Salem-News.com Health articles Page 60

Aging & Eating in Good Taste

Many retirement homes make extra efforts to serve up yummy treats. For those with disabilities and less energy, mealtime is often an important time to socialize.

(SALEM) - All of us have eaten countless meals in order to survive to becoming senior citizens. The lure of delicious food has satisfied our taste buds over the years. However, we must adjust to changing times.

Just as our vision often gets dimmer and our capacity for hearing decreases with age, our tongues also get older with wear and tear. It is normal to retreat to the memories of an earlier era. The reality is that we older folks simply do not register taste as we used to. Our taste buds are not quite as sharp.

Registration for Cover Oregon Application Fairs Filling Up Quickly Across the State

Prior to arriving at a fair, Cover Oregon asks that people pre-register online for a specific time slot.

(SALEM) - Cover Oregon is kicking off the first of six application fairs across the state today to help people apply for health insurance. Interest in the fairs is high and registration time slots are filling quickly. Space is limited and Cover Oregon encourages people who wish to attend an event to pre-register at Application Fairs Registration. Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required. There may also be wait times.

In addition, Oregonians are encouraged to start their application now by downloading and printing it at CoverOregon.com and bringing it to the fair.

Portland AIDS Activists Named to `POZ 100` List

National list of "Unsung Heroes" all live with HIV.

(PORTLAND, OR) - POZ magazine, an award-winning print and online brand for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, today announced the fourth annual POZ 100.

This year, POZ asked individuals and organizations to nominate an HIV-positive person in their community who is an unsung hero in the fight against AIDS.

Risks of Manmade Chemicals in Drinking Water the Focus of 2013 NWRI Clarke Prize Lecture

"Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed." - Friedrich Nietzsche

(FOUNTAIN VALLEY) - Due to rapid advancements in analytical chemistry, a variety of manmade chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals, can now be detected at very low (trace) levels in all municipal wastewaters and most surface waters.

But what does the presence of these chemicals mean, and how do we define the risks (if any) to the public?

Medical Marijuana Dispensary, Gifts and Art Gallery Open in Salem Oregon

First Choice Cannabis is Open for Business!

(SALEM, Ore.) - A new art and glass gallery and medical marijuana dispensary hosted their grand opening last weekend in South Salem. First Choice Cannabis is owned and operated by Amy Zimmerman. This store is open to the public, featuring the only “live” glassblower in the capitol city.

“The community needs to come together like this, we have common goals,” said Amy Zimmerman. She believes patients should have a high quality selection of medicinal cannabis, and that means cooperating with other people in the industry.

VA to Suspend Mandatory Overtime for Claims Processors

During the government shutdown in October, the processors could not take overtime, and progress slowed significantly. In fiscal 2013 -- which ended prior to the shutdown -- VA processed 100,000 fewer claims than it expected.

(WASHINGTON, DC) - The Veterans Affairs Department will implement a temporary reprieve from requiring employees to work overtime to reduce the backlog of disability claims, saying it does not want to ask too much of its workforce.

During a meeting with reporters, Secretary Eric Shinseki announced a plan to generally cut back on the amount of overtime employees must take moving forward, saying he can only ask his claims processing units to “go full throttle for so long,” according to the Associated Press.

Marijuana Mis-Information and Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy

S.A.M.: "Smart Approaches to Marijuana" (what's so smart about it, anyway??)

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - It should be noted that Patrick Kennedy was a self-admitted addict to alcohol, cocaine and Oxycontin.

I routinely cruise the NYTimes for articles on marijuana, pro or con. You cannot imagine my surprise to read a "Letter to the Editor" dated Oct 27 2013, from Mr. Kennedy and his partner in crime, Kevin A. Sabet of S.A.M. (Smart Approaches to Marijuana).

They referred to the legalization of medical marijuana in California in 1996 and revolted in horror that in 2004 California was opening dispensaries where marijuana products could be purchased. Their revulsion was based on the premise that now that marijuana was legalized, that there would be a rise in marijuana use and marketing.

Contact your Senator Today and Ask them to Support S.1602

S.1602 is the Toxic Exposure Research and Military Family Support Act of 2013.

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Senator Richard Blumenthal, (CT) has introduced S.1602, the Toxic Exposure Research and Military Family Support of 2013, VVA strongly supports this bill, which reflects positively on one of our foremost legislative goals.

Not only would it help achieve a measure of justice for the innocent victims of the use of toxic substances in times of war, but it offers unlimited possibilities for scientific research into the effects of these toxic chemicals.

Marijuana: Best Therapy for PTSD

Better than alcohol, and most drugs: It will prevent millions of deaths

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - When I first started being a marijuana doctor, I had a lot of combat veterans with all kinds of physical wounds. These patients were eligible for medical marijuana permits. Many of them told me that they also had PTSD and they found out for themselves in Viet Nam that marijuana was good for combat terrors related to battle fatigue or shell shock, from WWI and WWII.

PTSD is related to battle fatigue, but it is far more serious and certainly more insidious. These early combat veterans were perplexed that they could not legally or medically obtain marijuana which worked “miraculously” for the extremes of combat stress.

Shine a Light on Lung Cancer

Nobody can breathe easy while the disease of lung cancer continues to strike our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, neighbors and friends.

(SALEM) - I am writing you today to inform you of this wonderful event we have created, progress we are making locally, after my mother-in-law passed away from a terrible disease.

She was 50 years old and two weeks away from meeting her first grandson when she passed. She was overlooked by her doctor for months before they finally found her cancer. I ask that you please read my letter and help spread the information.