Healthy Living | April 2019

Alternative, preventative treatments and remedies

APRIL 2019

Prizel’s Pharmacy closes shop after 30 years

OGH staff ‘commit to sit’

Neuropathy and your feet

Smoking pot vs. tobacco

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More alternative, preventative treatments and remedies available in Bradford area

By Kate Day Sager Special to Healthy Living

BRADFORD — For those who prefer to use natural remedies for aches, pains, ailments and various medical conditions, the answer can be found at local spas and wellness centers in Bradford that offer alternative and preventative treatments.

At Sacred Spaces Holistic Center at 105 Mechanic St., owners Donnia Ann Anastasia Denig and her husband Frank Denig, said the goal of the facility “is to empower our community with education, experience and effective therapies that help them live healthy, beautiful lives.

“We believe each and every person has the ability to heal themselves — through nutrition and lifestyle, preventative, compassionate care and individualized maintenance,” Dannia Denig said. “We listen. We listen to everything you say — and don’t say — because the body speaks volumes.”

Denig, a holistic practitioner, said the facility’s modalities include Ayurvedic health and lifestyle consulting, rejuvenative and nourishing or cleansing and detoxifying body treat-

ments. In addition, the holistic center offers expert licensed massage therapy for relaxation and rehabilitation with over 24 years combined experience “We serve the community with meditation, traditional yoga, education classes and natural healing remedy workshops,” Denig continued. “We are preventative health care.

We understand that western medicine does a very effective job in regards to diagnosis, surgeries and basically keeping people alive. We strive to find the root cause of someone’s issue so that we may prevent it from recurring or having the need to be on meds their whole lives.”

She said the facility has seen people’s lives change with the therapy provided at Sacred Spaces.

“We are a resource for those who choose to take responsibility for their own health with options other than prescription drugs,” she noted. “We need to work together with doctors, physical therapists, other massage therapists, holistic practitioners to ensure our society has safe and effective options to get well and stay well.

Afterall, we are on the same team.”

AT SANTO VIDA Natural Wellness Center at 9 Derrick Road, Suite

Photos by Kate Day Sager Britney Kohler, owner of Revive Spa at 1020 E. Main St., is shown in one of her treatment rooms where a variety of spas and body treatments are offered.

comes twice a month” who spends time with individuals on nutrition and holistic health, Kuntz said. “I’m a certified naturopathic practitioner, so I do assessments.”

Kuntz added, “So many people

3, owner Lynne Shannon Kuntz said the business opened Earth Day of 2015 at a previous location on Main Street and relocated to its new venue in January. Kuntz said her new location offers various herbal supplements and supplies, office space and treatment rooms.

“I have a naturopathic doctor who

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Alternative, preventative treatments and remedies walk through the door who say, ‘I’m done with the doctor - they don’t listen to me and don’t know what’s going on with me.”

She said her customers often seek natural remedies or treatment that can help them with their illnesses or health issues.

“There are so many things that are available to people,” she remarked.

“The thing about natural health and holistic medicine is that you treat the whole person, so you’re treating mind, body and spirit, you treat emotional and mental (health), you’re connected, you can’t separate it.”

Kuntz said naturopathic medicine is based on foods, herbs, vitamins, minerals, flower essences and essential oils that can heal the body and are sold at the wellness center.

She said the wellness center also sells cleaner body products and home cleaning products that don’t contain chemicals, perfumes, dyes and other additives that can cause issues and

problems for people with sensitivities.

The business also carries a variety of teas and kombucha, a fermented black or green tea with live bacteria.

“It’s very good for your gut health,” Kuntz said of kombucha. “It’s along the lines of a food type probiotic. It creates a healthier balance of the bacteria in your gut.”

The wellness center also has a reflexologist; offers thermography for breast imaging, health screenings and full body imaging; and ionic foot detox baths.

“I feel good about what people can come here and learn about,” Kuntz commented. “We do different topic sessions … we’ve had conversations on thyroid health or conversations on gut health” at the center.

AT REVIVE SPA at 1020 E. Main St., suite 5, owner/esthetician Britney Kohler said the spa opened in January and also provides a variety of services to customers “Our part of the holistic (services) is we diffuse essential oils to try to eliminate the stresses in the body,” Kohler said.

“Basically, you diffuse (the oils) in water - it’s a machine that turns the water into mist and puts the oils in the air” of the treatment rooms.

Kohler said a waiting room at the spa is the first step to relaxation as Donnia and Frank Denig, owners of Sacred Spaces Holistic Center visitors sit and at 105 Mechanic St., provide a variety of treatments, therapies and enjoy salt rocks education to customers who are seeking alternatives to achieving that remove and “healthy, beautiful lives.” neutralize negative

Lynn Shannon Kuntz, owner of Santo Vida Natural Wellness Center at 9 Derrick Road, stands near various natural products offered to customers at the business. The facility also provides a variety of treatments as well as educational sessions.

ions in the air, replacing them with positive ions. Once inside the treatment rooms, visitors enjoy the effects of additional salt rocks, and treatments that include a variety of facials to treat everything from acne, aging and lip scrubs. Also offered are body treatments, detox body wraps and salt scrubs; as well as a wide range of waxing and massages.

“As for the alternatives to medicine, massage is the main thing (and includes) facial massages, eye massages and I also do sinus drain massages.”

Kohler said she attended esthetic school in Olean, N.Y., for certification in the various massages and treatments offered.

In addition, the spa employs certified massage therapist, Jennell Vossler, “We can do alternatives (for colds, neck issues and back issues) through messages,” Kohler remarked. “She also does pregnancy massages” that

are contingent on doctor approval.

“It alleviates a lot of pressure on the body and gives (the expectant mother) a little bit of comfort and lets her sleep a few days,” Kohler continued.

“One of the biggest things she does is induction massage, but again that has to be approved by the doctor. But it’s a natural way to induce labor.”

She said the spa also provides massage therapy for headaches and migraines, as well as for sore muscles.

For more information on the spa, send emails to revivespallc@gmail. com, visit the website https//revivespallc.vistaprintdigital.com, visit Facebook at Revive Spam, Instragram:@ revivespallc or call 331-5528.

For more information on Santo Vida, send emails to santovida3@ gmail.com, visit online at www.santovida.com or call 363-7025.

For more information on Sacred Spaces visit online at www.sacredspaceshc.com or call 596-1004.

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Occupational therapy and management of mild memory impairments

By Christopher Stavisky Special to Healthy Living

Did you know April is national Occupational Therapy month? So, what is occupational therapy? Occupational Therapy is a profession that focuses on “helping clients to perform everyday activities to their highest potential” (AOTA.org). This might include teaching a person who recently had a hip surgery learn to complete daily self-care activities within their surgical restrictions, helping a person learn to use an arm weakened by a stroke to complete household tasks, helping a person learn to use a prosthetic hand to complete computer activities, and helping a person learn methods to recall information more efficiently for daily errands.

Occupational therapy has a long history in the United States of America, and emerged as a profession in 1917. In the early days of occupational therapy, occupational therapists were known as ‘reconstruction aides.’ Initially, the focus of occupational therapy was on assisting with the treatment of mental illness; however, the influx of injuries and disabilities from events of the time, including World War I, led to a need for occupational therapists to treat a wider range of disabilities.

Since then, the scope of populations served by occupational therapy has expanded and now incudes, but is not limited to clients with physical disabilities, cognitive impairments, mental illness, and developmental disabilities.

Today, you may see occupational therapy practitioners in a variety of settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, mental health programs, and schools. One area that occupational therapists work in is cognitive

rehabilitation. The role of occupational therapy in this area is to assist clients with learning to use strategies and tools that compensate for cognitive deficits, such as mild memory impairment, and improve performance with everyday activities.

Some common memory strategies and tools that an occupational therapist might introduce include: • Keeping a daily memory log to assist with recalling daily events.

• Using a paper calendar or smartphone calendar app to assist with recalling appointments.

• Using a smartphone reminders app to assist with remembering to complete daily to-do’s.

• Using timers to serve as an auditory alert reminder to complete a task.

• Speaking process steps aloud when completing an activity to help with remembering details.

Ideally, the strategies and tools that an individual uses will fit well into the person’s daily routines and will not require significant effort to use them during daily activities. Occupational therapists specializing in cognitive rehabilitation are skilled in assessing which strategies and tools might likely fit into a client’s routines, and then help the client select the strategies and tools that will work best.

If you are experiencing changes in memory that are causing daily activities to be more difficult, speak with your physician or healthcare provider to determine if occupational therapy might be a helpful treatment option.

Christopher Stavisky, a graduate of Port Allegany High School, is a Senior Occupational Therapist specializing in cognitive rehabilitation at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

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After 30 years serving the community, Prizel’s Pharmacy closes shop

By Bob Clark Special to Healthy Living

OLEAN — The days of walking out of an Olean Medical Group office to fill a prescription without getting your feet wet in the rain will soon be ending.

On Saturday, Prizel’s Pharmacy will close its doors, ending decades of service in the Olean Medical Group building on Main Street, said owner Bobby Prizel.

“It was 30 years ago last June,” Prizel said, when he opened his shop in the same space as Paul Magnano.

That store, where he’d worked since college, had closed a few months earlier. “In June of 1988 is when we opened up.”

Prizel, a 1983 graduate of Ohio Northern University, began his career with Magnano while still in school.

“I’ve been in this building since 1980, working,” Prizel said, adding the store was originally in the front of the structure before a major renovation project moved it to its current location by the main parking lot entrance. “I had always wanted to open my own store.”

But after 30 years serving up prescriptions for thousands of customers, it was time to put down the pill counter and stop filling bottles in Boardmanville.

“It was time for a change — the independent pharmacy world isn’t the same,” he said, adding dealing with payment issues with insurance companies and a move to mail-order deliveries for long-term prescriptions have complicated the industry. “And just the wear and tear and stress of being open.”

Bob Clark/Olean Times Herald Kathy Blackmon (from left), Bobby Prizel and Cheryl Phillips will be saying goodbye to customers for the last time on Saturday as Prizel’s Pharmacy, after almost 31 years at the Olean Medical Group, will close its doors.

However, it wasn’t all stress.

“The great part is we’ve seen families taking care of babies, and then those babies grow up, graduate from high school and go off to college,” Prizel said. “It’s not just a pharmacist-patient thing. A lot of them are neighbors, they’re friends.”

He noted the many calls he’s received at home, late at night, from customers who just got out of the hospital or were in need of assistance.

“That’s the good stuff, that’s what I look back at,” he said. “We’re just thrilled that we could take care of as many people as we could as long as we could.”

He said his five current staff and

his others over the years — whom he lauded for their great efforts — will be missed by patients at the medical group.

“It was a hell of a run,” he said.

And while he’s not aware of any replacement business at this time, Prizel said it’s an ideal location for a new operation.

“It’s a great spot how do you not like a pharmacy inside a medical group?” he said.

For his customers, however, finding a new pharmacy shouldn’t be too hard, he said.

“Dan Horn and Vic Vena I’ve known them all my life, they’re good guys,” Prizel said, noting his class-

mates from college often marvel at the number of pharmacies — especially locally owned ones — operating in a city the size of Olean.

His customers, notified through an advertisement in the Times Herald and through Facebook, have been switching to new pharmacies.

“If you want it sent down to Smethport, we’ll do it,” he said. “We’ll assist in any way we can.”

Prizel isn’t heading off into retirement, however, as he has accepted a job as a pharmacist at the CVS pharmacy on North Union Street.

“It’s a change of pace for me,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll still see some of the familiar faces.”

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Olean General Hospital staff ‘commit to sit’ New initiative aims to comfort, build better connections with patients

By Tom Dinki Special to Healthy Living

OLEAN — Olean General Hospital staff are helping improve patients’ experience by simply sitting down.

The hospital has adopted its own “commit to sit” program, an initiative that encourages nurses, doctors and all clinicians to sit down at the bedside when talking with patients about their care.

“Health care providers are notorious for standing at the foot of the bed,” said Tim Finan, president and CEO of OGH’s parent company, Upper Allegheny Health System, at his recent report to the community. “Commit to sit is really simple: You take a chair … you bring it to the head of the bed and you sit down and eye-to-eye you communicate with patients. It’s about respect and dignity for those we serve.”

“Commit to sit” originated from research published in Patient Experience Journal in 2017. The study focused around a 369-bed hospital in Texas that improved its nurse composite score from the ninth percentile in 2014 to the 43rd percentile in 2015 after implementing a commit to sit program.

Researchers concluded sitting by a patient’s bedside helps build trusting and caring relationships and improves the patient’s perception of the hospital.

OGH nurse practitioner Amita Leonard can attest to that.

“It helps,” she said. “When you sit down and talk with them they feel that you are giving your time and attention, and you are really interested in the care of the patient and he or she is not just another name or number.”

Lightweight chairs have been placed on the walls of patient rooms, making it easy for staff to pluck them off the wall and place them down by a patient’s bed, according to OGH. Leonard said OGH staff can adjust their approach based on both their and the patient’s needs.

“Some people like to hold a hand, some people just like to let them know that, ‘I’m here for you and this is what I’m thinking and this is what’s going on, this is where you are, this is the plan for discharge,’” she said.

The research about commit to sit also states the practice can improve a patient’s health outcomes. Sitting continued on page 8

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OGH ‘commit to sit leads to better communication between the patient and clinician, which can cause the patient to have a better understanding of their health and have a better medication compliance.

Leonard said she’s noticed patients are more willing to ask questions when their care provider is sitting down with them.

“They know you are sitting down so whenever we say, ‘Do you have any questions?’ they know that we really mean it,” she said. “ … He or she is more receptive because they know you are taking the time to sit down.”

The practice can even help providers, Leonard added, as sitting down can sometimes be beneficial to organizing their thoughts about the patient’s care.

Making sure patients have a good experience is becoming all the more

crucial in health care, as patient satisfaction is increasingly linked with health insurance reimbursement rates.

The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, the nation’s first standardized, publicly reported patient survey, has since 2012 impacted Medicare’s value-based purchasing program.

“We care very much what people think of their hospitalization here,” Finan said. “I often tell our staff if you owned a steak joint and you stood outside the restaurant and you asked people, ‘Hey, how was your meal?’ and they say, ‘Eh it’s OK, it wasn’t great,’ you’d be horrified. … We want to drive the patient experience. We want to optimize it. We want patients to feel that we were responsive to them and we treated them with respect.”

Dr. Shafi Raza sits and speaks with patient Jean Wright at Olean General Hospital. The hospital has initiated a “commit to sit” program in which clinicians sit bedside when talking with patients.

STCC joins UR Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute WELLSVILLE — Dr. Neeta Soni of Southern Tier Cancer Care in Olean is joining UR Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute as associate professor of Clinical Medicine, effective May 1.

A board-certified medical oncologist, Soni will continue to provide office visits, consultations and chemotherapy infusion services at her current location, 328 Delaware Ave. Beginning in May, Soni will also see patients at Wilmot’s clinic at Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville.

Soni and her staff have provided medical oncology and chemotherapy

infusion services in Olean since 2003.

They treat all types of cancers and will work closely with the team of subspecialists at Wilmot Cancer Institute to provide additional access to clinical trials and support services.

“My team and I have been committed to providing excellent and compassionate care to our underserved area and are very excited with the opportunity to expand our services to the Wellsville area, with the support of the expert team at University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer institute,” Soni said. “I believe the added convenience

and easier access to subspecialists and clinical trials will greatly benefit our patients.”

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Soni to our community,” said Eva Benedict, CEO at Jones Memorial Hospital. “Her experience and expertise in caring for oncology patients is well-known and we are happy that her patients will now be able to access quality cancer care closer to home.”

“With Dr. Soni as part of our team, we can help ensure that patients and families in Cattaraugus County continue to have options for high-quality

cancer care, and we can also strengthen the services we offer in Allegany County,” said Dr. Jonathan W. Friedberg, director of Wilmot Cancer Institute.

Soni received her medical degree from Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College in India and a master’s degree from Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Millard Fillmore Hospital in Buffalo, followed by a fellowship in medical oncology at Roswell Park.

April 2019

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Neuropathy and your feet: What you should know

By Dr. Bill Cihak Special to Healthy Living

Neuropathy is a result of damage to your peripheral nerves, often causing weakness, numbness and pain, usually in your hands and feet. It can also affect other areas of your body.

If you are experiencing cracks, ulcers, drainage or other signs of infection in your feet, please see your primary care provider, podiatrist or endocrinologist as soon as possible.

Neuropathy is caused by poor blood sugar control that persists over a long period of time and can indicate that you are pre-diabetic or that you already have Type 2 Diabetes.

Your chances of developing neuropathy in your feet are great if your blood sugars have remained high for a long period. The nerves that go from your spine to your feet are long and they are affected well before the nerves in your arms and hands. If your blood sugars remain high, complications will arise in both feet.

Neuropathy in your feet can not only cause numbness and pain but it can lead to injuries as well. Without the feeling in your feet, you can trip and fall or stub and break your toes — and because of the numbness, you may not even realize that you have sustained a cut or a break, which could lead to infection and possibly, amputation, if not properly cared for.

However, most amputations are preventable when your blood sugars are managed and you take care of your feet. Just a note here, the American Diabetes Association reported that in 2010, there were about 73,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations, performed on adults (20 years or older) diagnosed with diabetes.

A proper diet, with a good balance of protein, vegetables, grains and fruit, is critical for sustaining a normal blood sugar. Also, managing your weight can make a significant difference because individuals who are overweight or obese tend to develop more neuropathy and arthritic problems and pain in their feet due to the extra weight. Shedding pounds will help to normalize your blood sugars and maintaining a healthy weight will address your overall cardiovascular and cholesterol health.

Along with a healthy diet, exercise is very important. If you have been stagnant and on the sofa most of the winter, now is the time to begin an exercise regimen — but always check with your healthcare provider before beginning any exercise program.

Flexibility exercises, also called stretching, help keep your joints flexible and reduce your chances of injury during other activities. Gentle stretching for 5 to 10 minutes helps your body warm up and get ready for aerobic activities such as walking or swimming, if you are able to do them. Although walking is probably the best exercise for most, with neuropathy in your feet, exercises like flexibility stretches and squats are far safer.

There are other exercise for people with neuropathy but here are a few you can do right at home: • Seated Hamstring Stretch: Sitting on the front half of a firm chair, place one leg out straight with the foot pointing up. Bend the opposite knee so that your foot is flat on the floor. Center your chest over the straight leg, and slowly continued on page 10

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Neuropathy straighten your back until you feel a muscle stretch in the back of your leg. Hold 15-20 seconds on each leg and repeat twice a day, 3 repetitions each leg.

• Calf Stretch: Place one leg far behind you with the toe pointed slightly inward. Take a large step forward with the opposite foot.

With the front knee slightly bent lean forward keeping your back heel on the floor. You should feel a muscle stretch in the calf of your back leg. Hold it for 15-20 seconds on each leg, three times, twice a day.

• Squats are also safe and good exercise. Try a chair squat, using a

firm chair with armrests, position your feet in a split stance with one foot at the base of the chair and the other foot placed comfortably in front and slightly out to the side. Slowly transfer your weight forward until your legs are supporting your body weight. Slowly press up with your legs to standing. To lower yourself, slowly reach for the chair with your hips.

Touch the chair with your hips and press back up for your next repetition. Repeat 2 repetitions, 10-15 times, twice a day.

• Kitchen Counter Calf Raises: While standing at the kitchen counter, place two finger tips on the counter. Stand on one foot

lifting the other heel off the floor, standing on your toes (as you strengthen your muscles, try to alternate your heels as shown in the picture below). Slowly lower yourself to the floor and repeat.

Once you are on your toes control yourself. Do not just drop down to the floor. Repeat 2 repetitions, 10-15 times on each leg, twice a day.

While maintaining good blood sugar control can help prevent or delay neuropathy, there is no cure once the nerves are damaged for a long period of time; the medications that are available only treat symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.

However, researchers have seen some

promising results in recent studies so be sure to get regular check ups with your healthcare provider and keep exercising. With earlier diagnosis, better treatments, and patients working with their doctors to take charge of the disease, individuals with diabetes are doing much better.

If you’re concerned you may have neuropathy in your feet or if you experience any redness, cracks, drainage, ulcers or other signs of infection in your feet, you should see your healthcare provider immediately.

Dr. Bill Cihak is an internist at the Olean Medical Group, with offices in Olean and Ellicottville. He has been practicing at the Group since 1999.

Smoking pot vs. tobacco: What science says about lighting up

By Jennifer Peltz Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — As more states make it legal to smoke marijuana, some government officials, researchers and others worry what that might mean for one of the country’s biggest public health successes : curbing cigarette smoking.

Though there are notable differences in health research findings on tobacco and marijuana, the juxtaposition strikes some as jarring after generations of Americans have gotten the message that smoking endangers their health.

“We’re trying to stop people from smoking all kinds of things. Why do

you want to legalize marijuana?” a New York City councilman, Republican Peter Koo, asked at a recent city hearing about the state’s potential legalization of so-called recreational pot use.

Marijuana advocates say there’s no comparison between joints and tobacco cigarettes. A sweeping federal assessment of marijuana research found the lung-health risks of smoking weed appear “relatively small” and “far lower than those of smoking tobacco,” the top cause of preventable death in the U.S. Unlike for cigarettes, there’s evidence of certain health benefits from marijuana, such as easing chronic pain. And marijuana can be used without smoking it. Most states now

have legal medical pot programs; 10 states and the District of Columbia have approved recreational use.

“They’re different products, and they need to be treated differently,” says Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project.

At the same time, studies have shown crossover between marijuana and tobacco use. And while smoking cannabis may be less dangerous than tobacco to lung health, pot doesn’t get an entirely clean slate.

Some health officials and anti-smoking activists also worry about inserting legal marijuana into the growing world of vaping, given uncertainties about the smoking alternative’s long-term effects.

Here’s a look at the issues, science and perspectives: SMOKING POT VS. TOBACCO While cigarette smoking is the top risk factor for lung cancer, some of scientific evidence suggests there’s no link between marijuana smoking and lung cancer. That’s according to a 2017 federal report that rounded up nearly two decades of studies on marijuana, research that’s been limited by the federal government’s classification of marijuana as a controlled substance like heroin.

While cigarette smoking is a major cause of heart disease, the report concontinued on next page

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Smoking pot vs. tobacco

cluded it’s unclear whether marijuana use is associated with heart attacks or strokes.

But there’s strong evidence linking long-term cannabis smoking to worse coughs and more frequent bouts of chronic bronchitis, according to the report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

The report also looked at other effects, finding a mix of possible risks, upsides and unknowns. For example, the report said marijuana can ease chemotherapy-related nausea and adults’ chronic pain but also found evidence the drug is linked to developing schizophrenia and getting in traffic crashes.

In recent weeks, studies have echoed concerns about high-potency pot and psychosis and documented a rise in marijuana-related emergency room visits after legalization in Colorado.

Tobacco and marijuana use can also go together. Blunts — marijuana in a cigar wrapper that includes tobacco leaves — have gained popularity. And studies have found more cigarette

smokers have used pot, and the other way around, compared to nonsmokers.

“One substance reinforces the use of the other, and vice versa, which can escalate a path to addiction,” says Dr. Sterling McPherson, a University of Washington medical professor studying marijuana and tobacco use among teens.

The National Academies report found pot use likely increases the risk of dependence on other substances, including tobacco.

To some public health officials, it makes sense to legalize marijuana and put some guardrails around it.

“For tobacco, we know that it’s inherently dangerous and that there is no safe amount of tobacco to use,” says New York City Health Department drug policy analyst Rebecca Giglio. Whereas with marijuana, “we see this as an opportunity to address the harms of criminalization while also regulating cannabis.”

But health department opinions vary, even within the same state: New York’s Association of County Health Officials opposes legalizing recreational weed.

SO WHAT ABOUT VAPING?

TWO VIEWS

Vaping — heating a solution into a vapor and inhaling it — has been pitched as a safer alternative to smoking.

Experts have said vaping pot is probably less harmful to the lungs than smoking it, though there’s little research on the health effects over time, and they worry about its potency when vaped.

The American Lung Association is concerned that vaping will ultimately prove damaging to lung health and is alarmed about a surge in underage e-cigarette use. And adding legal marijuana to the picture “only makes it a more complicated issue,” says Erika Sward, an assistant vice president.

Others, though, think policymakers should view vaping as a relatively safe way to use pot.

“I would say the risks are going to be less with that form of consumption,” says Rebecca Haffajee, a University of Michigan health policy professor who co-wrote a 2017 piece calling for recreational marijuana programs to allow only nonsmokable forms of the drug.

Meanwhile, some local governments have adjusted public smoking bans to cover both vaping and pot.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors tweaked its prohibition just last month.

As a former cigarette smoker, New Yorker Gary Smith is dismayed that his home state might OK smoking pot.

He knows research hasn’t tied smoking marijuana to lung cancer, which killed three cigarette smokers in his family and struck him 20 years after he quit; he’s been treated. But he fears the respiratory risks of marijuana smoking aren’t fully known.

“It’s crazy that the government, in order to raise (revenue from) taxes, they’re permitting people to suck this stuff into your lungs,” says Smith, 78, an accountant from Island Park.

Hawaii physician and state Rep. Richard Creagan feels no less strongly about cigarettes. The ex-smoker and Democrat from Naalehu this year unsuccessfully proposed all but banning them by raising the legal age to 100.

Meanwhile, he’d like Hawaii to legalize recreational marijuana, an idea that fizzled in the state Legislature this year.

Creagan, 73, thinks pot benefits people’s well-being more than it risks their health, and he expects non-smoking alternatives will reduce the risks.

Plus, he figures legal marijuana could replace cigarette tax revenue someday.

“That coupling,” he says, “was sort of in my head.”

Peltz is a member of AP’s marijuana beat team. Follow AP’s complete marijuana coverage: https://apnews.com/Marijuana.

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Bradford Publishing Company

Freshness you can depend on!

Pride and Passion for Farm Fresh Produce R ied’s Food Barn produce staff has pride in its products and a passion for fresh fruits and vegetables. We literally search the world for the finest quality fresh Produce at the best possible prices. Our ever-expanding organic produce selection and the area’s best selection of fresh herbs meet the changing needs of even our most discerning clientele.

Whether it’s grown in California, South America, or nearby farms, our customers are assured that their selections will be fresh, and superior quality every time.

Bananas, grapes, apples, pears and melons are always at the peak of flavor for the region they were grown.

We insist from our suppliers that our lettuces, greens and vegetables be “just picked” fresh every time.

We maintain that crispy fresh

appearance with our state-of-theart misting system. It rains in our garden every 20 minutes!

Our team says, “Freshness you can depend on!”

111 E. Green St. • Olean, NY • www. riedsfoodbarn.com • (716) 373-2010