COMPLIMENTARY
Mar. 2015 Vol. 8 — Issue 3
BEE HEALTHY The buzz about health connections with bees and honey
PLUS:
Family fitness
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Table of Contents maRcH 2015 | VolumE 8, ISSuE 3
6 HEALTH When Honey is a No-No: Infant botulism Wisdom on Teeth: Are those final molars bad news? ..................pg. 16
7 12 20 24 27 FITNESS NATURAL EVENTS SPECIAL FOOD Southern Oregon Bee Bounty: Local producers get creative
Buzzworthy Recipes: Using honey in cooking
Families that Run Have Fun: Encouraging kids to be fit
Bee Venom: Ancient acupuncture
Local Events Calendar: Find out what’s going on in your community
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The editor’s desk
aDVERTISER INDEX
Inside you’ll find an homage to the amazing honey bee and how Rogue Valley residents are utilizing bees and bee products for natural alternatives. Next month we will showcase local clothing designers who are using another natural resource that will soon be homegrown: hemp. If you need encouragement to get fit, local races, fun runs and themed events such as the Color Run and Atlas Run are registering now.
crose@mailtribune.com
On the cover The busy honey bee pollinates 80 percent of our flowering crops, about one-third of our food. Beyond this essential benefit to agriculture, bee products from pollen to honey to wax can be used as natural alternatives in medicine, food flavoring and body care. The honey bee is struggling for survival from a variety of causes. If you’d like to learn more about helping bees, visit Southern Oregon Beekeepers Association’s webpage (www.southernoregonbeekeepers.org).
STaFF EDITOR: Cheryl P. Rose ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Dena DeRose DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Bret Jackson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: Denise Baratta
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Cathleen Cole, Margaret Battistelli Gardner, Cindy Quick Wilson
Abdill Career College ....................2 Ashland Dental Associates ...........18 Ashland Food Co-op ....................9 Blue Giraffe.................................14 BrainJoy ......................................18 Grants Pass Grower’s Market .......22 Katzen Orthodontics ......................4 Medford Food Co-op ..................11 Medical Eye Center .....................17 Medicap Pharmacy .....................11 Nature’s Pet Market .....................22 Oregon Advanced Imaging ...........3 Oregon Surgical Specialists .........23 Orenda Energy Arts ....................14 Providence Medford Medical Center............................28 Retina Care Center ......................10 Royal Oak Retirement....................5 Sherm’s Food 4 Less ....................19 Shop’n Kart.................................17 Siskiyou Clinic of Natural Medicine ........................25 Southern Oregon Foot & Ankle Clinic .............................27 Southern Oregon Subaru ..............6 Oregon Healthy Living Magazine is published by the Southern Oregon Media Group Advertising Department, 111 N. Fir St., Medford, OR 97501. General information: 541.776.4411 To advertise: 541.776.4422 Submissions and feedback: crose@mailtribune.com
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Sugar, Ahhh,
Honey, Honey
It’s OK to sing to your babies about honey – just don’t feed it to them TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER
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here’s a lot to learn when you bring a baby into the world, and the world has a lot of opinions on what’s right and what’s wrong. Much of it can be shrugged off. Never let a baby look in the mirror? Really? But when it comes to dietary guidelines, parents need to pay attention — especially when it comes to honey. Children under the age of 1 should never be given honey or foods containing
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honey (like honey graham crackers). And not just because it gets them — and everything else — sticky. “Infant botulism is a life-threatening disease caused by a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, and honey is a potential source of C. botulinum spores,” explains Sneha Bandi, clinical dietitian at Providence Medford Medical Center. The bacteria is usually harmless to older children since their more mature immune systems are able to shut it down before it becomes toxic. Infant botulism is relatively rare, affecting about 100 children a year, according to the Nemours Children’s Health System’s kidshealth.org site. It’s treatable, but it’s also severe, causing decreased muscle function. Signs can include poor sucking, a weak cry, excessive drooling, flattened facial expressions, trouble swallowing, decreased movement, and constipation. And parents, please don’t think you can get around this rule by going organic or raw, Bandi says. Either of them is preferable to commercial honey for adults. But in the case of children under age 1, honey is honey. And they shouldn’t be eating it. Kidshealth.org warns that corn syrup also may contain botulism-causing bacteria but says no proven cases of infant botulism have been attributed to it. For your littlest charges, Bandi advises, keep it simple. “Breast milk or formula is the only food for a newborn until 4 months of age,” she says. “Generally, between 4 and 6 months you can start introducing solid foods like baby cereal, then gradually introduce pureed meat, vegetables and fruits. But be sure to review your family history for allergies and intolerances with your pediatrician before you introduce solids.”
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SPECIAL
What’s the
Buzz? Delicious, healthful honey can be found in everything from soda to spa treatments
TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER
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hough honey is great in tea and slathered on crumpets, it’s also a nutritional powerhouse that is showing up in more products and places every day. All over Southern Oregon, creative beekeepers and honey enthusiasts are offering new ways to sweeten up your life.
SwEET SoDaS
Wylie Bettinger was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare, progressive liver disorder when he was a teenager, and simply had to find a better way to eat. Research brought him to the study of probiotics and cultured foods, and that lead to Wylie’s Honey Brews in Phoenix. “A couple of years ago, I wanted a beverage, a root beer, that I would feel good about drinking and that would feel good to drink,” he says. “Honey is one of the most superior sweeteners. It’s easily digested and doesn’t cause as much blood sugar volatility where you have high energy for a short time and then a sugar crash.”
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SPECIAL Bettinger figured out how to create the cultured root beer and then expanded to a whole line of healthful drinks made from Jun cultures, which are like kombucha cultures except brewed off of raw honey and green tea instead of cane sugar. Jun cultures also have a higher density of bacteria than kombucha. To maintain the honey’s integrity and prevent its enzymes from becoming denatured, Bettinger’s brews are created without the use of high heat. “We use that culture to achieve carbonation, so they have probiotics in them, but they are also appealing to people looking for a more recreational, enjoyable and refreshing soda-like product,” he explains. Wylie’s artisan honey sodas, made with locally sourced organic honey, come in a variety of flavors, including ginger ale, root beer, maté rose hibiscus, tulsi basil, turmeric, and lemon/ lavender/rosemary.
Photo courtesy of Oregon Bee Store Photo courtesy of Wylie’s Honey Brews
DoN’T bE a buzz KIll! You can’t have honey without bees. So local beekeepers offer services that will help you care for the health and well-being of the local bee community. If you find a beehive on your property and would prefer its inhabitant didn’t hang out there, fight the urge to swat it down. Instead, call the Little Heathen Honey Swarm Call Hotline. They’ll come out for free and remove it (541.941.3598, littleheathensoney.com). If, on the other hand, you want to attract honeybees to your property to help pollinate your garden — or just for the fun of it, Oregon Bee Store offers beekeeping instruction and mentoring, as well as on-site beehive care.
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clEaN caNDlES
“People have been making candles out of beeswax for thousands of years,” says Angelika Curtis, owner of the Oregon Bee Store in Eagle Point, adding that beeswax candles actually clean the air by increasing negative ions when they burn. “The standout thing about beeswax candles is their lack of toxicity,” she says, calling the soot that results from burning paraffin candles “disgusting.” Paraffin-based candles, made from a byproduct of the oil industry, have only been around for about 100 years. Other popular candle product alternatives are soy and palm wax, but they each come with their own issues — GMO and deforestation, respectively — Curtis adds. Beeswax, on the other hand, is a happy ride-along to farming.
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SPECIAL “Beeswax is a by-product of having bees, which we need for pollinating the crops anyway,” she says. “It’s low impact and nontoxic, so it’s perfect in that sense.” Oregon Bee Store uses beeswax to make practical and artistic candles. Examples include elegant tapers; intricate molded candles shaped like pinecones, pineapples, sunflowers, animals, birds, Buddhas, holiday and religious images, and even a pile of black skulls; pillars with raised floral designs; pillars that incorporate dried flowers and foliage.
ToNIc aND TEaS
Ted and Lyn Talk are farmers who raise and sell bees “and everything to do with bees and honey,” Ted Talk says, explaining that the couple started raising bees to help pollinate their farm. “We have a farm and we knew we needed more bees to pollinate to have more food and flowers,” he says. “That’s how we got into beekeeping. As we got further into it, we realized all that bees make in their hives besides just honey.” Everything from the honey to the propolis (a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources and use as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive) to the honeycomb itself can be incorporated into healthful products, Talk says. That realization lead to the Talks producing and selling a variety of bee-related products including teas and drops. The
Photos courtesy of Singing Bird Farm drops come in lemon/ginger to fight tummy troubles and elderberry to combat colds and flu. Singing Bird Farm honey tea varieties include Raspberry Hibiscus, Lemon Ginger, Very Blueberry, Lavender Rooibos, Redwood Propolis Chai and Berry Zing (with red chilies and cayenne pepper). “Honey is a natural antibiotic, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Talk says. “You can use it to fight everything, including scratches and cuts, cold and flus, and poison oak. The list is so long.”
e h t e r a u yo
-op!
Congratulations to Cheryle San Miguel, our 10,000th Owner! Thank you for shopping at the Co-op! www.ashlandfood.coop
Ashland Food Cooperative 237 N. First St. Ashland, OR • 541-482-2237 March 2, 2015 • Oregon Healthy Living
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SPECIAL
Photo courtesy of Emz Blendz Soap Co.
coNDITIoNING SoaPS
Emily Whitlock remembers the delicious scent of warm blackberries from picking berries as a kid. That’s why the owner and master blender of Emz Blendz Soap Co. in Ashland paired blackberries with organic honey and beeswax to create a textured, long-lasting soap that smells like a summer day. “Honey is very good for the skin,” Whitlock says. “Honey is full of antioxidants that are good for the complexion, rejuvenate the skin and are very soothing. You can use honey straight on your face as a mask. Honey is also a humectant, which means it draws moisture and keeps moisture locked to the skin. This makes it a beneficial ingredient for dry or itchy skin.” Whitlock also uses honey, which she sources from GloryBee in Eugene, in a honey and oatmeal soap. “Oatmeal and honey is a traditional blend that makes a soft, conditioning lather,” she says. “It’s used to treat acne, eczema, and other skin conditions. It has anti-inflammatory and protective properties and is perfect for sensitive skin types.”
maKING THE GRaDE Sorry, but this is a tough one to swallow: Most of the commercial honey in U.S. stores and restaurants isn’t actually honey at all, according to Ted Talk, the owner of Singing Bird Family Farm in Grants Pass. “We still have no laws on the labeling of a lot of foods, and honey is one of them,” he says. “Most people don’t know that when they buy honey in a store or get it at a restaurant, it’s not real honey. Eighty percent of it is mostly corn syrup and honey flavoring. And it can actually make you sick; it’s the complete opposite of what real honey does.”
?
The best honey comes straight from local beekeepers or the farmers markets where they sell their goods.
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SPECIAL
Waterstone Spa’s Bee Well Body Polish is a nourishing Oregon honey and sugar exfoliation followed by a soothing honey whipped body butter.
SPa TREaTmENTS
While honey brews and candles are pretty wonderful, you can’t get any more honey indulgent than the Bee Well Body Polish at Waterstone Spa. The popular service begins with some time in the spa’s steam room or sauna to kick off the relaxation process and warm up the body. Then it’s off to the Vichy Shower Room to be slathered with a specially formulated, organic sugar scrub made with Oregon-raised honey infused with calendula, meadowfoam and ylangylang, followed by a lie-down shower from five showerheads. Finally, the treatment is topped off with a soothing, honey-based, whipped body butter. “The technician applies the scrub in a vigorous way to exfoliate the skin to stimulate the lymph system, which is also the detoxification portion of the treatment,” explains Deb Cleland, spa manager at Waterstone. “You’re getting rid of the outer layers of skin, increasing circulation and detoxifying. The honey has a hydrating quality, so you’re exfoliating and hydrating at the same time.” The Vichy Shower “rain” finishes off the process, leaving the client both relaxed yet energized at the same time as it stimulates the lymphatic system. The whole treatment lasts an hour.
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Taste of honey
See the Honey Flatbread recipe on page 15. Photo by Meg Smith
TEXT BY CATHLEEN COLE
Cookbook author Marie Simmons enjoys honey so much she wrote a book about it 12
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hen cookbook author Marie Simmons wants to learn about a subject, she writes a book about it. That’s how her book on honey came about.
“Honey is a food I have been using in tea, on toast and in cooking – baking mostly – for many years, but I never gave its origin much thought,” says Simmons, author of cookbooks including “The Good Egg,” “Fig Heaven,” “Rice, The Amazing Grain” and “The Amazing World of Rice.” “Researching ‘The Taste of Honey’ provided a truly fascinating glimpse into the world of honey, specifically the honeybee. As a result, my husband and I are now beekeepers. We have two hives in our little almost-urban backyard in Eugene.”
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FOOD
Also as a result of her research, Simmons is an authority on honey, sharing her knowledge of the golden product of honeybees.
The many tastes of honey
Honey is a product of the nectar of specific flowers, Simmons explains, including blossoms on plum, apple or orange trees, fields of alfalfa or buckwheat, or the blossoms on lavender plants. The nectar is sucked from the blossom by the honeybee and gets converted to honey. As a result of the source of the nectar, the honey will take on the taste found in the blossom that provides the nectar. “For instance, in our yard at the height of summer there are beds of thyme and large rosemary bushes,” Simmons notes. “Therefore, the small amount of honey we harvested – we were anxious to leave plenty of honey in the hive to sustain the bees over the winter – had a decidedly herbaceous quality.” The author emphasizes the fun of honey tastings. Compare a fragrant California orange blossom honey, an aromatic local blackberry honey and a spicy alfalfa honey. Try each one individually and think about the aroma and taste, she advises. A favorite local honey is meadowfoam, a plant native to the Pacific Northwest, that has a flavor like caramelized sugar. “Very distinctive and delicious,” Simmons says.
cooking with honey
Simmons uses delicately flavored honey as a “finishing” – honey drizzled on toast, muffins, ice cream, yogurt and other foods. Subjecting these honeys to high heat as in a quick bread, cookies or cakes will destroy the delicate flavor notes, she warns, but the overall taste of the honey will still come through. An exception might be big-flavored or robust honey such as dark buckwheat honey. “I love darkly colored, bold-tasting avocado or buckwheat honey or perhaps eucalyptus – with a slightly pine-like or resinous flavor – in recipes using chocolate, especially chocolate pudding,” she says. “In savory foods, I like to add
a spoonful or two of wildflower honey, which has complex flavor notes, stirred in at the end of a stir fry. The sweetness helps to balance the saltiness of the soy and heat of the ginger or chile.” Honey is antimicrobial and also a humectant, which means it retains moisture. That’s why it’s favored in baking, Simmons says. It keeps foods moist and can keep it from spoiling.
Naturally delicious
Although honey is a sweetener, it is a completely natural sweetener, Simmons emphasizes. It is unprocessed and basically untouched by human hands. It’s an all-natural energy booster, too. Because of its antimicrobial properties, honey is used by some to heal wounds. It has long been used as a cough suppressant and to sooth sore throats.
Eat local, honey
Simmons urges people to buy locally sourced honey to support local beekeepers and the local honeybee population. Also, she advises buyers to make sure the ingredients listed on the container include honey and only honey. “Without honeybees doing their job as pollinators, not only wouldn’t we have honey, we also wouldn’t have one-third of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy as an essential part of our diet,” she explains.
oREGoN HoNEy FESTIVal Oct. 17, 2015 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Ashland Springs Hotel 212 E. Main St., Ashland 541.951.5595
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FOOD
Honey-glazed beets with cinnamon, orange and mint
Type of Honey: Select a mild honey with floral notes or go another route and try this with a complex wildflower. Another choice is a cinnamoninfused honey, which is sometimes hard to find but delicious. Makes 4 servings. A cinnamon stick simmered with the beets in a shallow pool of water gently perfumes the beets. Simmons prefer to peel raw beets with a vegetable peeler and cut them into chunks before cooking. The smaller pieces will shorten the cooking time, and the cut surfaces allow greater opportunity for absorbing the spice. INGREDIENTS 1½ to 2 pounds beets (about 12 small or 8 medium-size beets), tops removed, peeled, halved or quartered ¾ cup water, plus extra if necessary 1 cinnamon stick ½ teaspoon coarse salt 2 tablespoons torn fresh mint leaves 1 strip (1/2 by 3-inches) orange zest, cut into long thin strips 1 clove garlic, bruised with the side of a knife 3 tablespoons honey Freshly ground black pepper 1. Place the beets and ¾ cup of water in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet with a lid. Add the cinnamon stick and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the beets are tender when poked with the tip of a knife. Check the water level from time to time, adding 2 tablespoons at a time if the pan is getting dry. When the beets are tender, remove the lid, and if there is still water in the skillet turn the heat to medium-high and boil until the water is evaporated. 2. While the beets are cooking, gather the mint, orange and garlic together in a pile and chop finely. Set aside. 3. Drizzle the cooked beets with the honey and stir over medium heat until the honey boils and coats the beets. Add a grinding of pepper. Sprinkle with the mint mixture.
Photo by Meg Smith
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From Taste of Honey: The Definitive Guide to Tasting and Cooking with 40 Varietals by Marie Simmons/Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
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FOOD
Flatbread
with Melted Manchego, Rosemary and Honey Choose a honey that goes well with the cheese you intend to use. With Manchego, Simmons recommends using a slightly tannic, dark thyme or rosemary blossom honey. If you choose a soft, mild cheese such as fresh goat cheese, select a floral varietal such as orange, lemon or star thistle. With feta cheese, use Greek thyme, eucalyptus or pine honey. The combinations are endless. Makes 6 flatbreads. INGREDIENTS Yellow cornmeal Pizza dough (recipe follows), or 2 pounds store-bought fresh or frozen pizza dough, proofed according to package directions Extra-virgin olive oil 6 ounces Manchego, or another semi-hard cheese with good melting properties, cut into slivers or curls with a cheese plane or vegetable peeler 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary ½ cup honey 1. Sprinkle 2 baking sheets lightly with cornmeal. 2. Prepare pizza dough through step 4. Punch the dough down and let it stand for 10 minutes. Divide the dough equally into 6 portions. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each portion with the heel of your hand and gently stretch from the outside edges into an oval 6 to 8 inches long and about 5 inches wide. Brush olive oil liberally onto both sides. Using a long, flat spatula, transfer the ovals of dough to the baking sheets. Cover them with a towel and let them stand for about 30 minutes. 3. Arrange the oven racks in the lower half of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F. 4. Bake the flatbreads for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and carefully turn over the flatbreads. Arrange the cheese on the top (the browned sides) and return the sheet pans, reversing the placement, to the oven and bake for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. 5. Sprinkle the melted cheese with the rosemary. Serve the flatbreads warm with about 1 tablespoon of honey, or to taste, drizzled on each.
Pizza dough 1¼ cups water, warm (105° to 115°F) 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 teaspoon honey 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons coarse salt 3½ to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or more as needed 1. Combine ¼ cup of the warm water with the yeast and honey in a large bowl; stir to blend. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let it stand for about 10 minutes, or until foamy. 2. Mix in the remaining 1 cup of water, olive oil, salt, and 11/2 cups of the flour, and stir until smooth. Gradually add the remaining 2 to 21/2 cups of flour, stirring until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl. 3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic, adding as much extra flour as needed to keep the dough from being too sticky. Alternatively, knead the dough with a dough hook in a stand mixer for about 5 minutes. The dough is adequately kneaded with it springs back when poked with a finger. 4. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large, oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. 5. Punch down the dough and divide and shape as directed in the recipe. If not using the dough right away, punch it down, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. From Taste of Honey: The Definitive Guide to Tasting and Cooking with 40 Varietals by Marie Simmons/Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
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To Pull or Not to Pull? Wisdom teeth can be troublemakers in the mouth TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER AND CHERYL R OSE
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hile it’s often a case of case-by-case, current wisdom about wisdom teeth tends toward removing them. An adult whose wisdom teeth are fully in place and not causing any issues might not need to have them removed. However, if those last molars are half-in/half-out, they can be a recipe for decay trouble. Many dental professionals recommend removing wisdom teeth even if they’re not problematic. why keeping teeth may not be wise
“Very few people have room for their wisdom teeth,” says Beau Kapp, a dentist at Larson Creek Dental in Medford. “Humans have evolved to a point where we don’t need them and they can cause potential problems.” Kapp said that most dentists evaluate each case individually. “In the past, there may have been dentists more proactively taking wisdom teeth out; it varies among dentists, and some are more conservative,” he says. “It’s sort of a philosophical issue for dentists.” However, Michael Doherty, an oral surgeon at Rogue Valley Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in Medford, explains that
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current research indicates it’s better to remove them even when all seems well. “For patients with wisdom teeth in their mouth, periodontal disease develops and has been shown to spread to the adjacent teeth,” he says. “Patients are also at risk for cavities in these teeth that are hard to keep clean. For wisdom teeth that are not visible in the mouth, evidencebased medicine demonstrates a significant number of patients develop pain, infections and symptoms that affect quality of life. In clinical practice, this is what is seen every day in dental and medical offices and, unfortunately, in emergency rooms.”
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HEALTH Teens vs. adults
Wisdom teeth are easier to remove in teenagers because the roots aren’t fully formed and the bone around them is softer. Dentists need to start looking at their patients’ wisdom teeth between the ages of 12 to 18 to weigh the pros and cons of removing them. “At that age, the wisdom teeth are like little seeds that pluck out with very little trauma,” Kapp says. “Many times they might be covered over by gum and sometimes bone, but once you can grab hold of them, they pluck out like a watermelon seed.” But in adults, both the process and recovery are tougher. Recovery time for a teenager is about a weekend, according to Dyan Dalton, surgery manager at the Oral and Maxillofacial
continued on page 18
EXTRacTIoN acTIoN
All dentists are able to remove wisdom teeth, but will make the call whether to handle the extraction based on his or her personal experience and training, says Beau Kapp, a dentist at Larson Creek Dental. “There are many general dentists that do it and are good at it,” Kapp says. “They might refer patients to an oral surgeon if the teeth are near a nerve or a sinus, as that could be a situation where you don’t want a bad result.” Most wisdom teeth extractions are covered by dental insurance, whether performed by a dentist or an oral surgeon. “Fees are determined by whether a tooth is impacted (covered by bone) and to what degree,” explains Michael Doherty, oral surgeon at Rogue Valley Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. “Fees also vary due to anesthetic options. It is very difficult to give patients an idea of fees without a consultation, as the range for four wisdom teeth can be from $600 for lidocaine and teeth in the mouth to $2,500 for going to sleep and complex full bony extractions. Usually the costs are around $1,600 to $2,000 for most patients.”
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HEALTH
“Very few people have room for their wisdom teeth. Humans have evolved to a point where we don’t need them and they can cause potential problems.” — Beau Kapp, dentist
continued from page 17 Surgery Center of Oregon. Post-op swelling can last a week. Their pain lasts one or two days and is easily managed by medication, she says.“Kids heal a lot faster. The sockets where the teeth used to be fill in gradually from the bottom up, and for most kids, the sockets are closed between four and eight weeks.” Adults, however, usually will experience more pain, longer, Dalton says. Swelling still goes away in about a week, but the sockets often can take six months to close fully because adult bone regenerates more slowly. And caring for those open sockets for six months can be an annoyance. “It can be a rather large hole,” Dalton says. “We do give them a syringe that’s curved and angled so they can get back there to clean it. It doesn’t cause a problem as far as eating, but you do need to clean it out. It’s more of a nuisance than anything else. But it does feel like a long time.” Removing wisdom teeth that are non-problematic in teens comes down to a judgment call by the dentist or oral surgeon.
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But sometimes parents seek to have them taken out to avoid having them disrupt expensive orthodontia that they have been paying for over the years, Dalton says. “Many orthodontists recommend extraction of wisdom teeth after completing orthodontics to eliminate a possible cause of future crowding,” Doherty adds.
Pain is a sign to pull
But no matter what the patient’s age, if wisdom teeth are causing problems, they should come out. “One thing to watch for is infection,” Dalton says. “Or sometimes cysts can develop and that can destroy bone. That can cause problems in the jaw or the destruction of other teeth. And if it’s an upper tooth, it can affect the sinus cavity.” Doherty, Kapp and Dalton agree that the best course for wisdom teeth in children and teens is to have the dentist take annual x-rays to keep an eye on them and how they are developing. In adults, if you have any doubt about your wisdom teeth, discuss it with your dentist.
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A Dash of Running Makes F TEXT BY CINDY QUICK WILSON
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ith youthful energy and exuberance, kids are natural runners. Some choose to go with parents as a family activity, others compete in school events or organized runs. Whatever their level of participation, parents can have an important role in cultivating a lifelong love of this healthy lifestyle by sharing their interest, support, encouragement and supervision. Running is a family affair for Hedrick Middle School cross country track coach Susan Holt, her husband, Bob, and their two daughters, Grace, 14, and Jill Rosie, 12. “They’ve watched me run and race ever since they were born and now it’s become a healthy part of their lives,” Holt says. “It’s so good for kids physically, but I think it’s also good for them emotionally and socially.” Medford pediatrician Alan Frierson, a runner and veteran of 31 Pear Blossom Runs, agrees the benefits go beyond
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improving a youngster’s fitness level. “Running positively affects both sides of the brain,” he says. “It makes the smart part of the brain smarter by increasing the blood flow, and the emotional side more well-balanced. My specialty is behavioral pediatrics so I see ADD, ADHD and bipolar kids. I always tell them if they would exercise, it’s been proven that they would need less medication. Exercise helps in ways we still don’t fully understand.”
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FITNESS
“I think running is something where all kids can find some success. Everyone can enjoy their own level of participation and social interaction. It’s a great way to be active, stay healthy and enjoy nature.” — Susan Holt, track and cross country coach, Hedrick Middle School
Photo by Denise Baratta
es Fitness Fun
Parents can encourage exercise by running together
How young is too young?
“I think kids can go out running as soon as they are old enough to go outside,” Frierson says. “The best bet is when you have a parent who sets an example. It can be as easy as a parent just taking the kid out for a walk. That’s a great start.” Eagle Point resident Tyrone Raber says his kids, 8-year-old son Easton, and 11-year-old daughter Kansas, got the running bug early and they caught it from their mother. “After the birth of our first child, my wife, Laura, wanted to lose weight so she started training for the Pear Blossom Run,” Raber says. “Then we both got interested in doing other races through the Southern Oregon Runners Club.” Raber says both children moved from running to triathlons. “Our daughter got started when she was about 6 years old,” he says. “Then, at 10, she did her first adult-length triathlon. She’s done two of those already. Our boy did his first triathlon when he was 4. He had his little Scooby-Doo life vest on. It was a real short distance, just the length of the swimming pool, a short bike ride and a quarter mile run. It was pretty cute.”
The Raber Family, (from left), Laura, Kansas, Tyrone and Easton, run trails in Eagle Point for fitness and competition.
Photo by Denise Baratta
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Photo courtesy of the Raber family
FITNESS
The Right Stuff “The great thing about running is that it is something you can do any time, anywhere, and it doesn’t cost any money,” Holt says. But there are some things parents can do to make sure their kids are starting out on the right foot. That includes the right shoes, adequate hydration and good nutrition. Rogue Valley Runners in Ashland offers a free gait analysis to its customers. “Running is one of the highest impact sports and if you don’t have the proper shoes, the ankles, knees and hips aren’t in the proper alignment and you can start having problems with overuse injuries,” explains Brett Hornig, a sales associate. “We analyze the way a runner or a walker’s foot hits the ground to determine what kind of shoe, in terms of arch support, would be best.” As a coach, Holt knows the importance of adequate water intake. “Hydration is huge because kids don’t always realize that they need as much water as might be healthy for them, so we really push that,” she says.
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As far as the nutrition goes, Frierson says just follow healthy eating guidelines. “It’s my theory that people who exercise tend to make better diet choices,” he says.
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FITNESS Events for little ones
Photo courtesy of the Raber family
Justin Rosas, a local attorney and current president of Southern Oregon Runners Club in Medford, says they make a special effort to accommodate these youngest running enthusiasts. “We have quite a few families, even multi-generation families, in our club,” he says. “I’d say the youngest is 3, with some 4- and 5-year-olds.” Rosas says there are shorter distance runs specifically for younger members. “We’ll do something like a leprechaun lap for the Shamrock Run or a chocolate lap for the Couples Truffle Shuffle,” he says. “The younger kids run before the main race so that all the adults can watch and cheer them on. It’s always fun to watch.”
How much is too much?
The Rabers love that their two kids run with them, but they don’t push them to practice or train for the races they enter. “We don’t want to burn them out,” Raber says. “Our kids are very active, so on race day, whatever they can do is what they do. First place or last, it doesn’t matter to us. For now, we are happy they enjoy something that’s healthy.” Holt says in her experience, most kids know when enough is enough. “I’ve coached for 22 years and I have seen very few kids who push themselves to the point of being unhealthy,” she says. “I think running is something where all kids can find some success. Everyone can enjoy their own level of participation and social interaction. It’s a great way to be active, stay healthy and enjoy nature.”
See How (and Where) They Run Southern Oregon Runners Club calendar for upcoming events includes several short runs for kids as part of their larger events. Visit www. sorunners.org for a listing. Examples include: • The Granite Man, June 13 to 14 at Applegate Lake, organized by the Rogue Valley Race Group. • Run 4 Freedom, July 4 in Central Point, point person Jennifer Boardman. • Britt Woods Firehouse Run, July 11 in Jacksonville’s Britt Woodlands, point person Doug Naverson. • Cougar Pride Run, August 15 at Lake Selmac Trout Picnic Shelter, point person Brad Carlson. The annual Pear Blossom Run is April 11, 2015. The fun runs begin at 7:50 a.m. Registration is open until April 11 and costs $7 for the 1-mile, 2-mile or both races. For more information, www. pearblossomrun.com.
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The stinger of a bee, complete with it’s venom, is applied with tweezers as a replacement for traditional acupuncture treatments at Siskiyou Clinic of Natural Medicine in Ashland.
THE BUZZ about Apitherapy
Bee venom takes the sting out of many acute and chronic illnesses TEXT BY CATHLEEN COLE • PHOTOS BY DENISE BARATTA
U
sing bee stings to combat pain and inflammation seems antithetical, but that’s just what many health practitioners are using on some of their patients as a treatment for acute and chronic illnesses such as sports injuries, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, shingles and back pain. “It sounds counterintuitive,” admits Cory Tichauer, a naturopathic physician with Bear Creek Naturopathic Clinic in Medford, “but components of bee venom have major anti-inflammatory effects.” Honey bee venom’s most prevalent substance is melittin, one of the most potent anti-inflammatory agents known and said to be 100 times more potent than hydrocortisol.
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Treating lyme disease
Bee venom is one of many effective modalities that Tichauer uses in treating Lyme disease. “Often this is chosen as an option for patients who are unresponsive or intolerant of antibiotics or just don’t want to go with a standard-of-care approach,” he says. The standard approach to treating Lyme disease is administering antibiotics until the patient is symptom-
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NATURAL
buSy bEES PRoVIDE HEalTH PRoDucTS The American Apitherapy Society states that apitherapy, or “bee therapy” (apis is Latin for bee) is the medicinal use of products made by honeybees including bee venom, honey, pollen, royal jelly, propolis and beeswax. Some of the conditions treated are multiple sclerosis, arthritis, wounds, pain, gout, shingles, burns, tendonitis and infections. “I do love using all of the products to support the body,” White says.
free and tests negative for the disease. The doctor has used bee venom mixed with anesthetic, which he injects with a needle and syringe, to treat about 30 patients with good results.
The first form of acupuncture
“Bee venom therapy is considered the first form of acupuncture in China,” notes Jeanne White, owner of Siskiyou Clinic of Natural Medicine in Ashland. The licensed acupuncturist, who has a master of science degree in Oriental medicine, uses the bee’s stinger attached to the venom sack to prick the area that needs attention. Some of her patients suffer with neuropathy, arthritis, tennis elbow and other painful, inflammatory illnesses. One patient had temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), and White used only one stinger to fix the problem. “It totally unlocked the jaw,” she says. “That’s pretty profound.” Although acute problems can often be solved quickly, patients with chronic illnesses are usually treated on a weekly basis. Bee venom doesn’t cure the condition or disease, but it helps treat the pain and inflammation.
bee safe
Before proceeding with bee-venom treatment, Tichauer and White test their patients for bee allergies with a small
Acupuncturist Jeanne White uses bee stingers and their venom in her Siskiyou Clinic of Natural Medicine in Ashland. amount of venom. Then they watch and wait for a reaction. If patients tolerate the venom, treatment proceeds. Extreme allergic reactions are rare, but the medical professionals have epinephrine auto-injectors for anaphylaxis.
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NATURAL
Pollen and honey are just two of many bee products with purported medicinal properties.
bee-sting method
White employs a “gentle beesting technique” that covers several acupuncture points with one stinger and can be used in delicate areas such as the face. She also uses full bee stings but can administer them using the same gentle technique, which results in a much less painful application but delivers the same result. The process starts with capturing a bee with tweezers, removing its stinger with another pair of tweezers and then using the stinger, which is still attached to a pumping venom sack, as an acupuncture needle. “You can actually use a stinger several times,” she says. “A little bit goes a long way.” One to 20 bees are used in a treatment, depending on the illness. She does not take lightly the fact that the bees die for this procedure. “I do it in a sacred way,” she emphasizes. “I do it very gently. I really respect and honor the bees.” The acupuncturist, who plans to get her own hive this spring, notes the life span of worker honeybees ranges from just five to seven weeks and queen bees lay thousands of eggs a day. “There’s no way you’ll deplete the bee population with apitherapy,” she says.
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