Health Blog

Importance of practitioner-patient understanding and communication in LGBTQ health care   In celebration of LGBTQ pride awareness month of June this year, I would like to discuss the importance of LGBTQ health and how it can save lives!  According to health line, the LGBTQ community face discrimination, at home, at work and even by healthcare providers which has been linked to an increase in stress, anxiety and depression.  Let’s take a closer look at lesbian and bisexual women issues with health care. A study has illustrated that lesbian gay and bisexual adults drank and smoked more heavily than heterosexual adults,...

While recent headlines on NPR screamed, “Nearly half of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide,” in Austin, protesters rallied at the Texas State Capitol on May 4, 2021, to stop proposed medical care ban legislation that would criminalize gender-affirming care.  “The Trevor Project estimates that at least one LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13–24 attempts suicide every 45 seconds in the U.S.”  What's wrong with the people we elected for, among many reasons, to protect our children from harm? They are either being killed by mass shootings due to a system that is adamant about letting an 18-year-old buy an...

LGBTQ-specific teachings are very limited in medical schools. This means any additional training is on the onus of the practitioner. One statistic that is often quoted, but not discussed in detail, is that Lesbian women have a higher chance of developing breast cancer. But why?  At this point in the research, the consensus suggests several environmental factors, often coined “cluster of risk factors”, as the cause of the higher rates of breast cancer among Lesbians. Let’s look at the environmental risk factors that place Lesbian women at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Stress It has been argued that...

Increasingly, women in families are asked to wear many hats in addition to being a mother: primary caregiver, cook, housekeeper, breadwinner, nurse, and more. It is essential for anyone in a caregiver role to practice “self-care.” With the busyness of your every day in mind, we want to remind you of something very important: Don’t forget about yourself. Most everyone agrees that a happy mom makes a happy home. Still, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded from time to time what that takes. When we take care of ourselves (our needs, our dreams, our desires), we are always better able to meet the needs of the people...

Picture this:   It's 2 AM when you once again get awoken by your child's complainant that they cannot get back to sleep. You’ve had a long day, are exhausted, know that tomorrow is likely going to be another busy day -  and you're not at your wit's end, given that this has been happening more often than you care to admit. You do your best to be supportive and comforting to your sleep deprived child but what you really need is for this child to go back to sleep. Sound familiar? In addition, you're worried that your child's lack of...