Oregon Healthy Living

COMPLIMENTARY

Sept. 2015 Vol. 8 — Issue 9

Are Fowl for You? Raising urban chickens

PLUS:

Keeping it clean: indoor air quality, artisan soap and more!

O REGON H EALTHY L IVING . COM

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Table of Contents

SEPTEMBER 2015 | VOLUME 8, ISSUE 9

5 FOOD Egg-cellent!

Urban chickens To Wash or Not: Containing contamination in the kitchen...pg. 22

12 PAMPER

15 HEALTH

17 NATURAL

23 EVENTS

Artisan soap: Soothing and sudsy

Hang Time: Inversion equipment not for everyone

Go with the Flow: Feng shui principles for energy

Local Events Calendar: Find out what’s going on in your community

Breath of Fresh Air: Indoor pollutants

.................pg. 20

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The editor’s desk

crose@mailtribune.com

ADVERTISER INDEX

Walking through my suburban neighborhood one morning, I happened to see a white chicken cross the road ahead of me. I chased her, eager to hear the answer to the famous question, but she eluded me. Many families in our area keep backyard chickens. I know my kids beg for it every season The Grange or Big R have adorable chicks. There is a lot to consider before making that decision, however. We’ve laid out some of the pros and cons for your consideration in this issue.

Next month, we will celebrate the fall harvest season with an issue packed with recipes to enjoy.

On the cover COMPLIMENTARY

Sept. 2015 Vol. 8 — Issue 9

Are Fowl for You? Raising urban chickens

PLUS:

Keeping it clean: indoor air quality, artisan soap and more!

The Musler family of Jacksonville brought home chicks from Big R in White City four years ago.

Matthew’s favorite is Bella, one of their two buff Orpingtons. They also have two Araucanas and a black Australorp from their original brood. The children, ages 8 to 11, are the caretakers of the chickens.

O REGONH EALTHY L IVING . COM

STAFF EDITOR: Cheryl P. Rose ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Dena DeRose DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Bret Jackson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: David Gibb

CORRECTION: In our July special issue, 2015 Readers’ Healthy Picks, we published an inaccurate list of runners up in the Physical Therapy Clinic category on page 10. The corrected list appears to the right of this notice.

We apologize for any inconvenience this error may have caused.

— Oregon Healthy Living Staff

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Margaret Battistelli Gardner Rebecca Hanford Cindy Quick Wilson

PHYSICAL THERAPY CLINIC TOP PICK Complete Care Chiropractic and Massage, Eagle Point

Abdill Career College ..................21 Advanced Air & Metal ................16 Ashland Food Co-op ..................22 The Blue Giraffe Day Spa Salon ............................11 Jackson County Physical Therapy .........................10 Katzen Orthodontics ....................23 Lenz Chiropractic ........................11 Medford Food Co-op ....................7 Medical Eye Center .....................10 Medicap Pharmacy .......................7 Mercy Medical Center .................14 Nature’s Pet Market .......................9 Oregon Advanced Imaging ...........3 Providence Medford Medical Center............................24 Sherm’s Food 4 Less ......................2 Shop’n Kart...................................9 Southern Oregon Subaru ............19 The Springs at Veranda Park ...........................8,18 Oregon Healthy Living Magazine is published by the Southern Oregon Media Group Advertising Department, 111 N. Fir St., Medford, OR 97501. General information: 541.776.4411 To advertise: 541.776.4422 Submissions and feedback: crose@mailtribune.com

2nd Place — Jackson County Physical Therapy, multiple locations 3rd Place — Impact Physical Therapy, Grants Pass Honorable Mention: Southern Oregon Physical Therapy, Medford and Medford Sports and Injury, Medford

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Urban Farmers Love Their City Chicks TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER PHOTOS BY DAVID GIBB

The Musler children - Sarah, 11, Matthew, 10 and Adam Musler, 8 - show off their chicken friends.

Raising backyard birds offers more than breakfast

T

en years ago, Andy Pyle of Ashland wasn’t in love with the idea of raising chickens. In fact, he was set against it. But his children had other ideas. They gifted him with two hens that Father’s Day.

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FOOD

While it wasn’t exactly love at first sight, it was the beginning of a decade of fresh eggs and practical learning experiences. “My brother in Portland had a few chickens for about a year,” Pyle says. “The kids thought it was great, but I flat-out said I would never raise chickens in the backyard.

However, it has ended up being a great learning experience for the kids and for us as a family. The kids knew better than I did.”

Aaron Musler of Jacksonville, on the other hand, grew up on a farm in Maine and was anxious to share the experience of raising and caring for animals with his own children. “They were already responsible for watering and weeding the garden,” he says. “We thought they were ready for the next level of responsibility.”

But whether a brood of chickens in your backyard has been a lifelong dream or it was thrust on you by some eager

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children and their complicit mother (or father), there are issues and costs to consider.

Before you pick up that chick

Pyle and Musler caution that regulations surrounding backyard chickens vary by location. For example, some cities allow homeowners to have roosters, while others don’t. Other ordinances include what kind of housing you are required or allowed to provide, how close the birds can be to neighbors’ homes, and how loud they can be before they’re considered a nuisance.

It’s essential to do your homework and be aware of all local ordinances before you even think about bringing home any chicks, since it’s difficult to give up the chickens if you’re found in violation down the line.

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FOOD

Creating a home

So your enclosures are in place, you’ve chosen the right breeds for your needs, and you are spot-on in regard to all local ordinances. Get to know your brood, so you’ll recognize right away if something is wrong. Of course, chickens need proper food and fresh water, but beyond that they also need interaction. Chickens, it seems, are incredibly social creatures.

“We interact with our chickens so they see us and see they are a part of us,” Pyle says. “We care. We watch them and we notice if one isn’t feeling well. Variety in diet is important, and don’t keep them cooped up. They need space. Ours have a narrow run — only 4-feet wide — but it goes for 60 feet and gives them shade and space to move. For city chickens, they seem pretty happy.”

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ESSENTIAL HEN HOMEWORK

• Research regulations and ordinances for your community.

• Make sure you can afford the costs involved.

• Make sure you have the time to give the chickens the attention they need.

• Decide if you are OK with poop maintenance chores.

• Research the types of chickens that are available. Breeds can vary wildly in terms of size, needs, temperament and egg-laying habits. Rhode Island Reds, for example, are calm, quiet and not aggressive, Musler says, while Ameraucanas are “pushy and loud.”

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FOOD continued from page 7

Poops and Flown Coops

There aren’t many feathers that can’t be unruffled by some fresh eggs — especially when the squabbles start over a runaway chicken or two. Pyle and Musler agree that an escapee can wreak havoc on community relations.

“Not every neighbor loves them,” Musler says. “Sometimes, before we clipped their wings, the chickens would fly over our fence and get into the neighbors’ walnut tree or scratch in their bark mulch. Or some neighbors would be walking their dogs and be annoyed because the dogs would get excited over the chickens. There are people that love it and people that don’t. Both are going to voice their opinions.”

There are lots of things that the number, quality, convenience and savings of having fresh eggs that are laid in your own backyard can mitigate. Poop, for example. If you allow your chickens to run freely, droppings pretty much show up everywhere. “If you don’t like cleaning up after pets, chicken-keeping probably isn’t for you,” Musler says.

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FOOD Life lessons

Despite their different backgrounds and expectations, Pyle and Musler had similar experiences when it came to introducing their children to raising chickens at home. The children grew attached to the chickens, named them, carried them around like pets – and through it all learned responsibility; the value of fresh, natural food and knowing where food comes from; and, sometimes, hard lessons about the cycle of life.

“We lost two of the first three hens to a raccoon right off the bat,” Pyle says. “It was an interesting learning experience, that there is mortality and they do die. Our family hadn’t had that experience with other pets. It was sad, but it was good. It’s a natural process. They figured that out.”

Tough farm dad Musler says the children aren’t the only ones who learn from the experience. “The nice thing is how the children are natural caretakers,” Musler says. “It softened me up about how animals should have a purpose and then we eat them.

To see how connected the kids got, I was surprised and touched by how important the chickens became in their lives. It was sweet.”

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FOOD continued from page 9

Effort about more than eggs

Ultimately, these urban farmers agree, raising chickens at home is worth the effort. Of course, the eggs are the reward for the work. It takes roughly 26 hours for an egg to form from start to finish, so a hen could conceivably lay six eggs a week, but three to five is more likely.

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“For people who are trying to become more self-sustainable, it’s a great first step after gardening,” Pyle says. “It’s a nice way to connect a little bit with where your food comes from. Everybody should have that experience.”

Musler’s daughter, Sarah has been caring for the family chickens since she was a toddler. And it’s something she plans to share with her own children someday. “I really like it.

It’s fun,” she says. “The best part is watching them grow up from baby chicks to really big chickens. That’s cool.”

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FOOD

ARE YOU HARD-BOILED OR OVER-EASY?

Just like any animal you take under your wing, chickens involve work and much of it not very glamorous, including poop scooping. Before bringing home chicks, consider if you are ready for the responsibility along with the benefits.

THE SUNNY SIDE THE SHELL OUT Other than the eggs, Pyle and Musler list a host of other benefits to raising chickens at home. Among them: • You’ll have plenty of outdoor time, either alone or with the family. There’s time to be spent doing chicken-related chores, which, of course, means being outdoors (and away from the TV or other screens). But just watching the chickens is entertaining, too. They have personalities for you to discover and a pecking order for you to figure out.

• You’ll have a cool icebreaker to engage the neighbors. Plus, you’ll be popular and enjoy a feel-good vibe if you have egg bounty to share.

• You’ll be part of the homesteading trend. Working toward a goal of producing as much as you can to feed yourself and your family in the space you have.

• You’ll be eating as locally as you possibly can. By controlling what goes into the chickens that produce the eggs, you control what goes into your family when they eat the eggs. And you’ll have a 0-mile commute to get it.

• You’ll save money in the long run. Also, you could potentially make a little extra by selling the eggs to neighbors or at local farmers’ markets.

• You’ll provide your children with real-life lessons.

Raising animals teaches about food, nutrition, responsibility and a self-sustaining lifestyle.

In addition to the poop problem, here are some downsides to raising chickens at home: • Your garden may suffer. Chickens can and will dig up anything they can get their beaks and feet into. Short of keeping your birds cooped up 24/7, the solution is to provide them with their own large space that is fenced in and away from the garden.

• Your social life may suffer. Chickens need routines and to be fed at regular intervals, which can make vacations and other trips a problem. The solution is to batten down the hatches to ensure the chickens’ comfort and safety, and to make nice with the neighbors so they won’t mind looking in to feed and water them.

• You may get some unwanted company. Rats, for example, or other pests looking to chow down on food scraps you leave out for your chickens. The most natural solution is to adopt a free-range cat.

Chickens can also attract predators.

• You’ll have start-up and ongoing costs. Chickens require fencing, a coop, feed, veterinary service and more.

• You might face some tough decisions (and conversations). Chickens with relatively long lives ahead of them stop laying eggs at age 3 to 5. Unless you plan on running a retirement community for barren hens, you’ll have to decide what to do with them once they stop laying. The solutions include slaughtering them for meat yourself; taking them to someone who will process them; or finding folks who are happy to take them in as pets.

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Super

Sumptuous

Suds

Local, handmade soaps are a treat for your skin

TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER

N

ot that long ago, soap wasn’t something many people actually got enthused about.

But today, with small-batch artisans creating sumptuous indulgences with fruits or tea leaves or essential oils and all manner of natural add-ins, the “soap enthusiast” has been born.

Emily Whitlock, owner of Emz Blendz Soap Co. in Ashland, has been making her own soap for the past 17 years, turning a childhood memory into a business. “When I was little, I liked making perfumes from rose petals and lilacs from my mother’s garden,” she says. “I’ve always loved making things that smell good. I originally tried to make soap to create sweet-smelling gifts for my family and friends. It feels like magic to me.”

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Ken Adamson, owner and formulation chemist for Silken Soaps & Body Works of Talent, has been making soap since the 1960s for a more practical reason. “My skin has a lot of sun damage, and commercial soaps and lotions either didn’t help or actually made things worse,” he explains. “About seven years ago, I began formulating vegetable soaps and after six years settled on formulations that I like. Soap making is like

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PAMPER

cooking — if you change ingredients, or their proportions, you have a different soap.”

No matter the reason for making your own soap — or for opting to buy small-batch, handcrafted soaps from local artisans — there is a wide variety of ingredients to play with and finished soaps to buy. You can find everything from very basic soaps made with nothing but a few simple ingredients to super-lush varieties that are like the annual flower show in a bath bar.

Whitlock, for example, adds ingredients such as lavender, oatmeal, hemp, lemon verbena, citrus basil, rosemary sage, coconut, lemongrass — even chocolate — to her base of organic vegetable oils and unrefined vegetable butters. “Each time I make a new blend, I have a new favorite,” she says, adding that her best-selling soaps are Oatmeal Milk & Honey, Mt. Ashland (scents of spruce, pine and fir trees with a touch of sage), Sandalwood Scrub and Mango Tea. Whitlock also sells a three-in-one beauty bar that is at once a shampoo, shaving

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YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF

Soap making is fairly simple, but must be done in steps. And carefully.

“Watch videos or read instructions online or in a book before attempting to make soap,” cautions Ken Adamson, owner and formulation chemist for Silken Soaps & Body Works. “Soap is made with lye, a highly caustic chemical that can burn your skin and eyes, and can cause blindness. There is a process to soap making. You don’t simply throw the ingredients into a pot and stir. If not done right, your soap will fail.”

Emily Whitlock, owner, Emz Blendz Soap Co., echoes Adamson’s warning, and adds that using proper equipment, accurate measurements and temperatures also are important.

The Internet is rife with soap-making recipes and how–tos, including recipes using pre-made natural soaps that you can melt down and personalize with essential oils, herbs and other ingredients. This meltand-pour method circumvents the danger of working directly with lye.

• Here’s a source packed with info on pour-and-mold soap: wholenewmom.com/recipes/how-to-make-soap-how-to-makehomemade-soap.

• And here’s one for a super-easy (although it does involve working with lye), three-ingredient soap with a coconut oil base: mommypotamus.com/how-to-make-pure-coconut-oil-soap-forcleansing-and-laundry/

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PAMPER continued from page 13 soap and body soap, as well as a wool-felted soap that exfoliates as it cleans.

In a different approach, Adamson stays away from adding fragrances and coloring to his soap because, “I found that adding them changed the quality of a good soap. For example, it would decrease the amount of lather.” Instead, Adamson’s soaps contain silk, which he says has two proteins and 18 amino acids that are very small and easily absorbed by the skin, binding with the skin’s own proteins for a tightening, anti-wrinkle effect. He adds that silk properties also help to slow water loss, and several of the amino acids increase hydroxyproline, a major component of the protein collagen.

His best-sellers are Cocoa Butter Soap, Regenerant Blend Lotion, Facial Serum and the Argan Oil & Cocoa Butter Lip Balm.

The possibilities for soap combinations are seemingly endless. “I would like to make some soap with beer,” Whitlock says. “Considering that my soap shop is located right next to the famous Standing Stone Brewery, I think this would be fun.

And since beer is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, it would make a soap that is an excellent treatment for the skin.”

No matter what goes into any soap, however, what really matters is what comes out — the experience it provides and how well it cleans and nourishes.

“The most important thing about a soap is not its color, or its smell, or packaging, or even how much it lathers,” Adamson says. “Most important is how a soap performs in the bath and feels on our skin. Bathing should feel good, and it should do good things for us. Every inch of our skin feels it, and every inch is benefited.”

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The Ups & Downs of

Inversion Therapy

Back pain relief possible but home use problematic

TEXT BY CINDY QUICK WILSON

T

he use of inversion therapy, a form of spinal traction, has been documented as far back as 400 BC when noted physician Hippocrates observed the pain relief a patient received as he hung by his knees from a ladder. Today, an inversion table can be used to reverse the gravitational pull on the body’s organs, bones and joints. However, professionals who deal with back pain say before you invest in a home version, check with your doctor.

As the name implies, inversion tables invert the body to a variable degree between supine and upside down while users are secured at the ankles. In addition to relieving spinal pressure, manufacturers claim inversion therapy stimulates pituitary and thyroid glands, provides lymphatic drainage by stimulating lymphatic flow, increases flexibility, and can improve and balance posture. Some even claim inversion therapy will improve your golf game.

“A lot of people are interested in the subject of back pain,” says Andy Kranenburg, spine specialist and surgeon with Southern Oregon Orthopedics. “I think there is good evidence that elevation of the limbs above the heart can improve venous and lymphatic drainage and inversion does that. From the little bit of data that we have, we know inversion tables to be safe for most degenerative conditions of the spine, like bulging discs, degenerative discs, spinal arthritis and spinal stenosis. But they are probably unsafe for patients with an acute injury, particularly a fracture, because you’re dealing with an unstable spine.”

The downside of inversion

Whether it is claims about the miraculous success of laser spine surgery or the amazing benefits of inversion tables, Kranenburg cautions back pain sufferers not to choose treatment based on persuasive marketing hype. “There are many people with chronic pain who are, unfortunately, susceptible to market-driven solutions that, in the best

case scenarios, don’t have any evidence in support of their effectiveness and in the worst case scenarios, may actually cause harm,” he says. “Regarding effectiveness, inversion tables appear to confer a very short duration benefit and improvement in pain. For example, if you have a bulging disc that is putting direct pressure on a nerve, the inversion table will stretch the spinal elements and cause the bulging disc to retract off of the nerves and relieve the symptoms temporarily.

But when gravity is reapplied as the patient becomes upright, the bulge usually comes back immediately. Most patients will say their pain relief lasts anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, but not typically beyond that.”

Kranenburg believes that for acute spine-related pain, getting a patient in the hands of a good physical therapist or chiropractor early can speed up recovery. “There are certainly therapists and other practitioners of manipulative or adjustment-based medicine who will use inversion or traction as a part of the management of acute pain.”

Although Justin Carson, physical therapist with Jackson County Physical Therapy, does use spinal traction in the treatment of back pain, he isn’t sold on the advisability of home-use inversion tables. “It’s not appropriate for all back pain conditions,” Carson explains. “People can actually hurt their backs getting on and off the machines and sometimes inversion therapy can even make their conditions worse.

It can pull on knees and hips and can cause problems with high blood pressure and for those with the risk of stroke. Our

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HEALTH

More risk than relief

When asked about who should not use inversion table therapy, Kranenburg responds, “Anyone with congestive heart failure or any other illness where being recumbent or in a head-below-heart position might actually cause a patient to have problems with their heart and lungs.”

Carson advises getting a professional opinion before spending a lot of money on an inversion table. “There are many different reasons that back pain occurs and each one requires a different type of treatment. Usually, exercise like walking and physical therapy is really the best thing for back pain, but it all depends on what is causing the pain.”

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FITNESS TURNED

UPSIDE DOWN

traction devices differ in that we can control and regulate how many pounds of pressure we use. Our devices use a belt around the pelvis so it pulls around the hips instead of through the ankles, hips and knees before it actually gets to the back. We are better able to localize and target where the pull occurs.”

Major sports equipment retailers and television infomercials are promoting inversion equipment for home fitness workouts as well as back pain relief. In one local example, Club Northwest in Grants Pass has a piece of specialty equipment called the GyroGym. The GyroGym is a rotating sphere that allows a person standing in the middle to directly control the speed and 360 degree rotation by simply shifting body weight. “It’s very popular at our club,” explains Scott Draper, the general manager. “Some people just think it’s fun, others get an intense workout, still other folks use it for health benefits.”

Because core strength moves the gyro, it’s adaptable to any fitness level. “Our seniors use it to improve posture and balance. It’s also popular with athletes, hang gliders and paragliders,” Draper says.

“People think they’re going to get dizzy or sick, but that tends not to happen because your stomach stays in the center of the rotation. It’s non-repetitive movement so the inner ear fluid isn’t all going to one side the way it does when you’re spinning in a circle. You’re secured inside of the ring so you’re completely safe.

To me, it’s the ultimate functional fitness equipment. It encourages spinal elongation and getting your bones in the right place so your muscles can work more effectively.”

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As Without, So Within Optimizing energy flow with the ancient concept of feng shui TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER

F

eng shui is the ancient Chinese philosophy that studies how the placement and treatment of objects in a home affect both the energy within it and the personal flow of energy of those who live there.

It’s also not something everyone accepts. But adherents say that not “believing in” feng shui doesn’t make you immune to its influence. Take clutter, for example. Getting rid of it is one of the most powerful tools in the feng shui toolbox. If you’ve ever felt that sense of calm that comes from spring cleaning, you’ve experienced the powerful effects of feng shui.

“I’d ask that person who says there’s nothing to feng shui if he or she has ever walked into a home or business and wanted to turn around and leave without knowing exactly why,” says Ashland resident Jennifer Reed. “There’s just something at work behind the scenes that drives one away. People are more or less sensitive to the sort of background energy that feng shui addresses. People have remarked how good they feel in my living room and dining room — public spaces where I’ve made special efforts to honor feng shui principles.”

Reed learned about feng shui through Isabeau Vollhardt, a licensed acupuncturist at Cinnabar Swan Healing Arts in Ashland. Reed and her husband consulted with Vollhardt when they remodeled their dining room and kitchen years ago and then again when they had designs drawn up for a total home remodel.

Vollhardt offers this simple experiment to test out the theories behind feng shui: Find a room with an open ceiling beam and sit directly beneath it. Chances are, you won’t feel comfortable for long.

“The weight of the building is on that ceiling beam,” Vollhardt says, “and the energy of that building weight is being transferred directly to the top of your head. You know the roof isn’t going to fall down, but on an energetic level, your body knows that’s where the building’s energy is trying to make a downward motion, and the last place you want to sit is right under it. With a flat ceiling, the energy is dissipated across the entire roof.”

Feng shui also involves the placement of furniture and décor, as well as color and even overall design of a home.

But it goes beyond those elements to address the way energy moves through a space, which in turn influences how that space affects the people in it. Those who utilize feng shui say it can affect everything from energy levels to financial issues to success in business and even physical health. But it’s not a one-and-done proposition.

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NATURAL

Clutter is the archnemesis of feng shui. Air and energy should always be moving. Clutter traps it.

“I get calls from people who want me to wave a magic wand and fix things,” says Sugeet Posey, founder of Creative Visions in Medford. “I can facilitate them changing the energy in their space, but if the person isn’t willing to also engage, it’s like going to a doctor and expecting to sit in the waiting room to get cured.”

Posey adds that once people “set an intention” with feng shui, they need to be open to accepting the changes and mindful of when and how they might be happening. “They have to stay aware because we never know when the full effects will kick in,” he says. “The results can be subtle, like the tide coming in and all of the sudden you’re up to your ankles in water. Or it can be immediate, within days.”

The Reeds rearranged the design for a new bathroom in

their house based on Vollhardt’s suggestion that the shower should have gold incorporated into its design “so that money won’t flow down the drain.”

Vollhardt also advised them to address their front gate, which opens into a secluded walkway that leads to the front door. The gate and its side fences are both solid but should allow for light to pass through. Reed says they can’t afford to change the gate, but they compromised by keeping it open during the day.

Reed also shares that “a web of scar tissue from a previous surgery” recently created health issues for her husband, who had to undergo complicated surgery to correct it. “It recently hit me that a monster octopus of electrical cable and cords in his home office mirrored his insides! This goes to a philosophy

WHERE TO START

The art and science of feng shui can focus on details as minute as the placement of a plant in a certain corner of the room or as sweeping as the design of the house itself.

And while different intentions draw on specific concepts within feng shui, there are a few basic guidelines that are at its core.

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1. Make sure everything in your home works properly: Doors and windows are easy to open and close; burners on the stove light; bulbs are not burned out, etc.

2. Keep the main entrance to your house well maintained. This makes for a welcoming vibe both to those entering the home and to the neighbors.

3. Get rid of clutter. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed,” says Sageet Posey of Creative Visions. “Start with a junk drawer in the kitchen or your medicine cabinet.

When you have everything moved out, clean the space, and then put things back in a way that makes sense. Do it in chunks.

Do not let it overwhelm you.”

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NATURAL

“

of an ordered interior life reflected in the order or disorder of one’s environment, all affecting one’s well-being,” she says. “My husband quickly engaged this line of thought, and got the cables and cords sorted, bound, racked or placed in a drawer. The cable issue alone makes a huge difference in that space. As to future health and feng shui, time will tell.”

Posey says people need to be open to and watchful for the changes that proper feng shui can create. “And when you notice something change, say thank you,” he says. “We don’t know the agency that does this. Even if you have no belief in a higher power, you still have to say thank you.

Gratitude is very important.”

“I get calls from people who want me to wave a magic wand and fix things. I can facilitate them changing the energy in their space, but if the person isn’t willing to also engage, it’s like going to a doctor and expecting to sit in the waiting room to get cured.”

”

— Sugeet Posey, founder of Creative Visions in Medford

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Breathe Easy Indoors Tips to reduce indoor air quality concerns TEXT BY CINDY QUICK WILSON

M

any of today’s strictly regulated building and environmental standards have improved where we work, live and play, but there are instances where our modernized methods have unintended consequences. In our efforts to make our homes and offices more energy efficient, we have created building “envelopes” that, without attention to adequate ventilation, leave us with a range of sources for poor indoor air quality.

“Over the last 10 or 15 years, building codes have become much more rigid,” explains Randal Lee, marketing director with Advanced Air & Metal, Inc. in Central Point. “In order for builders to meet the standards for energy efficiency they have to be made more sealed, or as we say in the industry, more ‘enveloped.’ That pertains to the moisture barrier around the house, how it is shingled and flashed, and how this keeps water and moisture out of the home. But it also works inversely, because it traps air inside the house. If that air becomes compromised or polluted, that same air stays in the home.”

Fume stew

In a sealed environment, Lee says, residents can be unknowingly exposed to mold, mildew, dust mites, bacteria, viruses, pollen, pet dander, smoke, cleaning solutions, cooking odors and gasses, such as carbon monoxide. Any one or all of these can cause health problems. “Sometimes people are ill and they don’t realize they’re living in a home with mold or other pollutants that are causing their symptoms,” Lee continues. “This can go on for weeks, months or even years until they move and then realize they feel so much better.”

As a family physician at Providence Medical Center in Medford, Jason Kuhl says exposure to these undetected contaminants can cause a range of symptoms. “Most of these agents lead to respiratory-related health issues such as allergies with sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose, and sinus congestion, versus asthma-type symptoms like shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing. Certain volatile organic compounds

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and cleaning solvents along with second-hand smoke can not only cause respiratory-related health concerns, but can increase one’s risk for developing cancer. These agents can also cause headaches, difficulty concentrating and fatigue among a myriad of other symptoms.”

It is often difficult to determine which contaminants might be affecting the patient’s health, Kuhl says. “Most often we rely on the patient’s history of potential exposures along with a physical examination in determining the causality of symptoms. We ask when did the symptoms start? Do the symptoms come and go, or are they only present on certain days of the week or in a particular building or area?

On occasion we may involve other specialists such as a pulmonologist, allergist, or dermatologist to determine the etiology of the patient’s health concerns.”

Triggers and prevention

There are many irritants that get into our carpets, our furnishings, our window coverings, our flooring, and even in our walls. Carpet and area rugs are notorious for trapping these kinds of pollutants, especially if we have pets. Their dander gets trapped in the fibers and upholstery and can be extremely difficult to get rid of.

Kuhl suggests removing possible triggers such as pets, rodents, perfumes and cleaning solvents. Keep indoor areas clean by eliminating dust, molds and mildew, making sure that indoor spaces have good ventilation, and that air filters are cleaned regularly. “It is also very important to make sure chemicals are stored appropriately and necessary personal

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HEALTH protective equipment like gloves and/or masks are used when indicated,” he says.

“Keeping a clean house does help a lot,” agrees Lee. “Frequent vacuuming and dusting can make a big difference, and cleaning draperies and window coverings often.” Other remedies include replacing carpeting with hard floor coverings and installing blinds instead of draperies that collect dust and pollutants.

Just changing air filters on a regular basis will make a big change in your environment and extend the life of your system, Lee says. “There are many different types of filters and systems so there is no one hard and fast rule about which filters to buy or how often to change them,” he notes. “The important thing is to buy good ones and change them regularly.”

Further filtration and purification options are available in new systems or as additions to existing systems. “With air filtration, the baseline particle capture rate is about 5 percent,” Lee says. “That can improve that to nearly 99 percent with the use of air purifiers, air cleaners and ultraviolet, germicidal lights. Enhancing your air quality doesn’t necessarily require a completely new system. Air purification products can be added to existing systems.”

Many older homes still have mercury-filled, wall-mounted thermostats and Lee comments, “We’ve come so far from that. The new thermostats are programmable and can be controlled remotely through apps and smartphones. They can monitor levels of humidity which can prevent growing mold and mildew in the home and can control the amount of air flow and air speed. There are so many advances in this technology.”

IMPROVING YOUR

INDOOR AIR QUALITY 1. Cleaner floors.

Vacuum. Using a vacuum cleaner that has strong suction, rotating brushes, and a HEPA filter. Don’t forget walls, carpet edges, window coverings and upholstered furniture. Vacuum two or more times each week and wash out your filter regularly.

Mop. Mopping picks up the dust that vacuuming leaves behind. Use plain water to capture any lingering dust or allergens.

Wipe. Put a large floor mat at every door. A door mat reduces the amount of dirt, pesticides, and other pollutants that get tracked into your home.

2. Healthy humidity. An air conditioner helps reduce indoor pollen count. Use an exhaust fan or crack open a window when cooking, running the dishwasher or bathing. Fix leaky plumbing to prevent moisture-loving mold. Empty drip pans in your window air conditioner and dehumidifier.

3. Make your home a no-smoking zone.

4. Test for radon. Radon is a radioactive gas. Drafty homes, airtight homes, homes with or without a basement, any home can potentially have a radon problem.

5. Forget fragrance. Synthetic fragrances in laundry products and air fresheners emit dozens of different chemicals into the air and may emit gasses. Look for fragrance-free or naturally-scented laundry products. Switch to mild cleaners that don’t include artificial fragrances. Stop using aerosol sprays.

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Separating food fact from fiction can be confusing and time consuming. Fortunately the rules for kitchen and food safety are simple. If you don’t know where to begin, start with the basics.

“Wash your hands before and after handling food to reduce the spread of bacteria,” says Lindsey Patterson, an inpatient clinical dietitian at Providence Medford Medical Center. “If you handle raw meat, wash your hands before touching vegetables.”

But washing isn’t limited only to your hands. “Clean all produce,” adds Patterson. “The Center for Disease Control recommends rinsing with cold water. Use a produce brush to scrub foods with a rough exterior, such as cucumbers. Don’t use soap.”

If this sounds like a lot of washing, there is relief with pre-packaged items. “Don’t rinse pre-washed salads and greens,” Patterson says. “You can trust the bag. If you wash it again, you could get the food dirtier.”

Patterson notes the most common foods which cause illness

Eating “Clean” with Kitchen Hygiene TEXT BY REBECCA HANFORD

D

o you wash apples before eating?

What about bagged salads and greens? Clean eating isn’t just buying organic food and blending up the occasional green smoothie. Keeping dirt, bacteria and germs off your food ensures well-prepared meals in a safe kitchen environment.

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are raw meats, shellfish, cooked rice, melons, tomatoes, leafy greens and dairy. Bacteria and viruses grow rapidly on these foods because they are high in moisture or protein, or are slightly acidic, which creates a greater risk of contamination.

Organization also plays a key role in food safety. Using different colored cutting boards reduces cross-contamination. “Use a red cutting board for meat, yellow for seafood and green for vegetables,” advises Patterson. “Evaluate your refrigerator weekly. Keep raw foods on the bottom shelf and clean any spills.”

You can maintain a sanitary kitchen by using any number of cleaning products. Organic and chemical-free options are plentiful, as are homemade solutions. Your cleaning products should contain ingredients strong enough to disinfect all types of surfaces. A common home cleaning agent is a mixture of vinegar and water.

“Cleaning is different than disinfecting,” notes Patterson.

“Vinegar is mild and doesn’t kill all bacteria. It’s ineffective against viruses. To disinfect against viruses, use a product with some bleach.”

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Local Events SENIOR STRETCH & FLEXIBILITY CLASS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 - 9:25 AM Medford Senior Center, 510 West Main St., Medford Contact Information: http://medfordseniorcenter.org/

LAKE OF THE WOODS TRI-SPORT WEEKEND SATURDAY & SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12-13, 2015

This year we’ve added a few new races beyond the Sprint Triathlon, creating a whole weekend triathlon and running festival–the perfect finale to summer!

For more information: http://lakeofthewoodstri.com/

RADHAKRISHNA HOLISTIC YOGA SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015 - 3:00 PM Ashland Karate Academy, 644 Tolman Creek Rd., Ashland For more Information: www.facebook.com/RadhaKrishnaYoga

JACKSONVILLE FARMERS MARKET SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2015 - 9:00 AM TO 1:00 PM A wonderful community event in addition to having quality produce and local artisans.

Historic Jacksonville Courthouse, 5th and C St., Jacksonville For more Information: http://www.jacksonvillefarmersmarket.org

YOU, YOUR HEALTH, AND LONGEVITY THE FINER POINTS OF ABUNDANT HEALTH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 - 7:00 PM TO 8:00 PM Natural Grocers, Medford There are six components to creating lasting health, fitness and wellbeing.

Come find out these six components and how to integrate them into your life.

PROVIDENCE ROGUE RUN—MARATHON, HALF-MARATHON, 10K AND ROGUE RAMBLER SATURDAY & SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19-20, 2015 Experience Southern Oregon’s beauty by foot along our Greenway For more information: theroguerun@gmail.com

HAPPY HANDS & FEET REFLEXOLOGY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2015 - 5:00 PM TO 7:00 PM Enjoy a relaxing foot bath, and learn the reflexology points of the hands and feet, Family Massage Education Center, 77 Manzanita St., Ashland For more Information: hellofmec@gmail.com

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