A health scare can start without warning. You notice stomach pains. You fall and hurt your hip. Or the wrist you thought you simply sprained can no longer move. Nearly one-third of emergency department visits among adults over 65 result from an injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Depending on the severity, some of these injuries may be able to be treated at an u [...]

Taking your medicine every day can be hard—and missing a dose happens to everyone. It’s important to take drugs used to treat diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol as prescribed and to keep up with your refills. If you struggle with managing your medications, you have options, from having your medicines delivered to you at home to programs tailored to help people who take multiple [...]

Almost one in three people in the United States has high cholesterol, which puts you at risk for heart disease. There’s no way to know if you have cholesterol so make sure to ask your doctor to check yours. Certain drugs, called statins, can help lower your cholesterol and protect your heart. Taking a high-dose statin may help. People living with heart disease should also eat a heart-healthy di [...]

There are lots of teachers that influenced my life and gave me the confidence to assert myself, to challenge and to ask questions. I remember a particular teacher in high school, Mr. Conklin, who encouraged me to not settle for the status quo and to push the norms. He’s a teacher I thank for his guidance in helping me develop as a young man. My sister and my sister-in-law are also teach [...]

The hemoglobin A1C blood test (HbA1c) measures your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. The test can be used to diagnose diabetes or tell you if you are at a higher risk for developing diabetes. It’s also an important part of managing your diabetes. It helps your doctor see how well your diabetes is under control. Why You Need This Test [...]

People living with diabetes are at greater risk for high cholesterol and heart disease. There’s no way to know if you have cholesterol so make sure to ask your doctor to check yours. Certain drugs, called statins, can help lower your risk and protect your heart. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about what medications are right for you and about how to protect yourself fro [...]

A blood pressure reading measures the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Your blood travels through your body to supply oxygen and nutrients to your organs and tissue. But when our blood vessels harden, it can make it harder for your blood to move through them, resulting in high blood pressure. Checking your blood pressure regularly is one of the most import [...]

Colorectal cancer screening checks for polyps in your colon or rectum that may develop into cancer. Polyps are common in adults over 50 and most don’t turn into cancer. But some do, particularly a type of polyp called an adenoma. Colorectal cancer screening not only helps doctors catch cancer earlier when it is easier to treat but also helps prevent cancer. Don’t put off this important [...]

Getting your kidney function tested is a key part of keeping you healthy if you have diabetes. Diabetes can sometimes damage your kidneys and lead to kidney disease. A test for proteins in your urine (sometimes called a dipstick test) can help your doctors see if you have the disease. A sample of your urine is taken and measured for small amounts of a protein called albumin (the main protein in [...]

A bone mineral density test uses an X-ray or heel ultrasound to see how dense or thick your bones are. The test also checks to see if you are at risk for osteoporosis. When you have osteoporosis, your bones get weak and thin. It’s sometimes called a silent condition because you feel no symptoms. Without a bone mineral density test, you may not know you have osteoporosis until you break or fract [...]