Monday, May 21, 2012
Local symposium will cap Lupus Awareness Month
When writer Flannery O’Connor was diagnosed with lupus in 1950 at age 25, the autoimmune disease was poorly understood, often confused with arthritis. O’Connor braved debilitating pain, immobility, and fatigue with her characteristic humor at times, calling her crutches “flying buttresses.” But she grumbled in a letter about a nurse who patronizingly advised, “Honey, take up knitting, and you won’t notice the pain.” Shortly before her death at 39, she bleakly apologized for feeling “too bad” to type the latest stories she had written. Some O’Connor scholars believe that the dark, violent images in this seemingly mild-mannered and prim Southern woman’s novels and stories serve as metaphors for the illness that was attacking her body and …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Not all lotions and sprays are alike, and not everything you thought you knew about protecting your skin from harmful UV rays is true.
Before you stash sunscreen in your beach bag, tennis bag, glove compartment or wherever you keep it for upcoming sunny days, take a minute to check the label to be sure you’re applying ultimate protection. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revised the requirements for sunscreen labeling last year, and the changes take effect this summer. Here’s what you need to know and look for: Broad-spectrum protection. This means the sunscreen protects from both UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays cause skin aging and damage, and UVB rays cause sunburn. Neither is good, so you need to defend your skin against both. Under the new labeling rules, a sunscreen can be labeled “broad-spectrum” only if it protects against both types of harmful rays. No such thing…
Monday, May 7, 2012
An FDA-approved vaccine cuts risk of the painful infection by 70 percent.
I wasn't planning to think about shingles all week, but couldn’t avoid it. It started with an email from a close friend saying she had the painful skin rash, which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. I winced, recalling my own bout of shingles, when I drove to and from work every day, steering with my right hand and holding the seat belt away from my torso with my left, because the pain from having the belt touch the rash on my rib cage was intolerable. A day later, I came across a 2011 Institute of Medicine report on chronic pain. One of the leading causes? Post-herpetic neuralgia, the nerve pain that sometimes follows shingles, and which can last anywhere from weeks to years. The shingles theme continued the next day when I saw my …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Hundreds of pet lovers and their four-legged friends came out on Saturday for the 19th annual event to benefit the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter.
With their tails held high and their ears on alert, dogs of all shapes, colors and sizes, converged on Dana Point Harbor Island on Saturday for the 19th annual Wag-A-Thon. Click here to see the video. The popular event benefits the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter and was organized by the Pet Project Foundation. With lots of barking, tricks, and more, the day most definitely went to the dogs.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Unless you consume nearly 2 pounds of dairy products daily, you may not be getting enough calcium. But there are alternatives.
Have you eaten your 1.75 pounds of dairy products today? If you’re like most Americans, that’s your share. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans consume 630 pounds of milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream every year, a number that could increase when the agency updates its report in July. Dairy products, particularly low-fat varieties, can be excellent sources of protein, calcium, and vitamin D. But there are other choices for people who don’t like dairy, follow a vegan diet, or are among the 60 percent of adults worldwide who can’t digest milk products. Plenty of nondairy food sources deliver the calcium you need to help keep your bones strong. How much calcium is enough? If you’re older than 50, you need 1,200 mg of …
Monday, April 23, 2012
Hints to improve your digestion and your overall health.
Americans feel it in their guts. Poor health, that is; the combined consequences of an unwholesome diet, stress, aging, and not drinking enough water. Every year, more than 90 million Americans seek help from a doctor for gut-related problems such as acid reflux, pancreatitis, gallstones, and irritable bowel syndrome, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. With a few simple and straightforward steps, you can improve your GI tract function, boost your overall health, and perhaps avoid being one of those 90 million in the doctor’s office. Your gut not only digests your food, but is integrally linked to brain function, hormones associated with sleep and thinking, sex drive, the heart, the body’s muscles, and immune function, …
Friday, April 20, 2012
Students enjoy the goings-on at the city's Earth Day event.
What do trees, massages, spiders, flowers, water, fish, big brooms and bees have in common? They are the answers to the question I posed, “What would you give Mother Earth for her birthday?” The answers came from everyone at the San Juan Capistrano's 11th annual Earth Day Fair Thursday, organized by Ziad Mazboudi, a senior civil engineer with the city. Waves of school children entered the city gymnasium, 20-30 kids at a time, to check out exhibits designed to raise awareness about a variety of environmental issues. The tables were full of freebees at each table, and each student went home with a bag full of with new pencils, rulers, rubber duckies, and all kinds of environmentally friendly reading and coloring. Here are some things I …
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Unlicensed drivers get a pass. She wants the mayor to do something about it.
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Thursday, April 19
By Susan Rea I met with Mayor Larry Kramer to discuss the safety hazard unlicensed drivers present. My first topic was a personal experience, whereby, a fearless unlicensed driver, was going the wrong way in the city-owned parking lot adjacent to Marco Forster Middle School. My nanny was parking, and a minor accident transpired because this lady was driving the wrong way. She tried to leave, stating she left her license. I requested police – as I was also at the school for another matter – and it was found she had no license. The vehicle was not towed, and I and my son saw her leave after being told to not drive, the wrong way again. She also failed to slow or stop at the light of Via Positiva and Del Avion, running a red light to turn …
Monday, April 16, 2012
Can't remember to take your vitamins? A vitamin B12 deficiency may be to blame for your poor memory, poor balance or poor heart health.
Be sure you’re getting enough vitamin B12. The stakes of a B12 deficiency are high as is the rate at which B12 deficiencies go undiagnosed. You need vitamin B12 to form red blood cells, keep your brain sharp, and fuel your energy levels. Vitamin B12 also regulates the level of the amino acid homocysteine in your body. High homocysteine ups your risk for heart disease, so adequate levels of B12 are important for your cardiovascular health, too. With less than the recommended 2.4 mcg daily for adults, the symptoms of low B12 can range from simple fatigue and brain fog to serious changes in vision and balance. Children need B12, too, between .9 and 1.4 mcg a day, depending on their age. Most of us can get enough B12 from food sources, which …
Sunday, April 15, 2012
The annual show rolled into town at Doheny Beach on Saturday, leaving many fond memories in its wake. Check out the video, too.
The Southern California Woodie Club hosted Doheny Wood 2012, at Doheny State Beach Park on Saturday, April 14. The 15th anniversary show was a great place to check out some of the coolest cars from days gone by. There were woodies of course, in addition to some other classic cars that made me long for simpler times. As I made my way back to Laguna Niguel in my fuel efficient car, I dreamed about those days when gas was under a buck.
southcountynative
2:52 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Sympathy Mick. You were her pilot too. :) more ›