Page 26 – Lovely County Citizen – October 25, 2012
Nature of the Beast
Darlene Simmons
Loosen up for ‘The Unleashed’ The next few weeks promise to offer much excitement for Eureka Springs citizens. But then the last of the Mad Hatters will disappear down the rabbit hole, the final Zombie will crawl down Spring Street, and the Living Dead will conclude their reign of terror at the Sacred Earth Gallery. Halloween will pass, the time will change, and nights in Carroll County will again become sedate and quiet (read: boring). Wait a minute! Not so fast!! There is another event coming in November that is sure to excite and fascinate! Those in charge at The Good Shepherd Humane Society aren’t sure how it happened but this is the truth: They’re loose! They got untied! They are running amuck! Cats and dogs galore have removed their collars, and have managed to lose their leashes! They are wrecking havoc on the Night of the Unleashed! This evening has been planned for the benefit of the community, and is unbound by any usual restraint. It will be an uninhibited night; full of fun for humans and animals alike! You must not miss it! The date is Nov. 3, and it is being held on a Saturday in order to allow more Carroll Countians to attend. It will be held at the Eureka Springs High School gymnasium, which will offer more room to accommodate all activities. Well-mannered dogs on leashes are welcome, even if it is Night of the Unleashed. The event will include an array of tasty hors d’oeuvres and delicious desserts
provided by the Roadhouse Restaurant. Several other businesses and eateries are contributing scrumptious food items as well. Two boutiques will offer the very best of fashions and Christmas items donated to the organization over the past year. A silent auction will take place throughout the evening, and there are many exquisite items to set your sights on: a hand-carved rocking horse, an exceptional doll house including furniture, an American Girl doll, tools, hunting equipment, a cello, Coach brand purses, Harley-Davidson baskets, and several works of art. The high point of the evening will be the spectacular style show, unencumbered by any dull fashions whatsoever. Many fine local establishments have donated attire for the event. Models include well-known artists and entertainers from around town. Our own Dave Teigan will be the Master of Ceremonies, unconfined by his roles as insurance agent and airport commissioner. A special surprise is promised to be unleashed during the show. Dogs and cats will be available for adoption, and representatives from the shelter will be on site to answer your questions. Do not forget that this event, entertaining as it promises to be, is a fundraiser to support the fine work that this organization does throughout the year. Please turn out for this evening. Starting time is 5:30, and admission is only $10, and includes food. Children under 12 are admitted free! Come and experience The Night of the Unleashed! •••
Darlene Simmons is a transplant from California, landing in Eureka Springs in 2008. She comes to journalism after a long career as a R.N., public health nurse, and nursing professor. She holds a Master’s Degree in Nursing and has been published twice in professional journals. She regularly contributes to Currents Magazine. A life-long animal lover, she is an active supporter of both Turpentine Creek and The Good Shepherd Humane Society. Please send comments and/or ideas to: darlene@modestojim.net
The Natural Way Although regular cholesterol tests have helped doctors to check for heart attack risk in many patients, we all know of people with normal levels who have had a heart attack. I know of people with very high levels that have lived long lives, untreated. While conventional cholesterol testing provides some help, I’ve read that these tests identify only 40 percent of those at risk for heart attack and coronary artery disease. There is a lab test called VAP, which stands for “Vertical Auto Profile,” which more accurately measures risk of cholesterol and heart attack. In the conventional lab test the total bad cholesterol (LDL) is reported, but there are different types of LDL. The size and nature is different between the types: some types are large and fluffy (and not so bad), while others are small and dense and not too good for heart health. The VAP test measures all of these types plus the usual ones. You get a far better understanding of what is happening in your body. This test is easily obtained. It works both ways, since patients who test okay in a regular cholesterol panel sometimes are found to be at risk for heart disease after taking the VAP test. This is important, not only to choose proper medications, but also for tracking improvement when people are working to be healthier, whether with drugs or
Chekhov
Continued from page 23
Today, Chekhov’s plays are performed in the Moscow Art Theatre in Stanislavksy’s productions, the stage movement and costumes identical to the first performances. Today’s audience sees the joke, even when the sentiments expressed, the strategies and selfdeceptions employed by those indelible characters, are uncomfortably familiar to our own behavior and we are forced to admit that, ultimately, the joke is on
Jim Fain
natural supplements. Some people have resistance to natural statins like Red Yeast Rice or even the prescribed ones, like Vytorin or Lipitor. The prescribed are much more powerful but also have many more long term effects. There is some emerging data supporting a link to diabetes and use of prescribed statins. To me, more information is always better so improved choices can be made. Suppose, though, that reducing cholesterol with statins isn’t the best way? Research is underway, in people, that could change the way doctors use statin drugs and cholesterol lowering. Let’s suppose raising to optimal (not normal) levels of hormones would reduce cholesterol (lipid) levels naturally? In most test subjects cholesterol dropped without statin drugs just by optimizing certain hormones. Seems the body needs cholesterol to produce hormones, and if hormones are low, the body naturally produces more soup stock of cholesterol. The expense of the statin drugs as well as all of the long term side effects would not exist for most people. Statin side effects are medically managed, often with more drugs prescribed. While this new approach is complicated, I’m excited with what this could mean to the quality life for an aging nation. us. Chekhov’s ironic sensibility, his constant awareness of the bewildering and apparently senseless complexity of life are tempered with a great affection for all who are trapped on the treadmill of modern civilization. Chekhov’s stories work, not because he expounds a philosophy or recommends a morality but precisely because he does not. Chekhov shows, without comment, people as they are. “Man will only change,” he wrote, “when you show him what he is.”