Marion Healthy Living March 2016

EPCOT’S FLOWER FEST

SUCCESS IN BLOOM: DINNER DISASTER: 30

POINTERS FOR PICKY EATERS STRESS SOLUTIONS

GOONIES & SOPRANOS STAR JOE PANTOLIANO 'S DOCUMENTARY HIGHLIGHTS MENTAL ILLNESS AT THE SILVER SPRINGS FILM FEST

TOUGH.

Missing the fairway 12 times is not something you had planned for...

Missing the fairway 12 times is not something you had planned for...

neither was your trip to the ER

neither was your trip to the ER

Since everything in life can’t be planned, isn’t it good to know you can count on short ER wait times at Ocala Regional Medical Center and West Marion Community Hospital? Emergencies are our first priority and our wait times reflect that sense of urgency whether you have breaks or strains, stomach pains, pounding headaches or chest pain. Emergency trained physicians provide fast and friendly medical care close by so you can get back in the swing of activities you enjoy most.

Since everything in life can’t be planned, isn’t it good to know you can count on short ER wait times at Ocala Regional Medical Center and West Marion Community Hospital? Emergencies are our first priority and our wait times reflect that sense of urgency whether you have breaks or strains, stomach pains, pounding headaches or chest pain. Emergency trained physicians provide fast and friendly medical care close by so you can get back in the swing of activities you enjoy most.

West Marion Community Hospital

Ocala Health has the shortest ER wait times in town. Text ER to 23000 for average ER wait times.

Ocala Health has the shortest ER wait times in town. Text ER to 23000 for average ER wait times.

ocalahealthsystem.com

ocalahealthsystem.com

Ocala Regional Medical Center

Ocala Regional Medical Center West Marion Community Hospital

Big Screen, Big Causes

› PAGE 26

Rites Of Spring

› PAGE 24

Saturate your senses with practically every hue found on nature’s palette at the 23rd Annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival held from March 2 through May 30.

› By Jim Gibson

The Science Of Picky Eaters

› PAGE 30

Have family mealtimes turned into your reality TV version of Food Wars? Then chances are good, very good, that you have at least one picky eater in the house. › By

JoAnn Guidry

SPECIAL SECTION

Health Pros Who Know

Taking Back The Gavel

› PAGE 34

Thirty men gather in a small hall, and the meeting begins with a few bangs of the gavel. This is how Tuesday nights go for the Dream Chasers Gavel Club inside the work camp of Marion Correctional Institution.

› By Katie McPherson

› PAGE 44

From AGH! To

Ahhhh

› PAGE 38

Whether you need help relaxing after a long day, tips to beat stress or a combination of both, we’ve compiled a great list of relaxation and stress-busting techniques to help you kick your tension to the curb.

› By Cealia Athanason

Ocala’s medical and health-related community is vast and knowledgeable. So, when we wanted to get some important questions answered regarding a range of topics, who better to ask than the pros who know these matters better than anyone.

DEPARTMENTS

HEALTHY beat

› PAGE 9

TRENDS | NEWS | PEOPLE

By Cealia Athanason, Grace Cali, Laurel Gillum and Katie McPherson

› 10 Cycling for the win.

› 12 The importance of fathers.

› 14 The cache of a lifetime.

› 16 Abolish social anxiety.

HEALTHY dose

› PAGE 17

INSIGHT | ADVICE | SOLUTIONS

By Cealia Athanason, Grace Cali and Laurel Gillum

› 18 All about ADHD.

› 20 Rhinovirus vs. ragweed.

HEALTHY body

› PAGE 53

NUTRITION | FITNESS | BEAUTY

By Cealia Athanason, Grace Cali and Katie McPherson

› 54 Cheating with cauliflower.

› 56 Much ado about matcha.

› 58 Fitness myths revealed.

HEALTHY vibe

› PAGE 59

MIND | SPIRIT | FINANCE

By Cealia Athanason, Grace Cali and Katie McPherson

› 60 Paging Dr. You.

› 62 How to have more money.

› 64 Can you take criticism?

Read on to learn more about two of the big names participating in this year’s Silver Springs International Film Festival, as well as the causes that are near and dear to their hearts.

› By Cynthia McFarland

Cover photo by Crush Photography

MARION & CITRUS

PUBLISHER

Kathy Johnson kathy@healthylivingmagazines.com

OFFICE/PRODUCTION MANAGER

Cynthia Brown art@healthylivingmagazines.com

EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Karin Fabry-Cushenbery karin@healthylivingmagazines.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Melissa Peterson melissa@healthylivingmagazines.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Katie McPherson katie@ocalastyle.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jim Gibson

Laurel Gillum

Joann Guidry

Lesley Jones

Bonnie Kretchik

CynthiaCarltonMcFarland Reese

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Cealia Athanason cealia@ocalastyle.com

EDITORIAL INTERN

Grace Cali

ART art@healthylivingmagazines.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Jason Fugate

ART DIRECTOR

Jessi Miller Castro

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Christina Geiger

PHOTOGRAPHERS

John Jernigan shutterstock.com

SALES

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Dean Johnson deanjohnson@healthylivingmagazines.com

SALES MANAGER

Sharon Morgan

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Anne Farrior anne@healthylivingmagazines.com

Lori Tani

Skip Linderman

Peggy Sue Munday

Liza Fritz

Tammy Walters

DISTRIBUTION

Dave Adams

DebraRickMcqueen Shaw

ADVISORY BOARD

HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE has brought together a group of medical experts and community leaders to serve on our advisory board and share their expertise and insight with our readers.

Craig Ackerman Public Information Officer FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH IN MARION COUNTY

Ashley Barnes Patient Assessment Coordinator

KINDRED HOSPITAL OCALA

Ashley Cauthen, M.D. Cosmetic And Clinical Dermatology MIDSTATE SKIN INSTITUTE

Joseph Foster Senior Solutions Director

SUPERIOR RESIDENCES OF LECANTO

Theressa Foster Owner WEST CENTRAL SOLUTIONS

Carmen M. Hernandez Health Education Program Manager FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

Michael Holloway, M.D. Physician-Directed Weight Management & Medical Aesthetics

LIFESTYLE SOLUTIONS MEDSPA

Mark Jank, M.D.

Ophthalmology OCALA EYE

Katie Myers, APR Director Of Marketing And Public Relations CITRUS MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM

Navinderdeep Nijher, M.D. Plastic Surgery OCALA PLASTIC SURGERY

Chris Okonkwo, M.D. Pediatrics CHILDREN’S HEALTH OF OCALA

Amanda Ostrom Director of Marketing and Communications RADIOLOGY ASSOCIATES OF OCALA, P.A.

Jayanti Panchal, M.D. Internal Medicine And Medical Weight Management SUCCESS BY DESIGN

Carolyn Reyes, MPA, M.Ed. Community Liaison, Citrus & Hernando Counties COMFORT KEEPERS

Suzanne Santangelo Director, Marketing OCALA HEALTH

Meghan Shay, CFRE Director Of Public Relations And Development THE CENTERS

Linda M. McKenna Director of Professional Relations

CHAPTERS HPH HOSPICE

Daniel A. Weldon, DMD Implant And Cosmetic Dentistry WELDON GENERAL & COSMETIC DENTISTRY

Take

the smell test.

❑ ✔ Smells like rotten eggs

❑ ✔ Smells like chlorine

❑ ✔ Smells musty

❑ ✔ Smells like problem water!

If problem water is leaving a bad smell around your house, don’t let it linger. Culligan’s complete lineup of problem water solutions will filter it away. Remember, Culligan has a water treatment application for most types of problem water. So don’t mask problem water. Culligan will recommend the equipment that’s right for you, your water and your wallet.

Culligan. 100% odor free!

Culligan Florida

1920 SW 37th Ave. Ocala, FL

better water. pure and simple.®

© 2010 Culligan International Company

The Powerful Papaya

A study by a University of Florida researcher and his colleagues in Japan has documented the papaya’s incredible effect against a variety of lab-grown tumors and cancers, such as cervix, breast, liver, lung and pancreatic cancer.

Researches exposed 10 different types of cancer cells to an extract made from dried papaya leaves and then measured the effect it had after 24 hours. Papaya slowed the growth of tumors in all of the different cancer cells. Due to these findings, in the future, papaya extract could be used to treat conditions such as inflammation, autoimmune disease and maybe even some cancers. Until then, eat up!

Keep On Rolling

Mary Verrandeaux’s love of cycling is taking her to this year’s USA Cycling National Road Race Championship for Women.

Mary rode her first race alone. She had never seen a cycling race before, but there she was, lined up and ready to go. The gun sounded and she remembers, “The girls took off, and I was just standing there.”

She lost at the starting line and rode the entire race by herself. But that never happened again.

Mary Verrandeaux, 54, is a woman with two loves: cycling and painting. She grew up riding horses, but once she attended college in Sarasota, she started looking for a new way to stay fit.

“I tried running and hated it,” she says. “I

had my dad’s old bike for riding around in Sarasota while studying art at Ringling College of Art and Design, and I fell in love with cycling.”

One year later, Mary decided to start racing. She walked into the local bike shop and asked the two guys working there about racing bikes.

“They both laughed at me until a few months later when I was drop-

Los Angeles to train for the 1984 Olympics. Just two weeks before the Olympics, she crashed her bike, fracturing her skull. She’s been injured many times as a cyclist, but this was the worst.

“You know, that’s the downside of cycling—when you hit the pavement,” she says. “And it’s not very forgiving.”

After two months of recovery, Mary moved back to Ocala and started her own advertising agency, Verrandeaux Visual Communications, Inc. She ran the agency for 21 years until she sold it to pursue painting. Now she travels frequently to horse shows to paint and bikes 30 to 50 miles six days a week to train for the USA Cycling National Road Race Championship for Women in May, a 50-mile race she’s hoping to win.

Mary has a long list of road race accomplishments and the Tour de France Feminin under her belt, but she also enjoys charity rides, including the annual Ride For The Arts that she helped create to support cycling and the local arts community.

“I hope it grows to be one of the biggest rides in the country,” she says.

They both laughed at me until a few months later when I was dropping most of the guys on the training rides.

› Mary Verrandeaux

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING

RAO offers advanced high-field and open MRI technology to maximize detail for quicker discovery of disease and injury to bones, tendons, menisci and other musculoskeletal tissues. Quicker discovery can lead to better treatment, placing health and vitality back within reach.

Focusing On Fathers

There’s a problem in Marion County, and The Marion County Children’s Alliance is

the Department of Juvenile Justice and will soon implement an engagement curriculum of DVDs, course material and a classroom trainer modeled after similar successful programs used in the United States.

“Incarceration means those dads are not connected with their children, but research says many dads don’t have the tools to know how to stay engaged with their children, whether they had absentee fathers in their lives or whatever their situation might be,” Sandy explains.

›

By Katie McPherson

back with The Fatherhood Initiative.

Census data shows one in three children in our community is living in a home with a female head of household, meaning that there is no father in-house. Although not always true, this often means a father is inactive in his child’s life. From young fathers ill-equipped for the challenges of parenthood to incarcerated dads, Marion County movers and shakers knew engaging dads with their kids was becoming a necessity.

Thanks to funding from Kids Central, the Fatherhood Initiative was born under the Marion County Children’s Alliance and able to move into the planning stages. They hired Christine Sandy, a recently retired school administrator, to spearhead the new initiative.

“This whole program is not about dads; it’s really about kids. The data tells us that if I have an absentee dad, I’m more likely to get in trouble, not do well in school, be violent, be sexually abused and abuse drugs. If we’re going to create the best child we can in Marion County, it takes key adults to help,” says Sandy, who has been letting county population data guide her through research and planning phases.

Sandy and her team began their work with area jails and

The Fatherhood Initiative will also target young dads aged 16 to 18, a population more likely to become estranged from their children. The curriculum for young dads is similar but includes a smartphone app and wallet-sized card to remind the carrier of the characteristics of a highly engaged father.

“When the baby is born, we want them to build that relationship so it never gets broken to begin with by building in some preventive work,” says Sandy. When mothers give birth, they often receive a bag from the hospital full of agency information, and the Fatherhood Initiative wants to get their documentation into that bag. Sandy also hopes to spark conversations in Marion County with a forthcoming PR campaign using billboards to pose the question of what it means to be a better father.

“I am all about making a difference in the life of a child, and if I can add this piece to it, I might provide for that child a more successful childhood,” Sandy says.

fighting

This whole program is not about dads; it’s really about kids.

› Christine Sandy

Ashley Cauthen and Melissa Singleton, PA-C

A 21 st Century Treasure Hunt

If you’re one of those people, then geocaching at Homosassa Springs might be the activity for you.

Why Homosassa Springs?

What Is Geocaching Anyway?

Geocaching is a real, outdoor treasure-seeking game that uses GPS-enabled devices and specifically set GPS coordinates to find a geocache container concealed at that location. The cache is a waterproof container usually containing a simple logbook, which you should sign and then return to the exact spot you found it. Some boxes contain trinkets meant for trading.

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, located in Citrus County, is a great location for geocaching due to its wide variety of ecosystems and scenery. There are several different geocaching locations around the park, such as the Old Homosassa Trail, which has scenery ranging from sandy scrubland to ponds, meadows and even forest swamps.

The Homosassa Springs/Homosassa River area has some unique cache locations that you’ll only find in Citrus County. For one such series of caches, you’ll need to embark on the kayak trail loop that includes the Homosassa River, Price’s Creek and the Halls River. These caches are accessible only by kayak or canoe, and you don’t even need to get out of the boat to access them. It’s the perfect way to enjoy a day on the water while also indulging your inner pirate. Kayaks can be rented and launched at the kayak shop located in Old Homosassa.

In order to begin geocaching at Homosassa Springs, you’ll need to register for a free basic membership with geocaching.com and then visit the ‘Hide & Seek a Cache’ page. Search for caches in the Homosassa Springs area by using the park’s ZIP code or address, and then choose any geocache from the list. Once you click on its name, enter the coordinates of that geocache into your GPS device. From there, your GPS device will assist you in finding the hidden geocache. You should follow the directions on the site for logging the cache after you’ve found it. Park entry fees will apply if the cache you’re seeking is located in the actual state park. You can find out more info on geocaching in Florida’s state parks by visiting floridastateparks.org/things-to-do/location-based-activities/geocaching

While visiting Homosassa Springs, there are various other activities for you to enjoy, such as bird-watching and wildlife encounter programs. Visitors also have the opportunity to view West Indian manatees from the underwater observatory, which is located in the main spring. The underwater observatory is available every day of the year during park hours. Homosassa Springs is also home to many native Florida wildlife species, including white-tailed deer, river otters, American alligators, black bears and bobcats.

Many people have an inner desire to find hidden treasure, searching through nature to find lost items.

Calendar of Events

Dr.

Tuesday,

Torr Carmain, MD General Surgeon

Declan Hegarty, MD, FACS General Surgeon

Fernandez, MD, FACS General Surgeon

Otto, MD, FACS General Surgeon

The Social Scene

Each month we create a new challenge for our readers to try to improve their health and wellness.

This month we are challenging you to put yourself out there, to break out of your shell and to throw the word “anxiety” out of your vocabulary for good.

The Issue

More than 200,000 cases of social anxiety are diagnosed in the United States every year, making anxiety a chronic mental health condition. In grade school, a smile was likely to land you a friend plus a partner for science fair—it’s not as easy for grown-ups. Simply placing yourself in social situations is one thing; befriending new acquaintances is a whole new ball game.

The

Challenge

Overcome your social anxiety by continuing (or starting) to put yourself out there.

BE THE FIRST TO SHARE SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF. Meeting someone new? Instead of limiting yourself to a conversation based on typical small talk, why not share a funny story or talk about something you are passionate about once the preliminary questions wind down? Once you let your wall down, others will likely follow suit.

ASK INTERESTING QUESTIONS. Everyone is unique, everyone has a funny quirk and everyone has a talent. Ask questions about your future pal, and find out what it is about them that you are going to like best. The best questions can even be a little bit goofy. Giving someone the right to brag can be fun— at least for a little while.

SWITCH OFF YOUR IMAGINATION. Use your imagination constructively, not to scare yourself. Trying to imagine what people are thinking, why they just crossed their arms or what they meant by that last comment is enough to drive you insane. Don’t overthink things. We can’t control what people think of us, but we can influence it. Use your first impression to knock em’ dead.

BE YOURSELF. We saved the most simple (and sometimes the hardest) advice for last. Be yourself. It works. Trying to come off as perfect is not the key to confidence. In fact, showing people the less-thanperfect side of your personality may just work to your advantage. Just remember, no one is perfect.

A Better Option?

Phenylephrine is an FDA-approved drug that is intended to relieve sinus congestion. It can be found in any overthe-counter section of your local pharmacy.

However, a recent study conducted by the Allergy & Asthma Medical Group & Research Center in San Diego discovered that phenylephrine’s regular dosage is no more effective than a placebo in relieving sinus congestion. That being said, scientists suggest patients consider using non-prescription oral pseudoephedrine or another alternative, such as topical decongestant sprays, when treating sinus congestion.

Attention, Please

Let’s talk about ADHD in kids.

Almost 9 percent of children under the age of 18 have ADHD in the United States. We’re here to help you learn what causes symptoms, stay up-to-date with some of the latest scientific research and practice ways to positively interact with, teach and support kids with ADHD.

Know The Symptoms

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and it typically runs in families. Developmental behavioral pediatrician Mark Bertin, M.D., compares ADHD to an iceberg. Above the water, you see symptoms like poor focus, daydreaming and a lack of listening skills. But, below the surface, those and other issues are caused by an impaired executive function that Bertin calls “an inefficient, off-task brain manager,” which means children with ADHD have more trouble managing things like attention, actions, tasks, information, emotions and effort.

Understanding the lack of management skills can help parents understand their child better. Mayo Clinic experts encourage parents to incorporate training, education and counseling along with medication to treat their child effectively.

ADHD Stats

Here’s a snapshot of ADHD in America:

Recent Research

Sources: additudemag.com, cbsnews.com, oregonlive.com, statisticbrain.com, psychcentral.com, mayoclinic.org, webmd.com

Parenting Pointers

Whether you’ve been raising a child with ADHD for years or your child was just diagnosed, here are a few ways to help him or her grow and succeed.

SHOW YOUR CHILD ACCEPTANCE. No child is perfect, but the unconditional support and acceptance you give your child will help him or her build confidence, a capable attitude and positive self-esteem.

PUT BAD NEWS IN PERSPECTIVE.

Lead Exposure

In a recent study of almost 400 kids between the ages of 6 and 17, half with ADHD, researchers at Oregon Health & Science University’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital found that lead exposure, even in miniscule amounts, may aggravate ADHD symptoms.

“One of the myths about ADHD is that this is just a genetic condition,” says Joel Nigg, lead investigator and director of OHSU’s ADHD program. “While we know genes play a role, we’re proving that environmental pollutants are part of the story.”

Of the children tested, all were within a safe lead exposure range as defined by the CDC and the ones who had ADHD along with a certain mutated gene that helps to control the effects of lead in the body exhibited more severe ADHD symptoms.

According to the oregonlive.com article about the study, “The evaluations confirmed that children with ADHD, the mutated gene and small amounts of lead exposure had more severe symptoms.”

ADHD & Obesity

In a recent study by Mayo Clinic, researchers found that girls with ADHD may be twice as likely to be obese in childhood or early adulthood than girls without ADHD.

The 1,000-person study showed that differences in the brain that cause ADHD can also cause eating disorders.

“Girls with ADHD may not be able to control their eating and may end up overeating,” says Dr. Seema Kumar, a pediatrician and researcher at the Mayo Clinic’s Children’s Research Center.

“Because kids with ADHD don’t have impulse control, it may also play a role in this.”

Children with ADHD often struggle with sleep issues, which can also contribute to weight gain.

Environmental factors may be affecting kids with ADHD, and girls with ADHD may be more likely to be obese. Two recent studies are hoping to shed some light on the topic. 1 2 3 4

And although girls with ADHD aren’t destined to be obese, doctors definitely recommend that parents and physicians monitor their child’s eating habits and make sure they get regular exercise, both of which are healthy habits to begin during the adolescent years anyway— whether your child has ADHD

%

If your child had diabetes or allergies, you would tend to those specific needs. In the same way, your child with ADHD has certain needs. Try not to be discouraged when you receive negative feedback about your child whether it’s from teachers, kids or other parents. Just keep working with your child and his or her teachers and doctors.

USE DISCIPLINE AND PUNISHMENT CORRECTLY. Discipline and punishment are two terms that often get confused. Discipline is positive training used to teach children how to behave by explaining wrong behavior and ways to behave better in the future. Punishment demonstrates the consequences of bad behavior and should be used as a last resort—like when your child refuses to listen or obey.

FOCUS ON POSITIVE BEHAVIOR. Train yourself to look for your child’s positive behavior. Praising your child when they behave well will reinforce the way you desire him or her to act.

Only The Nose Knows

Between

you change

cashier who decided

wipe

nose

What’s The Difference?

The virus that causes a cold is contagious. People can pass the virus from one person to another by simply shaking hands or touching germy objects. However, if it’s just the common cold, our immune system will usually do its job and our symptoms will subside in a week or so. Allergies are quite the opposite. Not contagious at all, allergies are caused by an overactive immune system that mistakes harmless specific allergens, such as pollen, mold, pet dander or dust, as a threat but can cause many of the same symptoms as a cold.

So how do you know which it is? HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR.

Longevity

Cold: It usually comes and then goes. Fortunately, a cold should only last about three to 14 days before clearing up—nothing a nap and a little chicken noodle soup can’t handle.

Allergy: As long as you are in contact with your allergen, your symptoms will persist. Pollen, dust and pet dander can trigger a runny nose, itchy eyes or a sore throat.

Timeframe

Cold: Symptoms usually kick in a few days after coming in contact with the virus. No matter how directly you come in contact with the cold virus, symptoms will almost never appear the same day. Allergy: Symptoms will usually begin soon after you come in contact with your allergy triggers.

Season

Cold: It’s true that you can get a cold anytime of year, however winter is the perfect breeding time for the common cold. When it’s cold outside, we usually stay indoors where air is recycled and we’re in close quarters with other people—and their viruses. Allergy: Depending on your triggers and what’s currently in your environment, an allergy attack can happen anytime. Some triggers, such as pollen, however, are seasonal. For some people, spring is infamous for allergies. When the grains in flowers, trees and grass are released into the air for the purpose of fertilizing other plants, the immune system is sent into overdrive.

the

to

her

before handing

and the man who basically showered you with a sneeze, that runny nose and those itchy eyes could definitely be chalked up to a cold. Then again, it could also be allergies.

The following are some helpful tips for determining whether your pollen allergy is acting up or if cold season has finally got you down.

A Supportive, Healing Environment For Each Patient

When you’re facing serious medical concerns, the last thing you need is a doctor who seems rushed or too busy to sit down and answer your questions. When patients schedule an appointment with Dr. Poonam Warman, M.D., they can rest assured that this all-too-common complaint won’t be an issue.

“We have a high commitment to quality care, and I do spend a lot of time with my patients. I maintain an open line of communication with them, and I like to practice medicine this way,” explains Dr. Warman. “My patients can call me directly, and because there are no other physicians or nurse practitioners in my office, patients coming for an appointment know they will always see me, not someone else who may not be familiar with their case.”

Board certified, Dr. Warman is currently the only female pulmonologist practicing in Ocala. She deals with all aspects of lung disease, including asthma, emphysema, COPD, chronic cough, shortness of breath, pulmonary hypertension caused by sleep apnea, pulmonary fibrosis and spots on the lungs that may be cancerous.

Originally from Ohio, Dr. Warman graduated from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1992 and completed her internal medicine residency from the Northeastern University College of Medicine in Akron, Ohio. Her fellowship in pulmonary and critical care took place at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City. Seeking to put down roots and raise her family, Dr. Warman opened her own practice in Ocala in 2001.

As a HealthGrades® Five-Star Doctor, she has consistently received high ratings from patients. The leading health care ratings company, HealthGrades® is utilized by both consumers and industry insiders.

Dr. Warman has received five-star ratings in such important categories as level of trust, time spent with patients, helping patients understand their condition, as well as listening and answering questions. Her office also received high ratings from HeathGrades®

when it comes to friendliness and courtesy of staff, ease of scheduling urgent appointments and pleasant office environment.

“We provide excellent care, and we really make an effort to make our patients comfortable and get them what they need,” she says. “We operate in a very accommodating and straightforward manner. When I see a patient, I think not only of their physical health but their entire well-being. I make myself available to ease the concerns of their family members. My goal is to create a positive, supportive and healing environment for each patient.”

The flexibility of having her solo practice allows Dr. Warman to see patients with a variety of lung disorders in her own office as well as gives her the opportunity to evaluate patients on the floor and in the ICU of all three Ocala hospitals. In addition to conducting a

wide range of testing, she is responsible for outpatient and in-hospital procedures.

As her office celebrates its 13year anniversary, Dr. Warman is delighted to have made Marion County her home.

“Ocala as a community has been very good to me,” she says. “Ocala is a great place to live and build a life. My family and I are very happy to be a part of the wonderful community here.”

With her main office located near downtown Ocala, Dr. Warman also has an office in The Villages. She specializes in referrals from other physicians in the community and is also open to new patients, self-referrals and same-day appointments. All types of insurance are accepted.

POONAM WARMAN, M.D.

1500 SE Magnolia Avenue, Ocala › (352) 369-6139

Dr. Poonam Warman, Ocala’s only female pulmonologist, is as renowned for her commitment to one-on-one time with every patient as her standing as a HealthGrades® Five-Star Doctor.

Dr. Poonam Warman

Change a Life for Good

None of us can change the past, but we can always seek a brighter future.

This is the hope of hundreds of children right here in our communities who have suffered trauma—and who desperately need safe, loving homes. There are over 300 children in Citrus County and over 450 in Marion County who have been removed from their parents due to abuse and neglect. Of these, 90 children in Citrus County and 143 in Marion County are in licensed foster homes. Thus, there is truly a great and urgent need for foster and adoptive parents, especially for children ages 9 to 15.

Many social factors have led to this situation. Trying economic times have put an even greater strain on struggling families. The substance abuse epidemic found across the nation has struck many local homes. Parents in the grip of mental illness are often unable to care for their children. Generational cycles of domestic violence make victims of innocent children. But while these

societal problems are broad and complex, the solution is local and personal: It’s you.

Fostering or adopting an older child gives you the opportunity to make a difference for a lifetime in a relatively short span of time. The formative years from 9 to 15 are a special window when many of the learned behaviors, attitudes and approaches to life that carry us into adulthood are formed. By providing a nurturing home and guidance to a child in this critical age range, you can help them achieve a lifetime of greater success and happiness. You can help them escape from cycles of abuse and neglect, making a positive impact in the community for generations to come.

Like all parenting, fostering and adoption are challenging, but for those who feel called to care for children who have suffered abuse and neglect, the rewards are enormous. Please ask yourself if you are called to join the everyday heroes who open their hearts and homes to children.

Our plea to you—just take one. Make a difference in the life of one child as a foster or adoptive parent. Give them a fresh start with love and a caring environment, an experience that they will carry with them always. You cannot change the past, but you can help heal the heart of a child who has suffered. You can change a life.

To learn more about fostering and adoption in our community, please call (352) 387-3487 or email Paula.Mealy@KidsCentralInc.org to speak with Paula Mealy of Kids Central, the nonprofit agency that coordinates foster care and adoption in our community.

RITES OF

Florida’s propensity for flowering beauty is evident in its very name. Christened La Florida (The Flowery) by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513, the state lives up to its name every spring as it comes alive with flowering plants of all shapes and colors. Nowhere today is Florida’s flowering beauty more evident than at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.

BY JIM GIBSON

Saturate your senses with practically every hue found in nature’s palette at the 23rd Annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival held from March 2 through May 30. Due to its amazing popularity, the festival has expanded from the usual 75 days to 90 days and is truly an event of nature that you and your family will cherish for a lifetime.

The 300-acre theme park, including both Future World and World Showcase, will be dressed for spring with a dazzling display of topiaries, flowers and exotic plants from all over the world. More than 100 beautifully created topiaries will dot the grounds as hundreds of thousands of bedding plants and hundreds of floating mini-gardens turn Epcot into a rainbow of color and beauty. Flower towers will abound adding to the park’s already worldfamous natural beauty.

The festival will also include a series of Garden Rocks music concerts, interactive play zones for children, Ask an Expert horticulturists conducting seminars and offering tips for better home gardening, a Floral Sun Garden, the English Tea Garden, Tinker Bell’s Butterfly House, Mike and Sulley’s Monstrous Garden, a new play area featuring topiaries of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto, great farmfresh food offerings found in the outdoor kitchens and more.

Guests will be greeted at the park’s entrance by new topiaries of Huey,

INSTANT ATTRACTION

LOVE BUTTERFLIES? Here are some plants and shrubs that will help them flourish and feed in your garden:

❁ MILKWEED (Asclepias syriaca L.)

❁ PENTAS (Pentas lanceolata)

❁ BLACK-EYED SUSANS (Rudbeckia hirta)

❁ SHRIMP PLANT (Justicia brandegeana)

❁ CONEFLOWER (Echinacea purpurea)

❁ FIREBUSH (Hamelia patens)

❁ GLOSSY ABELIA (Abelia x grandiflora)

❁ SWEET ALMOND BUSH (Aloysia virgata)

WANT TO ATTRACT HUMMINGBIRDS? Plant:

❁ YELLOW JASMINE (Gelsemium sempervirens)

❁ CONFEDERATE JASMINE (Trachelospermum jasminoides)

❁ CHASTE TREE (Vitex agnus-castus)

❁ BOTTLEBRUSH (Callistemon spp.)

❁ FIREBUSH (Hamelia patens)

❁ AZALEA (Rhododendron Pentanthera)

❁ FIRECRACKER PLANT (Russelia equisetiformis)

Dewey and Louie as they join their Uncle Donald and Aunt Daisy. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks Service, there will be a Ranger Mickey topiary in the Future World exhibit. Behind Spaceship Earth, visitors will find the breathtaking Floral Sun Garden filled with a dazzling display of yellow flowers and plants, and mini-gardens await discovery around every corner.

This international festival takes the immaculately manicured grounds of Epcot to a whole new level of beauty. Disney master gardeners who created the dazzling displays will be available to answer any questions and give free advice for creating your own Floridafriendly garden at home. Be prepared to get your hands dirty as you dig into the hands-on seminars presented by these

and other worldrenowned horticulturists.

The Garden Rocks pop concerts will be held at the outdoor America Gardens Theatre with a tribute to American pop music of the last four decades. Festival-goers will be delighted with this year’s new food, beverages and sweet treats that can be found at the beautiful outdoor kitchens. When the sun sets, a nighttime light display will illuminate topiaries and play areas for the children, creating a memorable afterdark experience for everyone, regardless of age. This is truly family-friendly entertainment at its best.

The festival, including all programs and exhibits, is included with regular Epcot admission. Visit epcotinspring.com for more information.

FEED YOUR FLOWERS

General care for bulbous flowering plants in sub-tropical Florida soil:

✕ Make sure the soil remains moist

✕ Fertilize twice yearly

✕ Mulch to control weeds

✕ Remove dead blooms prior to seed production

✕ Most thrive in sunny areas

✕ Provide good soil drainage

✕ Add in organic matter prior to planting

✕ Properly control insects and plant disease

TIPS FROM JACK LECROY, Florida-friendly landscaping extension agent for the UF/IFAS Extension Marion County, for creating your own spring garden. Use Florida-Friendly Landscaping’sTM nine main principles.

1. Right plant, right place

2. Water efficiently

3. Fertilize appropriately

4. Mulch

5. Attract wildlife

6. Manage yard pests responsibly

7. Recycle

8. Reduce storm water runoff

9. Protect the waterfront

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney World

WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT HAVING A GREAT TIME FOR WORTHY CAUSES?

Mark your calendars for April 4 through 10 and the return of the Silver Springs International Film Festival.

Starting Wednesday, April 6, four full days of screenings begin, with the City of Ocala excited to be the festival’s premier sponsor. Tickets start at just $10 with discounts for

NO MORE STIGMA FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

According to Mental Health America, 18.53 percent of adults in America reported suffering from a mental illness. Among young people ages 12 to 17, 9.86 percent report suffering from at least one major depressive episode in the past year and 7 percent experienced

seniors and students. You’ll find a complete schedule, descriptions of events and pricing information at the SSIFF website.

One of the big attractions is having filmmakers present to interact and answer questions. Read on to learn more about two of the big names

participating in this year’s festival, as well as the causes that are near and dear to their hearts.

depression severe enough to interfere with school, home and relationships. Even more troubling is the fact that six out of 10 of these youth do not get the treatment they need.

Pulling the mask off mental “dis-ease,” as he refers to it, has become a driving force for actor Joe Pantoliano.

No doubt you’ve seen Pantoliano (often referred to by his nickname “Joey Pants”), in multiple roles. Among his best known is that of Ralph Cifaretto in The Sopranos. He also

appeared in La Bamba, The Matrix, Memento, The Goonies, Bad Boys I & II, Risky Business, Midnight Run, Bound, The Fugitive and U.S. Marshals

Although acting is his primary career, the Italian-American is also a writer, having penned two memoirs, New York Times best-seller Who’s Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy and Asylum: Hollywood Tales From My Great Depression: Brain Dis-Ease, Recovery and Being My Mother’s Son. He’s written openly of his addictions to alcohol, food, sex and prescription drugs before he was diagnosed with clinical depression.

Pantoliano decided not to hide or deny his personal struggles but to shine the light of day on his “dis-ease” in hopes of helping others who face similar challenges. To that end, he founded “no kidding, me too!,” a non-profit organization designed to help those in the entertainment industry educate the public about mental illness. Because “No Kidding, Me Too!” was a common response he’s heard when talking about the effects of mental illness, he thought it was an appropriate name for the organization. He’s also directed the award-winning documentary by the same name, which addresses with both humor and candor what he and his family have struggled with. (No Kidding? Me Too! will be screened at the SSIFF.)

Although Pantoliano was officially diagnosed with clinical depression in 2007, he admits it’s been ongoing for most of his life.

“I’ve always experienced some kind of emotional ‘dis-ease’ throughout my adult life. I’ve been in some kind of therapy since I was 19 years old,” says Pantoliano. “I remember when I was in high school, I thought I found the answer when I started jogging. Whenever that ‘funky’ feeling would overtake me, I’d put on my sneakers and go for a run. Then in 1999, I fell off a roof, injuring my back, and my doctor told me my running days were over.

“So there I was. I couldn’t run, my career was going great and finally all my dreams had come true,

so I couldn’t understand why I felt so [down]. The overwhelming thought that possessed me was, ‘What is wrong with me?’ There was no physical reason.”

By that time, Pantoliano had evolved from a social drinker to having a drinking problem. When that dark feeling came over him, he drank to make it go away. When alcohol stopped working, he turned to prescription painkillers. When he was burned in an accident, the doctor prescribed Vicodin, and Pantoliano found the drug seemed to help—for a while, at least. Then even the drugs weren’t enough to push back the blackness.

Pantoliano realized he’s never had a true understanding of how to cope with his “dis-ease,” so he attempted to do so by “self-medicating,” something that is all too common. Now clean for eight years, he’s determined to use his own experiences to help others.

“Americans are worried. They have a lot to be depressed about,” he says. “I think the reason No Kidding? Me Too! has taken hold is because people feel less alone when they realize someone else feels this way. Until I started making this movie about depression, (Canvas, which will be screened at the SSIFF), no one had told me how mental ‘dis-ease’ affects family members,” says Pantoliano, who is married to former model Nancy Sheppard, with whom he has three daughters. He also has a son, Marco, from a previous marriage.

The mission of Pantoliano’s organization is “empowering those with mental ‘disease’ to admit their illness, seek treatment, become even greater contributing members of society and obliterate the stigma [and] shame and to provide equal rights for the all-American brain.”

“Mental ‘dis-ease’ is the only illness you can get yelled at for having. People think you’re too weak to get rid of it,” says Pantoliano. “Stigma is the politically correct word, but I think it’s more about shame, bigotry and discrimination. I want to normalize the conversation, get more coverage and change the culture so it’s cool and trendy for people to talk about mental ‘dis-ease.’ Everyone has someone in their family or knows someone who is struggling with mental ‘dis-ease.’”

HOPE FOR A CURE

As many as 1 million Americans and up to 10 million people worldwide are currently living with Parkinson’s disease, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. Experts say many thousands of cases go undetected, but every year in America, some 60,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s. In 2007, James “Tim” Walker was one of them. For someone who made a living with his hands, the news was devastating.

A two-time Emmy winner, Walker is a world-renowned animator and animation director, having worked with the Disney studio, Hanna-Barbera, Filmation, Warner Bros. Animation and more. His talents have given us the likes of such characters as Scrooge McDuck, Tom and Jerry, Sylvester and Tweety, The Flintstones, Batman, Superman and all the DC Super Heroes.

“Drawing has been my passion since the first cartoon I saw at my grandparents’ house when I was 5 years old,” says Walker, who grew up in Hollywood not far from the Hanna-Barbera studio. A few years later, he became a “dumpster diver,” searching for every bit of animation art he could find in the studio’s trash so he could practice drawing. It was on one of those occasions that Mr. Barbera himself caught Walker in the dumpster and yelled, “Get out of that dumpster, you knot-head!”

“I was 10 years old, and I didn’t know who he was,” Walker laughs. “I went on to animate for him later and worked with him for years.”

“It was probably in 2006 that I started noticing what I perceived as a weakness in my right arm. I thought it was carpal tunnel syndrome,” recalls Walker, 67, who lives in Southern California. “My general practitioner said I needed to see a neurologist, who diagnosed lateral Parkinson’s on my right side. I was devastated. I left that doctor’s office thinking, how could this have happened to me?”

His first instinct was just to load his vehicle with alcohol, drive to Mexico and drink himself into oblivion, but, as a member of a 12-step program, Walker knew that would be a fatal mistake.

“After the diagnosis, I said, ‘God, I can’t do this. I cannot live life on life’s terms.’ I’m a proud member of a 12-step group; I’ve been clean and sober for 17 years. I went to the bookstore, bought a sketchbook and started teaching myself to draw with my left hand. I believe God and the program showed me what to do. If that day didn’t take me out, I don’t know what would.”

Walker not only learned to draw with his left hand, he wrote a book about his experience, Drawing From the Left.

Then, about two years ago, he started feeling symptoms in his left hand, too.

“I was at the point where I was shuffling along; you’d have thought I’d had a stroke,” he says. “My neurologist told me about surgical deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s, and I went down to UCLA to be evaluated for this. The doctors there put me on a different medication, and the second day I was on it I was able to run backward. I went back to UCLA, and they told me the medication is doing what the operation would do and that I might never need the operation. I’m doing well now. The disease has progressed a little bit, but I don’t shake badly. If you didn’t know I had the disease, you wouldn’t know it to see me.

“The day I was diagnosed, I had to come home and tell my girlfriend, Susan, who is now my wife,” says Walker, recalling one of his toughest days. “Her father was dying of Parkinson’s at the time, so I didn’t think she could handle it. I looked into those beautiful blue eyes and told her. She said she loved me no matter what.”

The couple married the following year.

“I don’t get down too often, but when I do, she picks me up,” says a grateful Walker. “People say to me all the time, ‘You act like nothing’s wrong. How are you getting through this?’ There’s only one answer: a power greater than self is carrying me through life. End of story. I believe in my lifetime I’ll see a cure for this disease. I might not get it, but people coming behind me will. I lived my dream career for 50 years. Now I’m living for today, and I’m happy with that.”

Walker plans on attending the film festival, which features an animation exhibit, Journey into Imagimation: 100 Years of Animation Art From Around the World. The exhibit runs at the Appleton Museum of Art, in affiliation with the festival.

Brotherhood Of The Popcorn, a nostalgic documentary featuring Walker, will also have two screenings, and there will be a celebration of Walker and his work at the Appleton on Wednesday, April 6. Copies of his second book, Shaken Not Broken: An Artist’s Journey Through Hell, will also be available for sale.

Swingin' Down to the SSIFF

Have family mealtimes turned into your reality TV version of Food Wars? Then chances are good, very good, that you have at least one picky eater in the house.

No matter how much you plead, cajole or bargain, your picky eater won’t touch that broccoli or fish. Meat? Forget about it. Your child wrinkles up her nose, shakes her head, even gags and turns away with a defiant, “That’s yucky, and I’m not eating it.”

For scores of frustrated parents who often throw up their hands in dismay, take heart—this picky eating phase is considered by child specialists to be a normal part of development. It generally kicks in at about 2 years of age and usually begins to gradually disappear after age 5 for most children. But if that seems like an eternity, it might help to know that genetics, not bad parenting, play a large role in a child’s eating behaviors.

In a recent study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 66 pairs of twins between ages 4 and 7 were studied for their food behaviors. The researchers found that genes explain 72 percent of the variation among children in the tendency to avoid new foods, while the rest was influenced by environment.

“In some respects, food fear or the aversion to trying new foods is similar to child temperament or personality,” says Myles Faith, an associate professor of nutrition at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. “Some children are more genetically susceptible than others to avoid certain and new foods. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t change their behaviors and become a little less picky.”

Smell & Supertasters

What food tastes like is influenced by all our senses— but, particularly, our sense of smell. Think about when you have a stuffy nose and can’t taste anything. Olfactory receptor cells in the nasal cavity stimulate a neural response in the brain that allows us to detect food flavors. In fact, our sense of smell accounts for more than 70 percent of our ability to taste. Turns out our sense of smell changes over time, so something we didn’t like when we were picky eaters driving our mothers crazy, we might eat later in life.

Taste buds are sensory organs on the tongue, roof of the mouth and in the

esophagus that allow us to perceive taste. The tongue’s taste buds allow us to detect five basic flavors—sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami, the Japanese word for savory.

Then there are the supertasters. The term was coined decades ago by Linda Bartoshuk, a University of Florida taste researcher.

According to her research, about 25 percent of people have been genetically bestowed with an extraordinary number of taste buds. These supertasters experience tastes significantly more intensely than others. They may avoid foods with overpowering strong and bitter flavors.

Mom, The Womb & Breastfeeding

A child’s mother plays a key role in his or her food preferences, beginning in the womb. According to research at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a fetus begins to perceive flavors in a basic way by the third trimester when taste buds and olfactory receptors begin to send information to the central nervous system. So what the mother-to-be eats may determine the child’s food preferences via the amniotic fluid in the womb.

Another Monell Chemical Senses

Center study also found that infants who were breast-fed and whose mothers repeatedly ate certain foods, such as vegetables, were more likely to accept those foods during and after weaning. But breast-fed babies with vegetable-averse mothers or those who were formula fed didn’t show this acceptance.

“It’s a beautiful system,” says Julie A. Mennella, Ph.D., of the Monell Chemical Senses Center. “Flavors from the mother’s diet are transmitted through amniotic fluid and mother’s milk. So, a baby learns to like a food’s taste when the mother eats that food on a regular basis.”

New research is bringing to light the reasons and nuances of what scientists call selective eating.

Identifying Picky Eaters

In a University of Illinois study, parents of 170 2 to 4 year olds observed and recorded their children’s responses to five standardized meals brought into their homes by researchers over the span of two weeks. At the beginning of

the study, 83 children were described by their parents as picky eaters; 87 were not. At the study’s conclusion, the differences between the picky and nonpicky eaters were significant across 16 assessed behaviors.

“Not all picky eaters are created equal,” says Sharon Donovan, a professor of nutrition

understand the behaviors that parents associate with picky eating, then we can develop specific recommendations targeted at those behaviors.”

The study divided picky eaters into four groups: sensorydependent eaters, who reject a food because it’s mushy, slippery, bitter or lumpy; behavioral responders, who cringe or gag when food’s not prepared in the “right” way or refuse to come to the table at mealtime; preferential eaters, who won’t try new foods

that are mixed or perfectionists, who have very specific needs, little variety in their diet and may

insist that foods not touch each other.

“A parent’s response to pickiness can determine how bad the behavior will be and how long it will persist,” says Donovan. “Don’t let every meal become a battle. We encourage parents to keep exposing the child to different flavors, textures and food groups. This is linked to gradual and better acceptance.”

When It’s More Than Just A Phase

nearly 18 percent were classified as moderately picky. The remaining children, about three percent, were classified as severely selective. Moderately picky eaters were defined as those who had to have special meals cooked for consumption both in and out of the home. Severely selective eaters were described as so restrictive in their food intake that it limited their ability to eat with others.

The study found that both moderate and severe selective eating were associated with

PICKY EATING STRATEGIES

Dos

› Parents need to be role models when it comes to eating; children will generally get their food cues from their parents.

› Make food-related activities a fun, relaxed family affair, including grocery shopping, cooking and mealtimes.

› Have structured family eating times.

› Use window between 4 months and 2 years old to expose children to as

many foods as possible.

› Continue to offer foods; studies show that it takes at least 10 times before a child will accept most foods.

› Teach child to say, “No, thank you” rather than “yuck.”

› Have child leave the table if he or she behaves badly.

› Pair unfamiliar with familiar food, not-yet-liked with liked food.

› Include one or two side dishes that the child ordinarily eats, such as bread, fruit or milk.

› Let child pick and choose from what you put on the table.

ADULTS, TOO

In 2010, Duke Center for Eating Disorders Director Nancy Zucker, Ph.D., and her colleagues developed an online registry and lengthy survey for adult selective eaters. The survey was constructed to rule out bulimia, anorexia and obsessive compulsive disorder. The survey had 35,000 respondents.

“We learned many things from that survey,” says Zucker. “Adult selective eaters did self-report having been picky eaters as children. The study suggested that they reject food based on sensory qualities other than taste, such as not liking the look or smell of certain foods. It was more an issue of disgust for certain foods than anxiety about them.”

In Zucker’s experience, adult selective eaters tend to seek help when “their eating behavior is getting in the way

“Severely selective picky eaters are children whose eating has become so limited or selective that it’s starting to cause

of their job or social life. And they also don’t want to be bad role models to their children.”

“At our center, we focus on helping adult selective eaters overcome their embarrassment,” says Zucker. “Through cognitive behavior therapy, we want them to feel validated about their own food preferences. We help them to become more comfortable with approaching certain foods.”

Zucker adds, “Any adult who thinks they might be a selective eater should talk to their physician about treatment options. Getting tested by an occupational therapist to rule out physical issues is a good first step. Seeking treatment from a cognitive behavioral therapist would also be a good choice. ”

serious impairment,” says lead study author Nancy Zucker, Ph.D., director of the Duke Center for Eating Disorders. “Impairment can take many different forms. It can affect the child’s health, growth, social functioning and the parentchild relationship.”

Zucker notes that, “children who refuse to eat might have

heightened senses, which can make the smell, texture and tastes of certain foods overwhelming, causing aversion and disgust.”

The key, according to Zucker, is intervention for high-risk children.

“Parents need to consult with their pediatricians on the best course of action. Some children may benefit from therapy, which may

Don’ts

include demystifying foods that cause anxiety through exposure,” says Zucker. “But traditional therapy methods may not address children with sensory sensitivities. Treatments also need to be better tailored to a patient’s age range. Our hope is that our research and those of others will spur new intervention protocols and treatments.”

› Don’t make special food just for the child.

› Don’t offer the child alternative foods to those on the table for the family.

› Don’t limit the menu to just food your child readily accepts.

› Don’t talk about your child’s food likes and dislikes.

› Don’t put pressure in any way on child’s eating.

› Don’t offer one food as a reward for eating another.

› Don’t make mealtimes a battle.

Taking Back Gavel the

BY KATIE MCPHERSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN JERNIGAN

Thirty men gather in a small hall, and the meeting

begins with a few bangs of the gavel. A band opens the evening with some well-known songs; everyone taps their toes. The Joke Master delivers a cheesy joke about Jesus walking on water because taking the ferry was too expensive. Then, everyone falls quiet as the first of four speeches begins. This is how Tuesday nights go for the Dream Chasers Gavel Club inside the work camp of Marion Correctional Institution.

It’s not often someone goes to prison to get inspired, but Dr. Manal Fakhoury does it every Tuesday and Saturday. She has been a member of Toastmasters, a public speaking organization, for about eight years.

“Toastmasters International is a 91-year-old organization, and it’s in over 130 countries. The Gavel Clubs are done in prisons, and they allow the gentlemen to work on their leadership and communication skills. Back in July, we started the club after I received a letter from an inmate,” she says. That inmate was Leonard Rera, who had participated in a Gavel Club at a previous correctional institution and sent the letter to Toasting Ocala, a local Toastmasters chapter. Manal had considered starting a club before.

“It was something already planned in my mind, I just didn’t know when. It was the perfect invitation. I responded without hesitation,” she says.

“I have a picture taken of all the volunteers in the parking lot. I laugh because that picture is so precious. We didn’t know what we were walking into that day,” Manal recounts. What they got was a standing ovation from the 24 attendees. It has become tradition, and the volunteers are greeted this way every week. Then Manal asked, “Who’s Lenny?”

“The biggest smile comes across this guy’s face standing near me, so that was a cool moment,” she says. Since then, the club has grown to 30 members and a second club, X-Treme Speakers

Gavel Club, began in the Marion Correctional main unit. Both are at capacity and have waiting lists for new members.

Leonard is now the club president, overseeing the program and the other officers. Once his letter found Manal and the club was a go, he began recruiting, beginning with Andre Staton. Leonard asked him to step up for one of the most involved officer positions.

“I was his bunkmate at the time,” says Andre. “He took his books out, and he went over the material. I started getting cold feet, but, as soon as

I saw the organization, I was like ‘yeah, I want to be the vice president of education.’ I saw the value of the program and ran with it,” he says.

Every week, Leonard starts the meeting with the bang of a gavel. Surely, the irony isn’t lost on the guys: the same sound that put them away now opens the nights they look forward to most. Members take on different roles each week—the Joke Master delivers a punchline, the Word Master evaluates the speakers’ grammar and the Ah Counter listens for filler words like ‘um’ and ‘uh.’

Then, four men deliver their carefully crafted speeches for the members and volunteers. They begin writing their speeches about one month before they’re scheduled to bring them to the club, working their way through a book with 10 sets of objectives.

“They can write about anything, but they have objectives they have to meet,” says Leonard. “For example, the guy I’m evaluating today, his objectives are to communicate his ideas clearly, accurately and deliberately, and he has to use rhetorical devices, like similes and triads, and eliminate jargon.”

“When you’re in the dorm, you can always tell who’s going to be giving a speech that week because he’s in the corner talking to himself and making hand gestures, but that’s one of the ways we prepare,” explains Joshua Puckett, one of the members of X-Treme Speakers. They’ll talk to mirrors or grab a friend

to practice on, too, he adds with a laugh.

Although it seems like a crash course in public speaking, the effects ripple much further—into lifechanging territory.

“I’ve been in prison since I was 18, so the experience I’m gaining here is going to help me be successful in the workplace because I’ve never had a professional experience,” says Joshua. “This is giving me skills I can put into practice in interviews.”

...the same sound that put them away now opens the nights they look forward to most.

Jermonte Rushing L-R: Tim Treantafellow and Chasman Barnes, secretary

Another X-Treme Speaker, Michael Parker, relates.

“For someone like myself, I came to prison at a young age, so stuff like this, getting up and speaking to groups of people and professional kinds of skills, the formalities, the traditional stuff we have to learn how to do, I wouldn’t have gotten that experience. I never had the opportunity to do that,” he says.

Fellow member and Parliamentarian Richard Midkiff confirms that Gavel Club provides a learning structure for younger men who may have been missing one before prison.

“One of the cool things I see is a lot of younger guys getting into it, studying and looking for topics, seeing them watch the news and critique politicians with their ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’. We were sitting there watching them cupping their hands, and they were saying ‘No! Open your hands up!’ It’s cool to see that, to see younger guys in here digging and trying to find something of value,” he says.

“It’s a passion of mine to see a man learn how to challenge the way he speaks to a more professional level,” says X-Treme Speakers President James Sheffield. He says he enjoys hearing their language change, “going from do’ to door.”

“Often people equate your communication skills with your intelligence,” Manal adds. Andre believes his Toastmasters skill set will be applicable beyond the workplace, making him a better father and family member.

“In every aspect of life you have to communicate, and the more effectively you communicate, the more effectively you can resolve issues and create relationships. Once you gain practice, you start to apply it out there in your regular relationships and you see that it works. You start to put faith in that system, and you use it daily,” he says.

Gavel Clubs provide something else these inmates say is sorely missed in prison: a sense of community, one built on respect and mutual learning instead of fear.

“A big thing for incarcerated men is the teambuilding aspect, because we built teams when we were free, but we were doing it the wrong way and for

“The natural mindset of an inmate in prison is antisocial. ‘I can’t talk to anyone, they’re out to get me, it’s every man for himself, it’s cutthroat,’ things like that,” Leonard says. “This program is the exact opposite. It encourages open dialogue, friendship, relationships. It encourages

all those things we’ve been lacking in prison.” Joshua cherishes the break.

“Each Saturday night to me is like a two-hour furlough. The whole time I’m there I’m not in prison,” he says. And it’s true—the meetings feel full of a kind of lightheartedness outsiders wouldn’t typically associate with imprisonment.

“These guys are putting their heart and soul into this, and it’s really cool, especially in an environment like this where you have to worry about a lot of other things and none of them are positive. But this Gavel Club, it means so much to us that Saturday nights we have something positive to look forward to,” says Member and VP of Public Relations Steven Freeman.

“The guys look forward to it all week long,” says Christopher

Miller, X-Treme Speakers’ VP of Education. “They’re constantly asking what their role is as a member of the club, what do they do, how do they prepare. They’re thinking ‘I need to schedule, I need to be prepared,’ and a lot of guys haven’t had that in their pasts.”

Manal says both clubs are incubators for great ideas with the men creating new programs at a rapid-fire pace, from mentoring at the Department of Juvenile Justice to providing inmates more educational resources.

“We are currently working with DJJ on getting inmates from the club who are low custody to go and speak

to the juveniles,” says Leonard. “We’re trying to help the next generation. One of my passions is youth ministry; I can relate to the kids that are problem children.”

As the Dream Chasers’ VP of Education, Andre is responsible for designing classes to address the needs of the club members, which has already resulted in Gavel College, a bi-monthly class on public speaking fundamentals. He’s also created Dream Craft Library, a collection of public speaking books and media, such as TED Talks, that also provides a safe space for practicing speeches. Ron Lee Clark, Dream Chasers’ VP of public relations, also teaches Gavel Grammar Workshop.

“The workshop is correcting the members’ errant grammar, causing them to sound more

“...we are trading guns for pens, drugs for responsibility, violence for order and failure for success.”

“...the more effectively you communicate, the more effectively you can resolve issues and create relationships.”

Tim Treantafellow serving as the Timer

professional, which in turn makes them more marketable. I’ve been trying to create new programs to make it more impactful and build things the guys can immerse themselves in,” Andre says. With so many programs created in less than a year, he’s clearly the right man for the job.

Manal also has a new project in the works.

Toastmasters clubs earn points for accomplishments, but, currently, no rewards are offered to volunteers starting Gavel Clubs, meaning there is no incentive to start more. Manal’s long-term goal is to establish a Gavel Club in each prison in the United States and is preparing a proposal for Toastmasters International.

“Within the Toastmasters

organization, there’s zero information and no credit given for starting these clubs. More important is getting Toastmasters International to elevate these clubs and invest in them more,” she says.

“At Dream Chasers, we are trading guns for pens, drugs for responsibility, violence for order and failure

for success. As felons we face stiff odds after release, but this club helps us balance the scales,” says Andre. “I dream of a day where the justice system begins to truly care about correction and offer real solutions to broken men.”

One thing became clear to this writer after Gavel Club: The

inmates cease to exist on meeting nights. They’re gentlemen, Gavel Club members, Toastmasters. That transformation should be the goal in every prison. If reformation is really the purpose of doing time, if reducing recidivism is really the goal, Gavel Clubs seem like a crucial building block to better futures for incarcerated men and women. While the men of Dream Chasers and X-Treme Speakers finish their sentences, they plan to keep improving themselves together. Steven says it best:

“I’m rooting them on like my teammates, and we are a team. It’s become a team, a family… with a little dysfunction.”

Andre Staton leading meeting

L-R: X-Treme Speakers, Daniel Rosario, Richard Midkiff, Michael Parker and Joshua Puckett

VP of Public Relations Steven Freeman

L -R: President Leonard Rera, Dr. Manal Fakhoury, VP of Education Andre Staton, with Dream Chasers and volunteers

Member Farzan Hosein

FROM AGH!

30 relaxation and stress-busting techniques to try today.

STOtress-related disorders account for 60 to 90 percent of medical office visits in the United States, according to the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard University. Issues like heart disease, weight gain, high blood pressure and exhaustion are often caused and exacerbated by stress. Whether you need help relaxing after a long day, tips to beat stress or a combination of both, we’ve compiled a great list of relaxation and stress-busting techniques to help you kick tension and stress to the curb.

BY CEALIA ATHANASON

THE ROAD TO relaxation

Use these 14 techniques to give your body the relaxation it needs. 1Four-Count Breathing Technique

3 Picture It

The yogi breathing technique called sama vritti (translated to mean equal breathing) can help prevent frazzled and overwhelmed feelings. How to do it: Inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold for four seconds and then exhale back through your nose for four more seconds.

2 Drink Tea

Chamomile tea relaxes and destresses, black tea reduces cortisol levels and oolong tea keeps your thinking sharp and alert. Take time out of your day to enjoy a cup of hot tea. We think a pretty teacup is in order.

Lie down or sit in a comfy chair and close your eyes. Breathe deeply, and visualize one of your favorite places. Maybe you’re walking through a forest, or maybe you’re lying on the beach. Whatever place you imagine, let yourself rest and enjoy the scene until your whole body is relaxed. Feel the warmth of the sun, hear the leaves or waves in motion and just be in the moment for a few minutes.

4 Meditate

Besides relaxing you inside and out, meditation improves selfconfidence, reduces anxiety attacks and stress, boosts energy levels, improves your state of mind and gives you better control of negative emotions like anger, annoyance and irritation. Need help getting started? Try a meditation app like Relax Melodies, Omvana, Take a Break!, Headspace or Calm. They’re free and available on iOS and Android devices.

5 Be Mindful

Shove your thoughts aside and just focus on being in the moment for awhile. Mindfulness is also useful when meditating or performing yoga, as you work to clear your mind so you can just enjoy the moment. Mrsmindfulness.com suggests using the STOP method to check in with yourself when stress hits. It works by performing a step for each letter in the word “STOP.” Here’s how to do it:

1. Stop and take in everything going on around you.

2. Take a slow, deep breath.

3. Observe your emotions and your body’s five senses.

4. Proceed with what you were doing with a more relaxed mind.

6 Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Release tension, tightness and anxiety by performing progressive muscle relaxation. The process can take several minutes, so you’ll want to relax somewhere comfy. Anxietybc.com recommends dressing comfortably and sitting in a reclining armchair before getting started. Practice the whole process when you’re calm so it’ll be easier to get relaxed when you really need it.

7 Dot Of Color

Put a dot of your favorite nail polish on your cell phone (or cell phone case) to remind you to slow down, take a deep breath and relax before you answer the phone. Besides making you smile, the dot of polish will help you feel more prepared, confident and calm.

8 Chew Gum

A study performed by Andrew Scholey, Ph.D., professor of behavioral and brain sciences at Swinburne University in Australia, showed that chewing gum reduces stress and anxiety levels, while improving alertness and performance. Sounds like the perfect post-lunch solution. Just make sure it’s sugar free!

9 Legs Up

Lay on your back and stretch your legs straight up a wall. Aim to achieve a right angle with your legs and torso. This position uses gravity to relax your body by letting blood flow back down to your heart and brain.

10 Stretch It Out

Stretching relieves tension that can easily build up in your muscles. Stretch out all of your muscles for a relaxing effect. Quick tip: Roll your neck from side to side while breathing deeply for on-the-go relief.

Child’s Pose

Child’s pose is a yoga position used to release tension and calm your mind. And it’s simple to do. Just kneel on the ground and sit on your feet, bend your torso over to rest on your thighs and stretch your arms out front. Let your forehead and arms rest on the ground.

12 Breath Focus

Sit in a quiet place and breathe one normal breath. Inhale through your nose, letting your stomach expand fully. Slowly exhale through your mouth. Next, close your eyes, breathe deeply and focus on relaxing. One Harvard study suggests repeating a word or phrase to help you focus.

14 Five RelaxationFinger Technique

Next time nerves and anxious feelings hit, try this technique recommended by the counselors at the University of Chicago. They came up with this one to combat test anxiety, and it’s a quick way to calm down on the fly. Here’s how:

1. Sit with your feet on the floor and your hands in your lap. Close your eyes.

2. Touch your thumb to your index finger. Think about a time your body was physically exhausted (after running, exercising, playing a sport, etc.).

STEP 1: Tense the muscles in only one part of your body, like your hand, for five seconds. You should feel your muscles getting tired. Focus on targeting your hand muscles only without engaging surrounding ones. Breathe in deeply and evenly through the tension.

STEP 2: Relax your muscles while exhaling. Notice how they feel when the tension escapes.

STEP 3: Stay relaxed for 15 seconds, and then move on to the next muscle group.

When doing progressive muscle relaxation, repeat the above steps in each muscle group from your forehead down to your toes, or from your toes up, to help you keep track. Be sure to repeat the movements on each side of your body, too.

13

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Cover your right nostril and inhale deeply through your left. At the peak of inhalation, cover your left nostril and exhale through your right. Repeat several times. Use this technique to boost your energy and give you a calm focus throughout the day.

3. Touch your thumb to your middle finger. Remember a moment you felt love. It could be anything from a friendly gesture to a day you spent with your partner.

4. Touch your thumb to your ring finger. Think back to the nicest compliment you’ve ever received and really try to accept it.

5. Touch your thumb to your little finger. Take yourself back to the most beautiful place you’ve ever been. Let yourself rest there for a while.

stress BUSTERS

According to the American Psychological Association, 20 percent of Americans admit they’re not doing anything to manage or relieve their stress. Use these 16 stress busters to help you do just that.

4

Drink Orange Juice

WebMD suggests that vitamin C helps reduce stress-causing hormones like cortisol. Get your daily dose of the vitamin by drinking a glass or two of orange juice.

2 Feel The Burn

Studies have shown that exercise gives you energy, improves concentration, enhances cognitive function and releases stress-relieving endorphins. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, five minutes of aerobic exercise is all it takes to start feeling anti-anxiety effects.

3 Get Enough Magnesium

Your body releases magnesium to counteract the effects of stress hormones. If you’re low in magnesium, it will deplete quickly and leave you susceptible to high blood pressure, an abnormal heartbeat and a higher risk for heart attack. Eat green leafy veggies, beans and nuts (or take a daily supplement, although food sources are best) to replenish your body’s supply of magnesium.

5 Take 10 A Social Psychological & Personality Science study found that doing something interesting actually replenishes your energy. Feeling stressed? Take 10 minutes to unwind by researching, making or tackling something of interest.

7 Get Your Giggle On

6Label Negative Feelings

Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project suggests labeling negative feelings in one or two words. “It’s odd how calming it is,” she says. Say “I’m overwhelmed” or “I’m frazzled” to slap a quick label on those feelings. Admitting how you feel will make things easier to handle.

Laughing can be a quick fix for stress by releasing endorphins, relaxing your body and easing muscle tension. Experts from the Mayo Clinic say laughing can even improve your immune system, mood and personal satisfaction over the long term.

Health Pros Who Know

So, when we wanted to get some important questions answered regarding a range of topics—everything from massage therapy and rosacea to weight loss and dental implants—who better to ask than the pros who know these matters better than anyone. The professionals who live these topics every day took the time to share their expertise with us and with you, our readers, on issues that are important to maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. So sit back, grab a pen and paper, and start taking notes. What you learn might just save your life!

Ocala’s medical and health-related community is vast and knowledgeable.

Dr. Ashley Cauthen

Dr. Ashley Cauthen, of MidState Skin Institute, treats skin issues, like acne, eczema, psoriasis, skin cancer, vitiligo, sunspots, liver spots and rosacea, along with providing cosmetic dermatology services. Here she answers our questions about rosacea.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ROSACEA? Rosacea is a common problem that affects an estimated 16 million Americans. Sometimes patients don’t even know they have rosacea because the most common sign is mild facial redness that may go unnoticed. The redness is often associated with flushing with certain triggers, such as sun exposure, alcohol consumption, hot tea or coffee, and spicy foods. Rosacea can also present similar to acne with inflammatory papules and pustules. The most severe form of rosacea is called rhinophymatous rosacea in which the nose can get very bulbous and disfiguring.

WHAT TREATMENT OPTIONS DO YOU OFFER? For rosacea that presents with just redness, we treat with a topical medication (Mirvaso) and laser. If patients experience flushing, we can use a beta-blocker to decrease those symptoms. Once papules and pustules start to form, we often have to start an oral medication (doxycycline or minocycline) to calm things down and then maintain with a topical regimen (of which there are multiple options now: metronidazole, Finacea, Soolantra and sulfur-containing topicals). Rhinophymatous rosacea often requires a

surgical procedure to remove the extra sebaceous tissue on the nose.

HOW LONG DOES IT TYPICALLY TAKE TO TREAT ROSACEA? There is no “cure” for rosacea, so some patients have to be on some sort of treatment indefinitely. More commonly, though, patients will be on treatment for six to 12 months and then can often maintain with a sulfur-based wash and trigger avoidance.

ARE THERE ANY AT-HOME PRODUCTS OR SKINCARE ROUTINES YOU RECOMMEND PATIENTS USE TO HELP THEIR ROSACEA?

Most definitely! It is important to wash your face twice daily. A sulfur-containing face wash really helps to calm rosacea. Every rosacea patient (well, every patient in general) should be wearing a daily sunscreen of at least SPF 30. The problem is, most patients with rosacea complain that sunscreens burn their face and choose not to use one. The key is finding something gentle. EltaMD UV Clear 46 is my favorite.

CERTIFICATION/EDUCATION:

YEARS IN PRACTICE: 4

Dr. Ashley Cauthen

2008 graduate of Florida State University’s School of Medicine; dermatology residency completed in 2012 at the University of South Florida, Tampa; board certified in dermatology; faculty member at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa

HOW DOES SYNERGY MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS HELP PATIENTS MEET THEIR GOALS?

We do an initial free consultation to make sure you’re a candidate for the program, and after, we create a personalized diet and exercise plan for each patient. We do weekly weigh-ins along with lipo/B12 injections, and sit down to answer any questions needed. We try to be hands-on, almost like a concierge in a sense. We make the program to fit every patient’s lifestyle and personal needs. Some patients opt for a prescription appetite suppressant if they have difficulty losing weight.

HOW LONG DOES THE PROGRAM LAST?

The program is month to month, but we suggest our patients make a four-month commitment to make it a lifestyle change and ensure it’s not just quick weight loss. We realize not everyone is capable of losing 20 to 30 pounds in one month, or necessarily in two months, but we’re here to meet with them weekly for one-on-one counseling to help during the difficult periods.

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT PHYSICIANSUPERVISED WEIGHT LOSS? Usually people get into programs but don’t have someone to help them. If they have questions or one week they didn’t lose as much as they hoped, we

can evaluate their eating habits, water intake and exercise. Also, this is a medically assisted program, but we offer natural supplements like AM and PM appetite suppressants, a vitamin complex, protein shakes and probiotics.

WHAT ROLE DO SUPPLEMENTS PLAY? The lipo/B12 injection helps with patients’ energy, because often when losing weight we feel fatigue because of cutting calorie intake. The HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), a research-backed supplement, helps them burn fat calories but maintain muscle mass in the process of dieting and exercise.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE CONSIDERING TRYING SYNERGY? I would say that it doesn’t hurt to come in for our free weight loss consultation, meet with the staff and go through the program to see if it’s the right fit for you. See if it’s something you want to make the mental and financial commitment to before starting the program.

Dr. Doug Swinson , DC Ocala Innovative Medical is a new clinic opening its doors in Ocala, and owner Dr. Doug Swinson’s staff will offer a revolutionary weight loss program to the community: Synergy Medical Weight Loss, a physicianassisted weight management program.

Dr. Doug Swinson, DC CERTIFICATION/EDUCATION: Board-certified chiropractic physician, Bachelor’s in Science (Nutrition) YEARS IN PRACTICE: 17

Cherlyn Deleonabreu

BSN, MBA, NHA, Executive Director

Life Care Center of Ocala is proud to announce this spring’s

TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE SERIES. This public service program is free of charge and will include two guest speakers, including a specialty community physician and a local senior services expert. The event will also include a delicious homestyle dinner.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE PROGRAM?

Seniors and families who care about the health care decisions they are making. The more information a person has, the better the decisions they can make. More information also leads to a higher level of confidence about the health care services being provided during a time of need.

WHERE WILL THE PROGRAM TAKE PLACE?

Life Care Center of Ocala will be hosting the two-part series in the main dining room of the rehabilitation center. The program will last approximately one hour and will be followed by dinner. Facility tours and senior specialists will also be available for additional questions. Space is limited, and an RSVP is required in advance for dinner reservations.

WHAT SERVICES DOES LIFE CARE CENTER OF OCALA PROVIDE? Life Care Center of Ocala is a rehabilitation and nursing center providing superior skilled inpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy following a

hospitalization for surgery or illness. This is the only facility in Ocala with an in-house physician program, cardiac program that includes post-acute cardiac monitoring plus a diet and exercise program. This center is JCAHO accredited, a recipient of the AHCA Silver Quality Award and known best for a reputation of service excellence. Medicare accepted.

BESIDES

HEART PATIENTS, WHAT OTHER

L-R:

Adele Anahory, RN, Director of Nursing

Dr. Robert Kitos, Medical Director

Cherlyn Deleonabreu, BSN, MBA, NHA Executive Director

Dr. Segismundo Pares, In house facility physician

Calendar Of Events (Early Bird dinner to follow events. RSVP to Desiree, (352) 615-3343. Space is limited.)

TYPES

OF

PATIENTS

MIGHT

BENEFIT FROM LIFE CARE CENTER OF OCALA’S SERVICES? Orthopaedic patients, patients who have experienced a stroke or an exacerbation of CHF, COPD or pneumonia would benefit. Also, any spell of illness that has resulted in a hospitalization of approximately three days. This type of hospitalization allows a person who is a Medicare recipient to receive continuing care at a rehab facility. The benefit of receiving rehab services is that it can lessen the chances of having a complication and being readmitted to the hospital.

Tuesday, Mar. 22 Speaker

Dr. Sheri Hamnik (Neurologist)

Stroke, Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, Epilepsy and Neuropathy Specialties

Tuesday, Apr. 12 Speaker

Dr. Derek Farr (Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon)

Sports Medicine, Hip & Knee

Replacement, Shoulder Specialties

Tuesday, May 3 Speaker

Dr. Nirav Gupta (Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon)

Hand, Wrist, Elbow and Forearm Specialties

“Health Talk,” a two-part series designed to teach you to stay informed on the latest health information for seniors.

Ernesto G. Rubio MPH, CPH, Administrator

The Citrus County Health Department has recently developed an updated Community Health Assessment.

This assessment is a systematic and collaborative process of analyzing and sharing data and information about the local community’s health and challenges to educate and mobilize the community, identify priorities and resources, and plan meaningful actions to improve the public’s health. This process requires partnerships with other members of the community to provide, in part, other perspectives of the data and factors that impact the outcomes. Data used includes not only the traditional public health data but quality of life, both natural and built environmental factors, social determinants and socioeconomic factors.

WHY DO COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS (CHD) PREPARE COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENTS (CHA)? We must be able to identify the needs of the community to understand the potential health factors that are impacting our citizens. The preparation of the CHA provides us with the local trending data to determine where we need to concentrate our efforts.

HOW DID YOU SOLICIT INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC AND OTHER HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS? Three slightly different surveys were used: the Citizens Survey, the Business Owners Survey and a Providers Survey. The surveys were made available both electronically and as a hard copy through numerous public venues in both English and Spanish, at our CHD website and clinics, and through many of our community partners.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE INFORMATION THAT IS CONTAINED IN THE CHA? The updated CHA identifies four areas for improvement: obesity in adults

(Healthiest Weight for all ages), access to health care, availability of healthy foods and mental health, and substance abuse services. This information will be used as a guide to focus the community to these issues. We will be coordinating these needs with community partners so that we can join forces to improve the health of our citizens.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? We will be developing our Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), which uses CHA data to identify priority issues, develop and implement strategies for action and establish accountability to ensure measurable health improvement. The CHIP is developed by bringing together community partners who serve a specific segment of the community. These partners work together to contribute to community health improvement.

Ernesto G. Rubio, MPH, CPH, Administrator CERTIFICATION/EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science in business administration, Chapman University, 1986; master’s in public health, University of South Florida, 2013; distinguished 14-year career with the Florida Department of Health YEARS IN PRACTICE: 14

Health Pros Who Know / INDEPENDENT PHARMACY

Dr. Ginger Hoffman

WHY SHOULD PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS CHOOSE AN INDEPENDENT PHARMACY?

I worked in the retail pharmacy setting long enough to see a shift in the corporate world, which is why I opened my own pharmacy. Your pharmacist should be an important team member in your health care. At Golden Hills, you will always be dealing with the same staff, which means you have someone watching out for drug interactions and duplications. We also handle pet medications, both over-the-counter and prescription, so your entire family will benefit from the relationship.

DOES GOLDEN HILLS ACCEPT INSURANCE LIKE LARGER-NAMED PHARMACIES? Yes!

We are a part of a very large network, which means you’ll pay the same copays here as you would at a big box store. I am very proud to say we’ve helped many patients lower their

medication costs, and they were also able to enjoy a cup of coffee while we filled their medication on the spot!

CAN CUSTOMERS RECEIVE MEDICATIONS IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AT GOLDEN HILLS?

Actually, they will have their medications filled much faster. With many big chains, you’ll wait hours or be asked to come back. Our wait times are never over 15 minutes. If you do have a prescription that needs to be ordered, we work with a great supplier, so you can expect your medication after lunchtime the very next day!

Health Pros Who Know / DENTISTRY

Dr. César Cáceres

WHAT ARE DENTAL IMPLANTS? A dental implant is a root device made to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth that are missing. Dental implants are made of titanium and can be used to support a number of dental prostheses, including crowns, implant-supported bridges or dentures. Prior to implant surgery, careful and detailed planning is required to identify vital structures to properly orient the implants for the most predictable outcome.

WHAT IS IV SEDATION? IV sedation is a drug-induced depression of consciousness where the patient retains the ability to respond purposely to verbal direction either alone or accompanied by light tactile stimulation. Interventions are not required to maintain the patient’s airway. Conscious sedation includes assessment of the patient, establishment of IV

, DMD

access, administration of anti-anxiety sedative drugs, maintenance of sedation, monitoring vital signs and oxygen saturation, and recovery.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF IV SEDATION? IV sedation is designed to relax you and make you completely comfortable. It can benefit you if you have a sensitive gag reflex, anxiety, real fear or a low pain threshold. You’ll be so relaxed that you’ll be unaware of the sights, smells and sounds of the dental office. Patients remember little to nothing of their appointment by the next day.

YEARS IN PRACTICE: 8

Golden Hills Pharmacy

6998 US 27, #104, Ocala (352) 351-3784

goldenhillspharmacy.com

facebook.com/goldenhillspharmacy

Academy of Implant Dentistry, and American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry

YEARS IN PRACTICE: 25

Amazing Smiles Dentistry

10230 SW 86th Cir., Ste. #100, Ocala (352) 629-1314

amazingsmilesdentistry.com

Dr. César A. Cáceres, DMD CERTIFICATION/EDUCATION: Doctor of Dental Surgery from The School of Dentistry Bogotá, Colombia; Doctor of Dental Medicine from Nova Southeastern University; member of American Dental Association, Florida Dental Association, American Academy of General Dentistry, Florida Dental Society of Anesthesiology, American

Ginger Hoffman, PharmD CERTIFICATION/EDUCATION: Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Florida

Health Pros Who Know / MASSAGE THERAPY

Katelyn Manresa

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AS A THERAPIST? Growing up surrounded by elderly grandparents and a great uncle, I always wanted to be in the medical field. I became interested in massage therapy after high school and enrolled at CTAE one year later. After graduating massage school in 2008, I worked at a physical therapy office and several spas only to realize I wasn’t happy. I wanted to have flexibility to be able to grow my family and my business. Two Hands Engaged LLC was established in May 2012.

WHAT TYPES OF SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? Massage therapy to me is helping people therapeutically feel better. From avid CrossFitters and moms-to-be to the everyday aches and pains of working individuals, we customize each massage to their particular needs. We offer deep tissue, prenatal,

Health Pros Who Know

WHAT CAN PATIENTS EXPECT FROM HAWTHORNE VILLAGE’S BOUNCE BACK REHABILITATION PROGRAM? Hawthorne Village is the only provider in the area to offer the Bounce Back rehabilitation program to help you “Rehab, Recover, and Return home.” Patients will receive the best possible therapy services from a caring and competent staff utilizing the most current rehabilitation technologies to assist you in your return to independence.

WHAT TYPES OF THERAPIES ARE OFFERED TO HELP PATIENTS GET BACK TO GREAT HEALTH? The Bounce Back program offers the most state-of-the-art technologies. Our newest piece of equipment is the Hydro Track, an underwater treadmill that is kept at therapeutic temperatures and can be used to treat a wide array of patients. We also have a computerized

, LMT, PPMT

sports and relaxation massage sessions.

WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS STAND OUT FROM OTHERS? I’m consistent, knowledgeable and professional. The office is clean and inviting with low lights, a heated table and relaxing music to establish a stress-free session. A session is not only a therapeutic time but a time to learn how to prevent further pain and future injury. We take time to educate you on what you can do to build strength and promote healing.

YEARS IN PRACTICE: 9

Two Hands Engaged LLC

1302 SE 25th Loop, Ste. 104 RM 4, Ocala (352) 816-0020

Find them on Facebook

balance re-education system to reduce the likelihood of falls. We also offer electrical stimulation, ultrasound and soft tissue massage. We provide both short-term inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation.

WHY SHOULD SOMEONE CHOOSE HAWTHORNE VILLAGE’S BOUNCE BACK PROGRAM OVER ANOTHER REHABILITATION CENTER? Our staff believes that your success is the most important factor and is a direct reflection of our therapists and Hawthorne Village’s Bounce Back program. We offer the most comprehensive rehabilitation program in the area and will do whatever it takes to help you “Bounce Back!”

Hawthorne Health and Rehabilitation

4100 SW 33rd Ave., Ocala (352) 237-7776

hawthornevillageofocala.com

Michael

BS, NHA, LPTA

Michael Walker , BS, NHA, LPTA

Katelyn Manresa, LMT, PPMT CERTIFICATION/EDUCATION: Graduated from CTAE with massage license MA54423 in 2008. Certified in prenatal massage since 2012. Business license MM27671.

Susan Griffin , Chief Financial Officer

Christina Griffin , Club Manager

In the last five years, obesity in Florida has doubled. Now, Susan and Christina Griffin are connecting Ocala with the resource changing lives in over 90 countries. Next Gen Nutrition’s Herbalife is a nutrition and weight management company dedicated to providing bodies the tools they need to be healthy.

WHAT IS HERBALIFE, AND WHAT BENEFITS DOES IT OFFER? Herbalife is over 30 years old and leads the industry as the top nutrition company. It provides better metabolism, energy and weight loss through a better diet and active lifestyle. The product lines include shakes, teas, snacks and tablets. All products are natural and supported by a team of doctors and specialists.

HOW DOES IT IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT? The body reacts to the foods we eat. Carbs, sugars, fats and caffeine all have an effect on the body and the mind. By understanding the roles each play and how to regulate them in the body, mind and spirit can be improved. It corrects things in the body that might not be working correctly because of the diet the person is currently on. In Ocala, we’ve had cases where people have lost 100 or 175 pounds using the shakes and teas.

WHO CAN USE HERBALIFE? Herbalife can be used by anyone. Of course, anyone with a specific medical concern should consult his or

her doctor before starting any new program or product.

HOW IS HERBALIFE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PRODUCTS THAT SEEM SIMILAR? Herbalife is the only product classified as a true meal replacement. In addition, Herbalife offers numerous other product lines, i.e. skin care, digestion and tablets, for specific health objectives. No other company offers more than just weight control.

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR STAFF AND CUSTOMER SERVICE? Herbalife has over 7,800 employees and is located in 90 countries. The Red Cross appreciates Herbalife’s efforts to raise awareness about the constant need for blood. Herbalife’s donation of protein bars is a great way to thank blood donors for giving. You can work with us as personal wellness coaches during your program. Contact Herbalife directly anytime with specific questions.

Herbalife

1701 SE Fort King, Ocala

Christina Griffin, (352) 789-7064

christina@nextgennutrition.club

Susan Griffin, (352) 598-3340

susan@nextgennutrition.club herbalife.com

Susan Griffin, Chief Financial Officer Christina Griffin, Club Manager YEARS IN BUSINESS: 36

Size Matters

Bras: Most women wear one so it might as well be comfortable, right? Unfortunately, most women don’t realize the bra they’re wearing is uncomfortable because it doesn’t actually fit. Here are a few tips for getting the right fit.

› If your bra is on the tightest hook and the waistband still moves around, the band size is too large.

› If your breasts overflow the front or sides of the bra, the cup size is too small.

› Not all bra sizes and styles fit the same, so it’s important to be fitted by a professional and try the bra on before you buy it.

A Little White Lie

Everyone knows that getting kids to eat their veggies is one of parenthood’s toughest challenges.

Just calling food healthy makes it unappealing to kids, which is why we have a trick to get your kiddos to eat the right foods: Sneak them in.

Your New Best Friend

Cauliflower is a vegetable that pretty much every kid hates—or so they say. As long as this white veggie isn’t seen and doesn’t affect the flavor, it can go unnoticed by simply blending it in with meals your children already love. A white purée is just one way of making sure your children get the nutrition they need.

This white purée, courtesy of The Sneaky Chef, is made from cauliflower and zucchini,

and when blended correctly, it can be added to tomato sauce for pizza and pasta, whipped into mashed potatoes and even mixed into mac and cheese. To make this purée, begin by steaming 2 cups of cauliflower in a vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water for about 10-12 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. While the cauliflower steams, pulse two small peeled and chopped raw zucchinis with 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

We all know kids who are picky eaters—you might have been one yourself. This is just one way to make healthy food that kids will still enjoy—even if it requires a little “white” lie.

Drain the cooked cauliflower. Add the cauliflower into the food mixer with the zucchini and purée until smooth, adding 1-2 tablespoons of water as necessary to get the desired texture.

You can also sneak cauliflower into meals by chopping it up into small pieces and adding it to chicken noodle soup, scrambled eggs, casseroles and sandwiches.

Why Cauliflower?

The majority of Americans aren’t getting the nutrition their bodies need to function properly, and cauliflower is a good source of many of those nutrients. One serving of cauliflower contains 77 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C, and it’s also a great source of vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium and manganese.

Cauliflower is also a good source of fiber, which makes it great for your digestive system, and it contains a B vitamin known for its role in brain development. This vitamin may even diminish your brain’s vulnerability to toxins during childhood, as well as offer protection later in life.

Do You Matcha?

Want more bang for your buck? How about more health benefits for your cup?

Green tea is great, but matcha green tea is even better. Matcha is powder made of finely ground green tea leaves, and the tea bushes are shade-grown to promote increased production of amino acids. All that hard work makes the beverage even more beneficial for the drinker—here are nine reasons to add some matcha to your mug this month.

1 2 3 4

One cup of matcha tea has the same amount of antioxidants as 10 cups of regular loose leaf green tea. Water can only extract so many of the tea’s health benefits, so it’s important to drink the whole leaves.

A Tufts University study found matcha contains 20 times more antioxidants per gram than pomegranates or blueberries and 60 times more per gram than spinach.

Green tea is loaded with a special class of antioxidants called catechins not found in other foods, specifically one called EGCg (epigallocatechin gallate) that is highly effective at fighting free radicals.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study that found drinking matcha green tea can increase thermogenesis, i.e. the body’s process of burning calories. Participants saw their rates increase from the typical 8 to 10 percent of daily energy expenditure to 35 to 43 percent. That’s the kind of workout buddy we all need.

5 6 7 8

Matcha has about five times more of the amino acid L-theanine than other green teas, and it’s proven to promote concentration and reduce stress. The compound produces alpha waves in the brain, which induce relaxation. It also inhibits the side effects of the caffeine present in the tea, so you can get the energy boost without any jitters. That’s why Buddhist monks in Japan drank it before meditation practices over 1,000 years ago—otherwise they may have snoozed through class.

Because matcha is a powder, you can enjoy it even if you’re not into hot tea. Try it iced, in a latte or mixed into a smoothie.

Matcha is full of important vitamins like vitamin C, A, iron, calcium and potassium.

Another helpful compound in matcha is chlorophyll (all that shade growing causes it to produce much more than other teas). Chlorophyll aids the body in eliminating chemicals and heavy metals.

EXTRA TIP: Unlike most things you’re supposed to drink for your health, matcha can taste pretty good all on its own! It has a lingering sweetness, and you can be your own barista by using a small whisk to add some froth to your cup.

For 25 years, we have been committed to creating an environment where our residents feel secure, cared for and loved. We would be honored to care for your loved ones in their time of need.

Services Offered:

In-House Psychiatrist

Podiatrist

Ophthalmologist

Dermatologist

Nurse Practitioner

Organized Social Activities

Church Services

Daily Living Assistance

We are currently accepting referrals

Ocala’s Best-Kept Secret

Prestige Manor

Assisted Living Facility

6333 SE Babb Rd. | Belleview, FL | 352-307-6333

prestigemanorassistedliving.com

Carrol Dillon-Smith Administrator/Owner Megan Christine Forrest Director of Operations

Fitness Faux Pas

These fitness myths might be wrecking your workout.

Just getting to the gym can feel like an accomplishment, and we don’t want you to waste that time by believing these common fitness myths.

It’s time to set the record straight so you can see results sooner and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Let the debunking begin.

Myth: Crunches will give me abs. Says who? To really chisel those abs, womenshealthmag.com suggests targeting multiple muscles within your core with exercises like planks, pushups and weighted squats or lunges. Combine these exercises with a healthy diet, and kiss those crunches good-bye.

Myth: As long as I exercise, I can eat whatever I want.

It’s easy to overestimate how many calories you burn during each workout, and it may be helpful to step back and calculate your calories to see how you can improve your diet. According to Maik Wiedenbach, a personal trainer based in New York, “Your eating has to be in check. About 80 percent of what you look like is based on diet.”

Myth: I shouldn’t work out when I’m sick.

Stuffy nose? Allergies acting up? Yeah, you’re fine. If you don’t have a fever or something like chest congestion (or any contagious ailment) and doctor’s orders to stay home, then, according to womenshealthmag.com, there’s no reason you need to skip the gym. Unless, of course, you’re looking for an excuse.

Myth: I can target my fat burn. In a study found in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 11 people worked out only one leg for 12 weeks. Turns out, the participants lost the same amount of fat in both legs. Plus, they lost some fat in the other parts of their bodies, too.

Myth: I’m supposed to stretch before my workout.

Stretching elongates the muscles in order to prevent injury. Doing it before your workout will decrease your muscle tension and might actually increase your risk for injury. Instead, warm up with light weights or by walking on the treadmill (if you’re doing cardio) before your workout, and stretch after.

Myth: I’m a woman so I need to lift light weights and do more reps.

Your three-pound weights aren’t going to cut it, ladies. Because women don’t have as much testosterone as men, they aren’t able to bulk up like men—even if they lift heavy. Wiedenbach recommends that women, along with men, lift a weight that’s challenging enough to do only six to eight reps per set.

A Bond Worth Sharing

Ever wondered why dogs are considered man’s best friend?

A recent study conducted at Azabu University in Japan discovered that making eye contact with your fluffy companion can increase the level of oxytocin produced in your body—as well as in your dog’s. Oxytocin, known as a “feel-good” hormone, is produced during childbirth and also simply through contact with those you love. The study showed that the bond between dogs and humans is the only interspecies relationship capable of producing such a strong reaction. So the next time you come home to a wagging tail, simply look your pup in the eyes—your body will do the rest.

Paging Dr. Me, Myself

and I

Is today just not your day? Maybe it’s not your week either, or it hasn’t been your month.

If you’re feeling down but not ready to seek professional help, there are ways to be your own therapist. Try these DIY pick-me-ups, and then decide if you should make an appointment.

Acknowledge your emotions as normal.

Humans are special because of their range of emotions. Unfortunately, happiness isn’t the only one. When you feel sad, angry, resentful, lonely, hurt or disappointed, remind yourself that everyone feels these emotions, and let yourself experience them fully.

However, don’t wallow indefinitely.

It’s both healthy and necessary to spend time immersed in your feelings—that’s how you come to understand them. Allow yourself a set amount of time to deliberately ruminate. At the end, get up and engage in a new activity to end those thought processes so your troubles can’t follow you so easily.

Lend an ear.

Channel your

emotions.

Busy your mind by diving into something productive. Journaling, playing music and coloring are great ways to express yourself during hard times while focusing on something positive. Not your activities of choice? How about taking a bike ride or going for a walk? Browse Pinterest for a craft you can try, or plant some seeds so you can look forward to the sprouts.

Cozy up.

Closeness to other people releases oxytocin in our bodies, and oxytocin promotes calmness. Ask someone for a hug. If you’re not near a loved one, snuggle up to your pet daily or take up volunteering at an animal shelter. Time with fuzzy critters is scientifically proven to boost moods as well.

Laughter is the best medicine.

A therapist would certainly suggest time with friends—where will you feel better than with people who make you smile? Laughing stimulates different areas of the brain centers that raise pain tolerance and improve the immune system. Seek out situations that will bring you some sunshine and you’ll feel the weight lift.

Remember that professional help is still out there.

If your emotional distress persists or begins disrupting your daily life, don’t skirt seeing a therapist just because of cost. Many universities have associated practices that offer cheaper options, and some psychologists charge patients based on what they can afford.

Focusing outward on others is part of a therapeutic approach called dialectical behavior therapy. If a friend had a terrible day, offer to come over and make dinner for two. Taking care of them for an evening distracts you from your own troubles, and chances are, you’ll get to share what you’re going through with your friend, too.

What’s Your $ Vice?

Clothes and shoes. First, think about your wardrobe deliberately and make a list of items you’d like to add instead of just browsing the racks. When you check the tag, ask yourself if you’ll wear it once for every dollar you spend. Shoes that cost $50 are only worth it if they’ll return on the investment.

Drinks with friends. Gather for a fancy cocktail night or lowkey wine hangout at a friend’s house. Bring your beverage of choice, and enjoy each other’s company without paying a tab for overpriced drinks.

Going to the movies. Those tickets ain’t cheap. Instead, rent new releases at home using a streaming service like Amazon or Roku. Stock some dollar store boxed candies in your pantry to pair with popcorn for impromptu screenings at home.

Beauty products. With so much variety in the hair and makeup department, how can a gal (or guy!) resist? Sign up for a monthly subscription service like Birchbox or Ipsy. They cost $10 on average and most offer points to members. Knowing you’ve already spent money on beauty products this month will keep you from grabbing everything on the shelves.

Why? Because we all share the vice of buying unnecessary goodies while we cruise the aisles. Chances are you’ve got another excessive spending vice or two to kick, and we can help.

Track Your Spending

For 60 days, keep all of your receipts and write down the amounts of all your online or in-app purchases. You may already know where you spend excessively, but totaling the numbers on paper may shed some light in unexpected places. Are any of these gobbling your spare change?

Groupon is a life saver when you find a deal for something you want or need, but it can also suck you in with deals on foods and services that you don’t. Delete the app to remove temptation and only use the site if you’re looking for something specific.

Coffee every morning. A Starbucks grande latte costs $3.65, so going daily can cost you nearly $20 a week. Instead, buy an adorable to-go cup you love and brew a local coffee blend at home. We love JOCO mugs because they’re travel- and environment-friendly jococups.com).

REMEMBER: When coming up with alternatives, make sure they’re something enjoyable. If you don’t like cooking, you’ll probably never make DIY Chipotle at home. Make sure your alternative is realistic and works for you.

Never go to the store hungry, and always make a list before you get there. These have become the golden rules of going grocery shopping.

NewRoof! PRICE REDUCTION Motivated Seller

★GREAT FAMILY HOME★

• 1,771 sq ft.

• 3 bedroom

2 full baths (baths recently remodeled)

• Sunroom

• Detached garage w/ 6 parking spaces

• 6-ft-high wooden privacy fence

• ¾ acre in town

• Original wood burning fireplace

• Nice

landscaping

• New roof

• Real wood floors

Called Out?

Learn how to give and take criticism the right way.

The purpose of criticism should be to help people improve, do something differently or perform work better, and careless or frustrated words don’t do that. Criticism is a part of life, and we’re betting you’d like to learn how to handle it better.

Dish It Out

Let’s not pretend that giving criticism is always easier than taking it. It can be difficult to clearly explain an issue with empathy, and it’s often easier to just let ‘em have it. Criticism should never be used to vent, feed your ego or relieve stress.

Try using the sandwich approach to help you deliver criticism more thoughtfully. The idea is to sandwich the criticism between two compliments much like you would with peanut butter and two slices of bread.

“It can be challenging, but the best criticism is the most mindful, and the most targeted,” according to lifehacker.com

Stay focused on the issue without getting personal. If it’s in a work setting, themuse.com suggests asking the other person for possible solutions to the problem to encourage them to take ownership of it. But in other settings, where you’re not the manager or authority, avoid giving instructions on how to fix a problem. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes—you probably wouldn’t want to be told what to do.

Take It

We know how hard it can be to take criticism, especially if it’s not being delivered kindly. How to master it? Get curious. Hendrie Weisinger, Ph.D., and trained in clinical, counseling and organizational psychology, says listening with curiosity can inhibit your body’s defensive response.

“Adapt the attitude that, ‘the person is telling me something he or she thinks is important. I need to know more,’” he says. “This allows you to approach criticism with a friendlier attitude, and, as a result, you can become more physically relaxed and learn.” Ask the person criticizing you questions beginning with “what” so you can get to the root of the issue without sounding defensive with “why” questions. This can also determine whether the person is trying to be helpful or not. Then, take a day or two to process the exchange and come up with ways to improve or change things before following up. The result? Better relationships and better ways of working with and dealing with others. Without the tears, we might add.