Many people talk about the joy of eating as a family – who doesn’t love that? What about cooking as a family?

Michigan families bundle up and venture outdoors to brave the subzero temperatures and experience Michigan’s Winter Wonderland. Whether you are a skier, snowboarder, hunter, ice fisherman, snowmobiler, ice skater, or just love playing outside in the snow, outside elements combined with the blasting indoor heat can wreak havoc on the whole family’s skin. For every fond memory of a surprise Snow Day spent playing outside in the snow building snowmen, sledding down hills, making snow angels, and having epic snowball fights, there are just as many wind-burned cheeks, chapped lips, cracked hands, and dry, itchy skin. A few simple adjustments to your home environment and daily routines will help to keep everyone’s skin healthy and hydrated all winter long.

While our kids are in their first couple of years, we anxiously await hearing them speak their first words. Many times, there is much interpretation involved, as mere sounds are called words for that landmark moment. As kids progress past that mark, however, we are much less likely to be as forgiving, and begin correcting pronunciation of every new sound that comes out of their mouths. When they get to be two years old, we begin to worry when the speech doesn’t sound like what we expect, or like other kids around them. This is oftentimes when kids show up in my office upon referral from their pediatrician: to check their ears.

Lee was born on a hot, summer day in June 2016. The blue-eyed, blonde-haired boy soon became the apple of his parents’ eyes. With Elijah and his three big brothers, his mother, Melissa Alward, is one busy mom.

We love to see our children thrive and grow; however, some of you have noticed that your kids have itchy skin … to the point that they cannot stop scratching themselves!

Many people think of mental health as something we take note of only when there’s a problem, perhaps in adulthood or maybe even as young as teens. However, many don’t realize that tending to mental health begins in infancy.

Remember that despite the impact of movies, music, the Internet, and peers, parents can be the greatest influences in their kids’ lives.

In the U.S., breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer, excluding skin cancers, and the second-highest cause of death in women, behind lung cancer.1 Prevention measures for breast cancer screening have advanced remarkably over the last decade, primarily due to the advanced techniques developed to identify women at risk for or with evidence of breast cancer.

Most Flint kids are eating one or fewer fruits or veggies a day. One of many results of this is a high obesity rate for children in the Flint area; as of 2011, 71 percent of Genesee County residents are either obese or overweight.

For many of us, the thought of undergoing surgery is terrifying – so, My City Wellness “scrubbed in” to get up close with a group of talented local physicians as they performed a variety of procedures. Our sincerest thanks to doctors Abed, Alkotob, Garg, Majjhoo and Munir for their gracious cooperation in creating this special section.

As advanced as Hurley Medical Center is, the simplest thing its staff achieves is a high level of patient care. Doctors, nurses, and administrators all seem to have one thing in common – an internalized habit of caring for others.