March, 2017

Cultivate Some Happiness

Studies show that some fairly simple habits can help you be more upbeat and happier overall. Here are three key ones: 1.Practice being grateful. How to do it: Make it a point to regularly count your blessings—large and small, from a friend who helped you during a difficult time to the food on your table every night. Also: • Pick up a pen. Write down the good things that happen to you in a gratitude journal. It's a powerful happiness booster. • Find the silver lining. There's of...

What's Up with That Cough?

You have a chronic cough. But you don't have other symptoms that would suggest asthma—such as wheezing, shortness of breath or tightness in the chest. So clearly you don't have asthma, right? Not necessarily. You might have a specific type of asthma in which chronic cough is the sole symptom. It's called cough-variant asthma. Trouble in the lungs Asthma is a lung disease that causes your airways to swell and constrict, making it hard to breathe. Airways that are inflamed are more sen...

Prediabetes: 3 must-know facts

Chances are you know someone with type 2 diabetes. It's the most common form of diabetes—millions of Americans have it. But have you heard of something called prediabetes? It's a condition that also affects millions of Americans—and one that everyone should learn about. Here are three things you need to know about prediabetes to help protect your health: 1. It isn't the same as diabetes—yet. Prediabetes is a serious warning that type 2 diabetes is on its way. If you're told you...

The Importance of Pap Tests

Pap tests save lives. They’re the primary reason why cervical cancer deaths have dropped more than 50 percent in the U.S. over the past four decades. But women must remain vigilant in receiving their pap tests for this trend to continue. These tests can detect cancer at the earliest stages when the chances of successful treatment are at their highest. They can also spot cells that have the potential to turn cancerous over time, and stop the disease before it even has a chance to develop. P...