Menma Health

When you think of the word “resilience,” what comes to mind? Strong? Unbeatable? Weatherproof? When it comes your health and wellness, resilience—as defined by the American Psychological Association—is “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress.” In working with my patients, I like to compare resilience—and specifically strengthening it—to the analogy of weight lifting to build muscle. The more we practice lifting those weights, the stronger we feel. Also, if an injury does happen, we heal faster. So how do we train for greater resiliency? We all know that, in life, we don’t have control over the many things that happen to us. But we can learn how to respond rather than react to life. Over time and with practice,…

Making decisions about your child’s health can be scary and confusing. It seems like everywhere you go, you see and hear conflicting information about what is best for your children. Perhaps nowhere is this truer than in regard to the topic of vaccines. Many parents aren’t sure if vaccines really are safe for their children. Luckily, vaccine safety has been a topic of extensive research by many scientists who have published thousands of papers working to dismantle myths surrounding vaccination. Let’s take a look at some of the most common questions people have: Q: Do I really need to vaccinate my child if the diseases he/she is being vaccinated against are not common in our community or country? A: Yes. Diseases that were once common are now rare, in large part…

Colorectal cancer (commonly known as colon cancer) is an insidious disease ranking third most common cancer among people in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 140,250 cases of colorectal cancer in 2018 in the U.S.   These numbers may seem scary, but the situation is far from hopeless. Routine screening can identify colon cancer before it becomes difficult to treat, and sometimes it can even identify abnormal cell growth before cancer is developed. This means that regular screening can potentially prevent cancer from developing or identify it before it becomes difficult to treat. Despite the tremendous benefits of routine colon cancer screening, only about 62 percent of adults over the age of 50 are screened every year in the U.S. Some people fear the…

What comes to mind when you think of a healthy relationship? A sense of mutual respect? Feeling a strong sense of connection? Truly trusting another human being? Being in a healthy relationship is all of the above—and so much more. A healthy relationship is a connection based on trust and respect for one another. What’s more, evidence points to the fact that positive relationships are those that support our health, empowering us to thrive and possibly live longer with fewer negative emotional and physical challenges. Of note, there are hundreds of studies that prove that healthy relationships increase our physical health. According to the National Institutes of Health, social support is linked to lower blood pressure, better heart rate measures and fewer stress hormones. True, genetics play a role in…

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a very common respiratory virus that causes infection of the lungs and respiratory tract. RSV can infect year round but typically runs from fall to spring. Although RSV may mimic the symptoms of a common cold, it can be much more serious. RSV is one of the leading causes of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia in children younger than one year old in the United States. That said, children are not the only ones who can be affected by RSV—it also poses a significant risk of respiratory illness in older adults. Almost all children will have had an RSV infection by the time they are two years old.Signs and Symptoms: iStock-870697350.jpgRunny noseDecrease in appetiteCoughingSneezingFeverWheezingRapid breathing or difficulty breathing (the…