We'll be phasing out this section soon because our new Web site, WellCommons.com is active. Be our guest and come over and check it out. WellCommons is a new way of creating an online community: part journalism, part community activism, part social media. Check out what we've created and help us make WellCommons an integral part of building a healthier Lawrence and a healthier Douglas County.
- Preventing colorectal cancer
- Diet, exercise, weight are key
- March 7, 2017
- In 2017, the American Cancer Society predicts the number of deaths in the United States related to colorectal cancer to be approximately 50,260. That would be similar to 51 percent of the entire population of Lawrence passing away from what is often considered one of the most preventable cancers.
- 10 small ways to improve your nutrition
- February 28, 2017
- March is annually recognized as National Nutrition Month. Created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, this month is an opportunity to learn more about the importance of making informed food choices and developing and maintaining healthy eating and physical activity practices.
- Tips for taking better care of your feet
- February 21, 2017
- Consider your feet as the caregivers of your body. Day after day they accept you for who you are, take pounding after pounding and support all of your efforts. They bend to forces applied by weak muscles and bad form, and they ride along in ill-fitting shoes, flip flops and, sometimes, even naked.
- Keep your heart healthy
- February 14, 2017
- Most likely, all of us have been affected at some point in our lives by heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease. If not through a personal experience, then likely by the experience of a friend or loved one.
- 12.2 million sign up for Obamacare despite its challenges
- February 14, 2017
- More than 12.2 million people have signed up for coverage nationwide this year under the Obama-era health care law even with the uncertainty created by President Donald Trump’s vow to repeal and replace it.
- Thursday is important day in KU Cancer Center quest for next-level NCI designation
- February 7, 2017
- This week marks a key milestone in the University of Kansas Cancer Center’s multiyear, multimillion dollar quest to obtain next-level certification from the National Cancer Institute. After submitting an application for the designation in September, the KU Cancer Center, located at the KU Medical Center campus in Kansas City, Kan., will have its site visit from NCI reviewers on Thursday.
- It’s not too late to get your flu shot
- February 7, 2017
- Late last month, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported widespread influenza activity across the state. Locally, the number of active cases in Lawrence and throughout Douglas County is also on the rise.
- Signups through HealthCare.gov down, report says
- February 7, 2017
- Facing higher premiums, less choice and a last-minute advertising pullback, fewer people signed up for coverage this year through HealthCare.gov, according to data from a preliminary government report Friday.
- 6 tips for avoiding winter doldrums
- January 31, 2017
- We are almost halfway through winter and even though the predicted weather the rest of this week looks quite spring-like, it is likely that we have probably not seen the last of Old Man Winter. Here are a few tips to help you get through the remainder of the winter season as healthy and happy as possible.
- LMH unveils Destination Health as guide to healthy future
- January 24, 2017
- Over the last several months, a Strategic Planning Task Force made up of representatives from the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, medical staff, management staff and employees has engaged in an intensive strategic planning process known as Destination Health. Last week the LMH Board of Trustees approved a new strategic plan that maps the hospital’s journey to a healthy future over the next three to seven years.
- Health department seeks nominations for Health Champion awards
- January 23, 2017
- The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department will recognize Douglas County residents who model, encourage and promote health in the community during National Public Health Week, April 3-9.
- Student health insurance rates to increase more than 5 percent at state universities
- January 18, 2017
- Student health insurance premiums will go up more than 5 percent at state universities next year, following two years with no increases.
- RSV — the common cold that isn’t
- January 17, 2017
- When it begins — the cough, runny nose, and possibly fever — it seems reasonable to think that your child has the common cold to which everyone is prone at this time of year. However, for some children, especially infants, those symptoms can be the early indications of a more serious virus — respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
- Why so many New Year’s resolutions fail — and why the rare few succeed
- January 16, 2017
- It’s estimated that about 50 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions each year. Perhaps unsurprisingly to anyone who’s partaken in a resolution, only 8 percent of us actually accomplish them, according to research from the University of Scranton. Here, Lawrence-based psychologist Dr. Marciana Vequist sheds some light on what makes a successful resolution — and why so many of us struggle with creating lasting change year after year.
- Testing, improving and maintaining your balance
- January 10, 2017
- The fear of falling is common as we age. We feel the loss of freedom of movement as our joints become tighter and we need to work harder to maintain strength and balance. How do we balance as we walk and avoid falling? How can we measure the level of our balance skills today? How do we improve our balance when it declines? Physical and occupational therapists work on balance problems and have the tools to help you answer these questions.
