Tuesday, March 11, 2014 by The Westfield News

PAGE 6 - TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014

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THE WESTFIELD NEWS

HEALTHFITNESS

‘Healthy Memory’ nutrition tips Faces of Sue West, CEO

Carson

The Carson Center for Human Services Celebrating 50 Years of Real Help with Real Life 1963-2013 Alice Whitefeather credits the strength of the Jaguar in helping her escape both her captors—her pimp and her addiction. Though she was free, Alice couldn’t sleep and she couldn’t feel her life. She could only stand outside of herself, wakeful and observing. She came to her Carson therapist, Natasha, to ask for help with these two things. These days, Alice felt only in flashback. Flashbacks came in a trinity of terror: images, words and a stomach full of fear. Childhood’s sexual violations were a cold floor where she and the excrement lay, the degrading names were the curling iron that burned her and the physical assaults were the stones thrown at her eyes and head as she curled in a ball to hide. Soon after Alice had escaped her childhood home as a teen runaway, she met Scott. He understood her. Scott shared her dreams of a better future in a new city. He paid her way. When they arrived, Alice met his new face and all the other girls whom he controlled as his prostitutes. There the girls all lived on the cold floor, nursed their burns, curled themselves away from the hurtling stones. Scott brought something new to her life, however. He made all the girls take drugs; they were easier to control that way. Natasha helped Alice get Social Security Disability Insurance and housing for her new life. She taught Alice how to soothe herself, to manage her feelings, to find a life story with many more rooms than those that imprisoned her. Alice learned to sleep. Alice felt her way into a plan. She went to school, found work. Only after many, many months of working together did Alice Whitefeather speak once and sparingly to Natasha of the sacred spirit of the Jaguar that had helped her. The Jaguar was the spirit of waiting and ferocity. He killed with one bite. He was not afraid to walk through humanity’s darkness; his endurance was unmatched. Alice Whitefeather said the night she took the money and ran, the Jaguar ran beside her, slipped in and out of doorways for months, helped her live on courage. Alice told this story to Natasha, gave her a white feather and did not return for fifteen years. Upon her return, Alice brought Natasha pictures of her wife and children. The kids were independent enough now that Alice was thinking of returning to school so that she could work with troubled teens. Together, they reviewed the turns in her path that had brought her to this place of ever increasing fulfillment. “I honor your Jaguar,” said Natasha. Alice Whitefeather looked at her. “The Jaguar does not offer comfort or reassurance, only his strength. The turning point for me was when you cried for me. No one had ever cried for me before. I began to think that if you were crying for me, maybe I was actually someone who was worth something— someone who was worth crying for. I thought you knew this. I gave you my feather.” “I did not understand,” replied Natasha, and she cried again. “We cannot live without fearlessness; that is true. And we cannot live without love’s tears. Do you understand now?” She did. By JAC Patrissi

FieldEddy Insurance is a proud supporter of

The Carson Center

By Beth Cardillo Executive Director of Armbrook Village When asked, Americans rate Alzheimer’s disease as their second most-feared illness, following cancer, which is why Armbrook Village is a staunch advocate for taking practical steps toward a healthier brain at any age. We now know that changes and damage in the brain occur decades before any memory loss symptoms appear, so it’s a good idea for everyone to protect and enhance their cognitive health by following a simple brain healthy diet. Armbrook Village practices what it preaches offering “brain healthy cuisine” as part of its dining service for all residents. The community’s “Brain Healthy Cooking Program” was developed by Bostonbased Senior Living Residences, the professional management company that oversees daily operations of the community. Senior Living Residences offers a holistic approach, aiming to improve residents’ quality of life on all levels. Anyone can follow the basic guidelines of the Brain Healthy Cooking Program to promote brain health and lower their risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Several recent large-scale studies found that individuals who follow a “Mediterranean-type diet” (which the Brain Healthy Cooking Program is based on), had a 32-40 percent decreased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Eat brightly colored fruits. Blueberries and raspberries counteract inflammation in the body, which has been associated with cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Control blood sugar by reducing high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar. Use stevia, a natural sugar substitute, as well as molasses and brown sugar instead. The hippocampus of the brain, an important region for memory, is sensitive to changes in blood sugar levels. Spice it up! Spices have amazing protective properties – cinnamon, rosemary, oregano, and turmeric reduce inflammation and increase blood flow, important to brain health. Eat whole grains, a good source of fiber, magnesium, and iron. Substituting white flour, bread, rice, and pasta for whole wheat varieties will help to maintain weight and reduce your risk for heart disease. Cardiovascular health directly contributes to brain health. Eat plenty of leafy green vegetables for their high levels of vitamins E, D, and dietary fiber. Eaten on a regular basis, vegetables have a dramatic effect on overall health. Go Nuts! A handful of nuts a day provide your daily dose of Vitamin E – which is a powerful protector of the brain. Increase Omega-3 fatty acid intake. Omega-3s are naturally found in your brain. As you age levels of these fats in

Beth Cardillo your body drop, and eating fish, green vegetables, walnuts, and flax seed help to replace the losses and improve transmission of nerve impulses. Beth Cardillo is the Executive Director of Armbrook Village, a new Senior Living Community offering independent and assisted living and a Compass Memory Support Neighborhood, located in Westfield.

Study

2 percent of Americans have new hips, knees By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Chief Medical Writer It’s not just grandma with a new hip and your uncle with a new knee. More than 2 of every 100 Americans now have an artificial joint, doctors are reporting. Among those over 50, it’s even more common: Five percent have replaced a knee and more than 2 percent, a hip. “They are remarkable numbers,” said Dr. Daniel J. Berry, chairman of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Roughly 7 million people in the United States are living with a total hip or knee replacement. He led the first major study to estimate how prevalent these procedures have become, using federal databases on surgeries and life expectancy trends. Results were reported Tuesday at an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons conference in New Orleans. More than 600,000 knees and about 400,000 hips are replaced in the U.S. each year. But until now, there haven’t been good numbers on how many people currently are living with new joints. The number is expected to grow as the population ages, raising questions about cost, how long the new parts will last, and how best to replace the replacements as they wear out over time. Why the boom? “People are aware that they’re a success” and are less willing to put up with painful joints, Berry said. The term “replacement” is a little misleading, said Dr. Joshua Jacobs, chairman of orthopedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and president of the orthopedic surgery association. What’s replaced is the surface of a joint after cartilage has worn away, leaving See Hips, Knees, Page 7

In this Wednesday, March 5, 2014 photo, Dr. Joshua Jacobs, orthopedics surgery chief at Rush University Medical Center and president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in Chicago, holds a model of a tri-compartmental total knee replacement. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

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