Don’t Go It Alone

SOCIAL ISOLATION IS ON THE RISE, AND CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT HEALTH BY ROBYN PASSANTE It’s common knowledge that loneliness and social isolation can lead to depression — and vice versa. But feeling lonely for an extended period can be detrimental to one’s health in a variety of other ways, some of which might not seem all that obvious. “Research is coming out that that social connectedness is one of the most protective things, particularly as people age,” said Bluffton psychologist Maria Malcolm. “...

Come Home Healthy

DON’T MAKE SICKNESS THE SOUVENIR FROM YOUR NEXT VACATION BY ROBYN PASSANTE If vacations are supposed to be a healthy way to relax, recharge and enhance our lives through new experiences, then why do so many people come home sick? The phenomenon of people falling ill just after vacation isn’t a myth: A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that up to 21 percent of airline passengers report catching a cold within a week of traveling. While it’s easy for germophobes to bla...

Food Psych 101

GET THE SKINNY ON HOW, WHAT AND WHY YOU EAT By Robyn Passante In the fight against fat, there are those who count calories and those who count carbs. But what really counts, says local wellness counselor Erin Risius, is the what, how and why we eat. “Often people are so immersed in the dieting that they’ve lost the joy of eating because they’re so stressed out about eating ‘right,’ ” said Risius, who teaches a weekly class at Hilton Head Health centered on the relationship we have with food. “T...

A Fresh Face on the March of Dimes

BY KIM KACHMANN-GELTZ | PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN On October 19, 2012, first-time mother and local salon stylist, Terra Scoggins’ water broke, fifteen weeks critically shy of her due date. She went into labor fast. So fast that just minutes after arriving at Hilton Head Hospital via ambulance, she gave birth to a son. Two-pound, eight-ounce newborn “Daxton” had no heartbeat, no breath. A team of neonatal nurses and specialists revived him with critical life-saving care. Afterwards the hospital airlifted Dax to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the … Read more

Food addiction recovery

Food cravings can be as powerful and irresistible as a bright orange bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos. Even the thought of such hyperpalpable foods can increase dopamine, a pleasure-seeking brain chemical. With 70 percent of Americans overweight or obese, we’ve become a nation of dopamine seekers addicted to the opioid that controls emotions, motivation and feelings of pleasure. The brain is very sensitive to opioids. Receptors, small monitoring devices on brain cells, detect the level of opioids in the brain and continually make adjustments. How much does the American epidemic … Read more

A Second Chance to Live

Forty-eight year old Dave Ferguson woke up in the middle of the night alone in his hotel room, drenched in sweat and feeling the incredible intensity of an elephant sitting on his chest. He knew he was having a heart attack. Paralyzed by fear and the crushing pain and pressure, he couldn’t even reach for the phone sitting on his nightstand. “I’m a Christian but I became more of a Christian that night,” Dave said while recalling that he prayed hard, made lots of promises and asked for forgiveness and … Read more