A medieval torture device...also known as a speculum, used in modern day pap-smears I've never met a woman who has enjoyed getting her pap-smear. Personally, in the list of things that I hate to do with my life, a pap-smear is right near the top, along with killing spiders and visiting the dentist. Even so

"The art of medicine is trying to figure out which of these symptoms -- which 99 times out of 100 is something innocent, one time out of 100 turns out to be something serious." -Doctor Jon LaPook The cutest chubby lil soccer player you've ever seen right? I have always been overweight/obese. Always. Even as a young child running up and down the soccer field, I was big. I was always the biggest child on the field. In the sixth grade, I overheard two of my male classmates talki

Have you ever heard that it only takes 21 days to form a habit? In school, I was taught 6 weeks (42 days) was what you need to form a habit. The truth is that on average it takes more like 66 days (a little over two months) to form a habit. In fact, the research showed that for some people it took up to 254 days (about eight and a half months). That means for the average person it can take 66 days of exercising, 66 days of eating veggies, 66 days of drinking water, before th

However you feel about it, Donald Trump is going to be the next President of the United States. That means some things are going to change. With a Republican Congress, Trump is going to have the backing to do some of the things he had proposed during his campaign. One expected change is going to be to the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). Here's what you need to know to prepare yourself. Obamacare sought to achieve something that we have not had in this country b

"I want everyone happy and smiling and feeling okay. Peace be with anyone struggling out there." -Rapper Kid Cudi (@kidcudi) upon returning from rehab for depression and anxiety Kid Cudi has made a triumphant return to the spotlight after checking himself into rehab to receive treatment for depression and anxiety and the drug use he engaged in to cope with them. If you followed his story, then you know there are two heartbreaking moments that happened: First, the rapper state

If you follow me on any social media then you may know that yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. I literally spent the entire day there from open to close and learned so much. It was an unbelievable experience that I hope everyone gets to have. Coming out of the museum I was loving and reveling in all of my Blackness but also acutely aware of everything that we have overcome and all of the progress t

"Many parents are making dosing errors when giving medicine to their children" Pop Quiz: What's the best tool to use to dispense liquid medicine to your child? A. Spoon B. Measuring cup C. Syringe D. Just eyeball it and pray Hopefully you chose C for your answer, now let's get into why. Researchers have found that oral syringes are the gold standard for delivering medicine to a sick child in order to reduce the chance of making a dosing error. In a study, parents who used mea

"Communicating clearly helps people feel more involved in their health care and increases the chances of following through on their treatment plans. All patients appreciate receiving information that is clear and easy to act on." -Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit If you have ever taken a first aid class then you have probably heard of OSHA's Universal Precautions guidelines which require healthcare professionals to assume that any bodily fluid may be infected wit

"As clinicians, what we say does not matter unless our patients are able to understand the information we give them well enough to use it to

Welcome and Happy Health Literacy Month! Health Literacy Month was founded by Helen Osbourne, M.Ed., OTR/L to bring awareness to the issue o