Unfortunately just because you look good, doesn’t mean you’re actually good, as it relates to your overall health. As society places an emphasis on outer beauty and physical attributes, the attention surrounding internal health is many times lost in the mix of superficial advertisements, even more superficial music, and the assortment of reality shows that seem to pop up every other week.  Some of us forget about our health until we actually visit our regular doctors. That is, if we even decide to visit our doctors regularly.

Flawless makeup, close to impeccable hairstyles, and donning the latest trends, may be shielding infectious diseases that could have been prevented if we simply decided to check. What’s even more problematic is that most of us don’t know, until it’s too late.

While we all love to look our best, the physical doesn’t matter if eventually your health fails, due to your own negligence of testing. So unless your signature is followed by M.D., it’s advisable to go to a physician before assuming you’re healthy.

Here are seven tests and screenings that you should certainly undergo to ensure that you’re really healthy.

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In addition to our genetic predisposition, a new study claims that our environments can also contribute to health ailments. A study conducted by Boston University’s School of Public Health found that air pollution can increase the occurrence of high blood pressure and diabetes in African American women.

The study monitored 4,000 black women living in Los Angeles, California from 1995-2005. Some of these women were naturally exposed to nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. This type of pollution can occur when fuels like oil, coal and gas are burned. It’s also produced by manufacturing plants. As you might assume, this is more prevalent in larger cities with significant industry and car traffic.

Air pollution has already been known to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke; but throughout the duration of this new study, 531 women reported cases of high blood pressure and 184 cases of diabetes.

In a Boston Medical Center news release Patricia Coogan, an associate professor at the School of Public Health, said “A link between air pollution and the risks of diabetes and hypertension is of particular importance to African American women, because the incidence of both conditions is almost twice as high in African American women as in white women.”  She also mentioned that African Americans tend to live in more highly polluted areas than white Americans.

The study was published in the scientific journal Circulation on January 4.

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Maybe she’s your hilarious aunt, your lovable mother, your loyal friend or maybe she’s you.

Judging by the sheer number of African American women who suffer from being overweight or obese there’s no doubt that you know at least one of them.

While you may have visually noticed this problem, the actual numbers may alarm you.

According to the Office of Minority Health, African American women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese compared to other groups in the United States.

The numbers go on to say that for every five African American women, about four of them are overweight or obese.

That’s alarming.

We all know the catalysts that contribute to this condition, generations of poor eating habits, the cultural acceptance of the rounder frame, even the fear that we’ll mess up our freshly relaxed hair contribute to this cultural epidemic.

Now please know this is not about an aesthetic preference. If you could be overweight and perfectly healthy, there would be no need for this conversation. But being overweight or obese leads to countless health concerns including:

•    Heart disease
•    Type 2 diabetes
•    High blood pressure
•    Stroke
•    Breathing problems
•    Arthritis
•    Gallbladder disease
•    Sleep apnea
•    Some cancers (Minority Women’s Health)

You may have already been aware of this list, but seeing it once more can either encourage you to keep up the good fight in maintaining your health or serve as a warning of  what could happen if you continue to live the way you do.

This week we’ll be examining our battle with obesity and the ways we can combat it.

According to The National Stroke Association one half of African American women will die from stroke or heart disease. That’s a sobering fact.

But you can do something about it, today. Icilma Fergus, MD. FACC., assistant professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University Medical Center said one of the best preventative measures in avoiding these diseases, is eliminating processed foods and foods that include high fructose corn syrup.

Fergus, a member of the Association of Black Cardiologists, provided a list of foods that can prevent diseases that are so prevalent in the black community. She mentioned, green leafy vegetables, fish and kidney beans.

Check out the full list over at Black Voices.

(San Bernadino Sun) — A tradition of barbers doing medicine goes back to the early Middle Ages, when barbers were also surgeons.  Barber-surgeon guilds began appearing across Europe in the 1200s and until 1700s, when they went back to just barbering. The association of barbering and medicine is being revived in an interesting new way. Wally’s Barber Shop in Altadena is the first in the greater Los Angeles area to become part of a clinical trial in which African-American neighborhood barbershops are pressed into service in the battle against high blood pressure. Others will follow. Dr. Ronald G. Victor has already shown that the involvement of barbershops can work to lower blood pressure and improve blood pressure control. An article published in “Archives of Internal Medicine” earlier this year showed that blood pressure levels fell when a group of African-American barbers in Texas offered blood pressure checks during men’s haircut visits and promoted physician follow-ups.

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