Medical Monday Archives - ThePhillyFiles.com

February 8, 2021

10 Foods You Think Are Healthy That Really Aren’t

Think you’re eating healthy foods? Think again. Don’t get it twisted; some unhealthy foods only sound like they’re healthy …. On the positive side, energy bars have protein and…

February 1, 2021

7 things to know about maternal vaccines

Before you become pregnant, learn how to protect yourself and your child from serious diseases. Talk to your health care professional to make sure…

January 25, 2021

10 easy ways to drink more water

If you had a nickel for every time someone told you to drink more water, you might have enough for a down payment on a house….

January 18, 2021

Owning HIV: Myths and high-risk sexual behaviors continue among young adults

Owning HIV, a campaign designed to combat results from a survey of beliefs and perceptions about HIV among young adults in the United States,…

January 16, 2021

Coping with traumatic events

Traumatic events can be scary or dangerous. These include natural disasters (such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes and floods), acts of violence (such as assault,…

January 9, 2021

Seniors: Get your flu shot – It’s important!

Getting vaccinated for the flu is more important than ever. Not only will a flu shot help keep you and your family healthy, it…

January 8, 2021

The best foods for brain health

It’s easy to see the connection between an unhealthy diet and an expanding waistline. The connection between food and brain health can be harder…

January 7, 2021

5 best exercises for weight loss

As long as you’re busting a move regularly, you’re probably dropping pounds. But some exercises can help you realize your weight loss goal faster….

January 6, 2021

Should you be worried about your mental health?

Mental health refers to the general state of how you regulate your behavior, feelings and thoughts. There’s no standard for measuring what’s normal for…

December 29, 2020

Is your blood pressure too high?

A new study found that awareness, control and treatment of high blood pressure has dropped among United States adults. Nearly half of adults live…

December 28, 2020

6 things to discuss with your gynecologist

When it comes to sexual health, it can be hard to know what’s “normal” and what could signal a potential health problem. Even if…

December 28, 2020

Avoid holiday calorie hangover

We help you choose healthier favorites. Tis the season, but that doesn’t mean you have to pack on the pounds. You can celebrate the…

August 15, 2020

Strengthen mental health by embracing culture

One in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and adult African Americans are 20%…

August 8, 2020

How you can help find a solution to COVID-19

The human immune system holds important clues about how people naturally detect and defend against disease. For COVID-19, many people have been able to…

July 18, 2020

“The Pill” turns sweet 60

Celebrating groundbreaking moments from six decades of the birth control pill, empowering women to prevent pregnancy on their own terms.

June 9, 2020

Help teens manage mental strain

COVID-19 may have begun as a physical health crisis, but like their parents, children, teens and college students (or young adults) are likely to…

April 25, 2020

‘It impacts weight, sleep and mental health’: What you need to know about your thyroid

Michele Adams is quick to say, “I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus,” but it took her being hit by a car…

April 21, 2020

4 ways to help nurses during the Coronavirus pandemic

America’s nurses are on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus, providing safe, quality, compassionate and nondiscriminatory care to those they serve, many…

April 18, 2020

3 things to know about asthma

More than 25 million Americans suffer from asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Interview Survey. This chronic condition…

April 11, 2020

5 tips to fight sleep deprivation

Despite a desire for perfect sleep, Americans are not even close to getting the recommended eight hours a night, and 1 in 4 Americans…

March 10, 2020

Understanding rare cancers

Although rare cancers don’t occur often, they can affect people of all ages and genders. A rare cancer is defined as fewer than 15…

March 3, 2020

5 ways to improve your heart health

If you worry that you or someone you love will get heart disease or even have a heart attack, it’s understandable. Heart disease is…

Presidents DayMonday, February 15, 2021

Presidents Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. It was originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, but the holiday became popularly known as Presidents Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.

PurimThursday, February 25, 2021

The jolly festival of Purim starts tonight, on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” as recorded in the Book of Esther. Purim means “lots” in ancient Persian, and Haman had thrown lots to determine which day he would carry out his diabolical scheme. One of the observances is a feast, which often includes wine or other intoxicating beverages.

Daylight Saving TimeSaturday, March 13, 2021

“Spring forward” tonight at 2am, the second Sunday in March. The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by (who else? Philadelphian) Benjamin Franklin to reduce electricity usage by extending daylight hours. People in about 70 countries observe Daylight Saving, but they don’t in Hawaii and most of Arizona. It’s also a good time to change batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and flashlights, and remove expired items from your refrigerator and first aid kit.

St. Patrick’s DayWednesday, March 17, 2021

The Feast of Saint Patrick is both a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17, the traditional date of death of the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick lived from about 385 to 461, but the day was only made an official Christian feast day in the early 1600s. It commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Also, the Lenten restrictions on eating, and drinking alcohol, are lifted for the day.

Beginning of SpringSaturday, March 20, 2021

At the spring (or vernal) equinox, days and nights are approximately 12 hours long, with day length starting to increase and night length starting to decrease. As the season progresses, the Earth’s axis increases its tilt relative to the sun and the hemisphere warms significantly, causing new plant growth to “spring forth,” giving the season its name. “Springtime” can also refer to the ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal and regrowth.