News

When it comes to stroke, it’s crucial to know how to recognize its signs and symptoms so you can access care quickly and preserve brain function. One acronym — BE FAST — can make it easier to identify a stroke, which happens when there’s a blockage to the brain’s blood supply (an ischemic stroke) or a sudden rupture and bleeding in the brain (a hemorrhagic stroke).

BE FAST stands for:

Whether your favorite summer activity is taking a long hike on a trail, catching waves at the beach or having fun at a backyard barbecue, the warmer temperatures generally mean more time spent outdoors in the sun. But because more exposure to sunlight means more exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet A and B rays, you need to take steps to protect yourself from cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation.

Asthma, a chronic condition that affects the airways in the lungs, can lead to a range of symptoms that interfere with daily life. While most people are familiar with the most common symptoms of asthma such as wheezing or whistling sounds, shortness of breath, chest tightness and frequent coughing, several others are not as widely recognized.

If you’re a social media user, you may have noticed a fun new micro-trend making its way across platforms including TikTok: the art of the “hurkle-durkle.”

Although it sounds like a noise a zoo animal might make, hurkle-durkle refers to a Scottish morning ritual of lounging in bed well after your alarm has gone off. As one content creator, Kira Kosarin, says in her viral TikTok video with 3.9 million views, “Once I’ve hurkled my last durkle in a given morning, I will get up.” Countless Instagram users have since posted pictures of themselves in bed along with #hurkledurkle.

Every day for the next five years, 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65, and by 2030, 18 percent of the U.S. population will be age 65 or older according to the Pew Research Center. While old age certainly doesn’t begin at 65, it’s not unreasonable to think as we age, we may need help from loved ones. Millions of Americans already act as caregivers each year.

Vaccinations are a cornerstone of adult health, offering protection against multiple diseases that can affect quality of life and longevity. As we age, the immunity we gained from childhood vaccinations can wane, leaving us vulnerable to infections. Moreover, lifestyle changes, travel and age-related health changes introduce new risks that adult vaccinations can make less severe or painful.