Topic: Cardiovascular Health
G6PD Deficiency and African Americans
What is G6PD Deficiency? I had a patient come in recently and report to me that he had G6PD deficiency and wondered what adjustments he needed to make in his life. I was initially surprised and a little bewildered because…
“PVD”- Peripheral Vascular Disease & African Americans
"My Legs are Tired" People who experience poor circulation often see changes in the color of the skin of their legs and encounter problems walking long distances. As one person described, "I have to sit down because my legs get…
Heart Disease & the Black Community
African Americans have the worst heart and stroke outcomes of all. African Americans are at a higher risk than White Americans for heart diseases, as evidenced by their: Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a serious health concern,…
Magnesium Deficiency and African American Health
9 out of 10 Older Black Adults Have Low Magnesium Minerals like magnesium are vital to maintaining good health, and magnesium specifically plays a key role in controlling diabetes and promoting healthy blood vessels. Unfortunately, many people are not aware…
African Americans Need to Walk More! More Daily Steps Tied to Better Overall Health
Regular exercise has always been associated with better health. Still, with newer smartphones, watches, and “wearables,” we can now measure more accurately how much walking and exercise we get in a day. Unfortunately, we in the Black community do not…
Low Potassium and African Americans
Potassium doesn’t get enough credit as a very beneficial nutrient to good health and potassium deficiency (low potassium) has been directly related to high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, muscle weakness, fatigue, and much more. Multiple studies have confirmed that…
Vitamin D Deficiency is Associated with Stroke Risk in African Americans
Recent studies have found a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and stroke risk as well as stroke severity. A study just published found that people with the highest vitamin D levels had fewer strokes and if they had a stroke,…
Diabetes Differences in African Americans
There has been some startling discoveries lately in the differences in how diabetes is diagnosed and treated in African Americans. Because of genetic nuances that we normally may ignore as insignificant, hundreds of thousands of African Americans remain under-diagnosed and…
More Sleep Apnea in African Americans
Sleep Apnea is more common in African Americans A recent study confirmed there is more sleep apnea in African Americans than in Whites. Sleep apnea (also call Obstructive Sleep Apnea / "OSA") is a condition where people repeatedly stop breathing…
Heavy Smokers at Higher Risk for Diabetes
African American smokers have a higher risk for diabetes A large study consisting of over five thousand African Americans found that those African Americans who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes in a day were at increased diabetes risk. …
