Columns

As the year comes to a close, it’s the perfect opportunity to focus on our physical and mental well-being. With holiday festivities in full swing, balance is essential to finish well and start 2025 strong!

My wife, Shelby, and I were recently in the Big Apple celebrating our anniversary. Two whole years we’ve been married now. We decided that until we have kids, we would take trips that we wouldn't want to take with little rascals. New York is nearly at the top of that list, though we saw plenty of people braving the cold and the crowds with theirs, something I’ll never understand. I barely understand the appeal of New York in general, but Montana and Wyoming weren’t on the table, so to the Big Apple we went. All jokes aside, we had an incredible trip. Just the sheer magnitude of a place like that is something to behold, along with the raw evidence of the indomitable human spirit. New York stands in opposition to everything I understand in the world, but I digress.

The retail world is insidious, vicious and cruel. Of course, we all know some of their games. Used to, instead of raising prices, they just gave you a smaller package and boasted that their prices are remaining the same. Now they don't even bother with this subterfuge. They just sell us two ounces and charge us $20 for it.

An overwhelming number of calls from local residents to have their cell numbers added to the emergency call list has prompted Emergency Preparedness Director, Trevor Jackson, to change procedure. “( The Banner) gave me an early Christmas present,” joked Jackson. He said that the jury office was receiving more calls than it could field asking to be placed on the call list.

The East Carroll Parish Hospital Board voted to authorize its architect to start the process of renovation on the medical facility. The repairs and new construction are estimated to cost $3 million. East Carroll Parish Hospital Administrator LaDonna Englerth said that the main focus of the renovations would be on patient rooms. Currently some of the rooms are semi-private without an attached bathroom. Plans under the renovation will include new construction of a small wing that would add a number of rooms. “I am so excited to begin this project,” said Englerth. “While much of the facility has received a facelift, I am constantly asked when we are going to do something about the rooms.”

Over the past 20 years, I’ve dedicated a lot of time to guiding my patients on what it means to eat healthy. Throughout this journey, my understanding and approach have evolved, shaped by research, experience, and changing perspectives.

Happy Thanksgiving. This is a time to be thankful. Although we should be thankful every day, it’s nice to have a singular holiday to remind us of all the great things in our lives. God, family, friends and food. These are the things that make this a special holiday.

Last Saturday was my eighth wedding anniversary. We had a fire in the fireplace that morning and good coffee. The kids were playing and I was thinking of time, naturally, and of how fast it and everything else goes. We spent our honeymoon at a family friend’s house on the Yellowstone River in Montana. We watched bald eagles glide over the river. It was in the teens most of the time we were there, in the negative the day we left, and we stayed close to home. But our host had told of his friend who guided him duck hunting and trout fishing. Zach, a good guy, he said. We had his number and called.

I have always been interested in homeopathic treatments for everyday ailments. Essential oils, herbs, plants, and roots were the first medications available to our ancestors. Through the years modern medicine has evolved, and that is a good thing in many ways; however, I still see great value in being knowledgeable about the old remedies.

I want to talk about the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Sometimes they make what I would consider some not so smart decisions. I will readily concede, however, that they are way more knowledgeable in their line of work than I am. That’s probably why I have more questions than answers.