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It’s okay, they’re just baby teeth...right?

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It’s okay only if those baby teeth are taken cared of properly and part of a healthy mouth.  They may only have a life span of a few years, but are so important for many reasons. We need our kids to have good teeth from the beginning. F irst, those teeth are all they have to chew with until around the age of 6 or 7 when the first permanent molars come in, sometimes referred to as “six-year molars”.  Around the same time, they are losing eight incisors and having new front teeth erupt. Consequently, they may not have very many functioning teeth at different times so the ones they do have are critical.  If there is a diminished capacity to properly chew food, it can lead to poor nutrition and digestion issues even in young people. Children who end up with cavities that are not restored can develop toothaches and abscesses just like adults.  However, that can happen quicker in baby teeth. Since they are designed to only last a short time, any problems can rapidly invo
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Glaucoma: Get the simple eye test!

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Experts call glaucoma “the sneak thief of sight” because there are no symptoms in the early stages such as blurred vision, a feeling of pressure in or behind the eye or pain. When a person finally notices a change in their sight over 40% of their optic nerve (the nerve that transmits the light from our eyes back to our brain) may be destroyed. This damage is permanent. Once the individual sees symptoms it can be difficult to prevent more damage, vision loss or potential blindness. Experts estimate that over 3 million Americans have glaucoma and 50% of them don’t know it. It accounts for 9 -12% of all blindness. As Americans age the Glaucoma Research Foundation predicts an epidemic of blindness looming. The purpose of Glaucoma Awareness Month is to educate people about the importance of regular eye exams to preserve vision. Many people are unaware that a simple and painless test at the eye doctor’s office can determine if a person has or is developing glaucoma. Treatment ca
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Gun Safety

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Missourians enjoy the right to own, and carry firearms though the 2 nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Missouri Constitution, and state statutes. Firearms safety is an important part of firearms ownership for the armed citizen. Firearm owner’s manuals provide instruction on methods to safely load, unload, use safeties, and fire that particular firearm. Professional instruction is also highly recommended. Most firearm retailers have trained staff capable of explaining the safe operation of firearms. The National Rifle Association (NRA) has tens of thousands of reputable certified firearm instructors across the nation. The Lee’s Summit Police Department (LSPD) firearm instructors receive NRA instructor certification. The National Institute of Health and NRA recommend teaching children to never touch a gun without adult supervision. Children finding a gun should be taught to leave it alone and tell an adult immediately. Teaching children gun safety early in life can remove t
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Making Wise Decisions About Alcohol Use

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that excessive alcohol use causes one in ten deaths in adults ages 20- to 64-years-old. At 88,000 deaths per year between the years of 2006 and 2010, it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in that age group.  Additionally, the CDC notes that, although drinking below the age of 21 is illegal, people between the ages of 12 and 20 years of age consume 11% of all alcohol ingested in the United States.  Excessive drinking in the underage population accounts for 4,300 deaths annually.   While the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) cites some benefits from moderate alcohol consumption--decreased risk for heart disease, decreased risk of ischemic stroke and decreased risk of diabetes--it indicates that 47% of the 78,529 liver disease deaths in 2015 were alcohol related.  Moreover, drinking alcohol increases the risks of cancer in the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx and breast.    The
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Preventing Youth Suicide

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According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is one death by suicide every 13 minutes. Let’s put this into perspective. The average runner takes around 13 minutes to run a mile (quora.com). One mile…one life…13 minutes . Suicide has become a hot topic of conversation within our nation lately. From Netflix shows to increased awareness in our own community, suicide prevention is present. Our community is hungry for more education and ways to combat suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people ages 10-24 in the Kansas City metro region, with 78% of those deaths falling in the 18-24 year old age range and the majority being male. In response to this problem, ReDiscover, a Lee’s Summit behavioral health center, is reaching out to youth ages 10-24 years old who are suffering from suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Amplified efforts are directed toward even narrower populations of this group who are even more vulnerable. These particular populations
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Flexibility

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How flexible are you? Do you accept change easily?  Flexibility is defined as the ability to be modified; your willingness to adapt; your attitude. Fitness Try to get in 30 minutes of stretching every day. Your body is made to endure some tough situations, but it will tell you when it has had too much. Decrease the strain you put on your body by taking time out to breathe, relax, and stretch the elements of your body that hold stress and tension. ‘A little stretch goes a long way’. Nutrition Shake things up! Try to incorporate something new in your diet or exercise regime every week. Pre-planned meals or workouts give us a great tool to maintain healthy eating habits and lifestyles. Just add some new foods or exercises to try once a week to add variety to your menu and fitness goal. ‘Bend but don't break.' Quick Facts Stretching helps decrease risk of injury and improve daily physical performance. Stretching decreases resistance in muscle tissue during activity and
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Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness

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June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Everyone who has a brain is at risk to develop Alzheimer’s, a disease that is often misunderstood. Alzheimer’s disease has become one of the largest health care crises in the world. Did you know…? Every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease. In Missouri, it is the sixth leading cause of death. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer COMBINED . Alzheimer’s is not normal aging. It is a progressive brain disease, which appears through a variety of signs and symptoms. Alzheimer’s disease is the only top-10 cause of death that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. Early-onset Alzheimer’s affects people younger than 65 – many are in their 40s and 50s. About 200,000 people have early onset Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Doctors do not understand why most cases of early-onset Alzheimer’s appear at such a young
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