On the Road to Health & Wellness
Community Care Available to All
Bay Community Health is South County’s only practice offering primary care and behavioral health in the same location
Bay Community Health — formerly Owensville Primary Care — makes sure every neighbor receives care, even those without insurance.
The non-profit practice provides medical and behavioral health services to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. Certified Application Counselors assist patients in determining if they are eligible for health insurance and can help them apply.
Bay Community Health has recently expanded, with a second office now open in Shady Side. Medical and behavioral health services for all ages are available at both locations. We are currently the only practice in South County offering primary care and behavioral health in the same location.
Bay Community Health offers early and evening hours as well as same-day appointments.
134 Owensville Rd., West River;
6131 Shadyside Rd., Shady Side;
410-867-4700; www.BayCommunityHealth.org
Resolve to Quit Smoking This New Year
Anne Arundel County Department of Health wants to help you Learn to Live
Thinking about quitting smoking? The Anne Arundel County Department of Health has free tools to help you. Just 20 minutes after quitting, your blood pressure and heart rate can lower. Many more health benefits occur as you stay smoke-free.
The Learn to Live program at the Anne Arundel County Department of Health offers free self-help information to assist adults as they quit smoking. The quit smoking kit includes the steps for quitting — and staying — smoke-free. To request a kit, call the Learn to Live line at 410-222-7979 or the Spanish language line at 410-222-4479. Kits can also be ordered or downloaded at www.MyQuitKit.org.
The Department of Health, in partnership with community healthcare providers, sponsors free quit-smoking classes for adults who live, work or attend school in Anne Arundel County. The classes include counseling and may offer patches, gum or other FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy. Pre-registration is required. Call 410-222-7979 for details.
Learn to Live encourages Anne Arundel County residents to reduce their risk of cancer and other serious illnesses by making healthy lifestyle choices.
1 Harry S Truman Pkwy., Annapolis; 410-222-7979; www.LearntoLiveHealthy.org
Treat the Common Cold at Home
You can relieve the symptoms, but only time will kill the virus
Most people won’t run to the doctor every time they get a cold. But knowing what to do about one at home isn’t always easy. This guide will give you some ideas of what may help you feel better and back to your healthy self before you know it.
Sleep: Getting extra sleep while fighting a cold is important. When you sleep, your body is able to fight infections more effectively, even minor ones like colds. Even going to bed just an hour or two earlier will help your body recover more quickly.
Drink plenty of fluids: This means water and sports drinks. No alcohol, soda or coffee. Water and sports drinks rehydrate your body, help clear congestion and enable your body to fight the infection. Drinks with caffeine and alcohol only dehydrate you and make the problem worse. Alcohol may also interact with some over-the-counter cold medications, just one more reason to avoid it while you are sick.
Take over-the-counter medications to relieve symptoms: No medication will cure the common cold. There are several that make this claim, but none have been proven effective. Over-the-counter cold medications will usually help relieve your symptoms so you can function and feel better, even if it is just for a little while. But remember, they are not killing the virus, just helping you cope with the symptoms.
Deale Pharmacy offers prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, medical equipment and other pharmaceutical services. All staff members are accredited and licensed.
5809 Deale-Churchton Rd., Deale; 410-867-2455; www.DealePharmacy.com
New Year, New You
Chesapeake Health and Fitness Club will help you reach your goals
January is a great time to set new health goals and create a plan to reach them. This can sometimes be intimidating, so don’t be afraid to start small. Write down your goals, then target them one by one. This way, you have small wins and don’t feel overwhelmed.
For example, your first goal could be to focus on smaller portions and only have dessert on weekends. At Chesapeake Health and Fitness, co-owner Kristina Gardiner and I also try to celebrate the wins with such items as new workout gear. Try to find new ways to celebrate without food being involved.
A second goal could be to work out a minimum of three times a week. We offer a variety of classes for all fitness levels and interests.
Here are five helpful tips to get you started:
It’s important to cut yourself some slack and understand that life will get in the way. Just don’t give up. Each day is a chance to start again. You are on your way to a new you.
Chesapeake Health and Fitness Club offers a wide array of private and group classes for any fitness level. All classes are professionally designed and led by top-notch, certified instructors. Group classes include Pilates, cardio kick, yoga,Zumba, step, spin and Les Mills BodyPump. The club has five dedicated personal trainers.
624 E. Bay Front Rd., Deale;
410-867-7440; www.ChesFitClub.com
Rewire Your Brain to Healthier Habits
Envision Hypnosis can help you achieve better health
How many times has your physician suggested
I can help you follow your doctor’s orders by rewiring your brain to healthier habits and raising your self-esteem by slaying the saboteur. Hypnosis also provides great tools to reduce pain and anxiety, help with cancer treatments, stop fears, lower blood pressure and so much more. I work with physicians to assist patients to achieve better health.
Come learn tools and techniques for better health in 2019. Envision your health changes!
Envision Hypnosis is owned by Linda Lee Plank-Morgan, BCH, CI, board-certified healthcare support hypnotist, instructor and mindful living coach
596 Wilson Rd., Huntingtown, 410-474-8288, www.EnvisionHypnosis.com
Natural Solutions for Optimal Health
Meadow Hill Wellness
Many patients find relief from pain, depression and infertility through natural solutions. Meadow Hill Wellness offers these solutions for many ailments.
Dr. Sara Poldmae opened Meadow Hill Wellness with the goal of providing the greater Annapolis community with drug- and surgery-free natural solutions for health issues. Over the past 14 years, Meadow Hill Wellness has grown to one of the area’s largest acupuncture practices.
All of Meadow Hill Wellness’s acupuncturists have received Doctoral degrees in their field, and have many years of clinical experience helping people get well, naturally. Acupuncture is a covered benefit under many health insurance plans. Meadow Hill Wellness is a network provider with most major insurance carriers.
53 Old Solomons Island Rd., Annapolis; 410-263-0411; MeadowHillWellness.com
Providing More Than Just Critical Care
AFC Urgent Care
It’s cold and flu season, which is a busy time of year for medical providers. For readers who experience difficulty getting an appointment with their primary care doctor and don’t need the emergency room, AFC Urgent Care is an option.
In addition to treating conditions such as sinusitis, the flu, sprains, upper respiratory ailments or coughs, AFC Urgent Care provides other services, such as immunizations for traveling out of the country. We can also complete the physicals required for the Department of Transportation, sports teams, pre-employment, immigration and pre-op.
Other services offered are flu shots, workers’ comp services, drug screens and breath alcohol testing. Lab and digital X-ray services are available on site.
AFC Urgent Care is a full-service urgent care center providing walk-in medical care for all non-emergency illnesses and injuries. Open every day with extended hours. Bring photo ID and your insurance card.
3059 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater; 410-956-3394; www.AFCUrgentCareEdgewater.com
Self Defense is Health Defense
Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi
There is a difference between being fit and being healthy.
The pursuit of fitness can lead people to make shortcuts in diet and exercise. These are unhealthy in the long run and can result in pain and joint wear. It’s natural to want a short cut, but for true health and fitness, it takes hard work and time.
That is literally the translation of kung fu – hard work and time. From the beginning, improving and protecting health has been an important goal of kung fu. The training helps you learn to use your body properly and to move in a bio-mechanically correct way. This helps reduce wear and tear on the body so that you can continue training even as you get older.
Think of the training as fitness with a purpose. Self-defense is about health defense. The goal is to prevent an attacker from injuring you and damaging your health, so it makes sense that the training should also be designed to protect your health. Kung fu training helps improve cardio-vascular health, strength, flexibility, coordination, bone density, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi opened in 2000 and is located in a 6,000-square-foot warehouse with three separate training areas. The institute offers classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced level students.
1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. #6, Arnold; 410-431-5200; www.JingYing.org
CBD Oil Helps Your Body and Promotes Healing
Pipe Dreams
Cannabis, a natural product, contains more than 111 known cannabinoids, including tetrahydrocannabinol, HC and cannabidiol — CBD oil.
Second to THC, CBD is the principal non-psychoactive cannabinoid of the plant. CBD is an anti-seizure, anti-inflammatory and pain medication. It can reduce nausea, clear up psoriasis and manage tumors. For many, it is a healthier choice in treating these and other ailments.
Our bodies naturally produce endocannabinoids to maintain a healthy system. When illness strikes, these levels decrease. Using cannabis and consuming cannabinoids, which imitate natural endocannabinoids and use the same receptors, helps increase your body’s internal stability and promote faster healing.
Pipe Dreams specializes in smoking accessories, including hand pipes, water pipes, papers, vaporizer pens and more.
3 Oxford Way, Huntingtown; 443-486-7967; www.PipeDreams-llc.com
Winter Eye Safety Tips
This time of year, your eyes need protection — Dunkirk Vision can help
The sun can impact our eyes in winter, even causing snow blindness. Too much sunlight can burn our eyes, causing temporary blindness. These conditions can be more common in winter due to sunlight reflecting off the snow. Because it can take hours for symptoms to appear, we often don’t know we have it until it’s too late and we’ve been exposing our eyes to all that sunlight for even longer. Luckily, there are things we can do to protect our eyes from winter conditions.
A pair of polarized, 100 percent UV-blocking sunglasses are your best defense against harmful UV rays when you’re going about your day in snowy conditions.
Those who enjoy skiing or snowboarding are exposed to more UV rays because the atmosphere is thinner at high altitudes, making the sunlight harsher. Ski goggles are a crucial piece of equipment for winter athletes. Be sure to pick a pair with 100 percent UV protection and vents or an anti-fog coating, which prevent them from fogging up. Polarized lenses will eliminate that harsh glare off the snow, making it much easier for you to see the slope. If you wear prescription glasses, you can also find ski goggles that fit comfortably over them.
The air can be drier in winter than at other times of the year, and the heating we use indoors can dry it out even more. This can leave our eyes dry and irritated. To fight back against dry eye in winter, make sure you’re staying hydrated, use the seat warmers in the car a little more and the heater a little less. At home, consider getting a humidifier.
Dunkirk Vision provides vision improvement with glasses, contact lenses and surgical correction; treatment for eye conditions, including cataracts, computer vision syndrome and dry eyes; and eye diseases, from pink eye to diabetic eye disease.
10335 Southern Maryland Blvd., Dunkirk; 443-964-6730; www.DunkirkVision.com
Let Response Senior Care ease your load
Caregiver stress is a danger to anyone looking after a loved one. The emotional and physical demands of caring for someone can lead to frustration, exhaustion, loneliness, sadness or even anger. These feelings are natural, and it is important that caregivers recognize when they need help themselves.
There are particular signs that can alert a caregiver that they may be under too much stress:
If these warning signs sound familiar, then it’s time to take a hard look at where you can cut back and what solutions can help you juggle these responsibilities. Consider hiring a care manager to help manage a loved one’s disability. Find someone to help you around your own home. Remember that you need to take care of yourself in order to take care of someone else.
Response Senior Care, LLC, provides non-medical, in-home care for seniors and adults (ages 18+). Our goal is to assist an individual’s desire to remain in his or her own home for as long as possible.
1831 Forest Dr., Annapolis; 410-571-2744; www.Response-SeniorCare.com