Wine and dine for education

POST FALLS — The wine will flow Saturday, March 4 at the Post Falls Education Foundation’s annual Wine, Stein and Dine fundraiser. The event, in its 21st year, raises money for teachers in the Post Falls School District.

Liberation, action, change

Panels highlights North Idaho’s successful rights fight led by task force

Fight for rights not over

Merriam-Webster’s word of the year — authentic

When Merriam-Webster announced that its word of the year for 2023 was “authentic,” it did so with over a month to go in the calendar year.

Protect your hearing

How much noise is damaging? Any sounds at or above 85 decibels (dB) can damage your ears. A decibel is a unit that measures the intensity of sound. Sounds that humans can hear are measured on a scale from 0-140. The normal level of conversation measures about 60dB. Chainsaws hammer drills, bulldozers, and heavy machinery measure in at over 100dB. People working with lawn mowers, weed whackers are also at risk of damage, these levels are around 85-90 dB.

IDFG struggling with non-game funding

TWIN FALLS (AP) - The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is encouraging residents to help its non-game species program by buying specialized license plates or making donations.

Good news for housing market

First-time buyers help boost home sales across the country

WASHINGTON - Americans are buying more homes in every region of the country, the latest indication that the housing market could be on the mend.

Online Coronavirus Tests Are Just The Latest Iffy Products Marketed To Anxious Consumers

Companies with experience in the “at-home” testing market began announcing in mid-March that they would be offering direct-to-consumer test kits for COVID-19.

'Tis the season for fall flu bug

We've had some beautiful bonus sunny October days of late, and for that I'm grateful. I'm also grateful for modern over-the-counter medications for colds/flu/cough/congestion/sneezing and for tissues with a touch of aloe. It was obvious a week or so ago that there was a bug lurking but I foolishly thought I could outrun or at least ignore it. Nope. Knocked me upside the head late last week and it's not your garden variety 24-hour bug.

Antibiotics: Friend or foe? Part II

Germs are becoming increasingly more resistant to our antibiotics, and as a result, stronger, more potentially dangerous antibiotics are necessitated. Keep in mind that any drug, whether by prescription or over the counter (OTC) has potentially serious side effects, and should be utilized only after researching the risks, including toxicity as a result of its consumption. Antibiotics - and OTC's, because they're given out like candy - often miss the scrutiny given to other medications by wise consumers, but pose potentially serious side effects when misused.

Every visit to your doctor should include medication review

Ask Dr. K

Achoo-se! A different approach to allergies

Every spring, hundreds of thousands of people suffer when the pollen starts to fly. Over-the-counter sales of allergy medications are whisked off the shelves and doctors are pummeled with requests for stronger prescription meds. Articles on controlling allergies abound, but they’re all about minimizing exposure, not about how to resolve them. What if there was a way to eliminate allergies, not just control them? There is.

The white stuff

Most nights at my home, we have a ritual with our kids. They first choose whether they are going to brush their own teeth, or if they are going to lie in our laps and have either my wife or I do it "like a dentist." Whatever they choose, though, they always run to me afterwards and flash a huge smile and ask, "Are my teeth shiny?" And only after I give the nod of approval do they run off to bed and promptly fall asleep. (All right - it's not always that easy, but that's not the point of this article).

What helps indigestion, heartburn and reflux?

In the U.S., it is estimated that 60-70 million people suffer from digestive-related diseases. Of these, an estimated 75 percent continue to suffer their symptoms, even after being "treated" medically for them! Doctors are writing $114 million in acid-reducing medication prescriptions; that doesn't include over-the-counter sales. It's big business! What's worse is that taking acid-reducing medications to treat these issues can actually cause or contribute to many of the diseases we are suffering with today. Yet there are many remedies that actually fix the problem, not just cover them up.

PREP ROUNDUP: Chavez, Reynolds help lift Cd'A Charter boys past Bonners Ferry

“Tonight was an intense defensive battle,” Coeur d’Alene Charter coach Craig Daigle said. “Bonners Ferry came out aggressive and went up quickly. We did a good job of staying with our game plan and was able to tie it up at the half. Bonners Ferry came out in the second half connecting passes and getting into our third. I think we were able to counter attack and won numerous corners. (Charter’s) Treffen McCord’s corners were fantastic today and helped lead to the second goal.”

Cluster headaches debilitating

DEAR DR. GOTT: My 43-year-old son has cluster headaches that began about five years ago. The first series was twice daily around the same time each day. The bout lasted between six and eight weeks, and then stopped.

Check this out

Coeur d’Alene library use figures show dramatic jump

COEUR d’ALENE — Whether fueled by economic need or attracted by access to library Internet computers the use of public libraries is up across the country and the Coeur d’Alene Public Library is no exception.

Partial sleep apnea?

DEAR DR. GOTT: A person I work with says he has partial sleep apnea. He has never fainted in front of anyone; he just says he needs to sit down and sleep for 15 minutes to an hour. Can this be true? Other people have to pick up his slack.

Walmart cuts health benefits for some part-timers

Company will no longer offer insurance to employees who work less than an average of 30 hours a week as of Jan. 1

Lozenges unavailable to treat spasmodic dysphonia

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, which is not on your list of health reports. I have to wait another five months for an appointment with an ENT specialist. In the meantime, I must continue talking, as I am a teacher of FSL (French as a Second Language) and my work means I talk all day long. I've tried getting slippery elm lozenges, which are supposed to help the voice, but they are presently unavailable in Canada. So what can I do, short of not talking, to reduce or relieve symptoms?

Childhood joint pain, fainting in the elderly

DEAR DR. GOTT: Regarding your past columns about "growing pains," I had such severe pain in my knees as a young teen that I could barely walk. I was told it was due to a growth spurt and to just learn to live with it. I had no fevers, redness or swelling, but just a few years later was hit with MCTD, including rheumatoid arthritis. I am happy that you told the child's granny to look for other symptoms, such as fever, etc., but I think the pediatrician should have looked into doing some blood work to rule out other possibilities.