Johns Hopkins Medicine A Womans Journey: Health Insights that Matter

September is National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month. Atrial fibrillation (also called AFib or AF) is a quivering or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications. According to the American Heart Association, at least 2.7 million Americans are living with AFib.

Sleep is a vital part of our lives. Without quality sleep we have no energy and cannot perform 100%. With 50 to 70 million people in the US suffering from one or several sleep disorders and 30% of adult U.S. population suffering from insomnia and 10% from chronic insomnia, getting quality sleep is a topic no one can ignore.

The number of individuals being diagnosed with brain disorders is increasing: Alzheimer's disease: 5.4M Americans and 24M globally; Parkinson's: 630,000 Americans; Dementias: 46.8M globally; and Stroke: 795,000 Americans. Learn about new research shedding light onto the mysteries of the brain with Dr. Justin McArthur, neurologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology.

June is Alzheimer's disease Awareness Month. In honor of the estimated 5.7M Americans are living with Alzheimer's today and an estimated 14 million by 2050, Dr. Constantine Lyketsos, director of Memory and Alzheimer's Treatment Center and director of the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Bayview discusses the difference between Alzheimer's and other dementias, recent research to uncover the causes and treatments for Alzheimer's disease, efforts to intervene in the progression of changes in the brain, and progress in diagnosing Alzheimer's earlier in life.

May is Bladder Cancer Month.

Did you know that bladder cancer is one of the most common genitourinary cancers in adults worldwide, and it is the fourth most common cancer in men? Women should be aware than although less common in women, women tend to have a worse prognosis if diagnosed.

The American Cancer Society's estimates in 2019: about 80,470 new cases of bladder cancer (about 61,700 in men and 18,770 in women) will be diagnosed and about 17,670 deaths from bladder cancer (about 12,870 in men and 4,800 in women) will occur.

Did you know that kidney disease is a serious disease affecting >30 million Americans and >700,000 have End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)? Nephrologist and epidemiologist Deidra Crews provides background on who is at risk, the causes and treatment for kidney disease and what can be done to prevent developing kidney disease.

Colon cancer researcher Cynthia Sears defines what the microbiome is and how it contributes to disease, like heart, cancer, weight/obesity and mental health. Also discussed is the role of probiotics, yogurt, Kefir and fermented foods.