Congratulations, happy parents! You have just welcomed a new little human into the world (and aren’t they cute?) No doubt, you will want to give your child the best start they can possibly have in this uncertain world. Let’s face it, it’s a scary place out there. As this pandemic has shown us, the first step in the right direction is to allow your child to grow up healthy, so protection from disease is crucial and your baby’s first line of defense is the vaccine.
In 1776, Edward Jenner, an English physician, made the biggest breakthrough in the fight against infectious disease when he created the smallpox vaccine. Smallpox can be traced back to Egyptian mummies who died 3,000 years ago. A scourge upon the world, it killed an average of 400,000 Europeans per year in the 18th century. The Americas were equally ravaged, with Benjamin Franklin also losing a son to the disease. After Jenner’s research, man had a new way to fight back and by 1979, just over 200 years after Jenner’s discovery, smallpox was eradicated. Through the years, science would go on to create more vaccines for diseases such as anthrax, rabies, cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella and others. In 1955, Jonas Salk created the polio vaccine and eliminated the disease in the United States by 1996.
As the pandemic rages on, new outcomes of COVID-19 continue to be uncovered. The complications of the virus and our methods of combating it are negatively affecting not only our physical health, but our mental health, as well.
For nearly a year, the world has been under attack. Not by missiles or bullets, despots or dictators, but by one of the earth’s smallest organisms – a virus. The coronavirus COVID-19 spread quickly, traveling the world in a matter of months once the first “recorded” case was found. It struck everywhere, laying siege to the vulnerable, elderly and susceptible. Through the summer months, we fought back with quarantines and face masks, while scientists and health professionals worked overtime to both learn about the disease and create a viable plan of action. In the last few months, the virus launched a massive offensive that hit us just when we thought we were headed toward victory. Aiding the virus in its fight against us is a sea of misinformation and ill-intended bravado meant to separate and weaken us. A divided population is a vulnerable population. The only way we can defeat this enemy is to do it together.
Dr. Patrick Gramith is very familiar with teething infants. He is not only a family practitioner at McLaren Flint’s facility in Fenton, he has two young children – a three-year-old and a ten-month-old. His infant son, Joseph, is right in the middle of teething. “I’m a doctor but I am a parent, too,” he says with a smile.
Are you a healthy person? Do you feel well or do you think some aspects of your health could be better? What needs to change and how do you start?
Intermittent fasting (IF) is currently one of the world’s most popular health and fitness trends, according to healthline.com. People are using it to lose weight, improve their health and simplify their lifestyles. IF is an eating pattern (not a diet plan) that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It doesn’t specify which foods you should eat but rather, when you should eat them. Common IF methods involve daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, twice per week.
Here’s the truth of the matter: in the beginning, exercising is difficult. No sugar-coating it. It is. You will be uncomfortable, sore and sweaty. You will spend money. You will make sacrifices. You will go to bed exhausted and, at first, wake up tired. Showers will happen. A lot of them. But, as time goes by, you will be rewarded. Everything gets easier. You WILL lose fat and gain muscle. You WILL have more energy. You WILL feel younger and better in every life scenario. You WILL be able to play a full game of basketball or do cartwheels with your kids. You WILL be healthier.
Health is a journey and every trainer you talk to, website you visit or medical professional you consult is advocating for one “trend” or “diet” that will help you reach your health goal. Social media is full of advertisements telling us about the “hip new trend that will take off the pounds fast” or “the new health product that will give you the sleek look you desire.” We are bombarded with so much that it can get confusing. So, what can you do? How do you cut through the malarkey and find that thing that will work best for you? Well, Step One is to talk to your doctor before trying any type of fad. Step Two: With any health craze you intend to pursue, make sure to exercise due diligence. To give you a start, here are five health trends and diets to avoid, and five to engage. Note: Everyone’s body is different – what works for others may not work for you and vice-versa.
