Four tips to get your kids to eat healthy foods

If you want your kids to develop healthy eating habits, focus on the fun. Shape positive behaviors by teaching them about the importance of good health early on, and help keep them from developing bad habits with long-lasting effects. Here are some strategies to make it easier:

Everyone needs a flu shot—and, why now is the right time

Two types of people inhabit the world: Those who use bookmarks when reading a book and those who prefer to dog-ear their stopping place. Those who keep their inbox at zero unread emails and those who don’t mind having 36,932 messages. Those who get flu shots every single year and those who don’t.

How you choose to handle emails and books won't affect your health, but flu shots can make a difference. If you fall in the group who doesn't get flu shots, here are a few reasons to convince you
to switch sides and get one.

Three common questions about diverticulitis

Almost half of all Americans over the age of 60 develop colon diverticulosis and approximately 15% of those end up with diverticulitis which is an uncomfortable, often painful condition. While the disease is fairly common, not many people know much about it. Let's review three common questions about diverticulitis.

Autoimmune disease is more common than you may realize

Autoimmune diseases aren't talked about as often as cancer or heart disease but they are just as prevalent. The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association estimates 50 million Americans have an autoimmune disease. There are many different types of autoimmune diseases and they are often difficult to diagnose. Let's learn more about autoimmune disease symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

Important health scans for people over 40

Take charge of your health and your body will thank you for it! Regular check-ups are important because they help find problems before they start. And finding problems early improves your chances for treatment and a cure. As you get older, health screenings become a regular part of your check-ups. They help you be proactive and spot potential problems early. Let's review some important health screenings for everyone over 40.

What you need to know about back pain and sciatica

Chronic pain is something that affects millions of people. Some cases can be traced to a specific injury but others have an apparent cause. One of the most common types of chronic pain is lower back pain. If you suffer from chronic lower back pain, there are some things you can do to find relief.

Type 2 diabetes risk factors to watch for

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. People with Type 2 diabetes have stopped responding to the levels of insulin in their body. As the body becomes increasingly resistant to insulin, glucose builds up in the blood and body tissues are starved for energy. Type 2 diabetes occurs because either one or both of the following conditions exist:

• Fat, muscle, or liver cells do not respond to the high levels of insulin (called insulin resistance)
• Beta cells in the pancreas do not make enough insulin relative to the demands of the body

Don't ignore these common symptoms of alcohol use disorder

Drinking too much alcohol causes serious short and long-term health effects. In fact, studies from the CDC state that an estimated 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes each year. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a medical condition that doctors diagnose when a patient’s drinking causes distress or harm. It can be mild, moderate or severe but at any level, alcohol abuse and dependency is bad for your health. How do you know when it's time to seek help for a potential drinking problem?

The physical impacts of stress

We all know that stress isn’t good for us but for many, it seems that stress is a way of life. If you’re operating at a high level of stress regularly, it can be affecting your health in ways you don’t even realize.

How do you know when you need a flu shot?

The flu used to be a generic term for just about any virus. Now, however, more people realize that the flu - short for influenza - is actually a serious upper respiratory infection. The flu is highly contagious and can cause serious complications, even hospitalization for some people. The best defense against influenza? An annual flu shot.

Five Tips for Healthy Aging

As we age, our bodies change in both good and bad ways. Focus on healthy habits - particularly ones that help with common issues of aging - and you'll find that you can still be active, healthy and happy for years to come. Do your part to make your older years your golden years with these five tips for healthy aging.

What is gout?

Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in a joint that can cause sudden, severe episodes of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth and swelling. It most often affects the joint of the big toe but it can affect other joints as well. The Arthritis Foundation states that gout affects nearly 4% of Americans and is more common in men than women. Yet few people understand what gout is and what to do about it.

Common types and symptoms of arthritis

Arthritis is a disease that takes many forms but all of them cause pain and discomfort in joints such as your wrists, fingers, knees and hips. It is often thought that little can be done for arthritis… that it’s just a symptom of growing older. However, there are many treatment options for arthritis and arthritis can happen at any age.

There are hundreds of types of arthritis. The most common types fall into two categories: osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).