Articles by Josh McCormack

TILT-ed Texan Spreads Toxic-Chemical Awareness to Save Lives

September 26, 2019

For over 100 days in 1996, Melanie Cambron experienced migraines so severe she couldn’t leave her home. Other maladies surfaced during this time — all of which had no reasonable explanation. It wasn’t until she discovered she was one of the many people experiencing Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT), that everything changed. “My symptoms kept escalating,” Cambron said. “There was a lot of cognitive dysfunction, also known as brain fog—an inability to think and form rational thoughts—lots of depression, lots of anxiety, wild mood swings, and just general malaise. “Doing one little activity, that would seem normal, would wipe me out for two days. I would be bedridden for a couple of days for just running one little, quick errand.” Since this ...

Salud Talks Podcast Episode Four: “Drinking Problems”

September 25, 2019

Is the water coming from your tap safe? Research shows that millions of Americans face harmful exposure every day — from chemicals in public water. Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food and Water Watch, and Michelle O’Leary, member of the New York Water Project, join Salud Talks to discuss toxic substances in municipal water supplies. Check out this discussion on the #SaludTalks Podcast, Episode Four, "Drinking Problems"! WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion on how we understand health and information GUESTS: Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food and Water Watch, and Michelle O’Leary, member of the New York Water Project WHERE: Available wherever fine podcasts are downloaded, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Tune In, and others. WHEN: The ...

5 Tips to Help Parents Make Sure Kids Have Safe Water at School

September 19, 2019

Children are meant to learn and thrive while at school — not face harmful lead exposure through the water supply. Unfortunately, schools in at least 22 U.S. states failed to protect students from water contamination, including lead. This kind of exposure can cause a host of health complications to arise, including nervous system damage and learning disabilities, especially in young children. This is a huge problem, according to Joan Leary Matthews, a senior attorney and director of Urban Water at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “It’s everywhere,” Matthews said in an interview with Salud America! “Here’s why. There’s no such thing as lead-free plumbing. Federal law has limited the amount of lead that can be in new fixtures.” Why is Lead Possibly in ...

Salud Talks Podcast Episode Three: “Thinking About Learning”

September 18, 2019

How do you understand information? David Castillo, a writer and avid learner, joins Salud Talks to discuss the way people learn as well as process information — through the lens of sports-health. Check out Castillo's discussion on the #SaludTalks Podcast, Episode Three, "Thinking About Learning"! WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion on how we understand health and information GUESTS: David Castillo, a writer for Vox Media and SB Nation WHERE: Available wherever fine podcasts are downloaded, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Tune In, and others. WHEN: The episode went live at 6 a.m., Sept. 18, 2019. In this episode, we explored questions such as: How can sports give us an understanding of health culture? What are the ways in which we truly learn? ...

Salud Talks Podcast Episode Two: “Breaking Tradition”

September 11, 2019

Has your doctor ever asked about faith or family? Dr. Daniel Carlos Hughes and his colleagues are doing just that in a case study revolved around how medical professionals heal their patients. Their end goal? Treating people, especially those with chronic conditions, holistically. Check out Dr. Hughes and his team on the #SaludTalks Podcast, Episode Two, "Breaking Tradition"! WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion on holistic health among Latino and all patients and providers GUESTS: Dr. Daniel Carlos Hughes, Assistant Professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio; Dr. Alexis Ortiz, Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy UT Health San Antonio; Corina Zamora, Project Coordinator at IHPR at UT Health San Antonio; and Angelika Aguilar, ...

Salud Talks Podcast Episode One: “On Fire”

September 4, 2019

In its first episode, the Salud Talks podcast covers one of the critical issues of our time: the Climate Crisis. We sat down with experts in this field to discuss the history behind climate change, how we got where we are today, and what has to be done to save the planet. The episode went live on Sept. 4, 2019, at 6 a.m. WHAT: A discussion on the climate crisis and how it is and will continue to impact Latinos and all Americans GUESTS: Dolores "DeeDee" Belmares, the Texas Field Consultant for Moms Clean Air Force, and Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto, a climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists WHERE: Available wherever fine podcasts are downloaded, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Tune In, and others. WHEN: Live Wed., Sept. 4, 2019, at 6 ...

Building for Holistic Health: Connecting to Nature

August 29, 2019

Feeling the sun’s rays, breathing in cool air, lying amongst the trees, standing in the rain — all ways of how nature can ground people and bring about feelings of joy. While it’s true that most Latinos and Americans might spend up to 90% of their time indoors, building design can give inhabitants a sense of connectivity to our environment, or biophilia. Construction workers and architects should make the most of nature to create health-centric structures, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA). “Simply put, nature is good for us because we are part of nature,” writes Dr. Miles Richardson, director of core psychology programs at the University of Derby. “We are human animals evolved to make sense of the natural world, and this embeddedness in the ...

#SaludTues Tweetchat 9/3/19: Podcasts & Health Equity

August 27, 2019

Podcasts are huge — there are over 750,000 shows on the market — but few focus on health equity. That's why Salud America! is lanching the Salud Talks podcast. The project will feature discussions on Latino health equity with guests who are working in the issues, both at the national and grassroots levels. To further that discussion, let’s use #SaludTues on Twitter on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, to discuss podcasts and how they can be one of the best tools to disseminate public health information! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Podcasts and Health Equity” TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: @DrCHHuntley, @DoctoraEdith, @latinxtherapy, Dr. Erlanger "Earl" ...

Environmental Racism Causes People of Color to Face Compound Exposures

August 22, 2019

Climate change is not and will not impact all people equally — Latinos and other minority groups shoulder the most significant threats. Worse, cities in the U.S. are illustrating that fact today, according to a recent study from the University of Michigan. Their research shows that climate change subjects minority communities to high risks of chemical and environmental exposures. “A key finding of this report is that environmental injustice exists across Michigan, with residents of low-income and minority communities disproportionately burdened by environmental contamination and health risks—just as we saw in Flint,” Paul Mohai, a professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, told Michigan News. Latinos, who already experience harm at ...

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Josh McCormack

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