Blogs and Columns
Take a hike after each meal to stave off diabetes
If you’ve been told you have pre-diabetes or are at risk of developing diabetes, you can take steps to reduce your risk or prevent or delay the disease. Diabetes leads to high blood sugar or glucose in the blood since it affects the body’s ability to make or use insulin ...
SENIOR BEAT
Coping with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease
By Carol Higgins Taylor on June 06, 2013, at 1:23 p.m.
We’ve all heard of Parkinson’s disease, but how much do we really know about it? Almost one million people are living with Parkinson’s across the country. The disease affects movement and is chronic and progressive, which means it will get worse over time. While there is no cure, there are ...
As life nears its end, sacred moments of daily life can sustain
By Wes Davis on June 06, 2013, at 1:01 p.m.
Health care workers and practitioners across multiple disciplines around the state will come together next Tuesday to find ways to make patients’ last days on earth meaningful and even enjoyable. They’ll be at the 27th annual Thomas Nevola M.D. Symposium on Spirituality and Health at Colby College. This year’s topic ...
EAT THIS
Coffee: Enjoy in moderation
I love my coffee. I like it with cream so it is about the color of peanut butter. I have a couple of cups in the morning and then on occasion a cup in the afternoon. After looking at the research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry ...
From the community
Preceptor Beta Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority installs officers
ROCKLAND, Maine — New officers of Preceptor Beta Chapter recently were installed during a regular meeting at the home of Sue Look in Rockland. Outgoing president, Dottie Liberty, presided at the installation and passed the gavel to incoming president, Brenda Harrington of Spruce Head. Returning officers are: Mary Stone of ...
MICHAEL NOONAN
For stronger bones, put down the milk and grab a carrot
By Dr. Michael Noonan on May 30, 2013, at 11:10 a.m.
Osteoporosis (literally “porous bones”) is a serious problem for our elderly, primarily because of the increased risk of fracture. Osteoporosis-related fractures are more common than heart attack, stroke and breast cancer combined. It is commonly assumed that osteoporosis is caused by a deficiency of calcium, because calcium is the primary ...
How to tell if your supplements are working
By Wina Sturgeon, Adventure Sports Weekly on May 30, 2013, at 11:09 a.m.
Are you taking expensive supplements that go in one end and come right out the other, without being used by your body? Here’s how to tell whether you’re getting real nutrition, or just little more than a placebo. People, especially athletic people, should be getting all the vitamins and minerals ...
EAT THIS
Impact of protein on Parkinson’s Disease
About 60,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. Parkinson’s is a disease of the central nervous system where there is a loss of brain cells that produce the chemical dopamine. It affects nearly ...
ERIK STEELE
America to health care: We want our money back
Last week, for the first time ever, I paid for my health insurance directly out of my bank account; I wrote a check for $1200 to cover our health insurance for the month I am between jobs. For the last 30 years, most of the cost of my family’s health ...
MICHAEL NOONAN
The downside to getting an MRI for low back pain
By Dr. Michael Noonan on May 23, 2013, at 10:23 a.m.
My patients often bring a CD to their first visit that has MRI studies of their problem area, usually the low back. The images are really breathtaking from a health care standpoint — you can scroll through images of the spine, seeing “slices” at regular intervals, from left to right, ...
Not even chemotherapy could quell Maine woman’s longing to be in the kitchen
By Kathy Gunst, Special to The Washington Post on May 20, 2013, at 11:27 a.m.
My friend Dan was going through his fifth round of chemotherapy, and the treatments were taking a toll. Though he had an incurable form of esophageal cancer, Dan was one of the most optimistic, energetic, glass-is-always-full kind of guys I have ever known. So when he lost his energy and ...
It’s not about body mass index anymore: Know your waist-height ratio
For decades, body mass index has been the tool used by medical professionals to indicate the level of overweight or obesity, which in turn is believed to be associated with mortality risk. BMI is calculated by taking one’s weight in kilograms and dividing it by the square of one’s height ...
Rough sailing ahead for health care reform, but it’s not our only option
By Dr. Philip Caper on May 16, 2013, at 11:45 a.m.
You know another storm is brewing when Washington politicians start looking for somebody else to blame for problems they themselves created. That’s what happened recently at a Senate budget hearing when Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus unloaded on Kathleen Sebelius, President Barack Obama’s health and human services secretary. He berated ...
MICHAEL NOONAN
Got heartburn? Tune out Larry the Cable Guy to get real relief
By Dr. Michael Noonan on May 16, 2013, at 11:36 a.m.
My wife refuses to sit in the room with me when drug ads come on the television. I have a hard time not talking back to the TV when these ads are playing, and I roll my eyes when the disclaimers about the risks of the drug take three times ...
Parents beware of hidden caffeine lurking in energy drinks
It’s baseball and softball season in Maine, a time many parents spend chauffeuring kids back and forth to practice and games, fitting in dinner, and watching children practice catching, throwing and hitting. I’m one of those parents sitting there watching my child practice softball. As the weather has gotten a ...
Benefits of wellness care over drug treatments undeniable
By Dr. Michael Noonan on May 09, 2013, at 11:16 a.m.
The last column covered the largest “driver” of health care costs, which is lifestyle, and the benefits (including cost benefits) of living a wellness lifestyle. Now we’ll look at the second part of the wellness equation — the benefits of wellness care, especially when compared to today’s health care system. ...
FAMILY ALMANAC
What to do about a 13-year-old daughter’s lying to gain self-esteem
By Marguerite Kelly on May 06, 2013, at 3:23 p.m.
Q. My 13-year-old daughter is extremely artistic and creative, but lately she has started drawing Japanese-style cartoons that are far more sophisticated than her previous work. She then shows off this work to friends and family, which gives her much acclaim and attention but I got suspicious when I saw ...
MICHAEL NOONAN
High health care costs in Maine driven by lifestyle
By Dr. Michael Noonan on May 02, 2013, at 12:25 p.m.
A recent article in the Bangor Daily News lists Maine as having the fifth highest health care costs in the U.S., and mentions that health care expenses in the U.S. overall are two-and-a-half times greater than the next most expensive country. The article goes on to mention some of the ...
Is osteoporosis silently robbing your bones of strength?
By Carol Higgins Taylor on May 02, 2013, at 11:27 a.m.
“Oh my aching bones” is a phrase you’ve probably muttered at some point. While being bone-weary can be bothersome, it is not typically cause for alarm. What does require attention, however, is osteoporosis, the disease that leaves bones thin, weak and more prone to fracture. It is a serious condition ...
ERIK STEELE
How the 19-year-old brain can both awe and appall us
Among the most mysterious things on the planet is the brain of a male in his late teens. It has been designed by evolution for purpose without much perspective, passion without much reason, reproduction without much responsibility and performance without caution. If it was a car, it would be a ...
Orono man enters not guilty pleas in Cable kidnapping, murder
LePage speaks frankly to Dirigo Girls State delegates
Maine House fails to override Medicaid expansion veto
A vote against the budget is a vote for a state shutdown
LePage fails to surprise on Medicaid expansion
Susan Collins: Why Congress should reform federal court
The cost of requiring more renewable power
Maine Sports Hall of Fame revokes Dana Wilson’s 2012 induction
American Lung Association retires number of cyclist killed in Trek Across Maine
Retiring Hermon High School athletic administrator Soucy maintains love of sports
Report: Patriots’ Aaron Hernandez not ruled out as homicide suspect
Midcoast multibajillionaire knows what her husband is doing before he does it
The Esther II: A father’s boat, a son’s heart
