Masthead for PlaneTalk Newsletter
PlaneTree's website
July 2009
Lectures at Santa Clara County Libraries 
 
PlaneTree is co-sponsoring these upcoming talks:

Building Better Bones with Safe, Effective Exercise
Profile of elderly woman's backSherri Betz, P.T., will provide basic information and helpful motivation as she demonstrates weight-bearing exercises for staving off or managing osteoporosis. An energetic speaker, Betz is an experienced physical therapist and the producer of several DVDs on therapeutic exercises. The second edition of her Osteoporosis Exercise Book will be available for purchase ($19.95) and signing afterwards.
  Thursday, July 30, 10:30 - Noon
Saratoga Library, 13650 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga  95070


Alimente Mejor a Su Familia:
Como Interpretar y Usar Etiquetas de Comida
finger pointing to a food labelThis presentation -  in Spanish only -  will focus on understanding food labels and measuring portions. You'll also learn easy ways to make small, but vital changes in your daily diet and healthier choices for you and your family. Presenter Oralia Tercero is a PlaneTree library assistant who has given numerous health-related workshops.
  Tuesday, August 4, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Campbell Library, 77 Harrison Ave., Campbell  95008


You Must Be Hungry:
A Family's Journey with Eating Disorders

Cover of the book HUNGRYSheila Himmel, a food critic for the San Jose Mercury News, and her husband were first pleased when their daughter became interested in nutrition and exercise. But Lisa's new healthy habits gradually turned into a life-threatening eating disorder. The myriad trials of fighting an insidious disease are chronicled in Hungry: A Mother and Daughter Fight Anorexia, which Sheila and Lisa wrote together.
  Saturday, August 8, 11 - 12:30 p.m.
Saratoga Library, 13650 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga  95070
AND
Thursday, August 13, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Morgan Hill Library, 660 West Main Ave., Morgan Hill  95037

News You Can Use  
 
If someone you love goes into cardiac arrest,
EMTs working on man lying on sidewalk...the ambulance crew probably won't follow national and international response guidelines. Learn why in this lay article, or in the meatier original article that appeared in Circulation.

Speeding up infertility treatment
Unhappy pajama-clad coupleConventional treatment for women with infertility consists of three cycles of clomiphene citrate (ClomidTM; Serophene  TM) with intrauterine insemination (IUI); three cycles of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) with IUI; and up to six cycles of IVF. A recent study suggests that a faster course of treatment - one which omits the middle step - is faster, cheaper, and just as effective.

Does the economy have you down?
Coins spilling out of a change purseIf the recession and job insecurity have you stressed out, here are some practical suggestions for ways to cope. For more information on lowering your stress level, click the bottom-most link on that page.

Hair pullers helped by a dietary supplement
Fifty-six percent of patients with repetitive hair-pulling (trichotillomania) who used a common, inexpensive, head of someone with trichotillomaniaover-the-counter amino acid for 12 weeks were "much or very much improved." The Trichotillomania Learning Center has a lay article about this research, plus links to the original report in Archives of General Psychiatry and a video of the study's lead scientist describing the research results. General information about the supplement is available here.

Controversy over schizophrenia medication
A study of longevity among people receiving different drugs to treat schizophrenia led the researchers to suggest making clozapine the drug of 3 pills on a counterfirst choice for treating schizophrenia. Their proposal has sparked debate about the safety and effectiveness of anti-psychotics. You can read a lay article here, or register with The Lancet medical journal for free access to the full research report.

Health = Place?  
Satellite image of S.F. Bay Area
A community program in Los Gatos on Thursday evening, August 20 will focus on how the places we live impact our health. A screening of "Place Matters," which is part of the award-winning documentary Unnatural Causes: Are Health Disparities Making Us Sick?, will be followed by a presentation and group discussion. This page has details about the free event. It's one of a series exploring of how social disparities affect health, and are being presented by the Health Trust and the Catholic Diocese.
     If you cannot attend, you are welcome to borrow our DVD of Unnatural Causes to view at home.
 
In This Issue
News You Can Use
Place = Health?
Book Group
A Wee Bit of Fun

PlaneTree on Vacation
Lounge chairs and umbrella on sandy beach

     Our staff and volunteers will begin a much needed break on Monday, August 24. We will re-open on September 8, the Tuesday after Labor Day.
    If you need medical information during this period, check the premier consumer health information website, MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. You may also want to contact other medical and public libraries in the Bay Area.

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 Book Group 

cover of book titled "Still Alice"
  
Saturday, August 8

     Our August discussion has two new wrinkles to this popular event:  this time we'll be gathering on the second (not the first) Saturday of the month; and our conversation will be the first provoked by a novel.
     Still Alice
, by Harvard neuroscientist Lisa Genova, sensitively illustrates the life of a fifty-year-old professional woman with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Readers who are personally acquainted with dementia attest to the story's vivid realism.
     Please join us for a stimulating conversation.

Quick Links
   Links to health info  

Save the Date
for a Wee Bit of Fun!
tiny wooden bowl next to a dime
 
     The Showcase of Miniatures, our annual fundraiser, will take place Saturday and Sunday, October 10 - ll. Several international exhibitors will be participating in the largest exhibit and sales event west of the Mississippi for dollhouse miniatures. Now in its 34th year, this magical event has a new venue, the Doubletree San Jose Hotel.
     During the event there will be free workshops for kids and adults. People already acquainted with the pleasures of creating miniatures may want to join the workshops and classes requiring preregistration.
     Support PlaneTree as you enjoy an artistic extravaganza of tiny treasures!