Make sure your vaccine records are up to date!

Skin cancer is by far the most common type of cancer. If you know what to look for, you can spot warning signs of skin cancer early. Finding it early, when it’s small and has not spread, makes skin cancer much easier to treat.

July is National UV Safety Month -- which makes sense, as it tends to be one of the busiest months for outdoor activities where we expose our skin to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. Take extra precautions to prevent skin cancer and reduce the risk of UV damage. 

As we journey through life, embracing the art of aging becomes not just a necessity but an opportunity for personal growth and fulfillment. In this pursuit, unlocking the benefits of creativity and mental agility emerges as a transformative pathway towards greater well-being. Through the simple act of engaging in creative endeavors, such as painting, crafting, or even solving puzzles, individuals can tap into a reservoir of untapped potential within themselves. This article explores how the fusion of creativity and mental agility serves as a cornerstone in the art of aging, offering a myriad of benefits that extend far beyond mere leisure activities. Join us as we delve into the captivating world of creative expression and discover its profound impact on the journey towards aging gracefully.

The Better hearing Institute (BHI) reports that recognizing and treating hearing loss may help more than just your hearing. BHI is working to raise awareness of the link between hearing loss and other important health issues. As part of its awareness and outreach efforts, BHI is encouraging adults of all ages to take the free, quick, and confidential online hearing check on the BHI website. Anyone can take the online survey to determine if a comprehensive hearing test by a hearing professional is needed as a next step.

Are you wellderly? When we think of the term “elderly,” we immediately associate it with terms like “old” or “sick.” Wellderly Day encourages us to re-examine what “old” means and promote a healthier, more beneficial perspective on aging.

Men are 24 percent less likely than women to have visited a doctor within the past year, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Car travel provides greater control over your environment than other types of transportation. It also gives you freedom to modify your itinerary based on weather conditions and your health. Follow these tips for safe travel.

Prior to your trip, schedule a checkup with your primary care physician or board-certified allergist and discuss your travel plans. Review your Asthma or Anaphylaxis Action Plan, talk about the allergens, irritants or activities that tend to set off your symptoms and what steps you can take while traveling to stay healthy.

Source: The Allergy Asthma Network

Did you know that, according to an article in Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation, close to 80 percent of elderly people experience foot problems? Ill-fitting footwear is a major cause of those problems.

Here is some information that will help you understand the common problems that seniors experience with their footwear. You'll learn what features to look for in a pair of shoes and get practical tips that can make your shopping easier.

The days before the New Year are a reflective time for a lot of people. Many of us decide we are going to start off the year with a clean slate and a few well-intentioned resolutions. This holiday season, why not launch the new year by making time for three small tasks:

My parents used to say “listen to your elders”as if they had some kind of knowledge only their generation understood. But maybe there’s something to that wisdom, especially when it comes to healing the body. After all, Hippocrates, the Greek physician and “father of Western medicine,” said, “Let medicine be thy food and let food be thy medicine.” Science has proven what our elders have known for thousands of years: that certain foods can naturally help prevent and treat disease. Here are six healing foods with medicinal superpowers. (Illustration by Sam Falconer)

A few years ago, Nancy Lublin discovered something obvious. Nancy was the CEO of Dosomething.org, the largest teenage charity in the world.

In order to keep up with its members, Dosomething shifted their communications from email to texting (yes, that’s obvious, but that’s not what she discovered).

Nursing stress and burnout is more common than you think. In fact, it’s one of the reasons why a lot of nurses aren’t able to deliver quality care to their patients. It’s also a reason why a huge number of nurses quit or change profession.

Because of that, it’s important that you know the warning signs. The earlier you can detect it, the quicker you’ll be able to address and overcome nursing stress.

Summer heat can increase the risk for heat-related illness like heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Learn how to beat the heat and enjoy your summer safely.

Hooray!  Farmers market season is in full swing around the country, and it's the perfect time to heal and energize your body by indulging in the healthy, nutritious foods that it craves.  Forget about old New Year's resolutions, crazy diets, guilt and deprivation, they just don't work. Take advantage of the summer season to embark on a healthier lifestyle by making delicious meals from the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables overflowing in the market stalls. It's not a hardship to acquire healthy habits when you begin adding new foods to your everyday diet — fresh, vibrantly colored foods that not only taste good but have the nutrients and vitamins that will help to recharge you, body and spirit: 

It's been a long, hot day.  First a morning of yard work, then three hours helping coach the kids' baseball and soccer games, followed by the weekly shopping.  Now you're finally heading home with a week's worth of groceries to unload and put away.  You're tired and thirsty, cranky with your family, and wincing at the throbbing in your temples. You could also be experiencing the first symptoms of dehydration, which is far more common than most people realize.

Do you treat sleep as a luxury, a few brief hours of rest squeezed in between home, work, family and social obligations?  Think again—a sensible and sufficient sleep schedule is of prime importance to your good health and well being.  Many people have a hard time making the connection, accepting fatigue, lethargy and more serious complaints as a fact of life or a product of our hectic lifestyles.  But what if we understood better how essential quality sleep is, and began to apply some self care by making healthy sleep a priority instead of an afterthought?  Consider these sleep facts and statistics:

Spring is just around the corner, and after the long winter months most of us are ready for sunnier days and more time spent outdoors.  Even if you've been following an indoor exercise regimen or participating in winter sports, there's just something special about that first springtime walk—lacing up your shoes, heading out the door and pausing to inhale a deep breath of fresh air, fragrant with the promise of blooming plants and flowers.  Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your walking routine:

The Mayo Clinic defines hoarding as "... the excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them" and states that "compulsive hoarding and compulsive hoarding syndrome, may be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)." We are not talking everyday household mess and clutter here, or collections of specific objects that may, in the opinion of other family members, be taking up too much space in the house.  True hoarding can be a sign of mental and/or physical illness that manifests itself in the obsessive accumulation of things—items that can range from mounds of clothing, unopened shopping bags, stacks of newspapers, magazines and mail, to piles of trash and rotting garbage that are dangerous to the health of an individual or a family.

As Americans, we tend to be a nation of gobblers when it comes to eating.  In other cultures, meals and conversation can run on into the evening, with family members enjoying conversation and sharing the news of the day.  On average, our meals last a whopping 11 minutes—and that's for dinner.  Breakfast and lunch clock in at under 5 minutes for some people. The good news is, to realize an abundance of health benefits all we need to do is slooooooow dooooooown.  And here are few good reasons why: