Latest · Nutrition & Weight
Movement vs Exercise: Why Every Walk Counts
You don't need 30 unbroken minutes for movement to count. Here is what the activity guidelines actually ask, and why a walk counts too.
Health articles
Plain-English answers from the people who see you.
Practical guidance on the questions we hear most, written by our nurse practitioners. It is general education, not advice about your specific situation; when in doubt, call.
Women's Health
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Bladder Leakage, Pelvic Pain and Painful Sex
Bladder leakage, pelvic pain and painful sex can all come from the pelvic floor muscles, and the problem often goes undiagnosed for years. Here is what it is, how it's diagnosed and what actually helps.
Preventive Care & Screenings
Sunscreen: How to Choose It and Actually Use It Right
How to choose a sunscreen and use it properly: which SPF, what the number does and does not mean, how to apply it, and what to do for babies and kids.
Conditions & Treatments
Pharmacogenomic Testing: What Your Genes Can (and Can't) Tell Us About Medications
Your genes influence how your body processes some medications. Here is what pharmacogenomic testing can actually do, what it cannot, and whether it is worth doing.
Children's Health
Introducing Peanuts, Milk and Other Allergens to Your Baby
The old advice to delay allergenic foods has been reversed. Here is when and how to introduce peanuts and other allergens, what a reaction looks like, and when to talk to us first.
Children's Health
Fever in Kids: When to Worry and When to Relax
Fever isn't an illness. It's your child's immune system doing its job, so the goal is a comfortable child, not a normal thermometer reading. Here is what to watch, when to call, and when to go.
Preventive Care & Screenings · Women's Health
Cervical Cancer Screening: How Often You Really Need a Pap
Cervical cancer screening may not be a Pap anymore, and how often you need it depends on your age. Here is where things stand, including whether you can collect the sample yourself and the HPV vaccine.
Conditions & Treatments
Thyroid Test Results Explained: What TSH, T4 and T3 Mean
What TSH actually measures, what your number means, and why you usually don't need more than a TSH.
Practice News
Health Insurance 101: What the Terms Mean and How to Choose a Plan
Premiums, co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles and the out-of-pocket maximum in plain English, and how to actually compare plans at open enrollment.
Women's Health
Menopause: What Nobody Warns You About
The menopause symptoms that get overlooked, from irritability and hot flashes to vaginal dryness and low libido, and what we can do about them.
Preventive Care & Screenings · Seasonal & Outdoor Health
Protecting Your Eyes from the Sun: Sunglasses, UV Damage and Eclipses
Most of the sun damage to your eyes happens on ordinary days, not during an eclipse. Here is how to choose sunglasses that actually protect your eyes, year-round.
Women's Health
Breastfeeding: My Real Story, and What I Tell New Moms
My own breastfeeding story, not the tidy version, followed by what the guidelines actually say now, practical tips, and where to get help.
Seasonal & Outdoor Health
Poison Ivy: What Actually Works (and What Doesn't)
Poison ivy comes with a lot of confident misinformation. Here are the facts and the fictions, what actually helps, and when to come in.
Nutrition & Weight · Practice News
Nutrition and Weight Loss Support at Tri-Lakes Family Care
Nutrition is one of the most powerful tools we have, and one of the hardest to use alone. Here is how we can help, including medication-assisted weight loss.
Seasonal & Outdoor Health
Lyme Disease in Missouri: How Common Is It Really?
Lyme disease is genuinely rare in Missouri, but our ticks are not harmless. Here is what to watch for after a bite, including alpha-gal, and how to prevent and remove ticks.
Preventive Care & Screenings
Skin Cancer: How to Protect Your Skin and What to Watch For
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the country and one of the most preventable. Here is how to protect your skin, how to check it yourself, and when to come in.
Nutrition & Weight
Diet and Zero Sugar Sodas: Are They Actually Helping?
Diet and zero sugar sodas keep turning up in headlines about stroke, dementia and weight gain. Here is what the research actually says, and what it does not.
Practice News
Virtual Visits: See Your Provider Without Leaving Home
A fever on a Friday evening, a blood sugar question, a follow-up on test results: these are what virtual visits are for. Here is what a virtual visit is and how to schedule one.
Practice News
Welcome to Our Health Articles
Practical, plain-English guidance from the providers and staff who care for Branson families every day, and a few good places to start.
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