Health Education Resources
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March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month - a time to educate, support, and advocate for early detection and prevention.
Check out these valuable resources from the California Colorectal Cancer Coalition to learn more and help spread awareness.
You can also find out more at the California Dialogue on Cancer.
Let’s keep the conversation going, spread awareness, and encourage everyone to schedule their screenings. Together, we can make a difference!
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Each March, landmarks around the world shine red to raise awareness for Myeloma Action Month. This global campaign—Light the World Red—builds toward World Myeloma Day on March 26, when iconic buildings and monuments illuminate the night sky to honor those living with multiple myeloma and to raise awareness about this often-overlooked disease.
Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the world, yet many people have never heard of it. The disease affects plasma cells, an important part of the immune system that helps the body fight infection. Over time, multiple myeloma can weaken bones, damage organs, and compromise the body’s ability to stay healthy.
This issue is especially important in our community. Black Americans are diagnosed with multiple myeloma at twice the rate of other groups and experience significantly higher mortality rates. That reality calls for greater awareness, earlier detection, and stronger access to quality care.
While we cannot eliminate these disparities overnight, we can make meaningful progress by working together. Key steps include:
- Increasing community awareness and promoting health equity
- Expanding participation in clinical trials among minority populations
- Improving access to knowledgeable healthcare providers and quality care
Education and representation matter. When communities are informed and engaged, outcomes improve.
Together, we can help replace uncertainty with knowledge and fear with hope. Talk with your doctor. Learn the symptoms. Share information with family, friends, and neighbors.
When communities speak with one voice, awareness grows—and lives can be changed.
Let’s light the world red and stand together in hope.
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Here’s your wake-up call: Daylight saving time may affect your heart health
As we prepare to “spring forward” on March 8th, the American Heart Association cites scientific research that indicates the springtime change may negatively impact your heart and brain health. While gaining extra daylight may be a nice change, the transition could come with some health challenges.
Losing an extra hour of sleep may not be the worst thing that could happen when you “spring forward” at the start of daylight-saving time. According to the American Heart Association’s researchers have noticed a marked increase in heart attacks and strokes in the days following this time change each year.
“We don’t really know exactly why there is an increase in heart attacks and strokes during the change to daylight saving time. It’s likely connected with the disruption to the body's internal clock, or its circadian rhythm,” said Maria Delgado-Lelievre, M.D., a distinguished Hypertension Specialist at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. “It’s important to be aware of this increased risk, especially if you already have heart disease or other risk factors.
The American Heart Association offers a few tips to get ahead of the time change:
- Do start now to get outside and get as much natural light as possible each day. This can help adjust your body rhythm for the change to come.
- Do begin winding down a little earlier in the evenings ahead. While you can never make up lost sleep, going into the time change well-rested can help.
- Don’t compensate with extra caffeine. It may feel like an extra coffee or two can help you through the midday slump, but too much caffeine is not good for your heart.
The Association’s recommended ideal level of sleep is:
- 7-9 hours daily for adults;
- 8-10 hours daily for ages 13-18 years;
- 9-12 hours daily for ages 6-12 years; and
- 10-16 hours daily for ages 5 and younger.
Making small changes in your daily habits can make a big difference in your sleep quality and overall health. Instead of turning on the TV to help you fall asleep, try reading a book or journaling about your day. Putting your phone in another room can also prevent the temptation to scroll in bed. Implementing these small habits now can help you prepare for the upcoming daylight-saving time change and ensure your sleep patterns are strong and more likely to remain consistent all year long.
Resource: https://www.heart.org/-/media/Healthy-Living-Files/Infographics/Sleep-Well--Infographic.pdf
Sources: heart.org and stroke.org