Massage is a necessity disguised as a luxury

Families are in the trenches fighting cancer every day. If cancer hasn’t crossed your path, whether directly or through a loved one, consider yourself lucky. It’s easy to feel helpless when friends and people close to you are struggling. Since September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we’re going to give you some simple things you can do to help those who are facing the dreaded “C” word. Do. Don’t ask. It’s easy to say, “let me know if you need anything.” What the family needs is someone to say, “hey, I’m making you dinner.” Or “I’m babysitting - just tell me what day (or night).” Don’t give them the burden of asking. Just offer it. Gift cards go a long way. Treatments can sometimes take a patient and family far from home. Do a little research and purchase gift cards for restaurants, hotel chains and gas stations near the hospital they are using. A gift subscription to Amazon Prime or Netflix may be helpful to someone who is bedridden. Some downtime and low key enter...

Sometimes getting a full night’s sleep seems impossible to achieve. No matter the cause - stress, pain, your work schedule or another reason - if you are not receiving regular quality sleep it can interfere with your health. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says, “Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions - such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression - which threaten our nation’s health.” Sleep Awareness Week (March 6-13) gives us an opportunity to leave insufficient sleep behind and get back to the quality sleep that is so vital to our health and wellness. Here are a few ways you can start getting on track to better sleep habits. Say adios to technology - well before bedtime. Smartphones are everywhere and it’s not uncommon to find them creeping into your bedroom. Turn them off. Better than that. Turn them off and keep them in another room. Nix the TV, ipad, laptop and whatever else has found it’s way into y...