Sound Body

Oral health is intricately connected to the rest of the body. Not just a conduit for food and drink - what goes on in the mouth affects the heart, joints, gastrointestinal system and the immune system. A guide to coping with mouth symptoms such as bad breath, canker sores, oral thrush and gum disease. Also, a personal essay on living with the painful condition called Burning Mouth Syndrome.

The Blackwell sisters were the first (Elizabeth) and third (Emily) female doctors to practice medicine in the United States. Rejected by more than a dozen medical schools, Elizabeth was accepted at Geneva Medical College in New York state only as the result of a prank. The sisters went on to help establish the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children in 1857.

Many of those who beat Covid-19 are now experiencing a range of troubling chronic symptoms - not just lung issues from the respiratory effects of the virus. Long term medical problems can affect any organ system or part of the body, from neurological to cardiovascular to gastrointestinal.

Getting hooked on gambling, sex, shopping, video games and other behavioral vices is every bit as overwhelming and life-destroying as getting hooked on alcohol and drugs. Compulsion Without the Chemicals looks at the latest brain research, and offers ideas for how to get help with any compulsion that stopped being fun long ago.

Once only the concern of royalty and privilege - A New Yorker article looks at the importance of correct posture for everyone, and reviews retail "posture correctors".

For a species wired for survival, we have an odd habit of getting addicted to things that can kill us. New research is revealing why - and opening the door to desperately needed cures.

Ancient wisdom and recent research show that we can breathe better - enhancing our athletic performance and overall well-being along the way. Many exercises for different types of breathing are highlighted, as well as the importance of learning to breathe mostly through the nose instead of mouth breathing.

Why aren’t dentists a separate branch of medicine - like cardiology or dermatology? Bad oral health has been linked to heart problems, diabetes and cancer. Also, is Covid-19 causing teeth to fall out in some long haul survivors? Also, copying with dental anxiety.

42% of the American population is obese, yet fat bias continues to create negative outcomes at the doctors office. Patients put off going to a health care provider when they fear being shamed for their weight. Doctors misdiagnose patients because of their bias and ignore symptoms that may have nothing to do with obesity. Public health initiatives, and medical research continue to suggest that losing weight will create better health outcomes, while ignoring the long-term failure of this approach.

O, the Oprah Magazine, describes fear as inevitable. “Life gets scary sometimes. But although you can’t escape fear, you can manage it, conquer it, and even befriend it with this wise advice”. Articles on how to fear less and live more.