Valentine’s Day is approaching. The store shelves are stocked with heart shaped boxes filled with chocolate. It is the time of year when the news stories remind us of research indicating that chocolate is a healthy choice for our heart … but is it really a health food? Let’s look at the facts. What is chocolate? Chocolate is extracted from a cacao bean, and it contains chocolate liquor. A hydraulic press separates the liquor into cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Extra whole milk or extra cocoa butter is added to … Continue reading
With Valentine’s Day approaching, Alegent Health is talking a lot about heart-related issues. Not so much the romantic side of the heart, but issues surrounding heart disease. Bergan Mercy Medical Center is hosting a Heart and Vascular Health Fair on Saturday, February 18th, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. regarding health-related issues. I’m looking forward to it because I’ll be there! You might be wondering how mental-health and heart disease are related. I know my last blog was on marriage and relationships – the other, more romantic side of heart-related … Continue reading
The Super Bowl is approaching. It’s a time to gather with family or friends to enjoy the game, commercials, and of course, food. So, how do you celebrate this yearly event? That’s the question I asked some co-workers and some participants attending one of my community presentations. As you can imagine, the answers vary widely from, “I do not watch football,” to “I have a good time at a local sports bar.” Some people also reflected on this date from their experiences with their family. They recalled a fun time as … Continue reading
I recently received a few emails requesting I write about how to have a healthy relationship – specifically a healthy marriage. Long-term, committed relationships like marriage can start out great and, over time, depending on what life throws at us, can become impaired, argumentative, and disconnected. It’s always wonderful to see marriages that have stood the test of time. Why some marriages last and others do not is usually based on many factors including the physical and emotional health of the individuals in the marriage, each one’s understanding of what … Continue reading
While watching the local news last evening, I saw a most interesting ad. A mom and her two children were exchanging questions and answers. The son asked for some chips and his mother’s reply was, “Have a banana”. The daughter asks for a soda, and the mom provides bottled water. The son asked for his video basketball game. His sister replied, “Go outside and play the real one”. A couple more exchanges followed, and the summary was to practice 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. I discovered that Alegent Health is … Continue reading