You may have heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Science shows that this may not be too far from the truth: what you eat greatly impacts your health. Michael Fuller, a graduate research assistant for the University of Central Arkansas’s Master of Science in Dietetics & Nutrition Therapy program, has learned more about the interesting connection between food and health. As a physician, understanding this research will help you provide resources and support to patients with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity, three of Arkansas's most common disease states.

To understand the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), think about the body’s fight or flight response to trauma. In the face of trauma, the primitive mind takes over. Anxiety builds, and the body releases energy through an increased heart rate, sweating, or tensing up. Imagine being a child who goes into fight or flight mode every day. Think about how exhausting that would be. How can a child think, reason, learn, or even interact with others when they are spending so much energy being hypervigilant? Eddie Donovan, executive director of the Fort Smith Boys Home, understands the impact ACEs can have on children’s development. For the last 41 years, Fort Smith Boys Home has helped thousands of children develop effective coping skills to overcome their ACEs and begin living healthy lives.

Colorectal cancer screening saves lives. Despite its proven significance, several myths still cloud public perception of these screenings, particularly colonoscopies. Some believe that colon cancer is a disease that only older people get. Other prevailing myths suggest that colonoscopies are painful and invasive, deterring patients from getting screened. The truth is that there are several different types of colorectal cancer screenings. Over the last decade, there have been advancements in how we understand, screen, and treat colorectal cancer.

We shouldn’t wait until a patient is admitted to the emergency department to treat them for mental health issues like anxiety and depression. 2022 showed the highest number of deaths by suicide on record, with an adjusted suicide rate that increased by 16%. Part of this increase can be attributed to cyberbullying, which, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System results, around 16% of high school students experienced within 12 months before the 2021 survey.

Quitting is difficult but not impossible. Convenient access to support systems and resources makes quitting a little easier. Joy Gray, branch chief of Be Well Arkansas, the state’s tobacco prevention and cessation program funded by the Arkansas Department of Health, recently went on AFMC TV to discuss a 24/7 call center anyone can call to help quit. Be Well Arkansas provides this and many other services to help ease the journey to quitting for the 20.5% of the population who smoke and the 26.3% of high schoolers who use tobacco, according to the American Lung Association.

For the last three years, my family has cared for my grandmother at her home by cooking her meals, ensuring she takes her medication, and socializing with her. While caregiving has improved my grandmother’s quality of life, it was more taxing at first than we thought, often being an expensive, lengthy, and stressful part of our day. Now, we’ve developed a caregiving plan that includes others who can help manage certain tasks. This ensures my grandmother gets the help she needs while also allowing us, her primary caregivers, to manage our own lives.