Letter from the Editor
I’m not a doctor! ...and I don’t play one on TV (but maybe I should reconsider) Being on the wrong end of 40, I’ve been getting really concerned lately about my health. You hear things...people talk. On any given night I find out that— according to all those TV ads featuring smiling, overly-primped, deeply-concerned, non-qualified spokespersons dressed to look like real medical professionals— I could potentially have at least four kinds of depression, three debilitating diseases, several conditions, at least one syndrome, an affliction, stage two of something, chronic symptoms of some other, and, God forbid, one especially friendly spokesperson said I may be in need of “the lil’ blue pill.” This is all before 11 p.m. The late night offerings are even worse (colon cleansing anyone?), making me question in a great valetudinarian fashion every single cough, sniffle, creak, or crack my body produces. For the most part, what they are touting may have some merit—it’s true, I could actually be suffering from restless leg syndrome or chronic sinusitis, but it’s all so confusing and there are literally hundreds of different medical issues that have similar symptoms (and commercials). What is one to do except drift off to sleep in a hypochondriacal state of “Oh my God! What was that? I stopped breathing for a minute...no, it’s OK, I was just pandiculating.” It’s a wonder I can function at all! I’ve always considered myself to be in pretty good health. Sure, I should eat healthier and exercise more, and my sleeping habits rival that of a teenager at times... but help me! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up! These “TV docs” are stressing me out! And that, dear readers, is one of the reasons we started publishing our annual KernHealth issue: to help alleviate some of the confusion, stress, and fear when it comes to your healthcare. We’re not trying to diagnose here—only inform. Because with information comes power—the power to make better decisions about the healthcare choices you, our readers, have locally. There is some truly amazing progress happening in our local healthcare community and we are proud to, once again, share it with you. Our goal was to be the single greatest local source of healthcare information in Kern County, and, collectively, over the past 12 years of publishing this special issue, I think we have achieved
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just that. KernHealth starts on page 37. We’re also excited to present another annual favorite: Cheap Eats! Do you know there are over 700 restaurants in Kern County? We do (now). It was a daunting task, but we’ve whittled down a list to just under 50 places that serve a great meal for under $10. See if you agree...the “cheapness” begins on 95. In our quest to be ever-evolving, we have again added a new feature! Stuff We Like is a collection of new (and sometimes old) things that caught the eyes of our editors as they were shopping around town. Not a paid ad or promo, this is an eclectic offering based on nothing more than “we saw—we liked—we thought you’d like, too!” And the best part? For being featured, each local merchant gave us a $25 gift certificate to give away to our readers—so take a look at Stuff We Like on page 21 to get the details on how you can win! As always, we have our great regular features like the Community Partners Section on page 114 and Gardening with Mrs. P on page 125. It’s turned out to be another great issue and we hope you enjoy it. As for playing a doctor on TV, I think I’ll pass...fake blood makes me squeamish. So on behalf of the staff of Bakersfield Magazine, I’d like to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season. My inbox is always open,
Mike Corum comments@bakersfieldmagazine.net
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www.bakersfieldmagazine.net - Health 2009 13