Balance, Summer 2016

Balance The health magazine for Body, Mind & Motivation

ELIMINATING RECESS

Do kids need more instructional time?

MOM OF THE BRIDE

A mom’s vanity concerns on the big day.

THE DANGERS OF BEING UNDERWEIGHT

What are the risks?

SWIMMER’S EAR

How to avoid and get rid of it.

Volume 8 – Issue 3 –Summer Summer 20162016 | 1 Published quarterly by the Lewiston Tribune and the Moscow-Pullman Daily News

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Contents Balance – volume 8, issue 3 – Summer 2016

COVER STORY

ELIMINATING RECESS

7

SWIMMER’S EAR

Do kids need more instruction?

BEING UNDERWEIGHT

What are the risks?

13

How to avoid and treat it.

15

DIET

WELLNESS

HEALTH

16

SUGAR

It’s everywhere.

ALSO | MOMS & BOTOX 5 | EAR PROTECTION 9 | HEAVY LIFTING 11 ADVERTISER INDEX

Allen, Dr. Richard ....................................7 Alternative Nursing Services .................11 Community Health Association Spokane.....9 Compassionate Care, Inc. ......................13 Electrolysis - Permanent Hair Removal....8

Dynamic Physical Therapy ......................6 Tri-State Memorial Hospital ....................2 Huckleberrys at Rosauers .....................22 Valley Medical Center..............................3 Leavitt DMD, Erin ..................................16 Whitman Hospital & Medical Center .....21 Maplewood Dental ...............................18 St. Joseph Regional Medical Center .......24

Balance is published quarterly by the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News and printed at the Tribune Publishing Co. Inc.’s printing facility at 505 Capital St. in Lewiston. To advertise in Balance, contact the Lewiston Tribune advertising department at (208) 848.2216 or the MoscowPullman Daily News advertising department at (208) 882.5561 or Advertising Director Angela Kay at akay@lmtribune.com. Editorial suggestions and ideas can be sent to Tribune City Editor Craig Clohessy at cclohessy@lmtribune.com or Daily News City Editor Devin Rokyta at drokyta@dnews.com.

4 |

Balance

Wedding bells and Botox Brides aren’t the only ones concerned about their looks on wedding day Commentary Kerri Sandaine Lewiston Tribune

So, your baby is finally engaged to be married and it’s a match made in heaven.

Champagne corks are popping, the angels are singing and all you can think about is how wonderful it will be to welcome a precious son or daughter into the fold.

Who are we kidding? All you can think about is what you’re going to wear to the wedding.

There’s a lot of pressure on us mothers to look presentable on the big day. Facebook and Instagram will be blowing up with the couple’s hashtag and a videographer will be following you around for hours, recording every move you make.

This is not the time to embrace your inner hippy or go au naturel, my friends. Like it or not, we must rise to the occasion. As mothers of the brides and grooms, we cannot show up with a banana clip in our hair and untamed eyebrows.

The onus wasn’t as bad when my

Courtesy of: Kerri Sandaine

From left to right: Dusty, Aimee, Kerri and Rob on the big day.

oldest daughter, Shara-lee, tied the knot in 2006. At the time, I was still in my early 40s, Spanx was on the market and the lighting at the Lewis-Clark Plaza in Lewiston was kind.

Ten years later, I was standing on a tropical island, dripping with sweat and trying not to squint as

the sun set over the ocean.

“Do I have makeup under my eyes?” I whispered to my husband of 35 years.

“Just a little,” he answered.

Those were not the three words I wanted to hear, but I had to soldier on. The cameras were clicking and my curly hair was getting bigger Summer 2016 |

by the second in the humidity.

This wedding was a huge deal.

Our son, Dusty, and his Hawaiian bride had been courting for a decade and now they were getting married at the Waimea Plantation in Kauai, near her hometown.

Everyone in Aimee’s family was at the wedding, and I really wanted to make a good impression.

If the proposal was any indication, this was going to be an epic and exotic event. Dusty and Aimee were betrothed while exploring Southeast Asia in 2015. He popped the question in Thailand, on a private boat, at sunrise, in the middle of Maya Bay. She spent the next year

planning the nuptials.

As soon as I heard the news, I said a prayer of gratitude and congratulated them.

Several months later, I started shopping and fretting. I placed an order to Nordstrom’s after numerous consultations with my two daughters and friends.

Unfortunately, the coral dress we selected fit like the glove in O.J. Simpson’s trial.

I immediately sent it back and ordered two sizes up. When the next one arrived, I felt like Goldilocks. I needed “just right” and this one was too big.

I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say, I finally found

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a dress that was acceptable, a mere two weeks before the wedding.

It featured tropical flowers and required a crinoline. I felt like a 1950s housewife, sans the martini and cigarette.

About a month or two before the wedding, I visited Rhonda Comstock at Clearview Aesthetics in Moscow. I was interested in erasing the deep crease between my eyes and possibly getting rid of my double chin.

She put something in my forehead that was pure magic. For the first time in decades, I didn’t look like an Angry Bird and no longer had to tug at my bangs to hide the crack between my eyes.

I felt shallow and awesome. I left her office with a skip in my step and a smile on my smooth face.

(For the record, I kept my crow’s feet and laugh lines, just to prove I am not completely silly and vain.)

But if we’re going to be honest, I have to tell you I also tried a new treatment called Kybella to improve my profile. It involved a bunch of shots in my neck that are supposed to permanently dissolve your gobbler. The jury is still out on the results, but I’m hopeful.

After all, I’ve got another kid who will be getting married someday and experience has taught me one thing: This mother of the bride needs a jump-start.

Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.

Recess isn’t going anywhere Superintendents, school directors in the area say recess is vital to child development

By Josh Babcock

MOscow-Pullman Daily News

Throughout the country some schools are debating whether to cut recess back to free up more time for instruction and boost test scores.

Locally, it is not even an option on the table. School officials believe the play time is much too valuable. “Think of the skills you learned: fair play, socializing with peers,�

Moscow Superintendent of Schools Greg Bailey said. “There are a lot of natural skills that are picked up. No way am I going to take away recess — I’ll have every first-grader after me.�

Throughout the country some school district superintendents disagree and are toying with the idea in an effort to increase sagging test scores. Late last year about 23 elementary schools in Orange County, Florida, cut back on recess, claiming they didn’t have enough time in the school day for the short outdoor break.

School officials on the Palouse say they are far from taking those measures.

Bailey, Colfax’s Superintendent of Schools Jerry Pugh and Palouse Prairie Charter School Director Jeneille Branen all said scores are high enough at their schools that such drastic changes aren’t needed. “Idaho kids do well academically with the money that we have,�

Bailey said. “(Money), that is what is hurting us more than time with kids in the classroom. I think that’s a desperate measure.�

Clarkston Superintendent of Schools Tim Winter said students come in from recess and are ready to be engaged in class — albeit after a few minutes of winding down.

Winter said district officials have debated the merits of recess.

Rather than reducing time, they’ve actually discussed adding more recess.

He said there’s a great deal of research on the effect of adding extra recess time to the school day,

and most indicates a boost in test scores. “We would be more on the angle to increase recess,� Winter said. “If we’re out exercising, we’ll be more effective when we get to our work. The same can be said for art and music — it gives that right Board Certified Diplomate, American Board of Podiatric Surgery

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brain a chance to learn.”

Bev Wolff, director for the Montessori School of Pullman, said recess is a vitally important opportunity to refine children’s motor and social skills.

“They practice leadership skills and lead children in play, which we might not see much in the classroom,” Wolff said.

She said students who stay at the Montessori school for the whole day will spend anywhere from one-and-a-half to two hours outside playing.

“In the model we have, children are free to move around during school time,” Wolff said.

Wolff said she’s worked at schools where children were tied to their desks, and she watched them become restless and unfocused on the work at hand.

At Palouse Prairie Charter School in Moscow, recess is part of the education model. Branen said physical education class and recess are spaced out so students are focused the entire day.

She said class instruction includes Brain Breaks, or a short

Children laugh and play with their teacher during recess.

physical activity that exercises both sides of the brain and gets children on their feet. Branen said those Brain Breaks help students stay focused and to absorb more content.

Wolff said recess is one of the only times children can play freely.

Daily News/Geoff Crimmins

“I feel children don’t have as much opportunity to play freely,” she said. “I don’t see many kids in the neighborhood or at the park; it’s important we make up the slack.”

——— Josh Babcock can be reached at (208) 883-4630, or by email to jbabcock@dnews.com.

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Put a plug in it Doctors recommend protecting your ears when attending loud concerts

By Caitlin Beesley Lewiston Tribune

Music concerts are most notorious for dangers involving drug and alcohol use and dehydration, but they can also wreak havoc on your hearing.

The human ear is capable of hearing somewhere around 10,000 different frequencies, according to Dr. Sennett Pierce Sr., with Valley Ear, Nose and Throat Group in Lewiston.

“Music is going to hit all those frequencies and affect them all

differently. All sounds in music are going to affect some frequencies negatively,” he said.

With the summer concert circuit gearing up for its busiest months in July and August, here are a few ways to prevent permanent hearing damage while rocking out outdoors or inside: • Always wear protection — According to Dr. David W. Wood, a board-certified doctor of audiology at ClearView Audiology in Lewiston, a live rock concert can be anywhere between 110 and 120

decibels — as loud as a chainsaw. A good set of hearing protection is key to protecting your hearing. Wood suggests custom-made protection, molded after an individual’s own ears. These filters can be expensive, however, so look for a “hi-fi” or “flange” style of hearing protection, which is “designed with concertgoing in mind,” Wood said. These can be found online for as little as $6.

Your last line of defense should be disposable foam earplugs. These can be purchased at any local drug

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Summer 2016 |

store. These may not be the best option for concerts, Wood said, “because this type of protection often protects too much, leaving the sound muffled sounding.”

Both Pierce and Wood strongly recommend hearing protection.

“If a sound is loud and physically uncomfortable, it’s well beyond the exposure that you should be having without ear plugs,” Pierce said.

• Be picky with headliners — A rock concert, or groups that use more electronic or amplified sounds, will be a lot louder than a performance by an acoustic guitarist. The type of music performed Tribune/Kyle Mills at a concert, Wood said, is It is important to wear ear protection even when enjoying your favorite band. important to consider.

• Be picky with venues is too much,” Pierce said, adding or sweating indoors at one like — According to Wood, there’s a Spokane’s Knitting Factory, always that concert-goers should act on the big difference between outdoor and sit or stand away from any speakers safe side. indoor venues when it comes to and amplifiers. This is always the Expect to have noticeable hearing how much sound a concert-goer is “loudest position, regardless of the loss in the immediate hours after a exposed to. venue type,” Wood said. “I would concert, or even a constant ringing.

“A small cavity (or a small concert never recommend anyone sits or If your hearing doesn’t return to venue) will produce a higher sound stands next to the stage.” normal, however, both Pierce and presure level when compared to Wood suggest having your ears Instead, he suggests milling the same concert performed at a(n) around in the middle of the venue if checked out. open air venue (large cavity),” you have protection, and remaining “It’s not uncommon (for ringing or Wood said. The sound will always in the back if you don’t. big shifts in hearing) to persist for have more space to disperse into at • Limit your exposure — If you’re multiple days,” Pierce said. an outdoor concert, while an indoor at a concert that spans several days It’s harder, he added, to notice concert often uses soundproofing and has multiple venues or bands, small changes. “You may not to refract acoustics and contain the follow all these instructions for recover a majority of what you had music to the concert hall, arena, or protecting your ears, while also before.” auditorium. being mindful of how long they’ve ——— • Choose your home base wisely been battered with music.

— Whether you’re enjoying the Beesley may be reached at sports@lmtribune.com or “It’s tough to quantify how much at (208) 848-2258. outdoors at a venue like the Gorge 10 | Balance

Weightlifter pushes herself to her limits Pumping iron has myriad benefits for women of the Tribune

Nicole Covington of Moscow wants her two daughters to learn that beauty should be less about looks and more about what a body can do.

It’s a realization she came to herself when she started heavy weightlifting.

“I’m really, really proud of seeing what my body is capable of,” Covington said. “I know that this is the way my body is meant to look.”

Covington also discovered that weightlifting didn’t make her look bulky. Chris Connolly, assistant professor of kinesiology at Washington State University,

said that’s a common concern for women, but one that’s mostly unfounded.

“Physiologically, women will not have the same muscle growth effect as men will,” Connolly said. “Doing the same thing, men are going to see a lot more hypertrophy, which is a largening of the muscle fibers.”

Women who lift weights, or

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By CHELSEA EMBREE

Summer 2016 |

11

pursue any other kind of resistance training, will still see muscle definition, he added. Collette Edge, a personal trainer at North Idaho Athletic Club in Moscow, agreed. She said it’s not unusual for women to see slimming effects as a result of weightlifting.

Cardiovascular exercises burn a lot of calories initially, but “postweightlifting, you continue to burn for 24 hours,” Edge said.

There are numerous other benefits from weightlifting and other varieties of resistance training, Edge said. Along with burning more fat, she said resistance training also boosts overall metabolism, reduces the risk of injury, relieves arthritis, defends against diabetes and strengthens bones, ligaments and tendons. Edge added that consistency and doing movements correctly are key to accessing these benefits.

It’s particularly important for women ages 40 to 50 to engage in resistance training. After that age bracket, Connolly said there’s a “sharp decline” in muscle mass.

“Resistance training in women in their middle to older years will decrease their risk of falls because they’re preventing that decline in muscular strength and muscular endurance,” Connolly said. “With that, there’s also a decreased risk of osteoporosis. …

When you engage in resistance training, you’re actually not only strengthening the muscles, you’re also strengthening the bones.”

Transitioning into an exercise regimen that includes heavy 12 | Balance

Tribune/Kyle Mills

Nicole Covington does a set of overhead squats as Collette Edge watches at North Idaho Athletic Club in Moscow.

lifting — and all its benefits — means decreasing the number of repetitions of a movement and increasing the weight used, Edge said. She defines heavy lifting as about six to eight repetitions of a movement, lifting at 85 percent of an individual’s maximum capacity.

Even fewer repetitions and even more weight enters into bodybuilding territory. It’s a “very, very select way of lifting,” Connolly said, and cautioned that it can become unhealthy.

“Anything to the extreme can be bad,” he said. “Exercise to an extreme can be bad for you. Too much exercise, too much overload, will cause an injury. If you do that again and again and again, it’ll cause a serious injury.”

Edge, Connolly and Covington all agree balance is necessary in

any exercise regimen.

“If there’s one thing I would want people to know about resistance training for men and for women, is that it should be a healthy part of a physical activity regimen, but not the only part,” Connolly said, adding that aerobic exercise is still highly beneficial.

For Covington, the balance between heavy lifting, running and other activities means she’s able to live the way she wants to — namely, by keeping up with her kids at the park.

“It’s given me energy,” she said.

“I find I sleep better. That’s going to aid you with whatever you do in life.”

——— Embree may be contacted at cembree@lmtribune. com or (208) 669-1298. Follow her on Twitter @ chelseaembree.

Swimmer’s ear can be a real pain Combine one part rubbing alcohol with one part white vinegar: The alcohol will clean out any excess moisture, while the vinegar counters any bacteria that may be in the ear canal.

Place in a sterile or storebought dropper. Tilting your head, put several drops into your ear.

Gently rub the tragus, or the small pointed protuberance that sits immediately in front of the entrance to your ear.

Return your head to an upright position, and dispel the liquid from your ear, using a tissue to soak up the solution.

Do not insert a cotton swab to further dry or clean the ear out. Swabs can cause small microscopic abrasions in your ear canal, which may lead to infection due to bacteria.

Sources: Dr. Sennett Pierce Sr., Mayo Clinic website

By Caitlin Beesley Lewiston Tribune

With hot summer weather comes a lot of activities that involve spending time in or around water: swimming, boating, even a simple run through a sprinkler in the front yard.

One painful result of this can be

swimmer’s ear, an infection of the inner ear canal due to excessive moisture which causes fungal and bacterial growth.

Symptoms may include excruciating pain in the area of the inflammation and a decrease in hearing, according to Dr. Sennett Pierce Sr., with Valley Ear, Nose and Throat Group in Lewiston.

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Being in a lot of water this summer may lead to swimmer’s ear, a possible source of ear infections.

“Usually when people touch their ear or move their ear it hurts,” said Pierce, describing what people with swimmer’s ear may experience.

Although named for the type of athletes most prone to it, swimmer’s ear can occur in people who don’t swim much but who wear ear buds, ear plugs or hearing aids.

You don’t have to be a swimmer or be around water for your ears to become infected, Pierce said. He’s seen many patients who wear ear plugs for their work come in with inflamed ear canals.

14 | Balance

To prevent swimmer’s ear, Pierce recommends flushing excess water from ears after pool play.

He recommends an easy-to-make solution of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol (see related story).

“The acidity of (vinegar) helps neutralize the bacteria,” Pierce said.

Ear wax is also very acidic, and protects your ear canal from bacteria growth, Pierce added.

Cotton swabs, normally used to remove ear wax, may cause microscopic cuts in the ear canal, which lead to infection.

Tribune/Barry Kough

If the ear canal becomes too inflamed, it may swell shut. In this case, urgent medical care may be needed. The fungal debris collected in the ear will need to be removed surgically.

“Those are the ones we typically end up seeing,” Pierce said.

Along with the drops, he also recommends using a hair dryer on the lowest setting to dry out ears after coming out of the water.

——— Beesley may be reached at sports@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2258.

Lesser of two evils Being underweight can pose serious health risks, but isn’t as big a problem as being too heavy

By Kaylee Brewster Lewiston Tribune

While there are health risks associated with being underweight, most Americans struggle with keeping pounds off rather than keeping them on.

According to Dr. Craig Flinders of Optimal Health and Wellness Medical Clinic in Lewiston, less than 2 percent of the U.S. population is underweight, but being overweight is an epidemic.

“Being underweight in the U.S. is unusual in any population,” he said.

“When you put it in perspective it’s really, really low.”

Nicole Schmidt, a wellness coach at Valley Medical Center in Lewiston, said some of the symptoms of being underweight include hair loss, slow metabolism, a weakened immune system, low energy and heart palpitations.

Women who are underweight also can have fertility issues. All these symptoms come from nutritional deficiencies stemming from being underweight.

Schmidt said young children who are malnourished can have stunted growth and brain activity, a lower IQ, learning disabilities, have difficulty developing social, brain and language skills and can be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder because of their inability to focus. Infants who are malnourished can die.

For the elderly, eating might not be a priority due to slower digestive systems that decrease hunger. It can also cause depression or an altered mental state, Schmidt said.

Other factors to a person being underweight could be from poverty or even drugs.

“People on meth are super, super skinny because they’re not eating,” Schmidt said.

Thinkstock.com According to Flinders, Symptoms of being underweight include hair loss and a slow metabolism. people with medical issues can have a difficult She said maintaining a healthy time maintaining a healthy weight. weight “doesn’t have to be as These can include food allergies hard as people make it.” She or celiac disease, which causes an inability to metabolize certain foods recommends the paleo diet, but diets like vegan or the to get nutrition.

Mediterranean diet are other Flinders said the human body is options. She also suggested eating good at fending off starvation and fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins and stores extra calories as fat. He also seeds and to be active daily. said that weight is not the issue, Schmidt also advised staying away but rather having a healthy body from processed foods, which she composition of both fat and muscle, which comes from eating a balanced said “are an issue in our society.”

Flinders maintains that being diet with regular exercise. underweight isn’t the issue — being “Choose underweight versus overweight is. overweight,” said Flinders.

“It’s like millions of people are Schmidt also said that being killed by car wrecks and we’re malnourished doesn’t just mean looking at train wrecks,” he said. being underweight.

“It can be malnutrition from just ——— drinking soda and eating Cheetos,” Brewster can be reached at (208) 848-2238 or by email she said. at kbrewster@lmtribune.com.

Summer 2016 | 15

The non-so-sweet risks of sugar WHO, FDA, nutritionists agree that cutting down on the sweets make for a healthier life

By Shanon Quinn

Moscow-Pullman Daily News

It beckons from the candy racks, bakery departments and freezer sections of every grocery store.

The bane of dieters, joy of children and enemy of diabetics, sugar shows its sweet face in a multitude of forms — some that may surprise even the most avid

label reader.

“Processed, refined sugar is added to many foods, often things consumers are not aware of,” Moscow-based nutritionist and dietician Mindy Rice said.

While most expect to find an abundance of sugar in snacks and drinks like soda, cookies, cakes and ice cream — not to mention the beloved chocolate bar — the amounts found in not-so-sweets are almost as bad. Rice said sugar is often added to low-fat foods

since the lack of fats makes them more difficult to chew. Sugar counteracts that effect.

“Meat products, crackers, pasta and many others often have sugar added,” she said. “Reduced-fat foods often have higher sugar than the original product because the altered fat content makes the food more difficult to chew.”

In addition, frozen entrees, sauces — like barbecue, ketchup and hoisin — as well as salad dressings, dried fruit and even

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white wine often contain added sugar.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a cup of barbecue sauce contains an average of 94 grams, or 23 teaspoons, of that glistening sweet stuff.

While this information may seem to be of interest only to dieters and those working to avoid added sugar due to medical conditions, according to the World Health Organization, everyone should be standing up to take notice.

WHO guidelines released in March of 2015 recommend that adults and children reduce their daily intake of free sugars — table sugar, honey, agave syrup and other sweeteners that are not naturally present in fruits, vegetables and grains — to less than 10 percent of their total energy intake. That’s about 12 teaspoons, or 50 grams, daily.

This guideline, which has also been taken up by the Food and Drug Administration, is the result of numerous studies revealing the harmful effects of sugar, which range from the well known — like Type 2 diabetes, obesity and inflammation — to previously unknown issues, like an increased risk of breast cancer and metastasis to the lungs, as was recently discovered in a study by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The study found the high amounts of sugars present in most typical Western diets increased tumor growth and metastasis in

mice, when compared to a nonsugar, starch diet.

The team determined fructose in table sugar and high fructose corn syrup were the primary culprits.

According to the study, lowering the consumption of sugars lowers the risk of these and other diseases.

For those who don’t have a sweet tooth, the 12-teaspoon limit may seem like a lot of sugar and an easy goal to achieve, but Rice said it’s easier to find food with added sugar than that without.

“Look at a jar of peanut butter,” she said. “Unless it’s something like Adam’s PB, it usually has sugar added. These added sugars can impact overall inflammation in the body, which can then impact other disease processes.”

Just because people cut out sugar doesn’t mean they have to cut out the sweeter things in life, as naturally occurring sugars, in many cases, aren’t on the list of disease-causing foods.

“Fruits, vegetables and whole grains have carbohydrate and sugar, but these are not added sugars,” Rice said.

“I tell my patients and clients to eat ‘real food’ as much as possible,” she said. “Carbohydrate, which is metabolized to glucose, is an important source of fuel for your body.”

Rice said she sees many people face confusion when dealing with reduced sugar intake.

“So much is lost in translation of nutrition information,” she said.

“My children were challenged by a school teacher to cut out all sugar. They came home and said they weren’t supposed to eat fruit.

That didn’t go over well with me.”

——— Shanon Quinn can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to squinn@dnews.com.

Mental Fitness Solution

For puzzles, see page 23 Summer 2016

| 17

An app for birth control pills Buy clothes. Order groceries. Read a newspaper. Watch a movie. All those things you can do on a smartphone app. Now, add buying birth control pills to the list For that last purchase, you don’t even need to visit your doctor first.

New smartphone apps and Here’s a short list of things you websites give women access to can do through an app on your prescription birth control without cellphone. ever having to visit a doctor.

Buy clothes. Order takeout. Read The New York Times calls a newspaper. Watch a movie. Buy this mobile movement “a quiet birth control pills. shift” in how women obtain birth control, which can be a timeProfessional Care consuming, costly and even Personal Attention embarrassing process for some.

The Times found at least six private companies and nonprofits offering the services. Each works a little differently but all allow a woman to answer health questions Dr. Bill Perez either through an online form or New Patients Welcome via video with a doctor or other medical clinician.

• Preventative Care • Restorative and The physician reviews the • Cosmetic Dentistry information, writes a prescription • Crown & Bridge and the woman can either pick up the pills - patches, rings and morning-after pills are also available - at the pharmacy or get them in the mail.

“This kind of access is certainly an improvement for some women who have access to the Corner of 16th Avenue & 17th Street, web and a smartphone,” Dr. Lewiston 208-743-0141 www.MaplewoodDental.net Nancy Stanwood, chairwoman 18 | Balance

By Lisa Gutierrez

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The Kansas City Star (TNS)

of the board of Physicians for Reproductive Health, told the Times when she learned of the services.

“Look, if I can order something on Amazon and they’re going to drone-deliver it half an hour later to my house, of course we’re going to think of better ways for women to get birth control.”

Public health experts told the Times they hope easier access like this will encourage more women to start, or restart, contraception, which in turn could reduce America’s rates of unintended pregnancies and abortions.

Birth control via apps also sidesteps a lot of political drama.

The Obama administration ran into a buzz saw of controversy, for instance, with the controversial Affordable Care Act requirement that group health plans provide contraception to female employees at no cost.

Faith-based companies and groups revolted, arguing the requirement violated their federally protected religious freedom.

“The new services have so far

sprung up beneath the political radar and grown through word of mouth, with little of the furor that has come to be expected in issues involving reproductive health,” the Times reported.

One of the apps is put out by Planned Parenthood, no stranger to controversy when it comes to women’s health issues.

The co-founder of another, called Nurx, told the Times that the company has “seen a ridiculous amount of traffic that we’re struggling to handle.”

Not all the companies accept insurance, and fees vary. Nurx, for instance, charges women who don’t have health insurance $15 a month for its birth control pills.

Many of the companies are trying to head off controversy by setting older minimum age requirements.

For instance, Prjkt Ruby’s minimum age lines up with each state’s age of consent for sexual activity, typically 16 to 18, the Times reported.

Virtuwell will only write prescriptions for women ages 18 to 34. Lemonaid’s minimum age is 18, too.

“We are being especially conservative by choice,” Dr. Jason Hwang, Lemonaid’s chief medical officer, told the Times.

The minimum age is “not based on clinical grounds; it was a political decision. We didn’t want people who might be under 18, who might still have parents who would get upset if we were making decisions for them.”

Critics of the apps, however,

Associated Press

A new generation of apps and websites is making it possible for women to buy birth control without ever having to visit a doctor.

worry for other reasons. Some doctors are concerned that women who skip the physical exam don’t get the benefit of a physician checking them for other possible health problems, such as sexually transmitted diseases.

And while he praised the convenience of an app, Dr. Mark DeFrancesco, immediate past president of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, worried that women might skip seeing their doctors because they think the brief video interaction with a clinician is enough.

Many health experts argue that birth control pills should be available in the United States without a prescription at all, as they are in most other countries.

In 2012 DeFrancesco’s group, the nation’s largest group of obstetricians and gynecologists, recommended that birth control

pills should be sold over the counter, like condoms.

Half of the pregnancies in the country every year are unintended - a rate that has held steady for 20 years - and easier access to birth control pills could help, the group said.

The “outdated practice” of requiring a doctor’s visit to get a prescription causes some women to take their pills less regularly, compromising their effectiveness, the doctors argued.

“It’s unfortunate that in this country where we have all these contraceptive methods available, unintended pregnancy is still a major public health problem,” said Kavita Nanda, an OB/GYN who co-authored her group’s opinion.

If the pill didn’t require a prescription, women could “pick it up in the middle of the night if they run out,” she said. “It removes those types of barriers.”

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Study examines health of US counties Kate Konkle, associate researcher for the University of Wisconsin An appropriate diet and exercise is Population Health Institute. a good start to living a healthy and “That’s sort of the natural productive life, but there are so many connection. Our model other factors that affect one’s health, has always included the like poverty and air pollution. social and economic factors The 2016 County Health Rankings as well as the physical and Roadmaps, which were released environment, and I think Daily News/Geoff Crimmins in March by the Robert Wood most importantly is when Many factors affect one’s health, like poverty Johnson Foundation program and the we look at our models, the and air pollution.

University of Wisconsin Population social and economic factors and we know that education is also Health Institute, measures 35 factors are actually weighted the strongly linked to health outcomes.” that affect health in almost every most.” county in the U.S. The urban counties of Idaho and One of the social and economic Washington tend to be some of the The study based its conclusions on factors measurements is children healthiest, according to the rankings. health outcomes — which includes in poverty. According to the Ada County ranks second in health measurements of premature death and rankings, 17 percent of children in quality of life — and health factors Whitman County live in poverty, one outcomes and first in health factors — which includes clinical care access percentage point below the 18 percent in Idaho, while King County ranks and social and economic factors, second in health outcomes and first in average in Washington counties and examines behaviors like adult health factors in Washington. researched. smoking and adult obesity.

Konkle said poverty increases stress, Konkle said the primary goal of Latah County ranks seventh in the County Health Rankings and and stress can have a huge effect on health outcomes and fourth in health Roadmaps research is to motivate health. factors out of 42 counties in Idaho, “But we also know that poverty can people to take action and improve according to the County Health their communities in the categories limit access to things that can help Rankings. Nez Perce County ranks that they struggle. people to be healthy, so if you’re 26th in health outcomes and 13th “We really want people to use this living in a neighborhood that has in health factors. In Washington, data to take action and make sure Whitman County ranks 11th in health more crime or that isn’t as safe you everyone can live a long and healthy may not have opportunities to play outcomes and health factors and life,” Konkle said. outside,” Konkle said. “It limits Asotin County ranks 22nd in health For more information on your physical activity. You may not outcomes and 17th in health factors. county health rankings, visit live in a neighborhood where there Whitman County also ranks second countyhealthrankings.org. in length of life and third in the social are healthy fruits and vegetables or your family may not be able to ——— and economic factors category. afford them so it limits your access to “When we think about health, Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by healthy food. You may live in an area email people often think about the health to gcabeza@dnews.com. where school districts aren’t as good, behaviors in clinical care,” said

By Garrett Cabeza

Moscow-Pullman Daily News

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Michigan music therapist records young patients’ heartbeats

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER Associated Press

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A music therapist at a Michigan children’s hospital has made dozens of unique recordings as a gift for patients’ parents and other loved ones.

Bridget Sova uses a specialized stethoscope recorder to capture the thumping, rhythmic heartbeats of young patients then blends them with a recording of her playing guitar or singing a tune of the family’s choosing. Sova, 24, says it’s a way to ensure the heartbeats live on, regardless of what happens to the child.

Sova says she has made 60 to 70 heartbeat recordings during her year at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids. She has paired heartbeats with everything from traditional lullabies to songs by pop stars Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus. One family even requested the theme song from the classic boxing film “Rocky.”

“I don’t change the heartbeat. I change the song to fit the heartbeat,” Sova said. “And so that way the song is unique to them and to their son or daughter, brother or sister.”

Kim Betser says she often listens to Sova’s mash-up of her infant daughter Adalyn’s heartbeat and an acoustic guitar rendition of “You Are My Sunshine.”

How often?

“Probably daily,” the 36-year-old Xray technician from nearby Rockford,

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Michigan, said while laughing. “I do. It’s on my cellphone. I’ve been showing friends and family, and they just are blown away.”

Betser says the recording is a reminder that little Adalyn, who was born 8 weeks premature and with Down syndrome and heart defects, is still around.

Associated Press “It just brings joy. It Bridget Sova, music therapist at the Helen makes me happy to hear DeVos Children’s Hospital. that heartbeat and know that life,” Betser said of the 9-month-old, she’s strong and healthy and here, and we’ve made it through who spent 67 days in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. some rough patches early on in her

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Bridget Sova, music therapist at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, sings to Aubrey Spearman inside the infant’s room. and remove extraneous noise using an app.

“It’s such an amazing technique and intervention that we really want to share this with everyone,” Sova said in her office, shortly after recording her latest set of heartbeats.

Sova’s stethoscope recorder picked up the heartbeat tones of each

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Sova brought the technique with her from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she worked as an intern. She has taught a number of the DeVos hospital’s Child Life specialists how to construct the recording device — by combining a stethoscope with a lapel microphone — and how to record the heartbeats

member of the Jackson family of Grand Rapids — father Julius, mother Widline and infant daughter Mistha, who was born with a rare and lifethreatening autoimmune condition and needs a bone marrow transplant.

Sova brought together the trio of heartbeat sounds with the strains of one of Widline Jackson’s favorite tunes from her Haitian homeland to produce Mistha’s special song.

“We’re excited to have it for Mistha, because she loves music,” Widline Jackson said.

In addition to the music-added version, Sova gives each family a copy of their child’s solo heartbeat recording.

“It’s very meaningful just to have that heartbeat just plain, so that they can listen to it — listen to that essence of life,” she said.

CLUES ACROSS

Crossword

Mental Fitness

41. Gloss or sheen 44. Looks good in clothes 45. Stephen Malkmus’ band 48. Org. of C. American States 49. Doorways are some 50. Cattle genus 51. Rock bands play them

1. Dignified 7. Where to get a pint 10. Broken down 12. Peruvian city 13. Expressed grief 14. Isaac’s mother (Bib.) 15. Sizing up 16. Form of Hindustani 17. __-de-sac 11. Explosive warhead 18. Greek sophist 12. Wrap 19. Greek portico 14. Hidden meaning 21. Christian Television CLUES DOWN 17. Reciprocal of a sine Network 1. Indigenous people of 18. Go with pains 22. Attractiveness Norway 27. The man 20. Small constellation 28. Home of the Cowboys 2. Not odd 23. Prohibited 3. Ring 32. Home to Hollywood 24. Blocks 4. Adam is one 33. Be later in time 25. Home to Boston (abbr.)

5. Champion Volunteer QB 36. Woman 26. Small viper 6. The smartest Ed 37. A type of protection 29. Toward 7. Fast cats 38. Conservative people 30. Promotional materials 8. Two-toed sloth 39. Bela __, Hungarian 31. Plundering and 9. __ humbug!

Leader destroying 10. Investigator 40. Rodent

Sudoku 23 |

Balance

34. Provokes 35. One point north of due east 36. Freshwater fishes 38. Male parents 40. Little (Spanish) 41. Sean __, actor 42. Bowfin fish 43. Large integers 44. An association of criminals 45. Genus of grasses 46. Annual percentage rate 47. Mechanical belt

HOW TO PLAY: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Puzzle Answers on p. 17

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