Part I or II May is National Bike Month! In fact, Saturday, May 7, 2022 Lackawanna Heritage Valley’s Heritage Explorer Bike Tour is returning in person for the first time since 2019. For those who have a bike, now might be a good time to dust it off and enjoy the many beautiful and well-maintained […]
Health Benefits of Dancing The last two columns in “Health & Exercise Forum” have been dedicated to the health benefits of exercise for Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, the use of dance was featured as a method to promote strength, balance, coordination and agility in this population. However, dance as a form of exercise and for the […]
Dance Like Nobody’s Watching! “Dance like nobody’s watching!” This is one of my favorite quotes from Mitch Albom’s book, Tuesdays With Mori, because it represents interesting facts about human behavior. One, of course, is the ability to be comfortable in your own skin. The other, maybe less obvious benefit is that challenging your balance through […]
April is National Parkinson’s Awareness Month Part I of II Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, degenerative disease that leads to slowness of movement, balance disorders, tremors, and difficulty walking. PD results from the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain. Dopamine is critical to stimulate the nerves of the muscular system in the […]
Exercise is Important in Prevention In 2000, President Bill Clinton dedicated March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. The purpose of this designation is to increase public awareness of the facts about colon cancer – a cancer that is preventable, treatable and has a high survival rate. Regular screening tests, expert medical care and a […]
Spring is just around the corner so it is time for running enthusiasts to lace up their sneakers, get outside and run! Runners are addicted to running for good reason. There is nothing like it! No exercise offers so much in such little time. For example, the caloric expenditure while running is higher than for […]
Pre-pandemic we saw increased popularity of local races such as the Steamtown Marathon and Scranton 1/2 Marathon. With that, local interest in running was exploding and will hopefully return to normal soon. However, during the pandemic, especially when fitness centers were closed, many took seasoned and beginner runners to the streets to improve fitness and […]
Injuries due to falling are a very common problem in the elderly. Hip fractures are the most common injury due to falling in the seniors. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, each year more than 300,000 people are hospitalized for hip fractures in the United States. These fractures represent 72% of all fracture […]
When an older loved one sustains a serious injury it is traumatic for the entire family and mine is no exception. My grandmother and father enjoyed 90 wonderfully active years; however, their independence was lost the same way more than one-third of a million people lose their independence each year… hip fractures! As a doctor […]
More than 65 million people, almost 30% of the population in the United States, are actively involved in providing 20 or more hours of care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member or friend each week. As our population continues to age, this number is expected to grow rapidly. The role of a […]
