My aunt told me that my grandmother is struggling with something called macular degeneration. What is macular degeneration? Macular degeneration is the most common cause of vision loss in seniors. A special area inside the eye called the macula, is affected. When the macula does not perform properly, sharp, central vision is lost. How vision […]
Health + Wellness
Find stories and resources by some of the state’s top Black physicians that aim to address current disparities in prevention and treatment within our communities.
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Understanding Bipolar Disorder and treatment
My sister told me that a well-known signer, Demi Lovato, announced that she has Bipolar Disorder. What is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar disorder is a mental health disease where a person’s mood can cycle back and forth between periods of low activity/depression and periods of mania/high activity. These emotional periods can be looked at as two […]
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See well for a lifetime
Take care of your eyes and continue looking forward to the future Aging is a process that brings about many opportunities and changes, from major transformations such as becoming a grandparent or going back to school, to simple lifestyle changes like starting a new exercise program. Don’t miss out on any of these opportunities. Take […]
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Insure all children!
Are your children insured? If asking parents this simple question could help ensure children stay healthier, do better in school, and even save a child’s life, should schools do it? More and more districts around the country are answering with a resounding, “Yes!” The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) and American Association of School Administrators (AASA) […]
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Kente Circle offers conference on ‘Healing the Hidden Wounds of Racial Trauma’
The year 2016 has been a year of significant toxic and traumatic stress for Black people. We have been bombarded with adversity, joy, frustration, and pride from multiple angles all year. If we are to be honest, this is nothing new to our collective experience since we have been in America. However, the year of […]
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Eat well and live well — it’s never too late to start!
They say you are what you eat. One of the biggest things you can do to improve the quality of your life is to improve the quality of what you eat. Unfortunately, this is much easier said than done. We live in a sea of easy-to-get, cheap food villains waiting at every turn to rob us […]
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Now is the time for adolescents’ vaccinations
Minnesota health officials remind parents to make sure adolescents are up to date on their immunizations as they head back to school. Adolescents need certain vaccines because some of the vaccines they received in childhood wear off, and they are exposed to new diseases as they get older. Adolescents should get four vaccines: Tdap, HPV, […]
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Acne affects all ages and can be treated
The following is an MSR interview with Dr. Charles Crutchfield (CC) on acne, a topic of interest to many of our readers. MSR: Are teens the only ones who deal with acne? CC: Absolutely not. I see patients in their teens, 20s, 30s, even 40s and 50s who have to deal with acne. The majority of acne […]
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Concussions can have long-term effects
Back by popular demand: With the approach of football season, we thought it helpful to remind readers of the sport’s potential hazards with this column first published in November 2013. What is a concussion? A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury. Concussions are the most common type of traumatic brain injury. Why should I […]
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Olympics bring attention to cupping therapy
Dear Dr. Crutchfield: I was watching the Olympics and noticed several athletes had purple circular marks on their skin. Michael Phelps was one of the athletes. I was told the marks resulted from a treatment called “cupping.” What is cupping? Although very popular now, cupping is actually an ancient medical treatment popular in Egyptian, Middle Eastern, and […]
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Psoriasis is a treatable condition
But finding the right treatment for you can be tricky Did you know August is Psoriasis Awareness Month? Psoriasis is a skin condition that is visually dry, itchy and scaly, and it is very common. More than three million cases are diagnosed in the U.S. per year. Medical science says that it cannot be cured, […]
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Minnesota joins national fight against antibiotic resistance
The Minnesota Department of Health’s Public Health Laboratory has been named one of seven new regional laboratories that will become part of a new national Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (ARLN), according to a recent announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The move gives Minnesota a key role in helping the nation […]
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Preventing painful sickle cell disease crises during the summer
For most of us, the summer represents fun: playing outdoors, cooling off in a pool and enjoying a family vacation. But for the many children, teens and adults living with sickle cell disease, these activities can trigger an extremely painful “crisis” episode — the most common manifestation of this genetic, chronic and deadly disease. Crisis has […]
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When it comes to your heart health, don’t sell yourself short
OK, you have survived a heart attack or cardiac repair surgery. Now what? Experts agree that the most important thing you can do now is to participate in a customized cardiac rehabilitation program that is organized and supervised by your physician. A cardiac rehabilitation program will provide a structured plan to increase cardiac health and fitness […]
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Coping with the ‘secondary traumatic stress’ of being Black
It is no secret that we have had a significantly stressful year. Several celebrities have passed away, and hundreds of people have been murdered or harmed as well. We have also seen several incidents of government-sanctioned murders of countless Black people. One of the most recent cases happening here in Minnesota is the death of […]
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Playing tennis is not the only way to get tennis elbow
Dear Doctor: My uncle tells me he was diagnosed with “tennis elbow.” That is odd; he has never played tennis a day in his life. What is tennis elbow? The muscles in your hand and arm are attached to the bone near the elbow. The thick, fibrous portion of the muscle that attaches directly to the […]
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Preventive medicine: Police stops, a discussion for the times
Back by popular demand due to the difficult times we live in, here’s a helpful checklist on what you should do and say if you are approached by the police. Conclusion of a three-part column Two weeks ago, in this three-part preventive medicine series on safe and effective ways of dealing with police-citizen encounters, I discussed how to handle vehicle stops […]
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Summertime can be learning time
Summer is here at last! Remember the excitement of the first day of summer vacation with all the freedom and adventures ahead? Though summer vacation offers children (and teachers) a much-needed break, it has its challenges for parents. Think daycare expenses, the cost of groceries, trying to come up with ways to keep kids occupied. […]
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Testing, treatment vital to stopping spread of HIV
Health officials are urging people to get tested for HIV because knowing your status and getting proper treatment are just as important to the fight against HIV as prevention methods. With proper treatment and care, HIV-positive individuals can achieve viral suppression, meaning the amount of virus in the blood is very low. This reduces the […]
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New online resource for students-of-color mental health
A new online knowledge center offers expert information on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of students of color. It was created by the Steve Fund, a nonprofit focused on student of color mental health issues and is available free of charge. “Our goal is to provide carefully vetted information on how to better […]