Researchers recommend exercising about 150 minutes each week, including some strength-training exercises. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
By Kim Delafuente, Spectrum Health Beat
New studies continue to add credence to the critical link between good brain health and regular exercise.
A recent study by researchers in Texas, for instance, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, found an association between higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness and better “fiber integrity” in the brain’s white matter.
This correlated to better “executive function performance” in patients with mild cognitive impairment, according to the study.
These types of contemporary findings abound, with researchers perpetually seeking to understand the connections between brain health and physical activity.
What we do know is that physical activity is proven to reduce stress, improve mood, increase self-confidence, improve memory, reduce symptoms of depression and reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 50 percent.
But what’s really going on under the hood? Let’s take a look at some known areas.
Hippo power
The area of the brain responsible for memory formation, the hippocampus, shrinks as a normal process of aging. In people who are physically active, however, the hippocampus can actually increase. This tells us exercise aids in the growth of brain cells in certain areas of the brain.
Neural nitrogen
Physical activity increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which acts as something of a brain fertilizer. It is essential to learning and memory. The increase here not only helps with brain cell interconnectivity, it also aids in the growth of new brain cells.
Anti-depressant
In some cases, exercise can generate the same effect as an anti-depressant in those with mild depression. Research shows that active people tend to be less depressed, which means that exercise may benefit those who suffer from depression.
Brain-building
Physically active children may reap the benefits in a number of areas, including better performance on tests, fewer behavioral problems and improved retention of information.
Stress, anxiety reliever
Exercise can help the body respond better to anxiety disorders. A study by researchers in Chicago also found modest evidence to support the notion that “regular exercise protects against the negative emotional consequences of stress.”
Exactly how much physical activity is needed to reap brain benefits?
As it applies to healthy adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week, as well as some muscle-strengthening activities two days a week.
The activity should be hard enough to increase your breathing and heart rate.
One recent study found that people who exercised more than an hour each day had healthier brain characteristics compared to people who exercised less.
But you don’t have to dive in headlong. If you are currently inactive, start with just a 5- or 10-minute walk each day. Something is always better than nothing. A small amount of exercise can be enough to put you in a better mood and increase your energy.
But keep in mind that the level of fitness and endurance may matter in the long run. A higher endurance level is related to better cognitive abilities.
The more exercise you do, the greater the benefits!
"It occurred to me at one point it was like I had two diseases — one was Alzheimer's, and the other was knowing I had Alzheimer's."
- Terry Pratchett
What’s next in battling Alzheimer’s?
“Alzheimer’s Disease: A Look into the Future” is set for Monday, November 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the L. William Seidman Center, 50 Front Ave. SW, on Grand Valley’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus. The event is free and open to the public. For the complete story, click here.
What’s new (soon) at Ford Airport?
Construction on the second phase of the Gateway Transformation Project begins today at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA), and will continue through Summer 2020. For the complete story, click here.
What’s the deal with ‘Strive for Five’?
The straightforward message behind “Strive for Less than 5”, the countywide campaign to reduce absences: The more school a child misses, the further they fall behind and the more at risk they are of eventually dropping out. For the complete story, click here.
Fun Fact:
5.0 million vs. 5.5 million
In fall 2018, about 1.4 million children are expected to attend public prekindergarten and 3.6 million are expected to attend public kindergarten. (Source) In contrast, An estimated 5.7 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer's dementia in 2018. This number includes an estimated 5.5 million people age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer's. (Source)
By April Johnson, Women’s Health Outreach Specialist AmeriCorps Member at Heart of the City–West
Nearly 40,000 women die each year from breast cancer, and it can’t be stressed enough that mammograms can help save lives. Health care experts say the best way to survive cancer is to find it early, when it is most easily treated. Knowing the basic facts about mammograms could save your life or the life of someone you love.
What is a mammogram?
A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray picture of the breast.
Why should I have a mammogram?
Regular mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early. They can find breast lumps that are too small for a woman or her doctor to feel.
When should I start having mammograms?
Annual mammograms are recommended starting at age 40, along with a breast exam by your health care provider. Women in their 20s and 30s should have a breast exam by their doctor about every three years.
Who gets breast cancer?
All women can get breast cancer, even those who have no family history of the disease. The two most important risk factors are being a woman and growing older. The risk increases as women get older.
Are mammograms painful?
Although everyone’s pain tolerance is different, the compression involved in a mammogram is usually described as temporary discomfort. Your breast might be more sensitive just before or during your period, so you might want to avoid scheduling your mammogram during those times.
How can I be vigilant?
Women should know how their breast normally look and feel. Any changes, such as a lump, thickening, liquid leaking from the nipple, or changes to the nipple should be reported to their health care provider.
Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9 percent of those suffering receive treatment. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
By Maura Hohman, HealthDay
A little bit of stress can motivate you, but too much might cause an anxiety disorder that can prevent you from living your life to the fullest.
If you feel anxious on a daily basis, try making changes to your lifestyle to manage anxiety on your own.
Exercise regularly to release the body’s endorphins, natural feel-good chemicals. Set a goal of 30 minutes at least five days of the week.
Be sure to get enough sleep, typically between 7 and 8 hours every night.
During waking hours, take short breaks from whatever stresses you out. Meditation and listening to music are great ways to clear your head.
Eat healthy and don’t skip meals.
Limit alcohol and caffeine, which can worsen anxiety and trigger panic attacks.
If adjustments to your routine don’t lessen your anxiety, talk to your doctor, especially if anxiety or depression run in your family. You could have an anxiety disorder.
Keep a symptom diary and be alert for the warning signs of an anxiety disorder.
Possible anxiety disorder symptoms include:
Constant worry.
Avoiding social situations.
Panic attacks.
Nightmares.
If you’re diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, stay positive. There are many treatments available, such as cognitive behavioral therapy to help you change your thought patterns. Also, there are other types of therapy, medication, and simple adjustments to your daily routine.
Most important is finding a therapist you’re comfortable working with and who’s experienced in treating anxiety disorders.
No amount of running or other exercise massages our insides and settles or resets our mood the way laughter does.
By Tracie Abram, Michigan State University Extension
Not only is laughter universal, it is ageless. Picture a baby’s first belly laugh or seeing an older adult’s eyes light up with laughter. No matter what your age, laughter is good medicine and is an exercise everyone can enjoy doing. Laughter therapy has been practiced for centuries to help heal and today laughter is fast becoming the preventative exercise of choice due to its physical, mental, emotional and spiritual powers.
In the book, Laughter Therapy, by Annette Goodheart, Ph.D.; a whole chapter is dedicated to the physical benefits of laughter. You learn that laughter engages every major system in the body. Have you ever fallen out of your chair laughing or seen kids fall onto the floor and spitting food out of their mouths from laughing? Yes, it is known to cause us to wet our pants occasionally too! When we laugh, we literally lose muscle control.
The diaphragm is a muscle that separates our abdominal cavity from our chest cavity and is the only muscle in our body that is attached to other muscles. When we laugh, our diaphragm convulsively pulls on our side muscles and shakes up our stomach and other vital organs. We get an internal massage, which leaves our organs invigorated, juicy, pumped-up and alert.
Laughter has been clocked exiting our lungs at speeds up to seventy miles per hour. Needless to say, it gives our respiratory system a massive work out. Laughter sessions can provide a cardiovascular, pulmonary workout as well as massage your insides.
No amount of running or other exercise massages our insides and settles or resets our mood the way laughter does. People of all ages can do it together and it’s fun.
Laughing to relieve stress
Negative stress is both mentally and physically draining and can manifest as physical illness if not identified and managed. Laughter can help you manage stress similar to how physical exercise does. Laughter is both a pulmonary and cardiovascular workout in that it makes the heart and lungs work faster, which in turn pumps oxygenized blood to your cells faster, this stimulates your brain to make you more resilient to stressors.
Laughter is free, natural and you can access it easily. In fact, as Goodheart explains you don’t even need to find something funny or be feeling happy to practice laughter and benefit from it.
Don’t let emotional tension build to the point of tears. Set a goal to be aware or mindful of how many times per day you laugh. Think of it as an attitudinal exercise for your mind. Schedule time to practice laughter or join a laughter club.
Laughter education
Laughter education comes in a wide variety of forms and can be called clubs, classes, circles, programs or sessions. The most beneficial of these involve systematic programmable activities, typically provided in a group setting that provides laughter exercise and attitudinal mindfulness to achieve general or targeted goals. Laughter session objectives can include:
Increase awareness about attitudes and feelings towards laughter.
Provide opportunities for individuals to laugh.
Promote laughter in everyday life.
Provide respite from daily stress and worries.
Teach how laughter can be an effective mood regulator.
Encourage healthy choices and laughter, humor and mirth as self-care strategies.
Depending on the setting, individual participation in a therapeutic laughter program can be encouraged as a way to meet individual goals such as socialization, emotional expression, communication, focus, concentration and use of muscles and joints.
Raising young children can be stressful and from time to time it can take its toll on parents and other caregivers. Self-care is a crucial way to ensure adults caring for young children are prepared to invest the time and energy they need to be the best caregivers they can be. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, you may not have much left to give your children.
Make sure your basic needs are met. In the hustle of trying to take care of young children, the needs of parents and caregivers often get overlooked. Think about the energy you invest in making sure your child’s needs are met. You make sure they get enough to drink and eat, provide enough time for them to get the restful sleep they need as well as the exercise and time to play—do you do the same for yourself?
Make it a routine. Just like you develop routines for your child, make self-care part of your daily routine. Come up with simple routines you can do to help you relax and unwind and take care of yourself. Maybe it’s taking a quick walk by yourself a few days a week or making time to bake if that’s a hobby you enjoy.
Start small. Big changes can seem intimidating, so don’t think of increasing your self-care as something big you have to do overnight. Break up the task into small pieces and find something small to start with, like challenging yourself to drinking less caffeine to help you sleep better at night. Try writing down your goals and keeping track of your efforts—this can help motivate you to keep going and is a great way to see your progress. Once you have incorporated that change, try making another small change.
Model self-care for your child. Let your child know what you’re doing and why self-care is so important. You can tell them, “This is Daddy’s time to himself. When I go for a walk alone it gives me time to think and helps me feel calm and relaxed.” Children learn from watching us and when we show them we value self-care, they learn to value it too.
Investing in your own well-being is a way to invest in your child’s well-being. Take the time to nurture yourself so you have the energy and motivation to nurture your child.
For more articles on child development, academic success, parenting and life skill development, please visit the Michigan State University Extension website.
To learn about the positive impact children and families experience due to MSU Extension programs, read our 2017 impact report. Additional impact reports, highlighting even more ways Michigan 4-H and MSU Extension positively impacted individuals and communities in 2017, can be downloaded from the Michigan 4-H website.
By Terry Clark-Jones, Michigan State University Extension
Is there a way to fight fairly? Yes, there is! Resolving conflicts with positive communication can bring people closer together and make relationships stronger. Below is one way you can begin to learn how to deal with conflict fairly, as well as teach those close to you how to fight fair. This works best in close relationships, such as those involving parents, partners, spouses, children, other family members or roommates. Begin by setting some time to explain conflict resolution to everyone in the household. Each person needs to be willing to follow the steps and a chance to practice.
Start with an agreement –Agree that conflicts exist in order to reach common ground at the end of the disagreement. Therefore, trust, love, respect, caring and kindness are key elements in every disagreement.
Stop and think — The next time you find yourself arguing with someone close to you, stop and think about your anger threshold, that point at which you know you are losing it. This is the point at which you can most effectively make changes. At lower levels of frustration, we are all capable of some self-control.
Code word — Choose a code word for anger thresholds. All household members must agree to respect the code word. You can call the code word yourself, if your own anger has reached your threshold or somebody else can call the code word, if they see anger rising in you or in someone else. Give everyone a chance to practice using the code word. For example, “I am calling a time out”.
Calm down — When someone calls the code, everyone must stop talking and moving for one minute. During that one minute, everyone should try to relax physically and think calming thoughts. Be a model of calm.
Come back and try again — Once everyone is calm, discuss the problem using “I statements”. At the end of one minute, someone can ask, “Are we calm enough to talk?” If everyone answers “yes,” you can start to work on a solution together. You may decide that more time is needed to calm down. If that is the case, each person needs to go to a separate place for some quiet time.
Be specific — Individuals need to be specific about what is bothering you. Accept statements and try to understand them for what they mean.
Keep the issue in the present — Do not bring up previous incidences, previous fights, actions, inactions or behavior which have nothing to do with the topic of the current fight. No one can fix an always or never situation such as, “you have always been stubborn” or “you never listen to me.”
Use respectful language — No name calling, swearing, insults, threats or intimidation. This creates an atmosphere of distrust, more anger and vulnerability.
Use calm voice — No raising your voice and dominating the conversation. Do not attempt to control by out-shouting or making more noise to drive home a point.
Name it to tame it — Always acknowledge the other’s basic feelings. For example, “I understand you are feeling frustrated right now, and I am glad you shared that.”
In the end of a fight or conflict, the ultimate goals is for individuals involved to come away feeling respected, understood and committed to change some behavior that may be irritating or difficult for another to accept. Compromise is always a win-win resolution to conflict.
With some or all of these guidelines in place, conflicts will become less destructive and with more constructive expression of anger.
Since 2015, Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found in deer in several of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula counties including Clinton, Ingham, Ionia, Kent, and Montcalm, as well as most recently in October 2018 in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Dickenson county. Deer hunters should be aware of how easily CWD can be transferred to in cervids such as deer, elk or moose.
CWD is a neurological disease that affects cervid animals. It can be transmitted through direct animal to animal contact or contact with saliva, urine, feces, blood, and/or certain carcass parts such as brain tissue and spinal cord of an infected animal.
Hunters need to be aware that the disease can also be spread via infected plants and soil. Prions, which are single proteins that cause the infections, are not easily killed by traditional strategies such as heat. Research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has shown prions have been able to bind to the roots and leaves of wheat grass plants when incubated with contaminated material, even in highly diluted amounts. They also found that plants grown in infected soil can transport the deadly prions. Hamsters fed the contaminated plants contracted CWD in the research project.
Although current research has found no direct link from CWD to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend not consuming venison from infected deer. Michigan State University Extension highly recommends that venison from a positively infected CWD deer not be consumed. When in doubt, do not consume the venison and properly dispose of the entire carcass. This brief background is meant to emphasize that CWD is a serious emerging disease in Michigan and hunters can take steps to prevent the spread of it.
Several pairs of tight-fitting, disposable gloves — these not only can protect hunters from disease but also assist in keeping the deer carcass clean during the dressing process.
Clean, sharp knife to make cuts and split carcass. Use separate knives from your household knives.
Pre-moistened wipes and/or container of clean water to maintain sanitation of knife and saw.
Strings about six to eight inches long to tie off the anus and assist in other dressing procedures.
Large resealable food grade plastic bag to place the heart and/or liver.
Clean, dry towels or paper towels to dry the carcass with after washing.
Rope to tie legs apart or drag deer.
Kill tag attached to a string.
Multiple non-porous disposable trash bags if hunting in the CWD core management zones to dispose of all carcass parts, including guts, and remove them from the environment.
All deer harvested in the Michigan CWD Core Area (Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, and Newaygo counties) and Management Zone (Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, and Newaygo counties), cannot be moved out of those areas unless:
It is deboned meat, quarters or other parts of a cervid that do not have any part of the spinal column or head attached, antlers, antlers attached to a skull cap cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue, hides, upper canine teeth, or a finished taxidermist mount; or
The head is submitted at a designated DNR drop off locations within 24 hours after killing the deer. Drop-off locations include DNR check points, drop boxes and some venison processors.
Carcasses can be moved into the CWD Core Area from a CWD Management Zone county with no restrictions. Hunters may not take a deer from the CWD Core Area into the CWD Management Zone for processing unless the conditions above are met.
Is your memory failing you? Don’t assume the worst. You may have a reversible condition. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
By Diane Benson, Spectrum Health Beat
Brain fog … Can’t clear the cobwebs … I know I know this … Wait, wait, don’t tell me … Really, it’s on the tip of my tongue.
What did I do yesterday? (Hmmm. Good question).
If this sounds like your state of mind (or lack thereof), you may have dementia.
Hold on. Don’t panic.
Dementia, defined as problems with memory or thinking and changes in personality or behavior, can be reversible.
In fact, more than 50 conditions can cause or mimic the symptoms of dementia.
“Short-term memory loss, like difficulty remembering recent events, is often the most pronounced symptom of both reversible and non-reversible dementias,” said Maegan Hatfield-Eldred, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist with Spectrum Health Medical Group.
Common causes of reversible dementia include depression, vitamin B12 deficiency, drug or alcohol abuse and under-active thyroid.
“We associate the word ‘dementia’ with permanence, something that’s going to get worse or is incurable,” Dr. Hatfield said. “But with these conditions, symptoms subside, or are reversed, when the underlying problem is treated.”
Many medications can also cause dementia-like symptoms.
As we age, the liver and kidneys don’t work as efficiently so drugs tend to accumulate in the body, become toxic and cause problems. Elderly people in poor health and those taking several different medications are especially vulnerable.
Stressed-out caregivers beware
Another increasingly common cause for scary dementia symptoms is stress. And those overwhelmed by caring for others are particularly at risk.
“So-called ‘caregiver dementia’—cognitive and memory issues brought on by the stress of caring for a loved one—is a very real phenomenon,” Dr. Hatfield said.
Fortunately, caregiver dementia is reversible. Symptoms go away when the stress and depression are resolved, which can be particularly reassuring for those immersed in primary caregiving for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.
“These folks start to notice similar symptoms in themselves and think, ‘I have this, too,’” Dr. Hatfield said. “But it’s because they see and experience (the dementia) day in and day out. And that’s extremely stressful. It’s tough managing their own lives and caring for someone else, too.”
What’s typically at work here is the stress hormone, cortisol, she said. Chronic stress can affect the ways in which our brains function in the present, and may seriously alter our brain health in the years to come.
Chronic anxiety and depression also affect brain function and behavior.
“It’s so important to get help, to be proactive in overcoming these feelings and address any issues,” Dr. Hatfield said. “Don’t let things go or build up. Stress reduction is something to take very seriously.”
Younger people are not immune either, she said. Pronounced and dramatic memory issues due to extreme stress can happen to people in their 20s and 30s.
Is it dementia or something else?
Some reversible dementias are easier to diagnose than irreversible dementias because they can be identified by medical tests. Others are more difficult to pin down.
To tell for certain, Dr. Hatfield advises seeing a neuropsychologist for testing. She suggests using age to help determine when, or if, testing is necessary.
“If you’re under age 50, we tend to be less concerned about a non-reversible dementia like Alzheimer’s disease because they’re incredibly uncommon in younger adults,” she said. “Instead, we look at stress, depression or other medical conditions first.”
But if you’re over age 65 and notice memory problems it’s a good idea to get it checked out with a full neuropsychological evaluation.
“Everyone has challenges with memory and thinking at one time or another,” Dr. Hatfield said. “Neuropsychological assessment measures how your brain is functioning compared to others your same age. It’s also very good at differentiating cognitive problems caused by stress or depression from problems caused by a non-reversible dementia.”
If your test scores fall outside the normal range, she said, doctors have key information to help identify a cause.
To make an appointment with a neuropsychologist at the Spectrum Health Memory Disorders Clinic, call 616.267.7104.
By Dr. Meghan Condit, Dentist at Heart of the City Health Center
1. Eat healthy snacks: Fruits, vegetables, yogurt and cheese are good choices. Stay away from sweet foods that can stick to teeth, like fruit snacks, raisins and candy.
2. Avoid sweet drinks: Pop, sports drinks (like Gatorade), Kool-Aid, juice and even milk have sugar that can cause cavities! Make sure your child has only 4-6 ounces of juice per day and only during meal times. It is especially important to avoid milk and juice before bed, and your child should never sleep with a bottle or cup!
3. Drink lots of tap water: It has fluoride added to it, which protects teeth from cavities, and washes away all the food your child eats during the day.
4. Brush your child’s teeth: At least 2 times per day as soon as you see a tooth! Children should always be supervised, and an adult should brush until children turn about 8 years old. Use fluoride toothpaste or one that says “cavity protection.” Children 0-2 should use a “grain of rice-size” amount of toothpaste, and children 3-6 should use a “pea-sized” amount of toothpaste.
5. Take your child to a dentist: The first dental visit should be before their first birthday. A dental home will provide information about what to expect as your child grows. A fun and caring dental experience early in your child’s life will help them to feel comfortable and enjoy going to the dentist.
Stress disorders are tied to a 36 percent greater risk of developing 41 autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and celiac disease. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay
Trauma or intense stress may up your odds of developing an autoimmune disease, a new study suggests.
Comparing more than 106,000 people who had stress disorders with more than 1 million people without them, researchers found that stress was tied to a 36 percent greater risk of developing 41 autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and celiac disease.
“Patients suffering from severe emotional reactions after trauma or other life stressors should seek medical treatment due to the risk of chronicity of these symptoms and thereby further health decline, such as the increased risk of autoimmune disease,” said lead researcher Dr. Huan Song, from the University of Iceland in Reykjavik.
The body’s immune system protects you from disease and infection. But autoimmune diseases turn the body’s natural protection against itself by attacking healthy cells.
In comparing people who had stress disorders with more than 1 million people without them, researchers found that stress was tied to a 36 percent greater risk of developing 41 autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and celiac disease. It’s not clear what causes autoimmune diseases, but they tend to run in families. Women, particularly black, Hispanic and Native-American women, have a higher risk for some autoimmune diseases, the researchers said.
Song added that treating stress-related disorders may help reduce the risk of developing autoimmune diseases.
“There are now several treatments, both medications and cognitive behavioral approaches, with documented effectiveness,” she said.
For example, treating patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may help lower the risk for autoimmune disease, especially when taken in the first year after diagnosis, Song said.
But she cautioned that because this is an observational study, it’s not possible to prove stress causes autoimmune diseases, only that the two are linked.
In the study, Song’s team looked at patients in Sweden diagnosed with stress disorders such as PTSD, acute stress reaction, adjustment disorder and other stress reactions from 1981 to 2013. The researchers compared these individuals with siblings and people in the general population not suffering from a stress disorder.
The effects of severe stress have been associated with a variety of health problems, one PTSD expert said.
“Many studies have linked stress conditions as well as adverse childhood events, such as trauma and neglect, to future medical problems, including immune problems,” said Mayer Bellehsen. He directs the Unified Behavioral Health Center for Military Veterans and Their Families at Northwell Health in Bay Shore, N.Y.
“It is also notable that when people received effective treatment, their risk was lessened,” he added.
Although it isn’t known why stress can increase the chances of developing an autoimmune disease, Bellehsen suggested several possible explanations.
These include the impact of stress on lifestyle—for example, getting less sleep or increased drug or alcohol use. Stress might also directly affect the immune system, he said.
“Regardless of cause, this study adds to the evidence of the link between stress conditions and physical well-being, warranting further attention to the reduction of trauma and other causes of stress conditions, as well as improving treatment of these conditions,” Bellehsen said.
The report was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Think any hormone supplement will do? Think again. Get an expert’s opinion. (For Spectrum Health Beat)
By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum Health Beat
A patient I’ll call Bev recently came to see me for her annual physical, and she had just a few complaints: rare hot flashes, occasional night sweats and irregular spotting.
So far, so good.
At age 54, her last regular period was approximately 16 months ago. Since that time, she had started using hormone creams prescribed by her chiropractor.
Bev brought the creams in to show me, boasting that they were all natural. She told me she had been feeling great since starting the hormone cream.
Her hot flashes were rare, and her once-thinning hair was now getting thicker. I continued to listen with an open mind as we discussed the rest of Bev’s health.
She happily reported that her hypertension was being controlled with low-dose medications from her primary care physician, and she had no other risk factors for heart disease, stroke, blood clots or diabetes. Furthermore, Bev was a healthy weight.
For the most part, I liked what I was hearing.
Finally, we confirmed that her health screening was up to date, including lab work, mammogram and colonoscopy. As a final step, I performed a breast exam, Pap smear and pelvic exam. Her pelvic and breast exams were normal, and I had no reason to expect any issues with her Pap results.
Now that we had all the background information and physical exam taken care of, I could address her concerns of lingering hot flashes. We were able to relate them to days when she was not drinking enough water, had increased stressed or drank an extra glass of wine.
I then felt obligated to voice my concerns about the natural hormone creams she was taking and the possible relationship to her irregular spotting.
As a result of my concerns, I asked Bev to have a pelvic ultrasound to measure the lining thickness of her uterus. Post-menopause bleeding can be a sign of uterine lining pre-cancer or cancer.
When women take FDA-approved estrogen replacement therapy and progesterone, their risk of uterine cancer is lower than women who take nothing. Estrogen stimulates the lining to grow, and progesterone keeps it in check.
However, the non-FDA-approved hormones Bev used are not shown to protect the uterine lining and can actually increase the risk of uterine cancer.
Bev’s ultrasound of her uterus did show a thick lining, and her endometrial biopsy showed benign thickening. We reversed the thickening first with synthetic progesterone and then switched her to two FDA-approved products: a bio-identical estrogen patch and an oral bio-identical progesterone.
Today, Bev feels great—hair and skin included—and I feel good that we are keeping her safe and healthy.
Are you one of many people missing out on fall activities because of cold or flu symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose, cough and tiredness? When do you ‘push through the pain,’ and when do give up and get help?
Both the common cold and flu are caused by a virus, not bacteria, so running to the doctor at the first sniffle isn’t going to make the flu go away. In general, the flu has worse symptoms than the common cold, meaning fever above 100°, more joint pain, intense cough and extreme exhaustion. The flu is achier and colds are leakier. The common cold usually lasts for two weeks, whereas the flu can leave you flat in bed for up to three weeks, so it is best to do everything you can to prevent getting the flu.
Get the flu vaccine: This not only protects you, but prevents you from carrying it to others. You can get your flu shot at any Cherry Health medical site or by going to Heart of the City Pharmacy (walk-ins welcome!).
Get rest and nutrition: If you are battling flu or cold symptoms your body needs all the rest it can get to fight off the virus that’s ruining your weekend fun. Don’t be afraid to ask friends or family to ‘make you chicken soup.’ Studies show those who have people helping them get well actually recover faster, so if you know someone who is sick, a card or meal really does help them recover faster.
Zinc supplements: These can help your immune system even more than high doses of vitamin C. Eat fruits or using a juicer can also get you the fresh effect of enzymes in foods. If you’re interested in how the foods you eat can build a healthier you, come to Heart of the City Pharmacy any Thursday or Friday for the latest science on diet and supplement information. Enjoy the season!
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia—a condition that causes sufferers to forget short-term events and names. It also causes changes in behavior.
When talking about Alzheimer’s, it’s important to look at the risk factors:
Age—This is the strongest risk factor, with most people being diagnosed after age 65.
Genetics—There are genetic links associated with the disease, meaning it can run in families.
Environment—The most studied environmental factors include aluminum, zinc, food-borne poisons, and viruses, but there has been no clear evidence of cause and effect.
Related medical conditions—These include high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
It’s also important to note that having many family members with Alzheimer’s does increase an individual’s risk, but it’s not necessarily tied to genes per se. Instead, it can be tied to a genetic mutation or other medical conditions (such as diabetes and obesity) that may run in the family.
As doctors, we are learning more and more about how diabetes, heart disease, obesity and dementia are all tied together.
These medical conditions all involve blood vessels—specifically how healthy or unhealthy the vessels are.
A healthy blood vessel has a smooth inside lining, flexible walls and no plaque build-up. In contrast, an unhealthy blood vessel has a sticky lining, stiff walls and plaque build-up, possibly even buried in the vessel wall. This can result in decreased blood flow to important cells in brain tissue, impacting function and clearance of certain proteins.
This build-up is associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
We also know that Alzheimer’s disease is associated with certain acquired risk factors—especially when they start in midlife. The greatest risk factors include smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Taking control of your future self
What’s the bottom line? Midlife is the time to consider life goals and make important choices.
When I talk about Alzheimer’s and risk factors, I think about a patient of mine I’ll call Tania who came into the menopause clinic with some serious concerns.
Tania, 53, complained of forgetting things, feeling anxious, having night sweats and simply not feeling like herself. She was worried she had dementia—and for good reason.
Tania’s grandmother moved from Mexico to live with Tania’s family when Tania was 12. By the time Tania entered high school, her grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Concerned she had the same thing, Tania needed answers.
We began by talking about her current stage in life—early perimenopause. This was clear because of her irregular periods, and symptoms of hot flashes and mood changes around the time of her period. Next, we went over her medical history, which included diabetes during pregnancy and lifelong issues with mild obesity.
Tania’s family history revealed some real concerns: Her mom, aunts and grandmother suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity; and her father had high blood pressure. When I took Tania’s vitals that day, her blood pressure was 150/75 and her BMI was 31. Both of those numbers were too high.
After gathering this information, I asked Tania what she wanted, and she said she wanted to be healthy—without diabetes or high blood pressure. She also wanted to maintain a healthy weight, be active, and not have to take all the meds her family did. And, most importantly, Tania did not want to get Alzheimer’s disease.
When I explained to her that diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity in midlife were all significant risk factors for Alzheimer’s, she wanted to know what she needed to do. We ran her labs, and the results showed she had pre-diabetes and mildly elevated cholesterol.
We then put together a plan. And our plan paid off.
After three months, Tania walked for 45 minutes every day and had changed her diet. She had lost 8 pounds and, even better, her blood pressure was down to 140/70 and her blood sugar was lower—almost in the normal range. Her periods were regular again and she slept better.
Tania felt great and addressed her health issues in time to meet her goals and make a difference.
Worried about your health or brain function? Make an appointment to specifically discuss your health concerns with your doctor. Need help choosing your physician? No worries. Call Spectrum Health at 877.362.8362 day or night to receive assistance and advice about selecting a physician who is right for you.
The City of Kentwood is the new home of the annual South Kent Community Expo, an annual effort of the Cutlerville-Gaines Chamber of Commerce, the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce and the Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department.
With a timely, football/sports theme, there will be more than 60 booths offering products and services for consumers’ needs, many of them sports themed, as well as food trucks, police and fire vehicles, and other kids activities.
The expo will be held at the Kentwood Activity Center, 355 48th St. SE, on Saturday, Oct. 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“The 3rd annual South Kent Community Expo is excited to host this community event in its new location, the Kentwood Activities Center — we will have something for everyone,” Lorraine Beloncis, assistant director of City of Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department, said to WKTV. “This year the expo has a football theme, so wear your favorite team’s gear and check out the fun football themed vendor booths.”
Beloncis said the event is an ability to learn about the businesses in our community and what services they have to offer including home improvement, home financing, home services, senior services, library services, colleges, fitness, health and wellness, pet care, banks, retail, hospitality, transportation, volunteer opportunities and employment services.
“We will have several food trucks on site to satisfy your hunger with a variety of delicious options,” Beloncis said. “Families can check out fire trucks, police and sheriff department patrol cars, go through the smoke house to learn about fire safety and participate in a variety of kids activities. As always, there will be lots of freebies, give-a-ways and a chance to win door prizes.”
Flu shots will be provided by Walgreens from 10: a.m. to noon. The cost for a flu shot will be $41 for individuals without insurance.
“With 60-plus businesses attending, there’s sure to be a product or service for everyone,” Bob O’Callaghan, president/CEO of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, said in supplied material. “The expo is a family-friendly event designed to showcase the broad range of businesses and organizations who make their home in Southern Kent County.”
The family-friendly nature of the event was stressed by Drew DeVries, executive director of the Cutlerville-Gaines Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We’ll have fire and sheriff’s departments onsite with football-themed games, along with a smoke house simulation for the kids,” DeVries said in supplied material.
As of Friday, Oct. 19, vendor space was still available. Interested businesses/groups should contact Beloncis at 616-656-5278 for last-minute registration.
Prolonged periods of sitting could lead to serious health problems. Could an anti-sitting campaign gain traction? (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
By Kim Delafuente, Spectrum Health Beat
Here’s a question for the youngsters: Did you know that, up until recent years, most corners of society considered smoking to be socially acceptable?
Just 10 years ago, in fact, restaurants in many states still offered smoking sections. It’s truly a silly concept, given that cigarette smoke travels throughout the restaurant anyway.
Opposition to smoking began to emerge in the late 1960s and ’70s, but there had been little in the way of enforcements or taboos up until the 1980s, ’90s and ’00s.
These days, the smoking rate in the U.S. is at its lowest point in decades, with about 15.5 percent of adults identifying as smokers. (That’s down from a high of about 42 percent in the 1960s.)
America’s anti-smoking campaign may come to exemplify how society approaches another topic: sitting.
That’s right, sitting.
At work, at home, in our cars, watching events and so on, we spend a lot of time sitting. We sit an average of nine to 10 hours each day, not to mention the time we spend sleeping.
But just as it was with smoking, sitting has a negative impact on our health.
Within an hour of sitting, we see declines in our fat metabolism and our HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
So how did we get here?
Technology has eliminated the need to manually open our garage doors, get up and sharpen our pencils, play board games, scrapbook or even get up and talk to coworkers. Instant messaging apps and emails make it all too easy to send a quick question to someone just down the hall.
We don’t have to make our own meals or go to the store as often—or at all.
Throughout this evolution, movement has been minimized from our daily lives. In many cases, movement has become optional and unnecessary.
Sitting has, by all measures, become the norm.
But sitting too much is not the same as not getting enough exercise.
When we hear the recommendations to get up and move every hour, to spend less time watching TV, to take the stairs, etc., remember that even the smallest movements have health benefits.
As your muscles contract, fat begins to shift from your blood stream to the moving muscles. This reactivates your fat metabolism.
Can you prevent the negative health effects of sitting too much when you’re someone who exercises regularly?
Maybe not.
Even people who exercise regularly—those who meet the physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes or more a week—may undo some of the positive health benefits of exercise if they simply spend the rest of the day sitting.
Add small movements into your day.
Find activities that you can do standing instead of sitting: talking on the phone, folding the laundry, reading email.
Do you fidget? That’s great! Tap your foot, twirl your hair and stand up to stretch.
At its peak, 42 percent of the adult population in the U.S. smoked.
Is sitting the new smoking?
From a numbers standpoint, it could be worse. A significant portion of the population spends the day sitting, which means this particular problem is systemic.
The good news is that poor health is preventable through public health campaigns, personal action and societal awareness.
Big corporations are starting to lead the way. In the construction of its state-of-the-art tech campus, Apple installed adjustable desks that allow all employees to choose if they want to sit or stand while working at their computers.
If you don’t have an adjustable desk, try to find creative solutions that let you stand during some of the workday. At a minimum, get up and take a break to stand and stretch every once in a while.
By Nicole Kooiker, DDS, Heart of the City Health Center
Q: Does diabetes really affect my teeth?
A: If you are one of the nearly 30 million people living in the U.S. with diabetes, you have special oral health needs. As a dentist practicing in Grand Rapids, I see first-hand how diabetes affects the mouth. It can lead to gingivitis, an early stage of gum disease, and it can cause periodontitis, the most severe and common dental disease affecting those with diabetes. If left untreated, periodontitis may cause you to lose your teeth or have them pulled. It also reduces your body’s ability to regulate the level of sugar in the blood. High blood sugar can make diabetes harder to control and contribute to worsening gum disease.
Below are tips for keeping your mouth healthy while living with diabetes.
Control your blood sugar level.
Brush and floss daily.
If you wear dentures, remove and clean them daily.
Visit your dentist regularly; in fact, deep cleanings can help lower your HbA1c.
Watch for signs of gum disease, including red, swollen, tender, and /or bleeding gums when you brush or floss; bad breath; permanent teeth that are loose or moving away from each other; and gums that have pulled away from teeth.
Avoid smoking.
Tell your dentist and hygienist any time there is a change in your medication or the severity of your diabetes.
Postpone any non-emergency dental procedures if your blood sugar is not in control.
The Merrell team will be out and about on local urban and traditional trails this Saturday, Oct. 20 with the goal of surprising Grand Rapids residents along the way. As part of their “Merrell Magic” campaign that’s been happening across the nation this year, hikers that come across the Merrell crew at parks and trails including, but not limited to, Ada Seidman and Fallsburg, will be delighted to receive items such as swag, gift cards and more.
Merrell believes in the profound power of the trail and is looking forward to celebrating the fall trails in their own backyard here in greater Grand Rapids.
Coinciding with the Merrell team dispersing around the city and surrounding areas to spread “Merrell Magic” on the trails, the brand has also teamed up with Liz Thomas, the queen of urban thru-hiking, to hike West Michigan’s “Ale Trail” starting Wednesday, Oct. 17 in Cedar Springs (North Country Trail) and ending Saturday, Oct. 20 in downtown Grand Rapids.
Liz’s four-day urban hike will make stops at 25 breweries in and around Grand Rapids and showcase that hiking can be done in an urban setting with the added experience of exploring the local beer scene.
Liz Thomas’ Urban Thru Hike Schedule:
Wednesday, October 17 (14 miles, 3 Breweries)
Start: Cedar Springs Brewing; End: Comstock Park
Breweries: Cedar Springs Brewing Company (11 a.m.), Rockford Brewing Company (2 p.m.), Bier Distillery (4:30 p.m.)
Thursday, October 18 (24 miles, 9 Breweries)
Start: Comstock Park; End: East Grand Rapids
Breweries: Perrin (11 a.m.), Hideout (1:30 p.m.), Creston (3:40 p.m.), The Bob (5 p.m.), Fountain Hill (5:45 p.m.), ELK Brewing (6:45 p.m.), Brewery Vivant (7:30 p.m.), East West (9 p.m.), Harmony (9:40 p.m.)
Friday, October 19 (21 miles, 4 breweries)
Start: East Grand Rapids; End: Grand Rapids near Brass Ring
Breweries: Thornapple (11 a.m.), Schmolz (12:30 p.m.), Jaden James (2:30 p.m.), Brass Ring (5:45 p.m.)
Saturday, October 20th Team Merrell Magic Day (13 miles (2.5 miles to Outside Coffee Co.), 9 breweries)
Breweries: Grand Rapids Brewing Co. (10am), HopCat (10:30am), Founders (11:25 p.m.), Atwater (1:20 p.m.), City Built (2:30 p.m.), Greyline (3:20 p.m.), The Mitten (4:10 p.m.), Jolly Pumpkin (5:10 p.m.), New Holland Knickerbocker (5:40 p.m.). Times may vary based on the Michigan-Michigan State game.
By Kelsey VanderLaan, RN, Heart of the City Health Center Pediatrics
Did you know about 1 in 5 children in the United States has obesity? Children who are overweight are more likely to have serious health problems. Our goal as health care providers and team members is to encourage children to be more physical active and maintain a healthy weight. One way to help prevent obesity is being physically active. As it gets colder outside, it can be harder to keep children active. Here are three ways to keep children active in the cooler weather:
Create an indoor obstacle course: You don’t need anything special to do this — a chair, box, couch cushions or no objects at all. Here are some ideas: hop on one foot, run around a chair, do somersaults, squats, touch toes, jump between or over couch cushions, carry a box, etc. Kids seem to like to race to get things done. Time them and have them try to beat their own time.
Take a walk: Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you can’t go outside. Just bundle up! Check out this website for a list of local trails. You could also take a walk through your neighborhood. Parents, this is also a great opportunity for some one-on-one time with your child.
Go to the park: There are a lot of parks in our community. Not all of them have play equipment, but you could bring a ball or Frisbee to play with. In the winter, some of these parks may have sledding areas. Kids can make snowmen, forts and snow angels too.
Here are even a few more options: Dancing, swimming lessons, indoor sports teams, consider activities through schools in your area, and your local YMCA has great fitness options and activities for kids and adults in the cooler months. There are options for scholarships and reduced prices as well.
Don’t allow sexual issues sideline you from the pleasures of life. (For Spectrum Health Beat)
By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum Health Beat
Sexual health is a part of our overall health, and it impacts a woman’s (and a man’s) sense of self and feeling of being healthy.
Women who suffer from depression or anxiety are more likely to have sexual health concerns, and women with sexual health concerns are more likely to have depression and anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle—one that can be frustrating and difficult to break.
Chronic health issues or chronic health diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity or arthritis can interfere with a woman’s ability, or a couple’s ability, to have a healthy sexual relationship. And common conditions like pain with sex, low desire and relationship issues all play a part.
I recently saw a patient who came in for her second visit to our Spectrum Health Cancer, Menopause, and Sexual Health Clinic at the Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion.
She shared her excitement about once again being able to have sex after we treated her pain. She told me that cancer had taken so much away from her, but she felt whole again now that she could be intimate with her husband.
I love sharing stories like this because it shows how committed we are to helping everyone live better lives—including being as sexually aware and healthy as they wish to be.
I recently found the following quote from the World Health Organization:
“The purpose of sexual health should be the enhancement of life and personal relationships and not merely counseling and care related to STDs and preventing unwanted pregnancies. Sexual health should involve (1) the capacity to enjoy and control sexual and reproductive behavior in accordance with a social and personal ethic; (2) a freedom from fear, shame, guilt, false benefits and other psychological factors inhibiting sexual response and impairing sexual relationships; and (3) freedom from organic disorders, diseases and deficiencies that interfere with sexual and reproductive functions.”
I share this quote with you because, as a physician, I believe in what it says, and I try to keep it in mind when discussing sexual health with my patients.
There are many causes of sexual health concerns, and they can be grouped in the following categories: interpersonal issues, physical issues and psychological issues.
When discussing interpersonal issues, we think about lack of intimacy, lack of respect and emotional abuse.
Physical issues include pain with sex from menopause and dryness, pain from history of pain and/or tight pelvic muscles, and medical conditions such as diabetes or arthritis.
Psychological problems include depression or anxiety, history of sexual abuse and poor self image.
No matter what your sexual issues include, there are solutions. Reach out to your medical provider for help.
If you have concerns about how to get your groove back, make an appointment to specifically discuss this topic and options with your doctor or a Spectrum Health Midlife and Menopause Clinic expert. Call 616.267.8225 to make an appointment.
Did you know that 1 in 4 children have problems with their eyes? These problems can impact many parts of their lives from school performance to sports. Unfortunately, vision problems in children can often go undetected. A full eye exam performed by an eye doctor is the best way to find out if your child has any vision problems. They can even provide recommended treatment if needed. This full eye exam checks how well a child can see at a distance and near, how well both eyes work together and the general health of the eyes.
The American Optometric Association recommends eye exams starting between the age of 6 and 12 months and every 2 years after. Eye doctors trained in working with children will be able to find vision problems even before a child has learned to talk! It is never too early to have a complete eye exam. Making sure your child has healthy eyes is just one step in giving them a successful future.
Kentwood will hold its drug take back day later this month. (WKTV)
By Kentwood Police Department
On Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Kentwood Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its 16th opportunity in 8 years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring your pills for disposal to the Kentwood Police Department at 4742 Walma Ave SE Kentwood, MI 49512. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet.
In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.
According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.2 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
The last Drug Take Back Day brought in nearly 1 million pounds of unused or expired prescription medication. According to the DEA, this is the largest amount collected since the national program began in 2010.
The total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the program’s inception is 4,982 tons.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Oct. 27 Take Back Day event, please contact Vicki Highland at highlandv@kentwood.us or 616-656-6571.
More information about National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is available at takebackday.dea.gov.
Caregiving for a loved one with dementia is a difficult job. Depending on the progression of the disease, the simplest tasks can often seem impossible — taking a shower, picking up a few items from the grocery story, keeping a hair appointment. Asking for help from family and friends seems like too much and accepting offers of help can feel overwhelming, ‘Where would I start?,’ we think.
The Many Hands program helps caregivers access the support networks they may not realize they already have.
A majority of family caregivers, 60% according to the AARP, still work outside of the home.
Stephanie Hecksel, Outreach Specialist at Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan observes, “It is common to see caregivers helping out with household chores, errands, and transportation for a loved one while trying to balance time with their own personal responsibilities.”
As their loved one’s needs increase, the caregiver puts their personal responsibilities aside to dedicate themselves to the needs their loved one. This leads to increased stress and/or burnout, can take a toll on other relationships and even affect one’s employment. This is where Many Hands comes in. With the help of a Licensed Social Worker, participants in the Many Hands program receive help with organizing their friends, other family members, neighbors, church members, co-workers into a network of willing helpers and to restore some balance to their own lives.
Asking people for help is difficult, too difficult for many of us to pick up a phone and reach out to a friend, or accept the help extended by people in our community.
Hecksel acknowledges, “It can be difficult to ask for help for many reasons, including feelings of inadequacy as a caregiver or simply feeling overwhelmed by having to reach out for support and how to accept help it without feeling like a bother. Likewise, the people in our lives who would like to help are not sure how to go about it, what they can do or what needs to be done.
One of the most unique aspects of Many Hands is that you don’t have to be the one to ask for help.
Julie Alicki, LMSW and Certified Advance Dementia Practitioner, said, “Many Hands takes the pressure off of you by having a trained Social Worker handle the entire meeting. As a caregiver you attend, but we do the explaining.” Hecksel agrees, “Rather than the caregiver being expected to take on yet another responsibility of coordinating care, Many Hands will provide that assistance.”
All the caregiver needs to do is come up with a list of people in their current social circle who may be willing to help provide support with tasks such as laundry, yard work, meal preparation or spending time with a loved one to give the caregiver a rest and time for themselves.
How does it work? The caregiver makes a list of potential helpers. When the Social Worker receives this list, they will send invites and organize a Caregiver Support meeting.
At the meeting, the social worker will educate participants on dementia along with behaviors that may be present with the disease. They will also go over the effects of stress on the health of the caregiver, present the tasks identified by the primary caregiver and ask for support in these areas. Once a list of helpers is established, the Social Worker will prepare the Caregiver Calendar used to organize and communicate with helpers. “Many hands make light work” and this is the goal of the Many Hands program.
Many Hands is free and available to caregivers in Allegan, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Osceola counties. To learn more about this program, contact Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan at (888) 456-5664 or email aaainfo@aaawm.org. More information about all the services available through AAAWM can be found at www.aaawm.org.
It’s that time of year again, when a cold or other bug could leave you wondering whether your kiddo should go to school or not. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat
They are scenes every parent knows well during the school year:
You’re awakened in the middle of the night by the distinct sound of vomiting.
Your child walks into the kitchen one morning complaining of a sore throat and fever.
Your child doesn’t want to eat his breakfast because his tummy hurts.
It’s not always easy to choose between sending your child to school and keeping him home. As it turns out, even those with a medical degree will tell you it’s not an exact science.
Dr. Bush said the American Academy of Pediatrics and most pediatric offices provide guidelines to help parents determine if their child should be seen by a doctor, but there’s not necessarily anything to help them choose between a school day and a sick day.
“It’s complicated,” Dr. Bush said. “If this was really easy, then someone would have written a book that says, ‘If you have X, then you should do Y.’
“Every family is in a different situation,” he said. “We all know families who send their kids to school with lots of illnesses. And then there are families on the other side that will, with the mildest symptoms, keep their child home from school and say they have to be completely well before they return.”
Parents should also check with their school district to see what guidelines are in place for such cases. Some schools have more specific parameters than others.
Dr. Bush has some tips for parents choosing between a sick day and a school day:
Fever: What’s considered a fever? For school-aged children, generally 101 degrees or higher is a fever. Keep your child home until he is fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine. “While it does depend on what the fever is associated with, it’s a good rule of thumb to stay home for another 24 hours to give your child time to be better prepared to go back to school, but also to spread fewer germs to the other kids,” Dr. Bush said.
Strep throat: If your child has tested positive for strep throat, keep him home until he has been taking antibiotics for 24 hours.
Vomiting: Your child needs to stay home until at least 24 hours has passed since he last vomited.
Runny nose and cough: If a child’s coughing is disrupting class or keeping him and the other kids from concentrating, he should stay home and see a doctor to determine the cause. Dr. Bush offers a great tip: Ask if your child can actually learn anything based on how he’s feeling. A child with mild symptoms—a stuffy nose with clear discharge, or a mild cough—is likely able to go to school.
Head lice: Any child with active lice needs to stay home and be treated. But, Dr. Bush said, many schools have revised their rules to modify the nit-free policy. Check with your school.
Pink eye: A child with a diagnosed bacterial eye infection needs to stay home until he has been treated with anti-bacterial eye drops for 24 hours. Dr. Bush said the vast majority of eye infections are viral, not bacterial, and therefore do not require eye drops. Children with viral eye infections producing some discoloration and a small amount of clear drainage should be fine to attend school. A doctor can help determine what kind of infection your child has.
Dr. Bush urged parents to use their pediatrician’s office as a resource when their child is sick.
“Most doctors’ offices are well equipped to have parents call and talk to the nursing staff to make triage decisions,” he said. “If you have kept your child home from school and are not sure what the next day is going to bring, call your doctor’s office. We expect those calls and we expect to talk to a lot more families than we see in a day.”
Melissa Seide sits on the exam table, swings her feet and grins with excitement.
Her left leg hangs a couple inches shorter than her right. But it hangs straight―for the first time she can remember.
Melissa was just a baby when her leg was broken in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. When the injury healed, her calf bones remained bent at a right angle.
Now, recovering from surgery to straighten the leg, 6-year-old Melissa hopes to hear good news. She can’t wait to ditch the clunky black surgical walking boot. She has a pair of snazzy purple tennis shoes calling her name.
“Her leg is just in a really good position. And her joints feel fantastic. Her ankle joint had literally no movement (before the operation).”
I think what people don’t understand about Haiti is that if you can’t walk, you are in big trouble.
Jeri Kessenich, MD Pediatrician
And then he says the words Melissa longs to hear: “We can get rid of that boot and put her in regular shoes and see how she does with that.”
Melissa’s host mother, Betsy Miedema, makes sure Melissa understands. “No boot, Melissa,” she says.
Melissa presses her hands to her face. Her eyes sparkle.
“No boot,” Miedema repeats.
Melissa sits silent a moment, her hands still covering her mouth, as if she can’t believe it. She looks up. Grins. And whispers, “Thank you, Jesus!”
Soon, she stands on the floor, her purple tennis shoes laced up, and walks tentatively across the room. It takes a bit to get used to the new shoes―the left has a 2-inch lift to accommodate the shorter leg.
But the small steps add up to a big moment for this little girl far from home and family.
Adjusting to a new home
“She’s just the sweetest kid,” Miedema says. She and her husband, Eric, welcomed Melissa into their home in Walker, Michigan, serving as her host parents during her stay.
Since she arrived in August, Melissa has struggled with homesickness, longing for her family and home in Haiti. She eagerly shows a picture of herself with her mother.
But Melissa also has become attached to the Miedemas and their children, 10-year-old Evan and 7-year-old Alaina. She goes to school with Alaina and has learned so much English the family rarely needs an interpreter any more.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
The running and playing is going to make that calf strong. Being a kid is the best therapy there is.
Jeffrey Cassidy, MD Pediatric orthopedic surgeon
Melissa came to the attention of Healing the Children through a school created in Haiti by several Spectrum Health employees, the Power of Education Foundation.
The school’s medical director, Jeri Kessenich, MD, also is a pediatrician at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. She contacted Healing the Children, as well as Dr. Cassidy and the hospital, to see if they could help Melissa.
Dr. Kessenich is unsure how Melissa’s leg became injured―only that it was crushed when a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti in 2010.
Melissa could hobble for short distances―and with a lot of pain. Family members carried her when she had to walk far.
Her leg “was in pretty rough shape,” Dr. Cassidy says. It appeared someone tried to fix the break, but the leg never healed properly. The shin bones―the tibia and fibula―remained bent at a 90-degree angle.
In surgery, Dr. Cassidy had to shorten the bones about 2 inches as he straightened them. He also lengthened the skin and tendons in the back of the leg.
“At least we can give her a straight leg that is hopefully pain-free,” he says. “Hopefully, this will make a profound difference in her life.”
For six weeks after surgery, her leg healed and Melissa looked forward to the day she could wear her new tennis shoes. A local store, Mieras Family Shoes, donated the shoes. Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital added the lift to the left shoe.
Ready to run and play
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
As Melissa walks up and down the hall, testing out her new shoes at Dr. Cassidy’s office, Miedema asks if she should limit her activities. Should she protect Melissa from doing too much too soon? Usually, she uses a wheelchair to cover long distances and walks for shorter stretches.
Melissa will find those limits for herself, Dr. Cassidy says. The more she walks, the stronger her leg will become and the less she will need the wheelchair.
“The running and playing is going to make that calf strong,” he says. “I think she’ll get her strength back over time. Being a kid is the best therapy there is.”
“Run and play,” he tells Melissa. She claps and beams.
Melissa gives goodbye hugs to Dr. Cassidy and nurse Chelsea Ciampa, RN.
And it’s off to school. She arrives at West Side Christian mid-morning. As she passes a fourth-grade classroom, her host brother, Evan, comes out to give her a hug. Soon, a circle of big kids forms, admiring Melissa’s purple shoes.
At her second-grade classroom, a double treat awaits. Melissa gets to show off her shoes and the class sings “Happy Birthday” to her. It’s two days early, but school won’t be in session the day Melissa turns 7.
The kids show the journal entries they wrote about Melissa in honor of her birthday.
Her host sister, Alaina, talks about the Haitian Creole words she has learned from Melissa. She recites several―including “dlo” (water) and “bon” (good). She explains how to ask if Melissa’s leg hurts: “Fe mal?”
Mobility is crucial
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
Melissa’s leg “is healing beautifully,” Dr. Kessenich says. And although there is a 2-inch difference in the length of her legs, that difference will decrease over time. The surgery will prompt the bone to grow faster in an effort to catch up.
The doctor hopes, through the school, to continue providing updated shoes with lifts to match Melissa’s growing feet.
The repair to the leg will make Melissa’s life much easier―now and in the future, Dr. Kessenich says.
“I think what people don’t understand about Haiti is that if you can’t walk, you are in big trouble,” she says. “You don’t have cars or money for motorcycle rides or taxi cabs. People walk―and they walk everywhere. If you are unable to do that, you are not going to be useful to your family.”
Being able to walk on two strong legs will allow Melissa to do everything other children do.
“This is going to change her life forever,” she says.
Nearly 65 percent of adult Americans are overweight and more than one in three are obese. It’s an epidemic putting millions of people at risk for a variety of serious health issues.
If you’re overweight or obese, knowing the facts can help you understand the dangers you face and allow you to take control of your options:
FACT: The scale only tells part of the story. It’s important to calculate your body mass index to determine if you are actually overweight or obese. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight; a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
FACT: Health risks associated with a high BMI are compounded by excess abdominal fat. A waist circumference greater than 35 inches for women and greater than 40 inches for men indicates a greater risk.
FACT: Obesity can be caused by genetics, poor eating habits, lack of physical activity—or often a combination of all three.
FACT: Conditions commonly linked to being overweight or obese include arthritis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, sleep apnea and gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD. It’s also linked to several kinds of cancer, including esophageal, gallbladder, pancreatic, colorectal, uterine and breast (in post-menopausal women).
FACT: A relatively small change can make a big difference. Losing 5 to 10 percent of your weight can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and reduce risk of other conditions. And a 5 percent to 7 percent weight reduction can prevent type 2 diabetes.
FACT: If you’re ready for a change, set a weight loss goal of one or two pounds per week. A slow, steady loss is more likely to be permanent than dropping weight quickly. Before dieting, see your doctor for a check of your health and medical conditions.
FACT: Increased physical activity can help you lose weight and keep it off. Aim for 30 minutes a day most days of the week. You can sneak activity into your day by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking at lunch or using a treadmill at home while watching TV.
FACT: Most weight-loss drugs are intended for short-term use and will only help for about the first six months before losing their effectiveness. Discuss this option with your doctor, and if you choose a weight-loss drug, be sure to combine it with healthier eating and physical activity so you can keep the weight off.
FACT: If you have a BMI of more than 40, or a BMI of at least 35 plus other obesity-related conditions, weight loss (bariatric) surgery may be an option.
Pick and stick to your personal mantra to gain control of your life. (For Spectrum Health Beat)
By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum Health Beat
The other day I had lunch with a friend at Panera. I had been craving my favorite Fuji apple salad and was really hungry when placing my order.
I have been avoiding simple carbs for quite some time, so I ordered an apple as a side—not the French baguette I love.
My friend ordered the baguette, and it looked so good! It was so fresh and warm, and I could tell it was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside—exactly the way I like it.
I remembered my mantra and grabbed my apple.
My mantra is “lean and ease of movement.”
It means I can sit with my knees up like I used to when I was younger (and more flexible). It means no extra weight around my middle, and it also means feeling “light” as I move around. My mantra (and everything it represents) is so important to me.
When I am carrying extra weight, I hate the way my clothes feel—tight and restricted. It makes me feel trapped and reminds me of times when I had to sit and practice piano. When I am lean, I feel healthy and in charge of my health, and I don’t have to shop for bigger clothes (an added bonus).
Why do we make the choices we make? Choices imply active decision-making, but sometimes the decision is made by the act of not deciding.
When I was growing up, there was a sign on the wall in the stairwell of my home that read, “Not to decide is to decide.” I think that says it all.
For example, if I choose to not make my lunch or bring a snack to work, I am choosing to be without good choices throughout the day. As a result of not having a plan for lunch or snacks at work, I am choosing to eat fast food or unhealthy snacks, which are not the best for my mind, my mood, or my waistline.
So, what do you care about?
Do you care about your heart and really don’t want to have a heart attack at 50 like your aunt did? Do you want to feel and look great at 60, unlike your sister who smoked and chose not to exercise?
If you dig deep and get at what you really care about and create a mantra to fit, you will claim power over the day-to-day and significant situations that occur in your life.
It could be as mundane as choosing what to eat for lunch (healthy versus unhealthy) or whether or not to exercise when you don’t feel like it, or as important as finding the courage to quit your job to pursue a new career.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when creating your mantra:
What do I really want for my life (or health) in the next six months?
When I think about what I really want, what does that mean to me?
What feelings do I experience when I look at what I really want for my life?
What mantra would capture the feeling of what I want?
In what situations would I need/use a mantra?
My mantra helps steer me in the right direction almost daily. Take some time to compose your own mantra and enjoy having more power over the choices you make each day.
By Lori Nieboer, PA-C, MPH,Physician Assistant at Union High School Health Center
Parents dread “the talk.” Conversations about sex can feel uncomfortable, but remember… if your kids aren’t getting this information from you, they are likely getting bad information from friends, the TV or the internet. So, here are some tips for making sure you are prepared to discuss this hot topic with your kids at all ages:
It’s never too early to start. Find opportunities to talk to your kids to normalize these conversations.
Keep it simple; you don’t have to share it all at one time.
Use real names for private parts.
Keep your kid’s age in mind.
Young kids – talk about how boys and girls are different or name body parts.
Older kids – answer questions honestly and in small doses.
Look for teachable moments: a pregnant neighbor or a scene on TV can start a discussion.
Share with your children what your feelings and views are on sex.
Make yourself available; listen more than you talk.
Take time to explain what makes a relationship healthy.
Find a friend or family member you trust that your child can also go to with questions.
If you don’t know an answer to a question, be honest, look it up with your child and learn together.
If you’re arguing with someone, anger can be like earplugs. It keeps you from hearing what the other person is saying and finding middle ground. (For Spectrum Health Beat)
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Anger isn’t just an emotional reaction—it can affect you physically, too.
It’s been shown to raise your risk for heart disease and other problems related to stress—like sleep trouble, digestion woes and headaches.
That makes it important, then, to diffuse your anger. Start by figuring out what it is that makes you angry.
Researchers from George Mason University, in Virginia, studied just that, and identified 5 common triggers:
Other people.
Distress—psychological and physical.
Demands you put on yourself.
Your environment.
Unknown sources.
Anger was more intense, the investigators found, when people were provoked by issues with other people or by influences that couldn’t be pinpointed.
Once you’ve identified the sources of your anger, take steps to change how your deal with it, the researchers suggested.
Decades ago, people often were encouraged to let their anger out. Primal screams and pounding pillows were suggested tactics. Today? Not so much.
Studies have shown that therapies that involve letting anger out in a rage don’t really help. They might even make you more angry.
Still, it’s important to not keep anger bottled up. But, managing it can keep you from saying or doing things you might regret once the anger has passed.
What to do?
Start by becoming a calmer person in general. Practice a relaxation technique every day—yoga or mindfulness meditation, for instance.
Also develop an anger strategy that you can draw on when you’re in the moment. The idea is to interrupt your response to anger before it gets out of hand and to have a menu of healthier ways to express your feelings.
Tactics like time-outs, deep breathing and self-talk can help you calm down and think before acting. Longer-term, reducing your stress level and building empathy skills can help.
If you’re arguing with someone, anger can be like earplugs. It keeps you from hearing what the other person is saying and finding middle ground. So instead of acting defensive and trading barbs, hit the pause button.
Ask the person to repeat what was said. Then reflect on it before you speak again. Try to figure out the real reason for the argument.
This lets you channel the energy of anger into finding a solution.
When you’re in a situation you can’t fix—like being stuck in traffic on your way to an appointment—use your rational mind to put the situation in perspective. It’s inconvenient, but more than likely won’t affect your well-being long-term.
If you find that you’re angry at forces you can’t identify, consider talking to a mental health therapist. Working together should help you uncover the root of your unhappiness and anger.
Back in the winter of 2000, Rick Eding went to the Zeeland Community Hospital emergency room with a sinus infection.
The then-25-year-old never expected the experience to reveal a much deeper and mind-numbing problem: severe heart problems.
“I was totally blindsided,” the Hamilton, Michigan, resident said. “I had cough and cold symptoms and sinus pressure in my head.”
ER doctors gave him a prescription for Bactrim, an antibiotic he’d tolerated well in the past. He started on the medicine, but within a couple of hours, allergic reactions flared—red skin, lethargy, difficulty breathing.
His dad drove him back to Zeeland Community Hospital.
By the time he arrived, his blood pressure nosedived.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
“I felt like I had a brick wall on my chest,” Eding said. “I didn’t know what in the heck was going on. Basically, I went into cardiac arrest.”
Emergency response teams rushed him to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“I bounced back alright, even with cardiomyopathy,” Eding said as he dropped his 15-year-old son off at Hamilton High School football practice.
But as the years went on, Eding’s weight went up. And his heart function went down.
Working as an electrician, he traveled across the United States and Canada.
“I just kind of wrote it off as, ‘I’m traveling, I’m not eating like I probably should. I’m getting older,’” he said. “It got to the point where I couldn’t do anything. I was probably 300 pounds. I had chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, all those classic symptoms.”
Diagnosis? Heart failure.
At 31 years old.
LVAD
“From 2006 to 2011, I really battled the heart failure thing,” Eding said. “I was constantly in and out of the hospital. In 2011, the decision was made to have an LVAD placed.”
An LVAD, left ventricular assist device, picks up slack for the heart and helps it pump blood as it should.
“Basically it got to the point where they needed to do a tandem heart,” Eding said. “It’s an exterior device that buys you time. They needed to do something within a day or two or there wouldn’t be any choices. It was very scary. I was young. I was married with kids and the whole bit.”
Doctors placed Eding on the heart transplant list. But the more he waited, the more he weighed.
His weight spiked to 330 pounds—60 pounds more than when he got the LVAD.
Then, in 2013, more devastating news.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
His growing weight made him ineligible for a heart transplant.
“The worst thing for me was hearing, ‘We need to take you off the transplant list. You’re too big,’” Eding said. “It’s like a kick in the teeth. It’s horrible. The glimmer of hope you had of having a good life … gone.
“Being so young, the goal of a transplant was totally getting your life back,” he said. “That goal was stomped on. It wasn’t even attainable at that time.”
Eding dove into research—diets, surgeries, “you name it.”
He tried a slew of diet plans with minimal success.
“I would drop 20 pounds and in some way or some form, I’d have a setback and ‘boom,’ the weight comes back on,” he said.
Shrinking appetite
Eding learned about patients experiencing similar frustrations with an LVAD, and how they had success with bariatric surgery.
He spoke with Michael Dickinson, MD, a cardiologist with the Spectrum Health Richard DeVos Heart and Lung Transplant Clinic.
“It was like, hands down, I’m ready,” Eding said.
He met with Spectrum Health bariatric surgeon Jon Schram, MD.
“We took our time to make sure everything was good, which was very reassuring to me,” Eding said. “The surgery was done at the Meijer Heart Center. He was confident in what he had to do and that made me feel real good. “
Dr. Schram performed a sleeve procedure last October.
“We removed about 80 percent of his stomach,” Dr. Schram said. “The stomach is shaped like a big flask. We changed the shape of the stomach to about the size of a small banana.”
That does two things. It limits how much food the patient can eat at one time and also limits a hormone produced by the stomach that regulates hunger.
“By removing that much of the stomach, we create a situation where he’s not as hungry all the time,” said Dr. Schram, who performs about 400 of these surgeries per year.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
Dr. Schram said the unique partnership between Spectrum Health’s bariatric division, cardiothoracic division and advanced heart failure team gave Eding a second chance.
The weight loss results? Almost immediate.
“It was like a pound a day for the longest time,” Eding said. “Yesterday I was 268.”
Best of all: As of late January, he’s back on the transplant list.
“I’m just ecstatic,” Eding said. “It’s unbelievable this roller coaster I’ve been on, with the highs and the lows. I’m definitely flying high and so thankful and so blessed to be back on the list.”
Digging in
The father of six is feeling blessed to be living a more normal life while he waits. No more hospital stays and no harsh symptoms.
The LVAD seems to be doing its job.
That means more time for fishing with his kids, more time for coaching Little League baseball, more time to dream of a future that could be there if the stars align and he gets a new heart.
“He’s not being held up by his weight now,” Dr. Schram said. “He’s just waiting for a donor. He suffers from severe heart failure. The longer he goes without a heart, there’s a possibility his heart could give out.”
But giving in is not an option.
“A lot of people would have given up a long time ago,” Eding said. “But I dug my feet in and put my nose to the grindstone and really took it head-on.”
And he has another goal: swim with his children again.
Since the LVAD is an electrical device, he can’t swim with it in him.
A transplant, of course, could change all that.
“I can’t wait to go swimming again,” Eding said. “The kids all love to swim and go to water parks. I feel like I’ve robbed them of being able to do that with them. As soon as I get the go-ahead, we’re going to Great Wolf Lodge or Michigan’s Adventure and we’re hitting the water park.”
“You just brighten up everybody’s eyes, because everybody loves you,” said Vista Springs Community member, Marilyn Scholten as she stroked the orange tabby cat’s fur. “He loves me. I can tell.”
Jack the Cat is on a mission. Every Thursday morning, the therapy cat strolls into Vista Springs Community to visit with the people living there. Well, more accurately, he sits in a stroller as his caretaker, Lynn Hopkins, wheels him from room to room. He has trained Hopkins well.
“I met Jack at Crash’s Landing in 2009,” said Hopkins. “He was transferred there from an animal shelter. He’d been surrendered there, we don’t know why. We don’t know his history.”
Jack has deformed front legs, but that doesn’t stop him, hence his proper name, Jack B. Nimble.
“They thought he might be kind of hard to adopt out, and so they were afraid that he would be euthanized,” Hopkins said. “They didn’t want to risk it, so they transferred him to Crash’s Landing (a local cat rescue and placement center).”
Hopkins remembers her first memory of Jack, running down the hall. Because of his front legs, he has a gimpy gait, but that doesn’t stop him. He still runs and plays with toys. But it was Jack’s engaging personality that made a huge impression on Hopkins.
“He’s just the happiest cat I’ve ever known,” she said. “He just loves everybody, he loves other cats. He was at Crash’s just a few weeks, and I took him home.”
Hopkins started taking Jack to volunteer picnics. She pushed him around in his stroller and people would pick him up or set him on a picnic table. And he would just sit there and let people pet him.
“And so a few years before I retired, I came across some information on Facebook about a therapy cat. I had never heard of a therapy cat,” said Hopkins. “I had heard of therapy dogs, but not therapy cats. I knew Jack would be perfect. One of the first things to do when I retired in January 2017 was to get him certified by Love on a Leash. He had to be checked out by a vet and undergo 10 hours of observation on how he behaved.”
Lynn Hopkins and her charge, Jack
Both Hopkins and Jack were evaluated by the Love on a Leash program because they work as a team. Certification typically includes consistent visit and behavior guidelines, animal health assurances and cleanliness standards. The animal must be able to tolerate a wide range of environments and people.
Jack now visits two retirement communities a week and an area hospice when someone requests a visit from a therapy cat.
After visiting Scholten, Jack and Lynn stopped off to see Donna Terpstra, who recently moved to Vista Springs and is still adjusting to her new living situation. She had a cat before her move.
“[Jack] makes me feel like a human being, and human beings need to have contact with pets, with animals,” Terpstra said. “I used to say that coming home to an empty house is not good. But when there’s a pet, there’s another heartbeat in the house, and you don’t feel so lonely.”
Susan Lamos, Life Engagement Director at Vista Springs, said that animals are important in nearly everybody’s life.
“I think the majority of people who moved here have had animals at one point in their life, had pets in their past, whether they lived on a farm or had a pet at home,” said Lamos. “When you come to a living setting such as Vista Springs, you give up a few things, which can take away some of your dignity.
“The therapy piece brings a wholeness to people. I think it’s like a breath of fresh air. A person can be sitting there in their chair just reflecting or watching television and when the animal comes in to the room, the eyes light up, the body lifts up and there’s a real connection with them. They’re fulfilled.”
Matthew Stone didn’t need to look any further than the faces of his two children for motivation to lose weight and live healthier.
“You want to see these little people grow up and you start thinking about, ‘What’s going to happen to me?’” Stone said. “I realized that I cannot expect someone else to take care of me, I need to start taking care of myself.”
With the support of his wife, Kristin, and his two children—Henry, 6, and Evelyn, 3—Stone started making big changes.
In July 2016, at the age of 33 and pushing 400 pounds, Stone had gastric sleeve surgery to start his weight-loss journey.
He has since lost more than 150 pounds, weighing in at 232 pounds. He eats well and exercises six days a week, including lifting weights, running and cycling.
“I always say that it’s not that I didn’t have a good life before, but now I am living a better life,” Stone said.
Last year, when he laced up his running shoes for the Spectrum Health Danish Dash in Greenville, Michigan, it had been his first time competing in an official organized run. By the time he competes in the race again this year, on Aug. 18, he’ll have some other 5K races under his belt.
Making changes
Stone said he had always been a big but active kid. Growing up in Midland, he remembers shoveling his dirt driveway in the winter so he could play basketball.
He also played high school sports. As a sophomore, he was a 6-foot-1, 300-pound athlete.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
But the weight kept creeping up.
“It doesn’t seem like much each year, but then you look back and you’re up 50 pounds,” he said.
Over time it became more difficult to ignore the signs that something needed to change.
He married in 2007 and it soon became a growing challenge to keep up with his two young children. He couldn’t buy life insurance to protect his family—his weight made it cost-prohibitive. He had to take medication for high blood pressure.
He then experienced a liver issue, which turned out to be the start of fatty liver disease. His weight, meanwhile, restricted what he could accomplish in the weight room.
“At age 33 I was OK, but it was only a matter of time before I would end up on a bunch of meds,” Stone said. “My body was showing signs it couldn’t keep up.”
He tried to diet but success proved elusive. He’d get discouraged when he didn’t see results.
“I realized that you can’t out-exercise a bad diet,” Stone said. “I can do a lot more damage with my mouth than I can out-do with my body.”
Feeling like he was “chasing his tail,” he signed up for a consultation with a bariatric surgeon.
“I really felt like the surgery was the first step, because when you’re pushing 400 pounds, I knew I was limited, but I didn’t fully understand how limited I was by the weight,” Stone said.
He started off easy, first by walking and then going to the gym and jogging on the treadmill.
“From there, it has taken off,” Stone said.
His current routine is six days of exercise, including four to five days of 60 to 90 minutes of weight lifting at Fresh Start Fitness in Greenville. He also gets in one or two runs per week—each about 3 to 5 miles—and about 30 minutes of cycling on the Flat River Trail or the stair stepper at the gym.
He follows a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet. He recently eliminated all sugars, getting all his carbs from vegetables.
Transformation
Stone’s body has indeed changed. He went from a size 56 pants and XXXL shirts to a size 38 and large. He actually enjoys shopping now.
At the beginning, he would catch his reflection in a mirror and not recognize himself.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
But has he really changed? It’s one question he reflects on frequently. He looks to his wife to help him process it.
“I know that divorce rates are high for people who have big weight loss after surgery,” Stone said. “I ask my wife, ‘Have I changed? Let me know if you think I’m changing.’”
As an optimistic, outgoing person, Stone feels more comfortable in his skin now.
“I feel like my body matches my personality now, that it matches who I really am,” Stone said.
He works as a football coach at Greenville High School and as an associate pastor at Greenville First Church of God.
He said his faith and the strong support system from his family and community have helped him in this journey.
“I see this as part of being a better steward of who I am and what I have,” Stone said.
He also hopes he’s providing a good example for his children and his football players.
“For too many years, I just didn’t want to deal with it and make the commitment,” he said. “It’s good for everyone around me and good for me to see this is how we live better. Not that I didn’t live good before, but this is better.”
By Alisha Walker, Bilingual Dental Referral Coordinator Team Lead at Cherry Street Health Center
Diabetes can affect every part of the body, including your mouth. If you or someone you care for has diabetes, you need to spend extra time and attention to maintain great oral health. Tooth and periodontal (gum) diseases are more common and serious for people with diabetes. Periodontal disease is a broad term used to describe various stages of disease that affect the gums and bone surrounding of the teeth. Periodontal disease can also make it harder for people with diabetes to control their blood sugar, however by taking better care of your oral health both periodontal disease and diabetes can improve.
Are you at higher risk for periodontal disease if you have diabetes?
Yes, when diabetes is not under control your mouth and your body’s germ-fighting powers are weakened.
What other oral health problems can develop if you have diabetes?
Diabetes also makes you prone to other mouth problems such as oral infections like thrush, dry mouth which can cause soreness, ulcers, infections and cavities and poor wound healing.
What are the early warning signs of periodontal disease?
Red or swollen gums
Bleeding gums
Painful or tender gums
Loose or shifting teeth
Constant bad breath or taste
Pus between teeth and when gums are pressed
Gums pulling away from teeth
Should you tell your dentist and dental hygienist that you have diabetes?
Yes, people with diabetes have special needs. Keep your dentist and dental hygienist informed of any changes in your condition and any medication(s) you might be taking.
How can I keep my gums and teeth healthy to prevent and/or fight off periodontal disease?
Keep blood sugar as close to normal as possible. That means taking medications that were prescribed as directed. It also means keeping the amount of consumed carbs in check.
Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
Floss your teeth at least once every day.
See your dentist at least twice a year, or as often as your dentist recommends.
Remember, good dental care can result in a healthy mouth and a smile that will last a lifetime.
BySuzanne Pish, Michigan State University Extension
There has been a lot of controversy about whether or not young children should begin to play football. As a mother, it is hard to watch your child be under a pile of other players, wondering if they are going to get up and listening to coaches yelling at them. However, there are some great lessons learned from playing football that go far beyond the hitting and yelling. These young children are learning life skills that they can use the rest of their lives.
The social aspect of sports might be what entices children to play in the first place. Youth sports participation lets children spend time with friends in a safe environment while practicing social skills that are likely to last a lifetime. Aside from bonding with peers, kids learn to solve conflicts effectively, reach common goals and learn to be more assertive, all while getting much needed physical activity. A child’s communication skills are improved while playing a sport, giving a child needed life skills.
2. Competitive skills
Although there is such a thing as being too competitive, it’s important for a child to understand the positive aspects of competition. Adults are surrounded by competition, from getting a job to moving up in the work force. When children learn the basics of competition early, they have a better chance of succeeding. Sports participation helps children cope with competition in a friendly environment. Working to achieve a goal or being part of a team can help kids gain healthy competitive skills that they can use for the rest of their lives.
3. Sportsmanship
Sportsmanlike behavior is a lesson that children obtain from playing sports. Children learn to positively handle both the winning and losing aspect of playing a sport. Good sportsmanship is a trait that carries over from childhood to adulthood. Athletes who focus on mastering personal improvement have a good chance later on becoming good citizens and hard workers. A child who learns to be a good sport can translate that skill to better cooperating with others and making decisions based on their own morals rather than being ego-oriented individuals who behave badly, according to Education World, an online resource for educators .
4. Leadership abilities
Obtaining leadership qualities that range from being a good character to respecting others and being task oriented can be accomplished in both team and individual sports. A solid support system, such as a strong parental involvement and effective coaching can help mold a child into being a leader now, and later in life.
The coaching staff for my son’s team told them in the huddle that giving 100 percent on the field will help them to give 100 percent in whatever else they do in life. Do these boys understand that concept at this young age? Maybe not, but having the discipline to play as a team day after day and to give all they can to their team will certainly pay off for them in the long run as adults.
Not only is the correct seat important, but also the correct buckling of seat and young passenger.
By Michigan State Police
The Michigan State Police is seeking to educate parents about how to choose the right car seat and how to install and use it correctly.
Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children one to 13 years old, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers.
“Car seats, booster seats and safety belts save lives, but their misuse by well-intentioned parents and caregivers is far too common,” said Community Service Trooper Martin Miller of the Rockford Post. “Be proactive — get your child’s car seat or booster seat checked to ensure their safety.”
Car Seat Recommendations:
On Aug. 30, 2018, the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) published an update to its 2011 child passenger safety policy statement and technical report. The most significant change is modified language around how long children should remain rear-facing. Instead of recommending rear facing to at least age 2, the updated policy statement recommends children remain rear facing until they reach the weight or height limit allowed by their seat. Most current car safety seats will accommodate children rear facing to age 2 or more.
Further recommendations by the AAP:
All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat (CSS) as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their CSS’s manufacturer. Most convertible seats have limits that will permit children to ride rear-facing for 2 years or more.
All children who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their CSS should use a forward-facing CSS with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by their CSS’s manufacturer.
All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their CSS should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle lap and shoulder seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 ft 9 inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.
When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for optimal protection.
All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.
For more information on child car safety and to find a free car seat check event near you, go to safercar.gov/parents.
