By Dr. Heather McCarter

It’s that time of year again…gardening, mowing lawns, and enjoying the outdoors. After a long winter indoors the mind is ready to get back outside, but is the body ready to handle the rigors of regular lawn maintenance? Many people complain of low back pain and/or shoulder and neck pain after a weekend of gardening and lawn maintenance. Some even notice that they can’t be on their hands and knees as long as they once used to be. Others notice that hours of mowing and weed-eating cause the low back to cramp and the shoulders to throb. If the problem continues to progress, gardeners may notice numbness in the arms or legs as a result of their hard work.

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By Pat Lawrence

Sharon Shaner knows quite a lot about foundations-in make-up, in garments and in business. Good foundations are the hallmark of her success.

Although it’s not quite a dynasty yet, Sharon is following in her mother’s footsteps. Twenty years ago, Sharon’s mother Peg Foley started a Merle Norman business in Zanesville, Ohio. In addition to the complete line of cosmetics and skin care products, her Merle Norman & More studio carried specialty products, including wigs, turbans and oversized scarves that were helpful for women who had experienced the side effects of chemotherapy. She also added special foundation garments and inserts for mastectomy patients.

Sharon, a stay-at-home, says, “Mom did most of the pioneering. She had never owned a business. She was a principal with a full time job when she decided to start a business.” Sharon, a stay at home Mom, started helping at the store. “Mom didn’t need full time help at first”, so Sharon started college, got her degree in Business administration in 1986 and worked as a job trainer for four years. But, “In 1992, I began full time at Merle Norman & More.”

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By: Tonia Jordan

Adopting from the local ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) or animal rescue shelter is an excellent idea. In doing so, you are saving the life of an animal, giving it love and a new home.

There are many great pets out there in need of homes and families, and rather than purchasing a pet from a breeder, adopting is a way to give love and life to an animal in need.

Some tips before you adopt: Be sure everyone in your family is prepared for the responsibilities that go along with owning a pet. Be sure every member agrees on the type of animal. Including small children in the tasks of taking care of a pet is a great way to teach responsibility; but, as a parent you should always supervise and assist in taking care of the pet.

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- 4 medium chicken breast halves, skinned, boned, and cut into 1-inch strips
- 14 ounce(s) tomatoes, whole, canned, cut up
- 1 cup(s) chili sauce, low-sodium
- 1 ½ cup(s) pepper(s), green, bell, chopped
- ½ cup(s) celery, chopped
- ¼ cup(s) onion(s), chopped
- 2 clove(s) garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon basil, fresh, or 1 tsp dried
- 1 tablespoon parsley, fresh, or 1 tsp dried
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, red, crushed
- ¼ teaspoon salsa, mild

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Follow these tips to help ensure that your time between the sheets leaves you feeling refreshed and renewed.  Make breakfast your heaviest meal of the day. Digesting food takes energy, so if you eat a heavy meal late in the day, your body will have to work hard to digest it while you’re trying to go to sleep. Many people sleep better if they have protein at breakfast and lunch, and a light dinner with some carbohydrates.

Cut back on the sleep robbers. Cut out caffeine after 2:00 p.m., and refrain from drinking alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime. You may become drowsy after a couple of glasses of wine, but too much alcohol will make you wake up frequently during the night. In addition, although coffee is the most obvious source of caffeine, don’t forget that there’s also caffeine in colas, chocolate, tea, and some medications. Read the rest of this entry »

By Barbara Stewart

Question: We’re replacing our mattress set, which is about fifteen years old. What should we expect to pay for a quality mattress set?

Answer: The answer depends on your comfort preference. Fifteen years ago, manufacturers were building many more firm beds; today softer beds dominate the market. There are two reasons for this shift:

1.   As we age, our muscle tone and connective tissue have less integrity, and more comfort layers are required to relieve pressure points on the body. The aging boomer generation continues to shift the market toward softer beds.

2.   New sleep research continues to shows that firmer beds are not necessarily better than a softer bed with good underlying support.

Now, back to the original question of price. Firm beds are less expensive because there is less foam used in construction. If you’re buying a firm queen bed, expect to pay $800 – $1400 for a quality set constructed with a spring unit. And expect to pay $1400 – $2500 for a firm foam core bed (memory foam or latex). 

The question of the price of a quality soft bed is more difficult to answer. A quality soft mattress will cost significantly more than a firm mattress because quality foam is expensive to manufacture. For a quality queen set, constructed with a spring unit expect to pay between $1000 – $1800 and up to $2800 for a soft foam core set.

Barbara Stewart is the owner of MattressMax, a 4000-sq foot Mattress Gallery located in Vienna, WV. www.mattressmax.biz

By Lee Rector

The skin is the largest organ of the body that is often neglected. During the winter and cold months, the behavior of your skin reveals the characteristics of your skin type.

Remember, your skin profile changes seasonally with age and your environment.  The best solution is to consult with a skin care specialist to recommend the right skin care products for healthy -looking skin, at every age.

Since the skin is usually always dry during this time of the year, here are some characteristics that you will find in dry skin:
- No oil in T-zone
- Cheeks are uncomfortable or slightly dry
- Dryness may be present around the eyes
- Your face may feel a bit taut in areas without a moisturizer
- Blemishes are rare to occasional
- Possible visible flakiness

The objective to the dryness would be a monthly hydrating seaweed facial; and for a daily routine to add moisture and comfort to the skin would be to use a milky cleanser, an alcohol-free toner, a hydrating moisturizer, boosters, hydrators and exfoliators to target and restore the ph balance of skin cells.  Both of these recommendations would be the perfect solution to protect your skin from the cold winter months.

Lee Rector is the owner of Lee’s Studio and Medispa, located at 3113 Murdoch Avenue, Parkersburg, West Virginia. For more information, call (304) 422-2940.

By Dr. Samia Turner

A new term coming up in the media concerning facial aesthetics is the “Liquid Lift.” This refers to the use of BOTOX® Cosmetic and Dermal Fillers to improve the look of facial lines and contour. 

This safe, minimally invasive alternative to surgery is most attractive to patients because there is virtually no down time. Experienced physicians can “sculpt” the face using dermal fillers (Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm, Radiesse, etc.) to dramatically improve “laugh lines,” “marionette lines,” “frown lines,” “jowls” and more in about an hour in the office.

BOTOX® Cosmetic is used to weaken the muscles that create dynamic wrinkles like frown lines, forehead lines and crow’s feet. These combined procedures can be performed in a single office visit for an instant lift with no down time.

The results last from 6-18 months, depending on the products used and the individual patient. Some fillers are permanent, but most physicians recommend treatment with absorbable fillers first, to get a feel for what the permanent results might be. For those wanting a “lift,” but not the downtime that comes with surgery, the “liquid lift” is a great alternative.

Dr. Samia Turner is the owner and medical director of Turner Medical Spa, located in Cross Lanes, West Virginia. For more information, call (304) 776-1611.

The heart is not an inanimate pump: It is a living, dynamic community of millions of hardworking cells. Its job is to deliver blood to organs that would die without it. Blood contains oxygen and nutrients necessary for the functioning of every cell in the body, including heart cells.

Everyone’s heart beats around 70 times per minute, or 100,000 times per day, or about 2.5 billion times in the average lifetime.
This vital organ is programmed to work automatically for every second of every day for as long as you live, no matter what else you’re doing mentally or physically.

In other words, the heart never rests.  Your heart is located just about in the center of your chest and is divided into four chambers: The two smaller upper chambers are known as the left atrium and right atrium and the two larger lower chambers are the left ventricle and right ventricle.

Oxygen-poor blood enters the right atrium and is then pumped into the right ventricle and through the pulmonary artery to the lungs, where it is enriched with oxygen (and loses carbon dioxide).  The oxygenated blood is then carried to the left atrium via the pulmonary veins, from where it enters the left ventricle, the main pumping chamber of the heart.  It is the thick, powerful muscle of the left ventricle that pumps blood to all the organs of the body via the aorta.  From a cardiologist’s point of view, it is the left ventricle that is the most important chamber because it is the area of the heart most likely to be affected by a heart attack.

As blood enters the aorta, some is immediately directed to the coronary arteries. The left main coronary artery divides into two major coronary arteries the left circumflex artery (LCx) and the left anterior descending artery (LAD).  A third major artery, the right coronary artery (RCA), has its own point of origin from the aorta.

All of these arteries have branches, which are also known as coronary arteries.  They supply the beating heart muscle with blood and oxygen. If anything obstructs the flow of blood through one of these arteries for more than 20 to 30 minutes, the heart will likely not receive enough oxygen, and the part of the heart muscle fed by that artery will die. This is what happens when you have a heart attack.  Heart failure occurs when your heart muscle damaged to the point that your heart can no longer pump sufficient blood to the rest of your organs.

When your heart is damaged and can no longer pump efficiently, blood also tends to back up into the lungs, making them heavier, which results in difficulty breathing.

For more information, visit www.everydayhealth.com

Entrepreneurs can take advantage of new, free online training and other resources offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration to assist them during this period of economic recovery.  The SBA offers a variety of online courses to assist small businesses in more effectively managing their firms in the current economy.

The new course topics, available directly at www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses, include revising business plans to reposition with current conditions, winning customers in a slowing economy, restructuring existing debt, and diversifying your customer base with federal contracts.

The most recently added course is “Downshifting in a Slowing Economy: A Business Planning Guide.” This course is designed to help business owners reorganize and streamline their business strategies. Other related business tools include a new automated business plan template, and an assessment and strategies guide for surviving in a slowing economy.

“The SBA is helping small businesses with the resources and tools they need in the current business cycle,” said Jeff Andrade, Associate Administrator for Entrepreneurial Development.  “In addition, SBA offers a variety of resources and referrals to small businesses uncertain about what to do in the current economy on its Web page on Economic Recovery at www.sba.gov/helpingmainstreet.”

Each free course is self-paced, and provides practical guidance on how to stay on top of economic conditions. These and other courses can be accessed from the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/training. To access them, click on “Free Online Courses,” then make a selection under the header “Surviving in a Down Economy.”

The SBA can also help to find local agency offices and lenders. Business owners can: talk with an SBA representative about financing options and identify local, participating SBA lenders; learn about SBA’s Loan Guaranty Program using an electronic guide with audio assistance and many targeted links; and train with expert counseling and mentoring services by talking with a Small Business Association representative or resource partner about management assistance.

For more information, visit www.sba.gov.