Cold and flu season is upon us. And as moms, dads and anyone who wants to avoid seasonal viruses prepare for the germ battle, they often reach for the same weapon of choice: the trusty ole’ hand sanitizer. The small…
Pete Rafferty, 72, knew from early childhood that he wanted to serve his country. A Springfield native who attended Feishan’s High School, he achieved that dream quickly upon graduation when he enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 1963. He was…
We all want our kids to grow into healthy adults. Virginia Dolan, MD, a pediatrician with Memorial Physician Services-Koke Mill and Memorial Center for Healthy Families, spoke recently on radio station WTAX about four areas to target for optimal health…
Sure, everyone has days where sadness creeps in, but typically the feelings should pass after a few days. If it gets to a point that the sadness, exhaustion, or loss of interest starts to affect your daily life, you may…
It was the intense cramping that woke her up that cold, January morning. She had noticed some recent weight gain around her stomach and it had become sore to the touch. After taking some pain relievers, Monica Hay, then a…
The call came on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day seven years ago. Michelle Buscher, then 42 years old, was soundly slumbering, enjoying the last day of a three-day weekend before going back to work. Her phone rang promptly at 8…
Have you or someone you know lost a loved one to suicide? While it is not an easy topic to discuss, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the world, especially among young people. Every year, nearly…
Children are developing an unhealthy body image at younger and younger ages, said Cheri Harrison, MS, LCPC, pediatric program coordinator for the Memorial Center for Healthy Families at Memorial Medical Center. They feel there’s something wrong with the way they…
When Carol Harms went in for her annual mammogram this February and a suspicious spot was found, she didn’t give it too much thought. There’s very little presence of cancer in her family. And she had been feeling intermittently unwell…
As program coordinator of Memorial Medical Center’s palliative care program, Kelli Fisher has been a source of strength and stability to hundreds of patients for the last decade, many of them facing their own battles with cancer. What she didn’t…