UH Experts offer Tips to Increase Your Health Literacy
HOUSTON, Oct. 16, 2017 – Do you Google your medical symptoms (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?) and find terrifying results? Are you unsure of the best questions to ask your doctor during an appointment? If so, take heed: October is Health Literacy Month, the time to brush up on all things health related so you can make the best medical decisions. It’s also a time to educate ourselves on some of the most common (and/or annoying) ailments that plague us.
Here are five things you should know about your body and mind before you melt down when you’re looking your condition up. UH experts are available to talk about these issues:
- IS A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE A BAD THING? CYBERCHONDRIA IS REAL.
You may be a cyberchondriac (a relatively-new term) if your condition seems to worsen as you seek answers on the internet.
Matthew W. Gallagher, co-director of the UH Trauma and Anxiety Clinic of Houston, says cyberchondria refers to searching the web excessively for health care information. The more you search, the worse your perceived fate becomes. He can speak on what it is, what we can do to avoid it and how to lower our anxiety.
2.THE SKINNY ON SKIN, THE BODY’S LARGEST ORGAN
They say eyes are the window to the soul. But skin – as the body’s largest organ – is a window to your health. Is your skin too pale? Cool and clammy? These are signs that the body’s resources, like blood, are being diverted to other vital organs. Did you know the one common area where all humans are pink is inside the bottom lip? If yours is another color, it could signal trouble.
Sonya Wade, clinical assistant professor in the UH College of Nursing, says you and your skin are inseparable so you ought to learn to communicate with it better. She can discuss the ramifications of skin color changes and what everyone should know to protect themselves.
3.& 4. FLOATING AND TWITCHING: TWO ANNOYING EYE CONDITIONS
Sometimes those odd little eye floaters can signal something serious, such as a tear, detachment of the retina or even diabetes. But when should we be concerned? And what’s with the annoying eyelid twitches? Why do we get them and how can we make them go away?
Optometry Professor Nick Holdeman, associate dean for clinical education and
executive director of the University Eye Institute, is available to speak about the reality of these annoying symptoms and when they might signal something significant.
- BECOMING VOCAL ABOUT THE SILENT KILLER
High blood pressure, known as a “silent killer,” affects about 75 million American adults, or 29 percent of the population. That’s right, 1 of every 3 adults has high blood pressure. Even more startling is that more than half of people with high blood pressure, don’t have their condition under control.
Ezemenari Obasi, director of the HEALTH Research Institute at UH and associate dean at the College of Education, can speak about the importance of having an annual blood pressure screening and why certain groups of people might need more frequent checks.