In the study of microeconomics, the supply and demand model are the backbone principles which determine price fluctuation. When a market’s supply and demand reach equilibrium––that is, when competition reaches perfection and the cost of creating supply “perfectly” equals the demand––economic equilibrium is achieved, meaning revenue can be utilized to increase the quality of products, pump money back into the economy, or simply increase the value of the product. However, when the demand is higher, and supply is limited, economic disequilibrium occurs. This means few companies exist which can meet the demand; people’s needs begin to suffer.  In the age of a 21st-century pandemic, with demand for in-person appointments, rapid COVID-1…

Kidney disease impacts more than 20 million Americans. A doctor makes a kidney disease diagnosis when he or she finds evidence that your kidneys are not properly filtering blood the way that they should for optimum health. Kidney disease most often affects individuals with underlying conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, but it can affect people of various ages and health statuses.In honor of upcoming National Kidney Month in March, here is what you should know about this disease. What Do the Kidneys Do and Why Are They Important? The top job of the kidneys, which are located on either side of the torso below the diaphragm, is to filter and remove waste, toxic substances, and other undesirable materials from the blood…

COVID-19 changed the world forever. Millions of Americans could no longer work, go to school, or participate in other everyday activities. For months, the public waited for the arrival of the only way to end the pandemic and return to normal: the much-anticipated vaccine.To be clear, more than one vaccine has successfully passed through rigorous safety testing by the Food and Drug Administration. Each vaccine has important differences. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech and the mRNA Vaccines: How Do They Work? The Moderna and BioNTech vaccines have earned approval for safe administration in the United States. These two vaccines are unique because they utilize a technology that allows the body to create immune cells that target the COVID-19 virus a…

The way people interact with the internet has evolved. When the web was new, all internet traffic came from a desktop computer. While some early smartphones were released throughout the 2000s, they could only access a “dumbed down” version of the internet. Everything changed in 2007, when Apple released their first iPhone. Suddenly, we could access full sites from our pocket computers, leading to a previously unheard of level of connectivity. Today, 63% of organic searches on Google come from a mobile device. Mobile has overtaken the personal computer as the primary way that we interact with the internet. When we consider our own internet usage, this makes sense. How often do you use your phone to search for a nearby restaurant when you’re…

Whether your main goal is to improve your health or lose weight, intermittent fasting could provide the results you want. This eating pattern is designed to cycle between periods of eating and fasting.Intermittent fasting, when done safely and correctly, is a meal-timing fasting technique that can offer several health benefits. Before you start fasting, it is important to understand what this eating pattern means and how it can be helpful for your health. We also recommend meeting with your primary care provider beforehand to see if intermittent fasting would be beneficial for you.  What Does Intermittent Fasting Mean? Intermittent fasting is a basic eating pattern that involves eating and fasting—the will…

What to do when Mother Nature sends an ice storm? You’ve heard of hearts of ice, but this Valentine’s Day weekend brought us ice and snow.  Residents were kept awake listening to the crackling and breaking of branches on their favorite trees.  Now, limbs litter the streets and yards. Heavy, broken branches threaten everything below.  What to do?  Here are some tips to keep you safe and save your trees as well. Safety first.  Before rushing out with your chainsaw make sure that your tree is not near or touching a powerline.  Did you know that electricity could be conducted through water and ice?  Check with our local electric company before you tangle with electrical lines.  If your tree has fallen int…

February 17, 2021 is School Exclusion Day. Children may not be able to attend school or childcare on that day (or when their school reopens) if their records on file show missing immunizations. Schools can block remote learning access for kids without current immunization records on Feb. 17. Please call our clinic at (503) 585-6388 if your child needs to have their immunizations updated. To learn more visit https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ORDHS/bulletins/2c05aeb. Feb. 17 is School Exclusion Day, and the Oregon Immunization Program reminds parents that children may not be able to attend school or childcare on that day (or when their school reopens) if their records on file show missing immunizations. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/88U…

If your garden gnome needed a canoe in January, it was probably a result of Salem’s 26 days of rain with an average rainfall of 7.57”. Add a little wind to the mix, and it can move your precious topsoil around, damaging plants. Even the most thirsty lawn or garden isn’t ready for that kind of rain. Heavy rain can damage plants by literally drowning them and can later encourage leaves to develop mold or mildew.  Here are some tips on how to take care of your green spaces from a wet February. If you’ve been carefully managing and seeding your lawn, those sudden rains can sweep away developing seeds or make them vulnerable to pesky critters looking for a snack. Help mitigate that by covering seeds with moss or mulch. Cover your garden pla…

Secondary infertility is the inability for one to become pregnant or carry a baby to term after they’ve already given birth. It shares many of the same causes and hallmarks of primary infertility and affects approximately 3 million women in the United States. Causes of Secondary Infertility Secondary infertility can have a number of causes, many of which are the same as primary infertility. Some of these causes include:• Endometriosis, or the buildup of uterine tissue outside of the uterus• Damage to the fallopian tubes from a previous pregnancy• Diminished ovarian reserveSome cases of secondary infertility may lie with the father instead of the mother. This can be the case if the father has a low sperm count or other issues…

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to take a long, hard look at some things we used to take for granted. Over the past year, we’ve explored the wide world of masks, found a new appreciation for our wonderful public school teachers, and learned about the true value of toilet paper. We’ve also learned that for many small businesses, we can complete our daily work activities quite efficiently, even when the entire team is working from home. While the coronavirus didn’t start the shift to remote work, it certainly sped things up. Only 3.2% of the American workforce worked from home in 2018, compared to 42% in 2020! This dramatic and rapid shift is forcing employers to consider their own policies. Are you keeping an office because it’s useful,…

February is known for Valentine’s Day, but the person you should really love this month is yourself. February is National Heart Disease Awareness Month. Take this time to learn about this dangerous condition and show your heart some TLC. Heart Disease in America Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America for both men and women. In fact, one person dies of heart disease every 36 seconds. Heart disease happens when the heart is forced to work harder than normal.The heart may have to work extra hard due to a clog somewhere in the veins or the heart itself. It can also be forced to work harder if the other organs in the body can’t support the heart’s functions. When the heart stops working, the human body is unable to func…

For many women, menopause occurs 12 months after their last menstrual period, signifying the end of menstrual cycles. It can be a frustrating and confusing time in a woman’s life because they mostly feel as if they are not in control of their body.During this time, women experience different symptoms of menopause, including mood swings, irritability, insomnia, night sweats, hot flashes, and tiredness. They are also at a higher risk of developing certain conditions and diseases, such as osteoporosis.Being aware of the symptoms and changes to expect allows you to prepare and better manage the symptoms. Below are three ways you can adjust your diet and lifestyle to reduce the symptoms of menopause. 1. Drink Enough Water Sufficient water intake…

First it was Snapchat. Then Instagram released their Stories feature, followed by Facebook. Now, LinkedIn has hopped aboard, with their new LinkedIn Stories feature. Available only on the LinkedIn app, stories let brands reach their professional connections with 20 second videos. These videos are only available for 24 hours (just like Instagram) before they disappear. By releasing this feature, LinkedIn is angling to leverage FOMO (fear of missing out) and keep its users logging in more often — or risk missing some great content. It also gives brands an opportunity to share less curated, more “in-the-moment” content, which many consumers really connect to. If you’re considering adding LinkedIn stories to your marketing strategy, here’s what…

When you’re pregnant, the hope is that everything will go smoothly from beginning to end. Everyone wants to have a healthy, adorable baby at the end of a pleasant, uneventful pregnancy. While that is the hope for all parents, there are potential complications that can occur along the way.Placenta previa is a condition that affects some women when they are pregnant. Simply put, placenta previa occurs when the placenta covers the opening of a mother’s cervix. It can cause complications for the mother and child during pregnancy and sometimes require that a C-section be performed. What Are Some Symptoms of Placenta Previa? If you are experiencing painless bleeding from your vagina in your second or third trimester, you should get in touch with…

With 2021 well under way and a pandemic still affecting the way we live and market our local businesses, it’s time to look to the year ahead. An unpredictable year has made businesses wary about investing too much into their marketing strategies, and that’s certainly understandable. But thriving in this new climate will require focusing on reaching and connecting with your customers, just like it did before COVID-19. So instead of hiding our heads in the sand, we need to look around and assess how we can still serve consumers. Here are seven marketing trends that we think will be bigger than ever in 2021. 1. Online Reviews Online reviews have and will continue to be a driving force for growing revenue in 2021. With people spending more and…

Oregon winters are typically a rainy, cold, and cloudy affair. This winter has been no different. Dubbed La Niña, we can expect to see significantly more grey clouds and a deluge of rain. While your lawn doesn’t require the same amount of care as it does in other seasons, you still need to maintain it. Now is the time to prepare your lawn to look gorgeous in the spring! Pick Up Debris & Keep Mowing Rake up any leaves, pick up sticks, and remove debris. Cleaning your yard does more than help it look presentable; it removes unnecessary weight from the top of your grass, which could suffocate or damage it. It will also help to prevent bald spots in your yard.  Although the growth of your grass will slow down or stop entirely during th…

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While many parents associate vaccinations with young kids, teens also have many vaccines that they need to keep them safe. To protect the health of the teens in your household, you’ll need to know which shots are necessary. The Importance of Vaccines Vaccines play a huge part in the safety of young children. As a parent, it may have seemed like you were in the doctor’s office every other week getting a shot for your little one. While it may be true that vaccinations are more common when your children are young, they still play an important part in the health of teens.There are many vaccines that teenagers should get that play a pivotal part in getting them to adulthood safely. It may be harder to keep track of the vaccines th…

Most businesses are sitting on a goldmine of untapped potential. Do you know what it is? It’s your past customers. These are people who are already brand aware, have weighed the pros and cons, and ultimately decided that they trusted you enough to hand over some of their money to buy what you sell. After, they may become raving fans who buy from you regularly and could be considered “brand loyal.” Or, they may take their product and mosey. They’ve gotten what they wanted, and now they’re no longer engaging with your content or making any purchases. It’s this group that we want to target with a past customer reactivation campaign. What is a Reactivation Campaign? A reactivation campaign is a marketing campaign that asks past customers to re-…

Winter is officially here. We are expecting a cold, rainy winter with a possibility of snow in the valley. Most people are bundling up and staying inside to avoid the cold weather.  However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Outdoor heating is a great way to bring the indoors outdoors and extend areas of your house. After all, most people are pretty tired of being crammed indoors. Extending your habitable areas will make a big difference on chilly winter nights (and summer nights too).  Here are a few outdoor amenities to consider that will make your deck, porch, patio, or outdoor area as comfortable and hospitable as your indoor space.  Firepit: A popular trend right now, firepits are an effective and often affordable way to provid…

With Cervical Cancer Awareness Month being observed in January, now is a great time to discuss human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines and how they can help prevent cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 11,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States and over 4,000 will die from the disease. The American Cancer Society provides yearly information on a range of topics, including:• Survival rates and trends of cancer types• Estimated new cancer cases and deaths• Prevention and early detection• Treatment developments Early Screening Previously known as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women in the United States, cervical cancer is now the most preventable form of cancer, thanks to early screenin…