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Health Matters: Fungal infections a common problem

ESCANABA — Did you know that “germs” are everywhere? A specific term is ubiquitous, meaning they are everywhere, a part of our environment. Certainly, germ is an antiquated term, referring to microscopic biological organisms. Most people automatically associate this with bacteria, but it can also refer to viral particles and fungal organisms. The variety of fungal species is tremendous, with estimates claiming there are over 5 million species. A “guesstimate” is an appropriate term since the vast majority of these have not been properly identified or classified by scientists. ...

Health Matters: Chronic inflammation endangers health

ESCANABA — Inflammation has gotten a bad rap. It gets trounced in the media, with arthritis sufferers nodding in agreement. Advertising presents inflammation as a terrible thing, causing pain and problems all over the body. Wherever you have pain, there must be inflammation. It should not be surprising when it is offered up as the cause of some illness, even when there is no definitive diagnosis. Is inflammation always a bad thing? Why does it occur if it’s harmful? In truth, inflammation is an essential part of healing. It is your body’s protective response to injury or ...

Health Matters: Weak evidence for benefits of stretching

By Dr. Conway McLean, FAPWHc, DABFAS ESCANABA — Medical myths abound in most cultures, beliefs that are grounded in history or arising from a neighbor’s experience. A large number of these have no scientific backing. This is not to say they aren’t accurate or don’t work, only that there isn’t good evidence either way. But it is a very human trait to draw conclusions. We do this routinely about many issues regarding our health, our illnesses, and the therapies we use. (How about the one where you can catch an upper respiratory infection because of an open window?) An oft ...

Health Matters: Lions club teams with local physician for diabetic education

By Dr. Conway McLean, DABFAS, FAPWHc ESCANABA — I went for a walk the other day. Which is not very exciting news, I’m sure you’ll agree. But it was the scenario which made it distinctive. The Lions Club of Marquette organized the Diabetes Awareness Walk in Tourist Park. Area residents with diabetes, or family members with, attended the event held last weekend. I spoke to the crowd on the topic of diabetic foot health since the event was intended to promote educational efforts for those with this ubiquitous disease which is, too often, debilitating and deadly. With all we have ...

Health Matters: Radiowaves solve many nail issues

ESCANABA — Life can be painful. Sometimes it’s the emotional kind, but the physical kind is experienced by most of us, at least eventually. Time takes its toll on the human body and the years too often bring illness or disease. This can frequently result in pain. The location of the undesirable sensation may carry with it great concern, the obvious example being pain coming from your chest. But a particularly common location doesn’t usually generate the same level of interest: the area of the toenail (aka nail unit). Other than beautification, much of the focus directed at our ...

Health Matters: U.S. health care in critical condition

ESCANABA — Our healthcare system is in crisis mode. Millions of Americans go through their daily lives without any form of healthcare insurance. Physicians are calling for strikes and pushing to unionize, proposals once considered heretical. Private, for-profit, privately held insurance companies profit to the tune of billions by denying services, restricting access to care, and delaying payments to millions of Americans. Every insurance plan seems to have its own rules, varying greatly, making it nearly impossible for anyone to know what services are covered. There is no definitive ...