Publications by authors named "Susan Harwell"

Vitamin D has known importance to bone health including calcium and phosphate homeostasis and appears to have a role in skeletal muscle health as well. Cases of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency have been associated with poor muscle health. While the exact effects and mechanism of action remains controversial, current data lean towards insufficient vitamin D playing a role in musculoskeletal pain, sarcopenia, myopathy, falls and indirectly via cerebellar and cognitive dysfunction.

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Primary care physicians infrequently address lifestyle modification with their obese patients, among whom those of lower economic means are disproportionately represented. To enhance patients' access to education on lifestyle modification, a clinic-based computer kiosk was installed at our residency clinic for the purpose of healthy lifestyle education. While posttest scores improved and were maintained after completion of lifestyle modification education, body mass index (BMI) was essentially unaffected.

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