Author: Samantha Borghammer
Having a budget can add a challenge to grocery shopping. If you track how much your household spends on food, you may notice how quickly the costs add up. No matter your budget, big or small, there is no need to sacrifice nutrition for a good price. Using a few simple strategies, eating healthful and tasty meals does not have to cost a fortune.
Author: Samantha Borghammer
How often do you scroll through a website or social media and click on a post written about health or wellness? With the internet at our fingertips health information is only a click away. Reading online can make staying up-to-date and healthy easier, but how do we know if we can trust what we read? Just because it is on the internet does not mean it is true. No matter what I am reading, I always ask myself these three questions to help me find out if I can trust what the post says.
Author: Brandi Bohlman
“I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world. He is producing something to eat, which makes him somewhat independent of the grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself, the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating.” - Wendell Berry With gardening season in full swing, we are reminded to be conscious and mindful of where our food comes from, be it the farmers market, the grocery store or our own backyards. Food less traveled is more nutrient dense and flavorful than produce sold at grocery stores, which on average travels as much as 1,500 miles.
Author: Erica Gollhardt
Per the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.4 million individuals in the United States live with Alzheimer’s and it is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. In most Alzheimer’s cases, the disease may be a result of many factors interacting with one another, including age, genetics, environment, lifestyle and other medical conditions.
Author: Lauren Smith
In just a few days, an exciting notification will pop up on my home screen, officially declaring that we can wave goodbye to a long winter and celebrate the fact that our friend, Summer Solstice, has made its grand entrance. In other words, the countdown that I have programmed into my phone for another start to a Sheboygan summer is in its home stretch.
Author: Jake Lambrecht
This sounds sacrilegious coming from a local, organic, whole food-type of person, but it dawned on me that maybe fast food is not such a bad idea in concept. The concept being that certain meals are meant to be prepared and eaten quickly. I don’t believe our culture ever was or will be at a point that every meal we eat will be slow, calm, and “mindful.”
Author: Brianna Heusterberg
It is no secret that today’s students are dealing with an increasing number of barriers to their future successes. Per the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the average classroom has at least five students who are affected by serious mental health needs, one that struggles with abuse, and 10 living in poverty.
Author: Carly Lenz and Jamie Piontkowski
We are very lucky in Sheboygan County to have educational, recreational and family opportunities available through many groups like community education and recreation programs, nonprofit groups, hospitals, fitness facilities and more. Often these different groups end up joining forces to offer some amazing program options for enhancing health and wellbeing for everyone from babies to seniors.
Author: Kate Baer
May is Mental Health Month was started 69 years ago by the national organization Mental Health America to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of good mental health for everyone.
Author: Christine Nitsch
If you love your job and love what you do, you’re going to be happier. It makes sense, doesn’t it? But how can employers motivate the unmotivated, and keep the motivated going in the right direction? With good individual health awareness and a workplace that cares about employee health, many companies are seeing positive changes happening.
Author: Trisha Erpelding
Since 1949, the national office of Mental Health America (MHA) and its affiliates across the country, including MHA in Sheboygan County, have led the observance of “May is Mental Health Month” by reaching millions of people through media, local events and screenings. This year, MHA in Sheboygan County is happy to announce several events promoting mental health that are taking place right here in our own community.
Author: Libby Holte
Healthy Sheboygan County 2020, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will hold a Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, at five locations throughout Sheboygan County.
Author: Annette Selk
On Monday, April 16, we celebrate National Healthcare Decision Day as a part of the National Healthcare Decision Week during Monday, April 16, through Sunday, April 22. Since its beginnings in 2008, this national campaign aims to inspire, educate and empower the public and healthcare providers about the importance of advance care planning. The need for this day is clear when we consider that best estimates have only 35 percent of the adult population in the US with advance directives in place.
Author: Penny Maletzke
As parents and caregivers, we always want the best for our children, the best food, clothes, schools, neighborhoods and for them to be safe. Despite our best intentions to keep our children safe, as many as 80 percent of child safety seats are improperly installed.
Author: Jake Lambrecht
There is a practical side to having a vegetable garden. You hope to be able to eat what you grow. It is certainly disappointing to have a flower garden that flops, but likely, you weren’t planning on eating your flowers. When a vegetable garden doesn’t work, it is another level of sadness. Your plants may have died AND you didn’t even get to harvest from them.
Author: Cath Tease
The tobacco industry shows clear patterns of designing flavored tobacco products to target youth with more than 20 appealing flavors such as cherry, unicorn puke, chocolate and popcorn.
Author: Amanda Miller
March is National Nutrition Month, so what better time than now to start becoming healthier and happier through healthy eating and physical activity?
Author: Annette Selk
The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Sheboygan County has been concerned about the statistics that are being reported on falls among our seniors in Sheboygan County.
Author: Lauren Smith
Imagine this scene: it’s the morning of the last day of the office food drive. You are running late, but you want to make a difference in our community. You make a quick dash to your kitchen pantry and push aside last weekend’s grocery shopping haul. You grab the dusty can of green beans soaked in salt. You juggle around a few more items and find a smooshed box of angel hair pasta.
Author: Trisha Erpelding
About four million babies are born each year in the United States. Many of the mothers of these newborns will go through the “baby blues,” a period of hormonal shifts and mood swings for a few days or even a few weeks as they adjust to their new baby and perhaps, new parenthood. For some women, these “baby blues” may persist for a longer period.
Author: Jake Lambrecht
While I do believe that good gardening practices will matter more than what type of seed you purchase, there are a few guidelines every gardener should know. This advice mainly refers to annual garden seeds (vegetable, herbs, fruits, etc.). Most seed companies will send you free catalogs at your request.
Author: Cindy VanderWeele
You want to pass on family traditions, like a favorite cookie recipe, but no one wants to pass on a serious illness. Take charge of your health and help protect those around you by asking about vaccines at your next health care provider’s visit. Vaccinating our children is commonplace. But few adults know they need vaccines other than flu vaccine.
Author: Donna Habeck
Winter is officially upon us. Unfortunately, along with it come influenza and a rise in common colds, which are both caused by viruses. Knowing the difference between the cold and the flu can help you decide if, or when, you need to see your doctor.
Author: Rachael Lewinski
A mindfulness practice can help you reduce stress, shift your focus on the positive and enjoy life during one of the more challenging seasons for our mental and physical health. Paying attention on purpose, without judgment and with kindness to your emotions, energy and winter activities can lead to better safety during treacherous activities as well as avoiding succumbing to winter blues.
Author: Char Pachniak
Sheboygan County Horizon4Girl staff speak with parents and family members daily and are often asked for a magic potion. How do we improve school attendance, academic achievement, promote responsible decision making, and provide skills to better navigate relationships at school, socially and at home? Let’s take a step into the lab and see what we can whip up.
Author: Rachael Lewinski
As the New Year begins, many of us look at it as a fresh start and set big health goals. However, many of us fall victim to losing our motivation and giving up on our commitment as the excitement wears off and challenges set in. As a personal trainer, around the end of February, I have seen many people get frustrated, lose motivation and just plain stop what we so enthusiastically began a month ago.
Author: Janelle Schirmer
With the holiday season winding down and a new year beginning, there comes the opportunity to start fresh. You may be thinking back to all your holiday eating at parties and get-togethers. Now it’s time to look forward and focus on setting healthy goals. Aiming to eat healthier can sometimes feel like an overwhelming goal with little direction on where to start. It’s helpful to break this goal down into smaller, realistic goals that you can work on.
Author: Grace Talbot
It is almost 2018, which means that the time for change is rightaround the corner. After the holidays, it is possible that you would like to make better choices, this article will provide you with 8 tips for eating healthier in the New Year!
Author: Trisha Erpelding
Many of us spend the holiday season searching for that perfect present, combing the aisles during our Target run to find something great that will really make our loved one’s eyes light up. It might be that hard-to-find toy or another item at the top of a wish list, but there is a gift that you can’t buy that your family needs just as much — you.
Author: Elizabeth Wimmler
Understanding drug insurance can be overwhelming, but focusing on key concepts and taking a few simple steps can reduce the insurance-related frustration.
Author: Amy Benz
Sheboygan Area School District has teamed up with Nourish to bring “Harvest of the Month” to students and the community. Each month, a piece of produce is chosen to be a featured item on the school lunch menu as well as in snacks in certain schools in Sheboygan County. The goal is to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in students and build a solid relationship with our local farmers. Ultimately, the program seeks to help students develop healthier eating habits.
Author: Kate Baer
I met grief as an adult in my late twenties. My step-dad was diagnosed with lung cancer and he died almost exactly one year to the day of diagnosis. Forty-five days later we were spreading his ashes in Northern Wisconsin when we received another heartbreaking call: my father-in-law had died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Sixty days after that, my husband and I lost a friend in his early 40's unexpectedly due to an unknown heart condition. A year and a half after that, I tragically found my Dad who had passed away due to alcohol withdrawal complications. Six months after that, my close girlfriend passed.
Author: Amy Giffin
Each year, families and friends will gather together around the table. In some cases, people even travel hundreds of miles for Thanksgiving, while others will spend days preparing and cooking. But what about the meals we eat on the other 364 days of the year?
Author: Liz Abler
Join Healthy Sheboygan County 2020 in partnership with re:TH!NK, the Lakeshore Tobacco Prevention Network, this year for the Great American Smokeout on Thursday.
Author: Kerri Robertson
Take a moment and look around you. Half of all Americans live with at least one chronic disease, and 28 percent of us have two or more. Arthritis alone affects 50 million Americans and is now the most common cause of disability. Across the nation, health care costs associated with chronic diseases make up 75 percent of the $2 trillion spent on health care each year. This means 145 million of us can learn how to manage our symptoms and adopt healthy behaviors to help reduce the personal and societal burden of our diseases.
Author: Lauren Smith
What if food pantries are your main source of food to fuel your body because you have a disability that affects your ability to work, recently lost a job or simply can’t make ends meet?
Author: LIBBY HOLTE
Healthy Sheboygan County 2020, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will hold a Drug Take-Back Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 28, at five locations throughout Sheboygan County.
Author: DR. SCARLETT & DR. SHAH
Low back pain is the second most common reason for visiting a doctor and can affect people of all ages, from childhood to adulthood. Approximately 80 percent of the population will experience back pain at some point throughout their life. Low back pain is also responsible for lost workdays and is the single leading cause of disability worldwide. Over 100 million American adults live with chronic pain. Our spine is composed of approximately 33 vertebrae bones stacked on top of one another. In between each of those bones lay discs, which provide the cushioning between the vertebrae. The discs can be thought of as shock absorbers for our spine.
Author: Faith is a Certified Therapy Dog with Horizons4 Girls in Sheboygan.
Hi there! My name is Faith, and I work at Horizons4Girls, or should I say, “I volunteer.” I am a Certified Therapy Dog with an advanced degree in working with troubled teens, or as they like to identify themselves, “at promise.” Each one of these middle school and high school teens has plenty of gifts that just need to be identified and enhanced.
Author: ANNETTE SELK
You have your advance directive (a legal document, such as a living will that is signed by a competent person to provide guidance for medical and health-care decisions, such as the termination of life support or organ donation, in the event the person becomes incompetent to make such decisions) completed and signed. Your doctor, the hospital, and your health care agent have copies. Everything is in place, right? Maybe. But there are often more decisions that need to be made as one nears the end of life. Will you or your loved one want cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a feeding tube, an antibiotic, a surgery? The decisions can seem to be endless as options for healthcare have expanded. It can be particularly difficult deciding for another person, especially someone you love.
Author: PAMELA KRUEGER
Per the National Institute on Drug Abuse, individual abuse of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs cost our nation more than $740 billion annually in costs related to crime, lost work productivity and health care expenditure.
Author: JAKE LAMBRECHT
Per the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Food Security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” When it comes to obtaining food, we all want to make sure we have enough. That’s where the “sufficient” part comes in, but what about the “safe and nutritious” part? Too often those aspects take a back seat or are reduced to meeting minimum government guidelines. Consumers either assume that food is safe and nutritious or place more importance on quantity. This has led to a prevalence of diet related health disorders in our country today. Instead of looking for the next “2 for 1” deal at the grocery store, I encourage you to focus on the thought: follow the trail.
Author: KATE BAER
September is National Recovery Month and Mental Health America (MHA) in Sheboygan County is proudly partnering with the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan Theatre to address the topic in an educational and personal way.
Author: KATE BAER
Suicide continues to remain a preventable, yet significant, health problem in Wisconsin.
Author: RACHAEL LEWINSKI
We all know the benefits of physical exercise are endless, leading experts to deem it as our best wonder drug. However, we often don’t prioritize our mental health, which is intimately and dramatically affected by our physical fitness.
Author: SAMUEL KEFER
Wisconsin summers bring beautiful weather. Some see this as an opportunity to crank the air conditioning, but many will take advantage of this opportunity to get outdoors. When you are taking in the scenic lakefront, hiking the Ice Age Trail, or some other outdoor activity, the most common pest you might encounter are mosquitoes. While these are a nuisance, there is another insect to look out for — ticks. Ticks are a type of parasite that attach to a host organism and feed off them. There are a variety of tick species in Wisconsin. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Entomology, most common are the wood and deer tick. Although small, ticks can carry a number of diseases. The Wisconsin Division of Public Health lists Anaplasmosis, Powassan virus, and, most prominently, Lyme disease as examples. Data from the Center for Disease Control show a decrease from 20102015 in the number of people contracting Lyme disease in Wisconsin each year. However, those numbers are still higher than other states, with 1,309 confirmed cases in 2015, which is why Wisconsinites need to protect themselves from ticks. To learn how to protect yourself against ticks, here are answers to some key questions:
Author: CINDY VANDERWEELE
Parents, don’t forget vaccinations before school starts
Author: ERICA GOLLHARDT
General health for individuals is often categorized into age groups. Even when you search online for fitness tips and suggestions, articles focus mostly on specific generations (i.e. teens versus elderly). Besides age and medical conditions, the focus on health and maintaining an active lifestyle is truly similar between age groups.
Author: NATE DAVIS
Being in Sheboygan County lends us the great gift of having a national treasure almost on our doorstep: Lake Michigan. So often taken for granted, the secondlargest Great Lake and its surrounding rivers provide some of the most treasured summer fun.
Author: HEATHER CLEVELAND
Resilience.
Author: Lauren Smith
In the summer months, the top things on many Sheboyganites’ minds are following the scent trail to the nearest brat fry, planning a day on North Beach and spending nights beside a bonfire pit. Far from many people’s thoughts are spending hours in the kitchen baking grandma’s recipe of her famous sugar cookies to warm the hearts of loved ones. Even joining the crowds at Deer Trace on Nov. 26 to stock up on Christmas gifts seems like light years away.
Author: ELIZABETH ABLER
As we start a favorite month in Wisconsin, we are reminded that this is the seventh year our state celebrates the Smoke Free Air Bill passage of July 5, 2010. In June we celebrated Healthy Homes Month, which is sponsored by U.S. Department of Housing And Urban Development (HUD). The observance focuses on raising awareness of housing’s impact on health and providing ways for families to protect themselves from hazards in the home.
Author: ERICA GOLLHARDT
As we continue through the warm summer months, we look for outdoor and indoor activities to keep busy. For seniors who reside in long-term care facilities, getting the chance to go outside during the warm weather days can be difficult. Local assisted living facilities and nursing homes have activities and programs enabling seniors to stay active without breaking a sweat. Some examples include balloon tennis, bean bag toss, ring toss, gardening, cooking, or seated chair exercises. Facilities benefiting from having onsite therapy services invite residents to utilize their equipment for quick exercises; some examples include an arm pedal exerciser or a simple exercise bike.
Author: Chia Lee
My name is Chia Lee. I am a recent graduate of Lakeshore Technical College. Earlier this year, I accepted a spring internship with re:TH!NK, the Lakeshore Tobacco Prevention network, a partner of Healthiest Manitowoc County.
Author: LIBBY HOLTE
The gorgeous Sheboygan summer days are finally here! Now is the time to take advantage of the weather and be active with your family on the beautiful beaches of Sheboygan County. Before you throw on those flip flops and run to the beach, remember that safety is priority No.1.
Author: BETH TEUNISSEN
Farmer’s markets have fresh, local fruits and veggies that come straight from farms to your plate. Haven’t been to the farmer’s market before? Well, the benefits to stopping at your local farmer’s market are endless!
Author: AMY GIFFIN
Learning does not end when school lets out.
Author: JONATHAN RIBICH
Land access is important for good health and in the United States, it can be easy to take for granted.
Author: KERRI ROBERTSON
For many aging Americans, May is a month to be celebrated loudly and proudly. Since 1963, when President Kennedy declared the month of May as Senior Citizens Month (later renamed Older Americans Month) the meaning of the celebration has changed drastically.
Author: STAFF AT ADVANCED PAIN MANAGEMENT
Over the past year, I have had many patients come to our clinic quite discouraged over the escalating government regulation on the prescription of opioid medications. They are quite concerned that they are going to have their “pain pills” taken away and left to suffer in endless pain. With nearly 15,000 deaths per year in the United States attributed to opioid pain medications, the government stance is more than justified.
Author: KATE BAER
Life is difficult and we all experience pain and stress to varying degrees throughout our lifetime. These emotional, physical and mental pains, sometimes due to stress, bodily injury/disease, or a combination of both, are often inevitable. A fact of life. Pain and stress affect everyone. An old anonymous adage shares, “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” Suffering is the emotional context we give to pain. The stories we tell ourselves, our bodies, our minds.