Martin's Must-Reads

Martin's Must-Reads

By Betty Martin, Mark MartinArtsBooks
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Martin's Must-Reads episodes

  • To Your Health: Meditation and Mindfulness
    When I first heard about meditation, I think it was on some kind of early 80s sitcom, with people wearing unitards and scarves and chanting “ohm” as the laugh track blared. But, now meditation and mindfulness are getting serious attention. Data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey found that U.S. adults’ use of meditation tripled between 2012 and 2017. The National Institute of Health defines meditation as a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness
    2 min
  • To Your Health: Blue Light
    The next time you visit the eye doctor and need to update your glasses prescription, you may be asked if you want blue-blocking lenses. However, it wouldn’t be for the health of your eyes. Contrary to what some blue-light blocking glasses retailers might suggest, The American Academy of Ophthalmology says you don’t need them and has gone on record as not recommending any kind of special eyewear for computer users. The organization says blue light from digital devices does not lead to eye disease
    2 min
  • To Your Health: Hope for H.I.E.
    According to the Hope for H.I.E. organization, two to three in every 1,000 full-term births will be affected by hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a type of brain dysfunction that occurs when the brain doesn't receive enough oxygen or blood flow for a period of time. April is H.I.E. Awareness Month. When the brain is deprived of oxygen, brain cells are injured. Some may recover, but some may die. There are two stages of injury with H.I.E.: The first stage happens immediately after the initial
    2 min
  • To Your Health: Endometriosis
    That time of the month. A visit from your friend. The curse. Aunt Flo. There are so many euphemisms for menstruation that sometimes women and girls get the message they really shouldn’t mention it. Perhaps that’s why one of the mottos of the Endometriosis Association is “Let’s Talk About It.” March is National Endometriosis Awareness Month. The condition gets its name from the word endometrium, the tissue that normally lines the uterus or womb. Endometriosis happens when this tissue grows
    2 min
  • To Your Health: The End of the Beginning of COVID-19
    Three years into World War II and after the first big victory for the allies, Winston Churchill famously said, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” The same might be said for the COVID-19 pandemic at this moment in time. March 11, 2021 marked one year since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus crisis a pandemic. The New York Times recently reported, “Nearly 30 percent of Americans have now had the
    2 min
  • To Your Health: Sleep and the Glymphatic System
    Can you believe we’re still discovering what’s going on inside our heads? The glymphatic system is a recently discovered macroscopic waste clearance system in the brain. According to the authors of an article in Neurochemical Research , the glymphatic system functions mainly during sleep and is largely disengaged during wakefulness. The biological need for sleep across all species may, therefore, reflect that the brain must enter a state of activity that enables the elimination of potentially
    2 min
  • To Your Health: Maternal Mortality Among Black Women
    Before you walk out the door, are you sure you have everything? The baby’s first outfit? Did you install the car seat correctly? What about your birth plan? I don’t see an advanced directive in here. What are we supposed to do if you die while giving birth? Unfortunately, this is a brutal reality for black mothers to be. While many women may be nervous about the pain of childbirth and the responsibilities of a new baby, not too many women fear death. About 700 women die each year in the U.S. as
    2 min
  • To Your Health: COVID Vaccine (Part 2)
    Dr. Paul Offit, who advises the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration on COVID vaccines, recently stated the best hope for ending the pandemic isn’t to choose between masks, physical distancing and vaccines, but to combine them. Last week, I gave you reasons to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This week, we look at why you need to continue to take precautions against the virus after getting your shot. It might seem counterintuitive, but maintaining the trifecta of handwashing,
    2 min
  • To Your Health: Winter Blues
    Did you go to a New Year’s Eve Party? Can you believe that happened THIS MONTH? The month of January can tend to drag on. The holiday fun is over. It’s cold, there’s less daylight and the landscape is bleak. But, how can you tell the difference between “the winter blues” and something more serious? Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Onset, previously known as Season al Affective Disorder, is listed as a subtype of depression within the DSM-V, the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and
    2 min
  • To Your Health: Glaucoma
    According to the National Eye Health Education Program, glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States. People are often unaware that glaucoma has no symptoms in its early stages. If detected early, before noticeable vision loss occurs, glaucoma can usually be controlled and severe vision loss can often be prevented. Vision that is lost from glaucoma cannot be restored. January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. The American Academy of Ophthalmology describes glaucoma as
    2 min

About Martin's Must-Reads

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There are one million new books published each year. With so many books and so little time, where do you begin to find your next must-read? There’s the New York Times Bestseller list, the Goodreads…