Health Center to Host Free Meditation Series

Livingston County Health Center is excited to announce an upcoming series of 30-minute Meditation Classes led by Kasey Peyton.  Classes will be held every Wednesday for six weeks, beginning on Wednesday, September 13^th at 12 Noon in the Health Center classroom, located at 800 Adam Drive.

A regular meditation practice can reduce stress, improve focus, stabilize emotions, promote physical health, and increase compassion towards others and ourselves. 

This six-week course will introduce students to a different type of meditation each week with instruction on proper posture and breathing.  The first class is an introduction to meditation itself.   Information and helpful tips will be shared to encourage students to develop a home meditation practice of their own.

Kasey Peyton is a certified yoga and meditation instructor and a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance.  In a culture and age of fast-paced, outward focus, Kasey enjoys bringing people back to themselves through the inner work of yoga and meditation.  She is rewarded by the serene look of transformation on her students’ faces at the end of every class.

The Health Center requested Kasey to teach meditation to educate county residents about alternative methods of preventive self-care. 

For more information about the upcoming classes, please call 660-646-5506.

Tai Chi for Arthritis - Show Me Health

Originating in ancient China, tai chi is one of the most effective exercises for health of mind and body. Although an art with great depth of knowledge and skill, it can be easy to learn and soon delivers its health benefits.  For many, it continues as a lifetime journey.

In 1997, Dr. Paul Lam led a team of tai chi and medical specialists to create the Tai Chi for Arthritis program. It is easy, enjoyable and safe for people with arthritis to learn. Medical studies have shown the program to relieve pain for people with arthritis and improve their quality of lives, as well as preventing falls for the older adults.  For this reason, arthritis foundations around the world and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in America are giving it their full support.

Although especially effective for arthritis, it is a great start for beginner to improve health and wellness. The program is proven to be effective to prevent falls, that is why health departments around the world have utilized it for this purpose. 

Tai chi is a slow motion, low-impact exercise that promotes physical and mental health and relaxation. It is practiced as an effective exercise for health through a series of flowing, graceful, gentle postures and movements. The gentle flowing movements contain inner power that can strengthen the body, improve mental relaxation and mobilize joints and muscles. Tai chi is an especially suitable therapy for arthritis because of the slow and gentle movements. Here are some of the benefits, according to Nina Chen, Ph.D., CFLE, Human Development Specialist, University of Missouri Extension.

Tai chi improves balance, strength and flexibility and lowers the risk of falls. A study from the Oregon Research Institute found that tai chi improved balance and reduced the frequency of falls and risks of falling among older people.

Tai chi also reduces pain, stiffness and stress. Researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine noted that patients older than 65 with knee osteoarthritis who practiced a 60-minute tai chi class twice a week for 12 weeks showed a significant decrease in joint pain and stiffness compared with those in the control group. They also found the patients in the tai chi group had improved physical function, self-efficacy, depression, and health status.

Both the Oregon and University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers reported that tai chi improves sleep quality in older adults.

Other UCLA studies also suggested that tai chi helps people reduce high blood pressure and tension headaches.

Tai Chi for Arthritis isn’t for everyone.  If you are looking for a drop in class you can attend when you have time, this is probably not the course you are looking for.  Learning the movements of Tai Chi is a progressive effort.  It takes time and repetition to learn the series of moves, so class attendees need to be present for as many classes as possible. 

Learning Tai Chi can also be slow-paced for some. Health Center Instructors have been trained in the Step-Wise Method created by Dr. Paul Lam, so each move is taught in steps.  The method intended to ensure safety for those with balance issues. 

The Health Center will be starting Tai Chi for Arthritis Classes in September.  We will host an exhibition on Friday, September 8^th at 10 a.m. for those that would like to learn more about Tai Chi, and see it in practice.  Classes will begin on Monday, September 11^th at 10 a.m.  Classes are tentatively set for Mondays and Thursdays.   Call 646-5506 for more information.

Sources: Tai Chi for Health Institute, University of Missouri Extension

Health Center to Host Free Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention Classes

Livingston County Health Center would like to announce a new Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention class for seniors 60 and older, or those living with arthritis, fibromyalgia and other conditions that cause balance issues and joint pain.   

There will be a free demonstration class led by Instructors Mary Taylor and Ann Burchett on Friday, September 8th at 10 a.m. in the Health Center classroom, located at 800 Adam Drive.

Tai Chi for Arthritis is a low impact, graceful form of exercise using gentle movements that puts minimal stress on muscles and joints, making it suitable for adults that are age 60 and over. Tai Chi is proven to help reduce the prevalence of falls among and is rated as the highest level evidence-based program for senior adults for health and wellness.

Tai Chi has been proven to improve balance, increase leg strength, improve mobility, increase flexibility, reduce stress, improve posture and reduce the fear of falling.

Weekly one-hour Tai Chi classes begin at the Health Center on September 11th and will be tentatively set for Mondays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.  

For more information about the upcoming classes or to register, please call 660-646-5506.

Upcoming Skin Cancer Screening Clinic

Livingston County Health Center will be the site of a free Skin Cancer Screening Clinic from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  on Friday, August 18th by appointment only.  Dr. Edna DeCastro will be providing screenings for this clinic.

You must have an appointment to attend this screening, as space is very limited.  If you receive an appointment and later need to cancel, please let us know, so we can fill your slot.   

It’s important to remember that skin cancer can happen at any age, it doesn’t just affect seniors after years of damage.  Skin cancers like melanoma are deadly, and need to be treated sooner rather than later.  If you have never been checked for skin cancer, or have some spots, moles or other areas on your skin that concern you, come to this free clinic.

To make your appointment for the August 18th Skin Cancer Screening Clinic, call the health center at 646-5506. 

August is Missouri Breastfeeding Month - Show Me Health

Evidence on the benefits of breastfeeding is already available to us. We know that breastfeeding aids the survival of infants and helps them thrive, has long-term health benefits for women, yields economic benefits and enhances the well-being of all.

What is less well known however, is how even the health of our planet is affected by the way babies are fed. Breast milk is a natural, renewable food that is produced and delivered without pollution, packaging or waste. The breast milk substitute industry (infant formula), on the other hand, carries a negative environmental impact that is not commonly recognized. Safeguarding breastfeeding, links human life with the well-being of our planet in a powerful way. The WABA, World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, states that it is time for conversations about breastfeeding to go beyond just those of health and nutrition.

The theme this year for World Breastfeeding Month/Week is “Sustaining Breastfeeding Together”, with the purpose to inform people about the Sustainable Development Goals and how these goals can be met by the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding and human milk is known as the standard for infant feeding and nutrition. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that infant nutrition should be considered a public health issue and not only a lifestyle choice, and reaffirms its recommendation of breastfeeding for one year or longer as mutually desired by mother and infant. WHO and UNICEF go even further by recommending the initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of life, followed by exclusive breastfeeding on demand for 6 months. Breastfeeding is considered exclusive when the infant only receives breast milk without any additional food or drink, not even water.  Recommendations also include no use of bottles, teats or pacifiers, and after 6 months of age, infants should receive complementary foods (baby foods/homemade or bought) with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.  

Sometimes, it’s when breastfeeding is combined with paid work, that the challenges can be overwhelming. Policies and legislation in these cases that protect a woman’s right to breastfeed and work are essential. Unfortunately, millions of women remain unprotected. The WABA contends that breastfeeding is part of the reproductive cycle, and women should be able to combine breastfeeding and paid work without discrimination or disadvantage, and that workplaces need to be more breastfeeding-friendly.

The right of mothers to breastfeed their children, with discretion, in any public or private location where the mother is otherwise authorized to be, is protected by law in the State of Missouri.  This protection of breastfeeding rights allows mothers and children to fully reap the benefits of breastfeeding, including providing the best nutrition for infants and reducing the risk of infections, SIDS, asthma, diabetes, obesity and other diseases for children well into adulthood, and reducing the risk to mothers of cancers of the reproductive organs, diabetes and osteoporosis.

Research continues to also show, that the ability of mothers to fully breastfeed their children is improved when mothers are supported by their family, healthcare providers, hospitals, employers, child care providers and community.  The Livingston County Health Center recognizes that it is vital for families to make informed choices about the care of their infants and supports increased efforts by hospitals, healthcare providers, employers and the community to encourage and support breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding Month/Week is observed annually in Missouri and across the globe, educating moms, families, and communities on the benefits of breastfeeding, the support services available in their communities, and how we all can work together to sustain breastfeeding.  Breastfeeding is not just a woman’s issue or the sole responsibility of a woman - the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding is a responsibility shared by us all.  Every baby deserves to be breastfed!

The Livingston County Health Center proudly acknowledges that Chillicothe is a Missouri state recognized Breastfeeding Friendly Community.

For more information feel free to call 660-646-5506 or visit our website at www.livcohealthcenter.com.