Category: Health

Childhood obesity is the leading chronic illness of today’s adolescents and youth, and African-American school-aged girls suffer from it the most, said Hugh Mighty, a national expert on improving maternal health and birth outcomes. As one of Maryland’s top obstetrician/gynecologists, Mighty spoke on childhood obesity and its preventions at Advocates for Children and Youth’s (ACY) […]

While Color Blind questions whether we can look beyond race and judge people on their characters alone, there is actually a rare genetic disorder that makes those affected immune to racial prejudice. Williams Syndrome is a condition characterized by symptoms such as heart abnormalities, mental retardation and lack of communal nervousness. As a result, those […]

Gimmick commercials, dry shampoos and mythical greases aside, hair loss can be a complex problem to combat. While baldness is traditionally common among men, the idea that it’s a rarity among women is a fading tale. Over 21 million women are affected by hair loss and the matter has become increasingly common in African-American women. […]

WASHINGTON – It was a new study, but it didn’t tell Washington pediatrician Dr. Michal Young much that she didn’t already know. ?“It’s an established fact that there are children who die unnecessarily every year because they were not breastfed,” said Young, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Howard University College of Medicine and […]

?WASHINGTON — The new guidelines issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPTF) recommending fewer breast cancer screenings and beginning them at a later age have sparked heated debate across the nation. Nowhere are they more hotly contested than among African-American physicians and health care professionals, some who say the new guidelines could lead […]

After the Centers for Disease Control release a report showing an 18 percent obesity rate among high school students, attacking the food service in Washington, D.C., public schools has been a hot button issue.  “The health problems affecting our students are both real and significant,” said District Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh. The city is […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched their social media initiative, “i know,” on March 4 at Clark Atlanta University, a new attempt to promote HIV prevention. The “i know” campaign was created to provide young African-American adults with an open forum to discuss the deadly virus both on and offline. In addition to […]

Through a partnership with five of her peers, local orthopedic surgeon Dr. Rinelda Horton has created Women Orthopedist Global Outreach, a not-for-profit volunteer medical service organization. WOGO is the newest team of Operation Walk, a 16-year non-profit medical service organization. The WOGO team is comprised of six fellowship-trained female orthopedic surgeons located in Florida, North […]

From work to family to relationships and environments, the causes of stress can be plentiful and oftentimes, unavoidable. For many African Americans, one of the leading causes of stress stems from money, or a lack thereof. With the cost of living on the upswing, an unstable economy has led to trying times for many Americans. […]

Dr. Leo E. Rouse, dean of the Howard University College of Dentistry, was named president-elect of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) March 3, according to a press release. Rouse will become ADEA president in March 2011. Rouse currently chairs the ADEA Council of Deans and serves as one of the four ADEA commissioners on […]

For many of us, a modern, busy life means pre-made meals and entertainment such as video games, movies and television. Unfortunately, the widespread consumption of processed foods coupled with sedentary lifestyles has led to a dramatic rise in diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), 23.6 million American children and adults live with diabetes, […]

It was one hundred years ago this year that Chicago physician Dr. James B. Herrick first described the strangely shaped red blood cells on the blood film of a medical student from Grenada. He gave a name to a condition that today still haunts tens of thousands of patients across the nation – sickle cell […]