Kennedy Health System

Headache is a universal complaint, so consider yourself lucky if you are in the small minority of people who have never experienced one. Not to be cruel, but many headache sufferers wish everyone (including doctors) would experience just one headache to understand how bad it can be, so they could be taken seriously.  They wish to no longer be teased by “not tonight, I have a headache” jokes, or accused of “just having an excuse to get out of things,” or pitied for an inability to deal with stress, or told to try that medicine advertised on TV that “works great for headaches.”  Having limited my practice to headache management and research for more 20 years, I can tell who “gets it” and who doesn’t.  Within minutes of learning my profession, a patient or physician is either animatedly chatting with me about headaches as if we were old friends, or there is a blank stare, as if I am practicing quackery.  The fact is, many people experience headaches and are not appropriately treated; this leads to unnecessary suffering and a reduced quality of life.  Not many providers specialize in headaches, and those that do are often booked out for a half year or more, giving testimonial to the need for better headache care.

Now that springtime has finally arrived, more and more people are beginning to focus on shedding those last few pounds leftover from the winter. With the weather warming up, most of us are eager to get outside and exercise.  Not only is exercise crucial for maintaining health body weight, but studies also show a decrease in heart disease and stroke, decreased risk for diabetes, decrease in blood pressure, improvement in depression, and a decreased risk for osteoporosis, among other notable benefits. In fact, I harp on this fact with most of my patients, especially those with diabetes. Any activity you choose to do will burn some calories and potentially help with your weight-loss efforts. But here are some tips to exercising safely.

In the 1940s and ‘50s, the United States dealt with a countrywide polio epidemic, with more than 100,000 Americans affected and nearly 6,000 reported deaths. Starting in the early 1980s, the AIDS epidemic affected nearly one million Americans, killing more than 550,000. Right now, we are dealing with an even more staggering disease, affecting many more Americans, and dramatically impacting our healthcare system. As of data released in 2011, there are 26 million Americans with diabetes mellitus. Even more concerning, an estimated seven million of those with diabetes do not even know they have the condition. Nearly 80 million more Americans have pre-diabetes.

Occasionally, I will have a patient tell me that they received a flu shot, but still ended up getting the flu. While the flu vaccine does not always protect you from getting influenza, it certainly protects you from getting a more serious infection and or dying from influenza. It’s still a great preventive measure to take during flu season, and one I recommend to my patients.

Join Kennedy in taking action today to prevent heart disease in the future!!

Why?

• More than 2 million heart attacks and strokes occur in the US every year.
• Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
• 2200 deaths occur daily in the U.S. as a result of cardiovascular disease.
• $444 billion is spent in healthcare costs and lost productivity in the U.S. each year.