Stay Healthy

MEDICAL CONDITIONS DRIVE LOCAL SUPPORT FOR CANNABIS BILL

Margaret Richardson doesn’t match the stereotypical image of a marijuana user, which made her recent testimony about medical cannabis to a panel of state senators all the more riveting.

The 62-year-old mother and grandmother is the wife of Scott Richardson — the former Republican state senator and director of the South Carolina Department of Insurance.

But the week of Thanksgiving 2018, agonized by the searing pain of trigeminal neuralgia — “like having a Bunsen burner turned on inside your head,” she says — Richardson took a friend’s whispered advice to try cannabis.

The opiates prescribed by her physician in 2015 had knocked down the pain, but at the unacceptable cost of destroying her stomach. Three years after a complicated surgery to implant wires controlled by a transmitter, the treatment became less effective in stopping the severe pain.

HULA HOOPS AND DISCO MAKE FITNESS FUN FOR ISLAND RESIDENTS

It’s not hard to spot Jody Evans on Hilton Head Island’s beaches. She’s the one busting a move along the sand, usually leading a crew of beachgoers who also are doing their best impressions of John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever.”

Welcome to the Silent Disco DanceWalk, a three-mile, hour-long beach walk. Stepping off three times a week from Islanders Beach Park, the walks are a low-impact cardio workout set to music — though thanks to headphones, only the participants can hear it.

SUGAR TREATMENTS ARE A SWEET SKIN CARE OPTION

When it comes to our waistlines, we know that just a little bit of sugar is best — but what about when it comes to our skin? It turns out that sugar is a natural exfoliant and a sweet alternative to more aggressive and abrasive skin care products. Sugar scrubs, even inexpensive homemade ones, can remove dry, flaky skin cells and promote a smooth, radiant glow.

BLUFFTON PATIENTS FEEL CARED FOR AT NEW VIM FACILITY

Pam Toney proudly points to the artwork hanging throughout the new Bluffton-Jasper County Volunteers in Medicine clinic as she gives a visitor a tour.

She said the colorful folk art by Charleston artist Deane Valentine Bowers, created from reclaimed material, is emblematic of the work done at the clinic.

MEMORY MATTERS TO HOST BRAIN SUMMIT

Memory Matters wants to help you keep your mind and memory sharp. That’s why it’s hosting its second annual Brain Health Summit on March 7 at Hilton Head Island Beach & Tennis Resort. The action-packed educational seminar will feature international speakers from Harvard and the University of British Columbia, as well as local experts.

HALOTHERAPY CAN OFFER RELIEF FROM A VARIETY OF ILLNESSES

We often take new health trends with “a grain of salt.” But that’s especially true for halotherapy, which requires hundreds of thousands of salt grains.

The treatment — which was developed in the 1800s after Polish salt miners observed that frequent exposure to salt helped heal many respiratory and skin ailments — has become popular in recent years for its holistic appeal. And thanks to Pure Salt Studio, this wellness option is now available in the Lowcountry.

BEING ACTIVE IS KEY AFTER A HEART ATTACK

Heart attack survivors are encouraged to ease back into exercising, and many report feeling anxious about triggering another attack through physical stress and an increased heart rate. But research shows that it’s important to maintain an active lifestyle for good heart health.

SOMETIMES WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW CAN KILL YOU. OTHER TIMES, IT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE.

When Christian Bernadotte’s heart was severely damaged after a massive heart attack and triple bypass surgery at age 49, only his doctors and his wife, Marianne, knew how grim his prognosis really was. But two decades later, Christian is enjoying a full life after a heart transplant and doesn’t begrudge them their secret.

HOW TO AVOID THE FLU

’Tis the holiday season, and unfortunately cold and flu season too. So how do you stay well and not miss out on your favorite festivities?

Handwashing — yes, for sure!