What is the Banyan Tree Project?

May 19 is National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. By Barrett White   In 2005, we celebrated the first Asian and Pacific Islander HIV Awareness Day. The effort was spearheaded by a group in California, API Wellness. The faces of the AIDS crisis were predominantly White gay men, and presently, the most at-risk …

Signs to look for after bringing your newborn home

Your newborn baby is going through many changes as he or she gets used to life in the outside world. This adjustment almost always goes well, but there are certain warning signs you should watch for with newborns. Those can include: Not urinating (this can be hard to tell, especially with disposable diapers) No bowel …

Local, Free, and Fun: Summer destinations to get the family off the couch

By Barrett White Over the summer months when the kids are out of school and the stress of homework, exams, and class projects fades into memory, it’s easy to let the body relax with the mind. It’s often joked that Houston is “the most air conditioned city in the world”, and with good reason—the average …

Nutritious, Simple, and Cheap: Meal Plans from a Legacy Dietician

By Barrett White Cooking for a family—or cooking multiple meals for a single person meal prep—doesn’t have to be difficult, time consuming, or expensive. In fact, stopping for fast food to satisfy the hunger pangs, even just to order off the dollar menu, adds up quick and is easily more expensive in the long run …

The 2019 National HIV Prevention Conference: What We Learned, Part 2

On day two of the conference, experts in their fields debated the cost-effectiveness of PrEP. How did they come to their conclusions, and how can states leverage that cost without the patients paying the price?   By Barrett White According to the CDC’s website, PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a medication regimen that “when taken …

Vaccine Before Vacation: Staying healthy this summer

By Barrett White My family didn’t travel much when I was a child, we simply couldn’t afford it. But when we could afford a weekend adventure away from home, we would pile in the car and drive out to New Orleans, Dallas, Austin, or San Antonio. We never worried much about travel vaccinations, because these …

Teen Week—Social Media: How to Handle Your Handle

By Jessica Brown, MD, MPH Social Media: The two most transformative words of this century. I remember being in college in 2004 and being introduced to Facebook as the cool new thing to connect with people on other college campuses. You had to have a college email address to even make an account. Cut to …

Maternal health in Harris County

By Carolina Boyd The health of mothers and their children is a reflection of the overall health of a community. Despite the number of hospitals and medical facilities across Harris County, the incidence of maternal morbidity is high in our area. Maternal morbidity refers to the unexpected, and dangerous, life-threatening complications that arise from pregnancy, …

Summer’s Coming—Is Your Skin Ready?

By Barrett White The temperature in Houston has been pushing 80 degrees the past couple of weekends and pollen is officially blanketing every outdoor flat surface in sight. Spring is here—but knowing Houston weather, this means summer is not far behind. As the sun-lovers emerge from their homes and make their way to the plethora …

Keeping an eye on Pink Eye

By Carolina Boyd Pink eye is one of the most common childhood illnesses. Also known as conjunctivitis, it can affect adults, as well. Pink eye is an inflammation of the thin clear tissue that lines the inside of the eyelid, as well as the white part of the eyeball. The inflammation caused by this condition …