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You have choices when it comes to your colorectal cancer screening. Doctors now recommend colon screening for those of us over the age of 45. If you're younger than 45 and experiencing any of these common symptoms of colon cancer (e.g., change in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, seeing blood in your stool), talk with your doctor about scheduling a screening. 

Need another reason to get screened? If colorectal cancer is found before it has the chance to spread, the five-year relative survival rate is about 90%, according to the American Cancer Society. Therefore, if

Should you consider getting a screening for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)? Yes you should. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), aortic aneurysms or aortic dissections (tears) were the cause of 9,904 deaths in 2019. If an aneurysm ruptures, it’s very unlikely that the person will survive long enough to have it repaired.

What Is an Aortic Aneurysm?

An aortic aneurysm is a balloon-like bulging of the wall of your aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of your body. An aneurysm may grow over time. The larger the aneurysm becomes, the

Some say your eyes are the window to your soul. But eyes can show you issues with your overall health. 

An eye doctor can detect a host of health conditions during an exam just by noting changes in tissues, nerves and blood vessels. As a result, the importance of annual vision exams can’t be emphasized enough.

What Can Your Eyes Tell You About These Health Conditions?

You may be surprised to know that your eyes have the chance to reveal these health conditions:

1. High blood pressure High blood pressure or hypertension often goes undetected until you have a health incident or visit your primary care

You don’t have to be addicted to opioids to die from an overdose. It can happen to anyone taking an opioid for pain or misusing a prescription. Knowing what to do (use Narcan) and how to do it can save a life.

In 2021, more than 106,000 people died of a drug overdose in the U.S. In 2023, there were about 2,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts. You don’t have to be addicted to opioids to die from an overdose. It can happen to anyone taking an opioid for pain or misusing a prescription. Knowing what to do (use Narcan) and how to do it can save a life. 

It’s been shown that the use

With home offices now permanent fixtures, it’s important that your setup at home isn’t creating issues with your health. Good home office lighting can ease eye strain and fatigue, as well as aches and pains. 

Maybe you’re fully remote or have a hybrid work schedule. Maybe you’re working at your kitchen table or jimmy-rigged your ironing board into a stand-up desk. Whatever the scenario, sufficient lighting around your workspace is the most important part of good ergonomic lighting. 

Light generally comes from natural light from a window, indirect light from an overhead fixture, and direct light

UMass Memorial Health is debunking myths about osteoporosis. Unlike mammograms and colonoscopies, osteoporosis and bone density tests don’t get as much airtime or visibility. As a result, we’ve heard myths about the disease and screenings, and we want to set the record straight. 

Myth: I don’t have any risk factors, so I don’t need to be screened. 

You may think you don’t have any risk factors for osteoporosis, but in addition to the ones below, there are other diseases, medications and procedures that contribute to your bones weakening. 

Common risk factors:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Smoking
• Excessive

Certain drugs cause sun sensitivity like rashes and an increased risk of sunburn. If you’re taking these medications, take extra precautions to protect yourself when outdoors. These drugs, known as photosensitizing drugs, increase the risk of developing a rash in response to sunlight. There are two different types of photosensitive drug reactions: phototoxic and photoallergic. 

Phototoxic drug reactions result in a burning rash similar to sunburn. They could cause a rash in any individual who has taken a high-enough dose of the drug and has been exposed to enough ultraviolet rays. Some of the

On college campuses across the U.S., many students ages 18 to 24 are taking part in a dangerous activity called binge drinking. This means drinking alcohol to the point of getting drunk. 

For men, it's defined as having five or more drinks in a row. For women, it's four or more drinks in a row. This amount of drinking produces blood alcohol levels far above the legal driving limit of 0.08%. 

College students binge drink at higher rates than young people the same age who don't attend college. Some students go to college with a lot of past drinking experience. For others, college is a time of new