Health & Wellness

HERSHEY — In a second-floor, 300-square-foot chemotherapy infusion suite in Penn State Cancer Institute are some dumbbells and stretchy bands, two treadmills, a recumbent bike, a weight bench, a few physical therapy tools and a raised mat. It is not much, and it is not very big, but for researcher Kathryn Schmitz, it is what she wanted.…

Parents face many food-related battles as their children grow up, from the toddler who eats vegetables only when they are cut into shapes, to the adolescent who prefers chips and video games to the family dinner table. Most of these battles are temporary and harmless. However, at times, parents may need to turn to…

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics sponsors National Nutrition Month every March. The campaign focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. There are similar messages surrounding Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, which will be celebrated Wednesday, March 8. Lynn Parker Klees, senior instructor in…

Have you ever shaken the hand of a coal miner or a carpenter? You may find they have strong, sometimes even crushing, handshakes. This is due to years of working with their hands and forearms, creating good grip strength. And, why are the best American Ninja Warriors also rock climbers? They, too, have good…

You learn a lot about our great country and the citizens who inhabit it when you move from Beverly Hills to rural Pennsylvania.  The good people here face a weak economic engine and little opportunity for a sustainable living wage. In the central region I now call home, proud farmers who once fed the nation…

Which kills more American women each year: breast cancer or heart disease? Actually, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women. Each year, cardiovascular disease and stroke cause one of every three deaths of American women, according to the American Heart Association. One of every 31 die of breast cancer. In fact,…

STATE COLLEGE —Patients seeking care at Geisinger’s Careworks locations can now wait for their visit in the comfort of their own home. Careworks has implemented a new online check-in system at www.careworkshealth.com for 13 of its urgent-care clinics, including local ones in Bellefonte and State College. Patients can search the Careworks website to…

STATE COLLEGE — Perhaps nothing is more important than staying active after retirement; after all, it is tempting after a life of work to want to sit and relax. But getting and staying active as we grow older can have numerous benefits. The Silver Sneakers program helps older adults do just that, and it is…

A woman came to the support gatherings I facilitate after losing her husband of 60 years. They met in high school and were together from then on. After his death, her life was very different and she wanted to reconcile, a word which from its roots means make good again. This woman courageously allowed…

UNIVERSITY PARK — The Healthy Aging Community Lecture Series, a community partnership developed and sponsored by the Penn State Center for Healthy Aging, The Village at Penn State, Foxdale Village, Juniper Village at Brookline and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Penn State, has announced dates for the 2017 series. Upcoming lectures include: ■…