Blogs

Summer break is a time to try new things, travel and visit friends and family. For many of New Mexico’s blood donors, it is a time move back home, take an internship out of state or simply take a break from the normal routine. That is because many of the state’s blood donors are students. From universities to high schools, regular school blood drives dry up in the summer, while the demand continues.

A new large study finds there are four basic lifestyle modifications you can make to protect your heart. The study, called "Low-Risk Lifestyle, Coronary Calcium, Cardiovascular Events, and Mortality: Results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis,” points to regular exercise, maintaining a normal weight, following a Mediterranean diet, and not smoking as ways to greatly impact your heart health and improve longevity.

The Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to summer break, pool time and the grilling season. As we usher in the longer, warmer days, we welcome time outside grilling up some of the season’s best dishes. However, it is also an important time to remember the dangers inherent with grilling and safety precautions we should take to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and safe summer.

Learning to swim can be a fun yet terrifying venture for new swimmers. Some children are completely comfortable in water from the first time their toes hit the water, while others are equally as anxious. Beginning swim lessons first requires a comfort with the water, but getting to that point can be a challenging barrier for many children and parents.

Thursday’s ribbon cutting at the new Lovelace Health Care Clinic in Roswell expands primary health care delivery in the community.  “Right now primary care is delivered through ER and urgent care, which is a good access point when you need care and you are not on a routine visit,” explains Lovelace Regional Hospital – Roswell CEO Lloyd Scarrow. “The problem is, it is episodic.”

As told from behind the lens, Tamara Shope, communications coordinator for Lovelace Health System, shares her experience documenting the “Real Labor of Love” reality series.

Type 2 diabetes is a harsh, but preventable disease. However, more than 25 million American children and adults are living with Type 2 diabetes today and an estimated 79 million have pre-diabetes. With complications including heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, blindness, and neuropathy, taking control of the risk factors for diabetes is life changing.

Don’t Smoke
 

The brain is a fascinating organ. Did you know your brain is made up of 100 billion neurons with anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 synapses for each neuron? Researchers have uncovered interesting information about the brain. For example, it is the fattest organ in the body, consists of 75 percent water and can feel no pain. However, there is still so much we do not know about the brain.

The first days of March are officially crossed off the calendar and many of us are starting to think of longer, warmer days and the first blooms of spring. After mornings of frosted windshields and seeing our breath, these welcome changes come with some not-so-welcome changes in the air for anyone who suffers from seasonal allergies. Weeds, pollen, spores and grass, once dormant, are now cropping up with each new young bud. Now is the time to prepare for spring allergies to build up your body’s defenses against these invaders.

Why are we allergic?

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a reminder to all of us of the importance of colon screenings. In New Mexico, colon cancer is the second-most diagnosed cancer, with more than 800 new cases every year. However, colon cancer is one of the most treatable cancers if detected early through screening.