April is National Minority Health Month, making it the perfect time to focus on the often-significant disparities in health and wellbeing that affect racial and ethnic minorities across our country. But it’s important to remember that these inequities exist every single day of the year, not just in April. What do we mean by “disparities”...Continue reading
A search in the iPhone app store for “mindfulness-based stress reduction” produces a seemingly endless stream of applications devoted to meditation. But do they work as well as having a live person with whom you can interact on the other side of the screen? A study funded in 2020 by Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute...Continue reading
Today is a Day of Action for high blood pressure awareness – one of many problematic heart conditions. It’s a condition where your body pumps blood too hard throughout the body. People can have high blood pressure for many different reasons, which makes treatment and prevention unique for everyone. It’s important to visit a doctor...Continue reading
African-American men have the highest risk of developing prostate cancer, compared all other races. A study from the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Pennsylvania suggests that there are specific genes that may indicate aggressive prostate cancer in African-American men. The researchers believe that their results may partially explain the reason for ethnic disparities in prostate...Continue reading
With the launch of President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative in 2014, many of the issues facing young African American men suddenly hit the front pages. However, there has been an unfortunate tendency to look at African American men’s health issues as narrowly affecting only that particular group. The reality is quite different. Health problems...Continue reading
A new study has found that older African American and Hispanic men who have survived cancer are far less likely than White men the same age to get follow-up care from a specialist or have basic vaccinations. Interestingly, there were no racial or ethnic differences in post-cancer healthcare between younger male cancer survivors. The study,...Continue reading
It’s pretty well known that on average, African-Americans have higher blood pressure and higher risk of stroke than Whites. But a study just published in JAMA Internal Medicine was actually able to link the two and quantify the black-white differences.
In previous articles we’ve talked about the health disparities between men and women and how men live shorter, less-healthy lives than women. We’ve also talked about how men of color—especially African-American men—have even worse outcomes than other men (on average, Black men don’t live long enough to collect Social Security). In this blog, we’re always...Continue reading
When people talk about Vitamin D, it usually has to do with bone health. And last week I did a post that talked about the many benefits of getting enough D—and the health risk associated with not getting enough. Two recent studies highlight even more of those risks, especially for African-Americans: arthritis pain in the...Continue reading