Search Results

Both men and women produce testosterone, but for males the hormone plays a star role in puberty when it enables the development of hair growth, libido, muscle mass, bone strength and, most importantly, sperm production. A natural decline in male testosterone occurs after age 30 and begins to drop 1 to 2 percent a year around age 40. 

Exercise is good for your heart, and it also can lower blood pressure, prevent diabetes and help you lose weight. But did you know it’s good for your brain, too? When you exercise, your cerebral blood flow increases and helps protect against age-related loss of grey matter. And because physical activity also lowers resting cortisol levels over time, you’re better able to manage stress and prevent cognitive decline — possibly lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Bipolar disorder is shrouded in uncertainty and fear, and carries a significant social stigma. But greater public awareness of this mood disorder can help us more quickly identify friends and family members who need help. There are usually two distinct mood patterns associated with the disorder: mania (or a less severe form called hypomania) and depression. To receive a bipolar diagnosis, a patient must show symptoms of mania or hypomania. 

What is chronic inflammation? Usually, when your immune system detects a foreign invader — pollen, viruses or bacteria and chemicals — your body’s defenses send antibodies and increased blood flow to the trouble spots to assist with healing. But for some people, that defensive response gets stuck in high gear, even after the threat is gone. This leaves the body in a perpetual, stressed out “fight” mode, which can lead to serious illness.  

So, you have a new baby on the way and are trying to decide where they will sleep. One friend says that in her home country, infants routinely sleep in their mothers’ beds. Another friend is sure that’s dangerous. And yet another insists that having a separate nurse is the only way to guarantee sleep for you or your partner. Who’s right, who’s wrong and what’s best for your baby?

Facing constant demands from family, work and school, women often find themselves overextended and unable to set aside time for their own well-being. With so many competing time demands, they may find themselves burned out, depressed and vulnerable to health threats. 

Stretch often. Stay limber by keeping your stomach and back muscles strong. Exercises such as planks and push-ups or e stretches such as Cat-Cow or Bridge Pose can bring flexibility and strength to your spine and muscles. 

“Am I normal down there?” is one of the most common questions asked of gynecologists. The short answer: “Yes, you are.”

You’ve gotten through the tough part — childbirth — and now, six weeks later, your doctor has given the all-clear for you and your partner to have sex again. But even though the scar tissue has healed, you’re both struggling to get back into the act. Obstacles abound: Sleep for both of you is elusive as you juggle breastfeeding, a new household routine and body changes. Will sex ever be the same as it was before? 

When Christina McGuirk was eight years old, she experienced a hospital stay that would shape the rest of her life. The ordeal was a distressing one, and because of an interaction she had with a nurse, she decided then and there that she would one day become an outstanding RN. “I made a vow that under my care, patients would not feel helpless, scared and embarrassed,” she says.