|
|
Nickel & Dime Us, Please!
If you're a Los Gatos Whole Foods Market customer, you can shop green and help your local health library. The store is supporting three organizations with its "Nickels for Nonprofits" program during the first
quarter of 2009.
Here's how it works: For each bag you bring from home and fill
at the check-out stand, you can have 5 cents either deducted
from your total bill or donated to one of the selected charities. Please tell
the clerk you'd like your nickels to go to PlaneTree! |
|
Database Now Available from Home
Have you ever
researched a health or medical topic at home using MedlinePlus.gov and other websites we recommend, and wanted to learn even more?
Now we can offer you
home access to one of the subscription-only databases we use here at PlaneTree.
EBSCO's Consumer Health Complete contains -
- Respected medical encyclopedias and family-health guides for
consumers
- Extensive information on prescription and non-prescription drugs
- A guide to medical tests
- Many other books, such as
the Oxford Handbook on Child Nutrition, Mayo Clinic Guide to Women's
Cancers, and Balch's Prescription
for Herbal Healing
- Illustrations, animations, and videos
- Full-text of over 430 scholarly journals and 110 magazines
A FREE PlaneTree library card is your key to entering the database. If you already have your card, begin exploring now. To
get one, simply come in with an ID during our open hours.
|
|
News You Can Use
Do you have osteoporosis or osteopenia?
If you take an oral bisphosphonate such as Fosamax (alendronate) and you are planning to  have oral surgery, you may want to ask your dentist about recent research implicating bisphosphonates in developing osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). Although the connection is not proven, the University of Southern California School of Dentistry has discovered that utilizing a "prevention protocol" on all candidates for surgery who take biphosphonates has very effectively lowered their patients' rates of developing the painful jaw infection.
Using warfarin (Coumadin ®) safely
Because of its potency and the ease of taking either too much or too little, the blood  thinner warfarin (or Coumadin®) is number 2 on the list of medications causing emergency room visits. To help you safely use this widely prescribed and life-saving drug, a clearly written brochure is available from the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (in English and Spanish; notice that these text pages include links to more attractive PDF versions of the brochures).
Caesarean complications among babies
 The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises that elective Ceasareans be done in the 39th week of gestation. A recent study found that a surprisingly high number of doctors and mothers scheduled deliveries earlier than that - and that those infants had greater complication rates when compared with babies delivered in the 39th week of gestation. The increased risk rates were double for elective C-sections performed in the 37th week and 1.5 times greater during the 38th week.
This research was originally published in the New England Journal of Medicine, to which PlaneTree subscribes. Call or visit if you'd like to read the full report.
A two-way street: diabetes and apnea
 Dramatic preliminary results have led to calls for anyone with either diabetes or sleep apnea to be tested for the other condition. There is a high degree of correlation between the two - and each independently takes a toll on one's cardiovascular system. In addition, as one doctor commenting on the study noted, "Successful treatment of sleep apnea has a greater impact to improve blood sugar than any single thing you can do in a diabetic." For information on these two conditions, visit these pages: sleep apnea and diabetes.
 Boys-in-training
If you have a toilet with a wooden or ceramic seat, and a young boy who is (or soon will be) learning to use it, a few simple steps may prevent a painful crush injury. MedlinePlus.gov has articles on toilet training here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
February Book Club
Using simply written stories and meditations, Peace
Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life teaches us how to become more aware of our bodies,
minds, and the world around us through conscious breathing. Being deeply mindful
can bring peace, joy, and dedication to change. On Saturday morning, February 7, join our discussion about this guide by the Bhuddist monk, author, and
poet Thich Nhat Hanh. Please RSVP so we can arrange seating.
|
|
Was this newsletter forwarded to you?
 | |
|
Movie Premiere
Sunday, Feb. 15
You're invited to the South Bay premiere of a
documentary which has been a hit at numerous U.S. festivals. America the Beautiful probes the beauty industry and its influence on body image and self-esteem.
A Q-and-A session with the producer and others will follow the screening. This afternoon event is sponsored by Eating Disorders Resource Center. Tickets are $10; more details are here.
Note: We understand that the film received an R rating because of adult language. However, some parents report that the film stimulated worthwhile discussions between them and their teenagers.
|
|
Please!
Forward by using this link, not your email program.
|
|
Gracias!
Over $15,000 was
contributed during our fall donation drive. These gifts range from $10 to $2,500. We appreciate the financial and verbal support from so many of you.
If December 31 slipped by you, please consider making a
tax-deductible, "Happy New Year" contribution.
|
Support PlaneTree
Donate online |
|
