With the pleasant summer weather, we are all spending more time outdoors. There are many wonderful activities to do outside, including walking, hiking, jogging, biking, gardening, sports, playtime with kids or pets, “forest bathing”, picnics; all are great alternative to electronics! Important benefits of taking it outside include a mental health boost with elevated mood and joy and increased quality of life and personal satisfaction. Being active outside reduces fatigue and can help improve your memory. Other benefits include lower blood pressure and reduced risk of disease. So go outside, be safe, wear sunscreen and drink lots of water!

As a denture wearer, your most important responsibility is to keep your dentures clean. Like natural teeth, dentures can also attract plaque, become stained, and collect food particles that can cause bad breath. The two best methods of cleaning dentures is soaking and brushing. If your dentures need more attention, be sure to visit your Denturist every six month to a year for a professional cleaning and polishing of your appliance.

Do we need sunscreen when it is cloudy? When it is sunny outside, we tend to be good at slathering on the sunscreen, but did you know that up to 40 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation reaches the earth on a completely cloudy day? Using sunscreen everyday protects us from harmful radiation from the sun and reduces our risk for skin cancer, premature aging and sunburns. Today, there are many organic sunscreen options available. Your local health store can help you find one with organic ingredients, that is well-rated by the Environmental Working Group and that provides broad spectrum protection.

Stress is a natural part of everyday life. But are you aware that stress is among the number one causes for all kinds of health concerns including sleep deprivation, changes in appetite, illness, anxiety, & depression? One of the greatest ways to combat these stress symptoms is to implement a self-care plan that is done regularly in your life. Self-care strategies are doing activities that you enjoy on a regular basis. Like when a flight attendant does the safety brief and asks you to put on your own oxygen mask first before helping others, it is important to ensure your own health and wellness is a priority.

Our brains are hardwired to seek out anything new and stimulating. Research has shown when we break our patterns and use our senses in novel ways, we stimulate nerve cells which contributes to the growth, strength, and agility of our brains. Unless you exercise all areas of the brain, you neglect millions of neuron pathways that need to stay fit in order to store and retrieve information. Maintaining brain health involves physical and mental exercise, stress management and a healthy diet. Grow your brain by doing daily brain exercises. Learn more at our Let’s Get Brain Fit program.

The key to successful use of hearing aids is DON’T WAIT TOO LONG. If you are considering hearing aids because you are no longer able to participate in a group setting, then you have had the hearing issue for a while. Difficulties that arise when waiting too long include, •Your manual dexterity can limit the style of hearing aids that you can choose from • Your hearing loss may be moderate to severe making it harder to adapt to the reintroduction of sound • Your ability to take on new challenges diminishes with age. If you have concerns about hearing loss, the time to take action is NOW.

Gambling “responsibly” means different things to different people. Everyone has their own idea of what “responsible”, “safe” or “fun” looks like. Regardless of what responsible gambling means to you or to someone else, some common themes of Responsible Gambling include: 1) always make informed decisions about gambling 2) only gamble with money that isn’t needed for something else; 3) have an awareness of how gambling works and the common false beliefs that can get people into trouble & 4) be aware of your own feelings to avoid being frustrated, anxious or depressed when gambling.

Do you hide your mouth because you feel embarrassed about missing teeth? Missing teeth not only affects your general health and appearance, it may also contribute to depression and low self-esteem. Social embarrassment as a result of missing teeth and poorly fitting dentures may result in people avoiding social interactions. Don’t let tooth loss or improperly fitting dentures affect the quality of your life. Your denturist can explain the best ways to restore the function and appearance of your smile. Properly fitting dentures can help restore your self-esteem and bring back your smile.