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An Apple or a Yogurt a Day?

It all started with a cold, then a cough. By the time I saw my physician, I realized that this gunk had taken hold of my physical being.

Anger: Confusing the Story With Reality

A few years ago, I nearly got into a war with one of my housemates.

[Evans] A New Model for Cutting Medical Costs

Word is that Harvard Professor Dr. Atul Gawande's article on McAllen, Texas, is required reading in the White House. Published in the June 1, 2009 issue of The New Yorker, the Boston surgeon asks why McAllen's health care costs are the second highest health care costs in the nation, behind Miami. His conclusions have much to teach us about the problems with America's health care system today.

Stress: Causes And Cures

As I walked down St. Charles Street in New Orleans after a Mardi Gras parade, I heard a loud horn honking behind me. I turned and threw an irritated look at the car rolling toward the crowds at a few miles per hour.

[Mott] Blue Dog Dems and Health Care

The Democratic Blue Dog Coalition has announced its agenda for reforming American health care. Not surprisingly, heading the list is controlling costs in the current systems.

[Johnson] The Miracle Machine

The season of the Obama baby has arrived. Like many members of our generation, my beloved and I found the Bush years distinctly unarousing. Even today, I worry that newborns who catch word of Dick Cheney's media blitz will cry foul and make a run back for the womb.

Just Begin

She was sitting in the driver's seat of the car with the windows up. The two-inch ash dangled on her cigarette. I thought she must have been waiting on someone.

Making Peace: First, Love Yourself

Alice cared about her neighborhood and was convinced that her "bad" neighbors across the street were into drugs. She believed that signing an affidavit against them risked her safety; Jackson police officers had come out on occasion, and nothing had changed.

Choosing a Furry Family Member

After losing my Basset Hound, Charlie, to cancer a couple years ago, I decided to wait a while before getting a new pet. I just missed my floppy-eared friend too much. Eventually, I decided that I would not turn away an animal in need.

Learning to Change

JoEva Flettrich turned off the fluorescent lights in her office after 23 years on the job. The lights are an external manifestation of the change she wants to see in her personal life—like a haircut or sitting in a different seat at the dinner table.

Learning to Change

JoEva Flettrich turned off the fluorescent lights in her office after 23 years on the job. The lights are an external manifestation of the change she wants to see in her personal life—like a haircut or sitting in a different seat at the dinner table.

Oh, My Aching Back! How to Sooth The Pain Without Surgery or Meds

We've all experienced back pain. It wakes you up in the middle of the night, twinges when you walk and makes sitting a pain in the rear.

Health Challenge Issued to CEOs

[verbatim] Sister Mary Dorothea Sondgeroth, O.P., President, St. Dominic Health Services, Inc. and chair for the 2009 Metro Jackson Start! Heart Walk is challenging local companies to participate in the American Heart Association's National Start! Walking Day by allowing their employees to incorporate a 30 minute walking break into their day and raise money for heart disease research and prevention. National Start! Walking Day is April 8.

Health Fair on March 28

The North Street Family Medical Clinic (953 North Street) is inviting Jacksonians to the clinic's first health fair on March 28th from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Various physicians, clinics and medical supply companies will be on hand as well as companies designed to better your lifestyle. The clinic will be screening for sleep apnea and hypertension, plus the MS DJ Services will be providing the music. Come out and join them for a healthy 2009. Call 601-944-0345 for more information.

Women Will Regain Access to Discounted Birth Control

President Obama is quickly overturning some of the previous administration's health-care regulations that primarily affected women. On the president's desk now is a provision reversing a 2005 law that financially dissuaded pharmaceutical companies from discounting birth control pills and other contraceptives to family planning clinics and campus health clinics, reports U.S. News and World Report.