Years of leading Tobacco Free programs for Holland Hospital’s Healthy Life Programs have adjusted my high hopes of graduating big classes of “quitters” to the reality that just a trickle will show up ready to do the legwork required to abstain from tobacco. At a recent brainstorming session to tackle new programming ideas, one co-worker voiced the truthful blow: "quitting smoking is just not sexy!”

Do you get a ‘cold’ at the same time every year? Does it come on suddenly, especially when seasons change and last for weeks? It may be difficult to know if the symptoms you're experiencing are due to a cold or allergies. While the two share similar symptoms, their causes and treatments are different.

I spend most of my working hours at a place called Healthy Life Programs. For a person interested in her personal wellness, there couldn’t be a better environment for me. “Good Health” is in full swing around here. If you walk through our office, you’ll notice a nice kitchen with a full-size fridge. Open that fridge and you WON’T see sugary drinks, lots of sweet desserts, bags of take-out, or highly processed foods. You WILL see a glut of salad greens, multiple containers of low-fat yogurt and whatever fruit was on sale this week, and crisper drawers stuffed with fresh produce.

In our last blog, we defined and described signs, symptoms and initial evaluation of concussions. This month, we’ll talk about treatment, activity restrictions and prevention of head injuries. To summarize, concussion is a mild brain injury resulting from a sudden, significant force upon the head or upper body which results in headache and a variety of alterations in a person mental processing. A concussion is a clinical diagnosis. In other words, it is made based upon a history and examination. Sometimes a CT scan and other studies are necessary to rule out more serious conditions.

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.
 

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: