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Articles by Evan Bollinger
5 Small Habits That Help You Feel More in Control of Seizures
Stressed about a potential seizure? Finding that the fear of seizures is actually worse than the seizures themselves? Do you find yourself spending an inordinate amount of time in guesswork, praying it doesn’t happen, but not quite sure what you’ll do if it does? If this sounds like you, don’t lose hope. Although the questions can feel constant – Will it happen at work? During a family gathering? While I’m out with friends?
25 Questions Every Black Parent Should Ask the Pediatrician
You don’t need to be a medical expert or an uncredentialed health & wellness guru. All you need is some open dialogue, a bit of curiosity, and those good ol’ natural parental instincts that make life equally amazing – and distressing – at the same time! In fact, what helps most is being able to walk into the next pediatric visit prepared with clear, specific questions that uncover issues early and make every appointment feel like a true partnership.
5 Tips to Live Fully with Early-Onset Dementia
By Evan Bollinger BlackDoctor https://blackdoctor.org/ Dementia affects us all in numerous ways, even when we aren’t the ones suffering from the disease. Whether it’s the emotional burden on caregivers and family, the socioeconomic stressors, the lifestyle changes, or the many medical challenges that come with it, dementia can hit hard and fast. In fact, Black adults face up to twice the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias compared to white adults.
Is Your Blood Sugar Making Game Day Impossible? Try These…
It’s more than a sport. For many fans – die-hard and fair-weather – football is about tradition. It’s about ritual. In some ways, it even feels like a rite of passage. No matter your team or your allegiances, hanging out on Sundays is about connecting, having a good time, and hoping to see a “W.” But Sundays also mean more than just the game and players.
4 Tiny Ways Caregivers Can Recharge Without Falling Behind
Your day is already full enough. Between medications, appointments, meals, and watching over a loved one, the idea of “self-care” can sometimes feel impossible. What can you do? When? And what if you’re too drained to take care of yourself? While this may be a common refrain for many caregivers, the truth is, even very short, realistic pauses can make a difference. In fact, these micro-moments are not at all about adding more to your list.
5 Ways to CARE for the Caregiver
For many Black adults in midlife, caring for aging parents is simply part of life. While juggling all the balls in their own daily lives, adult caregivers are often also responsible for managing the well-being and health of their elderly loved ones. And it’s certainly not easy. Between career and job concerns, raising children, and keeping their households in order, these caregivers face numerous challenges day in and day out. The emotional, physical, and financial weight is hard to overstate.
5 Ways to Keep Halloween Night from Becoming a Sugary Nightmare
The season for ghouls and ghosts is fast approaching. While Halloween has long brought intriguing costumes, candy, crowds, and excitement, it can also come at quite a cost, especially for families and overworked parents. From overstimulation to sugar-induced peaks and crashes, this spooky holiday can quickly become not-so-fun. If you’re a parent worried about stimuli like bright lights and loud noises, or wondering how to manage disruptions like late bedtimes and excessive treats, you’re not alone.
Standing Wears You Out? Try These Energy-Saving Tips
ATTR-CM hits the Black community especially hard. In fact, hereditary ATTR-CM is linked to a specific variant significantly more common among people of West African descent, with roughly three to four percent of Black Americans carrying this mutation. The consequences are no joke. The fatigue, the unsteadiness, the struggle to stay upright for any length of time are nothing to scoff at.
5 Ways Plus-Size Travelers Can Make Flying Less Stressful
Flying is stressful enough. From arriving at the airport on time, getting through TSA, finding your gate, ensuring your flight’s on time, and managing the flight itself (especially if you fear flying), the whole process can feel daunting. But for plus-sized travelers, the challenges run even deeper. Not only mentally taxing, dealing with the airport and airplane can also be extremely physically distressing.
5 Foods That Make Eating Easier With Sjögren’s
It’s frustrating, it’s uncomfortable, and at times, it completely restricts what you love to do. Eat! If you’re affected by severe dry mouth, or xerostomia, due to Sjögren’s disease, you’re already well aware of the struggle. It can turn everyday meals into a chore, stripping the pleasures from foods you once loved and making even normal conversation difficult. But here’s the good news. With some simple preparation tricks, you may make chewing and swallowing more comfortable.
“I’m Always Swollen”: Managing FSGS Fluid Retention the Right Way
By Evan Bollinger BlackDoctor https://blackdoctor.org/ Bloated, lethargic, and feeling completely unlike yourself? For many people with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), this is the exact feeling that comes again and again, moving beyond mere inconvenience and becoming something that can disrupt daily living in the worst of ways. In fact, this swelling, or edema, is a potentially serious consequence of FSGS.
“TD Changed How I Saw Myself—Here’s What Helped”
Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) doesn’t just change the way the body moves. It also changes the way we view that body, in mirrors, in photos, in videos, and most of all, in our own mind’s eye. TD is a persistent movement disorder that can develop after long-term use of antipsychotics and other medications that block dopamine. TD carries downstream impacts that can affect the way we think, feel, and behave. Due to its involuntary, repetitive movements, many people with TD quickly become self-conscious.
6 Satisfying Soups You’ll Savor All Season
It’s that time again! Whether you’re a winter, fall, summer, or spring person, most people agree that autumn is the perfect time for a savory soup. There’s something deeply satisfying about a big pot simmering on the stove, especially when it’s packed with classic ingredients, bold seasonings, and delicious, nutritious goodies the whole family can enjoy. And here’s the best news. Just because you’re cooking healthier doesn’t mean you have to abandon cultural faves or sacrifice cherished flavors.
Thinning Edges? The Real Causes and What Actually Helps
By Evan Bollinger BlackDoctor https://blackdoctor.org/ Many women struggle with hair loss. But a major reason isn’t even the hair that’s lost. It’s what else is lost – a sense of youth, self-image, and the feeling that you’re looking and presenting your best self when you step out the door. Bottom line: hair isn’t just hair, and as National Hair Loss Awareness Month approaches, this difficulty is finally getting the much-needed attention it deserves.
“I Just Want to Drive Again”: 6 Practical Steps Toward Independence After Seizures
When people hear the term epilepsy, they typically think of seizures. However, what can get lost in this oversimplification is what is actually lost or impacted by these seizures. For many adults living with this brain disorder, abnormal electrical activity – and the seizures it causes – are merely the start. A loss of independence, autonomy, and self-confidence can often make things feel far worse… Merely consider the issue of losing your driving privileges.
Struggling with Bathroom Anxiety? Here’s What to Do…
It hits hard and fast, and sometimes at the worst possible time. And many times, the fear of it happening is actually worse than the event itself. If you’ve suffered through urgent needs to use the bathroom due to ulcerative colitis (UC), you already know how it feels. For many UC patients, daily life – trips, road travel, family gatherings, work events, or just simple errands – can start to feel risky.
5 Ways to Stay Active When ATTR-CM Drains Your Energy
Fatigue can hit us for many reasons. Whether it’s due to a long, stressful day, we’re worn down from physical activity, or we just haven’t been sleeping well, the exact sources of tiredness, fatigue, and drowsiness are sometimes hard to pin down. With ATTR-CM, it’s different. For people living with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), persistent fatigue isn’t just normal fatigue.
Thinning Edges? The Real Causes and What Actually Helps
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Thinning Edges? The Real Causes and What Actually Helps
Many women struggle with hair loss. But a major reason isn’t even the hair that’s lost. It’s what else is lost – a sense of youth, self-image, and the feeling that you’re looking and presenting your best self when you step out the door. Bottom line: hair isn’t just hair, and as National Hair Loss Awareness Month approaches, this difficulty is finally getting the much-needed attention it deserves.
Life After TNBC Surgery: Getting Comfortable in Your Body Again
Have you ever looked in the mirror and felt like a complete stranger was staring back? For many women with triple-negative breast cancer, life after surgery is not only difficult; it feels entirely different. Whether they’ve had a mastectomy, a lumpectomy that significantly changed the breast shape, or reconstruction, that new chest area can simply feel… foreign. Loss of sensation, altered sensations, or the absolute absence of sensation – all are uncharted territory for women following surgery.
Why Chronic Conditions Can Make Pneumococcal Disease More Serious
For some people, pneumococcal disease is mild. Like a cold, some coughing and sneezing, maybe a mild earache that resolves with a little treatment and some proper rest. But for others – particularly people with certain conditions – the disease is far more serious. In fact, the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae that causes this disease can invade normally sterile parts of the body, such as the bloodstream or cerebrospinal fluid, and cause serious illness.
If You’re 50+, Pneumococcal Disease Should Be on Your Radar
A serious bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, pneumococcal disease can affect anyone. But the risk of serious illness increases with age and certain medical conditions. For those who are older, especially those with specific conditions and weakened immune systems, this disease is important to take seriously. In fact, it can cause many types of infections, depending on the part of the body it attacks.
Don’t Wait Until You’re Sick! 7 Things to Do Before Flu Season Hits
Most of us have had the flu – and sometimes it’s bad, really bad. Your fever is soaring, your body is aching, and chills run rampant as you struggle just to pull yourself from bed. In other cases, it gets even worse, with trouble breathing, chest pain, and blue-tinted lips sending some flu sufferers to the emergency room. So why, oh why, do so many people wait too late? As fall and flu season approach, don’t let a ‘bad bug’ catch you off guard.
5 Snacks That Can Help Black Students Stay Focused
With the new school year officially underway, many parents and teachers are juggling school supplies, daily schedules, and overall change as we head into fall and students of all ages swarm the buildings. And for many parents and teachers, there’s one thing that is common. Expected behavioral issues, afternoon meltdowns, inattention, restlessness, and just a general irritability that seems to strike at the worst time.
What If Your Next Doctor’s Visit Could Catch Prostate Cancer Earlier?
You feel fine. No pain, no changes in urination, no fatigue – so what’s the problem? Turns out, for many Black men, the issue of prostate cancer can go well beyond what we consider ‘normal’ or ‘expected.’ In fact, research indicates a certain, uncomfortable truth: in Black men, prostate cancer occurs more frequently, hits more aggressively, and can sometimes develop for years without obvious symptoms.
5 Signs Your Child Needs an Eye Exam
Don’t lose sight of what matters most. What better time to look ahead with clear eyes and confidence? This is a potentially critical opportunity for parents. It’s a moment to pause and consider one of the most vital aspects of your child’s development: vision. For Black children, besieged by higher rates of certain eye conditions and uncorrected refractive errors, early detection can make a world of difference.
SCD Nearly Killed Former NFL Safety: “I had never been through anything like that.”
Getty Images You’re fine, and then you’re fighting for your life. It happens that quickly. In 2007, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark nearly died during a game in Denver.
What Serena Williams’ Journey Teaches Us About Life After Childbirth
Giving birth is perhaps life’s greatest gift, but what happens when things go astray? What happens when complications and challenges threaten the health – if not the lives – of both mother and baby? Serena Williams, one of the greatest tennis athletes of all time, knows what it’s like to face challenges. After nearly four years removed from the sport, she recently made her momentous return.
6 Remedies to FINALLY Control Gout Flares
Gout hurts. A potentially extremely painful form of inflammatory arthritis, gout affects joints throughout the body. From the buildup of uric acid crystals in the big toe to discomfort throughout the ankles, knees, and wrists, the damage can compound fast. Intense swelling, redness, burning – and more. But here’s where things change. Although gout strikes Black men at higher rates and with greater severity, there are remedies that may help address this.
Shaq’s GLP-1 Reveal Is Bigger Than Weight Loss
When we think ‘Shaq,’ we think larger than life. Towering over seven feet and once arguably the most dominant player on the basketball floor, Shaquille O’Neal has been open about his struggles post-NBA. That is to say, weight struggles post-career, and like many retired athletes, maintaining a healthy physique has become quite the real battle. So what has the big man done? What has he learned? What has he changed in his life to make things more manageable?
“I’m Always Swollen”: Managing FSGS Fluid Retention the Right Way
Bloated, lethargic, and feeling completely unlike yourself? For many people with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), this is the exact feeling that comes again and again, moving beyond mere inconvenience and becoming something that can disrupt daily living in the worst of ways. In fact, this swelling, or edema, is a potentially serious consequence of FSGS.
6 Reasons Breastfeeding Can Be Hard (and How to Make It Easier)
As natural an act as breastfeeding is, it can also be one of the most challenging. But why? Why is this bonding experience and vital developmental relationship between mother and child sometimes so difficult? For something that confers so many powerful benefits to the health of a baby, it’s certainly far from effortless. Actually, many mothers even stop early due to these obstacles. It’s not about personal preference or a lack of commitment.
6 Reasons Breastfeeding Can Be Hard (and How to Make It Easier)
As natural an act as breastfeeding is, it can also be one of the most challenging. Why is this bonding experience and vital developmental relationship between mother and child sometimes so difficult? For something that confers so many powerful benefits to the health of a baby, it’s certainly far from effortless. Actually, many mothers even stop early due to these obstacles. It’s not about personal preference or a lack of commitment.
Back Pain Ruining Your Plans? Try These 6 Remedies
It’s rare, but if it happens to you, you shouldn’t delay. Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy, better known as ATTR-CM, is a progressive, underdiagnosed form of heart failure. Caused by the misfolding and buildup of a liver-produced protein, this condition eventually results in clumps in the heart. As it progresses, the challenges only grow, causing the heart walls to stiffen and thicken, significantly restricting your heart’s ability to pump.
6 Ways to See More Clearly Today
In many ways, vision shapes how we experience life. You see, you experience, you behold amazing sights and wonders that are simply too hard to communicate unless you can actually lay your eyes on them. But what happens when vision wears? What happens when the eyes go bad and the reality you’ve known for so long slowly but surely fades before you? For Black adults, the risk of serious vision-threatening conditions is higher.
Yes, You Can Still Have a Fulfilling Love Life with Peyronie’s Disease
Some diseases can hit harder than others. While physical symptoms, debilitating struggles, and other bodily impacts can be absolutely life-changing, occasionally, the psychological effects may be even more severe than anything physiological. Peyronie’s disease, a condition that causes curvature, pain, and bending during erection, may be one of those issues. For numerous men, the emotional – and relational – toll of Peyronie’s is the worst part of the disease overall.
7 Ways Crohn’s Disease Affects Black Women Differently
By Evan Bollinger BlackDoctor https://blackdoctor.org/ A chronic inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease impacts millions of Black women worldwide. While symptoms usually present as issues with the digestive tract, there are also less common problems that arise. In fact, Crohn’s Disease affects Black women differently. These patients are more likely to need hospitalization, more likely to need surgery, and more likely to get diagnosed late when symptoms have already progressed.
The Everyday Habits That Could Be Aging You Faster
Do you ever think about your age? Not just the number or digits on some birth certificate, but how you actually feel? Do you wonder how your health and wellness compare with those of people of a similar age? Do you wonder what’s normal and what’s not? Emerging longevity research from Nature Medicine suggests there is more than one way to think about age. There’s your chronological age, which can be measured in years, months, weeks, and days.
Why Lizzo Is Rethinking the Term ‘Weight Loss ‘
Lizzo, the Grammy-winning artist, certainly has a way with words. But there’s one term she’s embraced in recent years that may just be the most impactful of her words yet… “Weight release.” Celebrated for the unapologetic embrace of her body and her hit anthems of self-love, Lizzo has been at the forefront of fresh conversations about health. And by reframing the typical “weight loss” language as “weight release,” she’s now changing the way people view shedding pounds in general.
Flying with a Catheter? Here’s Honest Advice from Men Who’ve Done It
By Evan Bollinger BlackDoctor https://blackdoctor.org/ It’s a reality many people may never face, but for those who do, the planning and worry can sometimes feel insurmountable. Among Black men who have undergone recent prostate cancer treatment, the concerns pile up. What happens if I suddenly need to go? How will I feel sitting in a cramped airplane seat? How do I keep it discreet? How can I maintain a normal schedule as easily as possible?
The “Below the Belt” Conversation Every Black Man Needs
If you haven’t heard of Peyronie’s disease (PD), you’re not alone. Unfortunately, for many folks – of all races – silence is typical. Like many men’s health conditions, PD has been understudied in Black populations, which means awareness in the community is even more critical. Stemming from fibrous scar tissue that forms inside the penis, PD often causes painful erections, significant curvature, shortening, and in many cases, difficulties with intimacy.
The Tiny Habit That Could Help Black Diabetics Fight Back
It almost sounds too good to be true. Could a simple 10-minute walk after eating really help manage blood sugar? Research suggests the answer may be yes. Studies published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports have found that just 10 to 15 minutes of light movement after a meal can help reduce blood sugar spikes, improve insulin sensitivity, and support overall metabolic health.
Yes, You Can Enjoy Soda With UC—Here’s How
By Evan Bollinger BlackDoctor https://blackdoctor.org/ The chronic inflammatory bowel disease, Ulcerative Colitis (UC), affects over one million Americans, making their lives more difficult, more painful, and oftentimes less enjoyable. But this doesn’t have to be. Despite symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloating, triggers don’t have to ruin your day. In fact, you can enjoy many of the beverages and meals you love, so long as you make some minor adjustments.
Living with HS: Wearing What’s Appropriate vs. What’s Comfortable
When it comes to chronic skin conditions, few things can be more maddening than finding something to wear. For people with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by recurrent, painful nodules, abscesses, sinus tracts, and scarring, this concern can reach an entirely different level. What clothes will hide the unsightly marks? What clothes will not worsen the pain and discomfort? What accessories or other items can increase confidence and offer support?
5 Life-Changing Services You Didn’t Know Were in Most Black Communities
National Health Center Week is coming fast, and as August 2 through August 8 approaches, it’s the perfect time to focus on your health as well. Did you know that health centers represent one of the most valuable yet underutilized resources in Black communities? Believe it or not, these federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) can provide comprehensive, affordable, high-quality care regardless of one’s ability to pay. In other words, for some people, these facilities are literally life-saving.
6 Summer Habits That Could Be Raising Your Blood Pressure
For many people, summer is a time for cookouts, vacations, outdoor workouts, and long days in the sun. But if you have high blood pressure, hot weather can put extra strain on your heart and circulation. Heat, dehydration, certain medications, and even some favorite summer foods can all affect your blood pressure. The good news? A few simple precautions can help you stay safe while still enjoying the season.
Living with Diabetes: 6 Late Night Snacking Dos & Don’ts
We’ve all been there.
REMEMBER: Not All UC Symptoms Affect The Gut!
By Evan Bollinger BlackDoctor https://blackdoctor.org/ When we think of ulcerative colitis (UC), we naturally think of the colon. But did you know that this chronic inflammatory bowel disease impacts way more than just your intestines? Affecting approximately one in 400 Americans, UC is primarily known for gut-related symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding. Here’s the kicker, though.
5 Ways to Live With Cancer As Normally & Healthily As Possible…
By Evan Bollinger BlackDoctor https://blackdoctor.org/ The “Big C.” We’ve all heard of it, and for most of us, it’s the last thing we wish to hear. Whether it’s late-stage, the early, symptomless beginnings, or anywhere in between, cancer represents the kind of issue that in one word can steal the breath from our lungs… But here’s the truth.
Your Body May Have Changed, But Your Style Doesn’t Have To
By Evan Bollinger BlackDoctor https://blackdoctor.org/ For Black women undergoing bodily changes following breast cancer, the physical and psychological impacts go hand-in-hand. Whether mastectomy, lumpectomy, or reconstruction, these permanent changes can feel extremely jarring, especially when you’ve spent your entire life looking and feeling a certain way! The reflection in the mirror, the clothes you wear, and the self-confidence you carry – all of these factors can change post-operation.
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