A study conducted by the Center for African American Health and the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Center for Women’s Health Research finds that black women whose hairstyle is affected by perspiration may avoid physical activity altogether. Prior studies have found that between 29 percent and 48 percent of black women say that their hairstyle was a factor in deciding whether or not to exercise. One key focus of this study was to learn more about cultural barriers to physical activity among black women — including hairstyle-related factors. Some women involved in the study who experience hairstyle barriers to physical activity explained…

When you hear your dentist or dental hygienist reciting numbers while the inside of your mouth is being examined you may think your teeth are being counted. Not so. Your gum health is actually being assessed. “Gum health can be assessed with a calibrated dental instrument,” says Martin Hogan, DDS, Loyola University Medical Center. “The pocket between the gum and the tooth or root is measured. Dentists will often take measurements of the pocket depth to get a feel for the health of a patient’s gum tissue. Healthy gum tissue will usually yield numbers of less than 4 mm. Higher…

On Valentine’s Day, people who have been unlucky in love will be said to suffer from a “broken heart.” Broken heart also refers to an actual medical condition that feels like a heart attack. Broken heart syndrome occurs during highly stressful or emotional times, such as divorce, the death of a spouse, a serious medical diagnosis or significant financial problems, said Loyola University Health System cardiologist Sara Sirna, MD. Broken heart syndrome also is known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy, Takosubo’s cardiomyopathy or transient apical ballooning syndrome. The underlying cause is not known but is thought to be secondary to the release…