This summer did not go well. In July, I lost my mother to a brutal disease, and thus inherited her responsibilities: keeping her home, caring for my father, and the minutia of wrapping up her “paper existence.” At the same time, my own family expanded. Our grandson moved in for the summer and our son… Read more »
Inspiration
What did you do this summer to recharge your batteries? Hopefully you got away from the heat, spent time with friends and family, and simply checked out for a while. No matter how full your plate may seem, taking time away from the everyday is an important choice for good health. However, health care practitioners… Read more »
Doctors have the ability to heal. Unfortunately, the current health care system has turned many away from their natural ability to do so. But things are changing. A core aspect of integrative medicine is whole person care by doctors who take the time to listen and understand their patients, and a treatment protocol that incorporates… Read more »
Lyme disease is on the rise. Once prevalent only in the northeast, the infectious disease has now been reported in every state in the US, and throughout the world. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported 30,000 cases annually, only to revise that statistic to 300,000 in 2013.1 The probable stats are due… Read more »
Lisa Genova had a dream. She wanted to someday write a book, but as a Harvard-trained neuroscientist, her family and colleagues laughed at the thought. Ironically, life circumstances led her to that dream sooner than expected, while her grandmother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s led her to the valuable research that made Still Alice a New York… Read more »
Choices for health can be complicated – especially when you have health care practitioners with different opinions and/or the information available is contradictory. This is why it is important for us as consumers to do our research and make informed decisions for ourselves. Such is the case with food sensitivity testing which has become a… Read more »
When kids are involved in the choice, they are more inclined to take part. That is the philosophy behind FIND Food Bank’s Kids Summer Feeding Program: Don’t just feed the children, make them part of the selection, education and preparation. Teaming with valley Boys & Girls Clubs and local YMCAs, FIND’s summer program delivers produce… Read more »
In 1932, Edith Morrey was 20 years old. You may know Edith as the “Grande Dame of Fashion” whose chic clothing boutique, the first on El Paseo, helped launch the famed street. At 20, she lived in Portland and it was there she would attend the most impactful event of her life. That year, she… Read more »
Health is a choice, but when access to health care is a challenge, that choice can become a luxury. For some, the choice comes down to a dental filling for your child or food on the table; a pair of glasses for your spouse or paying rent; a doctor’s appointment co-pay or bus fare for… Read more »
Mariel Hemingway knows balance. The Academy Award-nominated actress continues to pursue her career, while also succeeding as a health activist and author, eco-enthusiast, executive producer, and a loving mother of two grown daughters. Getting to the “best place in her life” took hard work and much conscious thought. She is an inspiration to many and… Read more »
The Prescription Drug Epidemic
- By Lauren Del Sarto
- January/February 2014
How many prescription drugs are you taking? One or two? You are not alone. Nearly 7 in 10 Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half take two, according to a recent report by the Mayo Clinic and the Olmstead Medical Center.1 20 percent of us are on five or more.… Read more »
As young women, we grow up hearing horror stories about “going through the change” when hormone fluctuations create often unbearable symptoms like hot flashes, crazy brain, and mood swings. And we know that when this time comes, we will have to make choices for ourselves. In my early thirties, I learned about hormone replacement therapy (HRT)… Read more »
Good health is a conscious choice often brought on by a strong passion for change. Choosing to go into health care often starts with the same passion, but is directed at helping others. And with the many changes and challenges facing today’s health care system, launching into medicine with that sincere passion and purpose is… Read more »
We often meet people who consider themselves ‘conscious eaters,’ but rarely do we meet someone whose passion is converting others. In her own personal effort to address America’s obesity issues, Registered Dietitian Sarah Gaete is teaching the value of nutrition to as many people as she can. She is passionate about getting others to make… Read more »
One of our Valley’s most beloved residents is Ms. Carol Channing. At 92, she is still the beaming ray of light we know from stage and screen – gracious and kind, full of positive energy and endearing spunk. If you ask Carol how she accounts for her long, healthy life, she will tell you that lead… Read more »
Throughout the decades, the concept of ‘healthy habits’ has evolved. One longstanding premise seldom challenged is that physical fitness–to maintain muscle and cardiovascular health–serves you well in the present, and in future years. This concept was challenged in the 1960’s by those who thought muscle mass would infringe on a golfer’s game, but Gary Player… Read more »
Just ask the Alberici Sisters, Maria Lauren and Linda Eichberg. They grew up in 1960’s Philadelphia as part of a health-conscious vegetarian family–a choice their parents made for health, not religion. When kids were bringing Wonder bread and bologna sandwiches to school, they had vegetables on sprouted wheat bread that “grossed out” the others. Instead… Read more »
Improving nutrition in schools is no small task.It requires the motivation, inspiration and action of a hard working team to instill long-lasting change. In this year’s Healthy Lifestyle Challenge, schools competed against valley cities, companies and organizations for the “Best of the Best” award. The goal for each program was to improve the health, physical… Read more »
September is Yoga Awareness Month. Most of us would admit that our muscles could use a little more stretching; however, we think ‘yoga is for the young, or for tree huggers, and my body could never do those crazy positions.’ But yoga is so much more than stretching, and how much you can do depends… Read more »
When you have your health, anything is possible. When you don’t, nothing else matters. This is the message at the bottom of Patti Wright’s emails. And she certainly embodies this sentiment. Patti was a successful professional who raised a son on her own and enjoyed good health. But in her 40’s, things starting going wrong.… Read more »