Opinion

Have you ever been at a place in life where you feel stagnant? You don’t see change, don’t feel growth and maybe you have given up hope on that dream. You are not alone and believe it or not, there is an answer that you may have not considered.

I keep hearing that people want more good news. This, despite TV ratings that consistently show viewers flocking to the cable anger-tainment networks. One notorious… Login to continue reading Login…

In a spectacular ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, President Trump received an extravagant welcome to China last week. China is 6,500 miles from the USA and is protected by its military. China represents our largest adversarial army, navy and intel operatives. It is also the safest place President Trump has been in two years. Chinese state media handled the visit carefully. Their coverage portrayed Trump with the cautious respect normally reserved for a live tiger wandering through a fraternity party. Trump had just come from a hunting trip in the U.S. where he killed more RHINOs than any president since Teddy Roosevelt.

Annual visits with a primary care provider are a great opportunity to check in on your overall health. The purpose of an annual physical is to identify potential health concerns early so you can make small, proactive changes to help avoid more serious conditions in the future. Even if you feel healthy and maintain an active lifestyle, there are a few key health metrics (measurements) that should be checked each year. This is because many chronic conditions, such as heart disease or hypertension, can develop gradually without exhibiting obvious symptoms in your daily life. These include blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body mass index (BMI) and preventive screenings based on family history.

You can’t always get what you want…” The words of the Rolling Stones often echo in my mind as I ponder the countless rejections we humans face over the course of our lives. (The words of the Rolling Stones also often echo in my mind as I ponder the many senior moments we face over the course of our lives. “Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name…”) I nearly died before I took my first breath, but Dr. K.J. Phelps went the extra mile for me in the delivery room. So I’ve always had a “thing” about people getting a fighting chance in life.

One of my fondest memories on the farm as a child was when my Papa would break out the slip n’ slide in the front yard draping it down the fastest hill I had yet to know. As I look back, the hill looks smaller, the slip n’ slide isn’t as long as I thought as a child and the fear of breaking a hip has most certainly ceased the slip n’ slide days. This of course does not prevent me from purchasing one for my own children over the weekend – a secret hope to relive those simpler times through their eyes. As I threw out that thin bright yellow piece of plastic and hooked up the water, I could see my ten-year-old a little disappointed that the slide wasn’t longer. I could see that she was most certainly not impressed but did enjoy the break from the heat. I then watched my four-year old’s eyes light up with excitement as he ran as fast as his legs would allow just to land in a puddle of cold grassy water at the end. In that moment God reminded me just how life can also be a slip n’ slide.

When we think of health, we often think of diet and exercise, but sleep is equally important. Good sleep is essential for our physical and emotional well-being. Adults need an average of 7-9 hours of sleep daily. Not getting enough sleep can increase your hunger the next day, reduce your feeling of fullness after eating, and make you more likely to crave junk food high in carbohydrates and sugar. Additionally, not getting enough sleep can increase your risk of depression and anxiety and raise your blood pressure, which increases your risk of a heart attack.