Category: health
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Having Trouble Seeing?
I have several conditions that I am conscious of and manage regularly, carefully, with exercise and diet. A new one I’ve noticed recently is not being able to see as well. Yes, I’ve worn progressive lenses for years and I have my annual ophthalmologist exam. No problem with cataracts or any eye illnesses. So why…
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After the Storm
While much of the southeast suffers from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, I am only without power/Internet. My biggest problems are no coffee and having to read a good book by candlelight instead of watching Netflix. I have no frame of reference for a third-world country, but I do know what it’s like to need…
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What About Our “Conditions?”
I use the word “conditions” so as not to say “ailments!” Likely we all have some by now. Whether it’s arthritis, high blood pressure, or fatigue, how can we best handle them? How much weight should we give to them? I have one friend who insists that her girlfriends not talk about their health problems…
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How Dangerous Are Falls?
We hear frequently about the need to take precautions against falling, but if you’re like me, you don’t heed warnings until something happens. A few years ago I was hurrying across the parking lot at work, hands full of folders, keys, and phone, and suddenly I fell. I didn’t trip or turn my ankle; I…
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What Is Family to You?
Some people say family is the other “f” word. I’m glad I don’t feel that way. Family to me is connection, history, and meaning––as well as love and belonging. I grew up with my mother’s large family, with seven aunts and two uncles and 20 first cousins, and on stories and laughter usually shared on…
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Restorative Yoga
I first experienced yoga in the 1970s by watching a show on ETV. Besides learning basic poses, I heard, “You’re as young as your spine is flexible.” I was in my mid-twenties and although that phrase didn’t have much meaning then, it stuck with me. Throughout the years I dropped in and out of yoga…
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What about diet?
Gosh. I don’t really know if I want to tackle this one. We hear so much about diet, what we should eat. Usually it’s about weight loss, but there are also specific diets for almost any medical condition. If you’re like me, you’ve maybe tried many diets. I was a skinny kid, and my mother…
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Is tai chi right for you?
Tai chi is often described as “meditation in motion.” That’s a simple understanding of a complex and age-old discipline. I recently ventured into tai chi and am enthralled. While I am learning basic, slow movements, I am aware there is so much more. Tai chi focuses on energy (chi or qi) rather than material substances.…
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What is addiction?
Addiction is a prevalent topic in our world these days. It usually refers to substances – drugs or alcohol (alcoholism). We know that Fentanyl overdoses outnumbered deaths from COVID-19 in 2020-21. Yet addiction can be about almost anything: food, exercise, shopping, money, religious practice. My favorite definition is that addiction is anything that takes you…
Our Aging Selves 