Salud

Today, April 7th, is Alcohol Screening Day. "Ugh!  Don’t sign me up for that one!  Alcoholism. What an ugly word!"  Yes, it is.  But the reality of life as an alcoholic or having a friend or family member suffering from this health condition is even uglier.  

Why does alcohol cause so much trouble and why is taboo to talk about alcoholism? After all, alcohol is a legal product and in Puerto Rico consumption often is glorified.

Recently, Dr. Irving Vega, Associate Professor at Michigan State University, presented his talk "Research on Alzheimer's disease: from bench to society". On the occasion of the "Brain Awareness Week" celebration, we share the video of his talk and an article written by Dr. Vega.  This is the first of multiple posts that we will be sharing with you this week exploring different conditions related to the health of our brain.

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For many people, reaching the age of 50 marks the beginning of an important stage in their lives. Many take the opportunity to reflect on their experiences, achievements, and wishes to fulfill. But we should also recognize that no matter how young and full of energy we feel, it is natural that with age certain changes occur that affect the normal functioning of our body. This is why, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), every person should have a screening test for colorectal cancer starting at the age of 50.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. In Puerto Rico, it is the second most common type of cancer. It is also recognized as the second leading cause of cancer death for women, as well as the third cause for men.

In 2009 we saw the global hysteria that can take hold after an uncontrolled influenza outbreak.  The disease caused by the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, infected hundreds of millions of people around the world.  In the United States, recent estimates show that the virus may have infected up to 90 million people and claimed around 12,500 lives.