A wave of influenza-like illness caused by a novel Coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV by the WHO, has swept through a populous area of China. Since December 31, 2019, there have been more than 830 people infected with at least 26 deaths (as of January 23rd, 2020). Chinese authorities have placed Wuhan, a city of 11 million … Continue reading Wuhan Coronavirus: An Emerging Global Pandemic?
Your microbiome/microbiota refers to the trillions of microbes that reside inside and outside your body. Human cells are outnumbered by the bacterial cell population. The highest source of bacteria in the body is within the large intestines. The status of resident bacteria has been associated with health and illness, with greater diversity being more protective. … Continue reading Patient Information: Make a Home for Your Microbiome
What is the microbiome? The word microbiome describes the trillions of viruses, fungi, and bacteria that live on or within the human body in various habitats such as the skin, mouth, colon and vagina. Each site has characteristics, including pH, water and oxygen content, temperature, and chemical metabolites, that favor certain bacteria over others. Our normal … Continue reading The Human Microbiome: Unlocking the Key to Health
What is “healthy” and would you know it if you saw it? From nature, we gather our understanding of life and how our environment affects us. We develop insights or “laws” – of gravity, entropy and heavenly bodies, through the observations we make in the world around us. At its essence, a law is a … Continue reading The Fractal Whisperer: Musings on health
I hope everyone takes some time out each and every day to appreciate and marvel at the wonderful miracle that is your life. Isn't it fascinating that all of our cells have the DNA which define how the entire system works? It is only through various cell signals that these cells express DNA differently to … Continue reading A brief discussion of our daily (genetic) expression of self
September is Alzheimer's disease awareness month. Many of you may know friends or family members who are in their seventies or older and are developing signs of mental slowing, or mild cognitive dysfunction or already have Alzheimer's disease. I have seen the same changes in my parents as well. As Your Health Forum is all … Continue reading Protecting Your Brain: Aging and Brain Health
Keypoints: This post will review the basic science of smell and summarize research supporting that certain aromas may trigger specific neurotransmitters that effect positive moods and reduce the sensation of pain.Language is colored with idiomatic expressions that refer to the senses, including the sense of smell. We commonly use our senses when we are conveying … Continue reading Aromatherapy: More than meets the Nose?
An Infectious Diseases Specialist Perspective for Planning for the Next Pandemic The Emergence of the Wuhan Coronavirus The caseload of those infected with 2019-nCoV (aka Wuhan Coronavirus) continue to ascend in an exponential manner in China; 45 cases have now been reported in sixteen other countries in Asia, Australia and France. In the United … Continue reading Wuhan Coronavirus: Tips to Understanding the (Next) Pandemic
Get the best out of your sleep Good sleep is a necessity for the healthy functioning of the mind and body. It is also one of the things that we can forcibly deprive ourselves. Ideally, we spend one-third of our lives asleep. Improving your sleep quality can be the first step toward stress resilience and … Continue reading Patient Education: Making Sleep a Health Priority
Summary: The 2019-2020 influenza season is off to an early start. Interestingly, the majority of cases have been associated with influenza B. With an increase in influenza-like illness identified in these last few weeks, it is possible that this season could be similar or worse than the 2017-2018 season. Brace yourselves for an active … Continue reading FLU SEASON 2019-2020: BRACE YOURSELVES FOR AN ACTIVE SEASON
The first theme of YHF Community Discussion Page is regarding the process of breaking a habit. If you have had a habit that is detrimental to your health, what were some ways that you were able to liberate yourself from it? For more information on behavior change theory, refer to the recent post on Understanding … Continue reading Breaking Habits
Understanding your readiness for behavior change: I have included a revised post to refer to when thinking about the YHF discussion community board. I found out very early in parenting that even if you point out an unhealthy behavior in your child, the only way that they are going to change is when you partner … Continue reading Understanding your readiness for behavior change
