Health Wise

The World Health Organization announced a list of 10 health issues that will require attention in 2019. Some have referred to them as health threats w...

Talk of yet another mosquito-borne disease is going around. Last week, some media publications stated that scientists were concerned that the Madariag...

The holiday season is upon us. It is important that we do not forget about our health. During the festive season, people make exceptions; then, during...

The holiday season is upon us. It is important that we do not forget about our health. During the festive season people make exceptions, during the ne...

The Institute of Medicine defines health literacy as “the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand the basic information and se...

THERE IS GROWING interest in the Caribbean on medical cannabis. Countries such as Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are in advanced stages in...

We tend to view violence and crime as merely social or legal problems. However, they are very important public health problems. Violence has probably ...

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life – for ...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. During this month people wear the colour pink to raise awareness about the disease. There are many activitie...

Last week, there were many activities surrounding World Obesity Day 2018. The focus of World Obesity Day this year was on weight stigma. Weight stigma...

Many people exercise for one reason or another. Some understand the importance of exercise to health and so they do it voluntary and on a regular basi...

Last week was designated as Caribbean Wellness Week. In 2011, Caribbean Wellness Day was expanded to become Wellness Week in the Americas. This was pa...

The aging process changes both the body and the mind. Many aging changes are physiological in nature, as the body begins to degenerate and break down....

The School term has just begun. Children will now spend more time at school than anywhere else, except when they are at home. Schools can have a major...

This is the last week that many students have at home before they head back into the school environment. It is the culmination of a long summer break ...

St Vincent and the Grenadines implemented a ban on the use of Styrofoam products sometime this year. I wrote on this topic applauding this ban in a pr...

It is the summer vacation and our children are home from school. It is not possible for many parents to be with their children during the entire summe...

African-American and white women who regularly chemically straighten their hair or dye it dark brown or black have an elevated risk of breast cancer, ...

Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The problem is global and is steadily affecting many low- a...

Cervical cancer is cancer that starts in the cervix, the narrow opening into the uterus from the vagina. The normal “ectocervix” (the portion of the u...

I have written on the issue of National Health Insurance (NHI) various times before. I recall that in one article, I presented the advantages of NHI t...

Over the last month or so, several young people have been turning to suicide as a way out of their problems. Suicide may seem to be the easy way out, ...

The recently published information on the state of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is not new and should not be ala...

Last year, I was deployed to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) as part of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Agency (CDEMA) Rapid Needs Assessment Team (...

THERE ARE VARYING opinions on if one should take vitamins regularly. Most of the arguments in favour of regular or daily vitamin use, highlight the fa...

Overweight and obesity are on the rise. We are seeing our people getting big in front of our own eyes, including our children. Obesity is not only aff...

We often hear that inactivity or sedentary lifestyle is bad for your health. In fact, it has been proven that inactivity is a risk factor for a number...

Some people may suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), while some may suffer from high blood sugar (diabetes). However, there are a significa...

Many of us may not have seen what measles looks like, but would have heard of it. This disease is virtually wiped out, thanks to the high rate of immu...

Sunday, February 4, was marked as World Cancer Day. It is a day when organizations and individuals around the world unite to raise awareness about c...

The average adult human body is 50-65 per cent water and every cell, tissue and organ in your body require water in order to function at its best. Wat...

In medical ethics, there are four basic principles that guide the practice of medicine. These principles are autonomy or self-governance, beneficence,...

The head is one of the most common sites of pain in the body. We have all suffered from some kind of headache. Headaches or head pain sometimes can ...

Every year, we get an ugly reminder of the importance of mental health to the overall health and well-being of individuals. These reminders present th...

Seeing that discussions have started on putting legislation in place for medical marijuana, I find it fit to republish this article that I wrote somet...

The holiday season is upon us. It is important that we do not forget about our health. During the festive season, people make exceptions; then, during...

In the school setting, head lice can spread easily from one child to another. This sometimes worries parents, especially for females, who may fear tha...

I am taking off my physician hat and putting on a hat that I seldom wear. That is, the hat of an ethicist. As an ethicist, I am compelled to respond a...

African-American and white women who regularly chemically straighten their hair or dye it dark brown or black have an elevated risk of breast cancer, ...

Last Tuesday, November 14, 2017 was celebrated as World Diabetes Day. Diabetes and its related complications is one of the leading causes of death in ...

Cervical cancer is cancer that starts in the cervix, the narrow opening into the uterus from the vagina. The normal “ectocervix” (the portion of t...

I am again compelled to write on the issues of human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer and vaccines, after reading the long epistle by the anti-va...

An anti-vaccine movement is emerging in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). The rise of this movement seeks to instil fears in the minds of parents t...

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in many countries. Cigarette smoking kills a considerable number of pers...

It is not unusual for people who have experienced traumatic events to have flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive memories when something terrible happe...

two weeks ago, I was deployed to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) as part of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Agency (CDEMA) Rapid Needs Assessment Te...

Marijuana is globally the most commonly used psychoactive substance under international control. In 2013, an estimated 181.8 million people aged 15-64...

Conjunctivitis is a common condition that causes redness and inflammation of the thin layer of tissue that covers the front of the eye called the conj...

It is the custom for some parents to deworm their children before they go back to school. They do this to ensure that whatever worms or helminths they...

There are two tests that are used to look for prostate cancer: a digital rectal exam (DRE) and a blood test that is called PSA. The PSA blood test loo...

I am sure that many of you may know someone personally who is suffering from prostate cancer, or who has died from it. It may appear that prostate can...

A heart attack happens when the flow of blood to a section of heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked and the heart can’t get oxygen. The heart, like ...

Chest pain is common. Many times, chest pain can be confused for many different medical conditions. Often it is brushed aside as just “gas”. Howev...

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life – fo...

The Institute of Medicine defines health literacy as “the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand the basic information and ...

A few days back, on May 17, World Hypertension Day was celebrated. The World Hypertension Day was first inaugurated in May 2005 and has become an annu...

I have written on the topic of yellow fever at least twice before. The first time was when the outbreak in Africa sparked global public health attenti...

While practising medicine in St Vincent and the Grenadines years back, I was amazed that so many patients did not know the names of the medications th...

If we are what we eat, then many of us must be tripping all over the place due to a lack of balance. The average Vincentian consumes, on average, one ...

Asking everyday Vincentians to navigate health insurance is like asking passengers to fly the plane. Without proper education on health insurance and ...

The issue of salt consumption is one that is closely related to the development of hypertension. In most people, the kidneys have trouble keeping up w...

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension or commonly as just "pressure” is the single most important risk factor for stroke in St Vincent and...

By Dr Rosmond Adams Obesity is a growing epidemic in the Caribbean and worldwide. Defined as excessive fat accumulation that may impair health or Body...

Prime Minister Gonsalves recently announced a ban on styrofoam products imported into St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). This ban is a welcome initi...

Dr Rosmond Adams, MD, MSc, FRSPH When I served as the Focal Point for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in St Vincent and the Grenadines a few years ba...

Last week the Prime Minister mentioned that clinics should remain opened up to 4 p.m. This renewed call came about because of the absence of a health ...

Serious workplace injury or death can change lives forever for families, friends, communities, and co-workers. Human loss and suffering is immeasurabl...

A US government task force has reaffirmed its stance that women who are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, should take folic acid supplements a...

New Year’s resolutions often fall flat early in January because they are usually overwhelming or unattainable. Now is the good time for you to look ...

Christmas is a time of celebration, but it tends to be a time of high-fat, high-calorie foods and excessive alcohol consumption also. Being part of th...

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become the leading causes of death globally, killing more people each year than all other causes combined. Much ...

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease...

There is no need for any official study for us to say that a huge proportion of our young people are abusing marijuana. Results from the National Heal...

Over the last week, there have been many discussions surrounding mental illness, violence and drug abuse. I wish to use this article to again highligh...

Wear purple on Thursday According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2015, for the first time, the complications of pre-term birth outranked a...

In the United States, National Diabetes Month is observed every November, so individuals, health care professionals, organizations, and communities ca...

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among Vincentian women. Although a lot is known about this disease, there are still some myths that ex...

The growing concern about non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is taking centre stage for public health officials, policy makers and individuals. As we kn...

by Dr Rosmond Adams Hurricanes are natural disasters that have unfortunately been on the rise as the years have gone on. With any natural disaster, co...

Influenza, commonly referred to as "the flu” or just "flu” is a highly infectious illness that spreads rapidly through the coughs and sneezes of p...

People with diabetes are at increased risk of peripheral arterial disease and neuropathy, as well as having a higher risk of developing infections and...

Last week, news of a new mosquito-borne disease emerged. The discovery of the Mayaro virus in Haiti started to spread, causing some concern as we batt...

This year, Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) focused on children, under the theme, "Healthy Children in Healthy Environments”. We continually hear this w...

The School term has just begun. Children will now spend more time at school than anywhere else, except when they are at home. Schools can have a major...