Health Education

With the festive hustle and bustle the holiday season brings, I bet you’ve been busy! Same here. Do you know what tends to get shortchanged when we get busy? Lots of things, probably. But a big one is sleep. It tends to become an afterthought, treated as somewhat optional. We know we need our rest – but we also need to get this done, and get that done – and so we nibble at its edges in favor of our to-do list. So this is a gentle reminder for you to reconsider that approach.

Vitamin D is essential for our health. It promotes calcium absorption and keeps the proper balance of calcium and phosphate in our blood. This helps bones grow and stay strong, while also helping prevent muscle cramps. Adequate vitamin D helps safeguard children from brittle and misshapen bones. In adults, it prevents bone thinning. Additional roles in the body include immune function, blood sugar metabolism, decreased inflammation, as well as affecting cell growth.

Submitted by Nate Roberts, Director of Community Support Program Community Health Workers are an important part of public health and

Addiction is a brain-based disease. It changes the brain’s neurological structure, which can impact how an individual acts and their decision-making process. Addiction affects the entire family unit, bringing chaos and instability to the whole family. At NorthLakes, we recognize the impact addiction has which is why our Recovery Program works with individuals struggling with substance use and family members affected by the addiction. Both are working on their recovery process and developing skills to decrease the risk of relapse during stressful situations. 

There has been a lot of buzz regarding a drug class called GLP-1s recently in the media as the new miracle weight loss drug. Some of the non-generic brands include Trulicity and Wegovy. The story of these drugs may seem new but the origin of these drugs dates back almost 60-years. 

When you hear Massage Therapy, what do you think of it? Most would say “relaxation” and some would say “luxury.” Massage Therapy can help with relaxation but it can do more for your health. Massage Therapy can help with decreasing stress and headaches, managing chronic pain, post-operative care, and soft tissue injuries, help manage symptoms of anxiety and depression along with many other diagnoses. Physically, Massage Therapy can help improve circulation and strengthen immune response, reduce swelling, decrease muscle stiffness, improve flexibility, increase range of motion, and give you a better quality of sleep. Massage has aided in reducing cortisol and increasing serotonin and dopamine. Massage Therapy addresses your wellness throughout many different systems in your body: circulatory, nervous, lymphatic, immune, and muscular. In life, it usually is not one thing that causes pain, discomfort, stress, etc. Massage Therapy is another tool that can be used to help achieve goals during everyday life.  

May is designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, which marks a great time to focus on a mental health topic that impacts us all – anxiety. (Maybe because by May we can again stand to think about such things!)

There are many types of stigma that surround people in Recovery, also known as those who struggle with substance use disorder (SUD). At its core, stigma is described as any false negative beliefs that are widespread about a topic or a group of people.

Early childhood vaccines are important to protect your child and prevent outbreaks of diseases like pertussis and measles. Vaccines are one of the single most lifesaving public health measures, and they undergo a rigorous testing and approval process before they are available for public use. Our immune systems are complex and there can be a lot of confusing and sometimes inaccurate information about vaccines on the internet. It isn’t always easy to find the truth, so we wanted to share a brief overview of early childhood vaccines and some of the diseases they protect against.

Parenting is tough. To help overcome parenting challenges, we started a series that offers effective advice, strategies, and approaches that support your child’s growth and development.

The new series, which leans on the expert advice from one of our pediatric occupational therapists, Jordan Chingo, is aptly called “Parenting Tips: Kid Tested, Pediatric Therapist Approved.” In the series, Jordan shares ideas and demonstrates fun and easy at-home activities that benefit all children. If you think that your child could benefit from other ways that improve their abilities and strengthen their independence, schedule an appointment with one of our pediatric therapists at our clinics in Ashland, Hayward, or Iron River.

Many people are familiar with the term acupuncture, however, many are not familiar with the term dry needling and what it entails. Acupuncture and dry needling have a lot of overlap but differ in the theory behind each treatment. Acupuncture stems from Chinese medicine and involves meridians and opening up the flow of Qi (energy). Dry needling comes from Western medicine and was first used to treat myofascial pain. It has since expanded to treat a wide range of neuromuscular and musculoskeletal pains and dysfunctions.

The first year of life is quite a busy time for parents. During the first year of life, your child

“Have you had your colonoscopy yet?”  This is the phrase that most middle aged humans hear during their yearly wellness visit.  Have you ever wondered why this is always asked?  When looking at deaths related to cancer, colon cancer is the third leading cause in this group. In 2018 alone the rate of colon cancer went up 31 percent.  If colon cancer is caught early enough, the patient’s prognosis improves.  That has led the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force or USPSTF, the group that sets colon cancer screening guidelines, to lower the screening age from 50 years of age to now 45 years of age.

Say the word “August” and certain things immediately come to mind, like fresh sweet corn and tomatoes at their very best. Many of us are determined to fit in those last few beach days or camping trips during August. And for the parents of school-aged kids, August means a mad rush to get them ready to go back to school. If you have a child going back to school, or about to start kindergarten or 4K, make sure that you include updating their vaccines on your to-do list.

Whole foods are foods that are as little processed or refined as possible and have no additives such as preservatives or artificial ingredients, such as food coloring, added to the food. For example a baked potato would be a whole food but instant mashed or boxed scalloped potatoes are not.  Broiled white fish or perch would be considered whole foods versus a fish stick.