Mysterious and powerful, the bond between animals and humans provides elements of healing and understanding
Linda Irish had been breeding Old English Mastiffs for several decades when she hit upon a novel way to connect with her Sheridan Elementary students. With her principal's permission, she brought a 6-month-old brindled mastiff pup named Macie into the classroom, tapping into the mysteries and magic of the human-animal bond.
By Carrie Scozzaro
Jun 6, 2017
Living Section pets
"Adulting" is a thing now: Are kids acquiring the skills to navigate real life?
At age 30, Ashley Grow is personally familiar with the struggle of millennials to cope with the responsibilities of adulthood. As a family consumer science teacher, she's in a prime position to do something about it — if only schools and families will take advantage while they have the chance.
By Taryn Phaneuf
Jun 6, 2017
Living Section parentING
Spokane-based PAML streamlines its laboratory testing; also, a local neurologist offers a new Parkinson's treatment
In a sterile white room with a view overlooking the Park Inn Bar & Grill, shiny, new washing-machine-like devices whir and hum. Tubes of human samples from across the country automatically zip between the appliances via tunnels covered in blue-tinted plastic, reminiscent of a lab-rat run.
By Mitch Ryals
Jun 6, 2017
Living Section INNOVATION
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health issues, and there are things you can do to help
If you have depression or anxiety, it doesn't mean you are flawed or broken: It's a human problem, explains Dr. Sean Smitham, a clinical psychologist in Spokane. First, he says, no one ever taught you how to deal with your incredibly powerful brain, about feelings and how to cope with them.
By Samantha Wohlfeil
Jun 6, 2017
Living Section alt medicine
Science says to eat more plants and less meat — here's why
Diets, like fashion, appear to be in a state of constant inconstancy. There's Paleo, Atkins, South Beach, DASH, 5:2 and dozens more, their popularity rising and falling according to their novelty or the number of celebrity proponents they happen to have on a given day.
By E.J. Iannelli
Jun 6, 2017
Living Section
Fresh and hot off the grill, plant-based recipes can be just as flavorful as their meaty counterparts
Jamie Aquino transitioned to the vegetarian lifestyle in early childhood, and has been teaching other people how to make healthy, flavorful and creative plant-based recipes for more than two decades. As a culinary instructor at The Kitchen Engine in downtown Spokane for the past five years, Aquino teaches a variety of classes that regularly fill up on veggie burgers, cooking with tofu, homemade soups, and farm-to-table cooking.
By Chey Scott
Jun 6, 2017
Living Section
Charity Corner: An annual celebration of plant-friendly living
Whether you've been debating about making the switch to a meatless or entirely plant-based diet, or you're simply looking for inspiration and resources to make some health-conscious lifestyle changes, the fourth annual Spokane VegFest welcomes all, from the "veg-curious" to already faithful vegans and vegetarians. For its fourth year, the one-day convention held on the Spokane Community College grounds continues to grow, hosting demonstrations, speakers, an outdoor vendor market, live music and other activities throughout the day.
By Chey Scott
Jun 6, 2017
Living Section
Genealogy can be an engrossing hobby — especially when you stumble upon somebody else's story
The poem took thousands of miles, three generations and 78 years to get to me. It took a flood — an inch and a half of water soaking the carpet in my grandma and grandpa's basement on Five Mile Prairie — to expose it. She finds it in the room with the old National Geographic issues: An antique edition of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Essays and Representative Men.
By Daniel Walters
Jun 6, 2017
Living Section
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Genetic testing is poised to radically alter the future of health care
Picture a time in the not-too-distant future when whole genome sequencing is routine. A time when, before babies even learn to talk, their parents will have the ability to learn what the future may have in store for their offspring: Is their little girl predisposed to getting breast cancer?
By Wilson Criscione
Jun 6, 2017
News In Health
Does requiring first-year residents to work some 24- or 28-hour shifts make things safer for patients?
Last year, when she was a second-year resident at Kootenai Health in Coeur d'Alene, Hollie Mills made it through her marathon 24-hour shifts without any coffee. "There are residents in my programs that do drink, like, 20 cups of a coffee a day," Mills says.
By Daniel Walters
Jun 6, 2017
News In Health
Medical treatment offers an exit - for those who can get it
In the three months Teila Murfin waited for a slot to open at Spokane's Opioid Treatment Program to finally address her heroin addiction, she hit bottom. She was using heroin and methamphetamine, getting high just to avoid the awful feeling of withdrawal.
By Taryn Phaneuf
Apr 7, 2017
News In Health
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From the editor: Furry companions can be good for your health
There's a pie-sized hole in my cedar fence, an opening surprisingly crafted by the tiny teeth of my little mixed-breed dog, Boomer. Looking at his work, which includes numerous other chewed-up items, it is hard to appreciate the health benefits of pet ownership.
Jun 6, 2017
Check In
100 percent local: All-natural beauty based in Plummer, Idaho
Lori SiJohn is as resourceful as she is resilient. After serving in the Navy and law enforcement, SiJohn applied to both truck driving and beauty school.
By Carrie Scozzaro
Jun 6, 2017
Check In 100% Local
Ask Dr. Matt: How can we make sure kids get the nutrients they need?
We clearly have some major problems in our culture when it comes to nutrition. Obesity is our fastest growing public health crisis.
By Matt Thompson
Jun 6, 2017
Check In ask dr. matt
Superfood: Fighting cancer and aiding the cardiovascular system both possible benefits
ATTRIBUTES: Flax destined for use as a food or oil is grown primarily in North Dakota. Chickens fed flaxseed meal produce eggs that are higher in omega-3 fatty acids.
By Anne McGregor
Jun 6, 2017
Check In SUPERFOOD
Life coaching: Myriad impacts of what we eat
LIFE COACHING Food is vital for life.
By Robert Maurer
Jun 6, 2017
Check In
Charity Corner: The Spokenya Run and Walk
Imagine walking more than 4 miles a day to haul gallons of water just so you could cook, drink, bathe and wash your clothes. In countless locales across the world, this is the stark reality that millions face every day.
By Chey Scott
Jun 6, 2017
Check In
Good Read: A compelling look at serving the underprivileged
By turns painfully honest, achingly sad and wryly humorous, Patricia Kullberg's memoir of her work as physician at a Portland clinic serving the city's "dispossessed" is also unfailingly compelling. Fleeing the boredom of work in a suburban clinic where, "My patients were lovely.
By Anne McGregor
Jun 6, 2017
Check In
Pill Box: Pay attention to the details upon being discharged
My father was recently admitted to the hospital for a problem that stemmed from his previous stay. Unbelievably, he was taking a double dose of one of his medications because he didn't understand that the two bottles — one from before his hospital stay and one given to him at the hospital — were actually the same medication.
By John R. White
Jun 6, 2017
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