| By Gale Staff | One of the key issues facing community colleges is not just getting students in the classroom—but helping them to succeed once they’re there. Nearly half of students drop out within a year, and only 40% complete a degree or certificate within six years. According to a 2023 study from New … Read more
| By Barbara Wexler, MPH | Epilepsy is a chronic (long-term) neurological disorder where people have repeated seizures because of unusual or abnormal electrical activity in the brain. These seizures can show up in many different ways, from nearly imperceptible moments of zoning out to intense shaking and severe convulsions. There are many different potential … Read more
| By Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, RN | Just in time for the kids to go back to school and for pumpkin-spice everything to appear in local markets, circulating viral diseases are already causing absences in many classrooms across the United States. The latest variants of SARS-CoV-2 are responsible for increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases, and … Read more
| By Barbara Wexler, MPH | As the school year gets underway, kids are back in classrooms, participating in extracurricular activities, making new friends, and all too often witnessing or enduring bullying. There are steps parents, educators, and students can take to prevent and combat bullying. Successfully preventing bullying requires the concerted efforts of parents, … Read more
| Barbara Wexler, MPH | Children who are well above a healthy weight for their age, sex, and height are overweight or obese. When body mass index (BMI), which compares a child’s weight to their height, is at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex, they are … Read more
| By Barbara Wexler, MPH | Immunization is a cornerstone of public health and preventive medicine. It’s the process by which people are protected from infectious disease through the administration of vaccines. Vaccines stimulate the body’s immune system to recognize and fight pathogens (disease-causing agents) such as viruses and bacteria without causing the disease itself. … Read more
| By Barbara Wexler, MPH | In our daily lives, ultraviolet (UV) radiation surrounds us from the sun and various artificial sources. Although UV rays are essential for processes like vitamin D synthesis in the body, overexposure can pose significant health risks. Practicing UV safety is crucial for safeguarding our health and well-being. First, it’s … Read more
| By Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, RN | In what may be one of the most passionate (or imprudent) examples of dedication to science in recent years, a researcher in Brazil stepped on one species of the country’s most venomous snakes more than 4,000 times to determine what makes it most likely to bite. His findings, … Read more
| By Barbara Wexler, MPH | Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing, witnessing, or sometimes even simply hearing about a traumatic event. Although PTSD is often associated with military combat, the condition is not limited to combat veterans. It can affect anyone who has lived through extreme trauma, usually … Read more
| By Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, RN | While I’m enjoying a cup of tea, I thought I’d attempt to untangle and clarify the overload of recent information about the potential health benefits and risks of daily coffee consumption. As part of our ongoing effort in the Gale Health and Wellness database to include everyday health … Read more