Lupus is a lifelong disease that can affect many parts of your life. But, many women with lupus live long, healthy lives. You can take steps to control your symptoms, prevent lupus flares, and cope with the challenges of the illness. The disease...
Rheumatoid arthritis can be life-changing. You may need long-term treatment to control the symptoms and joint damage. Depending on how much pain and stiffness you feel and how much joint damage you have, simple daily tasks may become difficult or...
Ovarian cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the ovaries. The female reproductive system contains two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. The ovaries, each about the size of an almond, produce eggs, as well as the hormones oestrogen and...
Lyme disease or borreliosis is a tick-transmitted infection that affects mammalian and avian hosts. It is the most commonly diagnosed tick-borne disease in people in certain parts of the world, but is not known to occur in Jamaica beyond...
Prospective Research Innovations is a leading provider in clinical research trials, with a team of researchers, and 15 years of expertise and knowledge of study procedures and protocol compliance. Over the years, this organisation has been finding...
Cervical cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer affecting women, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Some 528,000 women have been diagnosed, with 266,000 dying from this disease in 2012. It is the fourth leading cause of...
AUTISM SPECTRUM Disorder, or ASD, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that involves challenges with social communication, restricted interests, repetitive patterns of behaviour, and unusual sensory sensitivities or interests. ASD is a diverse and...
Taneisha Pascoe-Matthews says parenting a child with autism is like being a tour guide, someone who must translate the customs and language of the non-autistic world. But when you have two children with autism, like she does, the job is...
Many women find a Pap smear test to be uncomfortable or scary and try to avoid going to their gynaecologist because of it. But the few minutes of discomfort are ultimately worth the health benefits. Pap smears help to identify suspicious cells in...
Nine in 10 women experience cramping or stabbing pain just before their monthly period or as it starts. Many women experience debilitating symptoms that they commonly believe are normal. However, no pain is good pain and it is possible that the...
Complementary and alternative medicine for colon cancer, also called CAM, involves non-traditional approaches to medicine that help manage a patient’s care. Used together with conventional medicine, it doesn’t replace traditional, science-based...
Your colon is a key player in your digestive system, which processes and delivers nutrients throughout your body to keep you strong and healthy. As such, eating well and maintaining a nutritious diet is one of the best ways you can prepare for and...
Dream big about what you want to achieve. As a child, Abrahim Simmonds wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. A natural people person, he was always concerned about the welfare of others and being a level-headed individual, he knew...
Vernessa Scarlett has a vivacious personality. Her smile and witty nature have defied the many challenges she has encountered during her lifetime. Behind the bubbly personality is a woman who has endured insurmountable pain, yet she continues to...
The human body is a self-healing, self-renewing, self-cleansing organism. When the right conditions are created, vibrant well-being is its natural state. However, we have departed from the ways of nature and live under less-than-natural conditions...
The holidays are an exciting time of good cheer, warm family traditions, and spending time with friends. For many people, the idea of entering a crowded room and chatting up co-workers or strangers at a party, exchanging gifts with friends,...
With the holidays fast approaching, many people are wondering if it is possible to safely celebrate during a pandemic. Should you visit relatives or have family and friends over? Nonetheless, your typical holiday gathering will look different this...
For more than 10 years, Andrea Ferguson* lived with her partner in an upscale community in Jamaica. She had everything to her comfort, and did not have to work to maintain her lavish lifestyle. However, she was dying inside, and kept a well-...
Swimming sensation and Olympian Alia Atkinson has been named as Champion Ambassador of the Special Olympics Movement, as the organisation commemorated International Day of Persons with Disabilities, recognised each year on December 3. Atkinson...
“I was devastated,” exclaimed Marcia Johnson*. “I was just 18 years old at the time, and I felt like my whole world had fallen apart,” she said. On a routine check while pregnant with her only child, Johnson received the news nobody wants to hear...
People with epilepsy or what Jamaicans term as ‘fits’ are just like everyone else, except that they are prone to recurrent seizures. A seizure is caused by a temporary change in the way the brain cells work. One seizure does not signify epilepsy....
Lung cancer is the second-most common cancer in both men and women, and is responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 160,000 people will lose their battle with lung cancer...
Raising awareness of the causes, prevention, and treatment of stroke is crucial to the health and well-being of all Jamaicans. The Jamaica Stroke Alliance (JSA), which was launched virtually on World Stroke Day, October 29, is advocating for...
Diabetes is a potentially life-threatening illness, which must be taken seriously. Diabetes is the second-leading cause of death for Jamaicans under the age of 70 years. Often referred to as ‘sugar’, the disease impairs the body’s ability to use...
“It has been hell!” a confident and defiant Paulette Rennalls-Dawson said as she recalls her challenging and tumultuous journey with stage four breast cancer. Rennalls-Dawson was diagnosed with the disease in 2009. As a result of the severity of...
