Working with the community... for a healthier community.

Is Weight Loss Surgery Right for Me?

Submitted by Springfield Clinic Many people have a New Year’s Resolution that involves weight loss. Studies have shown that of 41 percent of people who felt successful in keeping their resolution, only 9 percent actually met their goals or kept their resolution. Weight loss is challenging and most of the patients we see in our […]

Work Together To Age With Strength

By Maureen Gebhards, LPC, John R. Day & Associates, Christian Psychological Associates When I was 35, I remember being home for Thanksgiving and watching my 77-year-old father carrying a roaster up the narrow and treacherous basement stairs (hot roaster full of a 22-lb turkey). It was the first time I was struck with the notion […]

The Dangers of Homemade Ramps

Submitted by ADA Total Access, Inc. As ramp manufacturers, we see many well-intentioned attempts to create an acceptable slope to allow someone with mobility difficulties (whether in a mobility device or not) to bypass the stairs outside their home. And the reason we see it is because these people learn what we already know—these homemade wheelchair ramps are often impractical and […]

Solvera Health—The Primary Care

By Alexander Germanis It seems that with every innovation meant to make life easier there is a reciprocal move to complicate some other aspect of living. For instance, being able to pay bills online can simplify the monthly process, but with that convenience comes the cost of internet usage and the ever-present threat of data […]

Pivoting Through COVID-19

By Monica Hendrickson, MPH, Administrator Peoria City/County Health Department “PIVOT”  – verb: to turn or spin around a center point – noun: a turning point The term pivot is a dynamic word. It indicates a movement around a center balanced point, allowing us to be responsive to any future changes. It also means that we […]

Dealing With the Stress of Uncertainty

By Ted Chapin, Ph.D., Chapin & Russell Associates – Neurotherapy Institute of Central Illinois One thing worse than a known fear is an unknown fear. What is going on? How worse can it get? Will we be okay? What happens if . . . ? Today, the stress of uncertainty comes from many places. A […]

Exercise vs. Recreation

By Mike Hintz, Absolute Fitness Amisunderstood concept in fitness today among researchers, commercial health facilities, and the general public alike is the confusion of exercise and recreation. We can probably agree that both exercise and recreation are important in the overall scheme of health and fitness and that both overlap to some degree. However, to […]

Compassionate Care and Management of a Life-Long Diagnosis

The Bleeding & Clotting Disorders Institute (BCDI), located at the corner of Northmoor Road and Knoxville Avenue in Peoria, IL, has been serving patients of downstate Illinois since April 2010. Among many accolades, BCDI is the only nonprofit federally funded Hemophilia Treatment Center of Excellence in Illinois, outside of Chicago, providing integrated family-oriented care, treatment […]

Looking Out the Other’s Window

By Luke Dalfiume, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Co-Owner, John R. Day & Associates, Christian Psychological Associates A favorite psychiatrist/author of mine is Irvin Yalom. He wrote a gem of a book called The Gift of Therapy. This book consists of a series of brief, seemingly random, chapters containing bits of clinical wisdom from someone who […]

5 Benefits of Exercise for Wheelchair Users

Submitted by ADA Total Access, Inc. At the start of the new year, many Americans resolve to become more fit. Exercise and its benefits are not out of reach for wheelchair-bound individuals. Here are a few benefits you can look forward to when you add regular exercise into your schedule. 1. Maintain Independence For seniors […]