Category: Health

Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable, MD Eliseo Pérez-Stable, MD, is director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He sat down with WebMD to discuss the field of health disparities and how his studies aim to improve interventions not only in clinical settings, but across communities.  Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.  WebMD: Health disparities is a relatively new field. What’s its focus and purpose? Pérez-Stable: In health outcomes, poor people do worse than people with more resources. It was observed 40 years ago that African Americans ... Read more

The science is clear: Eating the right foods can lead to a longer, healthier life. But some people find it harder to eat right as they get older for many reasons. Maybe they don’t have much of an appetite. Maybe they have trouble cooking or eating. Maybe they don’t know what’s healthy. Or maybe they do and just don’t like the idea of kale. “You know what? You can live a long, healthy life and never eat a piece of kale,” says Cheryl Rock, PhD, a professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego ... Read more

Does it seem like you get sick more than you did when you were younger. When you are under the weather, does it take you longer to feel good again? Immunity — your body’s defense system — tends to get weaker with age. “Just as you probably can’t run as fast as you used to in your 20s, your immune system doesn’t work as well as it used to,” says Aaron E. Glatt, MD, chairman of the department of medicine at South Nassau Communities Hospitals. But fear not — at least not much. “Compared to many other bodily functions, most ... Read more

Getting adequate nutrition can be a challenge as you get older. With age, the number of calories you need begins to decline. Every calorie you consume must be packed with nutrition in order to hit the mark. Even then, you may fall short. “As we get older, the body becomes less efficient at absorbing some key nutrients,” says Katherine Tucker, RD, PhD, chair of the department of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston. In addition, the ability to taste food declines, blunting appetite. Some foods become difficult to chew or digest. Several key nutrients in particular may be in ... Read more

There’s something in the air, and it’s not just pollen. Spring break, spring vacation, spring weddings — spring fever. We want to get out, wear less, mingle lots. Kids feel it, too. Talk to any teacher, you’ll likely hear there’s craziness in the classrooms. That energy surge, in whatever form it takes, is a function of longer days and lots more sunlight, says Michael Smolensky, PhD, professor at the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health. He is co-author of the book The Body Clock Guide to Better Health. In fact, many facets of everyday life are governed by seasonal ... Read more

“OK, so we know you’re not going to get pregnant.” Sexuality educator Jane Fleishman, PhD, typically opens with this line when she goes into senior communities to talk about safe sex. It’s her way of trying to break the tension and clear the air. Sex talk can be awkward at any age, whether you’re 15 or 50-plus. Then she brings out the puppets. But these aren’t the kind you see at a children’s puppet show. They’re made in the form of male and female sex organs – a vulva and a penis. That usually breaks the ice and gets a ... Read more

Accessing necessary health care is just one of the many challenges faced when you’re without a home, but there are options available to make sure that you get the care that you need. First, understand that you’re not alone: More than half a million people in the U.S. don’t have access to reliable housing. Whether you’re going through this for the first time or it’s a situation you’ve faced before, it can feel overwhelming to figure out where and how to get medical treatment. For many, the solution is a visit to their local emergency room. Unhoused patients are three ... Read more

About 1 in 5 Americans live in a rural area where they are just as likely to have mental health challenges as those living in or near cities. Unfortunately, rural Americans may not have access to the same mental health resources as others. In fact, about 60% of people in rural or remote areas live where there is a shortage of mental health services. And there are other barriers to treatment in these areas. Travel can be an issue. Even if you can find a provider, you may have to travel a very long way to reach them, says psychologist ... Read more

A landmark 1976 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Estelle v. Gamble) makes incarcerated people the only group in the United States with a protected constitutional right to health care. But the exact nature of that health care is open to interpretation. For example, in the late 1970s, Jorge Renaud was serving 27 years in a Texas state prison when he somehow caught his head in the mechanical door to his cell. The incident almost severed his ear from his head. Renaud, now national criminal justice director of Latino Justice, a civil rights group, recalls that when he got to the infirmary, ... Read more

When you find out that your partner has prostate cancer, both of you probably have a lot of questions about what comes next. There will be plenty you need to talk about. But what do you say — and what shouldn’t you say — as you face the disease together? Before you choose your words, focus on the “together” part of this. Your partner will benefit greatly by you being at his side. Go to his appointments with him and be supportive. “If the man has a partner, I always encourage that partner to be there,” says urologist Jesse Mills, ... Read more