It can if you are rubbing the adorable head of your best friend who happens to be your dog. Numerous studies indicate caring for a dog can lead to a longer, healthier life. To make it easier for you, we gathered the information below. 

Knowing a wagging tail will greet you at home, can create feelings of joy, reduce stress and lower blood pressure. The health benefits don’t stop there. People who own dogs are 34% more likely to walk for the recommended amount of 150 minutes each week. Dog owners are also 31% less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than people who do not own a dog.  

Still questioning if dogs can improve your health? For hundreds of years, animals including dogs have been used to help the sick and injured recover. These days, therapy dogs are a common sight and often visit hospitals bringing smiles to patients. Dogs are a companion that can make you feel happier, better and live longer.  

The real question is not whether you should get a dog, but what will you name it?  

For more health tips, visit the Health and Wellness section of Genesis.org and talk to your doctor. 

Numerous studies indicate caring for a dog can lead to a longer, healthier life. 

When it comes time to buy a backpack and load it with school supplies, you might want to keep a few of these tips in mind.

There are several kinds of sleep disorders – insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and narcolepsy to name a few. You might be surprised to find that you have one of these disorders. It’s good to have an idea, so you can make sure you are getting the restful, rejuvenating sleep you need to lead a healthy life. 

Take this quiz to see if you might have a sleep disorder. 

You might be surprised to find that you have one of these disorders.

Ah-choo! What? Where did that come from? Just last spring you inhaled the wonderful scent of the seasonal air with clear, happy sinuses. So why are you sneezing this year? Let’s find out! 

Ah-choo! What? Where did that come from? Just last spring you inhaled the wonderful scent of the seasonal air with clear, happy sinuses. So why are you sneezing this year? Let’s find out! 

Almost everyone loves getting a new pair of shoes, taking them out of the box and trying them on with your favorite outfit. Then you show them off by wearing them to dinner, shopping, the gym or work. You come home … and please take them off before going inside!  

Do you know how dirty your shoes are? After reading this, you will probably wish you didn’t know. According to a study by Dr. Charles Gerba, microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona and The Rockport Company, your shoes are covered in bacteria. How much bacteria? About 421,000 units on the outside and almost 3,000 on the inside. Yuck. 

Even worse, some of the bacteria are Escherichia coli, a nasty substance that causes intestinal and urinary tract infections, meningitis and diarrheal. Plus, there are other pain and illness inflicting bacteria on your shoes.  

The study found up to 96% of shoes in the study contain coliforms. What are coliforms? Oh, just bacteria found in human and animal waste.  

Are you ready for more depressing news? Bacteria transfers from shoes to clean tile floors between 90% to 99%. 

Think about your household floors. Your young children crawl on them. We lay on them to play board games with kids. You picked that cookie up and ate it while you comforted yourself with the five-second rule, which by the way, is not legit. Eating the cookie from the floor is eating a cookie contaminated with excrement. Need some mouth wash?   

So, what should you do? Floors, especially hardwood, tiled or linoleum, can be slick in socks.  

“To avoid bringing excess germs into your home, you should never wear your shoes inside. Leave them at the door, preferably on the outside of the door, if possible. Then keep a pair of slippers to wear inside by the door that never, ever go outside,” said Anastasia Gevas, D.O., Genesis Primary Care. 

Be cautious because shoes pick up bacteria on the inside that can be transferred when you change shoes. However, changing shoes will significantly decrease the amount of contamination those beautiful expensive shoes you love have been bringing into your home.  

Do you know how dirty your shoes are? After reading this, you will probably wish you didn’t know.

Are you a constant worrier? Do you start thinking about things that are a concern and end up sleepless fretting about an asteroid hitting our planet? There are solutions. Take our quiz to learn simple techniques to control your worries and help your overall health.  

If you are worried about how you will do on this quiz? Then you definitely need to take it.  

Are you a constant worrier? Do you start thinking about things that are a concern and end up sleepless fretting about an asteroid hitting our planet? There are solutions. Take our quiz to learn simple techniques to control your worries and help your overall health.  

Cholesterol is a silent disease and common enough that Stephen Knox, M.D., board-certified family medicine, Genesis Primary Care, addresses the problem with patients every day.

“Without testing, we can’t tell if our cholesterol levels are too high or too low until we have a big problem,” Dr. Knox said. “That’s why I talk about this multiple times per day. The great news is, with the right steps, we can prevent and correct issues and have healthier lives.”

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, yellowish fatty substance found in the blood. While the body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, too much of it can accrue over time. As extra cholesterol gathers, plaque forms within blood vessels and arteries and increases the chances of heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.

The liver, the largest gland in the body, makes and clears cholesterol for our bodies. We also get cholesterol from foods we eat, specifically animal-based products. 

The good, the bad and the great news related to cholesterol.

Although bad cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, leads to fatty buildups in arteries, not all cholesterol deserves a bad rap. Good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, carries bad cholesterol back to the liver, so it can be broken down and removed from the body. 

To determine good and bad cholesterol levels, everyone over the age of 20 should have a routine blood test once every five years.

“Ideally, we want high HDL and low LDL, and that can take effort,” Dr. Knox said. “But don’t worry. You can lower your cholesterol. A good place to start is with your family doctor.”

Lifestyle upgrades to lower cholesterol.

Treatments for high cholesterol include medication and lifestyle changes. Your family doctor will work with you to identify the best pathways to better health while considering medical history, risk factors and health goals.

Risk factors for having high cholesterol include gender (males tend to have higher levels than females), age (cholesterol levels commonly increase with age), poor diet, obesity, smoking and diabetes.

“We can’t control all of the risk factors for high cholesterol like genetics, but we can take control of our diet, activity levels and smoking habits,” Dr. Knox said. “Lifestyle changes can make a major difference in our cholesterol level and overall health.”

Dr. Knox suggests these three lifestyles changes to lower cholesterol levels:

1.       Quit smoking. A non-smoking 55-year-old non-diabetic male with low good cholesterol and high total cholesterol has a 10.8 percent chance of having heart disease or a stroke in the next 10 years. If that same person is a smoker, the risk of heart disease or stroke jumps to almost double at 19.5 percent.

2.       Improve diet choices. Eating less high-processed sugary foods and carbohydrates and consuming more fruits and green vegetables will help lower cholesterol levels. Also, when choosing to eat animal products, pick leaner meats like fish and chicken instead of fatty red meats.

3.       Increase activity levels. When it comes to exercise, Dr. Knox said anything is better than nothing. A recent study showed that 60 minutes per week of moderate activity levels improved cholesterol levels. So, take your activity to the next level and spur cholesterol improvement.

To schedule an appointment and have your cholesterol levels tested, call your family doctor. If you don’t have a family doctor, call Genesis OneCall at 740-455-7500.

Nearly 29 million Americans have high cholesterol, meaning cholesterol levels higher than 240 mg/dL, yet many people don’t know about their condition.

We have a lot of pressure in our day-to-day life, like work, home, kids, traffic. And annually, for one out of eight adults, there is the added pressure from sinuses. If you get a headache that feels like it’s in your forehead, on either side of your nose, in-between your eyes or in your upper mouth, it might be your sinuses.  

 What purpose do sinuses serve?  

You know they serve a purpose, but when the only time you notice your sinuses is when they are causing pain, you wonder why they exist. Our sinuses lighten the weight of our head, humidify and heat the air we inhale, and keep out potentially harmful dirt, allergens and other particles in the air. They are hollow air spaces in the bones behind your eyes and nose that connect to the nose through small, narrow channels.  

How do sinuses get infected?  

For many, the inflammation starts when viruses or bacteria infect your sinuses (often during a cold) and begin to multiply. Part of the body’s reaction to the infection causes the sinus lining to swell, so the sinuses cannot function properly. The infection is referred to as sinusitis and can also be called rhinosinusitis because the symptoms involve both the nose and the sinuses.  

Simple tips to prevent infections are similar to ways to prevent catching a cold. Drink plenty of fluids; frequently wash your hands; consume vitamin C; blow your nose frequently instead of sniffing; avoid cigarette smoke; and don’t let your nasal passages get too dry. Try to keep your nose cleared out but not dried out by using a nasal spray or humidifier.  

How to treat 

There are many over-the-counter medications for the sinus infection that is not getting worse and lasts less than 10 days.  

To help ease the symptoms, there are home remedies such as: 

• Drink plenty of fluids 

• Run a humidifier in your bedroom at night while you sleep 

• Inhale steam by bending over a bowl of boiling water and put a towel over your head 

• Put a warm towel over your nose 

If you feel worse or the symptoms are prolonged, call your doctor.  

We have a lot of pressure in our day-to-day life, like work, home, kids, traffic. And annually, for one out of eight adults, there is the added pressure from sinuses.

Have you heard of the “miraculous benefits” or “restorative powers” of a liver cleanse? Some claim they can repair years of damage to your liver, help you lose weight, flush your body of toxins and improve your overall health.  

But are these claims true? Take this quiz and find out!

Have you heard of the “miraculous benefits” or “restorative powers” of a liver cleanse? Some claim they can repair years of damage to your liver, help you lose weight, flush your body of toxins and improve your overall health.  

Who wants to scratch for days when you can prevent the itch in mere minutes? And what is it about bug spray that keeps the mosquitoes off? How can such a tiny nuisance cause so many diseases? It’s worth your time to fight the bite. View the list below for helpful tips.

Who wants to scratch for days when you can prevent the itch in mere minutes? And what is it about bug spray that keeps the mosquitoes off? How can such a tiny nuisance cause so many diseases? It’s worth your time to fight the bite.