Health Information Center

Disturbing news from the NY Daily News this morning: Diabetes takes grim toll on New York. "New Yorkers are dying from diabetes at an alarming rate despite city efforts to stem the disease." Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden "blamed bad habits, like overeating, not exercising and smoking as major culprits, as well as a failure to control cholesterol and blood pressure."

"Diana Berger, a Brooklyn diabetic and city expert on the subject, said one of the biggest obstacles to controlling diabetes is stress."

How, with the stress of the holiday season rapidly approaching, and the many meals involved in our celebrations, do we begin to turn this news around?  read more »

As my valued colleague hangs up his NYPL id and follows the dream of “westward ho” I ponder my own fate on the east coast and in particular the question, “Is NYC a place to grow old?” Stepping lively onto a subway, is that a future I'll be equipped physically, financially, and emotionally to handle?
 
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It's time for me to hang up my NYPL ID as I head out to the great State of Washington for a new job at the Everett Public Library. There is no need to fear for the Health Information Center Blog, however, as it will be in the more than capable hands of my colleague Susan Montross who will continue to write about all things health at New York Public Library. It's been great and thanks for reading.
 
 
 
 

Another hectic work day is about to begin. The commute has been an exercise in frustration and when I finally emerge from the clogged subway stairs I need to make a quick dash to get to the office on time. Hurriedly passing Bryant Park I notice out of the corner of my eye a group of people purposefully moving slowly in unison. Risking a late start I take some time to see what they are doing. The movements are graceful and the participants seem much more relaxed than me. Overhearing a conversation between some passersby, I learn they are practicing Tai Chi. What is it about anyway and why can I never feel that relaxed that early in the morning?

Are you interested in finding out what Qigong and Taiji (Tai Chi) are about and how they are practiced? Do you have some experience but want to learn more? Either way, you should check out a program being held at the Mid-Manhattan Library on Tuesday, October 7, starting at 6:30 p.m. titled Nurturing Health via Qigong and Taiji with Yang Yang, Ph.D.  read more »

So, you find yourself feeling poorly and make an appointment with your doctor. After the examination she decides to prescribe a drug for what ails you. She describes what the drug should do and answers your questions. Feeling satisfied, and with a prescription in hand, you leave the office. Halfway down the block, however, some doubts start to come to the surface: Did I ask all the right questions? Can I take the drug with grapefruit juice? How am I going to pay for it? You may feel the need for additional information.

You are not alone. One of the top types of questions we get at the Health Information Center are about prescription drugs. The questions tend to fall into two categories: Information about the drug itself (what it is for, what are the side effects, etc) and information about price. Luckily there are several good resources available to help you. The first and most important resources to use are your doctor and pharmacist. Consumer Reports on Health has a good summary of topics to discuss with your doctor about prescription drugs, and the FDA has a web page concerning questions to ask your pharmacist about your prescription.  read more »

Stephen King hailed A Three Dog Life as, “The best memoir I have ever read.” Very true, my own mother wouldn’t talk to me, after I had journeyed far & wide on a Metro-North train to visit her, until she had turned the last page! “Just a minute,” she said, opening her front door for me and simultaneously marking her place in the book with her finger, “I’ll hear all about your life in the City after I finish this book; go fix yourself something to eat.” Curious about what could possibly be keeping my mother from me, her favorite and only daughter, I scooped the book up immediately upon her setting it down and proceeded to read straight through the night.

If one word can be used to sum up this book it is courage, as defined by Theodore Roosevelt when he said, “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”  read more »

Ah, the joys of going to the ophthalmologist, a.k.a. the eye doctor. The long wait in the lobby, having to choose the correct lens when tested (who doesn't dread the question "is it clearer this way or this way?"), and the fun of having your pupils dilated all make for an unforgettable experience. On a recent visit, I also noticed a large number of pamphlets, posters, and other promotional materials detailing the benefits of LASIK eye surgery. My physician even mentioned it as an option when discussing a new pair of lenses. The information presented all seemed very positive with promises of getting rid of your glasses forever but the connection of the terms eye and surgery made me a little nervous. Time to do some research.  read more »

Eee – gads, my morning muffin has how many calories?

Remember, back in the day, when one could enjoy one’s morning muffin under
the delightful cliché, ignorance is bliss. Really, how many calories can a blueberry muffin have; it’s mostly fruit, right? Yes, I tell myself, a blueberry muffin is indeed a breakfast of champions, quite worthy of the Olympic festivities.

Well, the blissful days of guilt-free morning muffins are over. To my great horror, climbing out of the subway and following the aroma of fresh baked goods into my favorite little shop for my morning meal of a blueberry muffin, I came face to face with the sign proclaiming, “460 calories per blueberry muffin.” Oh my.

A quick calculation and I realize that my morning muffin should easily convert to no evening wine. Calorie posting is now the law in NYC and with it the mourning of the passing of my morning ritual. Faced with the glaring fact that my muffin will easily take up a significant chunk of my daily allotted calories, leaving little to no room for later pleasures in the day, I have chosen to resist, on a daily basis, my favorite little blueberry confection. How did this happen; why do we now know this information?  read more »

The hype surrounding the Olympic games in Beijing has brought attention to a distressing health topic, namely air pollution and its impact on human health. There are daily updates and concerns about the air quality in Beijing and its effect on the athletes' performance as in this blog entry from the NY Times. New York City, especially in sweltering August, is far from immune to air quality problems. If you want a good resource concerning smog, ozone, and other forms of air pollution and their effect on human health, try this MedlinePlus health topic page which should give you the answers you need.  read more »

Welcome to the new version of the HealthInfo Blog! The green grass will soon be gone, but Susan Montross and I will still be posting information about the Health Information Center's collection and current health trends as in our beta blog. We will tag our entires with the term Health Information Center so those who are interested can take a look at both of our contributions together.

So what the heck is the Health Information Center? HIC is a collection and staff dedicated to providing reliable consumer health information to patrons, staff and the public in as many formats as possible. Our emphasis is on consumer health, which is just the currently most favored term for information for the patient as opposed to the doctor, nurse or health care professional.

Do you need to know the side effects of Lipitor? Want to know about the type of lab tests performed to detect osteoporosis? Need help finding physician and hospital background information? Are you curious about the treatments for Malaria? Need to find a listing of plants that aren't toxic to pets? All of these questions and many more are the kind we answer daily at the Health Information Center.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more updates.