Water is called the “elixir of life” because our survival depends on it, and so does our well-being.

April is recognized as Alcohol Awareness Month. The goal is to raise awareness about alcohol abuse and the importance of prevention, treatment, and recovery.

Today we’re continuing our series on common newborn conditions. In my last column we talked about the sneezes, hiccups, gurgles, grunts and snorts these little creatures often make. Now we’ll focus on newborn babies’ appearance, including common skin ailments. At first glance some of these c…

There’s nothing wrong with you if you’ve “failed” on a diet, or a meal plan. You’re not flawed if you “cheated," nor are you a "willpower weakling" if you couldn’t establish perfect eating habits in 21 days.

With the month of March we turn our attention to spring. That attention includes an awareness of usual things or planning for the things that we look forward to each year. But did you happen to know that a Bipolar Awareness Day is observed across the globe on March 20 each year? It is most l…

I love chocolate. And I love February because we get to celebrate love and chocolate. What a great way to embrace winter.

Sitting on the tarmac recently, I found myself calculating the possibility of making my connection diminishing with each passing minute.

Have you ever noticed how kids at play barely notice the cold of winter? They seem to relish being in the outdoors and pay little attention to the frigid chill of the season.

One thing the pandemic has really highlighted is the importance of mental health. We now know that mental health issues are much more common than previously perceived. Seventeen percent of youth and 20% of adults will deal with a mental health issue this year, says the National Alliance on M…

Achieving peak performance always requires extra physical effort. Cold weather puts additional stress on the body, but certain food and fluid habits may help avoid fatigue-related poor performance and even hypothermia. More importantly, drinking properly can make it more fun to play in the m…

Read no further if you’re looking for the three simple steps for a happy 2023 — to be a better parent, to write the book or to finally practice good screen habits. While our community is full of people with different lives and stories, rest assured that we are all the same in this fact: Ther…

What if you said goodbye to quick fixes and welcomed sensible, sustainable self-care into your life?

To sleep well, you need to be in a calm and relaxed state.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for tod…

The holiday season is upon us. This time of year the treats abound. As we slide into this delicious time of year, parties are everywhere, from work, to family and friends.

For longer than I care to admit, I treated healthy habits like a drill sergeant’s checklist. I made the right efforts: moved my body every day, ate lots of vegetables, maintained strong relationships, pursued meaningful work. But the tone drowned out the good. It took an embarrassing number …

Many parents are panicked about hand, foot, and mouth disease. What is this scary sounding “disease”? How did my child get it and will she be OK? When can she go back to day care? Since there definitely seems to be an outbreak around town, I thought this might be a good time to alleviate som…

Is your blood work “normal” but you can’t sleep? Many of my clients have this experience.

In the human service field much focus is on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. If you are not familiar with this theory, it is a psychology concept that is composed of five tiers related to human motivation. The lower parts of the pyramid focus on deficit needs while the higher are based on growth…

Those who are active here in Jackson put lots of strain on their bones and joints. Strain on bones can be good, allowing for more mineralization, meaning stronger bones that are less likely to break or become osteoporotic. But strain on joints over time can lead to osteoarthritis and joint d…

I closed last week by addressing a large group of MBA students at my alma mater, the University of Wyoming, at a conference that has been happening for over a decade, thanks to one retired business executive who wanted to inspire and support these budding Wyoming entrepreneurs.

Insomnia wasn’t a common problem 200 years ago. This isn’t surprising considering how much has changed since then.

September is the month set aside for suicide prevention, but this topic is in the forefront of most discussions about mental health both in our community as well as across the state and the country. Suicide prevention is important every day. The topic is always difficult to discuss. An inter…

Teton County public schools started this week. Other local schools started last week. I expect there are stressed parents trying to get kids back on an early morning schedule. Getting breakfast prepped, while also attempting to pack a healthy lunch, may seem like too much to handle. And yet …

What actually happens when we practice mindfulness? When we engage in “mental fitness training”?

Whether you’ve just had your first baby or you’re an experienced parent, everyone has sat gazing and marveling at their new little bundle of joy. It’s only natural to notice every sneeze, gurgle, hiccup and twitch. So what is normal for newborn babies and when is it time to sound the alarms?

There are two parts of your brain that battle each other.

This time of year we are all busy with summer activities, work, fitting everything possible into the short summer season we tend to have here. Outdoor events to plan and attend, family to visit and memories to create.

If you read last week’s Jackson Hole News&Guide, you know that it is an epic year for seasonal allergy sufferers. With lots of early season moisture followed by hot weather, the plant pollen, grasses and cottonwood are some things that are causing watery eyes and runny noses.

A few weeks ago I read an opinion piece about police militarization in the wake of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, a community just larger than Jackson. Prior to that tragedy, Uvalde was better known for its youth soccer program and the slough residents preserved as a bird sanctuary and …

An unhealthy gut is a major contributor to insomnia.

Last month was Mental Health Awareness month. While there is more awareness in general, there are still areas that need to be addressed.

Jackson is known for its world-class athletes. It’s also known to be a party town. “Play hard, party hard” is the motto for many locals. But one of these activities may be affecting the other. Drinking may be slowing some down. Let us look at the science.

My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Cortez, started out the school year by getting us excited to learn. She told us we would solve word problems, add and subtract up to seven digits and write numbers up to a billion! We would memorize one entire poem and learn all 50 states and their capitals and …

Many of us grew up riding in the back of the station wagon, no seat belts and certainly no child safety seats. Why all the fuss about child safety seats now? Driving is one of the most dangerous activities we undertake. There are more cars on the road and cars travel at greater speeds now th…

A healthy body sleeps well.

Mental Health Awareness Month is upon us. The month of May has been recognized to bring awareness to this important topic since 1949. While the focus should not end with the month, it does provide opportunities. Talking about the issue, in fact, does make it easier to talk about, to personal…

Spring has sprung. The bluebirds have arrived, snow is receding and elk are on the move. This is the renewal season in Jackson Hole.

If you’re like me, anytime you read about a life “hack” there’s some small, irrational impulse to believe it, to learn it, to chase the promise of things getting easier. And then, once the hook is lightly set, you realize (again) that like any good habit, valuable change requires effort, and…

Sleep apnea and insomnia are two different issues. You can have one or the other or both.

As we head into April and spring break, along with celebrating the coming of spring it seems like a relevant time to talk about alcohol awareness. While alcohol use issues have always been a public health concern on varying levels, two years of dealing with the pandemic has certainly exacerb…

Inflammation is important for our bodies. The body “burn” helps fight illness, improves the ability of the body to heal and gives a signal that something needs to be fixed.

I attended a public meeting the other night, my first in ages, accompanied by a group of concerned Jacksonites and a bunch of people on Zoom, to ask the Town Council to do even more, during a time when so much is already being asked of them. And of all leaders in our community. We were there…

Did you realize the most common chronic disease of early childhood is largely preventable? We’re talking about dental caries (cavities) or tooth decay. Dental health is important in and of itself, but also has a huge impact on a child’s overall health and well-being. Unfortunately the COVID-…