Topic: Preventative Care
The Best Multivitamins for African Americans
Which multivitamin should I take? As a physician, I get this question multiple times a day, every day. And the answer would frequently depend on who was asking. Are they younger or older? Male or female? How is their diet? …
Smoking and Diabetes: A Hidden Risk for African Americans
African American smokers have a higher risk for diabetes In the Jackson Heart Study, one of the largest long-term studies of Black adults in America, researchers followed nearly 3,000 African Americans without diabetes for about eight years. Those who smoked…
Prostate Cancer in African American Men
Prostate cancer in African American men is more deadly, occurs more often, and can be easily detected by a blood test called a "prostate specific antigen" or "PSA." Yet many doctors have been advised against checking for this cancer because…
Genetic Clues Are Ignored By Too Many Doctors
With the availability of home genetic testing kits from companies such as “23andMe” and “Ancestry DNA,” more people will be getting information about their genetic lineage and what races and ethnicities of the world are included in their DNA.Geneticists, meanwhile,…
Smoking is an Addiction
Smoking isn't a habit, Smoking is an addiction. As I encounter tobacco smokers in my practice, my family, and in the community, one supreme issue comes through: smoking for these "hold-outs" despite smoke-free practices, taxes, and in-your-face campaigns is smoking is an…
Flu Shot
Why it's your job to get a flu shot – and call in sick if you do get the flu Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, Columbia University Medical Center Seasonal influenza is a major global health concern. Worldwide, annual influenza epidemics result…
Medicare Annual Preventive Health Exam
If you are 65 years or older, you are entitled to a Medicare annual preventive health exam that is covered at no additional cost. During this visit, we will review your social and medical history including family risks, tobacco and…
Cleveland Clean Indoor Air Committee 2004
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the US among both Blacks and Whites, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, or about 1 in 5 deaths. Now pause and count to five .…
