Alex Haley once said, “Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.” Grandparents Day is Sunday, September 10. While there may be plenty of hand drawn cards and special presents given to them on this day, grandparents can be provided gifts in the form of health benefits all year long through regular interaction with their grandchildren. The Journals of Gerontology reports caregiving is positively affirming, so

Many of our listeners came of age before there was a chickenpox vaccine. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that studies show that more than 99% of Americans aged 40 and older have had chickenpox, even if they don't remember getting the disease. But once we got done with the fever, blisters, scabs and a week off from school, the varicella virus wasn’t done with us. I had chicken pox in second grade. The shingles vaccine lies in my future. According to the Mayo Clinic,

Do Johns Hopkins Cancer Center and the Mayo Clinic sound like reliable sources to you? They do to the folks who write fake health news too. Both Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic keep their media departments hopping, issuing press releases to disprove the stories they have been mentioned in. Last week on “To Your Health” I explained how prevalent fake health news has become and how dangerous it can be. This week, we will look at how to avoid it. The authors of fake health news often try to lend

The cough method of CPR, the danger of the HPV vaccine, cancer-causing Nutella and the Zika virus conspiracy are just a few of the most popular health related posts on Facebook. They are also dangerous because they are highly inaccurate. According to Pew Research, 62% of U.S. adults get their news on social media. This led to “fake news” problems often cited during the last election cycle, but studies have recently confirmed that fake health news shared on Facebook is more frequently read than

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the major risk factors for heart disease – the number-one killer in Missouri. Many of the one in three adults who have high blood pressure, do not know even know they have it. This is how it earned the nickname, the “silent killer”: there are usually has no symptoms until serious problems develop. The American Heart Association defines high blood pressure as the force of your blood

You're gonna need an ocean Of calamine lotion You'll be scratching like a hound The minute you start to mess around... Okay, name that tune. Yep, it’s “Poison Ivy." And while the Coasters might have been singing about an ill-fated romance, plenty of people are going to find themselves in an unfortunate relationship with the three-leaved poison ivy plant this summer. The American Academy of Dermatology states the rash people develop after coming in contact with poison ivy is caused by an oil

When people think of ticks, the next thing they usually think of is Lyme Disease. But did you know ticks are responsible for over fifteen different human diseases in the United States? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ticks spread the pathogens that cause disease through the feeding process, when small amounts of their saliva enter their host. To avoid becoming a meal for a disease ridden tick, avoid overgrown shady areas when outdoors. The common suggestion of

Have you cranked up one of your favorite songs when it came on the radio while carpooling and instantly been in a better mood? Do you turn on KRCU’s “Caffe Concerto” or “Afternoon Classics” when you need to focus on a project for work? Have you put yourself to sleep singing a lullaby to a baby? It’s not just your imagination. Music has powerful effects on us mentally and physically. A 2012 study in Ergonomics found music can positively affect mood while driving, which can have a positive impact

Have you had a blood workup lately and been told you are deficient in Vitamin D? Does it seem like you have other friends or family who have been told the same thing lately? Don’t worry, it isn’t a conspiracy between your doctors and the vitamin manufacturers. A 2011 article in Nutrition Research suggested over 40% of Americans have a Vitamin D deficiency. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost no Americans have Vitamin D levels that are too high. There are multiple

Contact lenses are known to provide people with more freedom to participate in everyday activities without feeling held back by glasses. But what happens when people misuse or over wear their contacts? Could that freedom cost them their sight? Contact lens wearers need to be mindful of the thousands of ways they can contract a virus or infection in their eyes. It is important to practice good contact lens hygiene to prevent hazardous injuries or possible blindness. While most people know not to