By David Fleet
Editor
In March  2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Within the weeks and months that followed millions shelter in place in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus. More than a year later over 600,000 U.S. residents including more than 20,000 from Michigan have died from the coronavirus. According to a February 2021 Harris Poll people are reporting a decline in physical health may be declining due to an inability to cope in healthy ways with the stresses of the pandemic.
A local medical facility is taking notice.
Shelley Littleton, a physician assistant at M-15 Urgent Care, 250 N Ortonville Road is now providing some remedies.
“Since the pandemic started literally every patient that walks in the door talks about the COVID 10 (pounds) they gained,” said Littleton. “There’s a depression and anxiety component I’ve been treating people who never had it before. That’s due to the amount of pressure we are under right now.”
The results of the restrictions from the pandemic have set us up for the perfect storm, she said.

The Wellness Clinic, available through the M-15 Urgent Care provides an individual wellness plan to treat the whole person. The plan includes recommendations for nutrition, diet, physical activity, exercise, lifestyle intervention, disease prevention, stress reduction and spiritual wellness.
“Our goal ultimately is good health and what it takes to get there,” she said.
The stay at home directive impacted the health in many ways including diets.
“People working at home are very close to their refrigerator —they are hungry and stressed,” she said. “For example, they can just started picking up a bag of chips and start eating anytime.”
In the first visit to the clinic, they collect history and background, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol to determine what type of diet is necessary. The caloric intake is monitored and a slow reduction in calories is prescribed.
“We then set up a parameter of what we want to fix and what our goal there is to achieve,” she said.
A individual exercise plan is also established, rather than joining a gym. Activities fit the individual such as golf, dog walking to be part of day-to-day life.
“We then reduce the calories slowly while adding the exercise,” she said. “We do once a month testing, and started a Facebook Page with others for support.”
The Wellness Clinic is covered by most insurances. For more details call (248) 793-7113.