News & Health Tips
News & Health Tips
Welcome to our page dedicated to the latest news and health tips to help you maintain your well-being. Here, you’ll find articles and resources written by our team of healthcare professionals to keep you informed and motivated to live a healthy life. From preventative care to managing chronic conditions, our goal is to provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions about your health.
“I don’t like school!” It’s a phrase many parents hear at some point. When your child expresses dislike for school, it’s important …
Our phones are amazing tools! They help us connect, learn, and even have fun. But like too much candy, too much screen …
POCATELO — Health West is pleased to announce construction will soon be underway on a new pharmacy located inside Health West Pocatello, …
“Well, I have to die of something” is a reply I find interesting when I ask patients how they feel about their …
For as long as I can remember, “but they’re your family” came with the expectation to accept how your family treated you, …
Happy New Year! According to Pew Research, 38.5% of adults in the US make resolutions for the new year. This varies by …
In today’s fast-paced world, ensuring the well-being of children is a top priority for parents and educators alike. While mental health is …
It is the beginning of a new year. Many of us are considering new goals for the year like “exercise every day!” …
If there was a medication with little to no side effects that decreased the risk of having a heart attack or a …
Emotional intelligence (EI) involves the ability to understand, express, and manage emotions effectively. It encompasses skills such as self-awareness, empathy, self-regulation, motivation, …
It is that time of year again when every germ available is going around. We need to do all we can to …
Coughing, sneezing, wheezing? High fever and no sleep? Your child may have RSV! RSV or Respiratory Syncytial Virus is a common seasonal infection usually …
Osteoporosis is a common condition characterized by weak and brittle bones, which makes individuals more prone to fractures. It is often referred …
Health West is pleased to announce the arrival of its newest provider, Spencer Esplin, PA-C, at its Montpelier location. Esplin brings a …
Cervical cancer is a preventable and treatable disease when detected early. Regular cervical cancer screenings are essential for identifying abnormalities that could …
Positive Psychology, a branch of psychology that focuses on studying and promoting the positive aspects of human life, such as strengths, well-being, …
Breast cancer affects millions of women worldwide. While the exact causes of breast cancer are not fully understood, early detection and screening …
The quest for effective and safe weight loss solutions has long been a focus of medical research. In recent years, a novel …
Video games are a popular pastime for children, providing entertainment and social engagement. However, they have sparked ongoing debates among parents, educators, …
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the crisp mornings and warm afternoons, but many people feel “down” or have …
Children, just like adults, frequently find themselves feeling anxious, nervous or worried about many things. While much of the anxiety a child …
Screen time for kids is a big issue, and it is only going to get bigger. We are becoming more and more …
As we approach the start of a new school year, I am reminded of the many adolescents who are either starting or …
Mental Health Matters Often unseen and untreated, child and adolescent mental health struggles can greatly impact the ability to learn and develop. …
The warm summer weather is here, and a favorite activity of kids is to ride bicycles. Kids ages five to fourteen are …
Summer is usually associated with fun memories related to the warm weather and the increased opportunities for outdoor recreation. Some of the …
Warm weather is finally here! That means sun. With the sun comes the sunburns. Get enough sunburns and eventually you could get …
Summer is upon us! Kids are out of school, summer vacations are planned, the BBQ is fired up, and the pools are …
Delivering a child, called the postpartum state medically, brings many new things. A new person in your life, a new and different …
Summer is approaching, which means more activities in and around water. In the U.S., someone dies from drowning every ten minutes and …
Breastfeeding is a natural and beautiful aspect of motherhood, but it can also present its own challenges. Many new mothers encounter difficulties …
Trying to figure out when and what to feed your kids can be frustrating, especially when they are toddlers. Toddlers may reject …
To quote a well know song lyric – SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER (thank you Alice Cooper for this perennial ode to the …
As discussed in a previous article, baby rashes are quite common and often have simple solutions. This article is a continuation of …
Baby skin can be very sensitive and when rashes appear, it can make a parent unsure of what to do. A rash …
In a prior recent article by Matthew Edrington, we learned the basics of what to expect in a therapy session. That article …
In popular media there are two kinds of therapists. We’ve all seen the movies where the therapist sits back with his notebook, …
Springtime is once again upon us, and it seems there is always some illness going around. Because of this, we have become …
Have you heard of the 1% rule? It’s the rule Sir David Brialsford used to help the British cycling team win eight …
As women gracefully move through the different stages of life, menopause stands out as a significant and transformative phase. While it is …
Recently, I have seen an increase in patients diagnosed with something called laryngomalacia and tracheomalacia. There has most likely not been an …
There are few things more important to parents than the health, well-being, and development of their children. Choosing the right healthcare provider …
Do you ever feel frustrated after visiting your medical provider? There are a lot of reasons why this might happen: You may …
The importance of prenatal care in ensuring the health and well-being of expectant mothers and their unborn babies cannot be overstated. Regular …
As we wrap up Thanksgiving, we can feel the cold of winter really setting in, and snow has started to appear. Last …
Health West is pleased to announce the opening of its first pharmacy and the addition of seven clinics in Utah and Wyoming. …
It’s a great question. My patients ask me for the answer often. Usually because they are desperate to quit smoking and think …
The flu. We all know what it is and that it occurs every year between October and April. We hear that it …
In the past year, we have experienced several sad, large-scale events that have taken place and impacted our larger society: mass shootings, …
In my mid 20’s, my cousin ended his life. I remember when I first heard; I was shocked and deeply saddened. My …
We have all had or known babies who spit up, but at what point is it concerning? Gastroesophageal reflux (we’ll shorten that …
Fall is on the way! Days are getting shorter, leaves are changing colors, and school is starting. Here are a few safety …
More than fifty million people in the United States have an allergic reaction each year. You are more likely to have allergies …
THANK YOU To those who voted, our patients, and the amazing people we work with at Health West! We are proud to …
Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll …
It’s a scary time to be a kid or an adult who cares for children. Coming on the heels of three pandemic-filled …
Helping Kids with Trauma. One of the main goals of raising children is to help them grow and thrive so they can …
This year, Eating Disorder Awareness Week will be recognized from February 22-28. At least 9% of people in the US will experience …
Hypothermia occurs when our body loses heat faster than it can produce it. It can occur with exposure to cold weather and/or …
Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses diagnosed in the world. Some research suggests that depression is on the rise …
The Power of Acceptance. all the things that happen in life, how much do we think we, as individuals, control? Many of …
Worst Year Ever? As the new year rolls in, it is easy to want to look back at 2020 as a horrible …
We all know getting chickenpox is not fun and that it is highly contagious. Chicken pox is caused by the varicella – …
Bad dreams happen to all of us. Bad dreams can be disturbing but we usually sleep through them. Sometimes we can remember …
Suicide risk factors and preventative measures. Suicide has become the tenth leading cause of death in the United States and the seventh …
Quick results, that is what everyone wants. Making positive, sustainable changes takes time. There are no short cuts to good health. Some …
Let’s talk about skin cancer from sun exposure. It happens to everyone. Male or female, dark skinned or light skinned, young and …
Telehealth is healthcare that is delivered over an audio-visual medium – like a computer screen or a smart phone. Even regular phone …
We have developed so many forms of communication as a species. We use spoken word, written languages, sign languages, and we even …
Sometimes just the mention of “what makes you anxious?” or “what stresses you out?” can be enough to cause immediate anxiety. We …
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a common medical condition in which the force of blood against the walls of …
While it is fair to say that coping with the pandemic has been stressful on all of us in our community, children …
Although elementary school children in our area have returned to in person classes, some families have elected to continue with online learning and middle and …
For many families, back to school feels very different this fall after the abrupt transition to remote learning last spring. In addition …
Most of us have been bitten by an insect at some point. Mosquito, fly, wasp, bee, and similar insect bites or stings are common. They usually cause a mild …
Most spiders in the United States are not dangerous, but some can be deadly. It is hard to identify a spider bite unless you saw …
The world feels like it’s in turmoil, things are changing at a rapid pace, and uncertainty weighs on all of us. Yet, …
As a kid I played soccer in high school. I will admit I wasn’t very good at it, but I did have fun. …
We have all encountered snakes at some point in our lives. Most of the time nothing happens in these encounters other than us being scared. Most …
The CDC states that one in six Americans will contract some form of food poisoning each year. Food poisoning can happen at any point of production: growing, …
Prediabetes, sometimes called elevated blood glucose or impaired glucose tolerance, is a condition that is a warning sign that your body is not processing blood …
We have all heard about rabies, but what is it? Rabies is a viral disease that can be deadly if not prevented or treated. In …
Over seventy-nine million kids in the United States wear backpacks to school; but did you know that an estimated fifty-five percent of them are …
Mike Birbiglia is a stand-up comedian I have enjoyed for several years. One of the stories he tells is about a trip he and his sister took to …
It is starting to get hot outside, and with some of the restrictions from COVID-19 lifting, more of us will be outside. Being out in the sun is …
Long before the events of today, I lived in the world of “yeah, but. . .” or “but, dad. . .”, yes I am “but, dad. …
In 2018, Idaho voters approved a ballot initiative to expand Medicaid starting in January 2020. The program has been enormously successful, and …
In the last little while, I am sure we all have been feeling a lot of different emotions. I know I have and have been working on effectively expressing them and validating them; at times, it has …
Schools across the country and here in Eastern Idaho have recently shut their doors because of the novel coronavirus. Kids are now …
I thought right now with the chaos in the world and in our own personal worlds, it may be a good time …
Three quarters of children will get at least one ear infection by the age of three, but it is hard for parents …
Constipation is a common problem in children. Every child has different bowel movement patterns. Most children have one or two bowel movements a day, but some can go two or three days before …
As winter comes to an end it’s important to remain cautious of all the fall risks it can present. Children and young adults …
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher stated, “The only thing that is constant is change”. No matter how you live your life you will experience some sort of …
Car accidents are the leading cause of death in children. And injure over 120,000 children annually. Properly used car seats reduce the chance of death by 70% in …
We have developed so many forms of communication as a species. We use spoken word, written languages, sign languages, and we even use nonverbal …
We have all seen kids fall and bump their heads. But what if the bump is more serious? Do you know when you need to …
Slips and falls on ice and snow are a common occurrence in the winter. Injuries from slips and falls are normally minor but can also be …
