In the minds of patients, dental procedures and pain are often synonymous. Anxiety and apprehension are typically present during dental visits, and especially magnified in pediatric patients. Certain procedures evoke a feeling of dread; for example, the proverbial “root canal” and the removal of wisdom teeth.

While working part-time at a farm giving horseback riding lessons and mucking out stalls, Molly Reeser met Casey Foote. The lively ten-year-old visited the farm regularly to care for and ride the horses with a friend; it was a therapeutic way for Casey to deal with the treatment she was undergoing for bone and brain cancer. “Casey’s family would oftentimes come out and ride and it was a beautiful thing to witness,” Reeser recalls. “Here was this young girl going through really difficult times, yet she made it a priority to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of horseback riding.” Eighteen months after Reeser met her, Casey passed away.

For the Cooke family, a visit to the doctor’s office for strep throat turned into five days in the hospital – and a shocking diagnosis. But, this amazing family has stuck together as a team, inspiring others as they raise awareness of a misunderstood disease.

It’s fruity, festive and perfect for summer sipping! Made with red wine and sweetened naturally with fresh fruit, this cocktail delivers a powerful punch of antioxidants.

On March 27, the Genesee Health Plan (GHP) honored healthcare heroes, leaders and advocates during the Health Care Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards Ceremony, held at the Flint Golf Club. The GHP Hall of Fame Awards is designed to showcase community efforts among GHP and local partners to help people get healthcare, from connecting patients to the right treatment and service to enrolling people in health coverage.

Lasers have played a critical role in treating the eye for over 50 years. Less than three years after lasers were first developed in 1960, they were described as a therapy for the eye. From that initial description, lasers have proven effective at treating numerous eye diseases including diabetes, macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion, sickle cell, retinopathy of prematurity, radiation retinopathy, retinal tears, glaucoma and eye cancers. Initial laser therapies involved hundreds to thousands of individually placed points on the eye that could result in scarring, pain and reduced vision. Recently, there have been significant advances in laser therapies that treat the eye with less side effects, less pain, less scarring, and more rapid results.

In early May, the Detroit River made national news when a 9-pound, 10-ounce Atlantic salmon was caught just south of the Ambassador Bridge. It was believed that the salmon traveled at least 85 miles before it was caught, and the closest Atlantic salmon fishery is 350 miles north in St. Marys River! This news sent waves of excitement throughout the fishing community and served as a great kick-off to the summer fishing season.

The Flint water crisis proved to be an unprecedented tragedy for the Flint community on many levels. As a result, the dental profession was catapulted to the spotlight due to the need to address the oral health ramifications of the lack of fluoride in the drinking water, as well as the presence of excess lead in the water supply.

Everyday activities can produce plenty of stress. Today’s little hassles can pile up until there is a mountain of stress that can feel insurmountable.

Atrial fibrillation affects more than seven million Americans, and that number is projected to increase dramatically over the next 25 years. AFib, as it is commonly called, is a rapid and irregular heart rhythm that arises from chaotic and irregular electrical activity in the upper chambers of the heart. Normal electrical activity is about 50-100 beats per minute; when the heart is in AFib, the irregular rates can be as high as 200 per minute, reports Karl Ilg, MD, Genesys Heart Institute Electrophysiologist.