Dr. Lisa Belisle

The Air Out There

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published May 29, 2008, The Maine Switch

Take a deep breath. Hold it. How long can you keep from breathing?

Not long, eh? In medical school, we learned that ‘air goes in and out,’ and ‘blood goes ‘round and ‘round.’ If either of these processes stops, a person dies. Quickly. If either of these is hampered significantly, a person dies—though perhaps less quickly. These systems are necessary for living.

Each of these systems needs breathable air. This is why the American Lung Association (ALA) is so heavily invested in an invisible, (seemingly) free and often overlooked substance. Frequently recognized for its anti-smoking efforts, the ALA recently released its annual air pollution-oriented “State of the Air” report.

Smurf Tag and Dirt Digging: Healthy Lessons from Our Kids

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published May 8, 2008, The Maine Switch

Recently I joined my seven-year-old in a game of tag. She was an evil Gargamel; I was a Smurf. (You may have to Google these terms if you didn’t grow up in the eighties.) Once she tagged me, I was also a Gargamel and had to convert other children in the Royal River Ramblers running program from Smurfs to Gargamels. It was great fun: I’m sure the other parents were jealous. Even my twelve-year-old looked on longingly.

Walking the Walk

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published May 2008, Parent & Family

Last year our family moved to a house that was less than a mile away from our children’s schools. We had previously lived only a little farther up the road. We did this in part because we wanted them to walk to school as often as possible. We wanted them to have the chance to daydream as they meandered down the wooded paths, over the brook and across the fields. We wanted them to see the world up close; to develop a sense of place. We wanted them to engage in an activity that benefited their spirits — and their bodies.