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.
- Forum to focus on end of life
- April 11, 2017
- Lawrence Memorial Hospital, in partnership with Lawrence Public Library, on April 17, will host a 90-minute discussion on a topic that most people would rather not talk about: how they prefer to die.
- Designing parks for older adults
- April 11, 2017
- As America grays, healthy aging becomes essential. Physical activity or exercise is an important piece of this. Getting regular exercise of just 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week has been linked to a reduction in heart disease, cancer, falls and cognitive impairment due to dementia, including Alzheimer-type dementia.
- Parkinson’s disease: Know the symptoms and get the facts
- April 4, 2017
- Its cause is unknown; there is no specific test to diagnose it; and there is no cure. Parkinson’s disease, a nervous system disorder that affects movement, impacts about 1 million people who are currently living with the condition in the United States.
- Douglas County ranked seventh healthiest county in Kansas in new report
- March 29, 2017
- Douglas County has once again been ranked one of the healthiest counties in Kansas, moving up one spot from eighth to seventh in an annual report released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
- Health Champions celebrated: County to recognize residents who enriched community
- March 28, 2017
- This year’s Douglas County Health Champions Evan Jorn and Adam and Rachel Rolf enjoy helping residents of all ages and abilities be active.
- Slam-dunk snacking: Sate your March Madness appetite with some of these elite treats
- March 21, 2017
- It’s basketball tournament time once again. And for many of us, that means watching hoops on television — and perhaps snacking while doing so.
- Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers battling dementia
- March 21, 2017
- Relatives of Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers say the Chicago Bears legend has been diagnosed with dementia.
- Indulge in a little ‘spring cleaning’ for your body
- March 21, 2017
- As you begin the annual spring cleaning of your home and environment, it’s not a bad idea to begin ‘spring cleaning’ your body as well. For many of us, the winter months mean less exposure to sun (low vitamin D), less movement and more consumption of heavier foods.
- Experts: less bacon, more nuts
- March 14, 2017
- Gorging on bacon, skimping on nuts? These are among food habits that new research links with deaths from heart disease, strokes and diabetes.
- Understanding the complexity of pain
- March 14, 2017
- Pain is complex. We usually think of pain as being simple; for example, you sprain your ankle and now you have pain. It makes sense to assume if you hurt or damage your body, then you will have pain. But what about those times you have pain without a cause?
- Why are people obese? Political efforts can be tricky because Republicans and Democrats answer differently, KU research shows
- March 13, 2017
- Since when did being fat become a political issue? Some University of Kansas professors say their research has shown that over the past decade people’s political leanings, along with their own weight categories, increasingly contribute to how they view obesity and what the government should or shouldn’t do about it.
- Fitbit tracks your steps; now it wants to chart your Zs, too
- March 7, 2017
- Fitbit, whose devices encourage people to walk 10,000 steps each day, now wants to put them to sleep as well.
- 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.
