Articles

Stay informed on consequences of tobacco

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions estimates that 16.8 percent of Americans 18 and older currently smoke cigarettes. This equates to roughly 40 million Americans — the entire population of California. Cigarette smoking has long been known to cause the onset of many preventable diseases and continues to take more than 480,000 American lives each year. With the dangers of smoking widely known, what leads individuals to pick up the habit of smoking and what can we do to not become victims of smoking? Any marketing major will tell you that knowing your target audience for selling a product plays an important role in successfully selling that product. Big tobacco companies know this and employ their advertising tactics on youth in hopes of creating lifetime customers.

Read more

Savor the flavor of eating right

For National Nutrition Month 2016, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is encouraging everyone to learn how to “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right” while still following a healthy eating pattern.

Read more

Mystery meat a thing of the past

What was once slop on a tray or a vacuumpacked TV dinner has graduated to a choicebased, nutrition-inspired display of colorful fruits, vegetables and whole grains. “School lunch” has a negative stigma, but the reality is school lunches are often fresher and healthier than our typical homemade dinners. Schools have strict nutrition guidelines they must meet, certain varieties of foods they must offer and certain limits they can’t breach. The USDA has made great strides to make rules for meals and even Smart Snacks guidelines for any foods students have access to beyond lunch.

Read more

Employers recognize wellness benefits

Sheboygan County employers  credit health and wellness initiatives at the work site for providing organizational  and community  rewards.

Read more

Use your head and wear a helmet

There are six inches of irreplaceable matter between your ears that can be preserved by wearing a safety helmet that matter is your brain.

Read more

February is American Heart Month

In the U.S., one in every four deaths is caused by heart disease.

Read more

Breast is best for baby and mom

As a nurse working in Women’s Health and the NICU at Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Hospital, my patients will often hear my co-workers and me refer to breast milk as “liquid gold.” We do this to help mothers understand how important it is and how seriously we take our breast milk and breastfeeding.

Read more

Help is available if you need it

Do you find yourself struggling? Do you feel like you’re alone in a black hole? Are you drowning in financial challenges? I was, too, and I am relieved to say there is hope, and there is a way out. As a teenager, I lacked self-esteem and confidence — I never felt like I fit in. I played in the band, but was too nervous to perform. I enjoyed reading and had a photographic memory, but still couldn’t concentrate on tests. In college, I had difficulty sleeping. I forced myself into social situations, but never felt comfortable. A neck injury from a car accident led to years of chronic pain and even less enjoyment in life. Shortly after graduating and getting married, I contracted Lyme disease. The infection in my brain further intensified my headaches and impaired my thought processes. My words would jumble, and I would see things that weren’t really there. Ultimately, it would keep me from balancing my own checkbook and limit me from driving.

Read more

Local stigma reduction efforts underway

A local community and cross-agency effort that developed the Community Health Improvement Plan 2015-2017 identified that the stigma of mental illness is an issue requiring attention in Sheboygan County. A stigma-specific subcommittee was developed to help reduce the stigma of mental illness and substance abuse in our community. So what is stigma and how are we going to address it? Stigma can be understood as a set of negative or often untrue ideas that lead to beliefs that form an attitude. That attitude can include acts of discrimination. When one Googles the definition, synonyms that pop up include shame, disgrace and dishonor.

Read more

Mentors makes a difference for children

Every January, the president of the United States recognizes January as National Mentoring month. Additionally, “Thank Your Mentor Day” takes place on the third Thursday of the month. In 2016, that will be Jan. 21. You might be asking yourself, what does that have to do with me? Think back. Was there a teacher, a coach, an aunt or an uncle that paid close attention? They were one of your mentors. The word mentor comes from the Greek and means adviser, master, guide or preceptor. One of the things we need to consider when looking at mentors within our community is the link between poverty and the availability of positive mentor relationships.

Read more