PrimaryPlus-Ashland

  The summer months are here, and many people find themselves outdoors more often than usual. The sun is shining brighter, the sky is bluer, and there's plenty of time for outdoor activities like swimming or playing outside with friends. While summertime has a lot to offer its residents, it also poses some serious risks to skin health. This blog post will give you tips on how to keep your skin healthy while still enjoying the best that summer has to offer. Basic Tips on Protecting Your Skin in the Summer:  Wear a hat and sunglasses when outside for long periods of time, especially if you have thin skin or fair skin that is easily burned.  Apply sunscreen every day before going out into the sunlight (even if just for an hour). Don't forget to apply protective lip balm in the summer when you are outside more often. Consider wearing UV clothing to protect your skin against harmful rays. Keep your skin moisturized with a face moisturizer and body lotion to keep it softer, hyd...

  Nobody can deny the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting challenges have negatively affected many people’s mental health. In fact, during the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the United States have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder. Here is some more information about mental illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control.  What is mental illness? Mental illnesses are conditions that affect a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, or behavior, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Such conditions may be occasional or long-lasting (chronic) and affect someone’s ability to relate to others and function each day. What is mental health? Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulth...

  While germs are always present throughout the year, winter in particular increases your chances to get the common cold and influenza. Now more than ever, with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, people need to ensure their health and increase their immune system. Luckily, there are ways to prevent cold and flu. Here are some tips from The Center for Disease Control and Prevention that help you learn about actions you can take to protect yourself and others from the flu and help stop the spread of germs. Avoid close contact: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too. Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others. Cover your mouth and nose. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu and other serious re...

Arthritis affects more than 50 million people in the U.S. alone. In fact, there are over 100 types of arthritis, including the well-known osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, which can affect not only the elderly but people of all ages. Most forms of arthritis are not curable. However, with early diagnosis and some simple lifestyle changes, the resulting swelling, joint stiffness, and pain can be effectively managed. These five tips will help you to take control of your condition by reducing joint damage, improving function, and easing your arthritis pain. 1. Keep Active While Protecting Your Joints It may seem counterintuitive to exercise when your joints are in pain, but remaining active is critical to managing arthritis. Moderate exercise helps to reduce pain and stiffness, and perhaps more important, it helps strengthen muscles that support your joints. Some of the best low-impact exercises include stretching, yoga, walking, swimming, and biking as they take the str...

“The first wealth is health.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson  By now you’ve probably heard the phrase an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This phrase is especially true when it comes to your annual checkup. While your trusted physician should be an advocate for your health and wellness, it’s important for you to take control of your own health by scheduling annual exams and screenings.  According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 92-percent of Americans believe it’s important to get an annual physical, yet only 62-percent report actually following through with the exam. An annual checkup can serve as a baseline or road map of your health, your physician will check your vital signs, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, unhealthy trends that may be a cause for concern and indicators for heart disease, diabetes, and other serious diseases. Here are some compelling reasons to schedule an annual exam.  Saves you money Healthcar...