A double dose of gratitude for National Dentist's & National Doctor's Days

It is nice to every now and then take time out of our chronic busyness and give a big thank you to some men and women in the healthcare profession who really deserve it. March brings us both National Dentist’s Day (3/6) and National Doctor’s Day (3/30), so join us this month in showing our appreciation!

Perhaps not high on anyone’s list of favorite things, regular visits to the dentist’s office are necessary to insure healthy teeth and gums and to keep our smiles sparkling. And for anyone who’s ever experienced an abscess tooth or oral pain, the dentist comes as a godsend. Dentists help us look our best and feel the best about ourselves. We’re proud here at Scrubin to take chance to say thanks!

So, outside of a hearty “job well done” and a kind word, what is the best way to show gratitude to all the dentists out there? The best way to appreciate their work is to honor it, and that means making sure to practice good habits for oral health care. That means what we all think it means: thorough brushing every day (more than once a day is preferable), flossing and regular visits to the dentist. Laying off some of those other, not so healthy habits would be nice too (ditch the tobacco, and do any of us really need ANOTHER cup of coffee?). On the treatment side, if you’ve had any dental discomfort — bleeding gums, or undue sensitivity to hot or cold — delay no longer in getting it checked out.

And rather than restricting appreciation to just your own dentist, post on social media to say thank you to all the dental professionals out there, and contribute a little to everyone’s mindfulness about good oral health. Get those hashtags ready!

And now to the physicians. The doctor is a figure associated with some foreboding, some frustration, probably lots of emotions at once. None of us perhaps like seeing them per se, even if they are the kindest person we know. But we all can be thankful and grateful that they are there when we need them. Our physicians are literally our go-to people for our healthcare needs, from primary care to specialized treatments, from routine checkups to complicated surgeries and innovative treatment options. March 30^th is National Doctor’s Day, an excellent opportunity to take one day out of the year and show our doctors how much we appreciate them outside of some health scare.

There are numerous ways to say thank you, from a nice card to a thoughtful e-mail. Again though, the best way to honor their contributions is to spread the word about good health habits. Practice what you preach: if you’ve been procrastinating, go ahead and schedule that physical!

Also, there are some materials and items, from coffee mugs to stickers to stamps that put the word out there about National Doctor’s Day. Browse here!

To our dentists and doctors, thank you for your service and here’s to many more years of helping all of us with our health!

National Nutrition Month Offers the Opportunity for a Healthy-Diet Reset

March brings warmer weather, Daylight Savings Time (Sunday, March 13^th, in case you were wondering), and National Nutrition Month. In each case, it hasn’t come a moment too soon!

Particularly National Nutrition Month. Let’s face the facts: the holidays are way back in the rear-view mirror, and the grace period on eating whatever we want is up. Spring is in the air, and with that, it’s a good time to take stock of our cabinets and pantries and see what steps are needed to make 2016 a healthy and nutritious year.

Scrubin is really getting behind National Nutrition Month this year, because we see it as a great time to hit “reset” and get back into some healthy habits. There are many ways to get involved, choices ranging from education for better dietary choices for yourself to events and promotions to help make March a fresh start for nutritional awareness nationwide.

Most of us know that our diets are closely tied with our well-being, physically and mentally. Eating foods rich in vitamins, high in protein, low in saturated fats and sugars, not only is a long-term practice to insure against many health issues — heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers — but we all just feel better if we’re providing ourselves with the proper fuel. We reap the benefits in terms of more energy, more stamina, improved focus and overall better mood.

Sure, we all crave the cookies and the carbohydrates, and some splurging is natural. But the fact is that the human body and human brain works optimally when they are well fed with the important staples: Vitamins A – C, antioxidants, proteins, Omega-3’s. We are doing ourselves a big favor when we make proper dietary choices.

And we also need to keep in mind just how important good nutritional choices are for kids. If you don’t learn to eat well when you’re young, it’s much harder to develop those habits as an adult. Unfortunately, too many kids are fed non-nutritious lunches at school cafeterias, and way too many rely on a diet of fast food and pizza. Vegetables and fruit too rarely make an appearance during meal times. We live in an era of heightened awareness about these issues, but we also live in a time of record-high childhood obesity and early-stage diabetes. This stuff is important. Check out how to help and what we all can do. (There’s even Kids Eat Right Month, every August.)

And, it’s not just what we eat. This year National Nutrition Month is putting emphasis on how and when we eat. The body doesn’t like binge-eating, at least not for optimal performance. A proper diet consists of a healthy breakfast, a good lunch high in important nutrients and a sensible dinner. Avoid second helpings, particularly at night when too much food can interfere with a night’s rest (during sleep is when the metabolism slows down and cannot process larger quantities of food).

There is much more, from educational materials on eating disorders, to the importance of clean drinking water. Find out more and let’s all make this National Nutrition Month a time when we “Savor the flavor of eating right!”