Essential for everything from energy production to neurological function, vitamin B12 serves as a cornerstone for maintaining vitality and wellness. However, many people may not realize they're falling short of this crucial vitamin, leading to potential health issues. In this blog, we’ll delve into the pivotal roles that vitamin B12 plays in your body, highlight foods high in vitamin B12 and explain why some people have issues absorbing this vitamin.
Living with one lung may seem like an impossible challenge – the lungs are a key organ that work 24 hours a day to keep us alive – but the human body has an uncanny ability to adapt. Much like living without a pancreas, gallbladder, appendix or spleen, missing out on the functionality of these organs isn’t ideal but it can be done. Learn more about what causes people to have a single lung and how you can still live a healthy life.
Emergency and urgent care medicine both serve an important purpose in health care, but what exactly does each facility do and how should you decide which one to use for medical problems?
Choosing the right primary care physician (PCP) is a crucial step in managing your health care journey and living a healthier life. A PCP acts as your main health advocate, coordinating care, managing chronic conditions and offering preventive services tailored to your needs.
If you or someone you know is going through physical, recreational, occupational or speech therapy, you probably already know how challenging it can be. But did you know that joining a support group can make a world of difference?
Reaching the age of 40 is a significant milestone that often comes with a greater focus on health maintenance and prevention. As part of Healthy Aging Month in September, in this blog we talk to Jeffrey Cruzan, M.D., a board-certified family medicine physician with INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Memorial West, about the medical screenings to keep in mind as we get older.
There's a growing trend on YouTube of misinformation about sleep medicine, including tips and advice on improving sleep disorders. In this blog we visit with Viral Doshi, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist with INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, to examine how watching these videos for information can harm your sleep health.
National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance in August to highlight the importance of vaccines for people of all ages and how they help to prevent and protect us from serious, sometimes deadly, diseases and illness.
Sadness is a common but unpleasant emotion – it’s one of the six basic emotions alongside fear, happiness, anger, surprise and disgust. Sadness is also inherently viewed as negative, but as science has indicated, it’s not always a bad thing. Take music, for example – the brain is actually capable of receiving pleasure from sounds and lyrics that focus on sadness.
Paul Allegra, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Orthopedics Central, warns that “shoulder pain can be secondary to a multitude of factors, including multidirectional instability, rotator cuff tendinitis, subacromial impingement or rotator cuff tears.” He says if symptoms persist, you should seek treatment from a medical professional.
You can glean valuable information simply by looking at someone’s face. Whether it’s facial expressions to indicate happiness or sadness or changes in skin color and texture to indicate illness, the face can offer insights into how you’re feeling.
There isn’t a cure for chronic pain, so many times, patients will turn to medications for chronic pain relief, such as over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or opioids. But more conservative treatments such as physical therapy can help without being tied to as many side effects as medications – long-term NSAID use can cause gastrointestinal problems and prescription painkillers have addictive properties.
The decision on when to get knee replacement surgery is a topic many Americans struggle with. In 2020, Northwestern Medicine published a study that found 90 percent of people waited too long to fix their knee with joint replacement surgery, and 25 percent of people who had it done did so prematurely.
Smartwatches have become increasingly popular for their health-tracking features. But they can also cause skin irritations and rashes for some people. These skin issues, known as contact dermatitis, are a common issue associated with wearing smartwatches. Learn more about contact dermatitis and how to alleviate irritated skin.
We spoke with Paul Allegra, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with INTEGRIS Health in Edmond, about how to recognize a concussion and what next steps to take.
RSV is a common viral infection that affects the respiratory system, including the nose, throat, lungs and breathing passages. RSV comes from the Paramyxoviridae family, a group that also includes the mumps and measles. The virus can replicate anywhere in the respiratory tract, mainly the breathing tubes and lungs. This replication then causes swelling and inflammation that makes you sneeze, cough or have trouble breathing.
You’ll visit your primary care doctor for most medical needs, including wellness visits and routine preventive screenings, non-emergency illnesses like colds and sore throats. This is the person to whom you can comfortably ask questions about your health or voice concerns. We speak with Nathaniel Yokell, M.D., a physician at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Yukon, about the importance of maintaining a relationship with a primary care provider.
Skin is the body's largest organ, and serves as a protective barrier. While various factors influence skin health, nutrition plays a pivotal role in maintaining its vitality, resilience and overall well-being.
Breakfast: it’s the most important meal of the day! Right? This popular platitude has been echoed time and time again, but what kind of scientific support is there to back it up? Breakfast helps many people kick start their day with energy, but some morning meals can do more harm than good.
An affirmation workout takes two healthy practices – exercise and positive self-talk - and brings them into one powerful package: the affirmation workout. You can use affirmations before, during and after a workout – or all three. Choose one or two affirmations that speak to you – don’t try to remember more than a few.
This eating philosophy is also sometimes referred to as the energy density approach. It’s all about evaluating foods based on nutrition, calorie density and fiber content. Foods with a lower calorie density contain fewer calories per gram than high-calorie-density foods. Fiber content is something to pay attention to because fiber keeps you feeling full.
Maintaining a healthy gut is essential for overall well-being. The health of our gastrointestinal system, often referred to as the gut, plays a vital role in digestion, nutrient absorption and immune function. If you're looking to improve your gut health, there are simple lifestyle changes you can incorporate into your daily routine.
When you hear the term 'clean beauty,' you might wonder what it's all about. Is it just another fancy phrase in the world of skincare and cosmetics? We dive into this topic to understand what clean beauty means and why it's important for you and the planet.
There are changes to make when shopping to make adding more protein into your diet easier. Whether it’s revamped products that feature more protein or existing products that are healthier alternatives, consider these swaps the next time you’re at the store.
Collagen is a health supplement that can help you have healthier hair, glowing skin and fewer wrinkles. It is associated with all of the above and has very few known risks. We share some ways collagen can help enhance your life.
The most common desk job injuries include back pain, carpal tunnel and arm pain, headaches, shoulder and neck pain, hip and leg pain. We detail several different ways that you can help prevent desk pain in the future.
Did you know that managing stress and anxiety is a big factor when it comes to keeping the body in good health? When we live stressful lives or are constantly feeling the effects of anxiety, we may start to neglect our health without realizing it. People with optimistic outlooks on life have been shown to have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, so tending to your mental health could be just as beneficial as watching your cholesterol levels!
Have you ever heard of a cold plunge? The idea of willingly jumping into chilly waters might seem strange, but there's much more to it than meets the eye. We explore the science behind these icy adventures and discover the amazing ways they can boost your well-being.
In some cases, fatigue can be an indicator of an underlying medical problem, but most of the time, fatigue can be correlated with habits we either need to break or adopt. Too much exercise or physical exertion can lead to fatigue, as can boredom, poor sleep, emotional stress and poor eating habits. We share different foods to eat and avoid to help fight fatigue.
Olive oil is delicious. You can drizzle it on bread, cook with it, make marinades and dressings, add it to any recipe calling for oil or butter, cook eggs in it…we even found a recipe for an olive oil martini. According to the American Heart Association, extra virgin olive oil is the top choice for health benefits, but regular olive oil is a good second choice. We share a dozen reasons to choose this oil for cooking and eating.
The same stress you deal with when completing daily tasks can also affect your body in ways you never realized. We’ll highlight some common areas that stress can directly or indirectly impact, as well as how stress can affect your immune system.
Boost your health with laughter! It's a free, fun, and easy way to cope with challenges, enhance relationships, and promote physical and emotional well-being.
We all love our fur babies for their companionship and cuteness, but did you know that they may be beneficial for your health as well? Studies show that keeping a pet can work wonders on keeping your stress levels under control and can have a positive impact on your physical health as well.
Summer in Oklahoma is hot and it’s all too easy to become dehydrated. It’s simple enough to reverse mild, or even moderate dehydration by increasing fluid intake and making sure to drink enough liquids and eat enough hydrating foods daily. We share symptoms of dehydration and tips to stay hydrated in hot weather.
In today's fast-paced world, getting a restful night's sleep can sometimes feel like an elusive dream. Tossing and turning, staring at the ceiling and feeling exhausted the next day are all too common for many individuals. In this blog, we explore five natural sleep aids that can help you achieve a better quality of sleep.
We delve into the whey protein vs. plant-based protein showdown, exploring their benefits, differences and which option might be the right fit for you.
Whether you view rest as a political movement, scarce commodity, or something you rarely think about, one thing is probably true: you could use a little more of it and more than one type of it. Rest and sleep are two entirely different things. Sleep is one form of rest (physical) but there are six more!
Some people’s tummies gurgle in the morning or after a meal. Others growl when it’s time to eat. You may have a specific rumble or burble to let you know it’s almost time to skip to the loo. For the most part, the symphony of sounds within our digestive system is nothing to worry about – just part of the business of being human.
The summer season is filled with warm weather, days by the pool and increased sun exposure. Protecting your skin while enjoying time outdoors will allow you to enjoy the sun while also keeping your skin healthy.
Finding a diet that works best for your body can involve trial and error, but once you find a diet that does work well for your body and your lifestyle, staying in peak physical health becomes much easier. We explain what a low-carb diet entails, who it might be good for and who it might not work well for.
Cherries contain melatonin, plus nice amounts of magnesium and vitamins A and C. Tart cherries also contain a little bit of tryptophan, an amino acid that helps in the production of serotonin and melatonin.
Maybe you’re approaching a milestone anniversary and as you take stock of your beautiful relationship and flip back through old pictures, you notice something. Ten or fifteen somethings parked right around your middle. And you’re not the only one. Your sweetie looks a little less svelte than when you met. How did this happen? Can it be reversed?
Whether you’re sober curious or just taking a more mindful approach to your relationship with alcohol, dealcoholized wine is an option you might want to check out. A wide variety of dealcoholized wines of every style is available online and in stores. This blog will dive into what dealcoholized wine is and what you should know about it.
Mindful yoga, also known as mindfulness-based yoga, is a practice that combines the physical and mental benefits of yoga with the mindfulness techniques of meditation. The practice involves focusing on the present moment and becoming aware of one's thoughts, feelings and sensations without judgment.
Guess what? Coffee with olive oil in it is a trend right now. Why combine coffee and olive oil? Because they’re two very healthy foods. We explain what you should know about adding olive oil to your coffee.
The last thing you want to experience when enjoying your favorite food is to experience mild allergic-type reactions hours later – itching, flushed skin, brain fog, sneezing or headaches. For some people, though, these symptoms can occur as part of a food sensitivity.
Shrink your waist size to boost health. Reducing abdominal fat can lower risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Discover more about the impact of waist weight.
While some people are born with these conditions, there are many lifestyle and behavioral risk factors that can increase your risk of developing kidney disease.
Many types of seaweed, such as kelp, are edible and have been referred to as superfoods of the ocean due to their beneficial nutrients. This blog will help educate you on kelp and teach you how to add it to the foods you cook at home.
