(November 12, 2009) - WASHINGTON - Dr. Clive Callender wasn't expected to make it past age 2, much less become one of the nation's preeminent transplant surgeons.
(October 7, 2009) - One month each year we’re surrounded by the color pink – from soup cans and cereal boxes to lap tops and cell phones, all adorned in the traditionally feminine hue.
(September 17, 2009) - Dr. Lisa M. Masterson is widely known as a medical specialist on the television show The Doctors, but to her female patients in the Los Angeles, Calif. area, she’s a life saver.
(September 10, 2009) - Local pediatrician Dr. Michael Zollicoffer has been practicing medicine in Northwest Baltimore for over 22 years and he is now making moves to provide the community with something different--- knowledge.
(July 7, 2009) - For years, Alfreda Hill-Wilkerson had struggled with her weight, although she tried every weight loss program and fad diet imaginable.
(June 24, 2009) - Mamie Harris, executive director of IV-CHARIS, a Cincinnati faith-based HIV/AIDS support group, figured out the problem: Too few African Americans were being tested for HIV because the efforts to reach them were ineffective, unimaginative and dated.
(June 17, 2009) - In a time of economic turmoil and decisive political decisions a nationally-renowned pastor and a local church have joined together to create a mid-day service meant to nourish the soul.
(June 10, 2009) - Howard University Hospital will be offering free medical treatment to low-income, uninsured patients on June 18 in a new clinic on the first floor of the hospital.
(June 2, 2009) - Prayer is a cornerstone of good mental health because it immediately removes from our shoulders an unbearable burden - of being God. When people function as if we were God, it makes us crazy.
(May 18, 2009) - Like a general whose direct attacks aren't working, scientists are now trying to outflank the HIV/AIDS virus.
(May 5, 2009) - The Obama’s curly haired water dog Bo is not the only canine in the District making headlines. Meet Dixie, a 1-year-old beagle and Western Pest Services’ first bed bug-sniffing dog aiding District residents.
(April 21, 2009) - A single man or woman can make a difference in this world. Lives can be saved. Families and the communities where they live can be enriched. History shows us example after example of how the world can be made better by the ideas, vision or just plain hard work of the individual.
(April 21, 2009) - It was two years ago that a 12-year-old Prince George’s County boy shocked the Washington-area community and shamed the dental profession. His name was Diamonte Driver. He died of infection from a decayed tooth that spread to his brain because his mother couldn’t get dental care for him.
(April 8, 2009) - Continuing its mission to empower women, Heal a Women to Heal a Nation, Inc. (HWHN), a community-based organization that promotes holistic wellness among women, will host their sixth annual Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation Conference at Coppin State University’s Tawes Center on April 18.
(April 8, 2009) - Next year, African Americans will comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population. Unfortunately, as the African-American population increases, our communities are experiencing increasing incidences of several forms of cancer.
(April 8, 2009) - In the last four months, 2.6 million jobs have disappeared from the American economy. About half the people who held those jobs also lost their health insurance.
(March 25, 2009) - ATLANTA (AP) -- One in 100 black men and women develop heart failure before age 50, according to one of the first long-term studies to look at the life-threatening condition in younger adults.
(April 8, 2009)- WASHINGTON- Students at C.W. Harris Elementary received health screenings that included dental, vision, body mass index, height and weight measurement and blood pressure at a fair organized by United Medical Center Foundation on April 2.
(March 18, 2009) - WASHINGTON (AP) -- For all the past week's headlines about embryonic stem cells' medical promise, there is a sobering reality: The science to prove that promise will take years, probably too long for many of today's seriously ill.
(March 11, 2009) - CHICAGO (AP) -- Striking new research shows dying blacks and Hispanics in the United States have much steeper treatment costs than whites, sobering evidence that racial health-care differences continue right up until death.
(March 11, 2009) - Earlier this week, the nation celebrated National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. I generally shun set-aside days for a cause because awareness on a single day may cause many in society to fail to address the issue the remainder of the year.
(February 5, 2009) - Now that the New Year is here and all the holiday leftovers are no longer around (either via human consumption or the trash bin), many are contemplating how to lose the unwelcome weight that has been packed on over the last few months.
(February 4, 2009) - As client after client slashes budgets and drops services, Don Wilson, a marketing consultant with his own Washington-based firm, is increasingly the odd-man out. Wilson, 45, is losing money, and he’s also losing sleep from the stress of trying to keep his company afloat.
(January 7, 2009) - Hospitals, health care facilities and adult home care companies around the nation are desperate–– not because of the crumbling economy or a lack of financial resources -- but for new hires, the Associated Press reported.
(January 7, 2009) - Fever, aches, chills, tiredness, runny nose and upset stomach, are all the signs and symptoms of the flu among us. But there is still time to protect yourself and help stop its spread.
(January 7, 2009) - To date, the leading causes of death for Black women are heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease, respectively.
(December 23, 2008) - It’s the waiting that can kill you—the wondering, worrying about whether the next pink slip will have your name on it or whether an eviction notice will greet you at your door.
(December 10, 2008) - This holiday season seniors have important choices to make about their healthcare. Medicare prescription drug plans may be making changes to premiums, cost sharing and coverage that will be effective Jan. 1.
Dwayne “Mo-Show” Molock cares about the citizens of Baltimore. Devoted walkers and runners who use Lake Montebello as their personal track will attest that come rain or shine, Molock is there – staying fit or helping others.
Cancer survival rates—living more than five years after being diagnosed with the disease—have improved slightly since the 1970s. But the odds of surviving lung cancer—the deadliest form of the disease—improved much less than almost all other types of cancer over the same time period, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Being overweight is often accepted in the Black community and even celebrated with the overweight dubbed with nicknames such as being “big-boned.” But experts say no matter what we call it or how it is perceived, being overweight can lead to type 2 diabetes, high-blood pressure, heart disease and other chronic conditions.
As director of a community empowerment organization, Ray Bridgewater is convinced that more needs to be done to help diabetics.
To assist Medicare beneficiaries in controlling their diabetes and improving their health, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, launched the Every Diabetic Counts program.
One day in 1965 Darlene Stewart arrived at the hospital for an operation to remove what her doctor and surgeon believed was a cyst in her right breast. But when she woke up from the procedure, she realized her right breast had been completely removed.
Haphazard thoughts, indescribable fears and an inability to complete the simplest daily tasks––making a phone call, grocery shopping––are all too common for many people living with schizophrenia, a mental disorder causing hallucinations, paranoia, delusions and other cognitive impairments.
A common misconception is that snacking isn’t a healthy habit for growing teens. The truth is that most teens need snacks – the trick is making healthy food choices in the right amounts. Eating too many calories can cause teens to become overweight,...
When Shay Sharpe is out around town, in a club or a local supermarket, women often approach her to chat, just like any young woman bumping into a friend. But one may be surprised if they happen to catch a piece of the conversation, to find this vivacious woman answering questions about breast cancer, its treatment and where to get a mammogram in the city.
Training for an upcoming biathlon, marital artist A. Adar Ayira ran 10 miles one morning some three years ago. She soon felt very tired, but who wouldn’t after running 10 miles, right? “By that afternoon, I was walking with a cane,” Ayira recalled. “By that evening, I couldn’t walk at all. It took about a year before I stopped walking with a cane.
Our children are our future but what if our children don’t outlive us? Frightening statistics tell the story. According to the American Obesity Association, 30 percent of kids ages 6-11 are overweight and 15 percent are obese, setting them up for increased risk for diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.
Targeted marketing of high-calorie foods and beverages exposes Black consumers to more unhealthy messages around eating and limits their access to healthy foods, compared to Whites, according to research published in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
According to the National Research Council, 71 percent of African Americans live in areas that violate federal air pollution standards, compared to 58 percent of the White population. Inadequate air quality has made African Americans 25 percent more likely to suffer from asthma than Whites.
AFRO Washington Bureau Chief Zenitha Prince has joined the Lifestyle Weight Management program in her perennial battle to vanquish extra pounds and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Over the next few months, follow her journey in the AFRO’s Health Section and online at this blog.
HIV continues to be a public health crisis in the United States, with over 1.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS and approximately 40,000 new HIV infections each year.
June 9, 2008 – I started off my weight loss program by cheating—but only a little bit, really.
I had had a tough weekend. My mom had had another stroke and had to leave her job, so I traveled to New York to help her reorganize her life, as it were.
A disease affecting more than 8 million Americans over the age of 40 still remains unknown to the general public. Among them are African Americans, who are twice as likely as Caucasians to develop it, according to a medical expert.
VIENNA, VA-- It was less than a year ago that Lifestyle Weight Management, a Vienna, Va.-based company that offers a range of weight loss options, opened its doors.
A new film series goes beyond the call for universal healthcare and asks, “Why are so many Americans sick in the first place?”
Your day starts off with an unexpected traffic jam that made you late for work. Next, your computer system at work is down and you’re on deadline. Later you found out your child has a game after school but left the uniform at home while dinner still has to be prepared. Sound familiar?
Your day starts off with an unexpected traffic jam that made you late for work. Next, your computer system at work is down and you’re on deadline. Later you found out your child has a game after school but left the uniform at home while dinner still has to be prepared. Sound familiar?
Mount Rainier, Md., a small town east of the District of Columbia has become a magnet for healthy and quiet lifestyles. As real estate soared, many Washingtonians turned to Mt. Rainier for its detached homes at reasonable prices and short commute to downtown District employment.
In an effort to promote diversity, PricewaterhouseCoopers(PWC), one of the world’s largest professional services firms, has launched a new program for academically talented African-American high school juniors.
Last year, Daryl Penn and his wife, Taurice, were one of six couples at his sister’s house party.
With everyone in the basement, laughing and playing the DVD trivia game version of Family Feud, the party was off to a good start. Friends teamed up, called out answers, and high-fived one another.
Cardiovascular disease is killing African Americans faster than ever.
Sounding the alarm, the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) is rallying troops nationwide.
Last month in Chicago, ABC decided to invade Sunday church services to preach about this devastating scourge.
A walk across any American grade-school campus will display a mélange of students with different skin colors, hair textures and body types bustling from one classroom to the next.
Eight District councilmembers supported a bill introduced by Council Chair Vincent Gray and Councilman David Catania (I-At Large) that will, if enacted, establish a universal health plan for every resident 18 years of age and older.
By Christina L. Burton
Special to The AFRO
April 2, 2008
Denae Hilliard, 44, received a surprising call one day in November 2005. A man answered, telling her to take the Metro from her hometown of Hyattsville, Md. into downtown D.C. and go to the then-MCI Center for the sake of her 15-year-old son who had just been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. So, she did.
By Christina L. Burton
Special to The AFRO
April 7, 2008
Consumer sugar-intake and weight, recently major topics in the dietary and medical fields, were brought to Washington last week in a daylong conference created to help people make smarter dietary choices.
By James Wright
AFRO Staff Writer
It would not be a reach to say that Edie Aultmon has a life that is the envy of millions of Americans. She has been happily married for 20 years to a husband that she loves and who loves her.
People seeking health advice using iridology
By Valencia Mohammed
AFRO Staff Writer
“Can you really look into my eyes and tell me the condition of my body?” asked Darlene Dancy, a client at the Miracle Health Clinic, near the historical Eastern Market in Washington, D.C.
Art offers healing, hope
By Paula Brooks
Special to the AFRO
Terry Thompson, a professional artist, says that he has lost too many friends and family members to cancer. “I watched as the disease took its toll on my friends. It taught me that you have to cherish everyday things—family, work, friends. You have to take time to spend with those you love, even though you have a busy schedule.”
The American Heart Association held its 24th Annual Baltimore Hearts of Flame gala at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on February 23. The event raised $560K. All proceeds will benefit Heart research in 2008-2009. Johns Hopkins Medicine was the presenting sponsor, and Aris Melissaratos served as the event chair.
By LAURAN NEERGAARD
AP Medical Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Bone tests are not just for women anymore. New guidelines are calling for older men to get a routine check for bone-thinning osteoporosis.
By Tiffany Ginyard
Afro Staff Writer
Hearing or reading of someone else’s suffering and misfortunes may initially strike a chord of empathy in one’s heart, but concern grows faint, and life goes on. That is until tragedy hits home.
Now is a time when many people resolve to do better for themselves in the year ahead – we promise to lose weight, be more patient, volunteer. And that lasts until about the time Valentine’s Day chocolates arrive.
A new study finds that Black Medicare patients seeking heart attack treatment are far less likely to receive potentially lifesaving operations than their White counterparts, regardless of whether a hospital offers such operations.
Insured, accessible and high quality health care is a high priority and concern for the people in our state and nation.
School cafeterias have an indistinguishable smell... no matter what's on the menu.