By Diana Weber, M.D., Medical Director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico March is national Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which draws attention to one of our country’s most deadly but often preventable diseases. Colon cancer, which starts in the large...
Health
Journey to Health – Overcoming Frustration
By Eli Follick Imagine that you have expended great energy to change some bad habits and to be healthier. You’ve succeeded in some areas but not in others. You’ve probably learned about making healthful food choices, exercising regularly, improving your sleep, and...
The Doctor Will See You Now – New Mexico Gets its Sleep – But Seniors Need to Catch Up
By Optum New Mexico New Mexicans sleep a little better than most Americans. According to the United Health Foundation’s Annual America’s Health Rankings, 32.3 percent of adults report insufficient sleep, defined as sleeping fewer than seven hours in a 24-hour period....
Amino Acids: The Pot of Gold for Growing or Maintaining Muscle
By Shellie L. Rosen, PhD., DOM, L.Ac. Muscle loss occurs from reduced physical activity and a lack of optimal protein loading. For example, you break down muscle for fuel if you work out without adequate protein. Such a scenario can lead to sarcopenia (muscle loss)....
The Doctor Will See You Now – Cervical Cancer Screening Saves Lives Into Senior Years
By Optum New Mexico Until the introduction and increased use of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test, a screening test used to determine the health of cervical cells, cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death for American women. In recent years,...
Journey to Health – The Art and Science of Healthy Substitutions
By Eli Follick The bad habits started with breakfast: two to three pieces of white bread toast coated with butter and jelly, an equal number of fried eggs, and a cup of coffee loaded with sugar and whole milk or cream. Then, I was off to work where I enjoyed more...
Ask a Health Care Professional – Coronary Artery Disease
By Diana Weber, M.D., Medical Director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico February is American Heart Month, which is an opportunity to direct our focus toward recognizing and preventing heart disease. Heart disease causes one in three deaths each year, but most...
Pain Loves Mobility
By Shellie L. Rosen, PhD., DOM, L.Ac. It is common to limit activity and movement to avoid pain. However, movement facilitates healing and supports various body functions. Many find help using over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS); others...
‘Squeezing’ is Key to Proper Standing, Developing Better Alignment
By David Wargo A topic that comes up regularly with clients at our clinic is how to move their bodies on a daily basis. The problem is that we humans have never been taught that how we stand, sit, and walk has a huge impact on our joints, muscles and even on our...
Relearning How to Walk May Ease Pains, Improve Posture
By David Wargo My work as a movement and alignment practitioner is focused on how my clients move throughout their day and how their body is aligned. As I mentioned in my December column, most of my clients are causing some, if not all, of their orthopedic issues by...