Healthy Life Articles

As any hearty Michigander will tell you, we often live for the warmer months. When the winds of winter give way to the softer, more forgiving breezes of spring, Michiganders pour from their homes to soak in the warming sunshine and enjoy the many amazing wonders that our state has to offer. During the long, cold winters I often incredulously ask myself, “why is it that I live here again!?” but then winters eventually turn into spring, glorious summers, and beautiful falls, and, once again, I receive my annual reminder of the splendors of the mitten state.
 

Read full article

So my medical journals are telling me, AGAIN, that I need to eat better and keep moving. Gee, folks, thanks for the news! But I rarely receive such specific advice as I have these past few weeks. They have handed me very, very clear directions:

Read full article

As warmer weather approaches, we become more physically active, especially outdoors. It's also a time that emergency departments and urgent care centers are treating more head injuries.

Head injuries occur in all ages. The vast majority (80%) of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are mild. Forces which cause head injuries may be (direct) from a sudden direct blow to the head, or (indirect) from forces such as sudden acceleration/deceleration which results in movement of the brain inside the skull. Either type of injury can result in a concussion.

Read full article

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, of course! 

Put on your party hats! The new 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) is here!! Now I’m sure you’re probably not quite as excited for the eighth edition of these national nutrition guidelines as I am, but there are some interesting changes to take note. 

Read full article

Blood pressure is the intensity with which blood pushes against the walls of the arteries. It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) while the heart is beating (systolic pressure) and when the heart is resting (diastolic pressure). A blood pressure reading is written like a fraction and shows the systolic pressure over the diastolic pressure.

A healthy person has a blood pressure level lower than 120/80 mmHg. A person with high blood pressure or hypertension has a blood pressure level at or above 140/90 mmHg.

Read full article

From a sports-related incidence to stumbling on uneven ground, a twisted, sprained or broken ankle happens quickly and causes plenty of pain. Most ankle injuries don’t involve fractures or dislocated joints, but nonetheless are painful and produce serious swelling at the injury site.

Read full article

In an ideal world, we’d all love our bodies exactly as they are. We’d love our little muffin tops for the reminder of all the ice cream sundaes we’ve shared with a best friend, our marshmallow tummies for the children we carried, and our pancake boobs for making bras (practically) pointless.

But we don’t live in an ideal world, and the way we perceive our bodies affects how we feel about having sex. We probably all have personal experience with this, and research backs it up.

Read full article

Of all the changes happening during perimenopause and menopause, difficulty sleeping is one of the most common. Women may notice a difference as early as their late 30s.What feels like insomnia may actually be hormone changes disrupting sleep.

At any stage in life, lack of sleep slows metabolism, lowers sex drive and increases forgetfulness–of all the changes during menopause, controlling sleep could mend other symptoms disrupting your life like mental fogginess or mood changes.

Read full article

Sore throats are a popular reason for patients being seen at urgent care. Often they’re not serious, but simply uncomfortable. Allergies or germ infections may cause sore throats. They can occur all year, but a majority of patients will come in during the winter cold and flu months seeking relief.

Read full article