MARQUETTE — While no one can stop the coming of the fall season each September, health officials are reminding the public this month to focus on a fall that can be prevented — your own. Sept. 23, the first day of fall, is also National Falls Prevention Awareness Day, a day dedicated to ...

When Ed returned from London, he told me: “At the Ironwood airport, they weighed each of the passengers. The airplane was small, and the weight had to be evenly distributed so the airplane wouldn’t tilt in midair. It was a single-engine Cessna with eight seats. There were only two women on ...

A 60-year-old gentleman with diabetes develops a sore on his foot (which he is unaware of because of the nerve changes). It becomes severely infected so he eventually seeks the care of a specialist. This physician takes x-rays and sees some suspicious bone changes, so, to make a definitive ...

MARQUETTE — With the start of the school year fast approaching, state and local health officials are emphasizing that vaccines are a critical piece of the back-to-school checklist for the health and safety of children, schools and communities throughout the state. “Vaccines protect our ...

Every year, on Aug. 7, our nation celebrates National Purple Heart Day. This is a day when we recognize our military heroes who have been wounded or have given their life in military service to our great country. These committed personnel are then awarded the Purple Heart medal. Following is ...

Much attention has been directed of late to the consequences of prolonged sitting. Those avocations requiring long periods of inactivity in a seated position are now considered harmful to your health. Apparently, the human body requires movement, and when our work time is spent being inactive, ...

By MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press AUGUSTA, Maine — It can be hard to keep smiles healthy in rural areas, where dentists are few and far between and residents often are poor and lack dental coverage. Efforts to remedy the problem have produced varying degrees of success. The biggest ...

It sounds like the punch-line of some joke, but, on the contrary, it’s a common scenario. When people are informed of my occupation, the response often goes like this: “You must love children!” Indeed, I do, but I am not a child doctor. The proper term for that specialty is ...

MARQUETTE — Providing care to a loved one who is suffering from a chronic illness or recovering from a surgery can be a full-time job. To help offer respite for more caregivers in the area, Marquette’s Trillium House recently expanded the scope of its respite program, allowing the local ...

It was a significant learning experience for me and I am sure for many of us, when we finally understood the power of personal persistence. Personal persistence may be generally defined as follows: “Continuing to work toward a worthwhile goal you have decided to do for yourself until you ...

Have you ever had a headache? A simple question, answered by most of us with a resounding “Yes!”. The cause is sometime obvious (a few drinks too many last night?), and typically the solution is simple. The passage of time usually provides relief. That, and a few ibuprofen generally leads ...

MARQUETTE — The summer presents many opportunities for children to learn and grow. Through U.P. Children’s Therapy Summer Speech Program, children with speech needs in Marquette and around the central Upper Peninsula had a chance to continue building on speech and language skills ...

Ed was up in the air on his way from Ironwood, Michigan to London, England, and I was on the ground in Marquette and very worried indeed. What if Ed wins the bet? I asked myself as I was reviewing the terms of our agreement: Ed claimed, based on what he had read in a New York Times article To ...

Some medical topics are not for the faint of heart or those with a weaker stomach. One obvious example is that of chronic wounds and their care. As a specialist in foot and ankle medicine, I find this a fascinating topic which occupies a fair amount of my attention. Although not everyone's cup ...

MARQUETTE — With three pigs at a Lower Michigan fair confirmed to be positive for swine influenza by Michigan State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Friday, health officials are spreading the word about the need to take precautions while visiting pigs during fairs this summer. ...

All of us health care providers have encountered numerous patients with the serious medical condition known as a bowel obstruction. First, let me give you the medical definition of a bowel obstruction. Bowel obstruction is a very serious medical condition when the food or drink we have ...

Health and wellness is a hot topic these days. Pick up almost any popular magazine and you are certain to find at least one article on the subject. Nutrition is a particularly prominent issue in media. An increasing number of Americans are beginning to value its importance in regards to quality ...

MARQUETTE — A local high school student living with type 1 diabetes is raising funds for the Upper Peninsula Diabetes Outreach Network by participating in the 16th annual Swim Teal Lake for Diabetes Saturday. Having lived with type 1 diabetes for 9 years herself, the swim’s mission had a ...

“Winter is coming,” Ed told me. “It is the middle of July, and not a cloud in the sky,” I reminded him. “It is coming, nevertheless,” Ed said, “This is the Upper Peninsula, and winter is always lurking behind even the brightest days.” “What difference does it make all ...

MARQUETTE — How is it possible to have long-lasting pain when an injury is long healed? Why do some people with severe injuries experience minimal pain, while others experience excruciating pain from minor injuries, or even non-painful stimuli? While it was thought for hundreds of years ...