Quarterly - The Berkshire Eagle

Health
Quarterly
www.berkshireeagle.com
n Winter 2011
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PAGE 2 n Health Quarterly
www.berkshireeagle.com/health n Winter 2011
Health Quarterly
Winter 2011
Winter 2011:
Ease and comfort
New England Newspapers Inc.
www.berkshireeagle.com
The Berkshire Eagle
The North Adams Transcript
Stephanie Zollshan / Berkshire Eagle Staff
People enjoy the warmth at Fuel Coffee Shop in Great Barrington, above. Heat, movement and rest may help to bring ease at the holidays.
ON THE COVER: Sam Burnham makes a latte at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield.
Stephanie Zollshan / Berkshire Eagle Staff
n n n
Staff credits ...
Healing with heat
Careful of falls
Pages 6-7
Page 11
Easing the pain
Preparing for winter
Pages 8-9
Pages 12-13
Keeping fit in tough times
Streamlined hot drinks
Page 10
Pages 14-15
HQ Editor: Kate Abbott
Reporters:
Lindsey Marie Hollenbaugh,
Amanda Korman,
Jenn Smith,
Scott Stafford
Photographers:
Stephanie Zollshan,
Caroline Bonnivier Snyder
ADVERTISING: Contact your sales consultant or the advertising department. In Massachusetts, for the Berkshire County area, call (413) 496-6321 or (800) 234-7404, ext. 321. In western Vermont, call (800) 491-7567.
EDITORIAL: Reach Editor Kate Abbott at (413) 496-6244 or at kabbott@berkshireeagle.com. The next issue of Health Quarterly will be Spring 2012.
Health Quarterly is published four times a year by New England Newspapers Inc., 75 South Church St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. It is a supplement to The Berkshire Eagle.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, in any form including electronic, without written permission. © 2011, New England Newspapers Inc.
Winter 2011 n www.berkshireeagle.com/health
Health Quarterly n PAGE 3
Editor’s note
Warm wishes for the holidays
By Kate Abbott
Berkshire Eagle Staff
s these pages go to press, college
students will be rushing to final
exams. They will stay up to the
small hours and wear pajamas to the
Chemistry lab to finish their last reports.
This is the uphill sprint before the bluebooks are handed in and the test-takers
reel down the sidewalks, punchy and
light-headed.
This weekend, students who took the
course last winter study will give massages to their friends, and college campuses will serve hot tea in the student
centers. Some colleges have begun to
invite therapy dogs to help students relax.
I wouldn’t mind a visit from a therapy
dog. A Saint Bernard sitting by my chair
could insinuate her chin above the computer keyboard and remind me that a
good head scratch is sometimes more
important than all these fonts and rules
A
Eagle file
A yellow lab greets students warmly.
and picas-per-inch.
Dogs are sometimes right about the
simple things that can help to give
warmth and comfort, to ease pain or prevent it. You’ll find a lot of those things
here: a good walk — a good dinner — a
good stretch and a good back rub, a good
Giving Seniors
warm place by the fire. The only one we
may disagree on is a good hot bath.
In this Health Quarterly, as the cold
season finally arrives, we will talk about
the kind of care and medicine and wellbeing we have within reach. Health
means that we can move freely and do
things that absorb us. It means we have
the energy to make plans and see people
— and travel to light trees, menorahs
and Kwanzaa candles.
So we offer this magazine to everyone
who can use a measure of warmth this
holiday. Whether you are visiting a loved
one in hospital, caring for a loved one at
home, nursing a baby, missing someone
lost or far away, shoveling a driveway, or
blowing a sore nose over a cup of hot
lemonade while taping up holiday
parcels — we wish you well.
And if anyone wants to bring a therapy
dog to visit the Eagle, we’ve got plenty
HQ
of newspapers to fetch.
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PAGE 4 n Health Quarterly
www.berkshireeagle.com/health n Winter 2011
Strained students relax ...
A study break with a spaniel
By Sarah Womer
Associated Press
YUMA, Ariz. — Students at
Arizona Western College started finals earlier this month,
and with those end-of-the-year
exams comes the inevitable —
stress.
Laura Shepherd, an adviser
with Club SOTE (Seeking
Opportunities Through Education), said that her group at
AWC and the Student Government Association worked
together to bring therapy dogs
to campus the week before
finals, giving students a chance
to relax during this hectic time.
“I’ve noticed there is a
national trend right now with
bringing therapy pets to college campuses,” Shepherd
said, adding that she was also
involved with a similar activity
while she was attending San
Diego State University, and it
proved to be very successful.
“I wanted to bring that here
to Yuma to create some kind
of an event that would contribute to relieving the stress
that students are under during
finals week,” she said.
A handful of dogs and their
owners from Love on a Leash’s
Yuma chapter visited the campus for two hours a day for
three days — making a difference for those who stopped by.
It was so successful, in fact,
that the student groups are
already making plans for the
therapy dogs to stop by again
next semester during midterms.
New Love on a Leash member Oliver, a Teacup Yorkie
who goes by “Ollie,” was drawing students left and right who
were amazed by his tiny
stature.
His owner, Jeff Jaquays,
said that he initially decided
to get involved with Love on a
Leash to share Ollie with the
community because he has
done so much for their family.
“This was my wife’s dog,”
Eagle file
Torch, a therapy dog, visits students at the Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public
School in Adams. Many schools have found that therapy dogs can help students relax.
Jaquays said. “We got him
three months before she was
diagnosed with cancer, and for
two years after that he lay on
her lap and was very comforting to my wife. After she
passed away, I decided I needed to share him with people
and give back so that others
could be around him. Now I
take him to schools and to
nursing homes, and we do all
the things we can to make
other people happy. The neat
thing about it is when I see
someone smiling because of
him, it makes me smile inside
even bigger.”
He said that it is also good
for Ollie to get out the house
and visit with other people.
“Otherwise he’d be at home
sleeping,” Jaquays said.
Freshman AWC student
Silvia Rios said that having
the dogs on campus distracted
her for a bit from the stress of
Winter 2011 n www.berkshireeagle.com/health
looming exams, and that she
enjoyed visiting with Ollie.
“I heard that it actually
helps, and I was really curious
to see if it would,” she said. “It
was a fun environment, and it
helped relax me before finals.”
Classmate Adrianna Stevens,
another freshman, said that
even though she owns cats, she
loved spending time with the
dogs on campus.
“It was really calming, just
to come out here and relax,”
she said.
Freshman Victoria Hernandez
said that she had a lot of fun
playing with the dogs.
“It distracted me, and suddenly my mood changed,” she
said.
Yuma Love on a Leash chapter vice president Vicki Privette
was on campus with her two
dogs, Maddy and Tilly, a cocker spaniel and a springer
spaniel/border collie mix.
She said she loved seeing the
students’ faces light up when
they visited with the animals.
“It’s relaxing to them, and a
lot of them want to take our
dogs home,” she said with a
laugh.
Privette added that some
students who stopped by were
from out of state or from
another country and couldn’t
go home for the holidays.
“This is just like a little bit of
home for them, away from the
school atmosphere,” she said.
“That’s what we’re all about,
whether we’re at schools,
rehabs, nursing homes ... we
just want to make people
happy. It doesn’t matter where
we go.”
She said they offer their services free, as they are all volunteers, and added that they also
make house calls to those who
are confined to their homes for
HQ
health reasons.
n
Health Quarterly n PAGE 5
Healing with heat
Warmth helps illness or injury
By Jenn Smith
Berkshire Eagle Staff
Eagle file
Heat and massage can help to soothe sore muscles and stiff
joints, say local spa owners who use warmth in many treatments.
Vicki Smith M.D.
nective tissue can also begin to
loosen, and blood circulation
is stimulated, which is why a
person can feel more relaxed
after a steamy shower or cozy
wearing a fleece sweatshirt or
wool socks.
At Body & Soul, the Marshalls and their staff members
first greet their clients with a
warm neck or back wrap. (The
microwavable wraps are easy
Doctor of Chiropractic
1547187-01d
Hitting the slopes or frolicking in the snow is a great way
to spend a winter’s day, especially if it ends with a warm
bath, a hot meal or a rest by
the fire.
When used safely, heat can
not only bring us comfort and
joy, but can also create some
health benefits, too.
“In my mind, there’s also a
huge health benefit to the comforting aspect of heat as well,”
said massage therapist Stephen
Marshall, who co-owns Body &
Soul day spa in Great Barrington with his wife, esthetician Doone Marshall.
“We’re big heat proponents,”
said Doone Marshall. “If the
body doesn’t feel warm, it
doesn’t relax.”
The human body naturally
hovers at a temperature of
about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If the body gets too cold,
we shiver or seek heat to
restore balance.
Heat can also help people
fight infections, which is why
we may get a fever while fighting a flu virus.
When the body is comfortably warm, muscles and con-
to find at most stores, and
many brands can be bought
for $20 or less.)
“Those things generate fantastic warmth. Most people
come in cold, so we start there
with a baseline of being comfortable, then we move up,”
Stephen Marshall said.
They use heated massage
tables, which Doone said adds
more comfort than therapeutic
relief. The spa also uses Thermophore moist heat packs, which
are believed to deliver a more
penetrating heating sensation.
“If you can relieve tension,
you can help people, as tension often causes pain,” she
said.
Stephen said some research
has shown that connective tissue is thixotropic, meaning it
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phone: 413-447-3888
fax: 413-499-4455
Stephen D. Tosk, D.C.
PAGE 6 n Health Quarterly
An assisted living residence where friendships are made
One hour care a day, medication
management, meals & house keeping
all included.
109 Housatonic St., Lenox, MA 01240
413.637.3100
www.newspringseniorcommunities.com
1547188-01d
Practice/Clinic: Berkshire
Chiropractic Services, P.C.
Address: 100 Wendell Ave., Suite 9,
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Phone: (413) 442-8563
Website: www.toskchiropractic.com
Education/Certification: Diplomate, National Board of
Chiropractic Examiners; B.A. University of Hartford 1974;
Doctorate, Northwestern College of Chiropractic, St. Paul,
Minn. 1977
Numerous post graduate seminars and classes taken in the
areas of automobile accidents, x-rays, workplace injuries,
sports injuries, nutrition and exercise.
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www.berkshireeagle.com/health n Winter 2011
Stephanie Zollshan / Berkshire Eagle Staff
Steve Hennessey relaxes by the fire in the lobby of The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge — a warm place for a mug of hot cider.
is more pliable and able to be
stretched when moved and
warmed. But the health benefits of this reaction still come
up for debate among physicians and therapists.
Joanne Lacey, a pharmacist
at Lenox Village Integrative
Pharmacy, said heat alone is
not a cure-all, but it can help
the healing process.
Heating pads, whirlpools,
even topical ointments like
Bengay or Icy Hot can provide
relief to injuries, but Lacey
recommends using ice before
heat, particularly on a new
injury.
In terms of other ailments,
warm liquids and steam treatments can break up nasal congestion, and herbal teas can
also be soothing to the throat.
“It can break up congestion
caused by bacteria. It doesn’t
Heat and safety:
Heat can make us feel warm and cozy, but
it can also become dangerous. Here’s a list of
cautions while using heat:
Candles can add warmth to a room and the
light can brighten the mood on a cold, dark
day. But take care to fully douse a candle after
use, especially before you go to bed. Flameless
LED candles can be a safe alternative.
Heating pads and heating ointments can
each help aching muscles, but they should
never be used together. Putting a heating pad
on top of ointment-treated skin can cause a
chemical reaction that can be toxic to the body.
Similarly, hot water bottles and electric blancure, but it does help so that
symptoms are not as severe,”
Lacey said.
Adding herbs like ginger,
peppermint or chamomile can
also be soothing not only for
Winter 2011 n www.berkshireeagle.com/health
kets can be great bed warmers, but they should
never be used simultaneously, even if the blanket is switched off. If you use an electric blanket, unplug it before you go to bed, unless it
has a thermostat control for safe all-night use.
Herbal supplements can taste and smell
good, but they can be harmful to the body if
not used in a proper dose, or if mixed with
other medications. Consult a physician before
using herbal or homeopathic remedies.
Elderly people, children and infants and
people with certain medical conditions can
be more heat sensitive and should take precautions when using heating pads, blankets,
hot tubs, steam rooms and/or saunas.
— Jenn Smith
the throat, but for the stomach
as well, when a person is sick.
Herbs like rosemary, cinnamon, cardamom and pepper
are also said to have warming
effects when used in teas,
wraps or compresses.
But whatever your pleasure
this winter season, be sure to
use warming products within
reason, and consult your physician first.
HQ
n
Health Quarterly n PAGE 7
Photos by Caroline Bonnivier Snyder / Berkshire Eagle Staff
Al Cassidy teaches a healthy backs class at the Pittsfield YMCA on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Easing pain ...
When an aspirin won’t touch it
By Amanda Korman
Berkshire Eagle Staff
PITTSFIELD — Al Cassidy
knows pain.
The 78-year-old physical
trainer began dealing with a
bad back when he entered
middle age, and he has spent
the last several decades trying
to help others cope with theirs
in his “healthy backs” course
at the Pittsfield YMCA.
“It affects you psychologically; it affects your balance, how
you feel,” he said. “My wife
knows when my back is bothering me because I’m a bear.”
Chronic pain, a term that
encompasses everything from
spinal-related aches to the
full-body hurt of fibromyalgia,
can have serious impacts on
PAGE 8 n Health Quarterly
people’s daily lives, according
to Dr. Steven Nguyen.
“Pain is a big factor that limits the function,” said Nguyen,
a pain specialist at Berkshire
Medical Center’s New England Pain Diagnosis and Treatment Center. “Patients come
in — they have lost their jobs
because the pain interferes
with their function; they cannot participate in their daily
lives; they cannot enjoy life as
much as they did in the past.”
In winter, the hurt often
goes from bad to worse.
The aggravation of pain in
cold weather is a well-documented phenomenon, but there’s
no known explanation, according to Nguyen.
“There’s no scientific reason
www.berkshireeagle.com/health n Winter 2011
behind it, but that’s what we see
in almost all patients,” he said.
At least one contributing
factor is the simple fact that
the snow and chill keep people indoors, where they’re
moving less and thinking
about their malady more.
“They stay mostly inside in
winter and tend to be focused
more on the pain,” Nguyen
said, “when in the summertime, you can go outdoors and
get your mind off of whatever
you have.”
Nguyen, who sees more people with more complicated pain
cases, estimated that about 90
percent of his patients are on
some sort of prescription medication, from anti-inflammatory
drugs to muscle relaxants.
The “last resort,” he said, are
the opiods, like Vicodin or
OxyContin. These highly addictive drugs are associated
with abuse and recreational use.
But even when they are used
correctly, patients can become
dependent and find that they
are more sensitive to pain.
Patients may also find some
relief in natural options like
ginger, curcumin and turmeric, according to Dr. Nancy
Bronstein, a Great Barrington
chiropractor and alternative
and complementary medicine
practitioner.
Usually taken in pill form,
those spices play an anti-inflammatory role in reducing the
hurt, as can fish oils, she said.
The most often cited lifestyle changes for health —
quit smoking, eat a good diet
and exercise more — are also
associated with the alleviation
of chronic pain, Bronstein said
— except when pain derives
from an overstressing of muscles — the territory of the
“weekend warrior,” she said,
who would do well with taking
a break from exercising.
“In general, what keeps
people’s pain levels lowered
are the things that keep us
free of most chronic diseases,” Bronstein said: “regular, sensible exercise, lots of
fresh vegetables.”
For people with more severe
pain, there’s not always a solution waiting in the wings,
Photos by Caroline Bonnivier Snyder / Berkshire Eagle Staff
Stretching can help to relieve some kinds of chronic pain and soreness.
If you go ...
What: Healthy Backs 101
When: 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.,
Tuesdays and Thursdays,
Jan. 3-Feb. 9
Where: Pittsfield Family
YMCA’s auditorium
Admission: $40,
free for YMCA members
Information:
Al Cassidy: (413) 442-8073
or Michelle Kettler:
(413) 499-7650, ext. 33,
mkettler@pittsfieldfamily
ymca.org
Nguyen said. In those cases,
the question is how to alleviate, rather than eliminate.
“Let’s say the pain is severe.
If we bring it down to a tolerable level where they can
function, they can go back to
work, that’s a success for us
and for the patient,” Nguyen
said. “So we have to be clear
about the goal.”
HQ
n
Winter 2011 n www.berkshireeaglecom/health
Health Quarterly n PAGE 9
Keeping fit in tough times
Exercise as medicine for pain
By Adrian Dunn
Special to The Eagle
any of us know how
frustrating it can be to
manage our daily
activities with a physical injury
or illness. For millions of people, pain from ongoing conditions can become chronic, lasting three to six months or
longer, and the effects can be
increasingly difficult to manage.
Though regular exercise may
be the last thing you want to
do when you’re in pain, resist
the impulse to curl up under a
blanket. Maintaining as much
physical activity as you can
within reasonable limits can
improve your overall health,
boost your mood and increase
your quality of life.
Chronic pain can affect only
one area of the body, as in
low back pain or nerve damage (neuropathy); more than
one area, as in osteoarthritis;
or a widespread area, as in
fibromyalgia.
Each condition requires an
experienced physician who
will work with you to find
ways to deal with both the
physical and the psychological
aspects of your condition.
Pain affects the mind as
well as the body and can lead
to depression. So a comprehensive approach to treatment is best. Medication, psychological therapy and physical therapy may help — and
so may moderate exercise.
M
Why movement helps
If you live with chronic
pain, you may initially
respond by becoming inactive, which can lead to tight
hips and hamstrings, weak
back and abdominal muscles
and poor postural alignment.
Losing balance in opposing
muscles can also increase the
chance that you will injure
yourself again. Weakened
muscles no longer support the
joints.
PAGE 10 n Health Quarterly
Some resources in Berkshire County
Pittsfield Family YMCA offers
Silver Sneakers strength and
cardio circuit programs
appropriate for those with
exercise limitations. They also
offer a shallow water, lowimpact pool workout.
Northern Berkshire YMCA
in North Adams offers a
Twinges in the Hinges water
exercise class as well as two
other water aerobics classes.
Fit 4 Life exercise classes
supervised by a physical
therapist are offered at
Raised shoulders, tightly
contracted chest and weak
shoulder muscles — recognized as a “pain posture” —
can lead to short, shallow
breathing.
Reversing these trends can
re-establish muscles and
joints in better working order
and help you to breathe
deeply and stand straight.
Too much or too vigorous
exercise can make some conditions worse, including fibromyalgia and arthritis, so take
care to find the right amount
and to schedule your exercise
when you are not having a
flare-up of your symptoms.
General guidelines:
Consult your doctor or other
health care providers first. Find
out what exercise limitations
are specific for your condition
and find the right specialists to
help you — your doctor, your
physical therapist or a certified
personal trainer who specializes in your condition.
n Begin with gentle stretching every other day. If you
have been inactive for several
months, don't jump back into
an exercise program you used
to do. Instead, begin with a
simple stretching exercise
Williamstown Physical
Therapy in Williamstown.
New England Pain Center
at Berkshire Medical Center
Hillcrest Campus in Pittsfield
provides a comprehensive
program for pain management.
You can ask your doctor for a
referral.
Do you offer appropriate
fitness and wellness programs for people in chronic
pain? Let the Eagle know at
kabbott@berkshireeagle.com.
Courtesy of Sylvia Thompson
routine, which should work
your chest, back, shoulders,
arms, legs, and feet.
Stretching can loosen tight
muscles, and improve your
range of motion.
n Always stretch after your
muscles have been warmed
up for at least five minutes,
and breathe throughout the
stretch. Hold the stretch for
10 seconds to start, then
increase gradually to 30 seconds, if you can tolerate it.
n Try yoga or Tai Chi. Hatha
yoga, which combines breathing exercises with physical postures and meditation, has been
shown to reduce the physical
and psychological symptoms of
chronic pain in women with
fibromyalgia, according to a
recent study. Tai Chi, a series
of graceful, slow, standing
movements, has also been
shown to help relieve pain and
improve balance.
Work up to it
n Do resistance training
two or three times a week.
Use very light hand weights
(1-3 lbs.) or exercise bands,
and lift slowly and precisely
to improve muscle tone.
n You can work core muscles (abdominals and back)
on a stability ball. Low repetitions are best, beginning with
eight reps and increasing up
to 10 to 12 reps. Work each
major muscle group — legs,
chest, shoulders, back, arms
and abs. Rest one day in
between workouts.
n Add low impact, aerobic
endurance exercise — swimming, easy water aerobics,
walking or cycling, for instance.
A recumbent bike may be easier on your knees than an
upright one. Use an elliptical
machine instead of a treadmill
for a lower impact workout.
n Do short workouts first.
If your goal is to walk for 30
minutes, start with three 10minute walks a day. Pay
attention to how you feel and
adjust accordingly.
You may find exercise classes at your local hospital outreach program, physical therapy practice, yoga center,
YMCA or senior center.
While you can exercise on
your own, joining a group or
class can be a real lift for your
spirits, as well as giving you a
safe workout.
HQ
n
Adrian Dunn of Williamstown is a
ACSM certified personal trainer and
a wellness coach in the Berkshires.
To reach her: Dancerdunn@gmail.com.
www.berkshireeagle.com/health n Winter 2011
Careful of falls
How to avoid accidental slips
By Telly Halkias
Special to The Eagle
Valentine’s Day 2010 didn’t
turn out sweetly for Sylvia
Thompson. On her regular
hike up Berlin Mountain in
Berlin, N.Y., the 68-year-old
self-proclaimed health and fitness fanatic took a fall, fracturing a bone in her wrist.
“I had never broken a
bone,” Thompson said. “I
wore a cast for a month and
then had a removable one for
a while. My orthopedist said,
‘You really heal well; how do
you do it?’ ”
Thompson’s quick recovery
was rooted in practices that
prevent falls by developing
strength and sense of balance.
“I eat well and exercise
daily,” she said. “I hike three
to four times a week, and walk
the other days. I snowshoe
when the snow is deep. And I
do yoga three times a week.
My doctor told me the way I
fell was due to my reaction
and balance. It could have
been much worse.”
Prevention better than cure
Experts have long agreed
that age changes physical performance, including one’s balance. As activity levels decrease, so does the body’s
capacity to maneuver.
Deborah Henley, an orthopedic surgeon at Southwestern
Vermont Medical Center in
Bennington, Vt., said decreased
balance is common in middle
age, so prevention of falls
should be taken seriously.
“Forty-five percent of women
over 50 experience some type
of injury from an accidental
fall,” Henley said. “Since bone
mass peaks between ages 20
and 30, the increased risk of
being hurt from a fall rises in
middle age. Fragile bones can’t
take the impact they did when
we were younger.”
Henley said calcium and
Courtesy of Sylvia Thompson
Sylvia Thompson takes a recent yoga class led by Carol Steinmetz, R.N. Thompson suffered a
fall while hiking at age 67 and credits yoga for helping her maintain a strong sense of balance.
vitamins C and D in one’s diet
can help, as well as avoiding
narcotics and biophosphonates (drugs used to strengthen bone). Regular exercise is
essential, she said.
“Strengthening the body
through walking, yoga, dancing,
and Tai Chi can be an asset to
one’s overall balance,” she said.
“When balance improves, the
risk of falls decreases. Even if
you stumble, the ability to react
quickly and gracefully can
reduce the impact of falling and
any resulting injury.”
Carol Steinmetz, a registered nurse from Pownal, Vt.,
and a registered yoga teacher,
holds classes in both Massachusetts and New York. She
said practices such as yoga, Tai
Chi and Pilates demand concentrated awareness while
stimulating nerve pathways
improving muscle response
and reaction time.
“Yoga demands focus on
breath and body to achieve
the postures,” Steinmetz said.
“This is invaluable for the
mind and body. Aging requires more attention be paid
Winter 2011 n www.berkshireeagle.com/health
to the body than ever before.
This increases awareness of
our body in space, and physical sensations. When conscious of sensations that affect
our balance, we can make
wiser decisions.”
Steinmetz said yoga strengthens and tones muscles, ligaments and tendons. With use
of repeated postures and new
challenges in movement patterns, the nervous system is
exercised and strengthened.
She added that most falls
can be prevented in practical
ways. These include wearing
supportive footwear, anchoring throw rugs, using sole grippers in winter, and asking for
help when faced with balancechallenging tasks such as
cleaning gutters or hanging
Christmas lights.
Also, people can use caution
with animals, install stairway
railings, and avoid physical
challenges when ear canals are
blocked by a cold.
Balanced meals are also key,
as shifting blood sugar levels
can cause weakness, resulting
in falls.
Senior consequences
Still hiking Berlin Mountain
several times a week, Thompson said she doesn’t plan on
slowing down and credited her
active lifestyle with a greater
sense of well-being.
“I’ve been doing yoga for
more than a decade,” she said.
“It has helped me in my flexibility, balance, and peace of
mind. The times I have fallen,
I seem to fall gracefully. I can
only attribute this to yoga.”
Yet she admitted there are
consequences from falling and
agreed seniors should be prepared to face them.
“After [last year’s fall], I
developed plantar fasciitis in
my right heel, followed by
arthritis in my right leg,” she
said. “I’ve taken this in stride
and find the continuous stretching of yoga very helpful. I realize the trickle-down effect of
being hurt as one gets older,
but my philosophy is if you’re in
the best shape possible, the
consequences of injuries and
illnesses are less severe and the
recovery much faster.”
HQ
n
Health Quarterly n PAGE 11
Grieving
over the
holidays
NORTH ADAMS — The
Visiting Nurse Association &
Hospice of Northern Berkshire, Inc. invites those who
have experienced the loss of a
loved one to a holiday gathering on Tuesday, Dec. 20, from
6 to 7:30 p.m.
Hospice Bereavement facilitator Corinne Case, LMHC,
will lead a time of reflection.
All who come are encouraged
to bring a photo or memento.
The gathering is free. In a
supportive and confidential
setting, the group will share
experiences related to their
loss. Please call Volunteer
Coordinator Patricia Courtemanche at (413) 664-4536 to
RSVP for the Gathering.
Eagle file
A support group in North County will welcome those who have lost a loved one.
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www.berkshireeagle.com n Winter 2011
Hard choices in the cold:
Food, warmth and medicine
By Scott Stafford
Berkshire Eagle Staff
Thousands of Berkshire
County families will face the
coming winter with about half
the heating aid they received
last year — and many will face
some hard choices.
According to officials at Berkshire Community Action Council (BCAC), the roughly 10,000
families who apply for heating
aid this winter — and meet the
guidelines — will receive between $380 and $650 for heating
oil, whereas last winter the average family received $800 or
more from the Low Income
Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
At the same time, the cost of
heating is expected to hit
record highs this winter.
A report issued by the U.S.
Energy Information Administration in October said, “The
average price paid by households in the Northeast this winter for heating oil may be the
highest ever, almost $3.71 per
gallon, more than double the
average cost of natural gas.”
That is an increase of more
than 10 percent. The report
also notes that in seven years,
the cost of heating oil has
more than doubled.
So when families face an
increased heating cost of
roughly $500 or more this winter, the question becomes
where to cut back.
With money so tight, the
cost of medication and food
are on the table. But first,
many will wonder how low the
thermostat can go before it
starts to affect the health of
the residents.
According to Dr. Robert
Davenport, a primary care
physician with the Hillcrest
Family Health Center at Berkshire Medical Center, the
temperature limit that is too
cold varies a little from one
person to the next.
Eagle file
Students gather coats, above, to help people who face the cold weather as heating costs rise.
“But it is generally felt that
the room temperature should
be kept in the 60s at a minimum,
as long as the patient adds layers
of clothing to prevent hypothermia,” Davenport said.
Some may be tempted to
reduce their monthly allotment
for medication. That choice
could bring possibly dire consequences, but there are places
where people can get help with
the cost of drugs and still keep
up with their daily prescriptions, Dr. Davenport said.
“If a patient feels they cannot afford their medications, I
would recommend that he or
she set up an appointment
with his or her physician to
discuss alternative medications, which might be helpful,
depending on the condition
being treated, in reducing
cost,” he said.
Davenport explained that
many pharmacies have discounted plans for generic medications, and a patient can discuss such a plan with their
pharmacist. And some pharmaceutical companies offer free or
discounted prescriptions for
some brand name scripts.
Winter 2011 n www.berkshireeagle.com/health
“Naturally, every patient is different, and a lot of this will be very
particular to the individual patient’s medical needs,” he said.
Another fixed cost families
may seek to reduce is their
food spending. This is apparently a popular choice to cut
back on, because local food
pantries are reporting a dramatic spike in the number of
families seeking food aid.
At the same time, many of
the food pantries have seen
their federal funding cut in half.
So they’re trying to distribute
less food to more families.
According to Lt. Cynthia
Crowsen, administrator of the
Salvation Army in North
Adams, “We’re definitely seeing more people coming in for
food pantry assistance and
Christmas assistance because
of the increased cost of heating.
And all the assistance agencies
are receiving less revenue.”
In addition, there is less funding for emergency rent and utility assistance, she said, “so there
is a big gap to fill this year.”
But there are some other
sources of heating aid that can
reduce some of the hard choic-
For information ...
To learn more about energy
or food assistance, call the
BCAC at (413) 445-4503.
es, said Tammy Biagini, the
LIHEAP director at BCAC.
Once a family exhausts their
aid from the LIHEAP program, said Shirley MacDonald,
director of community programing at BCAC, they can
seek help from the Salvation
Army’s Good Neighbor Fund.
There is also Citizen’s Energy,
an independent low income
energy assistance agency,
which is chaired by Joseph P.
Kennedy II.
For further food assistance,
MacDonald said, there are
nearly 18 food pantries in
Berkshire County, with 10 in
Pittsfield alone. There are also
five Pittsfield locations and one
place in North Adams that offer
free hot meals once weekly.
“It’s tough every year, but
this year is tougher than most,”
MacDonald said. “That’s almost all we talk about — how
hard it’s become.”
HQ
n
Health Quarterly n PAGE 13
Streamlined hot drinks
Comfort in a (low-calorie) cup
By Lindsey Marie
Hollenbaugh
Special to The Eagle
It’s a cold December night.
You’ve got a great book, a cozy
blanket and countless snowedin hours all to yourself. You go
to reach for your favorite handmade mug, filled to the brim
with rich, heavy cocoa, toppedoff with whipped cream.
Sounds perfect, right? Well,
almost.
In the blistery winter days
ahead when your throat craves
something hot and your hands
gravitate toward a warm mug,
it’s possible to reach for something that tastes good and
offers health benefits, not just
empty calories and caffeine.
Anna Smith, a member of
the Berkshire Botanical Gar-
Eagle file
Tea has many benefits. Orange, spices and herbs may sweeten
and invigorate a hot cup of tea and cleanse the body too.
den’s Herb Associates, recommends spicing up your regular
cup of decaf herbal tea with
orange juice and honey.
She also suggests steeping
tea with 1⁄2 teaspoon of chopped
fresh rosemary and 1⁄4 teaspoon
of chopped, peeled fresh ginger, or with slices of Meyer
lemon and honey.
For those who want to make
your own decaf, just pour a little hot water over a tea bag in
a cup and steep for one
minute. Then remove the tea
bag from the cup and use that
bag to make your tea.
“Much of the caffeine is
released in the first minute of
steeping,” Smith said.
n
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www.brkshireeagle.com/health n Winter 2011
Stephanie Zollshan / Berkshire Eagle Staff
Sam Burnham makes a latte at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge on North Street in Pittsfield. Hot drinks can be comforting and healthy.
visitors joining in the center’s
Detox Healthy Living program
are given this warm recipe for
Ginger Turmeric Detox Tea,
according to Annie B. Kay,
lead nutritionist at Kripalu.
For more recipes...
For healthy hot drink recipes
and tips from local chefs,
visit www.berkshire
eagle.com/health.
What you’ll need for Detox Tea:
2 cups of water
1
⁄4 cup of fresh chopped ginger
1
⁄2 teaspoon powdered turmeric
1 tablespoon of honey
Juice of half of a lemon
Bring the water to a boil. Add
the next two ingredients and
simmer for 10 minutes.
Strain tea into a mug, then
add honey and lemon and
stir to combine.
“Not only is it tasty, but each
ingredient also supports your
body’s nutrient-driven natural
detoxification that is going on
all the time,” Kay said.
For those who enjoy the
healthy benefits of green tea,
Deb Morgan, executive chef
at Kripalu, advises in her latest cookbook “Kripalu Breakfast: Savory and Sweet” not to
use boiling hot water because
it can burn the tender leaves.
Instead, green-tea lovers
should bring the water to a
boil then let cool a little
before pouring over the tea.
n
If you require some spirits in
your warm drinks to help you
get you through these Berkshire winters, Caitlin Harrison, front of house manager
of Mezze Bistro and Bar in
Williamstown, suggests the
unexpected taste and historical healing powers of bitters.
There are two types of bitters: potable, usually sipped
over ice or “neat,” and nonpotable bitters that are shaken
in cocktails.
These non-potable bitters
are like the “salt and pepper”
for any good drink, seasoning
the cocktail but not the star of
Winter 2011 n www.berkshireeagle.com/health
the show, Harrison said.
Most bitters are commonly a
mixture of many organic components including herbs, spices,
flowers, roots and bark.
Historically, Europeans have
believed bitters could cure a
long list of medical ailments,
including digestive issues, kidney problems, headaches and
jaundice.
Today, potable bitters, such
as Fernet Branca, Averna and
Pastis, are still used as after
dinner drinks to help ease
digestion.
“I find bitters to be one of
the most profound and prolific programs in modern mixology,” Harrison said.
For a warm citrus cocktail
with straightforward pastis — a
potable bitter that is made with
anise, an herbal component —
and a hint of sweetness, Harrison recommends this variation
on the classic Hot Toddy, a
recipe she learned when working at a bar in Boston.
What you’ll need to make a
Fillinges Chaud:
1
1 ⁄2 ounces Ricard Pastis
1 barspoon of local honey
1 dash of clove bitters
To make this drink, top the
listed ingredients with hot
water, stir and add a flamed
lemon twist for garnish.
Those shopping for bitters
can find them in most middle
or high-end liquor stores,
according to Harrison, and
should expect a dry, bitter taste
similar to biting into a clove.
“You taste it and it’s like
‘Whoa!’ and then you suddenly
feel better,” Harrison said.
“Bitters have a nice herbal taste,
like biting into dry herbs. It’s a
medicinal, bitter taste. You get
all that herbaceous bark-like
sensation on the palate.”
Regardless of the main ingredient, all warm-drink experts agree that fresh, local
ingredients are key to keeping
your winter drinks healthy and
tasty. And if you really need
your hot chocolate fix, just hold
HQ
the whipped cream.
n
Lindsey Hollenbaugh
Online Editor
The Berkshire Eagle
(413)496-6229
Health Quarterly n PAGE 15
Our Network’s Got You
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Whatever kind of healthcare you need, Berkshire Healthcare
has you covered—all across Berkshire County.
We provide nursing care, short-term rehab, long-term care,
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Our customers say our care and service are top-notch. We employ
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We’re locally owned and operated, a nonprofit company based in
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If you or a loved one needs care, call us first. We’ll provide the care you
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800-445-4560
PAGE 16 n Health Quarterly
www.berkshireeagle.com/health n Winter 2011