By Darryl Mitteldorf, LCSW Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities face a range of obstacles when trying to get health care. These barriers are often rooted in systemic issues, geographic challenges, financial constraints, cultural factors, and other structural problems kff.org. Below is an overview of these key barriers, explained in clear terms: Systemic Issues…
by Darryl Mitteldorf, LCSW Cancer affects every community, but it does not affect all groups equally. American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) people often face higher risks and worse outcomes from cancer than other groups ascopost.com. Research shows that AIAN communities are among the most underserved in the United States and are disproportionately affected by…
by Neil Horowitz How Do Vaccines Work? Vaccines help protect us by training the immune system to fight specific germs before we ever encounter them. When you get a vaccine, it introduces a harmless piece or weakened form of a germ into your body. This does not cause the disease, but it triggers your body’s defenses to react and learn: In…
By Nicholas Zuk Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that cannot be improved through sleep or rest in someone with cancer (American Cancer Society, 2024). CRF is often exacerbated through chemotherapy treatments, causing cancer treatment-related fatigue, or “chemo fatigue.” Chemo fatigue can occur both during treatment and can last for months…
By Nicholas Zuk Prostate cancer, with 13% of Americans expected to develop it in their lifetime, is one of the most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer in men (CDC, 2024). Fortunately, most cases of prostate cancer are non-emergent and slow spreading, often taking years to become large enough to detect or to spread outside of…
By Nicholas Zuk Every year, millions of people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer. Because of its high unpredictability, various forms, and difficulty to treat, cancer remains one of the most complex challenges in modern medicine. While there have been groundbreaking advancements in our ability to treat cancer and its many forms, navigating a cancer diagnosis…
By Nicholas Zuk Receiving a cancer diagnosis at any age is a life-changing experience that comes with a variety of challenges. For young people, however, it presents difficulties that can make their situation even more complex. Unlike older adults who have likely been out of school for years or decades and have established careers, young…
By Nicholas Zuk Whether through personal experiences or the stories of others, nearly everyone has had contact with someone affected by cancer. Because of its devastating potential to harm humans, cancer is almost always associated with negativity, pain, and death. For medical students and researchers in the United States and abroad, cancer represents one of…
By Nicholas Zuk Imagine being 75 years old, already managing the slow decline of aging. Your body is riddled with arthritis, you have to carefully watch your blood sugar levels because of your diabetes, you have high blood pressure, and your body aches all the time. Then, at a routine checkup at the doctor, some…
