With Autumn’s chill comes the season of coughs, sniffles and scratchy throats. Caused by viruses ranging from the flu and COVID-19 to the common cold, such symptoms can leave you mildly run down—or feverish and bedridden. Fortunately, there are ways to lower your and your family’s risk of illness. [...]
For tweens and teens, the feeling of not fitting in can be distressing. Peer pressure and the adverse effects of social media—unrealistic comparisons to other teens and celebrities, fear of missing out and the well-documented addictiveness of social platforms—can compound the problem and undermine a young person’s mental health [...]
Picture yourself at an after-work happy hour sipping a beautifully crafted drink. The cherry on top? It’s alcohol-free. As part of a “sober-curious” movement, more people are taking a closer look at the role alcohol plays in their lives and, in turn, choosing to reduce or eliminate it. And [...]
When Julie McLaughlin suggested that her husband, Mark McLaughlin, MD, join her for a swim class at the CentraState Fitness & Wellness Center, he couldn’t have predicted it would become one of his favorite ways to exercise. “I'm a wrestler and a runner, but these activities come with muscle [...]
Exercise is good for your body, but did you know that those benefits also extend to your brain? “Exercise improves the function of your cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, skeletal and nervous systems, all of which support your brain's health and ability to do its job,” says CentraState neurosurgeon Mark McLaughlin, [...]
Without clinical research, medicine would not have cancer immunotherapy, cardiac angioplasty or the data showing that ulcers are caused by a bacterium and not spicy foods. Through clinical trials – studies that test new therapies, medications or medical devices in humans – researchers have investigated and developed breakthroughs that [...]
While every child is different, some may need additional help to meet developmental milestones. CentraState speech-language pathologist Danielle DaCunha, MS, CCC-SLP, and occupational therapist Diana Cruz, MS, OTR/L, CSRS, share five signs that your child may benefit from a speech or occupational therapy evaluation. They have trouble meeting developmental [...]
It seems like every year the summer weather hits earlier and hotter. Whether you’re gardening in your backyard, jogging at the track, or out and about running chores, when the mercury climbs, your body has to work harder to keep cool. “When pushed too far, your body can run [...]
Summertime means fun, fireworks, and food cooked on the barbecue. It’s also primetime for burns, whether from grill flare-ups, sparkler mishaps, or barefoot walks on hot surfaces. If you have been burned, the first step is to assess it carefully, says CentraState’s chair of Emergency Medicine Jeremy Dayner, MD. [...]
When you roll your neck to release tension after looking down at your phone for too long, you are instinctively doing somatic stretching. It’s your body’s way of releasing sore, overworked muscles. Over time, muscles can become chronically tight due to stress, injuries and repetitive activities. This can negatively [...]
