Published: July 27, 2011 @ 10:30 p.m.
LINDA CASTOR: When I was a kid, I wrote a paper I titled, "The Biological Need for Sleep." It really freaked me out when I learned we could actually DIE without sleep. I'm sure my anxious little mind caused me to lie awake in bed, while trying to force myself to go to sleep - or else my life, as I knew it, would be over soon.
Published: July 24, 2011 @ 11 p.m.
Sara Lopinski: Wouldn't it be wonderful if all you had to do to improve your thinking and concentration were to pop a pill? Well, this isn't possible, but one thing you can do is to control your lifestyle and the kinds of foods you consume. Consider these brainpower options:
Fish: Fish is a well-known brain food providing omega-3 fats needed for brain function and development.
Published: July 20, 2011 @ 6 a.m.
KATHRYN REM: When I heard there was a community garden behind the Farm Service Agency building on Wabash Avenue, I envisioned a little plot of land with a few tomato and green bean plants - enough to keep the rabbits fed.
What I saw was quite the opposite. The L-shaped lot on Hollis Drive and Koke Mill Road, just under a half-acre, is expected to yield 2 tons of organic food this year, and all of it will be donated to the Central Illinois Foodbank.
Published: July 19, 2011 @ 11 p.m.
Dr. Jasmin McGinty, assistant professor of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery for Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, provides the answers when it comes to common foot and ankle problems in a Q & A.
Q. What is toeing-in?
A. It basically involves kids and is commonly called pigeon toes. It is when toes are pointed inward rather than outward or straight ahead.
Published: July 26, 2011 @ 11 p.m.
BRIDGET ROLENS: Mindful eating is eating with awareness. When you eat mindfully . . .
-- You are connected to your senses as you eat -- aware of the food's taste and texture, shape and color, aroma and flavor.
-- You know when your body is hungry and when it has had enough.
Published: July 25, 2011 @ 11 p.m.
DR. JONATHAN OTTINO: Visual abilities are developed during preschool years that a child will need in school and throughout life. Therefore, taking your child for a bona fide eye exam is critical. An exam is much more thorough than a screening common to schools. Screenings may miss 60 percent of children's vision problems. With 85 percent of a child's learning being sight related, detecting vision problems early is essential.
Published: June 25, 2010 @ 11:06 a.m.
LINDA PFEIFFER: We all know how much fun a day at the pool can be for our toddlers. However, without the proper precautions, water can be very dangerous. Toddlers can not only drown in a pond in your back yard or your local public pool, but they can drown in water less than an inch deep such as a small plastic pool or your bathtub.
Published: July 15, 2011 @ 11 p.m.
LINDA PFEIFFER: Here are some tips on how keep the home pool safe and be safe at the public pool.
Barriers and Warning Systems
Isolate the Pool
1. Have a fence enclosure that isolates your swimming pool and spa from the home, play areas, front and side yards and the neighbor's yard.
Published: July 22, 2011 @ 11 p.m.
Dr. Bryan Taylor, DC: Subluxation, in short, is abnormal movement of a joint. Subluxations create pressure on the nerves, which can cause pain, stiffness, and loss of motion to the joint and the surrounding tissues. Your nervous system carries messages from the brain to every part of your body and is responsible for all body functions.
Published: July 18, 2011 @ 11 p.m.
BRIDGET ROLENS: Have you ever had the experience of focusing all your attention on what you are doing - gardening, working a puzzle, engaging in your favorite hobby, eating your favorite dessert - just enjoying the activity for its own sake, without any judgment or criticism, without having to achieve any particular goal?
