Seminar offers tools of healing

Event provides opportunity for candid discussion about abuse

WORLEY - Violence and domestic abuse are subjects in which Christina Crawford is well versed.

Turning the page on the calendar

This year with the way the holidays fell, we even managed a three-day weekend, which was wonderful. We had the time to host a dinner party of our own, catch up on things that needed attention at home after an intense few weeks, and in general relax and regroup. Also, we had a bit more time to spend on preparing and enjoying our evening meals, and a chance to linger over a glass or two of wine and really appreciate what we were having.

The making of great dessert wine

Dessert wines are perhaps one of the most misunderstood creations in the wine world. The assumption from Moscato to Sauterne to ice wine is that they are overly sweet, lack balance and are high alcohol. Assumptions that are understandable — given some of the not-so-great dessert wines that are on the market — but in fact are not accurate. You will get it when you have the chance to try your first great dessert wine.

The cost of eating 'bad' food

As I write today, I am saddened. My sweet dog is in the veterinarian hospital, struggling for life. At 6 years old, it is not expected. She ate a mushroom or something moldy and has mycotoxicosis, and her tremors and seizures are so bad that they don’t expect her to live. Why do animals eat things that are bad for them? Why do we humans eat things that are bad for us? Especially things we KNOW are bad for us? Like sugar.

Thank you, veterans! Dealing with post-traumatic stress

I want to take this time to thank the men and women of uniform — the military, police officers, paramedics, fire fighters, first responders at disaster sites, and all that risk their lives for our benefit. I have never served in any similar capacity. I don’t know what it feels like to watch a building or a car blow up via bomb or fire, or to hear the screams of those who succumb. I don’t know what it feels like to have adrenaline running intensely for hours or days on end as the enemy is or may be close by. I don’t know what it feels like to see someone shot or die violently. And I don’t know what it is like to see my home in shambles because of a tornado, a storm or a devastating earthquake. I am grateful that that is not my lot. I am grateful that there are those who are willing to sacrifice the comforts we so take for granted so that my freedom and my life is preserved.

Tips for hips (and other joints too!)

Menopause: Faces on fire

“Wow, my face is on fire!” Menopause or perimenopause — hot flashes, sweats, moodiness, rapid heart beat and alternating hot and cold feelings — are no fun. If it was just feeling hot, that would be one thing. We all get too hot at various times of our lives. But hot flashes are different. Many times they are also associated with feeling sick or flu-like just before the onset. It is generally localized and intense in the face, chest or even legs, and it’s difficult to cool down.

Losing your mind: Alzheimer's and dementia

Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten what you were there for? Have you ever misplaced something and couldn’t for the life of you find it anywhere? I’m sure when things like that happen you declare, “I must be losing my mind!” Most people have done this and are not losing their mind. Unfortunately, there are too many that are. There are an estimated 7.5 million Americans that have Alzheimer’s disease. Out of that, about 200,000 are under the age of 65. There is even a new category of “young-onset Alzheimer’s.” One out of ten over the age of 65, and half over the age of 85 have it. What’s going on and what can we do about it?

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.

Multiple sclerosis and autoimmune conditions

Autoimmune conditions can be particularly challenging health conditions due to the fact that they originate when your body’s immune system becomes overly reactive to your own gland or tissue. Autoimmune conditions range in variety from Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, where the immune system is destroying the thyroid, to multiple sclerosis (MS), where the immune system is damaging the nervous system.

Logging at English Point will revitalize forest

When the work is completed in a few years, the Forest Service-managed English Point recreational area will be a vibrant ecosystem of pine and tamarack.

Save your health and your savings account: Get ahead of your symptoms

The exorbitant health care costs of our nation are no secret. According to the Center for Disease Control, average health care expenditures per-person were $10,000 on average in 2015, amounting to $3.2 trillion or almost 18% of the United States GDP. Also according to the CDC, chronic diseases that are avoidable through preventive care account for about 75% of US health care expenditures. Without diagnostics like blood work or other medical testing, symptoms are the first warning signs of the deeper imbalances that lead to health problems. Unfortunately, by the time you first begin experiencing symptoms, you have likely been in a state of dysfunction for quite some time. One of the biggest challenges in health care right now is convincing individuals of the benefits of preventive care and the importance of addressing their symptoms as soon as they arise.

ADVERTISING: Advertorial — How to get rid of muscle spasms

Muscle spasms or muscle cramps can be anywhere from annoying to downright painful. There are many causes of muscle spasms and in order to rid yourself of them, you have to ask “Why?”

New Year’s resolutions for owners and their furry friends

With the new year comes the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions.

ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Four tips for dealing with menopausal hot flashes and night sweats, naturally

Menopause is defined as the cessation of menstrual cycles, with an average age of onset in the United States of 51. The transition into menopause can last as long as a decade and can be physically and emotionally turbulent. Once menstrual cycles cease, hormone levels continue to drop, with more than eighty percent of women experiencing hot flashes and night sweats. Defined as transient sensations of heat, sweating, flushing and chills lasting for one to five minutes, hot flashes can cause considerable distress — especially when severe and frequent.

ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Four common health issues that disturb your sleep

There is nothing more distressing than insomnia. Sleep deprivation has many long-term negative impacts on our health and wellbeing, from a weakened immune system to depression and mood disorders, to an inability to concentrate and memory loss. Sleep disorders are also extremely common, affecting up to fifty percent of the U.S. adult population.

ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Heart Palpitations: Causes and natural solutions

Heart palpitations are a type of abnormal heart rhythm, called ‘arrhythmia,’ that occurs when an electrical signal in the heart fires from the wrong place at the wrong time, causing the heart to beat out of rhythm.

ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Lessons from a personal health care journey

Like many other health practitioners, one reason I was attracted to the profession was to deepen my understanding of my own health challenges. While no one enjoys wrestling with health problems, it arguably can make a practitioner more sensitive to the struggles their own patients face, and a more effective practitioner. What are some important lessons I learned along the way?

ADVERTISING: Advertorial — PCOS: What it is and how to deal with it

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common female hormonal disorders, globally affecting five to 10 percent of reproductive-age women. With PCOS, the ovaries produce an abnormal amount of androgens or male sex hormones that are usually only present in women in small amounts. The term “polycystic ovary” describes the numerous small cysts that may form in the ovaries, visible through ultrasound. The most common symptoms include acne, facial or body hair, weight gain, hair thinning and irregular or absent menstrual cycles.

Preventing monkeypox transmission between people and pets

The 2022 outbreak of monkeypox has caught the attention of healthcare professionals worldwide, especially after the World Health Organization’s declaration of monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern in late July.