Category: Healthy Living

It’s COVID season. It’s rabbit season. It’s duck season. And, soon it will be flu season. According to the CDC, approximately 8 percent of the U.S. population, or approximately 26,176,000 people, get sick with the flu annually. The idea of flu season creeping in as we are still responding to the immense struggles and changes COVID-19 has laid out for us may be overwhelming. In certain parts of the country (and the world) hospitals are adjusting to a limited stockpile of personal protective equipment and facing the challenges of creating new respiratory clinics to better serve their patients. Additionally, many people’s immune systems may have been weakened from staying indoors for months on end with little to no physical contact, …

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If you’ve always envied adventurers in movies or books looking for buried treasure, geocaching is your opportunity to join in the fun. What Is Geocaching? Geocaching is a worldwide game where people hide stashes of objects, or caches, and provide clues to help others find them online. And, you can maintain proper social distancing while enjoying the great outdoors. Geocaches include the longitude and latitude of the cache’s hiding place, so you use global positioning system (GPS) devices to find them. Each cache includes a logbook for you to sign and date when you find it. The caches may also include low-cost trinkets, such as booklets or keychains, unique rocks found along the way, or even thoughtful notes. Geocaching is …

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Checking work email, scrolling your social media feeds, and answering texts from friends and family can take up more time than you think. Not only does this time spent on your smartphone take time away from interacting with your family, but it may also be limiting opportunities for your children to learn important communication and social skills. Between the ages of 3 and 5, your child will begin learning: Cause and effect How to use language to convey emotions and thoughts How to ask “why,” “how,” and “when” questions If you’re already feeling crunched on time, don’t worry. You don’t have to spend hours on end doing elaborate art projects or epic hikes to help your child develop these and …

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The news of sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic sent many people scrambling to secure essentials to stay home for a sustained period of time. How do you prepare for an emergency, whether it’s a pandemic or a natural disaster, without hoarding? The answer is strategic preparation—gathering the things you really need in case of unforeseeable situations and storing them in an organized, compact, and easily accessible way. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the American Red Cross recommend putting together an emergency preparedness kit that serves the unique needs of your family and helps you get through at least a 72- hour period. Preparing ahead of time will ensure you’re able to get what you need without …

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While many associate asthma and allergy attacks with the blooming of flowers and plants in the spring and summer, your home may be the source of just as many triggers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some of the most common causes of asthma attacks are indoor allergens such as secondhand smoke, dust mites, mold, cockroaches and other pests, and even household pets. Keeping your home clean is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of attacks. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recommends vacuuming your home at least once each week to reduce the amount of dust, pet dander, dust mites, and other allergens in your space. To avoid other allergens in your …

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