Dose of DMU blog » Global Health

23 Jan

An ounce of prevention: sitting is the silent killer

One day as my focus faded from studying, I thought about how much I had been sitting that day, and how many hours I spend sitting every day. After logging in eight hours of sleep (if I am lucky), I am left with 16 waking-hours. On average, I can tally nine of these hours in a chair, whether sitting in class, studying or eating. Even when you size-up my 30-minute workouts and lighter daily activities, the majority of my days are spent motionless. We all experience this excessive sitting, and I challenge you to think about it as more than a necessary act – or lack thereof. As I’ll share below, excessive sitting is now being considered a major risk factor for the development of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

31 Oct

Eating worms

by Barb Boose

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder in the world. The World Health Organization estimates that it affects nearly two billion people. Matthew Abendroth, a second-year DMU osteopathic student, suggests one solution might be entomophagy, the human consumption of insects.

Matthew was among the winners in a student poster competition at the Heartland Global Health Consortiumconference held at DMU on Oct. 12. His poster stated that many edible insects are very high in protein, fats and many vitamins and minerals, including iron, so adding them to one’s diet makes sense.

Hello...lunch?

11 Oct

Third Annual Global Health Conference: The Challenges of Global Aging

by Nicole Branstad

Tomorrow marks the Third Annual Global Health Conference here at Des Moines University presented by our global health department, the Heartland Global Health Consortium and Pioneer. This year’s focus is on “the challenges of global aging.” Through a series of speakers we will discuss those challenges and identify steps on how to address them as a community.

The event starts with registration at 10 a.m. and includes lunch and student poster presentations followed by various speakers. DMU students, along with students from HGHC member institutions – Central College, Drake University, Iowa State University, Mercy College of Health Sciences, Simpson College, University of Iowa, and University of Northern Iowa, can attend this conference for free.

23 Aug

A giant in global service comes to Iowa

by Barb Boose

He’s a global humanitarian, medical anthropologist and physician who has dedicated his life to improving health care for the world’s poorest people. On Thursday, Aug. 25, Paul Farmer, M.D., will share his experiences and perspectives at a talk beginning at 7 p.m. in Iowa State University’s Stephens Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

16 Aug

We all have a stake in this storm

by Barb Boose

Our planet is getting old, and I’m not talking about the ground below our feet: According to a 2007 report by the National Institute on Aging, in 2006, almost 500 million people worldwide were 65 and older. By 2030, that total is projected to increase to one billion – one in every eight of the earth’s inhabitants.