Health Today

Your retirement is here! It’s time for travel, hiking, fishing, gardening, golf, and whatever else your ideal golden years bring. The last thing you want is an unexpected setback, like an accidental fall.

According to the National Institute on Aging, the risk of falling—and fall-related problems—rises with age. In fact, more than one in four people aged 65 or older fall each year.

Statistics show that the rate of fall-related injury and death is even higher in northern Arizona, where we deal with a greater number of specific risk factors such as hills, unpaved streets and trails, historic homes with wood floors and staircases, and icy streets and sidewalks in the colder months.

While it’s tempting to give in to the fear of falling by avoiding activities such as shopping, walking, or socializing, it’s important to stay active to keep strong and healthy. There are many simple things you can do to decrease your risk of an unexpected fall.

We already know stress is a daily occurrence, whether it is trying to get your kids out of the house on time, being productive at work, or trying to uphold the house. We all go through it. But what if that daily stress was actually causing your health issues? Stress releases complex hormones like cortisol that stay acute in your body for hours. This is called the fight-fright-freeze response and in many situations is needed for our body to deal with what’s at hand. However, when we live in a chronic state of stress, our body lacks the ability to return to a normal state. This causes dysregulation of our parasympathetic nervous system and leads to the development of chronic health conditions.

Once enacted, this acute phase will turn itself off if you are able to regulate your stress level. The following methods are alternative and cost-effective ways to reduce stress.

For years, my 14-day detox program, starting the second week of January, was one of the most popular experiences I offered. I loved it, too; meeting weekly to see how everyone was doing, celebrating wins, working through struggles, and (because I can’t resist) sharing the science behind food-based detoxification.

But I always had a hidden agenda:

To show people the healing power of good food.

And maybe to help make “food-based detox” more a way of life.

Family Nurse Practitioner Louella Bauman started Yavapai Family Medical two years ago so she could practice medicine the way she sees it: as a modality to truly heal her patients.

“I wanted to be able to find the cause of the symptoms so we could actually cure patients instead of just treating them,” she said.

The Prescott native and Prescott High School class of 2000 graduate said during a recent interview that while many patients come in seeking relief from their symptoms, she said, “symptoms are not the illness, they direct you to the cause”.

Louella and her staff take a more natural approach, looking deeper and seeking to treat the deficiency behind the symptom’s cause and cure the root problem. In fact, in addition to her certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice, Louella recently earned her certification as an Acute Practice Holistic Nurse Practitioner (also known as a naturopath).

Mended & Whole Counseling, established in February 2023 by Kimberly Langford, provides a compassionate space for individuals seeking healing and restoration. The practice offers a wide range of services designed to address various aspects of mental health and emotional well-being.

Kimberly, a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) and Licensed Associate Substance Abuse Counselor (LASAC) in Arizona, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her clients. With degrees in Psychology, Christian Counseling, and Addiction Counseling from Liberty University, and trauma certifications from the Trauma Institute International, she has dedicated her career to helping others navigate the complexities of trauma and recovery.

It’s a rare and exciting opportunity when we are presented with a chance to improve the community for generations to come. Thirty-five years ago, a small, grassroots group of like-minded Prescott citizens was given that opportunity. Little did they know that future generations would continue to benefit from their concern for children and their vision for the community’s future.

Hello, fall! I love autumn in Prescott. Maybe you do, too? Crisp air, bright blue skies; the return of pumpkin, squash, and other comfort foods; Halloween and spooky ghost stories…

Many women’s lives speed up in autumn, with kids back in school, work projects on the upswing, and minds turning to holiday preparation.

As a doctor I see a pattern this time of year: every autumn, women feel invigorated about their health and come to me ready to finally lose weight, get blood pressure down, get hormones balanced, etc.

But autumn life is vibrant and stimulating and it’s happening all around them, so they easily lose focus on their own health goals. They live, they slip, and they feel guilty that they’re not being “perfect” (even though they promised themselves that this time, they would be).

When asked about your pelvic floor health, what usually comes to mind is the kegel. But what exactly is a kegel, and what are its health benefits? Ask a group of people and there would be many answers because there isn’t a clear consensus on what a kegel does, how to do it correctly, and whether it helps.

Most agree that kegels help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and manage incontinence. We know they’re named after a 1940s American male gynecologist, Dr. Arnold H. Kegel, and were considered a non-surgical method to prevent women from leaking urine. Beyond that, there’s a lack of specificity in what muscles in the pelvic floor kegels actually engage, who should be doing them, and for how long.

By now, you have probably heard of the “mindfulness movement.” You may have read a magazine article or two, and it’s hard to ignore the ever-growing collection of mindfulness books at the bookstore or library. Many people who have tried it say mindfulness has made a remarkable difference in their quality of life.

Now take mindfulness and apply it to medicine; specifically, the treatment of chronic pain. This is what internationally acclaimed neurosurgeon Dr. Sam Safavi-Abbasi and neurosurgical nurse practitioner and certified somatic experiencing practitioner Elisa Venezia are bringing to their patients, right here in the Quad Cities area.

The Mediterranean diet.

With its heavy focus on a plant-based diet along with healthy protein and anti-inflammatory fats, the Mediterranean diet can change women’s bodies and also, maybe, help them heal their relationship with food (did I mention the ravioli?).

Plus, the Mediterranean diet provides essential nutrients to help breastfeeding mamas maintain a healthy milk supply.

Are you thinking about becoming a volunteer at Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center? Good for you. And we mean, literally, “Good for you.” Yavapai Regional volunteers are reaping benefits on many different levels. Here are just a few:

Good for your social life. Countless Yavapai Regional volunteers tell us that what started as a volunteer shift has resulted in lasting friendships. It’s a great way to make friends and get involved with like-minded people. You’ll often see our volunteers having lunch together in the cafeteria before their shifts begin or getting together after hours to attend various community events. Some of our volunteers even travel together.

Good for your physical and mental health. Research by the Corporation for National and Community Service shows that people who volunteer have lower mortality rates, lower rates of depression, and fewer physical limitations than those who don’t volunteer. Additionally, a 2013 study of more that 1,600 older adults found that the participants who volunteered at least 200 hours per year were forty percent less likely to get high blood pressure than non-volunteers.