You know the scene: it’s festival season, and you’ve been at it all day. You’re hungry, tired, and your mouth feels as dry as a desert. But why all at once? You’re probably dehydrated! Our bodies are made up of 60% water, and losing too much over a hot day can affect a number of things, including your mood and energy 1,2. So keeping well hydrated is vital! But Doc, how much water should I be drinking? Unfortunately that’s tough to say. Previous guidelines, such as drinking ei

Do you ever feel like you’re forgetting things more often or know someone that does? Are you having problems doing daily tasks and speaking sometimes? Dementia is not exactly a disease. It’s a word that that defines a lot of other issues that could be affecting your brain. This is when normal activities and even talking can become hard. It can affect how you think, solve, and even feel emotionally. That doesn’t mean if you forget things you have dementia! Dementia is usually

Every home has a medication cabinet which has different medication. it is very important from time to time to clean it. Most medication will have an expiration date on it to tell you that it will not be good to use it after this date. (1) How often should you clean out your medicine cabinet? You should clean out your medicine cabinet at least once a year. Through away all expired medications, vitamins, and creams. It is important to through them away from children and pets.(2

Herbal Remedies Do you ever wonder if herbal products are safe or if they really work? Do you remember the last time someone told you to try something herbal? Nearly 1 in 5 adults in the United States report taking an herbal product.(1) It is important to know that herbal and dietary products may not claim to “treat” what you may have. It is commonly believed that herbal products are safe because they are “natural”. Many products do not list the risks they may have. Herbal p

Kidneys! March is National Kidney Month. Though we may not talk about them too often, these bean-shaped organs play a vital role in our everyday body functions (3,4). Our kidneys host many small, but powerful filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron has the ability to filter fluids in our body, like blood, for nutrients and waste products. Upon completion, the waste gets deposited into the urine. As part of this filtering system, electrolyte levels are kept stable. Hormo

How many times have we gone grocery shopping for one thing, and then within moments, something else catches our eye? It looks good. It probably tastes good. Hmm…the list of ingredients doesn’t say “sugar”. That means it must be healthy, right? At first glance we may think so. But as they say, “what looks good, is not always good for you”. Sometimes other sugary substitutes lurk on nutrition labels right underneath our noses. These “hidden sugars”, as we call them, are usually

As the number of prescription opioids sold nation-wide more than tripled over the past decade, drug misuse, abuse, and overdose has continued to be a growing problem in the United States2,5. Misuse and abuse can lead to problems like dependence and addiction. Meanwhile, overdose often leads to troubling side effects such as heavy breathing, unconsciousness, and even death. It is estimated that about 2/3 of all drug deaths are related to prescription opioid medications5. To fa

Crawfish and Beer Crawfish yield about 15 percent meat, so it takes about 6 or 7 pounds of live crawfish to give one pound of tailmeat. For many New Orleanians, crawfish boils are a social event we look forward to. Crawfish themselves are low-calorie, low-fat, and a good source of protein, electrolytes, and vitamins such as magnesium, selenium, and iron. However, add the salt and beer and we may begin to notice some less desirable after effects. Beer contains a small percenta

Kids Dental Health By the time they are two-years-old 1 in 10 children have at least 1 cavity. A cavity is permanently damaged areas in the hard surface of your teeth that develop into tiny opening or holes(1). A cavity develops when a tooth decays and is a hole that can grow bigger and deeper over time. (2) A healthy mouth and teeth are an important part of a child’s wellness. Many parents assume that cavities in baby teeth don’t matter because they would just lose them, bu

Catching Up on Some ZZZZZZZZZ's Do you want to lose weight? Are you sitting in front of the TV more instead of getting a full 8 hours worth of sleep? If so, did you know you lose more weight just by sleeping instead of watching TV! Even though your body may not seem like it is doing much while your sleeping it still burns calories. The average person burns around 56 calories per hour by watching TV compare to about 77 calories while sleeping. The number of calories depend on