Direct Primary Care of West Michigan

05/05/2026

Perimenopause isn’t just about symptoms like hot flashes or sleep changes. It’s also a time when your cardiovascular risk begins to shift, often without you feeling it. If you’re in your 40s or 50s, this is an important moment to better understand your health and start the conversation with your doctor. 🎧 For a deeper dive, listen to this episode on The Lifestyle MD podcast.

When we think about perimenopause, most of us think about hot flashes, mood changes, or sleep disruption. But there’s something just as important—if not more; your cardiovascular risk is changing. And the challenge is… you may not feel it happening.

As estrogen levels shift, your body goes through changes that directly impact heart health:

Cholesterol patterns can worsen
Insulin resistance can increase
Abdominal (visceral) fat may accumulate
Inflammation can rise

These changes don’t always come with symptoms, but they matter.

05/03/2026

05/02/2026

🌱 Walk with the Doc – Grand Rapids

We may have moved indoors today, but the conversation was all about getting back outside—specifically through gardening!

Even with a smaller group at the end, I’m always grateful for these moments of connection, movement, and learning together.

Today’s highlights: Why gardening is so good for your health:

* 🌿 Supports mental health → reduces stress, anxiety, and depression
* 💪 Encourages natural movement → strength, flexibility, and endurance
* ☀️ Increases sunlight exposure → boosts vitamin D and overall mood
* ❤️ Improves heart health and reduces chronic disease risk
* 🧠 Enhances focus and mindfulness → being present, slowing down
* 🥕 Promotes healthier eating habits → you’re more likely to eat what you grow

We also talked about how to make gardening accessible for everyone:

* Apartment living? → try container or indoor herb gardening
* Limited mobility? → consider raised beds or tabletop gardens
* No space? → look into community gardens or volunteer opportunities

🌼 Bottom line: You don’t need a big backyard to experience the benefits—just a small start.

Looking forward to seeing even more of you at our next walk!

GrowYourHealth DPCWestMichigan

05/02/2026

🌱 Walk with the Doc – Grand Rapids 🌱

We may have moved indoors today, but the conversation was all about getting back outside—specifically through gardening!

Even with a smaller group at the end, I’m always grateful for these moments of connection, movement, and learning together. I forgot to get a photo while everyone was still around so three other walkers are missing Tammy Johnston, her son, and Annie.

Today’s highlights: Why gardening is so good for your health:

* 🌿 Supports mental health → reduces stress, anxiety, and depression
* 💪 Encourages natural movement → strength, flexibility, and endurance
* ☀️ Increases sunlight exposure → boosts vitamin D and overall mood
* ❤️ Improves heart health and reduces chronic disease risk
* 🧠 Enhances focus and mindfulness → being present, slowing down
* 🥕 Promotes healthier eating habits → you’re more likely to eat what you grow

We also talked about how to make gardening accessible for everyone:

* Apartment living? → try container or indoor herb gardening
* Limited mobility? → consider raised beds or tabletop gardens
* No space? → look into community gardens or volunteer opportunities

🌼 Bottom line: You don’t need a big backyard to experience the benefits—just a small start.

Looking forward to seeing even more of you at our next walk!

05/01/2026

The best thing about walking is that it's absolutely free and you can do it anywhere. If you're wondering if it is an effective way to work out, here's one fun fact. Walking is a full body activity and it uses approximately 200 muscles to take a single step forward. Come walk with us tomorrow and you can definitely bring someone along. You don't have to be a member of our clinic to participate. It is open to everyone. See you tomorrow.

04/30/2026

I am happy to announce that I was featured on Crain's Grand Rapids Business among notable leaders in healthcare.

04/29/2026

Spring is upon us and that means we are back to having walks at Millennium Park. Here is our 2026 schedule and we hope to see you there. Everyone is welcome. You don't have to be a member of DPC West Michigan to participate. There is no fee involved, all you have to do is show up and you can bring anyone if you wish to. See you there this Saturday and on every first Saturday of the month. Who are you coming with on Saturday? Tag them in the comments.

04/29/2026

04/27/2026

UPDATE!!!
It's going to be too cold for Dr. Andrews' bones, so we are back indoors at Woodland Mall @ 9 AM. Hopefully for the last time until Winter.

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Spring is here 🌿. Which means we’re officially moving our walks back outdoors!

We’re trading laps at the mall for fresh air, green spaces, and sunshine ☀️. Join us at the park this season ready to walk and meet new people.

04/24/2026

https://dpcnews.com/uncategorized/direct-primary-care-as-a-retention-strategy-for-women-in-medicine/

I’ve been thinking and speaking a lot lately about women in medicine—particularly women in primary care—and what it takes not just to recruit us into the profession, but to keep us there. This week…

04/24/2026

Patients often present with multiple concerns, layered histories, and symptoms that unfold over time rather than resolve within a single visit. Yet in many traditional primary care settings, visits are scheduled in 15-minute increments or less.

Even a well-intentioned 15-minute visit often does not allow patients to fully articulate their concerns. When multiple issues emerge, clinicians are forced to triage rapidly, redirect conversations, or move toward closure before patients feel adequately heard. Important context may go unspoken, and visits may end with lingering frustration on both sides.

In these settings, medical invalidation is not a failure of empathy. It is a predictable outcome of limited time. Policy decisions that prioritize volume, productivity metrics, and documentation requirements have unintentionally narrowed the space for relationship-based care. While communication training and professionalism initiatives are valuable, they cannot compensate for systems that require clinicians to rush through complex human narratives.