Archives of Health

Medical Journeys: Jessica Kruger, endometriosis

When Jessica Kruger started menstruating in fifth grade, her periods weren’t regular, and she experienced heavy cramping, often missing school when she was on her period because of pain and bleeding through her clothes. Her primary care doctor told her it was normal and put her on birth control, which masked the problem. “I didn’t […]
4 months ago

Medical Journeys: Angie Runnels, menopause

Approximately 10 years ago when Angie Runnels was 45, a gynecologist found a polyp on Angie’s right ovary. During surgery, the doc- tor diagnosed Angie with endometriosis, and removed the ovary because the polyp and ovary were intertwined. After the surgery, Angie found out her right ovary had been the one ovulating each month; without […]
4 months ago

Sponsored Content: Prioritizing Health for Our Furry Friends

Sponsored Content By Stacy Busch-Heisserer In our quest for healthier living, we often overlook the dietary needs of our pets. As convenience and processed foods dominate human diets, similar trends have infiltrated pet nutrition. But as we learn more about the negative effects of ultra-processed diets on ourselves, it’s time to reconsider what we feed […]
4 months ago

Caring for Yourself: When you realize you won’t be able to have children

By T. Rayme Keenan, LCSW Growing up in the culture of the Heartland, we often learn faith, hard work and family are the most important values. But what happens when, as an adult, we’re unable to recreate this reality we grew up with, specifically due to infertility? What happens when, as women, we’re unable to […]
4 months ago

Meet Along the Way: Nancy Johnson

This story was first published in the March 2024 issue of The Best Years as “Faces of Southeast Missouri: Nancy Johnson.” While sitting in the Emergency Room (ER) waiting room one evening in 1990, Nancy Johnson decided to become a nurse. Her friend’s husband had been in a fatal automobile accident, and two women in […]
8 months ago

Let’s Talk: Autumn Grim and Georganne Syler, public health

Autumn Grim, MPH, CPHA, began working at the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center in 2019. Prior to that, she had been with the Missouri Health Department for more than 20 years, where she worked as the epidemiologist program coordinator for the state. In 2023, she became the director of the Cape Girardeau County Public […]
10 months ago

Becoming a Caregiver: Transitioning into caring for aging parents

By Amanda Flinn When Tina Moore of Sikeston, Mo., was attending nursing school, she had no idea how useful her skills would be in caring for her aging mother, Alice Smith, and her mother-in-law, Alma Moore. While the women entered her home at different times — Smith for the last two and a half years […]
1 year ago

Reduce the Symptoms of Menopause by eating, drinking and moving well 

By Cheryl A. Mothes, PhD, Natural health nutrition counselor Sometime in our 40s, women begin to experience hormone changes that lead to menopause, the ceasing of menstruation. Though not an illness, its effects can be difficult to deal with. Much can be done, though, to help alleviate and even prevent these effects. The mean age […]
3 years ago

meet along the way: Mildred Wilson

By Kristin Thomas This story was first published in the March 2021 issue of “The Best Years (TBY).” Mildred Wilson of Sikeston, Mo., has always enjoyed physical challenges and competitions. Throughout the past three years, she has competed in a Tough Mudder and a Conquer the Gauntlet race. She knows what it takes to train, […]
3 years ago

More Girls on Bikes: Making space for the women

“More girls on bikes.” That’s the motto and goal of Girls Riding Together (GRiT), a program created by the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) specifically for female mountain bike student-athletes. The national organization has chapters all across the U.S., teaching mountain biking skills and the joys of being part of a cycling community to young […]
3 years ago