The University of Vermont Medical Center HealthSource blog is your leading source for financial wellness articles and tips from industry experts. Read through a collection of financial wellness articles and tips on a variety of subjects such as cybersecurity, addiction assistance, retirement planning, cost-effective dieting and more. The HealthSource blog features an array of regular authors and contributors from the medical world including doctors, nutritionists, nurse practitioners and healthcare executives.
Ransomware. The mere name sounds ominous, and it can have potentially drastic effects. You might have heard in the news about several health care organizations being hit by this type of malicious computer attack. The worst case to date involved a health care facility in Los Angeles, California, which, after having its computer system held […]
Why Cybersecurity? As the University of Vermont Health Network’s Cybersecurity Education Analyst, the most common question I hear is, “Why is cybersecurity such a big deal?” To be honest, it’s a valid one. Unless you work in the information security industry on a daily basis, you may view cybersecurity as something that doesn’t immediately impact […]
Hacking is in the news again with both individuals and large organizations being hacked. In response to the increasing frequency of these attacks, the field of cybersecurity is rapidly improving our defense capabilities by developing state-of-the-art technology, such as antivirus and anti-spyware software, and much more. However, while the development of innovative technology is the […]
Are you feeling stressed, curious, amused….or all three? Read on to learn strategies to relieve stress, satisfy your curiosity and experience the healing power of humor. Tip 1 – Humor: A Light Touch for the Mind The well-documented effects of stress, including elevated blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar, are no laughing matter. Applying […]
Hackers love the holidays. With an increase in shopping activity and card transactions during the holiday season, hackers ramp up their efforts in an attempt to steal a much higher percentage of card information. Although most of us are at the mercy of the retailer’s information security controls, there a few things we can do to […]
On September 7, 2017, the credit-reporting agency Equifax, announced that they discovered a data breach. Cybercriminals stole the personal information of nearly half of the United States population (currently 145.5 million). The information includes names, birthdates, addresses, and Social Security numbers. That’s essentially everything a criminal needs to open fraudulent credit cards, bank accounts, and […]
Several years ago, I traveled to India to learn more about road safety risks. Like many growth regions of the world, India has many road safety challenges, so it might be easy to think we are pretty fortunate in the United States. But, the estimated road traffic death rate (per 100,000 population, 2013 data) was […]
Added sugars have inundated our food supply so it can be difficult to avoid them – but not impossible! Here are some guidelines to help you dodge some of that sweet stuff. Read the ingredient list. The only dependable way to determine if there is sugar added to a product is to read its ingredients. […]
January is a time to reflect on lifestyle changes that you want to improve upon. We suggest doing so by making small goals throughout the upcoming year versus big changes. The approach of making goals that are attainable and realistic helps build healthy changes into your everyday life. Identify the most realistic options. Pick a […]
Try something new and different in thinking about your 2017 New Year’s resolution. Set a goal that is completely new and different from any previous New Year’s resolution. Anyone out there interested in joining in the fun? Refresh Your Resolution Focus A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that among the most popular New […]
