Rebecca Finkel
I’ve been vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, paleo, gluten free, dairy-free, low-carb, and kosher, yet I fall again and again to the lure of the Reuben. As I get older, I’m learning to take a more omnivorous approach to health, but I still love writing about new trends in diet, fitness, and wellbeing.

Why It’s Important for Children to Get the HPV Vaccine

a mother talks with her daughter outdoors
If you could vaccinate your child to prevent cancer, you would, right? That’s exactly what the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine offers. I spoke to Independence Medical Director and board-certified pediatrician Dr. Anna Baldino about the lifesaving HPV vaccine, which has the power to prevent nearly 40,000 cancers a year in the U.S. IBX: Why get the HPV vaccine for your child?...
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Lessons for the 2019 Flu Season

The 2017-2018 flu season was tough. So what can we do to keep ourselves healthy this year? Well, the same things we did last year. Here’s why.
The 2017 – 2018 flu season had a bad rap, but does it deserve it? Yes and no. Philadelphia County experienced 4,418 reported cases of flu. Mind you, these are the people who were able to drag themselves to the doctor to be tested — the actual number may be higher. In fact, according to IBX Medical Director Ellen Riccobene,...
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Indego: A #FearlessFit Way to Bike to Philadelphia Parks

The Indego station at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue makes it even easier for fans to get to the stadium complex to root for the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies. In a long list of what makes Philly great (cough, E-A-G-L-E-S, cough), our city’s parks system is right up there. With over 300 recreation centers,...
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Osteoporosis Prevention Starts Early

Osteoprosis isn’t just a concern for older women. Both men and women should build their bone density in their adolescence and maintain it as they get older.
Osteoporosis has long been thought of as a disease that affects older women. Not so, says Independence Medical Director Karen Jackson-White, MD. Both men and women — starting younger than you think — should take steps to prevent osteoporosis. We talked to Dr. Jackson-White about who is at risk of osteoporosis and what they can do about it....
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What Is a Special Enrollment Period?

If you lose coverage through a job, have a kid, get married, or move, you don’t have to wait for the open enrollment period to shop for a new health plan.
Try as you may to plan ahead, you can’t always see the future. But if you lose the health care coverage you have through a job, have a kid, get married, or move, you don’t have to wait for the open enrollment period to shop for a new health plan. Read on to learn more about applying for health insurance during the special enrollment period....
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Our Top 5 Heathy Grilling Tips

After a long, cold winter dreaming about spicy marinades, shrimp skewers, and juicy salmon burgers, grilling season is finally here. Grilling is actually one of the fastest ways to get a healthy meal on the table — with the added bonus of not heating up your kitchen. Here’s what we’re fired up about this year:

Healthy Grilling Tips from Our Patio to Yours

Craving a burger?...
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Self-Employed? Health Insurance is Within Reach.

Thinking of making the leap to working for yourself? Working for yourself is rewarding, but not without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges, particularly if you’re used to getting health insurance through an employer, is choosing a high-quality, affordable health insurance plan for yourself. To make it easier, we put together a handy list of common questions about affordable health insurance for freelancers,...
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Blue Crew Volunteer Leaders: Tajuana Brooks-Lane

Blue Crew - Tajuana
Tajuana Brooks-Lane (right) with fellow Blue Crew volunteer Amanda Blumenthal. Have you ever thought about volunteering, but something — shyness, lack of time, not knowing where to start — held you back? Read on for inspiration from Blue Crew Advisory Board member Tajuana Brooks-Lane, whose passion for volunteering will help you get in the game of giving back....
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Serving with Love at the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey

Koreana
As busy as you are, you’re probably not going to cook for 40 people when you get home tonight. But that’s what Koreana Iman-Sample, product manager for AmeriHealth New Jersey, does every month, after commuting an hour and 15 minutes from her office in Cranbury to her home in South Jersey. “It’s kind of hard to juggle between hectic work schedules and projects,” she tells us,...
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Rebuilding Together Philadelphia Honors the Blue Crew

Rebuilding Together Philadelphia Honors The Blue Crew
Jeanie Heffernan hard at work with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia Not everyone finds their happy place between pushing a pen and swinging a hammer, but Jeanie Heffernan has. For nearly 15 years, the Chief Human Resources Officer has been volunteering with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, which provides low-income or disabled homeowners with health-focused home improvements....
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