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Everyday Help for Anxiety and Depression By Darra McMullen, Women’s Health Network Writer/Researcher Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health disorders in the United States, especially among women.  Each condition is worthy of its own article and will get one in the upcoming few weeks, but first, let’s begin our investigation of anxiety and depression by taking a look at some of the recent news pertaining to these two conditions.  Then, in January, we’ll dive deeper into each condition with more in-depth information. Recent News about Anxiety and Depression :             •  There really are good reasons for adult coloring books; they are not just a fad.  Among other benefits, coloring produces relaxing alpha brain waves, which can cut stress in half in 10 minutes, thereby relieving feelings of anxiety.  The repetitive motion and fine motor control needed to color are thought to produce the calming alpha brain waves, according to British res

by Darra McMullen, Women’s Health Network Writer/Researcher The topic of diabetes is a large, multifaceted health issue with physical, emotional, and financial ramifications for the U.S. and the world.  For the purposes of this article, we’ll take a peek at some of the many ways we as individuals can help prevent the disease from starting or can help treat diabetes if it is already present.             Shortly, we’ll look at a number of ways we can help ourselves to escape diabetes’ grip, but first, let’s examine some of the latest scientific studies that give us new clues about reducing diabetes risk and/or more successfully treating the disease if it is currently affecting ourselves or our loved ones. Recent Scientific Studies:             •  The first and perhaps most interesting study hails from the Netherlands, where researchers found that people with diabetes who were exposed to a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit for six hours per day had a 43% increase i

Four Important Things Everyone Should Know about Lung Cancer Screening during Lung Cancer Awareness Month By:  Rubina Abrol, M.D. Physician Leadership American Lung Association Houston, TX Every five minutes a woman is told that she has lung cancer, and yet only three percent of women consider the disease a top-of-mind concern. Lung cancer is the nation’s leading cause of cancer deaths, and this year 14,500 Texans will be diagnosed with the disease. During Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE initiative is highlighting the new availability of a lifesaving tool – lung cancer screening. Part of the reason that lung cancer is so deadly is that many patients don’t experience symptoms until the cancer has spread and developed into late stages, making it more difficult to treat. While anyone can get lung cancer — which is caused by smoking, radon, genes, particle pollution and hazardous chemicals — lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT

by Darra McMullen, Women’s Health Network Writer/Researcher October is breast cancer awareness month, and with one in eight women likely to become breast cancer victims at some point in their lives, October is the perfect time to increase our awareness of this serious problem and learn more about breast cancer detection and prevention.             As women grow older, the risk of breast cancer increases.  Nearly 8 out of 10 breast cancers occur in women older than age 50, according to American Cancer Society statistics.  That’s not to say that younger women can’t get the disease also.  In fact, an alarming number of young women in their 20’s and 30’s have had to deal with the numerous scary aspects of breast cancer, such as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, drug side effects, and the possibility of death or, at least, infertility due to cancer treatment.             The various contributing causes of breast cancer are not all known at this time, and therefore, no definit

What We Can Do to Preserve Cognitive Health by Darra McMullen, Women’s Health Network Writer/Researcher Note:   Regular readers of this blog may have wondered, “What happened to Part 3 of the August topics on vaccines, travel tips, and foot health?”.  The short answer, in two words, is Hurricane Harvey.  The third installment of the August story was due to be published the last week of August.  Unfortunately, this writer was too busy securing property and getting ready for Harvey’s arrival to submit the final installment of that health topic. Harvey may have delayed a whole lot of everyone’s progress, but the hurricane will not stop this blog from covering the health subjects outlined for the year.  To get “back on track”, we’ll look at Alzheimer’s disease in September and breast cancer in October.  The foot health story will appear before year’s end, probably during the second half of November.  Early November is devoted to diabetes awareness, prevention, and treatm

Part 2 of Vaccines, Healthy Travel, and Foot Problems by Darra McMullen, Women’s Health Network Writer/Researcher Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to read the first “installment” of this month’s article, which came out at the beginning of August.  If so, you’ll know this month, we’re looking at three topics, each of which has so much information pertaining to it, that it seemed best to divide the story into segments for easier reading.  As we continue our investigation of important vaccines, healthy travel tips, and troublesome foot problems, we should first take a look at an important caution regarding vaccinations. Vaccines: Important Caution: Often times, people are tempted to ease the resulting pain from a vaccine by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever.  Actually, that’s not a good idea from the standpoint of producing maximum immunity from the disease for which you were vaccinated.  Anything that reduces the body’s immune response, such as ibuprof

Important Vaccines, Healthy Travel, and Happy Feet by Darra McMullen, Women’s Health Network Writer/Researcher             For many people, August is a time of transition into something new and a time for completion of summer time goals.  During the month of August and often extending into the first two weeks of September, people take their final summer trips, start new school routines, and slowly push toward concluding summer’s more relaxed, if very hot, pace of life.  People start thinking about the details of fall’s activities.             End-of-summer vacations, new school years, and fall trips for business or personal needs all have a few things in common from a health standpoint.  Those things are: (1) immunizations for the whole family, not just the kids; (2) helpful tips on how to stay healthy while traveling; and (3) how to deal with a variety of foot problems from the serious conditions to the everyday annoyances.             There is so much information a

by Darra McMullen, Women’s Health Network Writer/Researcher There are many forms of arthritis, but one thing they all have in common is their ability to produce debilitating pain, stiffness, and inflammation in the body’s joints and connective tissues.  Just as there are common threads of symptoms among the many forms of arthritis, there are also common threads of remedies to help treat the misery-inducing ailment, which afflicts millions of Americans every year.             Let’s look at some factors that can both help prevent (or delay onset of) arthritis and also help treat the condition.             •  To begin, limit intake of pro-inflammatory diet influences, such as simple sugars and carbohydrates.             •  Next, increase intake of fish and flax seeds and fish and flax oils for their inflammation reducing Omega-3 fatty acids.             •  Thirdly, keep moving.  Any sort of “exercise” can help improve blood circulation, strengthen muscles, bones, and