Inhealth 6/1/2015

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FROM THE EDITOR

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In Franklin’s Footsteps

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ow many times have you thought you should eat better, should make time for close friendships and date nights, should teach your kids more about community service, should finally make that commitment to forge ahead in your career? All those “shoulds” can add up to one big headache — often making me think I should just forget it and try to get through the day.

I recently read about a fellow who decided to live by Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule, written out and set forth in Franklin’s Autobiography and surprisingly applicable more than 200 years later. The most revealing aspect for the writer was the Franklin’s twice-daily plan to take a little time to reflect, be grateful and even give himself a pat on the back for the things on his schedule that he had accomplished. Too often my days pass by in a whirlwind of activity, with little time to reflect on what went right — more often, the focus is on all the things that didn’t get done as I drift off to sleep.

Whether you’d like to take on a physical challenge like a marathon or Ironman, as Linda Hagen Miller explores in “The Start of Something Big” (page 27), or you’d like to write a book, learn to play an instrument or take up painting, or especially if you have health issues that you need to address, writing down daily and long-term goals can help keep your feet pointed in the right direction. Eventually, all those little steps really do add up.

To your health!

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CHECK-IN STAY CONNECTED

RESEARCH FILES

Email InHealth Editor Anne McGregor at annem@inlander.com. The conversation continues on the Inlander Facebook page, and stay in touch with us at Inlander.com/InHealth.

Building Better Prosthetics

Why is shopping at a farmers market so much fun?

KRISTINE WINNIFORD Food is fresher, healthier and you’re supporting local farmers. PLUS every dollar you spend locally helps to keep our money local and strengthens our local economy.

Are you training to run any races this summer?

University of Idaho researcher Craig McGowan

TIMOTHY DICKERSON Ironman Coeur d’Alene is my race this year. What inspired me to sign up? Love, life and loss all make up the reasoning. The love of my wife, who I want to become healthier for. Living a life that challenges my mind, body and soul. Finally, the loss of my cousin and a dear friend, when they were far too young, opened my eyes to how little time we may have on this earth. 

O

scar Pistorius made history in 2012 by becoming the first amputee to compete in the Summer Olympics, finishing second in a 400-meter heat. Of course, Pistorius subsequently became infamous for shooting and killing his girlfriend, but for Craig McGowan, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Idaho, Pistorius remains an example of the power of proper prosthetics.

Most amputees, says McGowan, aren’t as lucky in finding a comfortable prosthesis that enables them to live active, healthy lives. Commonly, he says, finding the right prosthesis takes trial and error that can still result in back and knee problems.

“These guys are beating themselves to death with

these things,” says McGowan. “It’s pretty clear to me that they are not integrating with the body that well.”

McGowan hopes his research will change that.

With funding from a one-year Murdock Charitable Trust Exceptional Opportunity Grant, he’s currently using computers to model the mechanics of something that most of us take for granted: how legs run. The next step in his research will be creating a simulation of a runner using a prosthesis, which will shed light on how the device interacts with the body’s neuromuscular system. Ultimately, he envisions new prostheses that allow their users to run and stay active without adversely straining the rest of their bodies.

— JAKE THOMAS

ASK DR. MATT

About Your Sleepy Teen

S Matt Thompson is a pediatrician at Spokane’s Kids Clinic.

leep is essential for many bodily functions, every bit as important as hydration and nutrition. In fact, if you go long enough without sleep — somewhere between and seven and 10 days — you will die. This probably has something to do with thermoregulation, but nobody wants to volunteer for the studies to find out.

Perhaps the group most impacted by sleep deprivation is teenagers. It is natural for them to have a shift towards “eveningness” as their circadian rhythms move to a later physiologic bedtime. That may work to their advantage, considering they have more and more to do after school in our present go-go culture. After school is over, and school team practice is over, and select team practice is over, and youth group is over, they have just enough time to eat dinner and get homework started — they’re lucky to get to bed by midnight. That might actually work out, if they were able

to get their requisite 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep before getting up for school the next day. However, our modern system does not accommodate that schedule.

Whatever its origins — busing demands, limited daylight practice times after school, childcare issues for parents — high school starts too early. On average, teens get two hours less sleep than they need on school nights, resulting in impaired cognitive function, fragmented memory and learning and mood disturbance. That sleep debt cannot be repaid in one weekend, no matter how late they sleep in.

Some states are trying to regulate this by having high schools start no earlier than 8:30 am. There is ample evidence to show that later start times reduce auto accidents, decrease depression and improve school performance. During such an essential part of life, one that requires engaged learning and social interaction, would it not be better for our adolescents to have an attentive six hours, rather than a befuddled seven hours, of class time per day?

— MATT THOMPSON JUNE-JULY, 2015

CHECK-IN inhealth 6-1-2015.indd 9

Health 9 5/21/15 12:07 PM

CHECK-IN PILL BOX

LIFE COACH

I am having a tough allergy season with all of the pollen in the air. Mostly I have an itchy and runny nose along with sneezing. What non-prescription medications do you recommend?

n a walk with my friend Gretchen, who calls herself a perfectionist, she blurted out, “I just finished a book, and you’re a perfectionist too!”

Perfectionism is the refusal to accept a result that is less than perfect — a power-driven, tireless Carla Brannan is a approach to an unattainable goal. Procrastination is certified professional my spin on this “ism.” This lesser-recognized variety life coach in Spokane. makes the smallest step forward seem impossible without a guarantee that it’s the path that leads to a perfect outcome. Perfectionism hasn’t proven to yield higher results than a healthy pursuit of excellence. Still, many of us climb on the hamster wheel of perfectionism, even knowing from experience that it will increase anxiety and self-doubt and exacerbate fears of disapproval and rejection from others.

Since that walk, I have withdrawn myself from the school of perfectionism and am furthering my studies in an ongoing practice to simply always do my best. I started after reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. His definition is that doing our best is fluid in nature because it’s influenced by many internal and external factors.

Now I focus on moving forward one step at a time, striving to do my best.

With the awareness that the best I can muster one day may be different from another, I also give myself permission to do things imperfectly. My findings include an overall increase in calmness, greater satisfaction while working and a sense of accomplishment upon completion.

— CARLA BRANNAN

Allergy Relief?

John R. White chairs WSU-Spokane’s Department of Pharmacotherapy.

T

here are a host of OTC options for seasonal allergies and specifically allergic rhinitis. It is best to steer clear of nasal decongestant sprays such as Afrin or oral products that contain multiple medications. You may benefit from the use of an intranasal corticosteroid such as Nasacort Allergy 24 Hour or Flonase. These medications will reduce itching, runny nose, sneezing and congestion. They are quite effective because they have multiple pharmacologic effects that impact the allergic symptoms at various cellular and biochemical levels. They do not usually work quickly, though, and may need to be used for several days before an effect is obvious. If this intervention does not provide you with comfort, you might consider adding an antihistamine. If you want to try this, make sure to begin with a non-sedating variety (examples: Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec). Your pharmacist can help you determine if this would be an appropriate approach.

— JOHN R. WHITE

Better Than Perfect

O

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een dreaming of outdoor adventure but don’t have the gear or the experience to even get started?

Spokatopia has you covered.

“We are really excited to help people come out and try new outdoor activities,” says Regan Farmer, an outdoor guide with Spokane Parks and Recreation, one of the event sponsors. “We’ve created really reasonable prices so people can come out and try up to nine excursions.”

The one-day outdoor festival along the banks of the Spokane River at Camp Sekani Park will give attendees the chance to go geocaching, rock climbing, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking and even whitewater rafting with help from knowledgeable guides. In addition to the nine unique outdoor excursions, exhibitors including the Washington Trails As-

sociation, Cool Water Bikes and the Spokane Riverkeepers will offer information, and there will be plenty of outdoor gear to check out. Slacklining and stunt bike demonstrations will offer thrills for spectators, or you can take part in the Up Chucker run and relax afterward in the beer garden with a pint from River City Brewing Company and live music.

Preregistration is encouraged, and parking is limited. Shuttle services every half-hour will be provided from the Avista, Pasadena Elementary School and John Shields Park parking lots.

“We anticipate up to 1,000 people will attend,” Farmer says. “We hope to have this become a yearly event, building up to a multi-day festival.”

— JORDY BYRD Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival • Sat, July 11, from 10 am-6 pm • $5 general admission; $8-$20 per excursion • Camp Sekani Park • spokatopia.com • 822-0123

Expanding Research From classroom to lab, Washington State University health sciences professors in Spokane teach and engage in meaningful scientific research in genetics, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, addictions, neuropharmacology, exercise physiology, mental health, sleep, neuroscience, behavioral health, molecular biosciences and more.

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Health 11 5/21/15 12:07 PM

CHECK-IN GOOD READ

Attacking Heart Disease

J

ennie Johnson’s father died of a massive heart attack in 1977. He was only 46 years old. Today Johnson, who has a Ph.D. in nursing and is certified in cardiology, hopes to help others avoid his fate with her new book, Wake Up Call 911: It’s Time to Reduce Your Risk for a Heart Attack and Stroke. She also is the co-owner, with her husband, of Living for Healthy Heart, a consulting firm in Coeur d’Alene.

Can you talk a little about the alarmist title of your book?

The message is this is a wake-up call to start thinking of behaviors that are harming your health. Most of heart disease and stroke is preventable, yet Americans who are at risk are in great denial about it… The goal is to raise awareness of the problem and give people hope.

There are lots of books on preventing heart attacks. Why did you feel like another one was needed?

A nurse’s voice needs to be out there… Nurses have a lot of wisdom, but we don’t usually write the books, cardiologists do… When I went back to school and was doing my Ph.D. research in 2012, it all came together.

Who is this book aimed at?

The book is for middle-age people — anyone at risk for heart disease.

Pretty much everyone in the United States. But it’s also for health care providers. We keep making the same mistakes over and over in health care by providing patients with the same lifestyle prescription. Too often patients sit in their cardiologist’s office listening. They nod their head and maybe keep up with an unrealistic health program for a few days, but then ultimately fail.

You’ve combined easy-to-understand medical terminology with psychology to help people make lifestyle changes. Why integrate psychology?

The book discusses heart attack and stroke risk factors, then examines why certain behaviors are problematic. Treatment options and the medical piece are addressed, but then I share the latest information from psychology to truly examine what works, what helps people make lasting changes. You might be surprised at what works. It’s all about baby steps.

— JORDY BYRD Wake Up Call 911, now available online at tatepublishing.com, will be available in print starting June 16.

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BRAIN EXERCISE

4 1

Sudoku

RATINGS: Moderate (left), Diabolical (right) To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

2 9

4

Answers to all puzzles on page 40

8 6

7

4

6

PUZZLES BY JEFF WIDDERICH & ANDREW STUART www.syndicatedpuzzles.com

8

6

2

2

3 4 3 7

Each letter has been replaced by with a number. Using the starter clues, work out the words that must go in each cell on the codeword grid. Some well-known phrases and names may also be found. For a two-letter clue, turn to page 25.

18

18 1

4

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Codewords 1

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4 1 6 5

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

1 3

3 9 7

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9 8

2

4

7 8

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5 8 4

3 2

1 3 9 8

Str8ts

RATING: Gentle Like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments.

These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a ‘straight’ — a set of numbers with no gaps but can be in any order. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution above to see how ‘straights’ are formed.

3 8 6 7 8 9

4

5 4 1

4

9 4 3 2 4

2 8 7 5

9 6

8

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NEWS F

R F I : E D N O DS O OR FOES?

Nutritional recommendations may be a lot less certain than we think

T

he potato industry ing that WIC recipients recently scored a are suffering from lack of big victory, in what potatoes in their diets.” sounds at first like a familiar Several watchdog groups story of Big Ag winning out and the national WIC over public health. Eight years advocacy group opposed the ago, over allegations of insufchange, too. ficient nutritional value, potatoes “It’s disappointing that poliBY were excluded from a government tics has trumped science,” Margo HEATHER TIRADO program that helps pregnant women Wootan, director of nutrition policy and young children improve their at the Center for Science in the Public GILLIGAN diets. The rationale was that aid recipiInterest, told reporters. ents in the Women, Infants and Children But did science really lose? In this case, program already ate plenty of white potatoes, a the potato industry had science on its side, the widely consumed vegetable in the U.S. outcry from nutritionists notwithstanding. Despite But in February, potatoes were back on the menu after the common belief that potatoes are nutritionally null, a a fierce, multi-year lobbying campaign by the National Poreport released in February by the Institute of Medicine, an tato Council. Nutritionist Marion Nestle and other progresindependent nonprofit, shows that white potatoes are an sive reformers called foul, denouncing the change. inexpensive source of potassium, fiber and other needed “Really?” Nestle scoffed. “I have a hard time believnutrients, and one that people actually enjoy eating. ...continued on next page

JUNE-JULY, 2015 NEWS-MAIN inhealth 6-1-2015.indd 15

Health 15 5/21/15 12:14 PM

NEWS “FOOD FRIENDS OR FOES?,” CONTINUED...

T

he takeaway from the potato controversy is not that lobbyists sometimes base their campaigns on real science. Rather it’s that the David-and-Goliath narrative of science versus Big Ag may be blinding us to another, even bigger problem: the fact that there is often very little solid science backing recommendations about what we eat.

Most of our devout beliefs about nutrition have not been subjected to a robust, experimental, controlled clinical trial, the type of study that shows cause and effect, which may be why Americans are pummeled with contradictory and confounding nutritional advice.

Nutritional bad guys that have fallen from grace in the national consciousness — white potatoes, eggs, nuts, iceberg lettuce — have been redeemed years later. Onetime good guys, like margarine and pasta, have been recast as villains. Cholesterol is back in the probably-won’t-kill-you column after being shunned for 40 years, as of the latest

Americans are pummeled with contradictory and confounding nutritional advice.

Avocados

Reviled in recent years as basically a big ball of fat, and historically considered a lurid, aphrodisiacal affront to decency, the avocado is now on the healthyaddition-to-your-diet list. Recent research shows that although it is loaded with calories — a single avocado checks in at just about the same number of calories as a Snickers bar — all that fat is good fat, in the form of monounsaturated, omega-3 fatty acids.

These healthy fats seem to help lower cholesterol and improve heart health. Even if you’re trying to lose weight, you can eat avocados.

Results from the seven-year National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that avocado consumers had lower body weight, BMI and waist circumference, and enjoyed a 50 percent reduction in risk for metabolic syndrome, probably because their diets also contained more fruits and vegetables, with higher amounts of fiber and vitamins.

Avocados are loaded with potassium, containing up to 60 percent more than bananas. Potassium is one of seven essential macronutrients that most Americans aren’t getting enough of. That’s too bad, because among other benefits, potassium reduces the risk for kidney stones and stroke and helps prevent muscle loss with aging.

— ANNE McGREGOR

nutritional advice from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee in February. (That advice was still too timid, according to Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Steve Nissen, who also wants the nutritional guidelines to admit our best evidence suggests fat isn’t bad for you either). And then there’s salt — don’t eat too little, says the newest research.

You could die.

Amid the growing concern that nutritional advice to avoid high-fat food led to overconsumption of carbohydrates and caused spikes in illnesses like Type 2 diabetes, more and more scientists are starting to worry publicly that the basis of our dietary advice is scientific quicksand.

How potatoes were born again is a telling example of the uncertain foundation of nutrition. Potatoes had a bad rap in part because they are often eaten deep fried, but even when they are not, they have a high glycemic index, according to prominent Harvard nutritionist Walter Willett. A high GI means that foods quickly turn into sugar (glucose) in the body and may eventually lead to heart disease and other illnesses, especially among diabetics, according to an analysis of data from the Nurse’s Health Study at Harvard, which Willett oversees. He placed potatoes in the same naughty group as candy in his influential 2005 book Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating. One of his studies concluded that white potatoes are worse than soda, leading the Los Angeles Times to dub spuds public enemy No. 1 in 2011.

So how, just a few years later, did white potatoes return to the list of healthy foods? The IOM committee found a lack of evidence supporting claims that the tubers are unhealthy. WIC only pays for fresh produce, or frozen or canned fruits and veggies with nothing added, so there is

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no worry women in the program are using their vouchers for potato chips. No one contests the positives of potatoes — much needed micronutrients and fiber — and there isn’t enough proof, they found, that the GI is important to health. So white potatoes got the green light.

Willett calls the IOM potato report “myopic,” because other vegetables have the same needed nutrients as potatoes without the possible dangers of high GI foods that his studies have shown. And because micronutrient deficiency isn’t our biggest dietary problem, Willett told me in a recent email exchange, “obesity is likely to be of greater concern.”

In other words, why take the risk on a possible downside to eating potatoes when you don’t need to?

NOTORIOUSLY UNRELIABLE?

Many nutritional studies are observational studies, including massive ones like the Nurses’ Health Study. Researchers like Willett try to suss out how changes in diet affect health by looking at associations between what people report they eat and how long they live. When many observational studies reach the same conclusions, Willett says, there is enough evidence to support dietary recommendations. Even though they only show correlation, not cause and effect, observational studies direct what we eat.

Apart from their inability to determine cause and effect, there’s another problem with observational studies: The data they’re based on — surveys where people report what they ate the day (or week) before — are notoriously unreliable. Researchers have long known that people (even nurses) misreport, intentionally and unintentionally, what they eat. Scientists politely call this “recall bias.”

The coupling of observational studies and self-reported data leads some observers to the conclusion that we know neither how Americans do eat nor how they should eat. A recent PLOS One article even suggests that several national studies use data that is so wildly off base that the selfreported caloric intake is “incompatible with survival.” If people had eaten as little as they reported, in other words, they would be starving.

Peter Attia, a medical researcher and doctor, started questioning the basis of dietary guidelines when he saw that following them didn’t work for his patients. They didn’t lose weight, even when they virtuously stuck with their diets. When he took a look at the research supporting the advice he was giving to his patients, he saw shoddy science. Attia estimates that 16,000 nutritional studies are published each year, but the majority of them are deeply flawed: either poorly controlled clinical trials, observational studies or animal studies. “Those studies wouldn’t pass muster in another field,” he told me.

Attia co-founded the nonprofit Nutrition Science Initiative. NuSI has about $40 million from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to support clinical trials in nutrition rigorous enough to tell us what to eat. Its goal is to answer one fundamental question about how we should eat: Are low-fat or low-carb diets better for health?

DIGGING FOR BETTER DATA

The NuSI projects are not the first clinical trials in nutri...continued on next page

Eggs A single egg yolk contains a lot of cholesterol — about two-thirds of what has been, and for the time being still is, the USDA’s Recommended Daily Allowance. Research is clear that too much cholesterol in your blood is related to heart disease.

So for the past few decades, it seemed logical to limit cholesterol in the diet in the hope of preventing cardiovascular disease. Americans have been sternly warned against consuming foods that are high in cholesterol — eggs, shrimp and liver, to name a few.

But in February came this bombshell: “Previously, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that cholesterol intake be limited to no more than 300 mg/day. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee will not bring forward this recommendation because available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol … Cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.” What? Turns out for about 70 percent of us, cholesterol in the diet is not related to cholesterol in the blood at all, which some research had been pointing out since the 1950s. Now suspicion has turned to the impact of fats — particularly of the saturated and trans- varieties — as the culprit in diet-induced cardiovascular damage.

So if you’re feeling confident in the committee’s current recommendations, which probably will be adopted in the near future by the entities that set the Recommended Daily Allowances, scramble up some eggs. You’ll enjoy a filling, nearly perfect protein source that also contains beneficial nutrients such as choline, which aids brain function and prevents helps prevent birth defects, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that help prevent macular degeneration.

— ANNE McGREGOR

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NEWS “FOOD FRIENDS OR FOES?,” CONTINUED...

Coffee

For some of us, the debate over whether coffee is technically “good for you” is irrelevant, as it’s simply essential to achieving full alertness. But perhaps because of a persistent Puritanical belief that nothing healthy could from so much pleasure, significant amounts of research have been applied to assessing the risks and benefits of that cup o’ joe. Here’s the lowdown: Coffee seems to be pretty darn good for you. A 2013 study in the journal Circulation concluded, “Moderate coffee consumption was associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with the lowest CVD risk at 3 to 5 cups per day, and heavy coffee consumption was not associated with risk of CVD.” What about cancer? A 2010 study in BMC Cancer showed that “Coffee consumption is inversely associated with the risk of bladder, breast, buccal cavity and pharynx, colorectum, endometrium, esophagus, hepatocellular, leukemia, pancreas, and prostate cancers.” Coffee also seems to reduce the risk for developing dementia and helps protect against Parkinson’s disease. The only bad news appears to be that drinking unfiltered coffee — espresso or French-press style — may slightly elevate levels of bad cholesterol. Coffee and pregnancy aren’t a great mix for a variety of reasons, and you may want to steer clear of coffee if you have ulcers, reflux or bladder issues, as it can make those conditions worse.

— ANNE McGREGOR

tion, and Willett pointed out to me that previous big and expensive trials have failed because people don’t follow their randomly assigned diet — and that is one key reason that the field has depended so heavily on observational studies. NuSIfunded trials try to correct for this problem: In one of the studies, subjects are isolated in a clinical residence for eight weeks at a time and every morsel of food they eat is controlled. In another, 150 overweight or obese subjects, all college students, faculty and staff, eat every meal in a special dining hall. In the third study, participants aren’t isolated but are assigned to either a low-fat or low-carb diet and record what they’ve eaten immediately after they eat to sidestep recall bias. In two or three years, Attia estimates, results will be available.

Even if the participants in the NuSI studies do follow their diets perfectly, and even if researchers establish whether low-fat or low-carb is better, that won’t necessarily establish whether we should eat more or less of individual foods. What kind of carbs are good for you, and should potatoes

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specifically be avoided? Which vegetables should you be eating more of? It would take hundreds of clinical trials to come up with solid advice about which foods to eat and which to avoid — especially since genetic variations mean that different people have different nutritional needs.

In the meantime, should dietary recommendations end until we have solid clinical trials to show how to navigate our bewildering array of food choices? Should the government stop creating random purchasing restrictions for people who need help getting food on the table? One interesting bit of advice came in the many discussions following the IOM’s recent reversal on cholesterol. Cardiologist Steve Nissen suggested that any recommendations come with a side of brutal honesty.

“We are all guessing,” he says. “And we have to be more humble about telling people what we know and what we don’t know.” n Heather Tirado Gilligan is a health reporter and editor based in Oakland, California. A version of this story first appeared on Slate.com

Red Wine

“Temperate drinking of wine not only contributes to good health and the building of anti-toxins in the body, but also to tolerance, good humor and independence among men,” said a visiting French professor in a September 1934 New York Times story. With Prohibition ended, research on the health benefits of wine, touted since the ancient Greeks, could begin in earnest. By the 1990s, the Mediterranean diet craze contributed to a near-frenzy of good cheer about sipping vin rouge — mainly that the resveratrol it contained in abundance could help raise good cholesterol (HDLs) and protect against cardiovascular disease. But now health experts are taking a step back. “Resveratrol has gained mainstream attention as “the red wine pill,” with widespread claims made of human health benefits that have outpaced the existing evidence,” says a 2013 report in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Studies are underway to evaluate resveratrol, generally delivered in the uninspiring form of a supplement, as an aid to combat cancer, obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis. But for now, the concurrent detrimental effects of alcohol in wine can’t be ignored. Aside from the obvious problems of addiction, having the equivalent of about three drinks a day increases the risk of a number of cancers, high blood pressure, obesity and liver damage, according to the National Cancer Institute. Even worse, there’s strong evidence that just a single glass of wine a day ups a woman’s risk of breast cancer. So for now, you’ll have to weigh the undeniably pleasant benefits of “tolerance, good humor and independence” against those negatives.

— ANNE McGREGOR

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NEWS

Lori Wyborney thrives off her students: “Their energy just fills you up.” YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS EDUCATION

Choice Principal Why Rogers High School’s Lori Wyborney was named Washington’s 2015 High School Principal of the Year

BY DANIEL WALTERS

T

he chaotic din of hundreds of ninth and 10th graders fills the cafeteria at Rogers High School. Kids gossip back and forth, swipe through the latest social networking apps and chug cartons of chocolate milk.

Rogers Principal Lori Wyborney, fingernails polished Pirate purple, is in the middle of the chaos. Educators talk plenty in meetings about how crucial energy and passion are to the profession. Wyborney hates meetings, finds them monotonous.

She gets all that energy and passion in one place.

“Right there!” she points at student af-

ter student in the cafeteria, as they eat and laugh. “Their energy just fills you up.”

Wyborney slides into the lunch table beside one student, and they talk about the student’s grades. The student, proudly, lets Wyborney know she has an A in Guitar Lab. “You always have an A in Guitar Lab,” Wyborney says. Another walks up to her a few minutes later and complains about teen-girl drama she’s having. These sorts of conversations are what Wyborney lives for.

“We work all summer, and there are no kids here. I’m not kidding you. It is boring,” Wyborney says. “You’re just like, oh my gaawwwwd.”

O

ut of hundreds of schools in the state, the Association of Washington Principals picked Wyborney as 2015 High School Principal of the Year. She didn’t start out thinking she wanted to be principal at all.

“I was never going to be a principal.

That just sort of happened,” Wyborney says. Like her father, she began as a history teacher. But after she took over as vice principal of Mattawa’s Wahluke High School in 2005, she says she learned that as an administrator, she could reach more students and more teachers. The rural Washington state high school was beset by serious demographic challenges.

“That was 90 percent Latino, 90 percent poverty. And I just learned to love those kids. And love that work,” Wyborney says. “And that’s been able to be transferred here.”

Located in the economically depressed former manufacturing center of Spokane, Rogers is the school with the highest percentage of low-income students in the district. Yet over the past five years that Wyborney has been principal, it’s been transformed. The graduation rate soared

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from 60 percent to over 81 percent.

You could thank several years of a $3.7 million grant that allowed Rogers to extend the school day and hire more support staff.

Or you could credit the multimillion-dollar renovation of the campus itself, for giving the students a sense of pride. Or you could praise the efforts of the Empire Health Foundation and other community organizations that have thrown immense resources at Rogers students and the students in their feeder schools.

But many place the credit squarely on Wyborney’s shoulders.

“She’s pretty magical,” intervention specialist Barb Silvey said last year. “She has galvanized the staff to all get on the dang boat and go in the same direction.”

Students and teachers and parents hear her giving one clear message: That she’s on your side. That she has your back. And perhaps most crucially, that she really cares.

“I met her through a friend of mine,” says Lenora Reeve, one of the students in the cafeteria. “We became closer, she helped me with my grades. She’s just an amazing person. I love her to death.”

And as for upset parents, the bane of many an administrator?

“I don’t think any of us listen to parents well enough. And they know quite a bit,” Wyborney says. “Even when they’re mad I think they’re fun, because they’re almost always right.”

D

espite all the improvement at Rogers, Wyborney isn’t satisfied. She wants the school to continue to improve its test scores.

She’s looking at how to fix the way teachers handle discipline.

While graduation rates have risen, many students who graduate aren’t going on to college. And once they get there, many of those students don’t last past the first semester.

There are a lot of big changes in education, Wyborney thinks, that could yield much better results: Later start times, yearround school, rethinking the six-period day.

“We’re just so stuck in a six-period day, and I don’t think it works,” she says. She points to two senior students remaining in the cafeteria. “They have more than enough credits than they need to graduate.

They’re ready for college. They should be

on a half-day schedule, where we’re setting up opportunities to job-shadow, do internships, spend more time in colleges — maybe even take more classes. Get that transition from college to career a little bit better.”

Ultimately, of course, it’s all about the students. When Wyborney gives a speech at graduation, instead of delivering reheated platitudes, she focuses on the stories

“She has galvanized the staff to all get on the dang boat and go in the same direction.” of specific students. Each year, she chooses four kids who’ve overcome seemingly impossible obstacles — drugs, homelessness, family dysfunction — to graduate, and celebrates their accomplishments.

“This year I’m going to talk about a little girl who had a baby when she was a sophomore, and she’s still taking AP classes,” Wyborney says. “She’s going to go to Washington State. Still pursuing her dream, even though she has this other responsibility at home. We have some amazing kids out there.” 

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Health 21 5/21/15 12:13 PM

NEWS RESEARCH

Noises in the Night Uncovering the mysteries of “exploding head syndrome”

BY CHEY SCOTT

S

low and steady breathing. Eyes heavy and gritty. The resting mind drifts off to the floating, semi-conscious state between wakefulness and sleep.

BOOM! All of a sudden, you’re awake. A sound — something like an explosion or a gunshot — has fully aroused the body, tingling with alertness. Surely this noise or sensation that struck so abruptly wasn’t real. Or was it?

An experience like the phenomenon described is provocatively called “exploding head syndrome.” Brian Sharpless, a researcher with Washington State University’s Department of Psychology, is trying to find out more on the long-known but

mysterious condition.

People who’ve had an episode of exploding head syndrome, or EHS, experience the perception of a loud noise during transitions in and out of sleep. The theorized cause of these symptoms, Sharpless explains, is a misfiring of neural activity in the brain as it’s preparing for the sleep state. Although it’s not harmful, and not usually associated with any pain, it can be frightening for those who’ve had it happen and don’t know why.

“Some people might think it’s caused by a non-natural process,” Sharpless explains.

“It’s really scary, and if you don’t know what something is and it’s dramatic, you

think it’s more severe. Some people think they’re having a seizure or hemorrhage.”

Sharpless recently completed the largest study of its kind on exploding head syndrome, interviewing 211 undergraduates at WSU. The results were surprising. Of those interviewed, 18 percent of students said they’d experienced EHS at least once, and 16.6 percent had experienced it on multiple occasions. A very small number of participants, less than 3 percent, reported EHS was causing problems in their lives.

In a paper on the study’s results published online by the Journal of Sleep Research earlier this year, Sharpless notes that contrary to a previous belief that EHS was mainly seen in older adults, this study shows it’s relatively common in younger populations. Sharpless hypothesizes this could be because the college-age population typically has more disrupted sleep patterns than the rest of us.

Another finding of the diagnostic interviews conducted for the study is that more than a third of students who’d experienced EHS also reported experiencing another related sleep disorder called isolated sleep paralysis. Sharpless has also studied sleep

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Brian Sharpless paralysis, and is writing a book on the subject for publication this summer. ISP, as it’s known, refers to a period as a person is falling asleep or waking up during which voluntary muscle movement is incapacitated, but that person can see and move their eyes. Sharpless thinks there may be a common underlying factor between EHS and ISP, but more research is needed.

N

iels Nielsen was 11 years old the first time he experienced an episode of exploding head syndrome.

“I remember being about to fall asleep,

and then having this sensation there was a shot of lightning inside of my head,” Nielsen describes. “It was pretty startling and jarring, and it only lasted a second or so. I wasn’t scared… and it didn’t seem to be anything bad or dangerous.”

Nielsen, now 37, a psychiatrist at WSU’s student Health & Wellness Services, wasn’t part of Sharpless’ study, but found out about it through an email update about university research projects.

“The title ‘exploding head syndrome’ caught my attention and immediately I thought, ‘I wonder if that is this thing I have,’” he recalls. “So I sent him an email and he sent me a copy of the paper, and it seemed to fit what I had experienced.”

Nielsen has never been so disturbed by his experiences to feel the need to reach out to a doctor, and having also experienced ISP and myoclonic jerks (sudden muscle twitches) in his sleep, he assumed the episodes were related.

Sharpless’ take is that, like Nielsen, many others who’ve experienced EHS aren’t mentioning it to their health care providers. At the same time, there isn’t a lot of empirical data on just how prevalent EHS is.

“I don’t think it’s widely known in the field yet, so it might be misdiagnosed,” he says. “My sense is that patients aren’t reporting it and are afraid of being misperceived as crazy or strange, and providers aren’t asking because it’s believed to be so rare.”

Exploding head syndrome was described in medical literature as early as 1876, then referred to as “sensory discharges,” and as “snapping of the brain” in a 1920 report.

Coinciding with a lack of data on the prevalence of EHS, there aren’t any well-established treatments that have been researched in clinical trials. But Sharpless says there are indications that simply telling people who have EHS that it’s not harmful to them can help reduce the frequency of episodes.

“We haven’t tested that, but it seems reasonable. It makes you feel reassured when you find out you’re not the only person having it. You’re less anxious to go to bed and less likely to worry,” he says.

The next step in Sharpless’ research on exploding head syndrome? Finding out what differentiates people who’ve experienced EHS from those who haven’t. n

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NEWS

Yoga Instructor Pamela Stevens helps Daybreak clients get a fresh start. MEGHAN KIRK PHOTO WOMEN’S HEALTH

Breaking Out of Addiction Teen girls find hope at Daybreak Youth Services

BY LAEL HENTERLY

C

ierra Alvarado was 14 years old when her boyfriend offered her meth for the first time. Three years later, she’s in residential drug treatment at Spokane’s Daybreak Youth Services.

Staff at Daybreak have helped Alvarado reconnect with her 2-year-old son. He’s been in Child Protective Services custody most of his life, but now that she is off drugs, she has been able to work with the agency on a plan to regain custody.

“I’m not worried I will relapse,” Alvarado says, running her fluorescentorange fingernails over the This too shall pass

24 Health JUNE-JULY, 2015 NEWS inhealth 6-1-2015.indd 24

tattoo on the back of her forearm. She has too much to live for. She hopes to join the Air Force and become a pilot.

In April, Alvarado waited two weeks to be admitted to Daybreak. Her wait most likely would have been considerably longer just a few months ago.

This spring Daybreak became an all-girl treatment center, its 40 beds nearly doubling the number of female adolescent beds in the state to a total of 88 out of 246.

Substance abuse historically has been more prevalent among teenage boys than girls, but the numbers have evened out in

recent years. In 2013 just under half of the 2.1 million people admitted to treatment nationwide were female. But until Daybreak made the switch, less than a quarter of the state’s treatment beds were available for girls, leaving parents, hospitals and probation officers struggling to find space for girls in need of services, while the girls ended up in limbo, waiting in jail or at home for a bed to open up.

Y

oung women may arrive at the center addicted to drugs, but Daybreak Youth Services Executive Director

5/21/15 12:14 PM

Annette Klinefelter says she doesn’t see them as drug addicts. She sees them as daughters, sisters and aspiring doctors.

Most of all, she sees the girls as people of infinite potential, and has no qualms about only serving females.

“We haven’t taken from boys, we’ve given to girls,” says Klinefelter. “Parents would ask, “What if today is the day my daughter overdoses and dies?””

In addition to capacity, the all-female center will be better equipped to serve a patient population in which as many as 90 percent have experienced sexual abuse.

“The girls we work with have a lot to be angry about,” says Daybreak’s head teacher LuAnn Cummings. “You don’t wonder why with a lot of them, you wonder why not.”

Girls come from all over the state to seek treatment at Daybreak. Last year, only 10 percent of patients were Spokane County residents. At $265 per day, a stint at Daybreak isn’t cheap, though financial assistance is available for the from the puzzle on page 13 average stay of 45 1 = T; 25 = O

to 60 days. More than half of Daybreak’s beds are currently full and the facility just completed a renovation. While Klinefelter and the girls went to a camp in Post Falls for a few days, 250 volunteers showed up to transform the treatment center. They redecorated the bedrooms and added a theater, a game room and a new classroom.

CODEWORDS: HINT

Daybreak Executive Director Annette Klinefelter.

MEGHAN KIRK PHOTO

D

aybreak checks up on girls after they leave, and Klinefelter says she’s encouraged by the numbers: 75 percent have not relapsed, and many are back in school.

“There’s a lot of addiction in my family,” says Klinefelter. “If my father had had access to treatment, would he have tried to murder my mother? Would I have one memory of him sober?”

Her experience helps Klinefelter empathize with girls like 17-year-old Danielle Cooper, who grew up on the Nooksack Indian Reservation with an alcoholic mother, a drug-addicted father and three sisters.

“My parents had a lot of hurt and I saw what it did for them,” says Cooper, “I knew it would numb the pain.”

When she was 11 she started using “Barbies” — capsules filled with a mix of barbiturates and cocaine. At first it numbed the pain; then it multiplied it.

“Before coming here I was slamming speed bombs… meth and heroin and cocaine,” Cooper says. “I absolutely will not relapse. I know what I want now. And I know what it is to lose things, to lose people in my life. I know I’ll go places.” n

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5/21/15 12:13 PM

LIVING The Start of Something

Big

BY LINDA HAGEN MILLER

Why is taking on an almost insurmountable challenge so irresistible to so many?

I

n the midst of the Inland Northwest’s summer training season, trails, roads and waterways are full of people hoping to complete a marathon, a 100-mile-plus bike ride, a triathlon or the big daddy of them all, an Ironman. Hundreds of wannabe finishers are working toward big events that will tax stamina and determination.

According to Running USA, the number of people participating in running events in the U.S. has risen in the past two decades from 4.5 million annually to nearly 20 million. USA Cycling reports that the number of competitive cycling events registered in its network has increased from less than 2,000 in 2002 to 3,105 in 2013.

Why do we make a conscious decision to subject our bodies to tortuous training and mob-level competition? There’s nothing pretty about the last miles of a rigorous athletic feat. The bike rider’s hands are numb, and pain spasms shoot down her neck and across her shoulders. The marathoner pulled a hamstring at the midway point and now every stride is agony. The triathlete can barely remember his name. Some of us throw up. Others faint. Nobody forces us to surge far beyond our comfort zone and push our bodies to levels we never believed possible. What are we, nuts? ...continued on next page

Andy Potts, winner of the 2014 Coeur d’Alene Ironman (8:25:44).

MATT WEIGAND PHOTO

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Health 27 5/21/15 12:10 PM

LIVING

Karen Rickel (left), Gonzaga University assistant professor and chair of the department of sport and physical education, running with recent sports management grad Maggie Reingold. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

“THE START OF SOMETHING BIG,” CONTINUED...

F

ive years ago at age 42, Audrey Danals of Spokane burst across the finish line of the Portland Marathon to the cheers of her husband, two teenage daughters and thousands of complete strangers.

“I didn’t think I could ever be a runner,” she says. “I was walking for exercise, but had gotten pretty sedentary. Then my sister — who is a triathlete — good-naturedly told me I was right, I’d never be a runner.”

That sibling sarcasm turned Danals’ life

The journey of a thousand miles (or 26.2) begins with a single step. around, and she started running in earnest. The Portland Marathon was the carrot she dangled in front of herself, mile by training mile.

Randy Schwaegler, on the other hand, found inspiration in the mirror. A hectic work schedule left little time for exercise and his weight had crept from the low 200s to 245 pounds. Having run a marathon in 2005, Schwaegler was convinced he could get back in shape.

“In 2009, my wife and I signed up for Ryan Hite’s boot camp class at U District,” Schwaegler says. By 2011, he’d run his second marathon, and in 2012 he became a 45-year-old Ironman, finishing the monstrous 2.2-mile swim, 112-mile

bike ride and 26.2-mile run in a respectable 16 hours and 20 minutes.

T

he runner or cyclist will laugh and tell you the idea to do something “big” was a bucket list thing. Or they wanted to get into shape. Or they were running in memory of a loved one. They will add that the self-confidence they gained from reaching their goal has filtered into their professional and personal life and given them the guts to try new and bigger things.

Karen F. Rickel, Ph.D., associate professor and department chair at Gonzaga University’s Sport and Physical Education department, believes some people are driven by kinetics and are natural movers. “In training and accomplishing a goal, they completely control what is going on.

They are autonomous, and they like it.”

Rickel gives students insight into that feeling in her Psychology of Sports and Physical Activity class, taking them on a semester-long journey toward self-efficacy, physical awareness and mental clarity. “I start by telling them I have a magic pill,” she says, “something that will make them happy, help them sleep better, make their skin glow and help them be healthier overall.”

That magic pill is physical fitness.

Her students set a physical goal — it can be as simple as 10 push-ups or as challenging as running a marathon. She believes the goal gives them focus and establishes a measurement baseline. Throughout the semester, Rickel includes

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lessons on positive self-talk and imagery and reminds them that through the process, they get to play. In the end, students learn the value of persistence, gain satisfaction and confidence from meeting their goal and learn lifelong health lessons.

While some people are looking for control or education, others want to kick their lives into the next level.

“Many people take on these events because they want to challenge themselves,” says Justin Anderson, Psy.D., LP, at Premier Sport Psychology in Minnesota, a mental skills training and counseling organization that works with amateur and professional athletes. “It’s been my experience that many marathon runners have an internal drive to grow and do more.

Combine that drive with the fact that many professionals (in their) mid-20s to mid-50s are ‘stuck’ in their daily routines or careers and are not getting that psychological need for growth met,” says Anderson.

Getting stuck behind a desk for years may also motivate some new trainees. “Our bodies are made to move. I believe everybody is an athlete,” says Nate Thoreson, intramural basketball coach, father of three and lifetime athlete who owns River City

Physical Therapy in Post Falls, where he’s also a physical therapist. “I like the quote from The Shawshank Redemption: “You can either get busy living or get busy dying.”

H

flexibility and endurance are the keys to success.”

The mind plays funny games when it comes to food and working out. It’s hard for people who are focused on dropping pounds to wrap their minds around the concept of food as fuel. And it’s even

ow does an average person get to the finish line? Do you need a personal trainer, a coach, a team, a class?

That depends on your personality, your budget and your goals.

If physical fitness is a fairly new concept to you or if you need nutrition and workout guidance, a personal trainer can be — Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts invaluable.

“I start by assessing the client’s fitness level,” says Aimee Livingston, a personal trainer harder not to have a double cheeseburger and high-intensity fitness class instructor after a 75-mile bike ride that wiped hunat the Liberty Lake Athletic Club. “From dreds of calories off your body’s caloric there, I build a program around where they balance sheet. are and where they want to go. We work “When you ramp up training, your on core strength, flexibility, movement body needs more calories to fuel itself,” quality, nutrition, and hip and shoulder says Ryan Hite, U District PT physical mobility. Cross training, including strength therapist and owner of Negative Split, a conditioning, is critical. Nutrition, strength, ...continued on next page

Life is like a 10-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.

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LIVING

Fitness Director Aimee Livingston at the Liberty Lake Athletic Club: “Cross training… is critical.” YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

“THE START OF SOMETHING BIG,” CONTINUED...

Spokane company that organizes running events, fitness challenges and training groups. “But they need to be healthy calories. You should eat to train, not train to eat. One of the biggest changes people need to make is getting back to basic, healthy eating. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store where the fruits, vegetables and lean protein are. Eat healthy carbs like brown rice and oats.”

All great achievements require time.

— Maya Angelou Training with a group, working out with friends or joining a club of like-minded athletes can add a powerful dimension. Maybe you have a swimming date who shows up promptly at 5:30 am, rain or shine, and you just can’t let her down. Or you finish your first 20-mile run, thanks to the friends running alongside cheering you on. Or you just get tired of watching your cycling buddy’s rear wheel, so you power up and push ahead. And stay there.

“Humans are wired to be in relationships,” says Thoreson. “There is power in connecting with people. You find encouragement and accountability when you train with others.”

Schwaegler found the camaraderie of working

out with others was invaluable, and he thrived in the supportive atmosphere of his boot camp experience at U District PT. Audrey Danals, on the other hand, was a soloist, content to compete with herself, relying on online research and advice from her triathlete sister. That worked for her.

“It’s a mind game,” she says. I’d see a stop sign and think: “Just get that far.’ Then the next and the next. Eventually, I hit 20 miles. I knew I could do 6.2 more and finish a marathon.”

M

arathoners, triathletes and distance cyclists commit numerous hours throughout the week and on weekends to train for their events, but no one logs training time like an Ironman. They run, bike and swim all year, but in the six-to-seven-month buildup to the event, they’ll spend every morning, evening, Saturday and Sunday working on some aspect of their preparation.

Fred Weber has dedicated thousands of hours to training. The 51-year-old owner of Competitive Fitness & Physical Therapy in Coeur d’Alene has completed eight Ironman competitions, five half-Ironmans, several marathons and a one-day Seattle-to-Portland bike ride. (Most cyclists cover STP’s 200 miles in two days.) All that training time doesn’t come without a cost.

“I’m sensitive to the time it takes away from family,” says the husband and father of two

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2.375 w

TRACKING IN STYLE

I

n this era of digital lust, wearable high-tech training gadgets can measure and record your every waking — and sleeping — moment. There it is on your wrist: number of miles, average and top speed, calories burned, oxygen intake, sleep patterns and heart rate. Program your goals into the Fitbug and it delivers a coaching plan and reports your daily progress. The Garmin Forerunner 620 running watch not only tracks your training, it tells you how much faster you’re capable of going.

Just be sure you couple common sense with techno-feedback. Trainers and physical therapists alike say the biggest cause of injury in amateur athletes is training too hard.

5.0 h — LINDA HAGEN MILLER

sons. “I do most of my training early in the morning, so I’m finished and home before anyone’s up.”

Weber’s 18-year-old son also is a triathlete, following his father’s footsteps.

“My wife Lesley was a huge supporter of my Ironman goal,” Schwaegler says. The two of them signed up for U District PT’s boot camp together, and when he decided to train for Ironman, he says there were more than a few times she countered his reluctance to train with an enthusiastic, “You gotta go!”

F

or months, the distance runner or cyclist has sweated and strained and turned monitoring their performance into an obsession. Their children wondered when Daddy was coming home. Their husbands hoped conjugal visits would resume. And for the last however-many hours, they’ve focused on nothing but the next step, the next pedal stroke. Grown men and women have been known to sob when they cross the finish line.

Randy Schwaegler remembers the long slog to his Ironman victory and the satisfaction of finishing. “There’s always someone faster than you. There’s always someone slower. But as long as you finish, you are a winner.” n Linda Hagen-Miller completed the Seattle-to-Portland bike ride in 2014.

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LIVING

Rhubarb and radishes from Tolstoy Farms.

COOKING

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Farming Sense

More than a half-century of collective wisdom helps Tolstoy Farms thrive

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

S

pringtime found Stosh Jackowski hard at work shoveling manure from the bed of an old Dodge truck at Tolstoy Farms. At 75, he is both Tolstoy’s oldest and longest continuous resident, having arrived in 1965. That was just two years after Huw Williams converted 240 acres of his family’s land to create an “intentional community” in a wooded canyon outside of Davenport, 35 miles West of Spokane, a self-supporting cooperative where people would live and work the land together.

Even though none of the farm’s other residents has remained as long as Jackowski, the time-tested organic farming methods

have remained “structurally the same” over the ensuing years, says Tim Pellow, a 21year resident and the point of contact for Tolstoy’s market garden.

What isn’t the same, says Pellow, is the average consumer, who now sees the benefits of shopping locally, supporting local farms, and “food grown using healthy, non-chemical inputs, and methods which do not abuse or deplete the soil, poison the groundwater, or threaten the health of farm workers or wild animals.”

Customers also appreciate and even expect variety, says Pellow. Two decades ago, iceberg lettuce was the norm, so on a

good market day, Tolstoy might have sold eight to 10 heads at the Spokane Farmers’ Market, which they helped form in 1998.

“And it was a lot of work to get people to try a red leaf lettuce,” he says.

Now they typically sell more than a hundred heads of varying textures and color, the most popular being Hanson, an heirloom variety Pellow discovered through the Seed Savers Exchange.

“Even the mainstream grocery stores have much more variety in their produce than they did decades ago,” says Pellow, “though they can never touch the variety and quality of a good farmers market.”

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RECIPES resident herself until early 2014. Although she didn’t have any formal education in farming, Herrera learned plenty by just doing the work: “Tolstoy is an amazing resource of some of the most outstanding brains for modern organic farming in this area. There is an incredible wealth of knowledge that goes back 50-plus years at Tolstoy that cannot be duplicated in a classroom.” 

Tolstoy is nestled in the hills outside Davenport.

In addition to selling at the Spokane Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays from May through October, Tolstoy also sells weekly half- and full bushels of produce through a Community Supported Agriculture program.

Both their market and CSA offerings change throughout the seasons and offer enormous variety, including herbs, carrots, cauliflower, corn, winter squash and pumpkins.

At Main Market Co-op, produce manager Jill Herrera stocks plenty of Tolstoy Farms’ output. “I love carrying their produce and turning people on to beautiful, fresh local food,” says Herrera, a Tolstoy

Golden Beet and Kale Salad

This Main Market Co-Op recipe uses tahini to create a creamy dressing while adding protein and flavor. Main Market carries Tolstoy Farms produce in season.

1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and sliced chiffonade-style 4 medium golden beets, grated 2 medium carrots, grated 1 red bell pepper, grated 4 green onions, bias cut DRESSING 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 ounces canola oil 2 ounces apple cider vinegar ½ lemon, juiced 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) 1 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil

.

Tim Pellow tends the lettuce crop

CARRIE SCOZZARO PHOTO

Toss vegetables to combine in large bowl.

Then combine all dressing ingredients — an emulsion blender works well. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and toss to mix. For best flavor, allow salad to chill at least one hour prior to serving.

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LIVING What to Eat — and When 4 4 to 6 months: puréed foods, cereals.

4 8 months: soft, cooked pasta and vegetables.

4 8 to 10 months: finger foods.

4 9 to 12 months: self-feeding.

Monitor size of foods to avoid choking.

4 No honey or cow’s milk before one year.

4 Avoid juice before 6 months, and then

limit to 4 ounces a day.

4 In general, avoid added sugar and salt.

PARENTING

Baby Ansel gets solid food for the first time.

SARAH WURTZ PHOTO

Table Talk New advice on when to start solid foods

BY CHELSEA BANNACH

L

ike many toddlers, Cora Abdallah enjoys the occasional hot dog, but she isn’t one to shy away from veggies or even the spicy flavors of Mexican or Indian foods.

In the coming months, Spokane mom Ginny Abdallah will introduce Cora’s 4-month-old brother, Michael, to solids, offering an array of nutritious foods in hopes Michael will be an adventurous eater like

his sister.

“My husband’s father’s first food was Jell-O, and he was started on it when he was 2 weeks old,” Abdallah says. “It’s really incredible how far we’ve come as far as what our kids eat.”

While introducing the first foods is a memorable milestone, keeping up with the do’s and don’ts of infant feeding can be a challenge as practices change from genera-

tion to generation.

“We do know through studies done in the past that if you introduce solids before four months of age there is a higher risk of allergies, and also they’re just not developmentally ready,” says Dr. Kimberly Grandinetti, a Spokane-based pediatrician.

But if parents wait too long, babies can develop oral aversions, she says. Starting solids sometime between 4 and 6 months appears to be optimal for most infants.

Babies are ready for solids when they can sit up, have good head and neck control, and express interest. At that point, variety is key, Grandinetti says.

Children may need to be exposed to foods many times before accepting them — sometimes 10 to 15 times, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics — so don’t give up on those puréed peas if your little food critic initially spits them out.

“You don’t want to not keep giving it, because they become that picky eater,” Grandinetti says. “You just keep giving it again and again and again.”

Not too long ago, experts recommended introducing foods in a particular order — starting with rice cereal. But there really isn’t evidence that foods need to be introduced in a certain order, Grandinetti says. Single-ingredient foods, including fruits, vegetables and puréed meats, should all be offered. She does caution that spinach, beets, green beans and carrots are high in nitrates and should be avoided before 6 to 8 months.

And although it is bound to be a messy affair, babies should be encouraged to feed themselves. They can use spoons and their fingers beginning at 8 or 9 months, and a cup starting at 6 months. It’s also not too early to start the habit of eating together as

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a family whenever possible. “Babies and children will eat better when others around them are eating, and then that’s a great tradition for families when you connect at the end of the day,” Grandinetti says.

A RASH OF REACTIONS

With food allergies affecting so many children, parents may approach the introduction of notorious allergens like peanut butter with trepidation. But Grandinetti says common allergens needn’t be avoided when starting solids; in fact, research seems to indicate that delaying their introduction may actually do more harm than good.

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that the early introduction of peanuts significantly decreased the frequency of the development of peanut allergy among children at high risk for this allergy.

“The horizon is all new,” says Dr. Kerry Drain, with the Spokane Allergy & Asthma Clinic. “This is kind of a big paradigm shift for all of us.”

However, she says, the specialists at her office will continue to approach each patient on a case-by-case basis. “I still think that there’s more research that needs to be

done before we make any generalized statement,” she says.

Spokane mom Natalie Eve Downing says she discovered her son, Caelin, now 2, has food allergies after he tried some eggs during a playdate.

“He broke out in welts — big — all over his body,” Downing says. “It was terrifying.”

In this case, there is no family history of food allergies. Caelin has since undergone skin-prick tests at Drain’s office and is allergic to at least 20 substances so far, including peanuts, sesame, scallops, eggs, garlic, beef, turkey and a number of fruits and vegetables.

Although it is unusual to have so many food allergies, Downing’s experience shows why it’s always a good idea for parents to pay special attention after introducing a new food to a child. Waiting two or three days in between new foods can make identifying the culprit easier if there is a reaction. Symptoms of a food allergy can include skin rash, hives, diarrhea and vomiting.

The good news: children sometimes outgrow allergies.“And I hope and pray that that is the case,” Downing says. n

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LIVING possibility of another episode still looms in the back of his mind, but it’s been lessened by his team of three therapists and cardiac rehab sessions at St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute.

“I was dying. Literally,” he says. “They saved my life.”

T

BOOMERS

Vince Cohen gets his blood pressure monitored by Dr. Ellie Mueller at the Rockwood Clinic Heart and Vascular Center. SARAH WURTZ PHOTO

Healing Hearts After a heart attack, cardiac rehab may be the best thing for you

BY MITCH RYALS

J

eff Zeiger used to run 60 miles a week.

He ate a mostly vegetarian diet, with a little fish for protein, and he hasn’t used a salt shaker since 1980. He also has a Ph.D. in health and physical education.

But none of that mattered. Heart disease is in his DNA. One morning in 2013, the then-58-yearold felt very sluggish as he got out of bed.

His heart rhythm was off, and he didn’t feel like running, which was strange.

He went to the doctor and found out he had experienced a heart attack without even realizing it earlier that week. An echo-

cardiogram revealed four clogged arteries — two 100 percent obstructed — and a clot in his left ventricle, which meant surgery was extremely risky. The doctor gave him some pills to break up the clot and sent him home. Zeiger returned to the doctor a month later. The clot was smaller, but not completely gone. There was a 1 in 100 chance that he would have a stroke on the table. He took his chances.

Now, two years after his quadruple bypass surgery, he feels more like himself again. He still runs, though he’s dialed it back to about 30 or 40 miles a week. The

he unfortunate thing, according to Dr. Enkhtuyaa “Ellie” Mueller, a cardiologist at Rockwood Heart and Vascular Center, is that only 20 percent of cardiac patients actually go to rehab despite the fact that it’s been proven to prolong life, improve quality of life and prevent future heart attacks.

“Not all the things we do in medicine today can prolong your life,” Mueller says, “but this will.”

She says there are many reasons patients don’t go — laziness, a cumbersome referral process, just too busy — but one of the most frustrating for her is when cardiologists don’t even tell their patients about rehab programs.

Mueller recommends cardiac rehab to every single one of her patients who qualify under their insurance (Medicare covers up to 36 sessions for people who’ve had open heart surgery or a major cardiac episode).

Actually, recommends is putting it lightly.

She demands they attend rehab if they’re eligible, and the way she raves about its benefits, they can hardly say no.

“The risk involved when I do openheart surgery is huge. You might die on the table,” she says. “Every time you take medicine, there are side effects involved, even aspirin. But there is no side effect for cardiac rehab. It is absolutely the best thing.”

One of the biggest misconceptions about cardiac rehab is that it’s just another workout program. That certainly is part of it, as each session devotes time to exercise, including aerobic activity, as well as upper-body and core strengthening and balance exercises. Everything is done under the supervision of therapists who monitor patients’ blood pressure and heart rate.

Most important, the patients also learn how to monitor it for themselves.

“Rehab teaches you that you might feel great, but your heart is saying ‘I’m not ready for that yet,’” says Shaina Hicks, a certified clinical exercise physiologist and registered dietitian at St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute. “That’s why it’s good to learn to measure your blood pressure and heart rhythm, so you know what pace you’re able to do at home.”

The other half of cardiac rehab is educational. Exercise is important for

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Jeff Zeiger with his physical therapist, Shaina Hicks, at St. Luke’s. MEGHAN KIRK PHOTO strengthening the heart muscle, but in order to effectively prevent another cardiac episode, patients must change their lifestyles. Hicks says about 15 minutes of each session at St. Luke’s is dedicated to education on nutrition and diet. She teaches how to analyze food labels and what foods to eat.

Ultimately, the goal of cardiac rehab

is to get patients to a point where they are able to exercise and eat right on their own, Hicks says.

Z

eiger’s first couple of rehab sessions didn’t go so well. His heart was racing — as you might expect after bypass surgery — he still felt sluggish and the nutritional information was mundane.

He had a doctorate degree in the subject, after all. Eventually, though, things got a little easier. He constantly badgered the team of therapists to update him on his vitals and took an active role in his recovery, so he would know what was safe to do later at home.

“The toughest thing for anybody is getting your mind around it,” Zeiger says.

“I’m two years out right now and I struggle every day. It’s a game. You’re wondering when the next episode is going to happen.”

Zeiger found comfort in the group of about 16 other patients in his rehab class.

He says they end up building relationships with each other and act as a quasi-support group.

One patient, a new friend of Zeiger’s, described cardiac rehab as “healing hearts and minds.”

St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute and the Rockwood Clinic both offer outpatient cardiac rehab programs. Typically, classes are three days a week for three months, but it really depends on the individual patient, Hicks says. Every patient is given an evaluation on their first visit, and therapists make a recommendation for the length and intensity of the rest of the sessions. 

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LIVING JUNE - JULY EVENTS 2014 FREE STATE PARK DAYS | Washington State Parks and Recreation allows visitors access to all state parks without needing a Discovery Pass. Includes access to Riverside State Park and Mt. Spokane State Park. Upcoming “free” days include June 6, June 13, Aug. 25 and Sept. 26. parks.wa.gov (800-833-6388) TEEN CLOSET 50 RELAY | A 5-to-10 leg, 50-mile relay race stopping at every high school in the Spokane area, with proceeds benefiting Teen Closet. Sat, June 6, starting at 6 am. $200-$350/team of 5 to 10 members. Starts at Mt. Spokane High School. teencloset.org (993-5471) JUNE BUG FUN RUN | The annual fun run/walk offers 3- or 5-mile courses along the Spokane River. Proceeds benefit programs of Lutheran Community Services Northwest.

Sat, June 6, at 9 am. $20-$25. Starts at Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene. lcsnw.org (343-5020) BABYSITTING BASICS | This course is designed for youths ages 10 to 15 and includes instruction in infant care, CPR, discipline issues, safety and more. Offered June 6, June 19, July 10, July 25 and Aug. 14, from 9 am-2 pm. $40; online registration available. St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, 711 S. Cowley. inhs.org (232-8138) WINDERMERE MARATHON | This USATF Certified and Boston Marathon qualifier race offers both full and halfmarathon distances. Proceeds benefit the Windermere Foundation, which assists local low-income families. Sun, June 7, at 7 am. $90-$115. Liberty Lake to Riverfront Park along the Centennial Trail. windermeremarathon.com INBODY 570 TESTS | INHS Community Wellness has a new machine available to the public which provides a complete picture of body composition, including weight, body mass index, body fat mass, basal metabolic rate and more. Appointments available June 9, June 23, July 7, July 21. $20/test. INHS Community Wellness Center. inhs.org RELAY FOR LIFE CDA | The primary fundraising event for the American Cancer Society features live entertainment, a silent auction, food, games and information about local ACS programs. Fri, June 12, at 6 pm. Kootenai County Fairgrounds, 4056 N. Government Way. (509-242-8291) RUN FOR A REASON | The fifth annual 5K or 10K race along the Centennial Trail benefits Parker’s Place and Camp Goodtimes, both which support families affected by childhood cancer or terminal illness. Sat, June 13, at 9 am. Mirabeau Park Trailhead. race2place.org SUMMER PARKWAYS | Spokane’s biggest block party is now in its fifth year. Streets are closed to motorized vehicles and opened up to bikes, pedestrians, skaters, and other human-powered transportation. Activities, including a bike-decorating contest, and booths are set up in Manito and Comstock parks and along the designated 4-mile, car-free route through the neighborhood. Thu, June 18, from 6-9 pm. Free. Manito and Comstock parks, on Spokane’s South Hill. summerparkways.com LUNCH & LEARN | A lunchtime presentation covering the true benefits in managing your time wisely, setting limits, and taking breaks. Thu, June 18, from noon-1 pm. Free; attendees should bring their own lunches. INHS Wellness Center, 501 N. Riverpoint Blvd., Ste. 245. inhs.org

CHARITY CORNER

Make Time for Tea

T

ravel down the rabbit hole with Alice and the Mad Hatter during the fifth annual Mad Hatter Tea Party.

This whimsical event offers an evening of food, live entertainment, games, and auctions in support of the Franciscan Place.

The Franciscan Place is part of the nonprofit St. Joseph Family Center. The agency provides cancer survivors, veterans and community members with counseling, spiritual support, retreats and healing arts.

SUMMER SOLSTICE FUN RUN | The Children’s Tumor Foundation, Fleet Feet and Spokane Swifts running team host a 10K fundraiser run along the Centennial Trail, with 100 percent of proceeds benefiting the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Also includes a quarter-mile kids’ run. Fri, June 19, at 7 pm. $15-$35. Riverfront Park, North Shelter.

PARADE OF PAWS | The Spokane Humane Society’s 12th annual dog-walk fundraiser is open to groups and individuals, offering 2- or 4-mile walks, local vendors and info booths and a barbecue. Sat, June 20, at 10 am; dayof registration starts at 8 am. Entry by donation and/or pledges. Spokane Humane Society, 6607 N. Havana. spokanehumanesociety.org (467-5235 x 211) THE POUR | The annual gourmet winemaker’s dinner and auction benefits the Providence Health Care Foundation, this year funding the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and child psychiatry program. Sat, June 20, at 5:30 pm. $175/person. Arbor Crest Winery. thepour.info (474-2819) INTO THE FUTURE SCLERODERMA WALK | A 5K run/walk to raise awareness and funds to support research and treatment of scleroderma. Sat, June 20, at 10 am. Mirabeau Park Meadows. scleroderma.org PEDAL, POSE & PAMPER | A fundraiser event to benefit the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. Ride to South Perry Yoga by 9 am, then enjoy a 30-minute bike ride through

“The Mad Hatter Tea Party is like walking into a wonderland,” says Kathie Bonner Walsh, development director at the St. Joseph Family Center. “The serenity garden is so fabulous… when you walk into the garden, you just feel the anxiety and distress completely disappear.”

The family-friendly event is ideal for adults and middle-school children through teens. Join Alice for a parade of hats competition, play heads or tails with the Mad Hatter, and climb though small and large doors to win fabulous prizes. The entire event is Alice In Wonderland-themed and costumes are encouraged.

Guests are greeted with a New Orleans jazz band, and treated to food, tea, and specialty cocktails from Dry Fly Distillery. And there’s a chance to bid on golf packages, jewelry and vacations during the loud and silent auctions. “The event gets bigger and better and better each year,” Bonner Walsh says. “Historically the event has raised just under $5,000. This year organizers hope to raise more than $15,000.”

— JORDY BYRD Mad Hatter Tea Party • Thu, July 16, from 6-9 pm • $50+ • St. Joseph Family Center • sjfconline.org • 483-6495

the area, and arrive back for yoga from 9:30-10:45 am, followed by a yoga class at 11 am. Sun, June 21. $10-$20 donation or one package of diapers, sizes 5-6. Pre-registration requested. South Perry Yoga. (443-6241) DAD’S DAY DASH | The third annual Dad’s Day Dash benefits SNAP, Spokane County’s nonprofit community action agency. This timed and chipped event is a Bloomsday Second Seed Qualifier, with prizes are awarded to top three men’s and women’s placers and the top three corporate teams of four runners each. Sun, June 21, at 9 am. $20-$25. Manito Park, 1800 S. Grand. (456-7111 x242) HOOPFEST | Participate in or be a spectator at Spokane’s annual three-on-three basketball tournament, the largest in the world. June 27-28. Fees $120-$180; free to watch.

Downtown Spokane. spokanehoopfest.net (624-2414) IRONMAN CDA | Cheer on triathletes as they swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles through scenic Coeur d’Alene. Sat, June 28. Coeur d’Alene City Beach (start) and Sherman Avenue (finish). ironmancda.com PENNANT RUN | The 4th annual Spokane Indians Fourth of July Pennant Run benefits the Wounded Warrior Project. Distances include 1K, 5K and a Little Sluggers Dash for kids age 3 and under. Sat, July 4, at 10 am. $15-$25; kids under 3 free. Avista Stadium, 602 N. Havana. spokaneindianspennantrun.com (343-6807)

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LET’S CLIMB A MOUNTAIN | Create a team or participate solo in the annual, 34.3-mile race from the Clocktower in Riverfront Park to the top of Mt. Spokane. Sat, July 11, starting at 6 am (solo) or 6:30 am (teams). $60-$70/ solo; $25-$30/team member. Starts in Riverfront Park. letsclimbamountain.com VALLEY GIRL TRIATHLON | A women’s-only sprint distance triathlon, with a ⅓-mile swim, 12-mile bike ride and 3-mile run. Sun, July 12, starting at 7:45 am. $90/person, $145/team. Race starts and ends at Liberty Lake Village Beachfront; Molter and Inlet Rd. valleygirltri.com JACEY’S RACE | A timed 5K race/walk and 1K kids fun run benefiting local families with children who are currently being treated for cancer or other life-threatening illness.

A post-race festival includes food and kids’ activities. Sun, July 12, at 8:30 am. $15-$30. Sandpoint High School, 410 S. Division Ave. jaceys-race.com (208-610-8023) RIDE FOR LIFE | A ride to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Childhood Organization Inland Northwest. All monies stay local to help kids who are battling cancer. Event includes a carnival, live and silent auction, raffle, food and drinks. Sat, July 18, from 9 am-6 pm. Free. Curley’s, 26433 W. Hwy. 53, Hauser, Idaho.

(208-819-7676) SPOKENYA | The sixth annual 7K run/walk benefits efforts to bring clean water to Adeido, Kenya. Sat, July 18, at 9 am. $20. Starts at Life Center Church, 1202 N. Government Way. spokenyarun.org (993-0596)

SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN TRAIL RUN | The fourth annual trail run offers 3.5-mile and 10-mile distances, on mostly single-track trails. The Schweitzer Music Festival takes place after the race (2 pm). Sat, July 18, at 10 am. $20$55. Schweitzer Mountain Resort. smtrailrun.com THE DIRTY DASH | The annual, 4-mile mud-run obstacle course returns to Spokane for another muddy event. Sat, July 18, at 9 am. $50-$66. Riverside State Park ORV Park, 9412 Inland Rd., Nine Mile Falls. thedirtydash.com MUDDY MILES | Runners compete in teams or solo in this mud-filled, 2-mile obstacle course and race, during which spectators lob water balloons. Proceeds benefit Heritage Health programs and the Salvation Army Kroc Center. Sat, July 18, from 10 am-1 pm. $15-$35/person or $100-$135/ family or team. Kootenai County Fairgrounds, 4056 N. Government Way, CdA. muddymiles.org (208-415-0292) RACE THE RIVER | The 8th annual sprint-distance triathlon includes a half-mile swim with the current of the Spokane River, a 10-mile bike ride and a 3-mile run. Also includes a kids’ race ($20). Sun, July 19. $60-$90/individual, $150-$210/relay team of 2-3 members. Starts at Riverstone Park, Coeur d’Alene. racetheriver.com JEDERMANN GRAN FONDO BIKE RIDE | Translating from German to “Everyone’s great ride,” this 4th annual, timed, recreational bike ride offers 30-, 66- and 100-mile routes, with a pancake breakfast, live music, beer garden, postride barbecue and more. Sat, July 25, at 7 am. $25-$100.

Starts/ends in Cheney. emdesports.com

ZAK! CHARITY OPEN | The annual dinner, auction and golf tournament benefits the Rypien Foundation, which supports local children with cancer. Dinner and auction July 26 at Northern Quest; golf tournament July 27 at the Manito Golf & Country Club. zakcharityopen.org (2448656) 8 LAKES LEG ACHES | The 17th annual bike ride heads through West Spokane, Cheney and Medical Lake, offering 15-, 30-, 45-, or 75-mile routes, with the longest route passing eight area lakes. Proceeds benefit the Sexual Assault Family Trauma Response Center of Lutheran Community Services. Sat, Aug. 1. $45-$60. Starts at Group Health, 5615 Sunset Hwy. lcsnw.org (343-5020) MIDNIGHT CENTURY | An annual, informal and unsupported 100-mile nighttime bicycle ride on dirt roads through rural areas around Spokane. Sat, Aug. 1, at 11:59 pm. Free. Starts at the Elk Public House, 1931 W. Pacific. midnightcentury.com LONG BRIDGE SWIM | Swim 1.76 miles across Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint in the 21st annual open-water event which helps fund swimming lessons for local children and adults. Sat, Aug. 1, at 9 am. $25-$30. Downtown Sandpoint, Idaho. longbridgeswim.org  The calendar is a free service, on a space-available basis.

Mark submissions “InHealth Calendar” and include the time, date, address, cost and a contact phone number.

Mail: 1227 W. Summit Pkwy, Spokane, WA 99201; or Email: calendar@inlander.com.

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LIVING

STEPPIN’ OUT

I

f the Spokane Walking Club’s 15- and 20-mile hikes seem ambitious even with the modern conveniences of comfortable shoes and clearly marked trails, there’s no need to worry. Making time for a walk — even a short one — can provide important health benefits.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week for adults, along with muscle-strengthening activities. Brisk walking is a great way to meet that aerobic goal. And the best news is that short excursions add up — the CDC says 10 minutes at a time is fine.

“You will still reap the health benefits from that 10 minutes,” says Heleen Dewey of the Spokane Regional Health District’s Healthy Communities program, noting the SRHD offers walking maps with recommended routes in Spokane County, which include distance, estimated calories burned and difficulty rating, among other information. Find maps and other resources at srhd.org/ topics/walkingmaps.

— LISA WAANANEN JONES

Spokane Walking Club.

Eventually the club would grow in size and ambition to become the Spokane Mountaineers, a regional leader in conservation and recreation. But in 1915 — three years before that 100th walk, and 100 years ago this September — it started with a group of five librarians led by one especially adventurous and unlikely founder: Ora Maxwell.

PEOPLE

Ora Maxwell

In Her Footsteps

A century ago, an adventurous librarian started a walking club that would grow into a regional institution

BY LISA WAANANEN JONES

T

he 100th walk started at the end of the North Adams streetcar line. It was the first truly warm Sunday in April, and the women wore brimmed hats against the spring sun. From the northwest edge of the city, the group walked up past Nine Mile Falls and the historic Spokane

House, then east along the winding Little Spokane River with a stop for a picnic lunch, then across the river at the Glen Tana Dairy. The bus from Whitworth College returned the walkers to the North Howard streetcar. Twelve miles — it was actually a fairly short excursion for the

M

axwell was known in Spokane for her steady presence behind the circulation desk at the Spokane Public Library, then housed in the neoclassical building where Riverside and First converge at the west end of downtown.

Maxwell worked at the library from 1911 until her death, when she was remembered as “the adviser in reading” to thousands of people in Spokane. She had attended school in Wisconsin and Montreal, and was known to dress fashionably. The poet Vachel Lindsay was a close friend during the years he lived in Spokane, and in a book inscription he wrote to her: “You’re a very charming/And very distinguished/ Citizen of the Universe.”

Maxwell spent most of her adult life in Spokane, living in her sister’s home on West Seventh Avenue, but she had a fearless zeal for getting out into the world. She spent time living in Los Angeles and New Orleans in the early part of the century,

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and traveled around Europe in her 50s with a female friend.

She was already in her mid-40s when she and four library colleagues decided to form a walking club, with the goal of exercising in the outdoors and exploring the landscape around Spokane. The walks were often 12 to 15 miles, and sometimes as many as 20 or 25. In a newspaper interview, Mabel C. Hutchins, among the original members, explained her motivation: “Exercise in the open air is the thing most essential to me.”

There were no state parks around Spokane at the time — no developed parks for hiking, no trails maintained by the public.

Automobiles were already beginning to crowd Spokane’s downtown streets when the walking club formed in 1915, ultimately transforming Americans’ relationship with the outdoors by making remote areas easily accessible.

For Maxwell, one insurmountable challenge remained: her health. She had asthma all her life; while not rare, it was poorly understood at the time. As the walking club became more ambitious, it’s not clear how long its first president remained an active participant. Maxwell went on that 100th walk past Nine Mile Falls, but she was not part of the group who were caught in heavy rain and fog while climbing Mount Spokane late in

1916, or among the nine who packed pedometers and ham sandwiches for a weeklong trip to Glacier Park in 1917, in which they covered 105 miles.

Maxwell died in 1932 following an operation at Sacred Heart and years of poor health, according to her obituary. By then, the club she started had well over 50 members, and some were summiting peaks like Mount Rainier and Mount Adams. At her funeral, the pastor read “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer, a favorite of Maxwell’s: “I think that I shall never see/A poem lovely as a tree…”

T

oday, the spirit of Maxwell’s walking club continues with groups who gather to hike and backpack around the region. The Spokane Mountaineers now encompasses a wide range of activities, from Wednesday after-work hikes — not so different from those of the Spokane Walking Club — to mountainclimbing and avalanche clinics. “We have a wide range of abilities,” says Holly Weiler, one of the Hiking Committee leaders.

“There’s usually a trip for everyone.”  Thanks to the following for research on Ora Maxwell’s life: Chic Burge, Jim Kershner, Mary E. Petty, Shaun O’L. Higgins and the Northwest Room at the Spokane Public Library.

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t the time Ora Maxwell lived in Spokane a century ago, the incidence of asthma was on the rise. Finding effective treatment for the disease had proven elusive for thousands of years. Ancient Chinese and Egyptian remedies incorporated the burning of various herbs, while other historic approaches were more symbolic, such as eating the lungs of a fox. Acupuncture, massage and bloodletting were variously suggested to help improve the balance of “humours.”

As industrialization took hold in the 19th century, the focus shifted toward identifying and avoiding triggers of asthma attacks. Advice from doctors could be contradictory: Get more fresh air. Avoid being outdoors.

Odd as it now seems, in Maxwell’s time, remedies commonly involved smoking. An 1895 advertisement in the Spokesman-Review challenged all asthma sufferers to come try a free trial box of Dr. Schiffman’s Asthma Cure, a smokable powder made with two plants from the nightshade family.

In the early 20th century, “asthmatic cigarettes”

incorporating the potentially deadly nightshade belladonna (the source of the drug atropine), were touted to sedate agitated airways.

The most significant breakthrough came in 1955 with the introduction of the first modern inhaler, invented by a doctor whose daughter had asthma. Early inhalers contained epinephrine, which is still used today in severe asthma attacks; modern inhalers contain a bronchodilator, such as albuterol or more recently, a drug called ipratropium, which in a case of history repeating itself, is synthesized from atropine.

— LISA WAANANEN JONES

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