Be pro-active on your health… But beware!
Maestro Don gets ‘Active’
Caribbean Life, SEPTEMBER 10-16, 2021 39
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
This morning, your head
hurt something terrible.
Is it anything to worry
about? Your grandfather had
heart problems and died after a
stroke. Your grandmother suffered
from diabetes and you
know there’s got to be a way
to avoid their fates. Does your
headache have anything to do
with that? Do you need “Black
Health Matters” by Richard W.
Walker, Jr., MD to calm your
fears?
While growing up in Spanish
Harlem years ago, Walker
noticed how much diseases
like heart disease, diabetes,
and kidney failure affected the
people in his neighborhood.
It made hiim “angry,” he says,
and it spurred him to study
medicine as a profession.
It still dismays him that
“poor health among our Black
population” is almost epidemic
but there is a solution.
Walker says that if you take
Book cover of “Black Heath Matters” by Richard W. Walker,
Jr., MD.
an “approach to wellness” and
take steps to remain healthier,
you could lower your chances
of developing the more-common
but most-serious diseases
that plague a higher number of
African American people.
First of all, he says, be aware
of your “gut-microbiomebrain”
connection and know
what foods are best for you.
Know what not to eat, too,
and how probiotics can help
your “GMB.” Then, especially
if you could stand to lose a few
pounds, understand obesity,
why it matters, and how you
became overweight. Did you
know culture has something to
do with it? Yes, and though he
only briefly touches on “food
deserts,” Walker addresses
these issues.
Walker says that Black adults
are 40 percent more apt to have
high blood pressure than their
white neighbors. Hypertension
is a killer; knowing more about
it — how to read a BP monitor,
how smoking and salt intake
figure in — will help you keep
it under control.
Know the general symptoms
of diabetes and what to do
about them. Learn how kidney
disease may start with another
disease altogether. Read up on
cancer, aging, sickle cell disease,
and how dental care really
matters. Finally, memorize
the signs of a stroke or heart
attack; your life may depend
upon it.
Your regular physician is all
tied up and it’s hard to get in
to see her. That doesn’t make
you feel any better, but with its
clear-cut, easy-to-understand
chapters on a variety of illnesses
both major and minor,
“Black Health Matters” might.
And yet, there’s one important
thing to remember, once
you get this book: it shouldn’t
take the place of a physician
with your medical chart inhand.
That’s a reminder that
author Richard W. Walker, Jr.,
MD offers, but caution and prudence
don’t seem to be stressed
here quite enough. Then again,
readers will want to bear in
mind that this book is about
proactive and preventative
wellness, not fixing what’s
already broke.
The best use of this book,
perhaps, is in the basics it
offers: overviews, learning to
read charts, understanding
numbers, and making easy
health-changes. That’s all in
here, it’s do-able, and it could
make “Black Health Matters”
an patient-empowering tool for
understanding major healthissues,
recognizing them, and
keeping ahead
“Black Health Matters”
by Richard W. Walker, Jr.,
MD
c.2021, Square One
Publishers
$16.95
321 pages
Author, Richard W. Walker, Jr., MD.
By Nelson A. King
Backed by eerie yet intoxicating
instrumentals and a pulsing
groove bass, Maestro Don
debuts his summer scorcher,
“Active”, produced by Jah-
Chlo Productions and aimed
at bringing vibes back to the
place, according to Jamaican
entertainment publicist, Ronnie
Tomlinson.
“More energetic in delivery
than his more recent singles,
the dynamic young artist is
hoping this one hits listeners
running,” said the Brooklynbased
Tomlinson, chief executive
producer of Destine Media.
Known for a more measured
approach on tracks such
as “Senorita” and “Pioneer”
feat, Bounty Killa, Maestro Don
intends to broaden his musical
diversity by “opting to drop
a highly charged chorus and
verses brimming with catchy
one-liners accompanied by
reverberating adlibs that serve
to intensify the overall energy
of the song,” Tomlinson added.
“I wanted to record a song
that would empower people
where confidence is concerned,”
Maestro Don said. “The difference
about this track is that
it stands out with a more uptempo
vibe than my previous
singles that my listeners are
more familiar with. This track
is more of a mood.”
JahChlo Production said that
working with Maestro Don is
“easy, because he is articulate,
witty and have a good vibe for
the music.”
“Not the typical dancehall
mainstay synth palette, the production
on this track was clearly
inspired by ranges outside
the genre,” Tomlinson said.
JahChlo Productions said:
“Our brand plans to be a gamechanger.
“We plan to add our unique
flavor with a professional
approach to the business aspects
of the music,” it said, adding
that “it will also not only be
dancehall or reggae, but it will
be on an international level.”
“Active” is available on all
major platforms and digital
outlets.