Geauga County Offers Many Paths to Wellness
By ann WiShaRt ann@kaRlovecmedia com
Health and wellness are high on the list of priorities for Geauga County residents.
University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center, one of the largest employers in the county, is only one example of how focused the community is on staying healthy — especially for those who want to stay in a familiar neighborhood as they age.
Nursing homes, assisted living and senior housing are operating or under construction across the county. Health care professionals are in demand and appointments with specialists are often made months in advance.
Not only do Geaugans appreciate having a plethora of medical and exercise options, many are determined to stay healthy by taking advantage of numerous fitness programs available around the county and benefiting from services offered at the Middlefield Care Center.
Sunshine Yoga
For centuries, Eastern civilizations have recognized the many health benefits of yoga and other whole-body-and-mind fitness routines for young and old.
Denise Musgrave, a lifelong student of yoga in its many forms, took over a suite at
8389 Mayfield Road in Chester Township seven years ago, despite the shag carpet and ceiling to floor mirrors her predecessor left behind.
After months of interior renovation, she opened Sunshine Yoga and welcomed participants to join her happy band of followers on smooth wood floors under restful, quiet lighting.
“I tried to make it as organic as I could,” she said, pointing out the custom counter tops made by an Amish carpenter.
A Chester resident since 1976 and a 1984 graduate of West Geauga High School, Musgrave said she taught yoga classes in many venues, including in high school gym classes, the Kirtland Country Club and the Geauga Family YMCA, but it wasn’t her first career choice.
“I had a background in personal training,” she said, recalling how the challenge of Baptiste Power Yoga attracted her.
Baptiste Power Yoga is a practice that combines physical poses, meditation and inquiry to access vitality, power and freedom, according to the Baptiste Institute website.
“It challenged me in a different way,” Musgrave said, observing what one can do at 20 changes as one ages.
See Wellness • Page 17
D&S Produce: A Family Tradition in Middlefield
SuBmitted
D&S Produce in Middlefield is a second-generation farm owned by Ray and Sara Ann Byler. Ray’s parents, Dan and Sarah Byler, started the business on Old State Road in 1986.
For nearly 25 years, the Bylers worked hard to provide area families with homegrown produce and in 2010, handed over the reins to Ray and Sara Ann and family. They have continued the tradition of fresh vegetables throughout the growing season, as well as more product in the store, which, in turn,
provided them the opportunity to be open year round.
Homegrown sweet corn, tomatoes, melons and rows of more fresh produce grace the summer displays. Summer is also peach season and they are fully stocked with direct-shipped peaches from the southern groves.
In the fall, you can expect to find pumpkins, fall squash, apple cider and fresh Ohio apples and more. In the winter, they continue to stock a large variety of fruits and vegetables from the nearest possible source for the best quality and freshness.
The store also offers direct-from-the-orchard citrus in January, February and March, as well as their very own maple syrup, tapped from over 3,000 maple trees and sold in the store alongside some of their other maple products. They also offer baked goods, locally made jams and jellies, pickled products and other jarred goods, local raw honey, creamed honey, BlissBites seasoned pretzels, 20-plus flavored gourmet popcorns, D&S Produce’s very own kettle corn and cashew crunch, candies, snacks, old fashioned sodas and recently-added fresh dairy, including local milk products and cheeses.
That is quite a line-up, but rest assured, everything is neatly displayed and accessible. Always in season is a D&S Produce gift basket filled with items from the store for all occasions, including birthdays, benefits, teachers, care baskets, friendships, holidays or just because. Request a free catalog filled
with all of D&S Produce products to see the nearly 70 basket themes or you can order a custom basket specific to your needs.
They can ship gift boxes anywhere in the continental USA. The D&S Produce “From the Heart and Garden” cookbook is also available for purchase and contains timetables for canning, as well as lots of cooking and baking recipes utilizing fruits, vegetables, honey, maple syrup and more, with 100% of the profits going to someone in need.
See for yourself all that D&S Produce has to offer. They are located at 16936 Old State Road in Middlefield. Winter hours begin Nov. 1 and end April 30. During this time, they are open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Beginning May 1, they are open from 9 a .m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Call 440-5482676 for more information.
Strategies to Manage Stress
metRocReative
Stress is a part of life. In small doses, stress can have a positive effect. But when stress is chronic, it can take its toll on the body and mind. When confronting chronic stress, individuals may have to take action to find relief. These stress-busting strategies can help.
• Engage in physical activity. The Mayo Clinic says any form of exercise can help relieve stress. Physical activity boosts chemicals in the brain and endorphins that help a person feel good.
• Listen to music. Music can be calming and serve as a distraction from stressful feelings. Simply listening to music can be a quick fix for a stressful situation and a bad mood.
• Review your lifestyle. It’s easy to take on too much, but doing so can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed, says the Mental Health Foundation. Prioritizing some things over others and
delegating when possible can tame stress.
• Practice mindfulness. Breathing and mindfulness exercises can be practiced anywhere. Deep breathing and being in a quiet moment when stress peaks may help to reduce stress.
• Step away for a few minutes. If possible, step away from a stressful situation, whether it is a difficult project at work or a loud room with a lot of activity going on.
• Talk it out. Sometimes connecting with others and sharing experiences can help to relieve stress. Keeping feelings in and fixating on a situation may exacerbate feelings of stress. Social situations that encourage talking and laughing can lighten a person’s mental load, says the Mayo Clinic.
• Don’t turn to substances. Alcohol and drugs may temporarily relieve stress, but this approach can lead to addiction and even worsen the toll stress takes on the body.
Wellness
from page 14
“I’ve learned so much since then,” she said. “It’s been an interesting journey. You take yourself to a humble place.”
Years of study led her to the more moder ate philosophy appreciated by her students, many of whom are older. Chair yoga and slow flow yoga are popular for their gentle stretch ing approach, Musgrave said.
When new students sign up, they are usually seeking the physical advantages of yoga, which are many, but if they stay with it, they discover the social, mental, spiritual and emotional benefits of yoga, leading to better health, she said.
“I don’t want people to be intimidated,” Musgrave said.
Age, weight, clothing — all are irrelevant in her yoga classes.
“People don’t know what to expect,” she said. “This is a healing, safe place.”
Sharing the suite is Emma Carlson, a massage therapist who practices seven days a week. Together, they offer the Spring Equinox Root to Rise workshop March 22 during which participants will experience meditation, yoga with reiki and a hand and shoulder massage. Mimosas and homemade chocolate are also on the menu, she said.
the 5,000th baby born at the center since it opened in 1990.
Director of Nursing Carol Counselman said in a phone interview the birth of Joshua, son of Daniel and Lauri Ann Gingerich, of Orwell, was a “milestone event” at MCC.
A week later, Kim Dyckes will host a session called Healing Yoga for Grief and Loss.
Registration for events can be made at Sunshineyogaohio.com/events.
After seven years in her own studio, Musgrave said she knows she made the right decision to come back to her home town and set up shop.
“I wanted to share the benefits of yoga that I felt,” she said.
Middlefield Care Center
The Amish population of Geauga County is growing fast and Middlefield Care Center
That number is only births that occur at the center, she said, noting some Amish mothers-to-be under MCC care choose to have their babies at home or, for various reasons, decide to give birth at a hospital.
Providing a safe place for Amish births is number one at MCC.
“We try to keep this as low risk as possible,” Counselman said. “If the (health care) provider thinks it is more of a high risk pregnancy, they may transfer to (UHGMC) or to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Warren.”
But, usually mothers appreciate the center’s services and tend to return for future births.
Dr. Jeff Cameron, Dr. Dianne Schubeck and midwives Joni Neal and Jaime Fisher attend births, after which the staff of full- and part-time assistants take care of the patients.
“We like them to stay for about 24 hours,” she said, adding the newborn needs to be 24-hours old in order to be screened. “They can stay for 72 hours, if they wish.”
While the majority of parents live in Geau-
but she said there was a significant bump during COVID, with 256 babies born in 2021 and 273 in 2022.
The next year saw 236 births and in 2024, there were 168 babies born at the center, Counselman said.
MCC also offers prenatal clinics for Amish women and the Mammovan comes by once a month to provide mammograms, she said.
