Putting Family in Family Medicine

Daylight savings time begins at 2 am on Sunday March 8, 2026. Immediately afterwards is National Sleep Awareness Week, observed from March 8 to 14, to highlight the importance of quality rest and overall health. This week promotes better sleep habits and emphasizes the need to prioritize sleep to improve your well-being. Sleep deficiency and poor-quality sleep raise the risk for long-term (chronic) health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and kidney disease. Sleep also affects how you think, react, learn, work and get along with others.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer affects the colon or rectum, which are parts of the digestive system. It is the second deadliest cancer in the United States. And yet most cases are highly preventable with screening and lifestyle changes. In addition, if colon cancer is detected early, then it is often treatable and beatable. Many people do not know they have this cancer at first because it can grow quietly. When people know more, they can take steps to protect their health and help others too.

February is American Heart Month, so it is the perfect time to learn about keeping your heart healthy and strong. Your heart is very important because it continuously pumps blood all through your body every day. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, but the good news is that many heart problems can be stopped before they even start.

Every February, we observe National Cancer Prevention Month—a time to focus on one of the most powerful tools we have in the fight against cancer: prevention and early detection. While cancer remains a leading cause of death in the United States, research shows that 30-50% of cancer cases are linked to modifiable lifestyle and environmental factors, meaning many cancers can be prevented or detected early when they're most treatable.