When asked about achievements in her life, Diana Lopez of San Antonio, Texas, didn’t have to think long about her answer. Surviving cancer. Lopez was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 42. Like many of those who are diagnosed, it was a shock to Lopez and her loved ones. “At the time I was scared because you think, they tell you, ‘You have cancer’ and you are like, ‘I’m going to die,’” Lopez said. With the help of a clinical trial – a study with volunteers that helps researchers learn how to slow, manage, and treat diseases like cancer –Lopez stayed strong and continued to fight, no matter the obstacle.
A Cancer Diagnosis and its Impact
Lopez discovered a lump on her breast. At first, she thought nothing of it. “I wasn’t hurting or anything. It ...
Cuando se le preguntó sobre los logros en su vida, Diana López de San Antonio, Texas, no tuvo que pensar mucho en su respuesta. Sobrevivir al cáncer. López fue diagnosticada con cáncer de seno a los 42 años. Al igual que muchos de las personas que son diagnosticadas, fue un shock para López y sus seres queridos. "En ese momento tenía miedo porque piensas, te dicen: 'Tienes cáncer' y dices: 'Voy a morir'", dijo López. Con la ayuda de un estudio clínico – un estudio con pacientes que voluntariamente participan y que ayuda a los investigadores a aprender cómo reducir el progreso, controlar y tratar enfermedades como el cáncer – López se mantuvo fuerte y continuó luchando, sin importar el obstáculo.
Un Diagnóstico de Cáncer y su Impacto
López descubrió un ...
Maternity care deserts make up 36% of all US counties, according a 2022 March of Dimes report. These maternity care deserts contribute to the US having the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries, as they make it significantly harder for women to get the care they need. Let’s explore how maternity care deserts affect women’s health, especially for Latinas, who already face inequities that limit healthcare access.
Defining Access to Maternity Care
The March of Dimes report defines a maternity care desert as any county without a hospital or birth center offering obstetric (OB) care and without any OB providers, such as obstetrician/gynecologists and certified nurse midwives/certified midwives.
Report’s Key Findings on Maternity Care Deserts
As mentioned ...
TV personality Oprah Winfrey has selected Dr. Amelie Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio as a "Cycle Breaker" for her groundbreaking work to build health. Cycle Breakers is a video series from the Smithsonian Channel that spotlights leaders who are solving health issues. Each Cycle Breaker is chosen by Oprah to augment her documentary that chronicles how some people are suffering from substandard healthcare. Ramirez's episode, released Oct. 3, 2022, features her life's work to break the cycles of difficulties and non-medical drivers of health that impact people. "Cycles are tough to break. Amelie Ramirez is the driving force behind an innovative health program that’s delivering real information & changing perspectives within the healthcare industry," according to the ...
When you practice infection control consistently and confidently, it can help stop the spread of disease in healthcare settings and save lives. This is why you and all frontline healthcare providers can publicly pledge to take training through the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s Project Firstline program. Project Firstline is a training and education collaborative that provides all healthcare workers, no matter their role or educational background, with access to the infection control information they need to protect themselves, their patients, and their coworkers from infectious disease threats. Project Firstline offers training and educational resources on various infection control topics, including risk recognition and infection control basics related to ...
Despite overall declines in ad spending and TV ad exposure since 2017, high-calorie, low-nutrient products, including candy, sugary drinks, snacks, and fast food, continue to be disproportionately advertised to Black and Latino consumers. US food companies are responsible for this ethnically targeted marketing, which worsens disparities in diet-related diseases, including heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, to discuss the implications of ethnically targeted food and beverage marketing and how to hold companies accountable. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Food Marketing Companies Add More to Black and Latinos’ Plates
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
...
Two reservoirs where germs can live and thrive in the human body are your blood and gastrointestinal (GI) system. When germs spread from these reservoirs in or outside your body, it can cause harm and make you or others sick.
What is the Gastrointestinal System?
The gastrointestinal system or “the gut” usually refers to the lower intestine, rectum, and anus. It is part of the digestive system. The upper GI tract, which includes the mouth, esophagus, and stomach, is also part of the digestive system. It has different types of bacteria and fungi that we usually think about separately from the gut. The intestines are filled with bacteria and some yeasts that are an important part of a healthy immune system. Most gut bacteria don’t cause problems in healthy people, but ...
The nation’s largest food and drink companies are “not making adequate progress” on their promises to make, market, and sell healthy food and drinks, according to the the U.S. Access to Nutrition Index 2022. The index, published by the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), evaluates the companies’ on the healthiness of their products and their nutrition-related commitments, policies, and disclosures. None of the 11 largest companies had more than 49% of sales from healthier products. “While all companies have placed a greater focus on nutrition in their corporate strategies since the first index was released in 2018, their actual products have not become healthier, and they are not making sufficient efforts to safeguard children from the marketing of unhealthy ...
The US has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries, and 84% of those pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These shocking statistics can be difficult to digest, especially since the US spends more on healthcare per capita than other industrialized nations. What is causing these preventable deaths? And how are Latinas impacted? Let’s unpack the report’s findings and implications.
What is a Preventable Pregnancy-Related Death?
A pregnancy-related death is a fatality that occurs during pregnancy, delivery, and up to a year postpartum due to a pregnancy complication, a chain of events initiated by pregnancy, or the aggravation of an unrelated condition caused by the ...
