Monday, May 14, 2012
Not all lotions and sprays are alike, and not everything you thought you knew about protecting your skin from harmful UV rays is true.
Before you stash sunscreen in your beach bag, tennis bag, glove compartment or wherever you keep it for upcoming sunny days, take a minute to check the label to be sure you’re applying ultimate protection. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revised the requirements for sunscreen labeling last year, and the changes take effect this summer. Here’s what you need to know and look for: Broad-spectrum protection. This means the sunscreen protects from both UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays cause skin aging and damage, and UVB rays cause sunburn. Neither is good, so you need to defend your skin against both. Under the new labeling rules, a sunscreen can be labeled “broad-spectrum” only if it protects against both types of harmful rays. No such thing…
Monday, May 7, 2012
An FDA-approved vaccine cuts risk of the painful infection by 70 percent.
I wasn't planning to think about shingles all week, but couldn’t avoid it. It started with an email from a close friend saying she had the painful skin rash, which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. I winced, recalling my own bout of shingles, when I drove to and from work every day, steering with my right hand and holding the seat belt away from my torso with my left, because the pain from having the belt touch the rash on my rib cage was intolerable. A day later, I came across a 2011 Institute of Medicine report on chronic pain. One of the leading causes? Post-herpetic neuralgia, the nerve pain that sometimes follows shingles, and which can last anywhere from weeks to years. The shingles theme continued the next day when I saw my …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
The weeklong showcase of movies from around the world transformed the city into a mini-Hollywood of sorts.
Replete with red carpets, glitzy parties, filmmaker Q&As, gallons of popcorn, and movies of every stripe, the 13th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival did not disappoint. For a week, Newport Beach was transformed into a mini-Hollywood, sans the high-maintenance celebrities and stalking paparazzi. Some 52,000 film buffs visited local theaters to mix and mingle with the stars and creators of outstanding cinema. The highlights included the Opening Night Red Carpet festivities, Friday night's Lexus afterparty, Orange Coast College students premiering their short films, red carpet premieres of Decade of Dominance and Should've Been Romeo, the Absolut Party at Equinox, intimate screenings at the revamped Port Theater, Fashion Island parties …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Sandy Asper writes about one of Newport's favorite characters...Don Jones.
It was a gorgeous day at Newport Grammar School on May 8, 1945, with students hanging out on the beach at lunch. World War II had gone on for a long time, and finally the school was told that the war was over in Europe. Don Jones, the school's student body president, decided on his own that there was no reason to be in school that day. According to his friend Tuck Rabbit, "Don felt entitled to dismiss because the high school had been let off." So as student body president, Jones dismissed the entire school. The teachers were unaware of the sudden and unilateral dismissal and were in some kind of shock as the happy band of Newport Grammar students tripped out of school and enjoyed having the rest of the day. Tuck said Don and his merry …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The film explains the often misunderstood condition.
The Newport Beach Film Festival has brought some great films to local audiences and one of my favorites is The D Word: Understanding Dyslexia. I viewed the 52 minute film at Island Cinemas and enjoyed how well it explains the difficulties people with Dyslexia deal with on a daily basis. Filmmaker James Redford -- whose son Dylan also has Dyslexia-- said the film presents an opportunity to help others living in turmoil and I would have to agree. I felt it did a good job at providing specific examples about the learning disability, and it shows rather than tells by bringing the audience into peoples' personal lives. The film includes interviews with young Dyslexics and there are some famous faces in the film too, who share their experiences …
Monday, April 30, 2012
Unless you consume nearly 2 pounds of dairy products daily, you may not be getting enough calcium. But there are alternatives.
Have you eaten your 1.75 pounds of dairy products today? If you’re like most Americans, that’s your share. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans consume 630 pounds of milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream every year, a number that could increase when the agency updates its report in July. Dairy products, particularly low-fat varieties, can be excellent sources of protein, calcium, and vitamin D. But there are other choices for people who don’t like dairy, follow a vegan diet, or are among the 60 percent of adults worldwide who can’t digest milk products. Plenty of nondairy food sources deliver the calcium you need to help keep your bones strong. How much calcium is enough? If you’re older than 50, you need 1,200 mg of …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Sandy Asper listens to Gail La Bass's idea about the 11 failing schools in Costa Mesa.
Gail La Bass and I regularly discuss politics on our daily bike rides which frequently leads us to the inevitable discussion of life in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. Gail is usually not as "het-up" about what is going on as I am, but listens semi-politely as I carry on and on and on. On a recent day our discussion turned to the "Infamous 11" schools which have been judged as failing, and what could possibly be done. My crazy idea of the moment had something to do with one volunteer for every student and family. My wacked idea was presented about mile 11, so we had about nine miles to talk realistically about the real problem, which is that so many of the kid's parents do not speak English at home. The kids speak and read in …
Monday, April 23, 2012
Hints to improve your digestion and your overall health.
Americans feel it in their guts. Poor health, that is; the combined consequences of an unwholesome diet, stress, aging, and not drinking enough water. Every year, more than 90 million Americans seek help from a doctor for gut-related problems such as acid reflux, pancreatitis, gallstones, and irritable bowel syndrome, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. With a few simple and straightforward steps, you can improve your GI tract function, boost your overall health, and perhaps avoid being one of those 90 million in the doctor’s office. Your gut not only digests your food, but is integrally linked to brain function, hormones associated with sleep and thinking, sex drive, the heart, the body’s muscles, and immune function, …
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sandy Asper observes Liz Slezak's adorable class write like crazy at Kaiser Elementary School in Costa Mesa.
I recently watched Liz Slezak, a teacher at Newport-Mesa Unified School District's Kaiser Elementary, in action and it was so much fun. Her fourth graders were sitting in groups of five with their cute little faces all turned toward her listening so seriously. Liz is my kind of teacher; not too syrupy, not too sweet, just plain authentically caring about her subject and her students. I would love to be a student in her class (even though it's about 10 students too big with a whopping 34 kids). The day's lesson was writing (as it has been all year) and using what is basically a combination of the Madeleine Hunter method and the Dr. Bruce Joyce and Dr. Emily Calhoun methods, with a lot of Liz's mother Jan Fisher ( who was coach and staff …
Can't remember to take your vitamins? A vitamin B12 deficiency may be to blame for your poor memory, poor balance or poor heart health.
Be sure you’re getting enough vitamin B12. The stakes of a B12 deficiency are high as is the rate at which B12 deficiencies go undiagnosed. You need vitamin B12 to form red blood cells, keep your brain sharp, and fuel your energy levels. Vitamin B12 also regulates the level of the amino acid homocysteine in your body. High homocysteine ups your risk for heart disease, so adequate levels of B12 are important for your cardiovascular health, too. With less than the recommended 2.4 mcg daily for adults, the symptoms of low B12 can range from simple fatigue and brain fog to serious changes in vision and balance. Children need B12, too, between .9 and 1.4 mcg a day, depending on their age. Most of us can get enough B12 from food sources, which …
ms.sc.
10:55 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Thank you all for your heartfelt replies..I indeed know I have an Angel in Heaven taking care of me, I am at peace now, but there are still days, when "ouch". But I contribute getting shingles due to the stress and heartache as the clinical depression set in, I lost weight and went down to 93 pounds! I am healthy once more and credit my health to my strong belief in the good Lord up above. The … more ›