Health and Hope - GHiC

11/20/2025

🌟 Congratulations to the Kirlin Family! 🌟

We are proud to honor The Kirlin Family as this year’s recipients of the Duke Energy Citizenship & Service Award — recognizing their extraordinary, multi-generational dedication to making Gaston County a better place to live, work, and thrive. 💙

From Dr. Dave Kirlin’s decades of public service and mentorship, to Nan’s leadership in environmental sustainability, Hannah’s transformative public health initiatives, Rebecca’s youth and global engagement programs, and Maddie’s courageous advocacy for domestic-violence survivors — the Kirlin family embodies what it truly means to serve with heart and purpose.

Their collective impact touches every corner of our community — proving that leadership, compassion, and collaboration can create lasting change. 🌎💫

Please join us in celebrating the Kirlins at our Annual Celebration, presented by CaroMont Health, on December 5th at the Gastonia Conference Center.

Register here: https://members.gastonbusiness.com/events/details/2025-gba-annual-celebration-presented-by-caromont-health-7714

11/20/2025

10/14/2025

This One Symptom Could Warn of Cardiac Arrest in 24 Hours
Denise Mann, MS

https://www.thehealthy.com/heart-disease/news-cardiac-arrest-symptom-smidt-heart-institute-cedars-sinai-study

Research suggests that telltale symptoms may appear before cardiac arrest, and knowing how to recognize them can be lifesaving.

Nine out of 10 people who experience sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting die—often within minutes.

One reason for these fatal outcomes is the commonly held belief that cardiac arrest occurs without warning. But research suggests telltale symptoms may appear before cardiac arrest, and recognizing them can give folks more than a fighting chance.

For men, the main symptom before cardiac arrest is the unexpected onset of chest pain. For women, however, it’s the unexpected onset of shortness of breath. These signs may occur 24 hours before sudden cardiac arrest. according to a study published in the Lancet Digital Health in 2023.

“Fully 50% of men and women report these warning symptoms before cardiac arrest,” study author Sumeet Chugh, MD, the medical director of the Heart Rhythm Center in the Department of Cardiology, tells The Healthy by Reader’s Digest.

10/13/2025

How Often Do You P**p?
Research Shows Bowel Movement Frequency Linked to Overall Health
By Brian Mastroianni
https://www.health.com/poop-frequency-overall-health-8685721
A new study found that the average frequency of your bowel movements could impact your microbiome and risk of chronic disease.
Researchers identified a “Goldilocks zone” for a healthy gut of pooping one or two times a day.
Those in the Goldilocks zone ate a fiber-rich diet, were more hydrated, and exercised regularly.

Researchers also examined their self-reported bowel movement frequency and grouped them into four categories: constipation (one or two bowel movements each week), low-normal (between three and six bowel movements each week), high-normal (between one and three bowel movements each day), and diarrhea (four or more bowel movements each day).

“We found that eating more fruits and vegetables [was] associated with having a more optimal [bowel movement frequency],” said Gibbons. “This is fairly intuitive. For those who want to maintain a healthy [bowel movement frequency], I suggest eating plenty of plants—whole foods, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds—getting regular exercise, and perhaps taking a fiber supplement

10/06/2025

6 of the Best Brain Health Habits You Can Start Now, According to a Nutrition Expert
By Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN
https://www.thehealthy.com/habits/best-brain-health-habits-dietitian/

Brain health matters at every age.
Lifestyle plays a key role in protecting brain health by slowing down brain aging.
Maintaining good brain health begins with small actions.
1. Eat well
2. Move more
3. Engage the brain
4. Sleep soundly
5. Manage stress
6. Socialize
Try these simple strategies to help your new brain health habits become second nature:
Start small: Pick just one or two habits for now. Set small, realistic goals.
Use cues: Set alarms and calendar reminders to signal your new habit.
Be focused: Your brain will eventually fire and wire in ways that reinforce each new habit.
Stack them: Link a new habit to one you’ve already accomplished. Whenever you do one, you do the other.
Track progress: Embrace consistency and progress over perfection.
“It’s never too early—and never too late—to live well for brain health,” says Moon.

10/01/2025

Peanuts 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/peanuts

The bottom line
Peanuts are delicious, versatile, and jam-packed with a long list of important nutrients.
Peanuts are delicious, versatile, and rich in a long list of essential nutrients.muscle growth and support heart health.

Therefore, all genders can enjoy peanuts as part of a healthy, well-rounded diet.

09/30/2025

6 Vitamins Doctors Take So They Don’t Get Sick During Virus Season

https://www.thehealthy.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamins-supplements-doctors-take-during-virus-season-ucla-stanford-university

Virus season is right around the corner, and ensuring you’re getting enough of the nutrients responsible for immune health is important for reducing your risk of picking up infections, explains Julia Zumpano, RD, Registered Dietician at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition. Recent research published in Nutrients shows that even if you catch a respiratory virus like Covid this season, maintaining good nutrition may reduce your symptoms.

In general, getting your nutrients from food is ideal. But realistically, “most Americans do not meet their needs through food,” she says. “The Standard American Diet (SAD) is inadequate in nutrition due to high intake of processed, low-nutrient foods.” In fact, less than 15% of Americans meet daily fruit and vegetable recommendations, according to Ali Bandier, MS, RD, a registered dietitian from New York.
So, while shifting to a whole, nutrient-dense food diet is the best way to ensure you’re getting your immune-boosting vitamins, supplements can help fill gaps as we head into cold and flu season. Elderly people, vegans, vegetarians, those with blood tests that indicate a deficiency, or those who practice strict dietary restrictions (such as low-calorie, keto, or dairy-free) can benefit from supplementation as well, says Zumpano.

1. Vitamin C
2. Vitamin D
3. Vitamin E
4. Zinc
5. Omega-3 fatty acids
6. Probiotics

09/29/2025

SMILE- Your teeth show you making it to 100!

They're not just a compliment to your appearance—growing research is finding this facial feature is a major indicator of health.

You might have a million-dollar smile, but researchers say that grin could also be associated with another important metric: the number of years you might live.

Noting that global life expectancy has risen to the age of 73.5 in recent years, seven researchers in China gazed into what recent research has suggested may be a predictor of longevity: teeth.

https://www.thehealthy.com/aging/news-oral-health-longevity-study-china/
The researchers report that “for the first time, the influence of edentulousness on the likelihood of becoming a centenarian,” namely that the “presence of natural teeth was linked to an increased probability” of reaching the age of 100.

09/29/2025

Let It Out: 14 Ways a Good Cry Affects Your Body and Mind
By Tina Donvito
https://www.thehealthy.com/mental-health/benefits-of-crying

What happens before, during, and after crying?
Touching movies, stressful events at home or work, and even good news like a wedding or a baby might bring on the waterworks. Sometimes, you just need to let the tears flow. But you might not know that crying can have a big effect on your body and mind—here’s how.

Crying relieves stress
Crying boosts mood
Crying sometimes makes you feel worse
Crying improves communication
Crying forges bonds
Crying helps us get what we want
Crying is a private release
Crying may get rid of toxins
Crying may be a natural sanitizer
Tears help your eyes
Crying has a connection to s*x hormones
Crying has major physical effects
Crying affects other hormones as well
Happy crying also helps relax the body

09/27/2025

Researchers found that women who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened drink each day had 4.87 times the risk of oral cancer than those who drank fewer than one sugary beverage in a month,” they say, but its association with oral cancer hasn’t yet been explored." The research team told MedPage Today, “This study provides support for ongoing policy about limiting sugar intake to improve health and limit chronic disease in the general population.”

https://www.thehealthy.com/cancer/news-oral-cancer-ssb-study

Researchers found that women who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened drink each day had 4.87 times the risk for oral cancer than those who drank fewer than one sugary beverage in a month.

When narrowed to non-smokers or light smokers, as well as nondrinkers or light drinkers, the risk was even greater—5.46 times so.

The researchers suggest this is more evidence that a regular sweet-drink vice can increase chances of cancer. “High sugar-sweetened beverage intake is associated with various gastrointestinal cancers,” they say, but its association with oral cancer hadn’t yet been explored. The research team told MedPage Today, “This study provides support for ongoing policy pertaining to limiting sugar intake to improve health and limit chronic disease in the general population.”

09/26/2025

Cardiologists Recommend 3 Gentle Exercises for a Healthier Heart
By Leslie Finlay, MPA
https://www.thehealthy.com/exercise/exercises-for-heart-health-from-cardiologists

The best exercises for heart health:

Aerobic activity
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends adults get at least:
150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity,
or 75 minutes of vigorous activity,
or a combination of both.

Resistance training
Stretching is essential to keep injuries at bay—and you don’t want to stall the progress you’ve made exercising for heart health. It also helps to improve flexibility (your muscles’ ability to stretch) and mobility (the range of motion in your joints), both of which help you get the most out of a workout.

Stretching
Stretching is essential to keep injuries at bay—and you don’t want to stall the progress you’ve made exercising for heart health. It also helps to improve flexibility (your muscles’ ability to stretch) and mobility (the range of motion in your joints), both of which help you get the best bang for your buck from a workout.

Can exercise repair heart damage?
Stretching is essential to keep injuries at bay—and you don’t want to stall the progress you’ve made exercising for heart health. It also helps to improve flexibility (your muscles’ ability to stretch) and mobility (the range of motion in your joints), both of which help you get the most out of a workout.

09/25/2025

Gratitude enhances health, brings happiness — and may even lengthen lives
Six questions can help you evoke the life-enhancing power of gratitude.
By Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch

Gratitude, health, and longevity
How can the power of gratitude affect our lives? Recent research has highlighted the numerous positive health effects of gratitude, including enhanced emotional and social well-being, improved sleep quality, reduced risk of depression, and favorable cardiovascular health markers. Now, new data from the long-term Nurses' Health Study shows that it may extend lives.

Try this: Six questions to evoke gratitude
Not feeling especially grateful today? You have the power to change that. Asking yourself certain questions can evoke gratitude, such as

What happened today that was good?
What am I taking for granted that I can be thankful for?
Which people in my life am I grateful for?
What is the last book I read or movie, show, or social media clip I saw that I really appreciated, and why?
What am I most looking forward to this week, month, and year, and why?
What is the kindest thing someone has said or done lately?
Similarly, a few simple actions can infuse gratitude into your days. Try VanderWeele's family routine of regularly expressing gratitude around the dinner table. Another well-known practice — that's perhaps becoming forgotten in this digital age — is penning thank-you notes.

"I do think writing a thank-you note or gratitude letter gets your mind to dwell on something positive for a longer period, to think more deeply about it, because you have to put it not just in words, but in writing," VanderWeele says. "It also deepens the relationship and builds that bond."

One less-recognized but valuable gratitude practice is called a "savoring exercise," which builds on aspects of mindfulness.

"It's not a big leap to go from recognizing the good to expressing gratitude for what you have."

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gratitude-enhances-health-brings-happiness-and-may-even-lengthen-lives-202409113071