by kelsey | Aug 27, 2015 | Etc.
In less than two weeks, our 12 week wellness program “STRIVE 2 Survive” starts! The first lecture will be held September 8th (the Tuesday after Labor Day) and we will meet in person on the dates listed below (Tuesdays) at the County Fair Banquet Hall from 5:30-6:30pm. The weeks we do not meet, you will be given a take home lesson mailed or emailed to you, thus every week you will be given education, tips, etc on nutrition and activity. In addition, we include lab work (total lipid panel and glucose) and body composition testing (weight, height, BMI, blood pressure, fat%, and muscle mass) at the beginning and end of the program. The total cost is $130, which includes all lessons, lab work, and body composition testing.
Our main goal is to help you learn how to live a healthier lifestyle that promotes disease prevention, longevity, and quality of life. Weight loss, improved lipids, improved glucose, improved blood pressure, and improved overall health are all results of our program.
Enrollment is underway, thus if you are interested or know of someone who is, please contact us to learn more and get signed up! You can call me directly at 884-4226 or email strive2survive@brownclinic.org. We are looking forward to another great session!
September 8: “Healthy Eating Made Easy” Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
September 29: “Exercise for the Health of It” Dr. Dan Reiffenberger & Dr.Torness
October 13: “Your Equation to Success” Dr. Jon McAreavey
October 27: “A Walk thru the Wellness Wheel” Dr. Clark Likness
November 10: “Medications…to do or not to do” Deidra VanGilder, PharmD
November 24: “Making Health a Way of Life” STRIVE Team
-Kelsey
by Dan | Aug 23, 2015 | Etc.
Everybody’s running begins somewhere. You have heard my beginning already, and now I will talk about the beginning of the marathon for me. I was in my 3rd year of residency, and 2 of my attending physicians, Dr. Brechtelsbauer (Dr. B) and Dr. Kemp, were interested in running a marathon, and talked to me about it. We decided on Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota because Dr. B had some relatives there. It would be in the middle of June, 2 weeks prior to graduating from residency. I decided to give it a go. Usually the weather there was upper 70’s, and could be even a little cool. That was not the case on this day! It got to over 90 degrees, and very humid. I had never run a marathon before, but was still running regularly. Normally a goal for a lot of people doing the marathon, which is 26.2 miles, is to try and break 4 hours. I foolishly told Sarah that I would be done by 3 hours. I had no clue what I was getting into. The longest I had run was a 17 miler, again, not having any idea what it would take to do 26.2. Needless to say, at mile 19 of the marathon, everything started falling apart. I seriously began to wonder if I was even going to finish, especially in this heat. I was running the entire way with Dr. Kemp, and we had to walk through every water station beginning at mile 20, and they were every mile now. We did make it, and came in at 3:48. Now, this was even before chip timing, so everybody started at the same time, but when there are over 8000 people in the race, it takes several minutes to even get to the start line. I had trouble walking for a week afterwards! I realized what the hand rails on the stairwells were for after that! Doing a marathon is not to be taken lightly…you need to have some kind of an idea what you are getting into, but even with how many I have done now, once I get past 20 miles, it is a new adventure every single time. Those last 6 miles are an entirely different race. Some experts say the marathon is split into 2 sections, the first 20 miles, and the last 6 miles, which feels like another 20! After that was done, I felt like I could accomplish anything. It was the ultimate challenge, and I learned a lot from this. The marathon is a lot like life…you are cruising along just fine, no worries, then things get a little tougher, and you can still fight your way through. But then life really can throw a curve ball…just like that 20 mile mark, and you have to start figuring out what you are going to do on the fly. Sometimes you literally feel like you are just winging it, and hope that everything will turn out well. Sound familiar? I think it sounds all too familiar. Everyday, there can be “marathon like” challenges, and you need to keep going, push on, and work it all through to the end. Some of the conclusions may not be what we wanted, but many are, and you can hold your head up high and feel good that you accomplished another goal/solved another problem! The pictures below show me sitting under a tree after it was done. Of course, my medal for finishing, and my results. I have one of myself with Dr. B and Dr. Kemp posing afterwards, and then a few of me running along with Dr. Kemp. Next will be other upcoming marathons, and the people who helped me through…family, and all of my training partners. How can life be dull with all of this? Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2886
by kelsey | Aug 17, 2015 | Etc.
Today is an exciting day for us! Today marks the start of our new women’s health campaign!
At Brown Clinic, we understand women – at every stage of your lives. We know you’re probably making the health care decisions for your family. Whether you’re just starting a family, looking for a doctor for yourself or for an aging parent or growing child, we go out of our way to get to know you and where you’re at in your life.
We want to encourage you to take care of yourself. Schedule your regular exams and screenings. For yourself. For your friends and family.
We’re proud to provide personalized care in a friendly environment. The quality care we provide is second to none and we’re here when you need us, taking the time to listen to your concerns and answer your questions. All of them. Thoroughly.
From OB/GYN and pediatric services, to family and internal medicine, Brown Clinic Women’s is for you. Be sure to contact us today to get your routine screenings, annual checkups, and other health care needs scheduled!
Also- be sure to check out these pretty cool videos on YouTube. I’m sure you’ll recognize some friendly faces!
https://youtu.be/OpWdoX6iqm8
https://youtu.be/3-E-1kTvab4
by Dan | Aug 16, 2015 | Etc.
Things change a lot over time, but my running really took off after high school. I started Cross Country at Augustana College my freshman year, just to see if I liked it enough to keep going. Well, I guess I did. I ran indoor and outdoor track that first year as well, and then continued with all of it the duration of my college days. This also continued when I went on to medical school. For both college and med school, the running was a great escape, and a great stress reliever. No matter how hectic things got, or how busy I was, there was always time to go for a run! This helped immensely to help clear my head and get ready to take on the next day, and project. You can only study for so long, and then you need a break, mentally, just to gear up and go at it again. This also carried over to residency. The hours could be grueling at times, but that run time was my time to unwind, and gear up for the next day. There were lots of road races going on then as well, and Sarah and I would join in for a lot of them. Some of the ones that stood out the most were the ones we would dress up in costumes for the Halloween run they would have every year. We had many costumes we had gone through! It was another way to make the running even more fun. The running is also how I started dating Sarah, as we started going out our second year of medical school. Sarah noticed me running by her house a lot (this was on purpose!), and she was a runner as well. This was a great way to strike up a conversation at that time. We eventually started running together, and one thing led to another, and we were destined to be together. Running brought us together…and has continued to help keep us together as well. Many fun days with this back then. Below are some of our costumes from different events/races we did back then. Also, some pictures of some of the material we had to know when we took our first set of Boards after our second year of medical school. The volume was incredible, and overwhelming, and the running helped keep my sanity. Also is one picture of my Augustana days competing. All great memories, and all kept the fire going to continue running. It has been fun looking back on all these. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2879
by kelsey | Aug 5, 2015 | Etc.
In about a month, our 12 week wellness program “STRIVE 2 Survive” starts! The first lecture will be held September 8th (the Tuesday after Labor Day) and we will meet in person on the dates listed below (Tuesdays) at the County Fair Banquet Hall from 5:30-6:30pm. The weeks we do not meet, you will be given a take home lesson mailed or emailed to you, thus every week you will be given education, tips, etc on nutrition and activity. In addition, we include lab work (total lipid panel and glucose) and body composition testing (weight, height, BMI, blood pressure, fat%, and muscle mass) at the beginning and end of the program. The total cost is $130, which includes all lessons, lab work, and body composition testing.
Our main goal is to help you learn how to live a healthier lifestyle that promotes disease prevention, longevity, and quality of life. Weight loss, improved lipids, improved glucose, improved blood pressure, and improved overall health are all results of our program.
Enrollment is underway, thus if you are interested or know of someone who is, please contact us to learn more and get signed up! You can call me directly at 884-4226 or email strive2survive@brownclinic.org. We are looking forward to another great session!
September 8: “Healthy Eating Made Easy” Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
September 29: “Exercise for the Health of It” Dr. Dan Reiffenberger & Dr.Torness
October 13: “Your Equation to Success” Dr. Jon McAreavey
October 27: “A Walk thru the Wellness Wheel” Dr. Clark Likness
November 10: “Medications…to do or not to do” Deidra VanGilder, PharmD
November 24: “Making Health a Way of Life” STRIVE Team
-Kelsey
by Dan | Aug 2, 2015 | Etc.
It has been many years since I started running…dating back to middle school. I ran on my own at that time, and then went out for Cross Country my senior year of High School, and then ran competitively all 4 years of college at Augustana. It was a great experience, and truly set the foundation for a lifetime of running. It has now been 29 years since I graduated from college, and am still running. I think it is safe to say I am definitely in it for the long run! I guess that is why I run marathons too…for the long run! Running has taught me so much over the years, and has taken me more places than I could have ever thought possible. I love running, and it is now a part of me forever. Throughout the years, it has helped me meet new people, make new friends, but more importantly, it has helped me be a better husband, Dad, and doctor. I can relate to a lot of the same issues other people have experienced, or are experiencing at the time. There have been memorable things that have occurred over the years, and I think it may be time to start writing about them as well. So I have a plan outlined that could cover the next several months of what running/exercise has done for me. It will include my family, both with my wife Sarah and my kids, but also my extended family, and the times we have spent growing up, and time we spend now. I have had many training partners over the years, all of which have a special place in my heart, and all who have provided different insight into not only running, but also life! Where do I start with all the friends I have made as a result of running? I will write about exercise has challenged me as a doctor, and how I try to promote exercise to all of my patients, and how I have had many success stories, not only with my patients, but even my staff. It has been an adventure all along the way, and hope that it continues for many years to come. I still have a lot to learn yet…and must always remember, nobody knows everything. We are all continuing to learn and grow from our experiences, and we all need to pass that knowledge on. Stay tuned as I share my experiences from all of this, and hope that it can do the same for you! After all, this is about how we need to STRIVE to SURVIVE, and as a result, THRIVE! My life so far has been a definite Thumbs Up, as you will see with the picture below. Following this are a few pictures that include me running, followed by some very important people in my life…my wife Sarah, and very good friends Carletta and Steve Hauck, and great training partners, Tom Beaudry and Steve Hauck. This is just to get things started, as I will expand on more of these issues, and people, in the upcoming months…I just don’t have enough room to put them all in here yet! They will show up later! In this fast pace we call life, sometimes things have to slow down just to reflect back and appreciate everything we have, and have done. By the time I wrap all of this up, you will see that we all need to take the time to smell the roses along the way! Enjoy your life, and the things/people in your life. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2865
