As summer winds down and school bells get ready to ring, many parents are busy buying school supplies, picking out first-day outfits, and figuring out schedules. But one of the most important things you can do to set your child up for a healthy and successful school year happens before they even walk through the classroom door — making sure their health is in top shape.

We recently sat down with Jillian Berkshire, APRN-CNP, a School-Based Telehealth Nurse Practitioner at Aultman Orrville Carrollton Health Center, for our Health Matters podcast. Jillian shared expert advice for parents who want to make this school year the healthiest yet. Here are some of her top tips:

1. Don’t Skip the Child Wellness Exam

A child wellness exam isn’t just a quick check-up — it’s a complete assessment of your child’s physical, mental, and developmental health. Jillian recommends annual wellness exams for children of all ages, starting as early as infancy. This visit helps providers track growth, update vaccines, and catch potential issues before they become bigger problems.

2. Stay on Top of Screenings and Vaccines

Before school starts, ask your provider about vision, hearing, and dental check-ups.

Vision & Hearing: These screenings are vital for learning. Even mild issues can affect reading, concentration, and confidence.
Dental Care: Cavities can cause pain, missed school days, and long-term problems — regular check-ups matter.
Vaccines: Immunizations protect your child and their classmates. Your provider can help you stay up to date on which ones are needed for each grade level.

3. Build Healthy Routines Early

Getting into a school-year rhythm ahead of time makes those first mornings smoother. Jillian suggests:

Establishing a consistent bedtime and wake-up time a week or two before school starts.
Encouraging healthy breakfasts for better focus and energy.
Limiting screen time in the evening to help kids wind down.

4. Make Safety a Priority

From walking to the bus stop to carrying a heavy backpack, safety matters:

Teach safe travel routes and road safety rules.
Choose a backpack that’s not overloaded — ideally less than 10–15% of your child’s body weight.
Make sure kids know how to contact you or another trusted adult in case of emergency.

5. Support Healthy Habits All Year Long

Homework Success: Create a quiet, distraction-free space for study time.
Physical Activity: Encourage daily movement — sports, playground time, or family walks.
Hygiene: Remind kids about regular handwashing and other germ-busting habits.
When They’re Sick: Keep children home when they’re ill and know your options for medical care, including school-based telehealth or local clinics.

Finding a Primary Care Provider

If your family doesn’t have a primary care provider, Jillian encourages parents to seek one now rather than waiting until a health issue arises. Your provider becomes a partner in your child’s growth and development — and can help you navigate everything from routine check-ups to unexpected illnesses.

Bottom line? Back-to-school prep isn’t just about pencils and backpacks — it’s about making sure your child is healthy, rested, and ready to thrive. By following Jillian Berkshire’s tips, you can help your student start the year strong — and keep that momentum going all year long.

🎧 Listen to the full podcast interview with Jillian Berkshire on our Health Matters podcast for even more practical back-to-school health advice.

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ImmPower ®

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If You Could See the Invisible World That Your Immune System Battles Everyday— You’d Be Terrified

The invisible, harmful agents your immune system has to fight every day are downright scary. To make matters worse, your immune response becomes much weaker as you age. In fact, foreign cells that invade the body and outfox the immune system actually age your body prematurely. You’re exposed daily to hundreds of different toxins and attacking cells, and they’re chomping at the bit to set up a butcher shop in your body. Guess who they’re going to use for meat?

Here’s a Simple Example:

You’ve just been grocery shopping, and without knowing it, the person who used the shopping cart before you had an invisible, very unfriendly invader on their hands. Now it’s on YOU, and in YOUR body. And speaking of groceries, during a recent contaminated food scare, our government warned that older population and others with impaired immune systems were especially vulnerable. Problem is, people with impaired immune systems are a dime a dozen. Do you ever use bug spray? Get exposed to paints, pesticides, and pollution? Ever been around cigarette smoke or chemical cleaners? Eaten unhealthy foods? All of these things can contribute to an impaired immune system.

Even Stress and Grief Weaken the Immune System

All these factors, and countless other everyday assaults, wear down your immune system as you age. This may result in immense damage to the cells in your heart, brain, lungs, and every other cell in your body. Is it any wonder that you might feel run down today and that you have a weakened immune defense?

But This Doesn’t Have to Be The Case

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But you have to keep arming your troops or they’ll be overrun!

Unfortunately, NK-cell function, power, and activity fluctuate throughout your life. That’s because 24 hours a day, NK-cells are battling the effects of emotional stress, the environment, and your health history. As your NK-cell function wears down and response declines, your “defense department” doesn’t attack and kill the “bad guys” as vigorously as it should. The consequences? Your entire immune system becomes exhausted and overwhelmed, leaving you vulnerable, impacting your health, and your ability to fully enjoy life. Fortunately, numerous clinical studies and laboratory results have shown that:

Natural Killer (NK) cells are your immune system’s frontline defense.
They inject invaders with “hand grenades” called cytotoxic granules.
The granule lysis dissolves cell membranes, causing invaders to “explode” in seconds.

ImmPower revs up your immune system’s NK-cell activity by as much as 1000%!

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ImmPower works quickly. It helps the body to kill off unhealthy “invader cells” in just seconds. It’s also easily digested and absorbed, and has no negative side effects. This means your immune system can work quietly and efficiently behind the scenes while you’re enjoying good health today and well into your golden years. ImmPower is a proven immune health supplement. It’s powerful., and it’s perfect for helping you achieve the superior state of health you deserve and need in an uncertain world. Why not be prepared? Stock up today.

Suggested Use:

As a dietary supplement for adults take 2 capsules per day. For maximum benefits take 6 capsules per day with meals.

Keep out of reach of children.
Consult a healthcare professional if you are pregnant or nursing.
Size: 30 capsules/bottle
Active Ingredients: 500 mg AHCC proprietary blend.
- Maintains peak Natural Killer cell function.
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Praise for The LDN Book

Dr. Chris Steele, MBE, general practitioner; medical presenter on ITV’s This Morning

“I first came across LDN several years ago when a medical colleague said I should look into its positive effects in patients with MS, Crohn’s disease, and other autoimmune disorders. I was so impressed with what I read that I helped submit a petition to the UK government to ask for funding for further research into this inexpensive drug. But, as with so many petitions, no progress was made. I hope The LDN Book—which presents up-to-date findings that again confirm the efficacy of this safe, cheap, generic drug in helping to control many chronic, disabling conditions—is read by those in the Department of Health and by all doctors caring for patients with autoimmune disease. In the UK, LDN has been stranded in limbo; maybe now the time has come for it to be accepted as a recognized therapy that could, at least, be tried on those suffering such long-term diseases of the immune system.”

New Review The LDN Book - Jacqueline Young

Jackie is the Patron of the LDN Research Trust

“Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) was discovered by my husband and partner, Dr. Bernard Bihari. Incredibly informative and superbly written by various members of the medical profession sharing their experiences using this extraordinary drug, The LDN Book honors his legacy in helping patients suffering from autoimmune and other diseases to regain their health and their lives.”

The LDN Book review by Dr Thomas Cowan

“As a practicing physician who has used LDN as a cornerstone therapy for over fifteen years, I can say without equivocation that LDN is the most important and successful medicine I have ever used. I often joke that if not for LDN I couldn’t pay my mortgage; I’ve had so many new patients referred to me by someone whose life has improved dramatically through the use of LDN. And despite my knowledge and experience with LDN, I’ve learned a great deal from The LDN Book—aspects of its basic science I hadn’t known, new uses, and how its uses can inform us about the causes of various diseases. This is a wonderful book for any patient with an autoimmune disease, cancer, depression, or a host of other conditions and is a must-read for any physician whose goal is to help their patients.”

— Dr. Thomas Cowan, author of The Fourfold Path to Healing and co-author of The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care

Back-to-School Health Checklist: Tips from Nurse Practitioner Jillian Berkshire