Having a baby is one of the most important moments of your life. Creating a birth plan before he/she arrives can give you added peace of mind and help you focus on what matters most: welcoming your baby into the world.
While it should be flexible—after all, there’s no crystal ball for having a baby—a birth plan is an outline of your specific preferences and goals for your labor and delivery. Here are some suggestions and questions to consider:
When’s the last time you went out with just your best girlfriends? If you’ve been putting that GNO on the back burner, you should move it front and center. Not just for the laughter and the wine, but be-cause it’s good for you.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—back-to-school season! Between readying backpacks, buying school supplies, and yes, celebratory dancing (no judgment here, moms and dads), these seven tips can help your kids put their best foot forward when that first bell rings:
The dog days are officially here, and that means spending lots of time outside for cookouts, pool parties, lake fun and more. When taking advantage of all this Pure Michigan season offers, remember that hotter weather also increases the potential for injury and illness.
Some common reasons people seek urgent or emergency care during summer include:
When the sun shines in Michigan, it’s natural to want to soak in every moment of those wonderful rays. But when enjoying the great outdoors, don’t forget to protect your skin. Darkened skin color from the sun (or a tanning booth) not only accelerates the effects of aging, but also increases your risk of skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the U.S.
Our lakes are pretty great. After all, we’re not called The Great Lakes State for nothing. Yet despite their undeniable beauty, the Great Lakes can pose great danger. As of mid-July, there have been 37 drownings reported in the Great Lakes (18 in Lake Michigan alone). To put things on a national scale, in the U.S., someone dies from drowning every 10 minutes.
While the statistics are alarming, swimming—whether in a lake or backyard pool—is fantastic exercise, not to mention a ton of fun. Best of all, you don’t have to shun the water to stay safe and reap all its advantages.
When the temperature rises, so does your risk of heat stroke. Heat stroke can happen with prolonged exposure to or strenuous activity in hot temperatures. A less serious (but still concerning) condition called heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke.
Having trouble hearing can be physically and emotionally debilitating. After all, this vital sense enables us to communicate, socialize, work and stay connected to the outside world.
Studies suggest that as many as 1 in 2 women and up to 1 in 4 men age 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a disease where your bones become weak, brittle and more likely to break. People who have it typically break bones in their hip, spine and wrist and become more at risk of bone fracture from something as minor as slipping, bumping into furniture, or even from coughing or sneezing.
Some risk factors for osteoporosis are unavoidable and out of one’s control, such as:
According to the latest Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Index, of the top 10 health conditions among millennials, six are behavioral-health related. One of those leading health problems is major depression (up 31 percent in 2017 from prevalence in 2014).