USM School of Music and Kate Beever, music therapist at Maine Music and Health showcase music/movement/dance and other creative arts therapies used in healthcare.
The concept of qi lies at the heart of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is central to Taoist philosophy. Qi is defined as the energetic or animating force associated with all living things. The concept of an animating force is not unique to Chinese culture. In Japan it is called ki. In India, prana. The ancient Egyptians referred to [...]
If you are providing any type of care to someone who has dementia, chances are good that at some point you have experienced feelings of grief and guilt. These are feelings that often leave people feeling uncomfortable and ashamed. All they really mean is that you are human, and you are in the midst of [...]
What will you do on your summer vacation? Roman Waites, who has autism, will lead his family on a cross-country adventure and make a movie along the way.
Buckle your helmets ladies. Olive Spankins is going to teach you how to skate like a roller derby pro!
Two years ago, 43-year-old Maine firefighter Mike Nixon was diagnosed with malignant melanoma — the most dangerous form of skin cancer. “I had a spot develop in a weird place on my ear,” he says. “It wasn’t on top where you’d think people would get skin cancer, where there is sun exposure. It was up near [...]
For years, no matter what the cause, ear infections in children were routinely treated with antibiotics, but the recommendation has
Did you know that, according to the US Department of agriculture, 31% of all our food (1,249 calories per person per day) ends up in a dumpster or down the disposal? Just think about the good that food could do for some folks. In this first of a two-part series, we take a look at [...]
CPR was the Catching Health topic on the Morning Report — how it saved a Gorham woman’s life and how there are only two simple steps you need to remember when doing CPR: Call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest. I also shared a thank you email from a man [...]
It had been a fairly ordinary day for Tammy Conover, who lives in Gorham. She went to work, ate her supper and headed to her church to take care of some children while their mothers attended a book club and their fathers a men’s group. The men were just across the hall. Clint Steele says [...]
You see someone collapse. You panic and stand there wringing your hands, thinking, “OMG, what am I supposed to do? CPR? I took that class several years ago — what was it I learned?” Here’s your chance to learn two simple steps that will empower, not derail you — and potentially save a life. [...]
She had more sense than I'll ever have. My mother. Who had Alzheimer's disease. On a lovely walk along the ocean a few years ago, she taught me some lessons.
By Kate Fallon, a licensed clinical professional counselor at Ageless Journeys. Kate also teaches the Savvy Caregiver program at Southern Maine Agency on Aging. Even if you don’t have children of your own, it isn’t hard to imagine how difficult it can be to ask your children for help. Parents spend many years raising and nurturing children, [...]
Michael Anderson recently wrote to me about his ongoing struggle with Lyme disease. He gave me permission to share his story, which I decided to do in his own words:
Deer ticks. Tiny creatures that barely tickle when they crawl over the skin, but carry a wallop. Lyme disease. How to recognize the deer tick and protect yourself against infection.
Saturday was such a beautiful day — perfect for a trip to the Farmers’ Market at Deering Oaks Park in Portland. Yes, the season had begun! I couldn’t help but take a few pictures. […]
Guest post by Kit Broihier, MS, RD, LD Courtesy of the Maine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Continuing with the Mediterranean eating theme practically requires that we cover olives and olive oil at some point in the discussion, since they are so widely consumed by Mediterranean cultures. Traditionally, a Mediterranean diet calls for eating several [...]
By Charity Hirst Director of Marketing and Public Relations, the Medically Oriented Gym As a facility that promotes health and wellness, the Medically Oriented Gym (the M.O.G.) fields a lot of questions about the latest health and fitness trends. Recently, we were asked to provide our professional opinion about reality TV weight loss shows. Things are [...]
Several weeks ago, I decided to try cooking some Mediterranean style meals for me and my husband. I wanted to experiment with the Mediterranean diet because of all the research that shows it's a healthy way to eat.
On the Morning Report today we talked about Ellen Munson, a woman I profiled in the late 80s when I was Newscenter's health reporter. Ellen had a kidney transplant in 1986 and needed a second one 18 years later. You can read the details of her story here on the Catching Health Blog or watch [...]
28-year-old Ellen in 1986, after her 1st kidney transplant Ellen Munson got her first donated kidney in 1986. Her own kidneys had been destroyed, presumably by a serious infection called polynephritis, and she had been on dialysis for five years. Every day, Ellen was grateful to the family who had lost [...]
Rita, who is 79 years old, has congestive heart failure, a chronic health condition that lands many people in the hospital or nursing home. Telemedicine has allowed her to closely monitor important vital signs and stay in her own home. […]
By Kate Fallon, a licensed clinical professional counselor at Ageless Journeys. She also teaches the Savvy Caregiver program at Southern Maine Agency on Aging. Have you had moments of frustration, wanting to help your aging parents in some way only to find they refuse you? It can be very frustrating to meet with resistance. You likely [...]
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and the American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended routine cholesterol screening of children between the ages of 9 and 11 and again between 17 and 21 since 2011.They issued the recommendation and additional guidelines after reviewing more than 1,000 published documents on heart disease and how it relates to children [...]
It took me half my life to appreciate the taste of salmon. You need to understand. I grew up eating only one kind of fish: haddock (usually fried). Salmon is good for us, but why? Kitty Broihier, a registered dietitian and member of the Maine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has the answer: Salmon is highly [...]
There are many ways to maintain your personal health and if anyone ever tells you that their way is the only way … RUN!
In case you missed it ... last week on the WCSH6 Morning Report Sharon and I discussed John Nappi and his personal message about the importance of colororectal cancer screening. We also talked about the distinction between a screening and a diagnostic colonoscopy and how it might affect insurance coverage. And, I announced that I'm going to try following [...]
Two weeks ago on the WCSH6 Morning Report, I talked about the importance of early detection of colorectal cancer and shared some information about insurance coverage for screening tests: […]
A little exercise can go a long way in reducing stress and making you feel good, along with its many other health benefits.
When Ann and I were fellow reporters at WCSH6 back in the 1990s, she was young and beautiful — full of fun and spunk. And when she died yesterday, on Sunday, March 16, 2014, she was young and beautiful — full of fun and spunk. […]