Believe it or not, winter is almost over and spring will officially begin on Wednesday, March 20. It can’t come soon enough for me and everyone else I know. We Michiganders persevered for yet another tough winter of cold, ice and snow and the end is now in sight. Let’s cross our fingers and hope we won’t have too many more harsh winter days and nights as we await the beginning of a new season.
As we look towards spring, many people see this time of year as one of renewal. The plants, flowers and trees start to bloom. The sun is starting to feel a bit warmer. We can be outside more and breathe in the fresh air. The days are getting longer and, thanks to Daylight Savings Time, we’ll get an additional hour of daylight starting March 10. Even writing about spring takes me out of the winter blahs.
Some of us also see this as a good time to change something in our lives. A change of season can be a cue to re-evaluate. Perhaps we resolve to take better care of ourselves by eating better and getting outside for physical activity. Maybe we want to get our yearly physical and health screenings completed so we know where we stand.
National Health Observances for March cover quite a few items to keep us healthy:
- March is National Nutrition Month and emphasizes the importance of making better food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Eatright.org is the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website that has many great articles to help you make these informed choices with food, health and fitness information. Healthy eating and increasing physical activity are also the two prime things a person can do to prevent type 2 diabetes! https://www.eatright.org/.
- March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month with the message that colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable. Current guidelines recommend screening for colorectal cancer using fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy in adults beginning at age 50. Colonoscopy continues to be the gold standard. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/basic_info/screening/index.htm
- March is Save Your Vision Month which reminds us to get a yearly eye exam from an optometrist. The American Optometric Association recommends eye exams every two years for adults 18-60 and yearly for people 61 and older. https://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-exam/
- March is National Kidney Month with the goal of helping us understand how important our kidneys are to our health. High blood pressure and diabetes are the leading risk factors of kidney disease. Learn more about how you can preserve your kidney health at https://www.kidney.org/prevention.
Evidenced-based Clinical Practice Guidelines such as the ones provided by the Michigan Quality Improvement Consortium (MQIC) are a good place for a deep dive. The aim of the Adult Preventive Services below are to recommend to the health care provider and adult patient appropriate recommendations and screenings to consider for their age group. Let your provider know any concerns or complaints you have about your health and be honest.
http://mqic.org/pdf/mqic_adult_preventive_services_ages_18_to_49_cpg.pdf
http://mqic.org/pdf/mqic_adult_preventive_services_ages_50_to_65plus_cpg.pdf
There is always more we can do for our health. Sometimes it can be overwhelming where to start. For some people, biting off a little piece at a time is the way to go. Focus on what is important to you. Reading some of these links could be helpful. Bring up screenings to your health care provider if they don’t bring them up to you. With spring on the way, take some time to focus on health and consider making a change or get a needed physical or health screening. Spring clean your health! Ready, set, go!
