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Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado D ecember 16, 2010 3....

Health shorts ............................................................................................. pg. 4Handle the stress of being a student........................................................ pg. 9Workout pants that help tone.................................................................. pg. 10Living alone: What you should know ....................................................... pg. 16The Healthy Plate: Cocktail Popovers Three Ways.................................. pg. 17Crandoodles by Steve Crandall ............................................................... pg. 19Eating disorders on campus.................................................................... pg. 20Destination: Healthy by Amanda Wicker ................................................. pg. 21Five ways to beat the holiday bulge......................................................... pg. 22Ask Dr. H: Getting enough vitamin D ....................................................... pg. 23Awareness is key to fighting depression................................................. pg. 24Loveland health briefs ............................................................................. pg. 25Loveland health calendar ........................................................................ pg. 26

Health Line of NorthernColorado is a monthly

publication produced by theLoveland Daily Reporter-Herald. The information

provided in this publication isintended for personal, non-commercial, informational

and entertainment purposesonly and does not constitute arecommendation or endorse-

ment with respect to anycompany, product,

procedure or activity. Youshould seek the advice of aprofessional regarding your

particular situation.

For advertisinginfor mation,

contact:Linda Story,

advertising director:970-635-3614

For editorialinformation, contact:

Jade Cody, specialsections editor:970-635-3656

jcody@repor ter-h e ra l d . c o m

Jennifer Lehman,special sections reporter:

970-635-3684jlehman@repor ter-

h e ra l d . c o m

Alzheimer’sB re a k t h ro u g h7A wake up pill for morning alertness5

Vo l u n t e e r i n gis healthy8

Smoke Out:P re g n a n c y11 Uncommon

Sense13Memorial Tattoos: Making alasting legacy with ink14

Also inside

6Are you happy? Jade joinsforces with psychologistBeth Firestein in a quest forunderstanding happiness

Health in a Handbasket

4 Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado D ecember 16, 2010....

TheAmazingE f fe c t sof Yoga

Jeannine SteinqM c C l a t c h y-Tr i b u n e

Yoga has many provenhealth benefits, but does itstand up to other forms of

exercise? Researchers pitted itagainst a walking routine andfound that those who practiced yo-ga showed greater improvementsin mood and anxiety.

Researchers randomly assigned19 people to an Iyengar yoga pro-gram and 15 to a metabolicallymatched regular walking regimen.

Both groups took part in theprograms for an hour three times aweek for 12 weeks. Study partici-pants were tested several times tomeasure mood and anxiety. They

were also given magnetic reso-nance spectroscopy scans to mea-sure levels of the brain chemi-cal gamma-Aminobutyric acid,a neurotransmitter that quietsbrain activity, reducing anxietyand producing a state of calm.The scans were done at the be-ginning and end of the studyand immediately following a yogaor walking session.

Those in the yoga group sawbetter changes in mood and lessanxiety than those in the walkinggroup. The yoga group also sawincreases in GABA levels linkedwith improvements in mood.

The study was published recent-ly in the Journal of Alternative andComplementary Medicine.

Metro Creative

Music therapy has beenshown to help in thehealing process of a vari-

ety of ailments or conditions, bethey physical or mental. Re-searchers at the Institute for MusicTherapy in Germany, for instance,studied the effects of music therapywhen used to treat children withdevelopmental delay. Researchersstudied a group of 12 children be-

tween 4 and 6.5 years of age withdevelopmental ages between 1 to3.5 years. They were able to notethe effects of musical therapy onthe children’s development, whichshowed significant improvements,including better hearing andspeech and improved hand-eyecoordination in the children afterexposure to the therapy. Musictherapy has also proven effectivein treating depression in older pa-tients.

Soothing the BeastAccording to the 2009 National Health

Interview Survey from the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention,

46 million persons under the age of 65 areuninsured in the United States, an increaseof nearly 2.5 million persons from the pre-ceding year. The same survey found that 6.1million children under the age of 18 wereuninsured at the time of interview, whichmarked a decrease of roughly half a millionuninsured children from the year prior.While the number of uninsured childrenunder the age of 18 has decreased dramati-cally since 1997, the same cannot be said forthe overall number of uninsured persons inthe United States. In 1997, that figure stoodat 41 million. While during the ensuingdecade the number of uninsured Americansremain relatively close to 41 million, the in-crease of roughly 2.5 million uninsured U.S.residents between 2008 and 2009 markedthe largest such year-to-year increase since anearly identical increase from 1999 to 2000.

46million


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The Morning

Barbara WilliamsM c C l a t c h y-Tr i b u n e

Anew pill may be the answerfor those groggy people whocan’t seem to get out of bed

in the morning, even after getting asufficient amount of sleep.

Cathy Beggan, a Sparta, N.J.,mother of three, has created WakeUp On Time, a pill containing allnatural ingredients in a delay-releasecoating. The pill is designed to boostenergy levels and is made up of ablend of B vitamins, amino acids,guarana seed extract and Siberianginseng. The pill is available onlineand on some store shelves, and isone of the products offered through

Beggan’s company, Rise-N-Shine.If taken at bedtime, the natural

coating allows the ingredients to dis-solve over seven to eight hours, and“wake you up when the alarm clockrings,” Beggan said.

“It’s more than a vitamin, it’s timein a bottle because instead of hittingthe snooze button over and overagain, it allows you to bounce out ofbed ready to go,” Beggan said.

“The product helps you to effort-lessly wake right up in the morningfeeling alert, happy, and ready foranything your demanding schedulethrows at you.”

The guarana seed extract is proba-bly what gives the supplement itskick, since it has a high concentra-

tion of caffeine, said Louis E. Teich-holz, chief and medical director ofcardiac services and chief, divisionof complementary medicine pro-gram at Hackensack University Med-ical Center.

“I can’t say whether it works ordoesn’t work, but if it does, it’s prob-ably from the guarana,” Te i c h h o l zsaid. “If you’re going to use it, Iwould recommend doing so withcaution because the caffeine maycause higher blood pressure in peo-ple who already have high bloodpressure and it could cause palpita-tions.”

Beggan said the supplement alsoenhances the immune system andelevates moods.

B e fo r e pill?Feel groggy inthe morning?Drug creatorsays she has

invented awake up pillthat will help

6 Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado D ecember 16, 2010 ....

HL Health in a Handbasket

Health in a Handbasket

Health in a Handbasketis a monthly feature in whichI try a health-related adven-ture and write about it. If youhave an idea for a newadventure, write to me atjcody@r eporter-herald.com.

Jade CodySpecial Sections Editor

Since this is our mentalhealth edition ofHealth Line, I wanted

to spend this column onthings like feelings and emo-tions. Not that I personallyhave any, unless you countstuff like hunger and mycontinuous wishing so so sobad that I was a large eagle... what with the flying andtalons and swooping to andfr o.

One of my favorite emo-tions is happiness. Most ofmy happiness comes fromlaughing. Not in that crazylaughter-yoga class kind ofway, though. That’s justweird. I’ve never been to a

class, but thinking about itmakes me kind of want tohave flu symptoms.

No, I like to laugh at goodold fashioned things, such asjokes and that thing my sis-ter’s forehead does whenshe chews food — so funny.Her forehead kind of jazzer-cizes, happily dancing witheach bite. You have to see itto believe it.

Or laughing because I puton my work slacks andwhen I sat down the crotchblew out, complete with aloud popping sound (hap-pened last week). Those arejust feel-good moments.

Finding your happy placeis key. Mine is in my magi-cally restored Chevelle, driv-ing down a road made of

banana Runts on a trip tonowhere in particular withminiature zoo animals thathave formed a band and areplaying a concert in thetrunk.

As American author Mar-garet Lee Runback once putit, “Happiness is not a stateto arrive at, but a manner oftraveling.”

I’m no expert on happi-ness, obviously, but forwhatever reason I was bornwith the ability to be con-tent. It is likely caused by adelicate mixture of humorand ignorance. When badthings happen, I make thebest of them. Take, for in-stance, the time I became aone-man wolfpack (borrow-ing the term from the movie“The Hangover“), after beingmarried for six years. It wasa bummer, sure, but I nevergot down on myself. I rev-eled in having large quanti-ties of beef every night fordinner, using the dryer as asecond closet because I wastoo lazy to put clothes awayand making my bed exactlytwice during the span of sixmonths (because my momand dad were coming for avisit ... I promptly ruffled upthe covers as soon as theyleft).

Happiness means some-thing different for everyone.There are thousands of defi-nitions, self help books,philosophies and talk showsdevoted to it.

We are lucky, readers, be-cause we have an officialHealth Line psychologist,Beth Firestein, to help guideus toward being happierpeople.

She said that striving to-ward happiness as an abso-lute goal is a relatively new

cultural phenomenon, andthat there’s an elusive qualityto it.

“Happiness is an emotion-al state in which there’s asense of joy, wellbeing andlightness — a sense that allis well in your world andyou. The sources are infiniteand individual,” she said.

“Happiness is an experi-ence, not a thing. It ebbsand flows in our lives.”

One thing Firestein uses inher therapy is helping peo-ple find a positive state ofmind — finding a sense ofgratitude. “Take notice offive things you are gratefulfor every day,” she said.

“Many people haveentrenched thought habits offocusing on that which isdisappointing, causing un-happiness. While we needto face that, some peoplear en’t aware it’s a choice togive focus to other areas.”

In other words, focus onthe positive. Look to whatyou can gain from situationsin life, not obsessing onwhat is wrong or out of yourcontr ol.

H a p pyD ay s

Editor's note: You will not find the secret to happiness byreading this column. It is no way a self-help article or anextension of infinite wisdom. It is more about laughing atyour sister's odd forehead and dreaming of an unendingsupply of beef jerky. No more, no less. You've been warned.

are here to stay

This guy knows.

ThinkStock photos


Alzheimer’sBreakthrough

Barbara WilliamsM c C l a t c h y-Tr i b u n e

ANew Jersey neuroscientist deeplyinvolved in Alzheimer’s researchsaid that in just two years, doctors

may have the medicine to treat the brain-killing disease.

Dr. Howard Fillit, also a geriatricianand executive director of the Alzheimer’sDrug Discovery Foundation, said thisweek that more than 150 clinical trialsworldwide are testing dozens of drugsthat may be the answer to combating thedisease itself, and not just the symptoms.

“Currently the drugs we have are pure-ly for treating the symptoms, but we’rehoping the new ones will slow down theprogression of the disease — and ulti-mately, prevention is the goal,” said Fillit,of Tenafly. “Some of the drugs are in thefinal phases of testing and we’ll have thereports in two years on whether theywork.”

Alzheimer’s is the most common formof dementia, caused by the destruction ofnerve cells in the brain. It is usually fatal,initially causing memory failure, person-ality changes and problems completingdaily activities until its progression leaves

a patient unable to walk, speak, or swal-low.

Five million Americans suffer withAlzheimer’s. More than 80 of the ongoingclinical trials are occurring in the state ofNew Jersey, said Ed Belkin, vice presi-dent of communications and public af-fairs with Pharmaceutical Research andManufacturers of America, a trade associ-ation for biotech research companies.

“As the baby boomers age, the numberof Alzheimer’s patients will swell and thefinancial costs are just not sustainable,”Belkin said. “Medical advancements arethe answer, and research scientists arecommitted to win this battle againstAlzheimer’s.”

In 2009, the average annual compen-sated cost for a patient with Alzheimer’swas $33,000 and the estimated cost forunpaid caregivers was $4.2 billion,Belkin said.

Researchers believe Alzheimer’s iscaused by two abnormal conditions inand around neurons — the nerve cells inthe brain. Plaques, which are deposits ofa protein fragment called beta-amyloid,build up in the spaces between neuronsand are believed to block communica-tion between them. In healthy brains, sci-entists believe these proteins are brokendown and eliminated.

Fillit said scientists aren’t yet sure if theplaque causes the disruption or is just ascar left by the brain as it degenerates.

“If the drugs can remove the plaque, itshould slow the rate of the disease,” Fillitsaid. “But we’re not sure if the plaque isthe cause or a scar.”

The other abnormal finding is tangles.These are twisted fibers of a proteincalled tau located within the neuron.Normally, tau form structures to transportnutrients and other substances from onepart of the cell to another. In Alzheimer’spatients, however, these structures areabnormal and collapse, leading to thedeath of the cells. The new drugs shouldprevent the structures from collapsing.

“These tangles are the tombstones ofthe cells,” Fillit said. “But with these newdrugs, I am very hopeful we will soonconquer this nightmare of old age.”

Drugs in trialsshow promise

The Colorado chapter of theAlzheimer’s Association is contin-ually offering support and educa-

tion to its communities. For help at anytime, call 1-800-272-3900. AA also hostsa range of educational seminars forthose affected by Alzheimer’s. For acomplete list and more information, vis-it alz.org/co.

TAKING ACTION: LIVING WITHMEMORY LOSS

When: 2 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2010 andJan. 20, 2011.

Where: Alzheimer's Association Of-fice, 415 Peterson St., Fort Collins

What: This program is designed forpeople with memory loss related to ear-ly dementia or Alzheimer's disease whowant to take an active role in managingand discussing life changes and partici-pate in mentally and physically stimu-lating activities.

Cost: Fr eeDuration: Two hoursTarget Audience(s): Caregiver/Fam -

ily Member/Person with the disease

MEMORY LOSS, DEMENTIA ANDALZHEIMER'S: THE BASICS

When: 2 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2011Wher e: Alzheimer's Association Of-

fice, 415 Peterson St., Fort CollinsWhat: What are the differences be-

tween Alzheimer's, other dementias,and normal memory loss due to aging?Learn about the Alzheimer's diseaseprocess, the programs offered by theColorado Chapter, and the communityresources available.

Cost: Fr eeDuration: 1.5 hoursTarget Audience(s): Caregiver/Fam -

ily Member/Professional Caregiver/Per-son with the disease

Alzheimer’sAssociationadds support

8 Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado D ecember 16, 2010

Happinessis a Helping Hand

Jade CodySpecial Sections Editor

It has been widely establishedthat volunteering benefits notonly recipients, but also the vol-

unteers themselves. A study by Lumand Lightfoot (2005) found that vol-unteers report greater life satisfac-tion and better physical health thando non-volunteers, and their life sat-isfaction and physical health im-proves at a greater rate as a result ofvolunteering.

Volunteering opportunities arewidely available in Northern Col-orado, with organizations such asVolunteers of America, local church-es and community programs. Beloware three volunteers who are mak-ing a difference in the local area.

For information about volunteeropportunities in Loveland or FortCollins, contact Jessica Eckhardt,RSVP Volunteer Coordinatorwith Volunteers of America, at970-472-9630 or voasupport@qwestof fice.net.

JEANNINE PERKINSAfter moving from Vermont to Fort

Collins four years ago, Jeannine Perkins,along with her husband, Bruce, soughtout opportunities to volunteer. Jeanninehad been involved in volunteering priorto moving, and found opportunities todo so again through Volunteers of Amer-ica.

As a former nurse, she gravitated to-ward visiting Alzheimer’s patients.

She had been visiting a woman for thepast year and a half, who, despite suffer-ing from Alzheimer’s, was in good phys-ical shape. The woman loved to danceand play cards, activities which Jeanninesaid they would do for a few hours eachweek.

“She was not real early in herAlzheimer’s, but not so advanced thatwe couldn’t do puzzles,” Jeannine said.“We played cards — of course we didn’tfollow the rules, but it was kind of fun todo regardless.”

One of the things she loved to do wasdance. “We did the jitterbug,” she said,laughing. “Kind of silly, I know, but sheloved it. She was just a nice, kind lady.

“Although she never called me byname, whenever I walked in she pulledthe cards out.”

Jeannine said the visits lifted both oftheir spirits, and the patient’s family wasvery appreciative of Jeannine’s timespent.

Jeannine’s jitterbug partner passedaway about a month ago. She is current-ly visiting other patients withAlzheimer’s, and plans to do more vol-unteer work with the local food bank, aCatholic church and the Lincoln Centerin Fort Collins.

DEBORAH BOBOWSKI

As a recent retiree, DeborahBobowskisought out VOAin hopes of us-ing her commu-nication and re-searching skillsgained in herwork with ur-ban planningand economicdevelopment inher career. Aftermoving to FortCollins in August, she signed on with

VOA to write articles for the organiza-tion’s newsletter.

Before retiring, she started her ownconsulting business and worked 60-80hours a week, so she wanted to findsomething low-key that would affordher and her husband time to spend do-ing things they enjoy — such as hiking,biking and skiing.

Bobowski said writing the articleshas given her opportunities to guidethe community to opportunities andcontacts they need.

“The benefit to me is that I’ve beenable to help people find people,” shesaid, “while doing things that I enjoy.”

HOLY HANDYMAN

Cliff Bergren, who is retiredfrom Hewlett Packard, hasfound a niche in volunteeringfor organizations such as theUnited Way, Crossroads churchand VOA. As a home repair spe-cialist, he is often up to his el-bows in helping seniors, peoplewith disabilities, single parentsand people with low income.

Bergren said his faith plays abig role in his volunteer work.“Getting involved gives me the unique opportunity to give back and serve theLord,” he said. “It gives you a positive frame of mind. It’s a way of giving back.”

Bergren is currently providing maintenance services on the Matthews Housein Fort Collins, which affords programs and support to youth in Larimer county.

RH photos/Jade Cody


Handle the stressof being a student

Metro Creative Services

In light of the country’seconomic downturn, fewtopics are as prevalent as

stress. For the nation’s stu-dents, stress is a reality that,unlike economic woes, ismore permanent than it istemporary. Handling stress is alarge part of being successfulin the classroom, particularlyas students advance throughhigh school and into highereducation. But handling stressis different for everyone, andthere are myriad healthy waysin which students can cope.

EXERCISE AND DIETStudies abound as to the

mental benefits of exercise.Exercise not only improves aperson’s physical health, butalso has a positive impact onmood, oftentimes making iteasier to cope with stress. Partof that is because exercise re-lieves muscle tension, whichcan build up greatly in individ-uals suffering from significantstress. In addition, the negativeeffects of stress can be weightgain and other damagingphysical effects, making exer-cise especially important forthose under constant stress.

TAKE A BREATHERAdults often take breaks

when going through the dailygrind, and students shouldmake note and follow suit.Studying for too long without

taking a break can be counter-productive, as concentrationwill begin to wane after toolong, making it increasinglydifficult to soak in studies.Schedule breaks into eachstudy session, whether it’s togo for a walk, jog or simply fitin a healthy meal. But don’t al-low break time to become toobig a distraction.

DETERMINE THE CAUSEWork is typically the root

cause of adult stress, andschool is often the cause forstudents. Many studentsstretch themselves too thin,hoping to gain as much asthey can from their highschool or college experienceand therefore filling theirschedules. But students whofeel as though they’re beingpulled in too many directionsshould drop an activity or two.For instance, playing sportswhile holding down a part-time job and having a fullcourse load can simply be do-ing too much. If a class is get-ting to be too much to handle,students should consult ateacher and explain the situa-tion.

SPEAK UPMany students find it

healthy and rejuvenating tosimply speak about their levelsof stress. This helps to getthings off their chest, and it al-so inadvertently gives themtime away from studies.

Dr. Pamela Levineis now taking patients.

Dr. Levine offers holistic medicine for the entire family. Special interests include:

� ��

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� �� acupuncture

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To make an appointment, call 970.392.4752.

For holisticfamily medicine,

we’re here for you

�� !��2500 Rocky Mountain Avenue

Loveland, CO 80538

970.203.7180pvhs.org/clinics

HL-321427

Same agency, new name, same commitment

In 1978, a group of nurses came together in Loveland to voluntarily care for a friend in the final months of her life. From these beginnings, you’ve known us as Hospice of Larimer County. Now we are Pathways Hospice, still providing exceptional medical and comfort care, and community-wide grief supportand education.

www.pathways-care.org | [email protected] 305 Carpenter Road, Fort Collins, CO 80525 | 970.663.3500 1580 Main Street, Suite 2, Windsor CO 80550 | 970.674.9988

We’re Here To Help You

HL-

3218

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Merrie LeiningerM c C l a t c h y-Tr i b u n e

Getting started working out istough. To get less lumpy and fit— and to catch the eye of the

hot guy on the rowing machine — youhave to first look out of breath and horri-ble in ill-fitting workout clothes youhaven’t worn since college.

Fila is here to help. You know thoseshoes that supposedly help you get inshape just by walking around? Fila now

has the Body Toning System — workoutclothes in the same vein. Basically, it’slike wearing Spanx while you work out.According to the company, the LycraSport fabric makes you look one sizesmaller — always good when you arestanding in front of a wall of mirrors —and smoothes your figure.

Fila claims the Body Toning Systemdoes more, though. They say that dou-ble-layered panels at the calves, but-tocks, thighs, waist and back “compr essactive muscles as you move” for a “50percent increase in muscle workouts.”

Does it work? It’s possible. If nothingelse, you can wear them while you eat;current thought among nutrition profes-sionals is that something tight around

your abs helps keep your appetite incheck.

I don’t know anything about the sci-ence of workout pants, so I’ll just tellyou what it’s like to wear them. I testedthe Fila Toning Resistance Pant. They al-so have tights, capris, shorts and tanks.Despite being the tightest thing I’veworn in a long time, they are comfort-able and easy to work out in. They wickmoisture away, there’s no bunching, andyou don’t feel like you are going to passout from lack of oxygen.

Negative points for the seams on thedouble layer panels that tend to dig intothe skin after a couple of hours. Anotherdesign factor I found odd was the flareat the ankles not great if you want towear them for bicycling (though you canavoid the flare with the tights version ofthe pants). Also, they might be a bit toopricey — $55 — for someone who is abit casual about how often she gets tothe gym.

But, overall, they were a great pair ofpants for working out. Anything that cutsdown on the jiggle factor when you’restruggling to stay upright on an ellipticalmachine is OK in my book. See more atfila.com.

SettheTo n e

First shoes, nowbody-toning pants

Metro Creative Services

Many people equateexercise with doinga workout video or

heading to the gym. Thisdoesn’t have to be the case atall. Regular daily activities

provide a lot of the exercise aperson needs and can betweaked to provide evenmor e.

• Move while watching TVor playing video games:There are several videogames today that make physi-

cal activity part of the fun. Or,while watching TV, dance,walk in place, do jumpingjacks, or any other activityduring commercials.

• Go outdoors: Instead ofrecreational activities inside ofthe house where space is lim-ited, play games, go onwalks, or organize a pick-upsports game in the neighbor-hood.

• Leave the car at home:

Whenever possible, bike,walk, rollerblade, or get toyour destination another way.

• Keep moving: If you sim-ply must sit, such as in schoolor at the office, tap or kickyour legs. A little movementis better than none at all.

• Park further away: Whenin store parking lots, park fur-thest from the entrance soyou’re forced to walk a bitmore to and from the car.

Sneak some exerciseinto regular activities

Photos courtesy Fila


TIPS TO QUIT• Write down your reasons for quitting

and look at the list when you’re tempted.• Choose a day to quit. On that day,

throw away all your cigarettes or cigars,lighters and ashtrays.

• Drink plenty of water.• Keep your hands busy using a small

stress ball or doing some needlework.• Keep yourself occupied, too. Try going

for a walk or doing chores to keep yourmind off of cravings.

• Snack on some raw veggies or chewsome sugarless gum to ease the need tohave something in your mouth.

• Stay away from places, activities orpeople that make you feel like smoking.

• Ask your partner or a friend to helpyou quit. Call that person when you feel

like smoking.• Ask your health care provider about

quitting aids such as patches, gum, nasalspray and medications.

• Don’t start using these without yourhealth care provider’s okay, especially ifyou’re pregnant.

• Don’t get discouraged if you don’t quitcompletely right away. Keep trying. If youcan’t quit, cut back as much as you can.

• Ask your employer to see what ser-vices are offered or covered by insurance.

• Learn about smoking cessation pro-grams in your community or from youremployer. You can get more informationfrom you health care provider, hospital orhealth department.

Source: March of Dimes

Sara QualleMcKee Medical Center

The message began ap-pearing on cigarettepackaging more than

15 yearsago: “SUR -GEONGENERAL’SWA R N I N G :Smoking ByPr egnantWo m e nMay Resultin Fetal In-jury, Prema-ture Birth,And Low Birth Weight”.

According to obstetri-cian/gynecologist Dr. SuzanneSaenz, about 49 percent ofwomen who do smoke, quitonce they become pregnant.However, the risks to the babyare so great, Saenz believesthe warning bears repeating –again and again.

In 2004, a Surgeon Gener-al’s report showed that an esti-mated 18 percent of pregnantwomen ages 15-44 years oldsmoked cigarettes, comparedwith 30 percent of nonpreg-nant women of the same age.

The risks to the baby are:• Low birth weight and

failure of the infant to thrive• Pre-term delivery• StillbirthBabies born prematurely

and at low birth weight mayface other health problemsincluding disabilities such ascerebral palsy, mental retar-dation and learning prob-lems. Infants also face a

higher risk for Sudden Infant

Death Syndrome, respiratoryinfection, asthma, skin condi-tions, ear infections, colic,poor reading and spelling, hy-peractivity and childhood obe-sity. Studies even cite “shortstatur e” of the child later in lifeas an effect of smoking duringpr egnancy.

Woman who smoke duringand after pregnancy also tendto stop breast feeding their ba-bies earlier than women whodo not smoke, which meansthe baby no longer gets thosenutritional benefits.

“A majority of women saythey do stop,” Saenz said.“Women know now thatsmoking causes problems forpr egnancy.”

Saenz acknowledges thatquitting can be hard. She tellsher patients about the risks tothem and their baby and pro-vides educational resources.Over-the-counter medicationsto quit smoking have nicotine,which reduces blood to thebaby, so she doesn’t offerthose replacement therapies.She said some antidepressantscan be prescribed that de-crease the cravings forcigarettes. Still, women whosmoke after their first prenatalvisit are likely to continuethrough the pregnancy.

Being around someonewho smokes makes it tootempting, so Saenz said part-ners can help by kicking the

habit too.Stopping altogether is best,

but Saenz added that womenwho can reduce their smokingto under five times a day willreduce the risk factors.

“Pregnant women whosmoke need to realize that thehealth risks aren’t just for themanymore. It’s hard — especial -ly if you’ve smoked for a longtime.”

When a woman does quitsmoking during pregnancy,she should take advantage ofthat accomplishment and stickto it. “Women who are smokefree throughout their pregnan-cy and stay that way sixmonths after delivery are lesslikely to smoke again.”

Unfortunately, more thanhalf relapse. The harmful ef-fects of smoking are wellknown: heart disease, cancersof the lung, throat, lips, larynxand esophagus, chronic bron-chitis and emphysema andmore. Women who are of re-productive age also have ahigher risk of infertility andtend to go throughmenopause earlier. Postmenopausal women whosmoke face higher rates of os-teopor osis.

All these risks are discussedregularly between Saenz andher patients.

“When a patient comes inand says they’ve totallystopped smoking, you’re ex-cited.”

S m o keOut

Pregnantwo m e n

e n c o u ra g e dto quit

Suzanne Saenz


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Dealing with holiday downsizingBETH FIRESTEINUNCOMMON SENSE

Question: Money is abig issue in our fami-ly these days. Inthe past, we used to

buy gifts for immediate fami-ly members, close friends andeven a few neighbors and thepostman that brings ourmail. Now that our incomehas been cut in half due tolayoffs and payments on cred-it card debt, we can’t affordto give as generously as weused to, but I don’t want thepeople I care about to feelleft out or unimportant.

Answer: I’m guessing thatyou have a lot of people inyour boat, and their boat isweighed down just as muchas yours. Even for those whohaven’t lost jobs or had majorcuts in income, the fear andstress of that possibility arethere. Just ask them.

There are three issues thatintertwine with your dilem-ma. The first issue is socioe-conomic class and how“have-mores” relate to “have-lesses” around times of holi-day celebrations and gift giv-ing. The second issue con-cerns expectations of yourselfand others and the need tobe sure those are realistic inlight of your changed circum-stances. The third issue in-volves clarifying what youwish to express to those youcare about and what the holi-days mean to you and thoseyou love.

Socioeconomic differencesare generally a taboo subjectfor most people. We all knowpeople in our personal, socialand work lives who havemore money or social stand-ing than we do and otherswho have less. It’s hard to gofrom having more to havingless in your own family. Of-ten, it means not being ableto do what you have been

able to do for others in thepast. This year, think aboutgiving non-material “gifts” tothose you appreciate: notesof appreciation, a home-cooked meal, or the invita-tion to spend time togethersharing a meal or seeing amovie. Our time andthoughtfulness are reallysome of the best gifts we cangive.

Next, examine your expec-tations. They come in twoforms: the expectations wehave of others and the expec-tations we put upon our-selves. Think about your ex-pectations of others. I’mguessing that you probablydon’t require as much mate-rial giving from those youcare about as you may expectyourself to give to them, es-pecially if you have had themeans to do so. Working withour expectations and reallyasking ourselves whether ourexpectations are realistic canlead to a re-evaluation andrevision that can make thesituation less stressful for youand your family.

Third, your changed cir-cumstances provide a reallyvaluable opportunity to re-flect on what the holidaysmean to you and what it isthat you want to communi-cate when you give to others.Giving material or monetarygifts can be one way of saying“I care about you, I appreci-ate you, and I want to giveyou something of myself dur-ing the holidays,” but thesesame messages can be com-municated in many forms.Use your creativity to createnew, non-monetary ways ofbeing generous. The possibil-ities are endless.

Question: I have abrother that commit-ted suicide three

years ago around this time ofyear. Ever since then, the hol-idays have been awful. Every-

one around me seems to beenjoying the season, but Ijust get sad, depressed andfeel more left out when ev-eryone around me seems tobe celebrating. I don’t knowhow to deal with these feel-ings and I wonder if they willever get better.

Answer: Suicide is one ofthose “unspeakable” topics,and the suicide of a familymember can haunt us foryears or decades, whetherthe death occurred duringthe holiday season or atsome other time of year. Cer-tainly, holidays, birthdays andanniversaries are times whengrief can come to the surfacestrongly, evoking memories,feelings and regrets. Threeyears is not a long time whenit comes to dealing with thedeath of a family member,and deaths involving suicideare especially difficult.

For most people sufferingthis kind of loss, the firstyear of the person’s death isthe hardest and the first yearafter their death is just aboutequally as hard. Often the in-tensity of the emotional paindecreases in small incre-ments as the years pass. Youare still relatively close to theloss. I do believe the feelingswill get better, though theholidays may always evokesome sadness for you andyour family that others mightnot have to feel. There are acouple of ways to help getourselves through those first

tough years.You might consider a yearly

tradition of honoring yourbrother. You can do this inmore than one way. For ex-ample, you might deliberate-ly organize a part of the holi-day as a time to rememberand talk about your brother,reflecting on what hebrought into the lives of fam-ily and friends. This may be asomber time of grieving or atime of joyful remembering,but often it is both. Somepeople choose to create amemory area in the familyroom during the holidayswith photos of their lovedone or a couple of their fa-vorite items sitting out, cre-ating a “place” for yourbrother even though he is nolonger physically present.

You can also rememberyour brother by giving a spe-cial gift of your time or mon-ey to a cause he believed inas a way of honoring him andhis values. Making foods heloved or watching a favoriteholiday film are other ways ofincluding him in thethoughts and actions of thefamily. You need not to dwellin the sadness, but neither isit necessary to “f o rg e t ” yourbrother in order to enjoy theholidays. There is enoughroom in our hearts for bothsorrow and joy at this time ofyear ... and every time of year.May you have a holiday filledwith peace and gentleness.

HL Uncommon Sense

Uncommon Sense

with Beth Firestein

Dr. Beth Firestein is a licensed psychologist.She has 24 years of therapy experience andhas practiced in Loveland for over 14 years.She may be reached by calling her office at970-635-9116, via e-mail [email protected], or by visitingw w w. b e t h f i re s t e i n . c o m .


RH Photos/Jennifer LehmanAubrey Brosal of Fort Collins, a student at CSU,lost her friend in a car accident and got amemorial tattoo on her ankle.

Jennifer LehmanSpecial Sections Re-por ter

In the spring of 2007,Aubrey Brosal ofFort Collins lost the

closest thing she had toa sister, her family friendKayla Adsit. The twohad met at age four,their parents were closefriends, and the twogrew up together, hav-ing marathon hang outsessions, Brosal said.

The last time the twogirls were together, theywere playing aroundwith a candle Kayla hadgiven Brosal, laughingtogether and makingshapes out of the wax.Brosal said that as Kaylalit the candle she toldBrosal she didn’t needto worry about her go-ing off to CSU in the fall,she would always beher little sister and theywould still hang out.

A few weeks later,and just weeks beforeKayla was to graduatefrom Rocky MountainHigh School, she waskilled in a car accident.

Brosal said Kayla waslike her family. “Highschool relationshipsdon’t get that a lot. Iwas very, very lucky tohave someone like thatin my life and to havethat kind of a relation-ship,” Brosal said.

Kayla and Brosalspent most of their timetogether outside ofschool. They were oneyear apart and at schoolhad different friendsand different interests.

“A lot of my friendsdidn’t get why I was soupset about it,” Aubr eysaid.

The summer afterKayla died Brosal want-ed to get a tattoo in hermemory not to provetheir relationship to oth-ers, she said, but to af-firm for herself Kayla’slife and the relationshipBrosal had with her.

“I was not getting thevalidation that we wereclose. I know in myheart that we wereclose,” Aubrey said.

Memorial tattoos areone of many actionsthat could be defined asrituals or expressions ofgrief including creatingshrines on roadsides, inthe home, at the gravesite, the making of amemorial quilt or thewearing of jewelry thathonors the dead or theirmemory. Things likescholarship funds orfoundations in the nameof the dead can also bean expression of griefthat helps mourners.

“Those are all ritualsto make one feel theyare honoring that placeinside that feels empty,”said Paul Chubbuck, apsychotherapist practic-ing in Fort Collins.

The funeral, wake ormemorial service can bean important ritual inthe grieving process,Chubbuck said.

But even those tradi-tions have lost their ritu-alistic elements formany and the mournersoften become passiveobservers at the event,

said Rosann Ross, psy-chotherapist and lectur-er at the UNC School ofPsychological Sciences.

“We ’re not participat-ing in it,” she said.“They do it for us andthen we do what we aresupposed to do. We areobservers, we walkaway from the grave orcasket, now what?”

When getting a tattooas an expression ofgrief, someone may beseeking a ritualistic ex-perience that is difficultto find in contemporarysociety, Chubbuck said.

People are perma-nently changed by lossand the permanence ofa tattoo reflects this, hesaid.

“Our culture is prettylacking in meaningfulritual, and rituals are theways human beingshave always madesense of their lives andgiven meaning to thethings in their lives,”Chubbuck said.

“If a person isn’thelped to have a mean-ingful ritual for some-thing as profound aslosing a loved one, thenthey are probably goingto find some ritual ontheir own and thatcould be where thequilting or the tattoocomes in,” he said.

Whatever ritual or rit-uals a person partici-pates in, they must bemeaningful to that per-son, Chubbuck said. “Itdoesn’t matter what therest of society thinks.”

If the idea of amemorial tattoo makes

the person emotional,the act may be helpful.

“It’s clearly touchingsomething in that per-son if it brings tears,Chubbuck said. “If itdoesn’t hold that chargeit might not serve anykind of purpose andthey might need to findsomething else thatworks for them.”

Because tattoos canbe painful, Chubbucksaid, it can be a ritualthat represents the painof loss; the physicalpain mirroring the emo-tional pain, the resultbeing something youcan look at forever andremember, like a scar.

The person is saying“I’m never going to bethe same as I was be-fore this happened,” hesaid.

Heide Unger ownsMillennium Gallery ofLiving Art, a tattoo andpiercing studio in FortCollins with her hus-band Tim Corley.

“I think (getting amemorial tattoo) is sodifferent for each indi-vidual person, it can bean emotional purge, itcan be a mile marker intheir life, it can be asymbol of their love forthat person — ther e’s somany different reasonsand each one is so inti-mate and so personal,”Unger said.

People don’t typicallyseek out tattoos for thepain, but it can be abonus of the experi-ence, Unger said. Forthose numb with grief,it can be a purging andsoothing pain.

Memorial tattoos area primal expression ofmemory and not forget-ting the person lost,Unger said.

“I don’t want to for-get, this is my perma-nent reminder of thisperson every day for therest of my life,” Ungersaid.

� See Ta t t o o /Page 15

A mark oflife and grief


Ta t t o oFrom Page 14

Brosal’s tattoo is in memory of Kayla Adsitwho died in a car accident in May of 2007.The tattoo is full of symbols of Kayla’s life andher and Brosal’s friendship.

Jennifer LehmanSpecial Sections Reporter

“Grief is the most powerfulemotion that a human canfeel. It beats love,” said

Rosann Ross, a psychothera-pist and lecturer at UNCSchool of Psychological Sci-ences.

“It’s like you’re sitting on ashore and before you know it,a wave comes and engulfs youand drags you in, bangs youagainst the rocks and cuts youup, and just when you thinkit’s going to kill you, you arespit out onto the shore again,”Ross said. This metaphor ongrieving can be found in a let-ter printed in the book “OnChildren and Death” by Elisa-beth Kübler-Ross, a pioneer inthe study of grief and workingwith the dying. Ross said it isthe most powerful metaphorfor grief she has come across.

Grief is not something you

can ever completely get over,but you can work through it.“A lot of people won’t and alot of people don’t (workthrough it),” she said, “but ifthey do, the grief will nolonger have power overthem.”

It is important for people totalk about their loss and feelaccepted for their feelings ofgrief, Ross said.

Finding an adequate way ofexpressing grief keeps thetrauma from being repressedand potentially coming out inother ways such as alcoholabuse to sedate or control thepain, said Paul Chubbuck, apsychotherapist in FortCollins.

If people don’t deal withgrief, “it’s going to come outsideways,” Ross said. “Peopleget ill. People dying of a bro-ken heart is not a myth, re-search has been done thatshows it does happen,” she

said.Chubbuck said existing re-

sources in a person’s life at thetime of trauma or loss such asfamily, friends, hobbies and ajob they enjoy can help thegrief process and counterbal-ance the trauma.

“Recovery tends to be pro-portional to how one can findthose resources and if theymake a difference,” Chubbucksaid.

A person who has these re-sources will still experiencegrief as intensely, but are likelyto recover more quickly fromthe shock, he said.

Chubbuck said talkingabout what was liked andloved about the person withsomeone the mourner trusts,such as how the person wouldkiss them every day when theycame home or always had abig smile on their face, canhelp the grief process.

“Pain is most open in theseplaces,” he said, “being able toshare that with someone cantake some of it away.”

Yet in a society that does notcondone public grieving nordiscussion of loss, and attachesstigmas to grief therapy, it canbe difficult for people to workthrough the pain, Ross said.

In our society there are un-spoken rules about grief, Rosssaid. People don’t want to hearabout the grief of others be-cause they are afraid it willhappen to them or someonethey care about and they willhave to think about that fear.

For people in Northern Col-orado dealing with loss thereare grief therapists in the areaand Pathways Hospice in FortCollins offers a variety of griefcounseling programs forgroups, individuals and chil-dren. Go to pathwayscare.org/or call 970-663-3500 for moreinfor mation.

Working through grief

“I think it’s closure,”said Michele Ballinger,owner of Izzy’s Houseof Hair and Ink in Love-land on why people getmemorial tattoos. “It’sclosure, it’s sayinggoodbye. Here’s proof,I haven’t forgotten youbut I’m going to closethe door anyway. I’mgoing to say goodbyenow. You’re with me.I’m carrying you withme,” Ballinger said.

It is common for peo-ple to want portraits,symbols of the person’sinterests, crosses, namesand dates of their lifeand their death andphrases of affection andr emembrance.

Unger said she triesto encourage people toconsider more positiverepresentations of the

person lost. For exam-ple, young men willcome in who are emo-tional because theyhave just lost a closefriend.

“I know this is reallyraw and painful for you,but this isn’t going to bethe last person in yourlife and rather thanturning your body intoa graveyard with allthese markers on it, let’sturn this into a positive,and remember a posi-tive thing,” Unger said.

Brosal got the tattoofrom Unger about tenmonths after Kayla’sdeath. She wanted tomake sure she had itbefore her own highschool graduation sothat Kayla could walkwith her.

Br osal’s memorial tat-too is filled with sym-bols of Kayla’s life andher relationship withBrosal. The tattoo is of acandle, the same one

Kayla gave Brosal, thesame one the two girlswere playing with thelast time they were to-gether. A rainbow rib-bon wraps around thecandle, symbolic of therainbow that appearedover the building theevening of Kayla’s visi-tation and of the rain-bows Brosal has seensince Kayla’s death. Theflower garland at thebottom represents eachgirl’s favorite color —pink for Kayla and bluefor Aubrey — and theorange inside the blueflowers symbolize Kay-la’s obsessive love forthe Broncos that sheshared with her dad,Brosal said. In the mid-dle of the garland is a Kfor Kayla and the candleis lit as an eternal flamein honor of her life.

“Heide did an amaz-ing job of not making ita sad thing, it is a sadthing just because of

what it stands for, butit’s also a very beautifuland touching thing, abeautiful memorial. Ilove it. Her light will al-

ways shine on, that’swhat my mom alwayssays. The candle is litforever now,” Br osalsaid.


Anya MartinM c C l a t c h y-Tr i b u n e

Living alone canmean more free-dom to do what

you want, when youwant, but solo dwellersalso are more prone tounhealthy habits that in-crease their risk of seri-ous illness or mortalitycompared to those wholive with others.

Living alone doubledthe chance of contractingor dying of severe heartdisease for women olderthan 60 and men olderthan 50, according to a2006 Danish study whichanalyzed population dataon more than 138,000adults.

Seniors living alone aremore prone to falls,arthritis and rheumatism,and vision disorders suchas glaucoma or cataracts,according to a 2007 studyof patients at four grouppractices in suburbanLondon.

However, single occu-pants can reduce manyof their increased healthrisks if they are willing totake some simple pre-ventive steps, expertssaid.

PRACTICE HEALTHYB E H AV I O R S

The number of Ameri-cans living alone has sky-rocketed in recentdecades: more than 31million or 27 percent ofall households in 2010,according to the U.S.Census Bureau, up fromjust 9 percent in 1950.

Not every solo dweller

has unhealthy habits. Still,people living alone haveincreased cardiovascularrisk not because they lacksomeone to watch overthem per se, but becausethey have a greaterpropensity for smokingand unhealthy eatinghabits that lead to obesityand high cholesterol lev-els, the Danish re-searchers concluded.

These behaviors, aswell as excessive alcoholconsumption and re-duced physical activity,are also key risk factorsfor cancer and stroke,which, along with heartdisease, are the nation’stop three killers, said LoriMosca, director of pre-ventive cardiology atNew York-PresbyterianHospital.

If you live alone andrecognize any of thesehabits as your own, oryou have symptoms ofheart disease or otherhealth concerns, youshould schedule a doc-tor’s appointment andhave regular check-ups,she said. In the Danishstudy, single inhabitantswith heart disease weremore likely to be sociallyisolated and not see adoctor regularly.

Men age 45 to 74 livingalone should take partic-ular care of themselves,Mosca said. In that agegroup, male single inhab-itants are more likely todie from a heart attackthan their female coun-terparts, even whenwomen share similar un-healthy habits such as

heavy smoking, a 2007German study found.

USE MOBILE HEALTHT E C H N O LO GY

Receiving effectiveCPR from another personimmediately followingsudden cardiac arrest candouble or triple yourchance of survival, ac-cording to the AmericanHeart Association. Butsimply having anotherperson around may notmake a difference whenit comes to surviving aserious heart attack, saidDr. Eric Topol, a cardiolo-gist at Scripps Health inSan Diego.

“When people havecardiac arrest, it’s typical-ly in the night duringsleep, and the person’sspouse is also sleeping,”he said. “By the time (heor she) wakes up, the pa-tient may have beendead for a while, but ifyou have a warning signand can alert anotherperson in your house,that can be lifesaving.”

Anyone living alonewith heart disease or an-other serious chronic dis-ease such as diabetesshould wear a medicalalert pendant or braceletto call emergency ser-vices if you cannot reacha telephone, Mosca said.

Right now, monitoringtechnology can allowpeople with chronic dis-eases, such as heart dis-ease, diabetes, and highblood pressure, to takemore control of their dis-ease management, butther e’s nothing availablethat automatically dials

911 at an adverse read-ing, said Topol, also chiefinnovation officer of theWest Wireless Health In-stitute, a nonprofit groupthat researches mobile-health technologies.

However, technologythat mitigates the “jeop -ardy” factor of living onyour own is not far off,he said.

PROTECT AGAINSTFA L L S

Those who live alone,especially seniors, alsoshould take precautionsto prevent falls, said Les-ley Mills, director andowner of five Connecti-cut offices of GriswoldSpecial Care, a home

health-care agency.

One in three adults age65 and older falls annual-ly, and of these, up to 30percent suffer injuries se-rious enough to limittheir mobility or ability tolive independently andraise their odds of dyingsooner, according to theCenters for Disease Con-trol. But seniors aren’t theonly ones at risk forhome falls, especially inthe holiday season, whennearly two-thirds of fallinjuries are incurred bypeople aged 20 to 49.

Some simple preven-

Living alone canbe dangerousfor your health

ThinkStock PhotoAmericans that live alone have greaterhealth risks.

� See AL ONE/Page 22


C o ck t a i lHL The Healthy Plate

Po p ove r sThree

Jim RomanoffThe Associated Press

Want to lighten up your holi-day hors d’oeuvres? Cut outthe middle.

Mini cocktail popovers are an ele-gant and satisfying choice for ahealthy party food. Even thoughthey’re satisfyingly eggy and have theirresistible carbs of a baked good,they’re hollow in the center so they

pack fewer calories. They also areamazingly simple to prepare.

For these cocktail popover varia-tions, a lighter version of the typicalpopover batter is used. The recipestarts with skim milk and cuts outsome of the egg yolks to trim the fateven further. And while a prudentamount of butter is used to add thatunmistakable flavor, half of the stan-dard amount is replaced with healthi-er extra-virgin olive oil.

For the lightest version, you couldoffer plain popovers or simply addfresh (or dried) herbs such as chives,tarragon or a blend to the batter.

Another way to boost the flavor ofthe batter is to add a few tablespoonsof freshly grated Parmesan cheeseand ground black pepper.

Other delicious, yet guilt-free varia-tions could include stuffing thepopovers with a blend of whippedlight cream cheese and choppedsmoked salmon or even a piece ofsteamed asparagus wrapped inpr osciutto.

Way s

COCKTAIL POPOVERSTHREE WAYS

Start to finish: 40 minutes (10 minutes ac-tive)

Servings: 30

Batter ingredients:1 cup skim milk2 large eggs1 large egg white1 tablespoon butter, melted1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil1 cup all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon salt

Olive cocktail popover ingredients:24 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

Herbed cheese cocktail popover ingredi-ents:

1/3 cup light spreadable garlic and herbcheese (such as Boursin or Alouette)

Herbed pepper popover ingredients:2 tablespoons chopped Peppadew or

jalapeno peppers (jalapenos will be hotter)2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

Dir ections: Heat the oven to 425 de-grees. Set 2 mini muffin tins on a bakingsheet. Coat the tins with cooking spray,then place them (on the baking sheet)into the oven to heat.

Meanwhile, to make the batter, in ablender or food processor, combine

milk, eggs, egg white, melted butter,olive oil, flour and salt. Blend for 15seconds. Scrape down the sides of thecontainer, then blend for another 30seconds.

To make olive cocktail popovers, re-move the muffin tins from the ovenand place 1 olive in each cup. Spoon aheaping tablespoon of batter on top ofeach olive. Bake for 25-30 minutes, oruntil deep golden brown and crisp.Serve immediately.

To make herbed cheese cocktailpopovers, remove the muffin tins fromthe oven and spoon a heaping table-spoon of batter into each cup. Bakefor 25-30 minutes, or until deep gold-en brown and crisp. Remove thepopovers from the pans and set on arack to cool.

To make the herbed pepperpopovers, mix the peppers and scal-lions into the batter. Remove the muf-fin tins from the oven and spoon aheaping tablespoon of batter into eachcup. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or untildeep golden brown and crisp. Re-move the popovers from the pans andset on a rack to cool.

When ready to serve, poke a hole inthe bottom of each popover. Put

cheese in a small sturdy plastic bag.Gather the bag and squeeze thecheese into one corner. With scissors,snip off the tip of the bag and squeeze1 teaspoon of cheese into eachpopover. Serve immediately.

Nutrition information per olivepopover (values are rounded tothe nearest whole number): 39calories; 18 calories from fat (46 per-cent of total calories); 2 g fat (1 g satu-rated; 0 g trans fats); 16 mg choles-terol; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 0 gfiber; 91 mg sodium.

Nutrition information perherbed cheese popover (values arerounded to the nearest wholenumber): 37 calories; 14 calories fromfat (38 percent of total calories); 2 g fat(1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 17 mgcholesterol; 4 g carbohydrate; 2 g pro-tein; 0 g fiber; 89 mg sodium.

Nutrition information perherbed pepper popover (valuesare rounded to the nearest wholenumber): 31 calories; 11 calories fromfat (35 percent of total calories); 1 g fat(0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 16 mgcholesterol; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g pro-tein; 0 g fiber; 43 mg sodium.

AP photo


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CampusDisorder

Kathleen MeganM c C l a t c h y-Tr i b u n e

Monica RodriguezRoldan, a sophomore,at Trinity College in

Hartford, Conn., is puzzled bywhat she observes at her cafete-ria table.

“I’m not from here. I’m fromSpain, and I have been raisedwith the idea you eat when itslunch time, you eat when it’sbreakfast time,” she said. “Itdoesn’t really matter how hun-gry you are, you have to eat.”

But in the U.S., when she sitsdown for lunch, many of thegirls announce that they’re nothungry, or that they don’t eat atlunch time or dinnertime.

“Should we eat only whenwe get hungry?” she said. “Orshould we eat on a regular

schedule?”Her question is addressed to

a panel of experts at a recentTrinity lunchtime discussion ondieting, exercise and eating dis-orders.

Renee Bourdeaux, a WestHartford, Conn., registered di-etitian, tells her that the “U.S.does not have the market onhow to eat properly. That’s onething that we do not do verywell is eat well and teach thosebehaviors and instill that in ourchildr en.”

While it’s not clear that any-one at Roldan’s table has an eat-ing disorder, it is true that eatingdisorders such as anorexia orbulimia, disordered eating andextreme or unusual diets arecommon across college cam-puses — particularly amongyoung women.

There are various estimates,but according to National EatingDisorder Association, 20 per-cent of college students haveanorexia, bulimia or a binge-eating disorder. Most are wom-en. Some studies have shown

that 50-60 percent of collegestudents have disordered eatingpatterns which are loosely de-fined as irregular or unusual,sometimes obsessive habits.

Colleges have recognized theissue, and many have estab-lished programs designed toraise awareness about good eat-ing habits, to identify signs ofeating disorders, and to informstudents about services avail-able on campus.

“That’s probably why thereare more reports of eating disor-ders on campus and people try-ing to seek help,” said panelmember Paula Holmes, clinicaldirector of the eating disordersprogram at the Institute of Liv-ing.

It is helpful when studentsget the message from schoolsthat admitting they have a prob-lem doesn’t mean they willneed to leave school and thatservices on campus or in thenearby community are avail-able, she said.

Why do eating disorders of-ten come up in college-age stu-dents? Barry Schreier, director ofcounseling and mental healthservices at the University ofConnecticut, said it may be re-lated to the loss of the structurethat they had at home.

At college, the student isaway from her comfort zone,experiencing new levels of

stress and without family sup-port right there. In addition,there is peer pressure to meetthe ideal thin body image.“There are the comparisons, thecompetitiveness,” said Holmes.

An eating disorder is notabout the food. It is about anxi-ety, said Elaine Petrosky, a treat-ment manager who works withHolmes at the Institute. “It’sabout how to manage stress,low self-esteem, depression.”

At Trinity, Jennifer Jimenez,who is coordinator of a groupcalled PHAB (PromotingHealthy Awareness of theBody), helped to arrange thelunch panel because eating is-sues are “a topic that is reallyimportant and present in ourlives, especially on campus, butnot something easily talkedabout. There is a very big stig-ma attached to having eatingdisorders and negative bodyimages in general.

“I think having programs oncampus makes it easier for peo-ple to educate themselves andjust feel more comfortable withspeaking about these very per-sonal topics,” said Jimenez.“They might not be people whoare experiencing issues withnegative body images, but theymight know other people, theirown friends or others backhome.”

Eating issuesrampant oncampuses

ThinkStock photo


HL Destination: Healthy

Amanda Wicker is a Loveland nativeand the founder of Destination:Healthy, a free weight loss supportgroup held at Message of LifeMinistries on the first and thirdTuesdays of every month. She alsohosts Destination Healthy, a segmenton NOCO 5 News every MondayNight at 10 p.m. Amanda has lost atotal of 130 pounds using diet andexercise. She can be reached [email protected].

Destination: Healthy

Don’t forget about liquid caloriesAmanda WickerDestination: Healthy

At big family dinnersmy family loves tooffer up a toast. “To

the family,” my kids will say,followed by big smiles andglasses clinking. This is agreat time of year to offerup a toast to the wonderfulthings in your life includingyour health. I am sure youwill have many opportuni-ties over the next month tocelebrate with the manygatherings, parties andevents, keeping in mindyour health goals. It can bevery easy to gain weightand lose track in the midstof the hustle and bustle.

Not only are we sur-

rounded by the specialfood, but one area that is of-ten overlooked when itcomes to calorie consump-tion are liquid calories. It isvery easy to have severaldrinks before and after ameal, and just as easy to for-get the calories that go withit.

It does not matterwhether it is an alcoholicdrink or not, one specialtycoffee can have up to 1,200calories. Like everythingalong our health journey,the more we know the bet-ter choices we can make.So, here is to my friendsalong this health journey. Tocontinued health and suc-cess, and not having to go italone.”

TIPS ON SAVING LIQUIDC A LO R I E S

• Choosing a punch overEgg Nog will save caloriesand fat

• Choose between havinga special drink or dessert,

don’t have both• Budget for your drink

calories during the week• Think about how much

exercise is needed to workoff the drink, or walk an ex-tra 20 minutes

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22 Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado D ecember 16, 2010

Five waysto beat

the holidaybu l g e

M c C l a t c h y-Tr i b u n e

December is here, and the holidays are in full swing.During this busy time of year, nutrition and fitnessroutines are often the first things to go. This holiday

season, avoid the dreaded weight gain and stay happy, healthyand fit with some tips from livestrong.com.

1. BECOME A HEALTHY GRAZER

Severely restricting calories or skipping meals can dampenyour mood, increase your appetite and ultimately lead toweight gain. Eating smaller, balanced meals and snacks at reg-ular intervals throughout the day can enhance your blood sug-ar and energy level while preventing excessive hunger. To en-sure you are consuming the proper amount of calories, trackyour food intake.

2. MANAGE YOUR STRESS

If your food cravings increase along with your stress load,seek alternate means of comfort and relief. This may mean go-ing for a walk, practicing yoga, having coffee with a friend,getting weekly massages or taking a warm bubble bath. Con-sider it a gift to yourself this holiday season.

3. STAY ACTIVEIf you find treadmills and sweaty gyms unappealing, fear

not. You can make fitness fun by finding activities that engageyour body, mind and soul. You’ll be more likely to stick withactivities you find enjoyable. Incorporate a variety of your fa-vorite picks into your daily lifestyle for maximum benefits.Walk your dog. Build a snowman. Find a new hiking trail inyour neighborhood.

4. GET YOUR ZZZSSleeping too little is directly correlated to how much you eat

and exercise, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Aimfor seven to nine hours of sleep nightly, even during the busyholiday weeks. Your bedroom should be dark and comfort-able, and your caffeine intake should not carry on into theevening.

5. CREATE A HOLIDAY SURVIVAL KITPlanning ahead is equally important when it comes to

achieving your wellness goals. A well-stocked holiday survivalkit can help ensure your success. Carry a bottle of water andhealthy snacks such as nuts or high-protein, low-carb bars.Yo u ’ll be prepared with healthful alternatives when hungerstrikes, and you’ll also be creating a habit of mindfulness.

AloneFrom Page 16

tive steps include removingtripping hazards such as elec-tric cords and uneven rugs, re-placing poor lighting, and in-stalling non-slip mats and grabbars in showers and bathtubs,Mills said.

Holiday season tips for allages from the CDC includeemploying safe ladder prac-tices, standing on step-stools

instead of furniture, and in-creasing your awareness ofseasonal fall hazards, like dec-orations on the floor.

Medication side effects andbalance issues, which are ex-acerbated by a sedentarylifestyle, also contribute to fallrisks, she said. “It’s never tooearly or too late to reduce therisk of falling,” she said. “Peo -ple in their 30s should be do-ing yoga and dance.”

NOURISH A SOCIALNETWORK

Finally, solo dwellers with

few social contacts may facemore serious health impacts.Numerous studies have linkedloneliness and lack of socialsupport to high blood pres-sure, increased mortality forpeople with heart disease,Alzheimer’s disease develop-ment, depression and otherhealth problems.

Conversely, interaction withfamily and friends has beenshown to reduce stress, im-prove blood pressure levelsand even increase physical ac-tivity, Mosca said.

There are many simpleways to increase your socialcontacts, especially during theholiday season, Mills said.

“Have as many visitors aspossible, set up phone trees,and make reasons to get intouch with people throughphone, Internet and Web-cam,” she said.

For seniors, churches andsenior centers offer more op-portunities to socialize, partici-pate in activities and simplyget out of the house, Millssaid.

Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado D ecember 16, 2010 23........

Getting enough vitamin DHL Ask Dr. H

ThinkStock PhotoDeficiency in vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin” is linked to a number of illnesses.

DR. MITCHELL HECHTMCCL AT C H Y-TIRBUNE

Question: My doctordrew my vitamin Dlevel and isrecommending that I

take 50,000 units of vitaminD once a week. That soundslike a lot to me. At 58 yearsof age, how important is vita-min D?

Answer: Vitamin D, the“sunshine vitamin,” is awhole lot more important toour health than most folksrealize. It’s the hottest vita-min under study these days,with new studies coming outevery month showing howsupplemental vitamin D mayprotect against osteoporosis,heart disease, ovarian cancer,colon cancer, kidney cancer,prostate cancer, Parkinson’sdisease, multiple sclerosis,dementia, fatigue, psoriasis,tuberculosis and colds/flu.

Did you ever consider thatcolds and flu are worst in thewinter, the time of year whensunlight and vitamin D levelsare at their lowest?

What we know is that thereare a lot of health conditionsthat vitamin D may help, yetthe prevalence of folks withlow levels of vitamin D isabout 50 percent. A normalvitamin D level (measured asa 25-hydroxy vitamin D level)is between 30 and 100, with atarget of at least 50-60 foroptimal disease prevention. Atoxic level of vitamin D isgreater than 200, and it’s re-ally difficult to exceed thatlimit with daily or weekly vi-tamin D supplementation.

The U.S. RDA recommendsa conservative dosing of 400-600 units of vitamin D perday, failing to consider thatindividual vitamin D levelsmay still show deficiency. I’vehad several patients, includ-ing a pilot and a software en-gineer, with undetectable vi-

tamin D levels.Milk contains only 100

units of vitamin D per 8-ounce glass. If you live northof the latitude line of Atlanta,no amount of sunshine in thewinter can raise your vitaminD level. A rough rule ofthumb is that every 100 unitsof vitamin D taken daily willraise your vitamin D bloodlevel by one. With supple-mentation sufficient toachieve a 25-hydroxy vitaminD blood level of 50-60, I rec-ommend monitoring the vita-min D and calcium levels ev-ery three months.

Question: On a recentflight, I observed howthe flight attendantswere passing out bags

of peanuts to the passengers.What if there was a passengerwith a serious allergy topeanuts? With peanut dustinhaled in a closed space,isn’t that a risky practice at32,000 feet?

Answer: Peanut allergy — ifyou have it, it’ll drive you

nuts. For most folks, peanutsare an excellent source ofprotein and nutrients. But fora small percentage of theU.S. population, peanuts, oreven foods containing traceamounts of peanuts, can belethal. While the peanut al-lergy may only cause hives,some folks may suffer a life-threatening allergic reactioncalled “anaphylaxis.” The lipsand throat swell, there’s diffi-culty swallowing or breath-ing, and if not treated intime, the person may die.

For those who have peanutallergy, life is a challenge. Be-sides avoiding peanuts andpeanut butter, they need towatch out for foods whichmay contain traces ofpeanuts. Some examples:candy, especially chocolateproducts; pastries and cook-ies; Chinese and Thai food,including egg rolls; chili;packaged foods; and hy-drolyzed plant or vegetablep ro t e i n .

Airline travel can be espe-cially hazardous for those

with a serious peanut allergy.A 2008 study published inthe Annals of Allergy, Asthmaand Immunology showed thatnearly one in 10 people withpeanut, tree nut or seed al-lergies experienced an aller-gic reaction while travelingon an airplane. Most of thesereactions occurred as a resulton inhaling airborne particlesfrom peanuts. This occurredafter multiple bags ofpeanuts were opened near aperson with peanut allergy.Airborne peanut particlesseem to be common on air-planes, since peanut proteinshave been found in the venti-lation filters of commercialairplanes.

My advice to those with aserious peanut allergy wouldbe to avoid, if possible, anyairline that serves peanuts ona planned flight. I’d also car-ry an EpiPen as well as an an-tihistamine like Benadryl orZyrtec. Medical alertbracelets are also advisable toalert others that one has apeanut allergy.

24 Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado D ecember 16, 2010....

Artest raffles ring for mental healthLos Angeles Lakers star Ron Artest is raising money formental health services by raffling his NBA Championshipring. Artest, who has been treated for depression, hasbeen outspoken about the importance and value ofseeking treatment. His “Win My Bling” raffle raised$120,000 in just one day. Raffle tickets are $2 each andavailable until Dec. 25 at www.ronartest.com/raffle. Thewinning ticket is worth the diamond-studded ring, anexpense-paid trip to Los Angeles, cash and more.

— McClatchy-Tr ibune

Meredith CohnM c C l a t c h y-Tr i b u n e

Aspate of suicides around the coun-try by gay teens and young adultshas directed the spotlight on de-

pression. Dr. Meena Vimalananda, medicaldirector of child and adolescent services atSheppard Pratt Health System in Baltimore,calls depression a long and painful illness.She said the pain is deep and remains asource of shame for most people. But bet-ter understanding of the illness is leadingto improved treatment outcomes.

Question: How do you tell depressionapart from a “bad day?”

Answer: One bad day happens in mostof our lives. Often, a series of bad dayshappen. When the bad days happen everyday for weeks together, that should alert usto pay closer attention. Changes can beseen in three major areas of life, the inter-personal/home, the work/school and thesocial/play area.

In the early stages, depressed peopletend to get in more fights/disagreementswith people with whom, usually, they getalong. As depression worsens, they isolatethemselves. Kids start to show less interestin school, and their grades tend to drop.Adults are just not as effective at their jobsand people start noticing that they are notall there. Youngsters start using drugs ordrinking to feel better and be able to so-cialize, or lose interest in their earlierleisure activities. Adults tend to keep tothemselves and often try to drown theirsorrows in alcohol as well.

Question: How can you tell if they aresuicidal?

Answer: By asking if they feel worth-less, hopeless or like they wish they werenot here or dead. Some people wish to “goto sleep and not wake up.” We shouldnever be afraid to ask, because if we donot ask, most people will not tell us. Donot worry about putting ideas into theirheads. Either the ideas are there or theyare not.

Question: When should we seek medi-cal attention?

Answer: We should seek medical atten-tion as soon as we feel some concern. Ifwe are concerned, we should talk to ourprimary-care physicians for referral to amental health professional who can evalu-ate and then inform us about actions need-

ed. If we find that our loved ones have, in-deed, put themselves in danger, we shouldnot hesitate to take them to an ER. Theearlier we intervene, the clearer the mes-sage to the one hurting that we are here tohelp even if they are not able to ask.

Question: How common are teen andadult depression?

Answer: Teen depression is very com-mon. Adolescent males have the second-highest suicide rate in the country, and agood half of them are accidents. Kids, of-ten, do not know how far they can go,safely. Depression is very common in peo-ple in general. It is not clear if the inci-dence is rising. What has risen is people’sawareness of it and of the need to inter-vene rather than to expect people to snapout of it. Depression is a chemical imbal-ance in the brain. People may be geneti-cally predisposed (there is a family historyof depression), and when faced with over-whelming stress become overtly de-pressed. With the fraying of the nuclearfamily and most homes having two work-ing adults, all family members are more

likely to miss those early signs of a down-ward slide, especially in the age of thevideo games and computers, when beingisolated for hours on end is not unusual.

Question: How does treatment work?

Answer: There are many forms of treat-ment. Therapy or counseling is where aprofessional can help one sort throughone’s distress and realign supports/priori-ties/goals to reach a point of being able tofunction at one’s potential. Studies haveshown that for more severe or longstand-ing depression, therapy together with an-tidepressant medication produces the bestresults. There are several forms of interper-sonal therapies used for specific presenta-tions of depression, and professionals arespecially trained for these. In the most ex-treme, treatment-resistant depressions,electroconvulsive therapy has been life-saving. Still newer forms of treatment havecome into recent use but have yet to be-come mainstream approaches. At the core,the efforts are to reverse the chemistry inthe brain that leads to depression in thefirst place.

Awareness iskey to fightingdepression


CU MEDICAL SCHOOLHELPS LEAD NATION-AL EFFORT TO MAPLIFE-SAVING DEVICES

In mid-November,Food and Drug Admin-istration officials an-nounced that the Uni-versity of ColoradoSchool of Medicine willwork with the FDA todevelop a pilot registryin Denver to identify au-tomated external defib-rillators (AEDs) in thecommunity. This reg-istry will link AEDs toemergency medical dis-patch. It also could in-crease the ability of by-standers to save a lifeand help ensure thatAEDs are located wherethey might be needed.Seattle and San Diegoare the only other citiesthat will launch this ef-fort.

The ultimate goal is tointegrate AEDs into 911

systems across thecountry.

AEDs save lives ifthey are accessible with-in minutes of heart ar-rest. But they are usedin fewer than 3 percentof those cases. The de-vices diagnose life-threatening, abnormalheart rhythms and deliv-er electrical energy tothe heart to restore itsnormal rhythm.

The Denver pilot pro-ject is part of a broaderFDA initiative to im-prove AEDs. The FDA isencouraging develop-ment of safer, more ef-fective external defibril-lators through improveddesign and manufactur-ing practices.

CU MEDICAL SCHOOLRESEARCHERS HELPPIONEER NOVELTECHNIQUE

Usually, when cellsare extracted from sus-

picious nodules in thethyroid, they’re found tobe benign. No cancer.But here’s the problem— in 15-30 percent ofthose samples, it’s hardto tell. The next step inmost cases has been fora surgeon to removepart, or all, of the thy-roid. That tissue is ex-amined further. Morethan 70 percent of thetime, there’s no cancer,yet the patient had toundergo surgery to getthat good news — andis often subjected to life-long thyroid hormonetherapy as a result.

Bryan Haugen, MD,who heads the Divisionof Endocrinology,Metabolism and Dia-betes at the CU medicalschool, and the nationalteam sought to deter-mine if the new testcould help avoid thosesurgeries and still identi-

fy when there’s no can-cer. The answer, it nowturns out, is yes. The se-cret lies in the genes.

The American CancerSociety estimates that44,670 new thyroidcancer cases (33,930 inwomen, and 10,740in men) will be diag-nosed nationwide thisy e a r.

Nearly two-thirds ofthe cases occur in peo-ple between the ages of20 and 55. The chanceof being diagnosed withthyroid cancer has dou-bled since 1990, in partbecause of better detec-tion.

PVHS CUTS RIBBONON NORTHERN COL-ORADO’S FIRST MEDI-CAL FITNESS CENTER

Poudre Valley HealthSystem showcasedPoudre Valley MedicalFitness, the first medicalfitness center in north-

ern Colorado, during aribbon-cutting ceremo-ny at Marina HealthCampus, in Water Val-ley, Windsor. The facili-ty, owned and operatedby PVHS, opened Dec.1 and with at least 500pre-registered mem-bers.

The center is open tomembers of the publicwho purchase fitnessmemberships. It fea-tures pools, group exer-cise classes, computer-ized fitness tracking,free weights, cardioequipment, babysittingservices, wellness andlifestyle classes and per-sonal training by certi-fied

To inquire aboutPoudre Valley MedicalFitness membership,call 970-674-6500, orlearn more by visitingw w w . p v h s . o rg /medicalfitness.

HL Health Line Briefs

�� Columbine cares for seniors

��From Columbine Health Systems

Th e WexfordIndependent Living��

Lakeview CommonsAssisted Living��

North Shore Health & Rehab FacilitySkilled Nursing ��

HL-

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BREAST FEEDING SUPPORTGROUP

When: 10-11 a.m. Mon-day, Wednesday and Fri-day

Cost: Fr eeContact: 970-669-9355

BRIGHT BEGINNINGS FORI N FA N T S

Bring your baby andlearn how nurturing inter-actions, a healthy/safe en-vironment and playinggames together supportsbrain development andemotional health. BrightBeginnings is designed tocelebrate the birth of newbabies and provide fami-lies with health, safety, de-velopment, play and com-munity resource informa-tion.

When: 11:15 a.m.-12:15p.m., Jan. 17

Wher e: 3rd Floor, Fami-ly Birth Center ConferenceRoom, McKee MedicalCenter

Cost: Free. Pre-registra-tion is required.

Contact: 970-495-7528to register for a class orschedule a home visit.

ASTHMA EDUCATIONThis four-session multi-

disciplinary educational se-ries helps people manageasthma. The team reviewsthe respiratory system andhow it works, medicationsused to treat asthma andtools that can help youbreathe better and monitoryour asthma. Triggers, ear-ly warning signs and cop-ing techniques are dis-cussed. Anyone who hasasthma is encouraged toattend along with familyand/or significant others.Because we can’t be surethe room temperature willmeet your personal needs,please bring a sweater or

jacket.When: 6-7:30 p.m. on

Wednesdays, four-weeksession begins Jan. 10

Wher e: McKee Confer-ence and Wellness Center

Cost: No chargeContact: 970-635-4138

BLOOD PRESSURESCREENING

Have your blood pres-sure checked by a Well-ness Specialist.

When: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.,Monday through Thursday,8 a.m.-noon, Friday

Wher e: McKee WellnessServices, 1805 E. 18th St.Suite 6, Loveland

Cost: No charge Contact: 970-635-4056

COPD (CHRONIC OB-STRUCTIVE PULMONARYDISEASE)

This seven-session multi-disciplinary education se-ries helps with the man-agement of COPD. Theteam reviews the respirato-ry system, how it works,what has gone wrong andhow you can conserve en-ergy and decrease short-ness of breath. Anyonewho has COPD, emphyse-ma or bronchitis is encour-aged to attend along withfamily and/or significantothers. Because we can’tbe sure the room tempera-ture will meet your person-al needs, please bring asweater or jacket.

When: 1-3 p.m. onTuesdays, next session be-gins Jan. 4


Cost: No chargeContact: 970-635-4138

DIABETES INFORMATIONGROUP

An informational/educa-tional meeting for anyone

touched by diabetes whowants to learn and share.There will be a differentsubject matter for eachmeeting.


Cost: No charge. Noregistration needed.

Contact: 970-203-6550for more information andtopics.

YOGA SUPPORT GROUPFor people touched by

c a n c e r.Thirty minutes of gentle

yoga and breathing and 30minutes of holistic therapyeducation.

When: 5:30-6:30 p.m.,first and third Thursday ofthe month


Contact: 970-635-4054

GENERAL CANCER SUP-PORT GROUP

When: 5:30-7 p.m.,Tu e s d a y s

Wher e: McKee CancerCenter lobby

Contact: 970-635-4129

CAREGIVER’S SUPPORTGROUP

For caregivers of cancerpatients

Contact: Call for timesand locations, 970-635-4129

BREAST CANCER SUPPORTGROUP

When: 5:30-7 p.m., sec-ond Thursday of eachmonth

Wher e: McKee CancerCenter lobby.

Contact: 970-622-1961

SOULPLAY ART THERAPYPeople whose lives are

touched by cancer experi-ence the benefits of ex-pressing themselvesthrough art. No art experi-

ence needed.When: 9:45-11:45 a.m.,

We d n e s d a y sWher e: McKee Cancer

Center Conference RoomContact: 970-635-4129

MAN TO MAN PROSTATECANCER SUPPORT GROUP

When: 5:30-7 p.m.,fourth Thursday of themonth


Contact: 970-622-1961for more information

CAREGIVERS SUPPORT

For caregivers of elderlyadults. The group focuseson providing support andeducation about communi-ty resources and behaviorissues, particularly for peo-ple with Alzheimer's andmemory impairment.

When: 1:30-3:30 p.m.,third Thursday of themonth

Where: First ChristianChurch, 2000 N. LincolnAv e .

Cost: No charge. Care ofelderly adult family mem-bers or friends is availablethrough Stepping StonesAdult Day Care programduring meeting times at noc h a rg e .

Contact: 970-669-7069

THE SEASONS CLUB

The Seasons Club at Mc-Kee Medical Center strivesto enhance the quality oflife for mature adultsthrough health promotion,education and recreation.To learn more about Sea-sons Club activities, call970-635-4097 or visitw w w . b a n n e rh e a l t h . c o mKeyword: McKee SeasonsClub.

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