Top Health Stories of 2015: Preventive Medicine News Evokes Unmatched Response

As another year passes on into our rearview, so too arrives the opportunity to look toward a new year full of bold challenges and uncharted horizons. Before we set off on our journey toward a healthier, happier 2016, let's look back on some of our most popular stories of the year, courtesy of our own Meridian Health experts.

Sleep Well, Wake Healthy

In November, nationally renowned sleep expert Carol Ash, D.O, director of sleep medicine for Meridian Health, was the keynote speaker for “Power of an Hour.” The free event, held at Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank, focused on the ways sleep habits can impact (and be impacted by) stress management, fitness, diet and overall health.

“We are dealing with a health crisis right now,” Ash said. “Sleep is the backbone of your health.”

Watch video from the event here.

Light Up Your Life

2015 was a year of adversity in many forms, challenges we all felt the brunt of in some way. When adversity seems insurmountable, it’s all too easy to be overcome by stress, anxiety and depression - serious health conditions with potentially life-threatening consequences. On November 18, Stacy Doumas, M.D., director of education for the department of psychiatry at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, hosted a special inspirational event in which she shared tips for maintaining mental and emotional strength in the face of adversity. Read Dr. Doumas’ piece, “Light Up Your Life: Celebrating Your Life, Helping Others & Finding Hope.”

Changes to Mammography Guidelines

In response to the American Cancer Society’s revised mammography screening guidelines, Denise Johnson-Miller, M.D., FACS, medical director of breast surgery for Meridian Health, offered several important points to keep in mind when considering these new recommendations. Read Dr. Johnson-Miller’s article here.

Mighty, Mighty Metabolism

Weight management and the obesity epidemic continued to dominate headlines in 2015. In March, Alexandra Woodrick, M.S., weight management coach and clinical exercise specialist at Meridian Fitness & Wellness at Jackson, contributed a piece for Meridian Weightless that helped explain the relationship between weight loss and body metabolism.

Read Alexandra’s article here.

Deciphering the Enigma of Your Slumber's Multiverse

We've all had those types of dreams. Whether funny, creepy or just plain bizarre, they're the dreams we can't seem to shake, at least until we get an answer to "What did that mean??"

On FOX News' "While You Were Sleeping" segment, Dr. Carol Ash took on that very question and offered insight into the body's slumber responses and how to go about "decoding the mysteries of your mind and unlocking the meaning from your dreams."

"You have to remember that the brain is taking in all the old information and new information and processing it in new patterns to help you come up with solutions to the problems of the day," Ash says. "Dreaming allows you to work through all those negative emotions and solve them in a safe environment, your bedroom."

Watch the full segment below to hear Dr. Ash's interpretation of dream scenarios such as losing control of a vehicle, being chased, being lost and having your teeth fall out (which is more common than you think.)