Fall Open Enrollment Period for Medicare kicks off October 15th. This is the time of year when current Medicare enrollees can select or change Medicare benefits.

Wanting to live forever – or at least as long as possible – is a concept built into the human spirit. In fact, most Americans want to make it to 100, according to a survey conducted by the Stanford Center on Longevity, in partnership with TIME magazine. Advances in medical technology and a better understanding of a healthy lifestyle have helped raise our overall life expectancy.

Have you heard about at-home genetic screening kits that analyze your genes for disease risk? All you do is send off a saliva sample to a company to find out whether you’re genetically predisposed to get certain illnesses.

You just finished your workout. Whether it was a 45 minutes of strength training, a five-mile run or a yoga class, you probably need to drink some fluids. Rehydration is an essential part of recovering from a workout -- it helps lower temperature and heart rate, lubricate joints, repair muscles, ward off muscle cramps, ease fatigue and keep the digestion process working properly. And of course, it helps prevent dehydration. 

Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? If you said yes, you’re not alone. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) labels insufficient sleep an epidemic. Between 30 and 35 percent of Americans grapple with occasional, brief bouts of insomnia, while 15 to 20 percent struggle with short-term insomnia and another 10 percent live with chronic insomnia. Sleeplessness can take a toll on your health -- it’s been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and depression.

Heart failure affects 6.5 million Americans. And the numbers continue rising. American Heart Association reported the number of heart failure cases rose by 800,000 between 2012 and 2017. But there’s some good news: For women, walking may be a key to preventing it.

Check the nutrition labels on the packaged foods you have in your refrigerator, freezer and cupboard. There’s a good chance the ingredients list includes maltodextrin, a commonly used food additive that’s linked to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, according to Cleveland Clinic researchers. 

Jasmine Sexton, who works for MDVIP affiliate Dr. Julie McCormick in Anchorage, AK, is an MDVIP Ambassador for going above and beyond the call of duty and making her patients feel welcome, valued and loved.

Erin DeVivo, who works for MDVIP affiliate Dr. Nami Khulusi in Eatontown, NJ, is an MDVIP Ambassador for going above and beyond the call of duty and making her patients feel welcome, valued and loved.