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A Personal Education in Parkinson’s
My father, who’s now 73, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a few years ago. As is their wont, my parents have embraced the challenge with outward cheerfulness and optimism. Since I didn’t know much about Parkinson’s at the time, but I do know my parents fairly well, their sudden, pronounced optimism was one [...]
Read More >>An Introduction to the Human Microbiome
“The human microbiome is the body organ you didn’t know you had,” says Dr. Eva Berkes, co-founder of Sarasota’s Quorum Innovations at the Hawthorne Clinic and Research Center. “It basically calls for a re-examination of human physiology and disease.” Basically, she explains, your body has about 10 trillion cells. But on top of [...]
Read More >>Some Points About Acupuncture
Pain? Weight loss? Quitting smoking? As it has become more mainstream, acupuncture is used to treat an ever-increasing list of ailments. Including: aging faces. I visited Christina Captain’s Family Healing Center for a demonstration of “cosmetic acupuncture” techniques—as well as an overview of acupuncture in general. Though I’ve encountered several people who swear up and [...]
Read More >>Sleep Apnea
I’ve always snored like a mofo. As a kid, I was tormented by fellow campers and sisters alike, who would wake me up to complain about the snoring when it seemed to me I hadn’t even fallen asleep yet. (My college roommate was deaf in one ear; small blessings.) And there’s a famous story [...]
Read More >>The Institute for the Ages
By Hannah Wallace Last week, I got to work on a piece about Sarasota’s Institute for the Ages, which is hosting its annual Winter Forum this Friday—“Technology & Connections in Positive Aging.” I admit, going into it, I was a little confused about the essence of the organization. CEO Tom Esselman broke it down into [...]
Read More >>A Q&A with Lisa Niemi Swayze
By Hannah Wallace During Patrick Swayze’s two-year battle with pancreatic cancer, his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi Swayze, served as his caregiver. After Patrick passed away in 2009, she became a public face for dealing with terminal illness and the loss of a loved one, and an advocate for pancreatic cancer awareness. Her new [...]
Read More >>This Just In: Keep Cramming Potassium
The World Health Organization just released new recommendations for the consumption of sodium and potassium—two nutrients that factor heavily into your blood pressure. Potassium is the goodie: You’re now to consume at least 3,510 mg of potassium a day. (I really enjoy the specificity of that number—if you’ve only had 3,500, grab another banana.) Actually, [...]
Read More >>An Expert Weighs In: Get Your Flu Shot (Really)
No, seriously: do it. It’s amazing to me that the murmurs arise every year: “Are you going to get a flu shot? I’m not sure if I should. They say it can’t give you the flu, but my [friend/sister/waiter/cab driver] told me they got the flu from it and now they’ll never get one again.” [...]
Read More >>Calorie Burner: The Hockey Workout
By Hannah Wallace I’ll be enjoying one of my favorite kinds of fitness—ice hockey—in Ellenton this weekend, as our women’s team, the Gulfcoast Ms Conduct, hosts a tournament for the Florida Women’s Hockey League at Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. Here’s a breakdown of the weekend-long workout. Time factor: We’ll play four games between Friday [...]
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