Healthy Memphis

The American Academy of Ophthalmology offers these tips for popping the champagne cork New Year's Eve without injurying yourself or your guests.

Keep champagne chilled. A bottle chilled to 45 degrees or below is less likely than a warm bottle to lose its cork unexpectedly.

Remember shaking the bottle increases the risk eye injuries.

To open, hold down the cork with the palm of your hand and removine the wire hood,
Read the rest of this entry »

This morning I forced myself to make the time to take advantage of the discounted flu shots being offered at the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department's public health clinics.

I'm glad I did. It cost $15 and took less than 15 minutes. That's counting the time it took to park, walk to the 814 Jefferson clinic, complete the paper work, get the shot, pay and walk back to my car. There was even time on the parking meter.

The health department's touting the $15 shots as the best price in town. That's for folks like me who are paying the bill. The immunizations, which dramatically reduce the likelihood of catching or dying from a flu virus, are free to Medicare and TennCare patients.

Call 544-7708, for a list of clinic locations and operating hours.

Do you avoid the annual cheese ball like the plague? Too much fat. Too many calories. Here's one from the Church Health Center you can actually feel good about eating.

"This recipe is really good!! It is easy to make and looks very pretty," says the center's Sharon Tagg.

Serve it with the new Wheat Thin chip, a multigrain choice.
Read the rest of this entry »

Skin cancer made headlines this week with news that First Lady Laura Bush had one removed last month. This picture of President and Mrs. Bush was taken Monday night.

Mrs. Bush was lucky. The nickle-sized spot located on her right shin turned out to be a squamous cell cancer, not the far deadlier form known as melanoma. The American Cancer Society estimates skin cancer will kill about 10,700 Americans this year, includnig nearly 8,000 from melanoma.

The news generated a flurry of stories about skin cancer risk, diagnosis and treatment
Read the rest of this entry »

Herbal supplements failed to ease the hot flashes associated with menopause.

That's the conclusion of a one-year study that compared the effectiveness of plant-based supplements like black cohosh with replacement hormones and an inactive placebo for easing hot flashes. Results were released Monday and reported in Tuesday's issue of the medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Here's the black cohosh plant.

The study involved 351 women ages 45 to 55. All were approaching menopause or had completed it. All reported suffering at least hot flashes or night sweats daily.
Read the rest of this entry »

Here is some good news for smokers. A new study suggests exercise can help reduce, at least a bit, their lung cancer risk. That's lung cancer as in the nation's leading cancer killer.

A study of more than 36,000 women found that a physically active smoker had a 35 percent lower of lung cancer than a sedentary smoker. The results are reported in the the current issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.

Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, the study's lead author, cautioned against reading the results as a license to light up and inhale. "The most important thing a smoker can do to reduce risk is to quit smoking. That said, exercise and being active can offer a marginal change in risk," she explained.
Read the rest of this entry »

Some 8,600 runners and walkers turned out for Saturday's St. Jude Memphis Marathon. Caby Byrne sent some photos that will take you there even if you spent the morning in bed.

Here's a second pic from Caby Byrne.

We made it through Thanksgiving without too much damage to our waistlines, now on to Christmas.

Nobody wants to think about calories every time they take a bite. That's a bit Scroogish.
But, hey, it's always a good idea to be informed.

So with that in mind, here's a little tidbit worth knowing from the December issue of Shape magazine:
Read the rest of this entry »

Need some inspiration in the kitchen?

The Church Health Center can help.

The organization commited to health and wellness in the community offers free regular cooking classes year-round that anyone can take.

"During December, they will be demonstrating a variety of dishes, many of them holiday dishes made healthfully," said the center's Sharon Tagg.
Read the rest of this entry »

Here's another take on a holiday standby from the Baptist Diabetes Education & Management Center. My Thanksgiving dessert offerings didn't include pumpkin pie, which is probably why this caught my eye. I'll be looking for an excuse to try it.
Read the rest of this entry »