Author: Tori Rodriguez

Tori Rodriguez

Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC, is an Atlanta-based journalist, licensed psychotherapist and Ayurvedic health coach, creator of the body-positive wellness company Bettie Page Fitness, and author of two books – The Little Book of Bettie: Taking a Page from the Queen of Pinups and Bettie Page: The Lost Years. She holds a BS in psychology from Georgia State University and an MA in counseling psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology. Tori has also managed a medical practice and was instrumental in developing Georgia’s multi-specialty telemedicine program.

If you take medication to control your blood pressure, you might not know other heart drugs and even herbs can interact with them causing serious side effects. You’ve finally got your high blood pressure under control by doing all the things your healthcare provider recommended, which likely included taking your heart drugs on schedule, exercising and making healthy eating choices. Still, you could accidentally sabotage your results if you happen to take certain other medications or herbs – even ones as seemingly harmless as cough medicine. Check out the list below to learn what you need to steer clear of…

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Many of us remember the days when taking vitamins was a dreaded chore. With the exception of those candy-like chewables named after a certain cartoon set in the Stone Age, most vitamins tasted bitter at best and felt something like swallowing rocks. And yet, Mom and Dad dutifully insisted that we choke down the yucky pills anyway, perhaps relying on that classic parental pitch: “But, they’re good for you!”  Indeed, we all need vitamins and minerals to help us survive and thrive. These micronutrients contribute to an impressive range of bodily processes ranging from building our bones and teeth, keeping…

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Wouldn’t it be great if there were some sort of test you could take to predict which medications are likely to work best for you and which could hurt you with an adverse reaction? Good news: There is such a test, and it’s not some out-of-reach possibility for future use – it’s starting to pop up at medical centers around the country. These tests are known as PGx (pharmacogenetic) tests; they are DNA tests that look specifically at the genes that predict a person’s drug responses. Just as your genes determine traits like eye color and whether you have dimples…

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Some of the most common drugs can mess with your digestion, leaving you backed up or making a run for it. Here’s how to cope. Plus, a new test that can help. When your stomach gives you trouble, you might naturally think back to your last couple of meals to try to pinpoint the cause. But it could be your medication that’s giving you gastrointestinal side effects. Medications can mess with your digestive system in a variety of ways, from irritating your esophagus or stomach lining to causing stomach bleeding and ulcers. “With over 6 billion prescriptions dispensed in 2021…

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Are you a woman on herbal supplements? Do you know how safe they are? Holistic health is big business in the US, in large part because many companies claim to have health benefits.  This is cause for concern, because in 2012, nonvitamin, nonmineral natural products remained the most popular complementary health approach used by American adults and children, according to the National Health Interview Survey. In a separate review, most reported reasons for taking supplements is to “improve” (45%) or “maintain” (33%) overall health. While less than a quarter of supplements adults used came from a the appeal of plant-based medicine…

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Erectile dysfunction. We’ve all heard of it. And Pfizer’s advertising campaign when it introduced its blockbuster erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (sildenafil) made it a household phrase. Up to 30 million men in the US have trouble getting or maintaining an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, according to recent estimates. It can affect men of all races and ages, though rates are moderately higher among men aged 70 and older, compared to men in younger age groups. Contrary to popular belief, however, aging does not cause erectile dysfunction. A wide range of physical and psychological conditions can lead to erectile dysfunction,…

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From alcohol, to over-the-counter meds and herbal supplements, find out what substances and scenarios people with diabetes need to be aware of and they can be serious complication of diabetes.  If you have diabetes, you probably know all about how food affects your blood sugar, including what, when, how often and how much you eat. Skipping meals, for example, can be a clear recipe for disaster, and overdoing starchy foods can cause glucose to soar. There are several other substances and scenarios that you may not be aware can cause dangerous dips (hypoglycemia) or spikes (hyperglycemia) in your glucose levels.…

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Everyone needs calcium, right? It seems many people are concerned about avoiding osteoporosis. No one wants to break a bone or develop stooped posture. So should we all load up on calcium supplements? Not so fast. Too much calcium can crowd out other nutrients and cause kidney stones, constipation, and other significant problems. Interactions with meds can be serious, and there’s a hint that calcium supplements may boost the risk for heart disease. Though calcium is needed for various bodily functions to work well, it mainly helps to keep bones and teeth strong. “Calcium is crucial for optimal bone health…

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