Wellness

Living with chronic pain
Last month's article on the subject of how to live with chronic pain defined "chronic" as that which "continues longer than six months, and is not completely relieved by medication or medical treatment," from the American Chronic Pain Association ...
12:28 a.m. PT May 16, 2008 | more »

Seniors meet Presidential challenge for fitness
Gayle Lossman has been teaching seniors how to keep fit at the South Yuba Club in Nevada City for years, but in recent weeks, her Silver Sneakers class has taken on a stately feel.

1:23 a.m. PT May 9, 2008 | more »

Drug options for cholesterol
In this series on cholesterol, I have talked about the effects of exercise and started talking about particular prescription drugs. In the prior column I pointed out that the reasons behind taking these drugs ultimately come down to a question...
1:08 a.m. PT May 9, 2008 | more »

In brief
Wildfire week points to defensible space

12:42 a.m. PT May 8, 2008 | more »

Firm rolls out machine to battle prostate cancer
The battle against prostate cancer has been taken to new heights, according to a Grass Valley high-tech firm that developed a machine for the fight.

1:04 a.m. PT May 7, 2008 | more »

Exercise and weight loss
Weight loss often tops the list of goals for new exercisers. Frustration builds if they have been faithfully exercising for two or three months, only to find the scale hasn't budged. There are myriad answers to this question, starting with a big...
12:51 a.m. PT May 2, 2008 | more »

It's your life, so live it up
Do we know each other well enough to talk about the deep personal stuff? Yes? Then here's a column that may help in the years ahead:

12:52 a.m. PT May 2, 2008 | more »

Spirit Center on the ropes
The future of the Spirit Center mental health patient drop-in center in Grass Valley is in jeopardy, and it could be in limbo or without a home by summer 2009, according to its officials.

12:36 a.m. PT Apr 29, 2008 | more »

Cholesterol - the benefits of exercise and medication
In my last two columns I talked about the health risks of elevated cholesterol and the effects of diet and supplements. In the next columns on cholesterol, I'll discuss the effects of exercise and prescription drug therapy.

12:28 a.m. PT Apr 25, 2008 | more »

Say it again, and this time, speak up
Can you hear me?

12:30 a.m. PT Apr 25, 2008 | more »

Patient group ponders suit against Laura's Law
A state mental health patient group is considering legal action against Nevada County after the board of supervisors implemented Laura's Law Tuesday.

1:03 a.m. PT Apr 23, 2008 | more »

A little rickety, but still rockin'
I thought I had it in the bag. With twelve grandkids, I imagined I had earned my Grandmother Button and knew most of what there was to know.
12:08 a.m. PT Apr 18, 2008 | more »

NU grad and Olympic torch bearer to speak here today
By Dave Moller

11:03 p.m. PT Apr 13, 2008 | more »

Caregivers are our silent saints
There are some saints you don't pray to. Instead, you pray about them and for them. The saints I have in mind are the family members who care for the ill, frail, infirm and brain-impaired. These caregivers are the silent saints of our culture. In ...
12:56 a.m. PT Apr 11, 2008 | more »

Ten common fitness mistakes
I hope you've made an important decision to restart your fitness program because you are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired!

1:01 a.m. PT Apr 11, 2008 | more »

Half of people in county are fat
Half of Nevada County residents are overweight or obese, requiring some preventative action, according to Public Health Officer Dr. Joseph Iser.

12:24 a.m. PT Apr 9, 2008 | more »

Doctor speak
So you're lying down at the doctor's office or the hospital, possibly scared, and the physician turns to the nurse and says something like, "Take an EKG, get a Chem 7, and then we'll get an MRI."

1:07 a.m. PT Apr 4, 2008 | more »

Saving your past in boxes
I can pass for normal, I really can, but I wonder if I am, in fact, a garden-variety geezer. Or maybe something else? Like a nostalgia-addled, memory-ridden, photo-burdened acquisitor of memorabilia? You tell me.

1:32 a.m. PT Apr 4, 2008 | more »

Living with chronic pain
If you are gripping your shoulder, icing your knee for the fifth time today, afraid this ferocious beast has moved in forever, join the one out of three people who live with chronic pain.

1:25 a.m. PT Apr 4, 2008 | more »

Seizures can strike anyone
Though seizures are a symptom of epilepsy, anyone can have them for many other reasons - accidents, disease, emotional stress or even drinking too much.

12:15 a.m. PT Mar 28, 2008 | more »

Second wind: Geezers going green
Going green is not just for the young and Birkenstocked. I have gone green without changing a thing. The same ecological miracle could happen to you. Maybe when Earth Day comes, you will even be hailed as the cool geezer with a teeny, tiny carbon ...
12:02 a.m. PT Mar 28, 2008 | more »

Emotional Health-Strengthening Exercises: Change habits little by little
Mike, my former client, was tongue tied and tired of the limitations it created for him.

11:55 p.m. PT Mar 27, 2008 | more »

Cantaloupe fruit mix taken off store shelves
Grass Valley's Save Mart store has pulled pre-packaged fresh fruit mixes containing cantaloupe from store shelves after a salmonella outbreak triggered a recall by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

2:05 a.m. PT Mar 26, 2008 | more »

Road to fitness starts with first step
As I sit here trying to write my first column, I find myself struggling with getting started.
12:38 a.m. PT Mar 21, 2008 | more »

Heart disease
So you recently had your cholesterol checked and were told it's normal. Great, you say, I've passed that test!

12:37 a.m. PT Mar 21, 2008 | more »

Second Wind: Counting our many blessings
It's spring and the rump is sprung, at least if you are older and have lower back troubles. But when the daffodils are waving at you, it's hard to focus on the pain that can come with aging and much easier to focus on the pleasures of growing older.
12:35 a.m. PT Mar 21, 2008 | more »

Is heading a soccer ball bad for you?
Athletes protect their heads dearly in almost every sport, but in soccer, players use their noggins to strike an often fast-moving ball.

1:51 a.m. PT Mar 14, 2008 | more »

Second Wind: How to help frail parents
Oh, boy - some books are just what the doctor ordered, and this one, "My Mother, Your Mother," happens to be by Dr. Dennis McCullough, who may become the Dr. Spock for the very old.

1:53 a.m. PT Mar 14, 2008 | more »

Second Wind: Even Peter Pan needs health care
Each of us has an Inner Peter Pan, someone within who imagines old age is what happens to other people. This is a pleasant form of denial and as long as blue jeans come in the giant sizes known as "comfort", we can go along with Peter.
12:21 a.m. PT Mar 7, 2008 | more »

Supplements may not lower cholesterol
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in this country, and most heart disease stems from ruptured cholesterol plaques.

12:22 a.m. PT Mar 7, 2008 | more »