B Well Magazine May 2014

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MAY 2014

GET TO KNOWLOCAL SINGER & MENTOR AMY ADAMSpage 22

WOMEN'S HEALTHISSUE

CARRIE SWIDECKI'S

QUEST TO FIGHT OBESITY WITH

EXERGAMING PAGE 24

TAKE CHARGEOF ALLERGY SEASONpage 31

• BAKERSFIELD MOM'S JOURNEY THROUGH GENETIC TESTING

• TIPS TO LOSE WEIGHT NATURALLY

• HOW TO CARE FOR ACNE PRONE SKIN

GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER

WORKOUT MOVESFOR MOMS ON THE GO page 43

d

THE

BAKE

RSFIELD CALIFORNIAN

READERS’ CHOICEPO

LL

FAVORITE

2010TH

E BAK

ERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN

READERS’ CHOICEPO

LL

2009

May 2014

“You can be anything you

want to be, if you set your

heart to it.”

“Growing up, my mom taught me to always be honest and

independent, respect my elders, never leave home

without saying ‘I love you,’ and, most importantly, do what

makes me happy.”

“Drink a glass of water, my mother’s cure for any ailment. She also taught me, by exam-ple, to be brave, take chances

and work hard in whatever you do to make life better for

the people around you.”

“You can do anything you want to do. Dream big! And, don't forget to laugh a lot along the way."

“Always be open to love, always

be yourself, and always remem-

ber to work hard today, so that you can play tomorrow.”

Words of wisdom

from my mom:

May 2014 · bwellmagazine.com 5

THE

BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN

READERS’ CHOICE POLL

FAVORITE

2014

one of the most common dilemmas I hear is that many women are so busy excelling at their job, trying to be the best wife, mother or daughter, and supporting our friends and family at the drop of a hat, that we fail to think about ourselves, specifically our health.

It’s time for a change.

As someone who’s gotten to know her doctor and medical staff pretty well, I can say that if we want to continue to succeed in all that we do, we need to take care of our minds, bodies and souls first.

That’s why, our team is happy to introduce the women’s health edition. This issue features a number of articles fo-cused on women’s health, many on the preventative aspects of our health.

One feature focuses on Sofie Zimmermann's story of genetic testing. Read about a brave friend’s decision to undergo intense surgeries so that she can be around to watch her children grow up.

Aside from women’s health, we provide you with tips on how to manage allergies (I learned some new tactics to manage my annual allergy struggles!) and ways to maintain healthy skin without spending loads of money. We asked a number of local health and medical experts to share their advice and tips.

And on the lighter side, please consider entering our Cutest Family Photo Contest , which may include your pets. See below for more details.

Olivia Garcia Editor 395-7487 [email protected]

From the

Editor’sDesk

Family Portrait Session

THE



FAVORITE

2014

WIN!ud

Cutest Family Photo ContestB Well Mag wants to see our readers' cutest family photos — that includes your pets, too! Email us one of your best pictures along with a caption and contact information to [email protected] with the subject line: Cutest Family Photo. We’ll pick one lucky winner at random to receive a family portrait from our photographer April Mas-sirio, owner of The Nest Photography + Design. Deadline: June 2. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Only one entry per person, please. Your photo will appear in our next issue.

Joaquin, the son of editor Olivia Garcia, is seen

here with family pet, Ninja.


You might be a Candidate for Dental Sleep

Apnea Treatment

If you have a CPAP, but are not using it because of discomfort, a dental appliance may be a more comfortable alternative to your CPAP.

Dr. Armstrong has special training in dealing with sleep apnea and can fit you with a dental appliance that prevents snoring and breathing problems associated with sleep apnea. It’s easy to wear and is so small it fits in the palm of your hand. Call us about our Dental Sleep Apnea treatment at (661) 631-5580.

DR. THOMAS ARMSTRONG

Bakersfield’s Leader in Dental Sleep Apnea and Snoring Solutions

2100 18th Street 661-631-5580

www.bakersfieldsmiles.com

Cover Photo · Carrie SwideckiPhotographed by April Massirio

REGULARSOUT & ABOUT10 B Connected · Quest Imaging, Tony Horton, The Beltone First, Pet Health, Make It Happen & more

16 Save the Date · Events happening around town

18 B Enriched · Explore new ways to get more out of life

22 Get to Know · Singer & mentor Amy Adams of Garden Pathways

YOUR HEALTH32 Defying the Odds · Heart transplant survivor Adonis Watts

36 Health Apps · 9 apps to lead you to a healthier lifestyle

38 Health Watch · Local doctors answer 3 health questions

39 Smart Health News · Health

facts and statistics for women

40 Holistic Health · Do we need vitamins & supplements?

GET FIT42 Fab Finds · Fabulous finds around town

43 Workout Moves · Perfect for moms on the go

46 Diet Diary · Update on B Well‘s Get Fit Weight-Loss Challenge candidates Reggan & Brandon

50 Golf · Golfing tips by instructor Jacque Servadio

Volume 3 Issue 2 Women's Health · Allergy Issue insidemay2014

HEALTHY BITES52 Healthy Indulgence · Honey recipes

54 Fit Foodies · Coconut Joe's 56 Chew On This · Cucumbers

WELLNESS & WONDER58 Real Success Stories · Greenfield Walking Group

62 Your Body · Fun-to-know facts about veins

64 What Happens When · Getting tested for allergies

66 Life’s Questions Answered · Non-invasive ways to get beach body ready

68 Gardening · Sprucing up your summer garden

CREATING AWARENESS70 Some Kind of Wonderful · Velvet Ranjel practices human kindnesss

71 B the Cause · Spotlight on Stroke Survivor Support Group

LAST LOOK72 B Seen · See who’s been spotted on the local scene

78 Life & Happiness · The Art of Nothing

07 Ed Note09 Contributors20 Quiz

Expert Connect Articles:19 Dr. Vin T. Dang of Empire

Eye & Laser Center

35 Ally Senior Care

41 Desired Beauty Surgical & Medical Center

51 Achilles Prosthetics & Orthotics

63 South Valley Vein Center

22 Get To Know 31 Allergies

43 Workout for Moms

24 Carrie Swidecki25 Women's Specials

on the cover

8 B Well Magazine · May 2014

How tolose weightnaturally Tips to protect the skin at any age

How to care for acne prone skin

Sofie Zimmermann's genetic testing journey

insidemay2014Dr. Paula Ardron was born in Los Angeles and grew up in South Pasadena. She went into medicine because of her love of science, her people skills and her desire to provide people with options to improve their health. Dr. Ardron is an allergist and immunologist and has been part of Kaiser Permanente in Kern County for almost 20 years. In 1996, she was given the honor of developing the Allergy and Immunol-ogy Department in Kern County for Kaiser Permanente. She is currently the chief of the Allergy and Immunology Department.

Katy Raytis was born and raised in Ba-kersfield. She graduated from Garces High School and later attended UC Berkeley for both college and law school. In 2001, Raytis returned to Bakersfield, where she currently resides with her husband and three daugh-ters. Raytis is a practicing attorney and a partner in the law firm of Belden Blaine, LLP. She also serves as in-house counsel for Worklogic.

Local Bakersfield native Travis Thurman earned his undergraduate degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, then went on to veteri-nary school at St. George’s University while completing his clinical year at Texas A&M University in 2008. He is the owner of Thur-man Veterinary Center, off Rosedale High-way and Calloway Drive, which specializes in small animals as well as large animal house calls when scheduled.

KATY RAYTIS

PAULA ARDRON, MD, FAAAI

TRAVIS THURMAN, DVM

TERESA ADAMONEAL AMMAR, MD BETTER HEARING INSTITUTE ERIC BOREN, MD, FACAAI, FAAAI GEOVER FERNANDEZ, MD KERI KEHOE-MESTMAKER NONDY LLEWELLYN, LE, COE TINA MOUSALLY, NPAC, PA-C

KATHY ROBINSON GINA ROLOW, CPT JACQUE SERVADIO DARSHAN SHAH, MD, FACS MILAN SHAH, MD SKINSATION MEDICAL AESTHETICS TONNY TANUS, MD, FACAAI, FAAAI GREGORY WILLIAMS, MD

25

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Thank you to our contributors:

contributors

Dr. Tommy Lee is the Medical Director of Car-diology at Memorial Hospital. He received his undergraduate degree from Stanford Univer-sity and his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He was one of only two scholars in the United States selected to train under Dr. Geoffrey Hartzler, a world-renowned pioneer of balloon angioplasty. Dr. Lee has authored many sci-entific publications and is board certified in in-ternal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology.

TOMMY LEE, MD

Woman's Health

FEATURES

Carrie Swidecki “While chasing my dream, I lost 75 pounds, went down 10 sizes, became an advocate to fight childhood obesity & a multi Guinness World Record Holder.”

24

upg. 52

pg. 43

Dr. Karis Tressel believes that regardless of your current health state, you were meant to experience deep wellness, vitality and abundant health. A licensed naturopathic doctor practicing at Sunrise Natural Medi-cine in downtown Bakersfield, Dr. Tressel uses natural therapies, nutritional counsel-ing and lifestyle modification to build health and address root causes of illness. Find her at facebook.com/dr.tressel or sunrisenatural-medicine.com.

KARIS TRESSEL, ND

Allergies31

pg. 11

Surviving pollen season


out & about b connected

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FDA-cleared, safe and clinically proven. We will develop your customized

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Edmund Fisher, MD, FACS Face by Fisher Cosmetic Facial Surgery

Wednesday, May 21st from 6:00 - 8:00PM5301 Truxtun Ave., Suite 200, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Space is limited. Reserve your spot today!RSVP today: (661) 323-6200

For more information, visit www.facebyfisher.com

Edmund Fisher, MD, FACS

Face by Fisher Cosmetic Facial Surgery

Wednesday, May 21st from 6:00 - 8:00PM5301 Truxtun Ave., Suite 200, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Space is limited. Reserve your spot today!RSVP today: (661) 323-6200

For more information, visit www.facebyfisher.com

A second location for Quest Imaging in downtown Bakersfield, 2700 Chester Ave., is nearing completion. Staffing and supply stocking should take place some time later this year. The facility is directly across the street from San Joaquin Community Hospital (SJCH) and next door to The AIS Cancer Center.

This location will offer all-digital services, including X-ray, fluoroscopy, PET-CT, nuclear

medicine, 3 Tesla MRI, CT, 3-D Mammogra-phy, ultrasound and DEXA. Also, a new breast center will have office space on the first floor of the three-story, 60,000-square-foot build-ing. The other floors will house additional medical offices.

The imaging equipment and highly special-ized software selected for Quest Imaging Downtown was chosen specifically for its ability to detect cancer. Local doctors will have the best tools to track treatment pro-gression and, when necessary, plan surgical intervention with the highest level of ac-curacy possible.

Quest Imaging merged with SJCH in 2010, adding to the local health care landscape and bringing additional imaging services to the community. With the addition of this second facility in the heart of downtown Bakers-field — as part of the area’s growing medical corridor established by SJCH — the bar is raised even higher for the critical role imag-ing services plays in a person’s overall health and wellness.

NEW QUEST IMAGING DOWNTOWN CENTER OPENING SOONCONTRIBUTED BY TERESA ADAMO, SENIOR MARKETING & COMMUNICATION COORDINATOR AT SJCH

Photo by April Massirio



CONTRIBUTED BY BETTER HEARING INSTITUTE

Beltone Electronic Corp. has launched a new hearing aid that of-fers direct control from an iPhone. It receives sound streamed wire-lessly from an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The future of hearing aid technology has taken health care and technol-ogy to new heights.

The Beltone First is a revolutionary hearing aid that offers made-for-iPhone capability to help millions of Ameri-cans with hearing loss address it through the utilization of everyday technology.

With Beltone First, peo-ple with hearing loss can enjoy the best quality hearing aid while having

phone calls, music and other audio entertain-ment, as well as turn-by-turn navigation, Siri, FaceTime conversations and more, wirelessly streamed directly to the wearer’s hearing aids, thanks to Bluetooth Smart technology.

Patients have reported the Beltone First has an amazing sound quality that is crisp, clear and that it is comfortable and easy to use.

More than 360 million people suffer from vary-ing degrees of hear-ing loss, including an estimated 34 million in the United States.

To learn more about this technology, call Beltone at 832-5944.

PET HEALTH — THE DANGERS OFHEARTWORM DISEASE

Heartworm disease is a major concern in domestic pets across the country. Dogs are consid-ered the definitive host for heartworm; however, numerous species may be carriers. Mosqui-toes are the main vectors that carry the infective heartworm larvae and transfer it to the host. When an animal is infected with heartworm, it takes about five to six months for the larvae to grow into the adult stage. Once this happens, the adults migrate to areas like the main pulmonary ar-tery, lungs or associated vessels where the disease may progress.

For dogs, the main clinical signs of heartworm disease are cough-ing and exercise intolerance. In cats, the clinical sign is death due to the size of the adult heart-worm occluding vessels, although heartworm testing and preven-tative treatments are available from local veterinarians. With today’s technology, veterinarians are able to detect heartworm antigens through a simple blood test. This test is easily performed via a blood draw of only a few drops and detects antigens from the female heartworm, which infects household pets. This test only takes a couple of minutes to perform in hospitals. Keep in mind that it is much easier to prevent this disease rather than to treat it clinically.

It is always wise to test your pets for heartworm annually along with a full physical exam. For fur-ther information, please contact your local veterinarian for heart-worm testing and preventatives.

CONTRIBUTED BY TRAVIS THURMAN, DVM & OWNER OF THURMAN VETERTINARY

MADE FOR iPHONE HEARING AID PROVIDES LIFE-IMPACTING BENEFITS

Visit Us At: www.agapemtgco.com

661-324-2427 5001 California Ave. Suite 200

Bakersfield, CA 93309

Thank You Everyone for your nominations and votes! We appreciate the opportunity to serve you as your Local

Mortgage Banker for all of your Mortgage needs!

Sierra Pacific Mortgage Company, Inc. dba Agape Mortgage, NMLS #1788. Licensed in California by the Department of Business

Oversight under the Residential Mortgage Lending Act.

THE



FAVORITE

2014



“Dot Complicated: Untangling Our Wired Lives” By Randi Zuckerberg

In this highly informa- tive, introspective look into technology and social media, new media pioneer Randi Zuck-

erberg addresses how social media and technology can influence our lives online as well as offline. Social media has practically taken over our lives, influenc-ing how we interact with one another. “Dot Complicated” takes a closer look, comparing past generations to today’s generation. Zuckerberg discusses the issues of privacy, online presence, net-working, etiquette and social media’s future.

“Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More and Restore Your Passion for Life” By Crystal Paine

Has your life become a lot more complicated?

Do you find yourself losing sleep due to stress or lack of passion for life? With this book, Paine, who has been through quite a lot in her lifetime, can teach you how to im-prove those problematic areas in your life and how to create a better environment to inspire you to live life with a purpose. This book is filled with practical ideas that can be easily implemented into your life along with inspirational stories you will remember forever.

“It’s Not About the Broccoli: Three Habits to Teach Your Kids for a Lifetime of Healthy Eating”

By Dina Rose, PhD

This book helps parents realize how to feed their children a proper diet. Most parents

intend to feed their child healthy food, but the main problem is getting kids to eat what you put on their plate. By focusing more on healthy habits like exercise and nutrition, Rose has found that children tend to pick up those healthy behaviors than when parents focus soley on nutri-tion.

COMPILED BY RYAN BARRERAREADING ROOM

Naturally beautiful, healthy skin is hard to find these days. Erin Sorena, and her mother, LeAnn Riley, spent several years searching for the perfect organic skin care line that was not only good for your skin but also for the entire body. That’s why the local mother-daughter duo created Bean Àlainn Naturals, a line of products using nature’s most essentialoils and ingredients.

Bean Àlainn’s mission is simple: organic ingredients, exquisite skin.

“We are exposed to countless toxins in our environment that pollute the skin and body; we believe your skin care shouldn’t add to it,” said Sorena, co-founder of Bean Àlainn Naturals.

Sorena is a freelance writer, blogger and researcher of total mind and body health. Her mother is a molecular biolo-gist with a background in chemistry. With both of their unique backgrounds and skills, they created Bean Àlainn Naturals, which is a Celtic phrase meaning “beautiful woman.”

“We believe in our health message and want Bakersfield to thrive and continue

moving toward living whole and well,” Sorena said.

Soon after Bean Àlainn Naturals was founded, the duo developed the Mas-terMix — an anti-aging powerhouse oil filled with some of the best all-natural ingredients on Earth — that they launched to the public in January 2013.

The ingredients in the MasterMix are argan nut oil, pomegranate seed oil, emu oil, grape seed oil, jojoba oil, orange oil, apricot seed oil, evening primrose oil and krill oil. The MasterMix can be used under makeup as a primer and at night after taking off makeup.

“We searched the globe to find only the purest, least refined ingredients in existence today. Bean Àlainn’s oils are certified organic and cold-press extract-ed,” Sorena said.

Tony Horton — the man behind the world famous P90X workout program — is finally stopping by Bakersfield to moti-vate his fans. His visit comes after local health fitness experts spent more than two years trying to get this busy fitness guru to town.

“It’s a huge deal to get someone of Tony’s stature to come visit Bakersfield. He’s in high demand from the United Service Organizations tour for the military and major companies across America,” said Mike Ryan, Team Beachbody Super Star Diamond Coach.

Horton will share his “11 Laws of Fitness” talk and give insight into his personal life and struggles. He will also lead an afternoon workout and offer a photo opportunity and a book signing at the event, held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 17 in the Student Recreation Center at Cal State Bakersfield. Ryan, of Beachbody Team Victory, along with CSUB’s Physical Education and Kinesiology (PEAK) Club run by Dr. Jeff Moffit, helped co-sponsor the event.

Attendees will hear inspirational stories from Jeff Hill, senior vice president of global sales for Beachbody, and Doug

Moss, western director of sales. Local team leaders will provide tips on how to live a healthier life while having a great time.

Horton designed popular follow-up programs like P90X2 and P90X3. He has authored three books, including his most recent non-workout book titled “The Big Picture,” an encouraging and practical guide to creating a better life and healthier body. This book shows how one’s physical health is linked to their mental, financial and family health, and overall happiness. It demonstrates that the same skills and principles used in the gym also translate into every area of life.

To register for the event, visit www.eventzilla.net/web/event?eventid=2139014505.

Ryan said he worked hard to keep ticket prices down. General admission before May 14 is $37.50, and $50 at the door, whereas in other parts of the country this event would cost nearly double the price. There is a special rate of $5 for CSUB students with a student ID. Keep in mind that seating is limited, so purchase your ticket today.

P90X CREATOR TONY HORTON TO VISIT BAKERSFIELD WRITTEN BY HILLARY HAENES

LOCAL MOTHER & DAUGHTER’S ALL-NATURAL SKIN CARE LINE WRITTEN BY ALANA GARRETT


9610 Stockdale Hwy Ste D Bakersfield, CA 93311

661-663-8158661-663-8158 661-663-8158

Do you ‘Should’ on yourself or Do you ‘Should’ on others?

When we ‘should’ on ourselves it can produce guilt, shame, and depression.

When we ‘should’ on others it can produce anger, bitterness, and resentment.

Try substituting; Did or Did not for past events, Can or Cannot for present events or Will or Will not for future events.

CHALLENGE YOUR COMMUNICATION

SHOULD

I want to be your friend but, ....

I love you but, .....

I heard what you said but, ...

But’s can dismiss the message your trying to convey or what another person is telling you.

Try And instead,

I love you and ....

I heard what you said and ....

BUT

Sorena and Riley have been in business for almost one year, but they have customers nationally and inter-nationally. The Environmental Working Group has even rec-ognized Bean Àlainn Naturals products as one of the safest, anti-aging lines on the market today.

“Our products are universal and appropriate for all skin types as we have chosen comple-mentary nutrient and vitamin leaders that work together to balance and beautify the skin,” Sorena said.

Other products from Bean Àlainn Naturals include Mas-terMix Vegan Formula, an oil almost identical to the orignal MasterMix, minus the krill and emu oils; Enliven Mist that is used as a prepping agent for the MasterMix; African Black Soap made with 50% shea butter and is 100% all-natural; and finally a Transformation Clay Mask

made from organic seaweed, bentonite clay and organic pep-permint.

“We want to make skin look better than it would with the average skin care regimen through repair at the cellular level with nature’s most power-ful essential oils and organic ingredients,” Sorena said.

This team hopes to expand from their online boutique to specialty shops and high-end salons in the near future.

“Our customers’ needs are most important in the expan-sion of our company, and those needs ultimately dictate how and where our products will be made readily available,” Sorena said.

For more information about Bean Àlainn Naturals or to purchase products, visit banaturals.com.

TONY HORTON PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

& BOOK SIGNING

May 17

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cal State Bakersfield



In an effort to bring parents, teachers and counselors together to develop a support team for students who are either academi-cally at-risk or grade-level proficient but need challenges, I created Make It Happen Services. Educational services are available for ages Pre-K to 12.

MIH was launched last September, and in nearly six months we have grown from a team of six to 16. The realm of services offered has grown as well, from tutoring and child care to house sit-ting and dog sitting.

Our academic services are unique in that we do not use one particular learning program or cur-riculum when working with students; instead we work with classroom teachers to utilize resourc-es and supplemental materials that coincide with the adopted curriculum of the school. MIH also offers other educational services, such as academic guidance counseling, SAT Preparation workshops, CAHSEE Preparation workshops, College Preparation Assistance and Summer Academic “Gap” Camps (with dates to be announced).

Our staff works with parents and students to help them navigate through the educational sys-tem that can often be confusing and overwhelm-

ing. So often, parents are not aware of what questions to ask or know what options are available to help their student excel academi-cally (and socially) in the classroom. MIH will link the student’s support team together and work to make necessary adjustments in and out of the classroom.

A new, growing area of MIH is personal assistant/nanny services. Personal assistant tasks vary from light laundry and cleaning to er-rand running and cooking.

We are ultimately a first-class, one-stop shop for families! For more information on Make It Hap-pen Services, visit facebook.com/MIHServices or makeithappenservices.com. In addition, Make It Happen Services is launching a YouTube Chan-nel, “Let’sMakeItHappenTogether,” which will feature educational and parenting guidance/advice and other fun episodes for moms. Topics will include fashion, self-esteem, glam and more!

‘MAKE IT HAPPEN’ FOR LOCAL YOUTHCONTRIBUTED BY KERI KEHOE-MESTMAKER, OWNER OF MAKE IT HAPPEN SERVICES

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oto



IS TAN, BRONZED SKIN WORTH THE RISK?CONTRIBUTED BY NEAL AMMAR, MD, GEOVER FERNANDEZ, MD & TINA MOUSALLY, NPAC, PA-C, AT CBCC SKIN CANCER, DERMATOLOGY AND LASER CENTER

The perk of living in the sunny state of California is that the weather is nearly always beautiful. And with the hot days ahead comes the awareness that too much sunshine is harmful to our health.

To practice having health skin, wear sun-screen with at least an SPF 30 and reapply it every two hours; wear protective cloth-ing or hats; avoid peak UV hours; seek shade when possible, perform a self-exam for damaged skin; and never use indoor tanning beds.

We recommend that everyone practice a quick monthly self-examination of their skin to find any new or changing lesions that might be cancerous. We suggest having a dermatologist do a full-body skin exam first to ensure any existing growths, freckles or moles are normal. After the first time, your self-exam should not take more than 10 minutes. Performed regularly, self-exams can help you spot changes in your skin, aiding in early detec-tion of skin cancer.

A recent report released by leaders of the United States Energy & Commerce Committee revealed that tanning salons

are not providing accurate information about skin cancer to people seeking their services. The results show that the vast majority of tanning salons provide false information about the serious risks of indoor tanning. When asked whether tanning poses any health risks for patrons, 90% of the salons stated that indoor tanning did not pose a health risk. And, when asked about the specific risk of skin cancer, more than half (51%) of the salons denied that indoor tanning would increase the risk of developing skin cancer.

Unfortunately, our community has some indoor tanning salons similar to those places investigated, so it falls on the people of Bakersfield to become more educated. There is no safe UV tan. If a per-son’s skin color has been changed through UV irradiation, then the melanin cells and squamous cells have been stimulated in a damaging way that has been proven to lead to skin cancer, whether a sunburn occurred or not. Melanoma killed an esti-mated 9,480 people in the U.S. last year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Don’t be fooled; no tan is worth your life.

EAT THIS

NOT THAT

Waffle Breakfast Sandwich from Jack-In-The-Box

470 calories33g fat per serving

Berry Wafflewich170.6 calories8.6g fat per servingPrep time: 5 min.Cook time: 2 min.

This berry breakfast taco needs:1 whole wheat toaster waffle

1/2 tablespoon almond butter1/4 cup slightly crushed blueberries,

blackberries or raspberries

We empower dogs and people to live healthy, happy & productive lives.

Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue is a nonprofit organization that rescues, rehabilitates, trains and re-homes death row dogs from Kern County’s high-kill animal shelters. In addition to saving their lives, we utilize our rescue dogs to help transform people’s lives. Through the great potential of the human-canine bond, we empower dogs and people to live healthy, happy and productive lives.

Our current focus is on low-cost spay and neuter clinics, scheduled in conjunction with Canine Community Fairs to be held throughout the year. This, and educational programs targeting our

community’s youth, lay the foundation for positive change that begins in Kern County and reaches far and beyond! Visit our website to become a member of the Mutt Militia today. And join us in making the world a better place, one dog at a time!

WESITE: www.marleysmutts.com FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/marleysmuttsdogrescue TWITTER: @MMDogRescue EMAIL: [email protected]


out & about save the date

12th annual High Tea 2014 SEVEN OAKS COUNTRY CLUB

Wednesday, May 14; 11:30 a.m.

Presented by Garden Pathways. Honoring women with a heart for Bakersfield. 2000 Grand Lakes Ave. $65. 633-9133.

Third Thursday

CENTRAL PARK ALONG MILL CREEK

Thursday, May 15; 5:30 p.m.

Lots of great food, drinks, craft vendors, rides, games and more.Featuring free concert by Bryan White on the main stage.bakersfielddba.com

“Into the Woods”THE EMPTY SPACE

Friday, May 16; 8 p.m.

Directed by Brian Sivesind. The Empty Space, 706 Oak St. Tickets are $20. 327-7529. Doors usually open 30 minutes prior to showtime. Once a show has started, there is no late admission so please be sure to arrive promptly.

Sheriff's Department Honor Run 5K/10K

HART PARK

Saturday, May 17; 8 a.m.

This third annual run benefits the children of our fallen Kern County deputies. To register, visit active.com.

“Hairspray”

CSUB THEATER

Thursday, May 22; 8 p.m.

Thursday and Friday, 9001 Stock-dale Highway. $12; $10 seniors; $5 students with ID. 654-3150.

Third annual “Taste of the Sizzling South”

NOBLE PARK

Saturday, May 17; 2 p.m.

Presented by Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce; food tasting, games, prizes, vendors and music, 2 to 8 p.m. Noble Park, 700 S. P St. $20 adults, $10 KCBCC mem-bers; $5 children 10 and younger. 326-1529.

Bakersfield Collector Con

BAKERSFIELD MARRIOTT HOTEL

Sunday, May 18; 10 a.m.

Costume contest, guest Johnny Jimenez, toy expert from Pawn Star show, collectibles, raffles, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Bakersfield Marriott Hotel, 801 Truxtun Ave. $5, wear costume and receive half-off admission. Children ages 7 and under are free. 859-1300, or facebook.com/bakersfieldcoll-ectorcon.

Green Day’s “American Idiot” Broadway MusicalRABOBANK THEATER

Tuesday, May 20; 7:30 p.m.

Rabobank Theater, 1001 Truxtun Ave. $35 to $55 plus fees. ticket-master.com or 800-745-3000.

“The Royal Association of Thespians”

THE EMPTY SPACE

Friday, May 23; 11 p.m.

Performing Friday and Saturday, 706 Oak St. $5. 327-7529.

Bakersfield Craft Beer Festival

CSUB AMPITHEATRE


Gates open at 1 p.m., 9001 Stock-dale Highway. General admission tickets $40. Beer vendors include Lengthwise Brewing Co., Kern River Brewing Co., Firestone Walker Brewing Co. and many more. Food provided by Moo Creamery, Jake’s Tex-Mex and Eureka! Burger. bakersfieldcraftbeerfestival.com.

George Lopez

RABOBANK THEATER


1001 Truxtun Ave. $37.50 to $47.50 plus fees. ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.

EVENTSCan’t miss events from May to August 2014

SPORTS & OUTDOORS EDUCATION FOOD & DRINK KIDS THEATER & DANCE ART MUSIC

THE



2014


Find more community events at kernevents.com or submit your event via email to [email protected].

out & about save the date

Sunset Social

PRIVATE RESIDENCE


Tom Xavier‘s Whirlwind Productions Sunset Social includes entertain-ment, hosted martini bar, silent auc-tion, food. $50. All proceeds benefit Kennemer Center. 204-7799.

16th annual Menudo Cook-off

KERN COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS

Sunday, June 1; 11 a.m.

Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hosts a menudo contest with cash prizes, best decorated booth contest, jalapeno eating contest, live entertainment, vendor booths and kid‘s camp. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1142 S. P St. $10.

“Sesame Street Live: Make a New Friend”

RABOBANK THEATER

Tuesday, June 3; 6:30 p.m.

Showtimes: 6:30 Tuesday; 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, 1001 Truxtun Ave. $15 to $30 plus fees. ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.

Side By Side

BAKERSFIELD MUSEUM OF ART

Thursday, July 24; 10 a.m.

Art workshop for kids age 3 to 6 accompanied by an adult, 10 to 11 a.m., Bakersfield Museum of Art, 1930 R St. $10 for members, $15 for non-members, pre-register for member price. 323-7219.

Kern County Nut Festival

KERN COUNTY MUSEUM

Saturday, June 7

Presented by the Kern County Museum Foundation, cooking demonstrations, nutty dishes, arts, crafts, ag exhibits, games and more, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 3801 Chester Ave. kcmuseum.org.

Taft Fireworks Show & Fourth of July Celebration

6TH ST. — TAFT

Friday, July 4; 5 p.m.

Music, food and craft vendors, beer garden; starts at 5 p.m., fireworks 9 p.m., on 6th St. between Main and Supply Row in Taft. Free. 765-2165.

Yokuts Park Fun Runs

YOKUTS PARK

Saturday, July 12; 7 a.m.

1, 2, 3, and 5-mile runs, presented by the Bakersfield Track Club in cooperation with the City of Bakersfield Parks and Recreation Department, 7 a.m. 1-mile warm-up run, then run 2, 3 or 5 miles. Held at 4200 Empire Drive the second Saturday of each month. bakersfieldtrackclub.com.

Buena Vista Museum Family Day

BUENA VISTA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Saturday, July 11

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Buena Vista Museum of Natural History, 2018 Chester Ave. $20 for two adults and up to six children. 324-6350.

Wine & Beer Tasting

STEAK AND GRAPE

Friday, August 1; 5 p.m.

Taste a variety of wine and beer. 5 to 7 p.m., Steak and Grape, 4420 Coffee Road. $20. 588-9463.

Sierra Club Conditioning Hikes

HIGHWAY 178 AND 184

Tuesday, July 15

Meet at 7 p.m. at the corner of high-ways 178 and 184. Free. 872-2432.

Bakersfield KidsFest

KERN COUNTY MUSEUM


Benefits the Kern County Museum, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A fun-filled day for babies, toddlers, children, tweens and families to play and learn about all the important aspects of raising happy, healthy kids. More than 100 vendors providing activities, shop-ping and entertainment. bakersfieldkidsfest.com.

“Menopause” The Musical

FOX THEATER

Friday, July 25; 7 p.m.

This hilarious musical parody about women going through “the change” is staged to classic tunes from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s will have you laughing and dancing up a storm. Tickets range from $51 to $71. vallitix.com or 322-5200.

• Boutique Consignments • Vintage Clothing • Antique Furniture • Home Décor • 21,000 Sq ft of Shopping

Shop online BuyWildestDreams.com

1723 18th Street Bakersfield CA 93301

661.324.6484

THE



FAVORITE

2014

Kid’s Club Design Class

LOG CABIN FLORIST


Create a spring vase at 800 19th St. $35, includes a T-shirt. 327-8646.

For more info: 589-8950 or Jazzercise.com

Greenacres Community Center Mon, Wed 5:30pm

Riverlakes Community Center Tues, Thur 9:00am Sat, 8:30am

Uniglobe Travel Tues, Thurs 5:30pm


What is allergic conjunctivitis?It is an eye condition that describes the symptoms of allergies in the eyes. The allergens in the air are causing an immune reaction due to histamine released from mast cell breakdown in the eyes. This reaction in turn causes your eyes to become very itchy and inflamed, sometimes giving you the “glassy” eyes look.

How do I know Idon’t have pink eye?A thorough eye examination by Dr. Dang will differentiate between a pink eye, “dry eye,” and allergic conjunctivitis. This is very important, as there are many eye conditions out there that can masquerade as allergies. Dr. Dang will identify specifically what is causing the red, watery and itchy eyes and prescribe medications to treat you.

How do you treat allergic conjunctivitis?The best way to treat allergies is to avoid them. If your allergies are environmental, avoidance can be difficult. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, Dr. Dang can determine the treatment that will be the best for your specific allergen(s). This treatment can vary from simple over the counter drops to prescription medications if necessary.

What can I do aboutmy allergies?Dr. Dang’s Allergy Clinic can test for the 60 most common allergens native to the Kern County Area. After your allergen(s) have been identified, Dr. Dang will review your test results to develop a customized treatment plan and help you prevent future attacks of your allergic conjunctivitis.

Montecito Aesthetic Institute1150 H Coast Village Rd

Montecito, CA 93108PH: 805 565 5700

Empire Eye & Laser Center4101 Empire Drive, Ste 120

Bakersfield, CA 93309PH: 661 325 3937

Daniel H. Chang, M.D. Joseph H. Chang, M.D.


Bakersfield, CA 93309PH: 661-325-EYES (3937)

empireeyeandlaser.com • theeyeliddoc.com

Vin T. Dang, O.D. Primary Care Optometrist

YOU ARE LIKELY SUFFERING FROMALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVITIS

Glaucoma Certified

Diagnostic and TherapeuticsAgent Certified

Fluent in Spanish, Chineseand French

Jewelry Making

Purchasing trendy necklaces, bracelets and earrings can get expensive. So why not spend less money, get creative and make your own jewelry? Bakersfield offers a few jewelry classes to help get you started on your own unique designs. Michaels offers jewelry-making classes specializing in wire wrapping, knotted bracelets and bib collar necklaces. Their classes are for beginners and reasonably priced. If you are looking for another place to get your beading fix, you can get crafty with Beverly’s Crafts & Fabrics. They offer a class for folks interested in learning to bead.

To find out more about these classes, visit michaels.com or beverlys.com

out & about b enriched

{explore new ways to get more out of life}WRITTEN BY ALANA GARRETT

Polga Fitness

For ladies interested in exploring a new workout routine, Polga Fitness is the place for you. The studio uses alternative forms of exercise to help promote strength, flexibility and endurance using poles, hoops and fly gyms. Polga Fitness provides great exercise in a fun environment. The classes help build confidence, achieve new skills, get toned and most importantly, empower women to achieve their goals. Some of the classes offered include polga, a class that involves poles and yoga; spins n’ circles, a class that focuses on movement, body awareness and balance with the hoop; and fly gym com-bines Pilates, aerial yoga, pole and aerial arts.

To learn more about the classes offered at Polga Fitness, 4151 Ming Ave., Suite 10; visit polgagirlstudio.com.

DIY Furniture

Tired of your old, boring furniture? Give selected pieces a makeover by redecorating them at Chalk Talk, a local furniture restoration store that offers workshops on how to revamp old furniture with decorative chalk paint. The paint requires nosanding, no priming and no stripping. Chalk Talk of-fers workshops like the Intro to Chalk Paint, a must for beginners that teaches the basics with some simple tips and tricks. There’s also the Bring Your Own Piece (BYOP) workshop, which allows you to bring a piece from home and learn how to put a finish on it. Finishes include Bling It On!, a metallic finish and Crack It Up!, a crackled finish for an aged and rustic look.

For more information, stop by Chalk Talk, 10810 Rosedale Highway, or visit chalktalkbakersfield.com.

$

$

$

• 100s of Bikes • 100s of Bikes to Choose From to Choose From • Full Line of Parts • Full Line of Parts and Accessories and Accessories

2700 New Stine Bakersfield 833-2700

2700 Union Ave Bakersfield 324-4750

Kern County for nominating Snider’s as the Best Bicycle Store!

THANK YOU THANK YOU

www.sniderscycler y.com www.sniderscyclery.com

Serving Kern County Cyclists Serving Kern County Cyclists For Over 110 Years For Over 110 Years

OF

TH

E CALIFORNIAN’S

K E R N C O U N T Y

2003

Readers’ Choice

Poll

OF

TH

E CALIFORNIAN’S

K E R N C O U N T Y

2005

Readers’ Choice Poll

TH

E BAK

ERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN

READERS’ CHOICEPO

LL

2009

THEBA

KERSFI

ELD CALIFORNIAN

READERS’ CHOICEPO

LL

2010

THEBA

KERSFI

ELD CALIFORNIAN

READERS’ CHOICEPO

LL

2014

........................


What is allergic conjunctivitis?It is an eye condition that describes the symptoms of allergies in the eyes. The allergens in the air are causing an immune reaction due to histamine released from mast cell breakdown in the eyes. This reaction in turn causes your eyes to become very itchy and inflamed, sometimes giving you the “glassy” eyes look.

How do I know Idon’t have pink eye?A thorough eye examination by Dr. Dang will differentiate between a pink eye, “dry eye,” and allergic conjunctivitis. This is very important, as there are many eye conditions out there that can masquerade as allergies. Dr. Dang will identify specifically what is causing the red, watery and itchy eyes and prescribe medications to treat you.

How do you treat allergic conjunctivitis?The best way to treat allergies is to avoid them. If your allergies are environmental, avoidance can be difficult. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, Dr. Dang can determine the treatment that will be the best for your specific allergen(s). This treatment can vary from simple over the counter drops to prescription medications if necessary.

What can I do aboutmy allergies?Dr. Dang’s Allergy Clinic can test for the 60 most common allergens native to the Kern County Area. After your allergen(s) have been identified, Dr. Dang will review your test results to develop a customized treatment plan and help you prevent future attacks of your allergic conjunctivitis.

Montecito Aesthetic Institute1150 H Coast Village Rd

Montecito, CA 93108PH: 805 565 5700


Bakersfield, CA 93309PH: 661 325 3937

Daniel H. Chang, M.D. Joseph H. Chang, M.D.


Bakersfield, CA 93309PH: 661-325-EYES (3937)

empireeyeandlaser.com • theeyeliddoc.com

Vin T. Dang, O.D. Primary Care Optometrist

YOU ARE LIKELY SUFFERING FROMALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVITIS

Glaucoma Certified

Diagnostic and TherapeuticsAgent Certified

Fluent in Spanish, Chineseand French

my eyes are red, watery and Itchy, what should i do?

................................................ EXPERT CONNECT


quiz

1 Air pollution is caused by:

A Automobile emissions B Cigarette smoking C Coal-burning power plants D Wood-burning stoves E All of the above

2 Individuals who are at a higher risk of a heart attack triggered by air pollution are:

A Alcoholics B Asthmatics C DiabeticsD HypochondriacsE Insomniacs

CONTRIBUTED BY DR. TOMMY LEE, MEDICAL DIRECTOR AT SARVANAND HEART & STROKE CENTER AT MEMORIAL HOSPTIAL

Take this quiz!The Link Between Air Pollution & Heart Disease

Research has shown air pollution can trigger heart attacks, abnormal heart rhythms and strokes. Unfortunately, Bakersfield tops the list of cities in the United States as one of the most pol-luted year-round by small particles. People already at risk for heart disease are particularly vulnerable, especially on poor air quality days. To protect yourself and reduce your overall risk for stroke and heart attack, exercise regularly, control your weight with a healthy diet and follow your doctor’s advice on blood pressure and cholesterol management. To know the state of the air that you breathe, visit airnow.gov. Meanwhile, test your knowledge here:

3 Weather extremes coupled with air pollution do not change the risk of heart attacks.

A True

B False

4 Steps to reduce the risk of heart attack include:

A Blood pressure and cholesterol control

B Exercise

C Knowing when the air quality is unhealthy

D Smoking cessation

E All of the above

5 Strategies to limit exposure to air pollution on poor air quality days include:

A Avoiding exercising near busy roads B Jogging rather than walking on those days to limit the time you are exposed

C Using a typical face mask worn by surgeons in the operating room

D All of the above

E None of the above

6 Bakersfield is ranked No. 3 nationally for year-round particle pollution and No. 2 for short-term particle pollution.

A True B False

7 Because of the air quality regulations…

A Global warming has been halted B Ground level ozone is improved

C The particle pollution levels have been decreasing

D More people are driving

E All of the above

8 Long Beach, Calif. is ranked No. 1 for ozone pollution.

A TrueB False

9 Particle pollution refers to particles 1/30th of the diameter of a hair. It causes heart attacks by:

A Causing inflammation in the circulatory system

B Clotting up the small vessels in the heart C Destroying the lung

D All of the above

E None of the above

10 The relationship between air pollution and hospital- ization is:

A ExponentialB Inversely related C LinearD All of the aboveE None of the above

Sources: stateoftheair.org; “Air Pollution, Climate, and Heart Disease” (2013); “Air Pollution as a Heart Attack Threat” (2013); “Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease” (2004)

An

swer

s: 1

(E),

2(C

), 3

(B),

4(E

), 5

(A),

6(B

), 7

(C),

8(A

), 9

(A),

10

(C)


ADAMS

out & about get to know

{talking health & wel lness with...}

Amy

You may remember her as the pink-haired girl who was a finalist on the 2004 third season of ‘American Idol,’ but Amy Adams has certainly come a long way since then. Now, 10 years later, Adams’ hair col-or, a mature light brown with blonde highlights — reflects her transfor-mation. She continues working in the music and entertainment indus-try, is heavily involved with her Ba-kersfield community, primarily as a mentor at Garden Pathways, and is a mom to 9-year-old son Harry. She is expecting another baby in Octo-ber. “American Idol” completely changed my life. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t see the positive ef-fects it has played in my life. It cre-ated a platform for me to pursue my dreams and help others in the mean-time by way of mentoring through the arts,” Adams said. The 34-year-old is blessed to have had such a successful life thus far. To learn more about Adams, visit bwellmagazine.com.

COMPILED BY HILLARY HAENESPHOTOGRAPH BY APRIL MASSIRIO

“The best part of my job is that I get to live my dream every day.

Whether that is on stage in Vegas or working with my kiddos, I am reminded daily of how fortunate

I am to do what I love.”

“I balance wellness by truly knowing and listen-

ing to my body — sleep and water are my friend! If I start to run on fumes,

I need to power nap. Even if it is 10 minutes of shut-eye in my car, it calms my brain and allows for clarity and

energy to find me again.”

“I am happiest when I am spending time with my son — the coolest and funniest

kid on the planet. He makes me laugh and is the best hockey player I know!”

“The smartest advice I ever received was from a close friend and former manager Jess Mercado:

“Ten percent of life is circumstance, and the other 90 percent is how we respond to it.” This has

helped me realize that we truly live the life that we choose, so choose to make it a great one! He was my advice go-to person on ‘American Idol.’”

“In my home, my bedroom is my

sanctuary. My bed is perfection!”“The first thing I do

when I wake up is stretch.”

“My daily health fix is oatmeal. It is a perfect

way to start the day and makes me happy!”

“My favorite enrichment activity is learning how

to play a new instru-ment or picking up a

new sport. I am current-ly in love with synchro-

nized swimming and have even trained with my Olympian friends in

Vegas.”


TEACHER DANCES TO FIGHT CHILDHOOD

OBESITY, SETS MULTIPLE WORLD RECORDS

women's special

WRITTEN BY HILLARY HAENES PHOTOGRAPHS BY APRIL MASSIRIO

Thirteen years ago, 210-pound Car-rie Swidecki, then in her mid-20s, was walking past an arcade when her eyes caught sight of the video game, Dance Dance Revolution. Its loud electronic music and bright blinking lights mes-merized her as she walked up to the game. Swidecki didn’t think anyone was watching, so she hopped on the plat-form and started stepping to the music. After only 10 steps, the overweight Swidecki grew tired. At that moment, an observer shouted, “You suck!”

That moment and those words left an everlasting impression, Swidecki said. She decided to challenge herself to lose weight by exergaming.

“I fell in love with the arcade community. Little did I know those first 10 steps I took on Dance Dance Revolution would change my life,” she said. “While chasing my dream, I lost 75 pounds, went down 10 sizes, became an advocate to fight childhood obesity, and a multi Guinness World Record Holder.”

Now the 37-year-old, who teaches second grade at Sandrini Elementary School in the Panama Buena Vista School District, is in the best shape of her life and loving every minute.

Swidecki didn’t see the impact that ex-ergaming had on her weight right away. It wasn’t until she made the transition from shopping at plus-size stores to wearing smaller sizes that she realized dancing to video games was making her fit.

With her weight-loss transformation, Swidecki built up enough strength and confidence to revisit a childhood dream of being a long distance runner. In 2010, Swidecki ran her first 5K, and a year later she ran her first half marathon. But her greatest achievement of all has been using her passion of exergaming to spread awareness about childhood obesity.

Five years ago when the economy went into a recession, Swidecki noticed her

students weren’t talking about after-school sports. Primary physical educa-tion programs and lunchtime sports were being cut, and many parents couldn’t afford to put their children on recreational sports teams.

“Sports were a huge aspect of my child-hood — I grew up playing tennis and soccer... One day, I noticed my students were talking about their favorite video games. That’s when I made the connec-tion to use exergaming in the schools for physical education,” Swidecki said.

In an effort to help her students, Swidecki wrote four grants through donorschoose.org to get various con-soles and games. And for the past four years, Swidecki has shared exergaming at her school. Last year, she was asked to pilot a Presidential Fitness Program using Just Dance in an after-school program for 100 students in grades second through sixth.

CARRIE SWIDECKI

“While chasing my dream, I lost 75

pounds, and went down 10 sizes...”


CONTRIBUTED BY DARSHAN SHAH, MD, FACS MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF BEAUTOLOGIE COSMETIC SURGERY AND MEDSPA

It’s pretty well known that it can be more difficult for women to lose weight than their male counterparts. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard my patients say, “My husband can lose 10 pounds by just not eating for a few days, but it takes me forever!”

Well, there is a reason for this. Women are genetically programmed differently than men for childbearing, breast-feeding and handling more stress. For these rea-sons, women have a completely different body type: Less muscle mass but leaner muscle, less visceral (fat inside your abdomen) than peripheral fat, and a slower metabo-lism that is more subject to hormonal changes. However, this is not all bad! Here are some tips to help take advan-tage of these differences to shed pounds quickly, and keep them off.

Tip No. 1: Smaller portions make a big difference in the long haul. Imagine cutting your calorie intake in half but not missing those calories by using simple mental tricks. Drink a full glass of water before eating your meal; replace all the plates in your home with smaller ones (put the large plates away in the garage); when cooking at home, only make one portion per person; and when going out to dinner, always share one order (this saves money, too). All these seemingly small adjustments will add up over the course of a month, three months and a year. For women, it’s the long-term calorie deficit that makes a difference in permanent weight loss. Quick fix diets almost never work.

Tip No. 2: Can’t get to gym? Make your entire day a work-out! Use every opportunity you can to move around. Have a walk and talk meeting, bike to work, take the kids to the park or put the treadmill in front of the TV. Short bursts of activity make a huge difference in calorie expenditure for women. Committing yourself to the gym is a noble goal but very disappointing if you consistently miss. Don’t make the gym your only physical activity for the day; instead, use it as a bonus way of burning calories when you can fit it in your schedule.

Tip No. 3: Use technology to your advantage. Wearable sensors are now extremely affordable and very accurate. My favorites are the Bodymedia FIT armband and the UP wristband by Jawbone. Both are fun to use. It’s all about consuming healthy calories and then burning them off, so use these tools to give you the data you need to get motivated daily! Use the social tools to make it a game between your friends and family. The more people on your team, the more motivating it is to shed those unwanted pounds. Remember, almost every study done on women and weight loss shows us that long-term weight loss, done slowly over time, is long lasting. Don’t get caught up in fad diets. Use these small, incremental changes to achieve a permanent solution.

CARRIE SWIDECKIAfter losing her weight, Swidecki had her heart set on accomplishing another goal — setting a Guinness World Record for exergaming. Swidecki put in 35 to 45 hours a week to properly train her body to dance for long hours. She achieved her dream earlier this year in January, when she danced for 49 hours, 3 minutes and 22 seconds. She made history by becoming the only person in the world to hold a record for longest marathon play on all three major dance games: Just Dance, Dance Central and Dance Dance Revolution, as well as the first female to set them after being obese. Swidecki used her skill to bring national awareness to having motion sensing dance games in physical education programs.

“Starting at the 30th hour, I had severe back spasms. I was very uncomfortable, but I looked up and saw two of my students looking at me. That’s when I decided to suck up the pain and just keep dancing,” she said.

On April 18, Swidecki attended Cal State Bakers-field’s Campus Gamers and Dance Marathon club teams’ Just Dance ‘For The Kids’ event and set 101 high scores. Swidecki danced for 12 hours straight to raise money to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network with all proceeds going to Lauren Small Children’s Medical Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. Last year, she helped to raise $17,500, and this year, the event has already raised $8,000, which will go to purchasing life-saving equipment.

Swidecki has uploaded 101 high scores on Just Dance 2014 to Guinness World Records from the CSUB event and sent evidence to London to be reviewed and made official. Now she is just waiting to be recognized.

Currently, Swidecki is training to break two more marathon world records on Just Dance 2014 this summer. To learn more about Swidecki, visit carrieswidecki.com or follow her on Twitter @CarrieSwidecki for her latest updates.

Swidecki with her students

Swidecki setting 101 high scores on April 18.

> Weight-Loss Tips For Women

— The Natural Way

women's special


women's special

Skin care is an age-old phenom-enon. The ancient Egyptians wore cosmetics, as they believed they had magical powers, and they used herbs and oils to help protect their skin from the harsh sun-filled environment. It goes without saying that skin care and skin protection is just as impor-tant to humans as any other facet of our health. Here are a few tips to protect your skin from the harsh sunlight.

PROTECTION FROM UV LIGHT | A lifetime of sun exposure can cause premature aging in the form of wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems — the worst is skin cancer — the most com-mon form of cancer in the United States. There is about one death every hour from melanoma, the most viscous form of skin cancer. A majority of us assume that it is only important to protect ourselves during warmer days or when going to the beach or pool. But the risk of UV exposure dur-ing an overcast day can be equally high. Through the year, all that accumulated UV exposure can be extremely detrimental, so make applying SPF part of your daily routine.

HOW TO SELECT THE BEST SUNSCREEN | The ideal sun-screen would completely block harmful UV rays that cause sunburns and damaging free radicals (what ages our skin). The sunscreen should remain effective for hours and not be harmful for the skin as it breaks down. Finally, it should smell and feel very pleasant. For example, mineral sunscreens are relatively stable, do not penetrate the skin, and offer a good amount of UV protection not available in many sunscreens that are sold over the counter (OTC). Titanium and zinc oxide are great examples of these mineral-based sunscreens available. Another contender is Avobenzone, which offers UVA protection without other compet-ing products that may disrupt natural hormones.

Look for an SPF of about 30 to 50. There is no evidence that products higher than SPF 50 are more beneficial. In fact, these sunscreens can be misleading. The SPF only is an indicator of UVB protection, not really UVA. This means that a person wearing an SPF 80 may be tempted to stay in the sun longer because they are not burning, yet that person is getting an increased dose of UVA light. The Beautologie Skin Care Be-blocked sunscreen provides the perfect blend of mineral blockers, Avobenzone and goes on smoothly without feeling greasy.

In addition to finding that perfect sunscreen, we need to use com-mon sense. Seek shade, especially when the sun is the strongest, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and wear protective clothing when possible.

SKIN CARE AND SKIN TREAT-MENT PRODUCTS | Unfortu-nately, we live in a world of quick fixes where large retailers sell brand-name products that over promise and under deliver. OTC products are not prescription products and, therefore, will never be as effective as medica-tion. The problem is that they are marketed to be almost as good as prescription products but are usually substandard. You will probably never really find an OTC face-lift-in-a bottle. Of course, the other big issue with OTC regimens is, whom do you go to for advice on what to purchase? Where do you go if you have problems or reactions with them? The best solution for someone looking to truly improve the ap-pearance of his or her skin is to seek an expert. Unlike physician prescribed creams, cosmetics do not change or affect the skin’s structure or function. Consult-ing your physician about what products would best suit your individual needs will most likely lead you on a path of turning back the clock and maintaining healthy skin.

MAINTAINING THAT BEAUTI-FUL, HEALTHY GLOW | Not smoking is key! Smoking narrows blood vessels in the outer layers of the skin leading to less oxygen and nutrients being delivered to the skin. Tobacco and nicotine also damages collagen and elastin — the components that give skin its elasticity and overall full-ness. Eat a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Another important way to help with healthy skin is to manage stress. Uncontrolled amounts of stress can lead to acne breakouts and other skin problems.

Our skin is the largest organ in our body, so we have to take care of it. If you have concerns about keeping your skin healthy or reversing damaged skin, call Beautologie Cosmetic Surgery and Medspa at 327-3800 or visit beauto-logie.com.

Important Tips to

PROTECT THE SKIN AT ANY AGE CONTRIBUTED BY MILAN R. SHAH, MD, LASER & AESTHETIC MEDICINE AT BEAUTOLOGIE COSMETIC SURGERY AND MEDSPA


women's special

Acne is the most common skin disorder in the world, and those who have it suffer both physically and emotionally. Sadly, only a fraction of people with acne seeks professional help.Some physicians prescribe oral antibiotics, topical antibiotics, laser treatments or isotreti-noin. Professional esthetic care is also available for those who wish to try a non-prescriptive alternative to physician care.

Professional, non-prescriptive esthetic acne care and professional advice on daily lifestyle choices, proper selection and strategic use of products will help you achieve and maintain clear skin.

Here are some steps to help control acne flare-ups.

How to

PROPERLY CARE FOR ACNE PRONE SKIN CONTRIBUTED BY NONDY LLEWELLYN, LE, COE, LICENSED ONCOLOGY ESTHETICIAN

1 //Get enough rest and reduce your stress. Stress stimulates the adrenal gland and in the acne-prone indi-vidual, this promotes excessive oil, which leads to clogged follicles.

2 //Avoid foods, vitamin supplements and sports drinks/bars that contain iodides. Iodized salt, seafood, seaweed, sushi, fast foods, whey protein and dairy products are a part of this list. Also on the list of foods to avoid are peanuts, peanut oil, peanut butter (almond butter is a great substitute), wheat germ and corn oil. Avoid eating foods that give little nutritional value to your body, such as sugary sweets. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and lean protein sources and drink lots of water.

3 //Swimming pool dis-infectants contain iodides and chlorine, which can cause skin problems for frequent swimmers. Many swimmers find that the combina-tion of hot and humid weather, the physical exercise of swimming and the chlorinated pools can cause major acne break outs.

4 //Don't pick! Make sure to wash your hands before touch-ing your face, and remember that pick-ing can spread acne bacteria. Instead of picking, rub ice on pustules and pimples for two to three minutes, twice a day. This reduces inflam-mation and swelling.

5 //Use fragrance-free laundry detergents such as Cheer Free, All Free & Clear, Tide Free or Arm & Ham-mer Free. Do not use fabric softeners in the washer or sheets in the dryer, espe-cially on pillowcases as they cause a waxy residue that can clog pores on acne-prone individuals. (If you are worried about static cling, then use anti-static cling balls that you can purchase from Bed Bath & Beyond.)

6 //Do not use cosmet-ics or hair products that contain pore-clogging ingredi-ents. This is espe-cially important for those with acne.

8 //Limit sun expo-sure and use a non-comedogenic sunscreen. Although sun exposure causes desirable scaling and drying, it also exacerbates hyper pigmentation, pro-motes skin cancer and premature aging. This can cause “solar acne” later in life, as well as “acne majorca,” where heat and humidity make the skin swell from sunlight.

7 //Avoid low-estrogen birth control pills. Women should ask their doctor what birth control may help with acne.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this complex skin disor-der. Your estheti-cian can guide you through the process. The result? You re-ally can take control of your skin! You need the tools and tips that your acne-trained special-ist can provide.

Nondy Llewellyn Skin Care is located inside San Dimas Medical Group Women’s Health Center, 100 Old River Road. For skin questions or to book an appointment, call 319-3568.

Visit nondyllewellyn-skincare.com for more information.

9 //See your acne-trained professional regularly to assist you in maintaining clear skin and to adjust your care as needed.


women's special

LOCAL WOMAN TAKES ACTION WHEN A GENETIC TEST REVEALS HER CANCER RISKSWRITTEN BY KELLY DAMIAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY APRIL MASSIRIO

TAKING THE

TESTWhen Sofie Zimmermann lost her mother to cancer 10 years ago, it broke her heart.

Her mother had been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer at the age of 55 and passed away four years later.

“The hardest part for me was knowing that a stage 4 diagnosis left her with no choices,” said Zimmermann, Bakersfield wife and mother who is active in nonprofit activities benefiting local law enforcement.

“She had a full hysterectomy, did rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, but the can-cer had spread too far. Watching her go through this left me feeling hopeless. My mother had such a strong faith, and until the day she died truly believed that if she fought hard and long enough, she could beat this. At some point, my prayers shifted from, ‘Please help her recovery’ to ‘Please Lord, help end her pain.’”

It wasn’t the first time that cancer appeared in Zimmermann’s life — on her father’s side of the family, she has three aunts, one uncle and two cousins who have had breast can-cer. The disease prompted Zimmermann to take a genetic test that revealed her strong chances of developing two forms of cancer, a risk that led her to undergo major surger-ies.

GENETIC TESTINGAlthough Zimmermann was not diagnosed with cancer, she tested positive for the BRCA2 mutation. The results meant that she had an 87% out of 90% likelihood of developing breast cancer and a 30% out of 40% likely chance of developing ovarian cancer.

“I grew up knowing that I had a family his-tory of breast cancer on my father’s side,” Zimmermann said.


women's special

“When you’re young, you really don’t pay attention to what that means. As I got older and start-ed communicating more with my father’s side of the family who lives on the other side of the country, I realized that this breast cancer history meant six family members currently have or have had breast cancer. I am the third person on my father’s side to test positive for the BRCA2 mutation.”

With the positive test results came a string of decisions, each with their own complications. She could continue with sur-veillance and wait to see if any cancer developed. She could start preventative chemothera-py, which would be a small, daily dose of medicine. Or Zimmer-mann could have surgery to re-move her breasts and ovaries.

“With my family history, I was not completely shocked to get the positive BRCA2 mutation result,” she said. “Ultimately, I decided to look at it as a bless-ing — being able to know ahead of time how truly high my can-cer risks are. I have choices, something my mother and oth-er family never had. I don’t need to feel helpless.”

FAITH IN GODAs a result of the testing, Zim-mermann talked to her doctors and educated herself about her options, but in the end, it was Zimmermann’s family history of cancer that pushed her to opt for surgery.

Once the decision was made, Zimmermann felt a sense of peace.

“I completely put my faith in God,” she said.

The road to genetic testing was a work in progress.

In reviewing her family history, Zimmermann’s doctors began closely watching for signs of cancer 10 years ago, screening Zimmermann every six months alternating between MRIs and mammograms.

She followed every order given by her doctors.

“The fact that I lost my mom made me want to be proactive,” Zimmermann said. By 2013, Zimmermann had undergone four biopsies on a fibrocystic tumor in her right breast. Her doctor finally recommended a lumpectomy. It was then that Zimmermann decided to get genetically tested for the BRCA mutation.

THE BRCA GENE All people have both the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. When func-tioning properly, they produce proteins that repair damaged DNA and suppress tumors. For the person who inherits a mu-tated BRCA gene, DNA damage may not be repaired properly, making that person more likely to develop certain types of can-cer.

Though the percentage of peo-ple in the general population who carry a mutated BRCA1 or 2 gene is extremely low, less than 0.25% according to the National Cancer Institute, for those who do carry the muta-tion, the stakes are high. They are more likely to get cancer at a younger age, develop bilateral breast cancer and be diagnosed with multiple types of cancers in their lifetime.

FOUR SURGERIESOn January 22, Zimmermann underwent her first surgery, a bilateral mastectomy and im-mediate reconstruction.

During the 11 1/2 hour surgery, all of her breast tissue was re-moved. Fat from her torso was then transplanted to her chest and shaped into breasts. Then the surgeon painstakingly re-attached blood vessels to the transplanted tissue.

Zimmermann spent six days in the hospital recovering from the surgery, three of them in intensive care. She will have two more, much less intensive cosmetic surgeries to finish re-constructing her breasts.

In June, Zimmermann will have a hysterectomy, which will in-clude the removal of both of her ovaries.

Amidst the major medical procedures, some of Zimmer-mann’s friends and family have been uncomfortable with the intrusive nature of her surger-ies.

“They said, ‘Are you sure this is what you have to do?’ They were nervous with the element of choice,” Zimmermann said.

But the way Zimmermann sees it, she is taking advantage of options that weren’t available to her mother.

“If there’s a choice to be with my kids longer, I’m going to take it,” she said. “God has blessed me with the opportunity to be proactive. The decision to have the preventative double mas-tectomy was not an easy one, but it is a decision that I am very, very happy about. I have decreased my chances of hav-ing breast cancer from 87% to less than 5%. That to me is a no-brainer. I will do whatever I have to do to make sure that I’m not cheated out of being a part of my family’s lives.”

NO SECRETSAlong with five adult step-daughters, Zimmermann has four biological children, ranging in age from 7 to 20.

Each of her children, the girls and the boy, has a 50-50 chance of having the BRCA mutation.

“Nothing’s a secret at my house,” said Zimmermann about her kids being well aware of their family history.

Her goal has been to set an ex-ample for her children on how to deal with serious life-chang-ing events. She feels she missed out on many great moments with her mother.

(Continued on page 30)

“... take control of your own fate.” - Sofie Zimmermann


Understanding Genetic Testing WRITTEN BY PAUL RIVAS

Discovering a genetic mutation that increases your risk for cancer will change the way you view your life in a heartbeat.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are mutated genes that are associated with an increased risk of cancer. Though the mutations are rare, people who might consider getting tested for the mutated genes are those who have a family history of breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. Local oncologists advise that people who want to get tested for the mutated genes visit with a genetics coun-selor first.

“A licensed genetics counselor provides you with an understanding of what the testing may mean to you or a family member if the test is pos-itive for a potentially cancer causing gene,” said Dr. Oscar Streeter, Jr., Medical Director of The AIS Cancer Center at San Joaquin Community Hospital.

Genetics counselors also provide emotional support, as well as infor-mation on cancer screening tests.

“In Bakersfield, The Breast Health Center at Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center provides genetic counseling of this kind,” said Dr. Ravi Patel of CBCC. “Nurse practitioner Kathy Jo Robb is (our) genetics counselor.”

Visit cancer.gov/cancertopics/fact-sheet/Risk/BRCA for more informa-tion on these mutations and genetic testing.

(Continued from page 29)

“For anyone who has had to go through that with a parent or loved one, it is defi-nitely a life-altering experience” Zimmermann said. “I miss her shy smile, her motherly advice and just being able to have a mom to talk to. It makes me sad to know my two youngest children will never know her. I think of all the missed proms, graduations, weddings and great grandbabies that she will never see. I guess I feel like cancer has already cheated us out of so much.”

And that’s one of the driving reasons Zimmermann decided to share her story.

GOING PUBLIC“I have had people ask why I would be so open with my medical choices. I have lived my entire life in Kern County, minus a few years in San Diego. I feel like I have a responsibility to my community. If me being open about this helps even one person realize that they too have choices, then why be silent?" said Zimmermann. “I encourage anyone reading this, especially women with a strong family history of ovarian or breast cancer, to go out and get tested. We have local doctors who are experts in this field. Seek them out and take control of your own fate.”

Zimmermann credits her husband, Kevin, a chief deputy with the Kern County Sheriff’s Department, for helping her through this tough journey.

“I am fortunate to have a husband like Kevin,” she said. “He has been there for me every step of the way. He is so loving and supportive, that he’s taken away the feel-ing of this just being my battle. Instead, it’s ‘our’ battle. He also wants me to stick around and is for any choice that is going to help make that possible.”

And her children agree.

Zimmermann was worried how her children would react now that she has gone through some major surgeries. But her youngest daughter put it in perspective.

BATTLE WOUNDS A few days after Zimmermann came home from the hospital, she was getting out of the shower and didn’t realize that her youngest daughter was standing in her bathroom. She quickly grabbed a towel to cover up her many incisions and tubes.

“I told her that I was so sorry I startled her. I said, ‘I know that Mommy has a lot of scars and looks really different.’ She slowly looked at me closely and then said, ‘You don’t look very different to me, Mommy. You still look beautiful.’”

From that point forward, Zimmermann realized that shewould never look at her scars again as something ugly, but instead, as a reminder of why she made her choice.

women's special


Zimmermann with her daughters, Jilliann and Reagann.

To deal with the spring/summer pollen season, consider these tips to lessen your exposure:

// Keep your windows closed at night to help minimize your expo-sure to peak pollen levels. Pollen levels reach their highest point around 3 a.m. as they drift close to the earth’s surface. Using your air conditioner can help prevent pollen from entering your home.

// Take showers at night to help rinse off the pollen that has collected on your skin and in your hair before going to bed.

// Dry your bedding in the dryerinstead of hanging it on the clothesline to prevent pollen from embedding itself in pillowcases and sheets, putting a stop to nocturnal flares.

special- allergies

Hello sunny skies, warmer weather — and, of course, POLLEN SEASON CONTRIBUTED BY PAULA ARDRON, MD, ALLERGIST & IMMUNOLOGIST AT KAISER PERMANENTE

Kern County has unique challenges when it comes to allergies. Unfortu-nately for our county, the pollen season is year-round. Our location in the San Joaquin Valley allows pollen and pol-lution to pool without escape due to the high mountains that surround us. Our pollen season; however, actually begins early in the year once trees are in full bloom. This coincides with the latter half of the cold and flu season, so many can’t tell if they are battling a reoccurring cold or suffering from chronic allergies. Although the classic allergy symptoms consist of runny nose, sneezing and congestion, these symptoms can also be present with a viral infection. Nasal, throat, eye or ear itching combined with the above symp-toms will help confirm that an allergy is present.

If controlling your environment is not enough to control your symp-toms, then your next step is medica-tion management:

// Saline sinus rinse Many people forget about the simple benefits of using saline sinus rinses. These can be purchased in kits at local drug stores or health food stores. By cleansing pollen from the nose, saline disrupts pollen’s ability to trigger swell-ing or mucus production. Saline rinses can be helpful at the onset of a sinus infection.

// Antihistamine Several over the counter antihistamine tablets can calm allergy symptoms. The 12-hour or 24-hour preparations are the best because they are less likely to make you drowsy and can control sneezing, runny nose and itching. Nasal steroid sprays are the gold standard for preventive allergy therapy. They help prevent nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing and itching. More recently, nasal antihistamines have been shown to be effective with nasal steroids to prevent seasonal and perennial allergy symptoms.

// Allergy shots Allergy injection therapy can be a great option for those who want a long-term plan for allergy treatment. It is a three- to five-year treatment plan that increases your immune system’s tolerance to allergens. Most people see improvement after they have been on them for six to nine months. It is a time intensive option initially but can be very beneficial.

There are various ways to control your allergic disease. Knowing how to recognize allergic symptoms, minimize allergen exposure, and treat or prevent the symptoms that arise will allow you to have a happy and healthy pollen season.

pollen


When your child is sick, you want to do whatever it takes to make them well. But what if it’s more than just a cold or flu? What do you do when the doctor tells you it’s not just an illness, but possibly a fatal disease?

Such was the case for little Adon-is Watts and his mother, Malachi Richardson. Not long after his first birthday, Adonis was having trouble breathing and became fatigued. The Bakersfield boy was initially di-agnosed with pneumonia, but after a month of antibiotics and rest, he wasn’t getting any better.

After taking Adonis back to the doc-tor, Richardson was devastated to learn the correct diagnosis of her son’s illness: Cardiomyopathy, a disease where the heart muscle deteriorates, often leading to heart failure.

“Cardiomyopathy can occur in dif-ferent levels,” said Dr. Jondavid Menteer, Adonis’ pediatric cardi-ologist. “It can limit your ability to play and exercise. But if it’s severe enough, despite all the medical support given, a heart transplant will still be needed.”

In Adonis’ case, medication was not going to help and he was im-mediately added to a transplant list. Richardson was informed that it could take up to nine months to receive a donor heart. She wasn’t sure if they could wait that long.

Richardson had to leave her job so she could be with Adonis at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. On her birthday in August, eight months after Adonis’ initial diag-nosis, Richardson wished that her son would have a new heart by his next birthday, a date only two months away.

Two weeks later, Richardson’s wish came true.

On Sept. 10, 2012, Adonis under-went transplant surgery and re-ceived his new heart. One month later, he celebrated his second birthday back home in Bakersfield at Chuck E. Cheese’s, surrounded by his family and friends.

“After a near-death experience, he’s living an even better life than before he got sick, thanks to his transplant,” Menteer said. “He’s an amazing kid.”

STRONG WILL

WRITTEN BY CHELSEA BREWER PHOTOGRAPHS BY APRIL MASSIRIO

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“He's living an even better life than before he got sick, thanks to

his transplant.”- Dr. Menteer

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Adonis’ new heart may only last him about 18 to 20 years. Later in life he may need a pacemaker or another transplant. Still, Richardson hopes for a happy future for Adonis.

“We’re going to defeat the odds,” she said.

Every three months, Adonis has check-up appointments with his heart doctor. They go over results from an EKG and other tests to make sure his body is functioning properly with his new heart and that he doesn’t need any adjustment to his medi-cation or lifestyle.


Adonis with his mother, Malachi.


........................defying the oddsyour health


“He’s doing really well. He lives a completely normal life,” Menteer said.

Nowadays, Adonis is just like any other adorable 3-year-old boy. He can run, jump, laugh and play like other kids.

“He likes movies. He plays T-ball and goes to school,” said Richard-son, happily. “He’s as normal as can be.”

Because of organ donation, Adonis has another chance at life. Rich-ardson understands that donating a child’s organs is a difficult choice to make for a parent if the chance arises. But it is a wonderful decision that can save the lives of many other children just like Adonis.

For more information about organ and tissue donation, visit onelegacy.org or call 800-338-6112.

“We are going to defeat the odds.” - Malachi Richardson

Adonis and Malachi


Mike Williams, CEO / President Ally Senior Care,

Founder of Senior Veterans Benefit Advocates

The VA’s Aid and Attendance pension benefit is one way for veterans or their surviv-ing spouses to afford in-home care. Many people are intimidated by the process. Going at it alone can be difficult and can even lower the chances of an application being approved quickly. Get help before applying. A Senior Veterans Benefits Advo-cates professional can help you through the entire process.

· WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BASIC QUALIFICATIONS? First, applicants must have an original or certified copy of their discharge papers and have served at least one day of active duty during a time of war. However, they did not have to be deployed. If original discharge paperwork cannot be found, then we can file for a certified replacement copy. Next, the applicant must have a medi-cal reason for needing home care. The medical reason does not have to be a seri-ous condition or mean that they cannot do some tasks on their own part of the time. It simply means that they need assistance with some of life’s everyday activities including meal preparation, cleaning and driving. Finally, to qualify financially, an applicant must have a limited monthly income and an average of less than $80,000 in assets, excluding their primary home and vehicles. However, we have seen some people with more than this qualify under the right conditions.

· HOW LONG DOES THIS PROCESS TAKE? The VA claims that the average processing time is currently eight to nine months. However, when you have someone experienced and knowledgeable on your side, we find that the applications go much faster with a higher approval rating. In fact, we have seen our claims go through as fast as 30 days. Our average claim is pro-cessed in 60 to 90 days, and nearly all claims get approved. We cannot guarantee these results for everyone, but you should know that having someone experienced help you through the process can make a big difference.

"Quality In Home Care That Improves Lives"661-397-ALLY (2559)

"Serving those who honorably served our country"Toll Free 885-410-VETS (8387)

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SENIOR VETERANS AND THEIR SPOUSES?

EXPERT CONNECT


PaPerless: list + CheCklistsby Crush Apps

Going paperless is at your fingertips.

Paperless is an app that is designed to track and list things to keep you on track. You can make a grocery list, expenses list along with many more to share with others. iPhone; Free (list up to 30 items); $2.99

7 Minute Work-out Challengeby Fitness Guide, Inc.

This app features a voice-command in-

tense workout session to keep you moving. Each workout lasts about 30 seconds and lets you take short 10-second breathers in between to keep your body moving. iPhone and Android; Free

{9 apps to lead a healthier lifestyle}your health health apps

COMPILED BY ERIC GARZA

Find Me Gluten Freeby GF Classes LLC

Find restaurants, ca-fes and bars that of-

fer gluten-free items with the help of Find Me Gluten Free. This app locates the closest restaurant that offers gluten-free food and drinks. It also has restaurant reviews and a menu. iPhone and Android; Free

Eat This, Not That!by Rodale Inc. Digital

Inspired by the book series “Eat This, Not

That!,” this app helps users swap their “unhealthy” food choice for one that is similar and healthier. It also features a calorie tracker and personal weight watcher. iPhone & Android; $4.99

OneReceiptby OneReceipt

Storing paper and digital receipts on your phone has

never been so convenient. Paper receipts can be stored by simply taking a photo of it. The app then scans what has been printed on the receipt and stores the information onto the user’s account. iPhone; Free

StyleBookby left brain/right brain, LLC

With StyleBook, simply select what

types of clothes you have in your closet, and the app creates differ-ent combinations of outfits. This app also includes fashion tips to inspire your next ensemble.iPhone and iPad; $3.99

Perfect365by ArcSoft, Inc.

Ever taken a pic-ture of yourself on

a phone and wished you could do something about that unwanted face mark or blemish? The Per-fect365 app helps retouch photos of yourself to make you look blem-ish-free and get picture-perfect skin. Also, have fun with new make-overs to customize your favorite looks. iPhone and Android; Free

starfall aBCsby Starfall Education

This app helps your infant get a head start on learning

his or her ABCs and learning to put them together to make words. This app also helps children recognize their ABCs more efficiently by see-ing, hearing and interacting with letters and sounds to learn words and sentences. iPhone and Android; $2.99

mySkinby My Skin

This application is geared to helping you find products

that work for your skin. Search from more than 160,000 skincare products. You can compare skin tones with your friends and get an-swers to your skincare questions. It also offers unbiased advice to properly treat your skin. iPhone and iPad; Free


P R O D U C E D B Y T B C M E D I A

Open Up: With Don Clark and Tina Miller Thursdays 10 to 11 am

Live Well: Lisa Krch explores Wellness, Health, Fitness and Living Wednesdays 10 to 11 am

Stay connected Live, streaming video programming on Bakersfield.com

First Look with Scott Cox: Weekdays from 7 to 10 am. features interviews, as well as comments and analysis from The Californian’s award-winning journalists.

Strictly Business: Cindy Pollard, President/CEO of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, as she talks with local businesses on Mondays from 10 to 11 a.m.

The Real Estate Show: Presented by Watson Realty ERA features real estate news and market information from Kern County on Mondays from 1 to 2 p.m.

Roadrunner Rundown: Costelloe, Cal State’s Director of Broadcasting and New Media discuss Cal State Athletic Programs from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays.

Condors Unleashed: Kevin Bartl and Ryan Holt from the Condors, Wednesdays from Noon to 1 p.m

Power Hour: From the Auto Club Famoso Raceway to the new Kern County Raceway Park, catch it live, every Tuesday at 11 a.m. on bakersfield.com

B Varsity with Zach Ewing: Features previews, interviews and highlights that give you an inside look at the local high school sports scene.

Q: How do I treat my dry eye syndrome?

A: If your eyes feel sandy, gritty or irritated by the end of the day, then you may be experiencing dry eye syn-drome. Tears are necessary to main-tain the health of the front surface of the eye and to provide clear vision. Common risk factors for dry eyes include age, gender, the use of certain medications and a dry climate. Dry eye syndrome can be diagnosed by your eye doctor and treated by adding artificial tears or by using prescription eye drops to increase tear production. If you are a computer user, remember to take frequent breaks and blink more often. Also, if you are outdoors, sunglasses are a must to protect from wind and dust.

Darshan Shah, MD, FACSPlastic/Cosmetic Surgeon

Beautologie Medical Group

Cheree Wilhelmsen, ODOptomotrist

Innovative Eye Care

Q: What symptoms may I experience after receiving breast cancer treatment?

A: Unfortunately, the reality of life after breast cancer treatment is far more complex and challenging. Some side effects of chemotherapy may include fatigue, diminished cognitive functions, nerve damage, weight gain, de-conditioning, generalized weak-ness and joint pain may linger. The truth is that life after breast cancer can be full of struggles: physical, psychological, emotional, social and sometimes spiritual. All breast cancer survivors experience these types of struggles to various degrees. It is important to understand, acknowl-edge, keep an open mind about, and always discuss your concerns with your oncologist. In many cases, there are measures that can alleviate your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Javier Bustamante, MDPediatrics

Michael Thurman, DDS, MSDDentistry/Orthodontics

Edmund Fisher, MD, FACSEar/Nose/Throat

OUR OTHER EXPERTS

Kiersten Melendez, PA-CPhysician’s Assistant

Brian Monroe, DPT, OCSPhysical Therapist

Q: What is the difference between liposuction and a tummy tuck?

A: In our practice, we see many patients who are confused about abdominal procedures. Liposuction is only fat removal, whereas a tummy tuck (also known as abdominoplasty) is a procedure that involves removal of skin and fat. Tummy tucks work best for people who have loose skin (sometimes hanging skin) or stretch marks in their abdominal area. This usually occurs after losing weight or having a baby. With liposuction, it de-pends on the elasticity of the skin for tightening. If you do liposuction of the abdominal area, you should have little to no loose skin; otherwise you will have hanging skin that will need to be removed with a tummy tuck. Schedule a consultation with a plastic surgeon who performs these procedures on a regular basis to find out the best procedure for you.

Vihn-Linh Nguyen, MDHematologist/Oncologist

Bakersfield Hematology/Oncology

PHOTOGRAPHS BY APRIL MASSIRIO

your health health watch

{q & a with local experts in their medical field}

Laurie Wallace, MS, RD, CDEDietitian


The First Annual KidsFest is coming to the

Kern County Museum on Saturday, July 19th!

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Women’s Health Statistics

COMPILED BY ALANA GARRETT

more than of women do not do the recommended daily

amount of daily physical activity (30 minutes of moderate exercise).

Women listen with both sides of their brain.

IN A STUDY DONE AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDI-CINE, WOMEN LISTENED WITH

THEIR LEFTSIDES AND SHOWED ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY ON THE

RIGHT SIDE OF THEIR BRAIN.

$160 BillionTHE AMOUNT SPENT ANNUALLY ON

SKIN CARE AND HAIR CARE, MAKEUP, COSMETIC SURGERY, FRAGRANCES,

HEALTH CLUBS AND DIET PRODUCTS.

THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF YEARS WOMEN LIVE LONGER THAN MEN.

232,670THE NUMBER OF

CASES OF INVASIVE BREAST CANCER THAT

WILL BE DIAGNOSED IN WOMEN IN 2014.

60%

4

WOMEN AGES 40 & OLDER SHOULD HAVE A MAMMOGRAM

EVERY YEAR.

40,oooTHE APPROXIMATE

NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO WILL DIE FROM BREAST

CANCER IN 2014.

21THE AGE WOMEN SHOULD START GETTING PAP

TESTS REGULARLY

Sources: cancer.org, cdc.gov, health.howstuffworks.com, oprah.com, skincares.us, thebeautycompany.co, who.int, womenssportsfoundation.org


{vitamins & supplements: do we really need them?}

your health

“Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified, and they should be avoided.” That oft-quoted line is from a Decem-ber 2013 Annals of Internal Medicine editorial. Making big headlines just be-fore the holidays last year, this journal contained studies demonstrating that multivitamins do not prevent dementia or second heart attacks, nor do they clearly reduce incidence of cancer, car-diovascular disease or all-cause death in the general adult population.

These findings do not come as a surprise to health care practitioners who use nutrition, including supplementation, as a primary treatment method. It is easy to agree that, “most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death,” but calling a supplement’s overall use un-justified is throw-ing the baby out with the bath-water.

More than half of Americans regularly use some kind of health supplement. Unfortunately, the editorial is likely cor-rect that most often these supplements provide few health benefits, and may actually be harmful. The one-size-fits-all approach that a multivitamin offers fails to consider nutrition requirements that vary hugely depending on a person’s diet, location, occupation, health his-tory, medications, digestion and genetic ability to process vitamin forms.

For some, a multivitamin will not offer enough of a nutrient to make any dif-ference; for others, it can pack harm-ful excess. Consumers should think of vitamin and mineral supplements like prescription drugs: A person should use a particular form of a specific nutrient for a set amount of time to treat or prevent a certain endpoint.

To a lesser degree, carefully chosen nutrient supplementation can build overall health. People who are pregnant, cleansing or fasting, or undergoing certain medical therapies do appear to routinely benefit from high-quality multi-nutrient supplementation.

The most important ways to achieve the health outcomes sought by these multivitamin studies do not entail taking pills of any kind. So what’s your best bet? Consume your multi vitamins in the form of a diet filled with a rainbow of vegetables (six to nine cups per day!), a moderate amount of meat from pastured animals and plenty of healthy fats (think fatty fish, avocados, olives, grass-fed butter).

Furthermore, physical activity is proven to reduce the risk and improve the out-come of dementia, heart disease, cancer and almost every other chronic disease. Don’t forget to add sunshine, laughter and quality sleep. Health like that does not come from a bottle!

CONTRIBUTED BY KARIS TRESSEL, LICENSED NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR & OWNER OF SUNRISE NATURAL MEDICINE

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Amphipod Hydraform Handheld Lite

Warmer weather is in full swing, and one important thing to take with you on hikes, walks or runs is a hand-held water bottle. Now you can grab any water bottle and head out the door. The Amphidpod Hydraform Handheld Lite is ergonomically designed so your hand can relax as your carry it. Plus, it comes with a zippered compartment to hold your keys or gels. Sole 2 Soul Sports, 9000 Ming Ave., Suite K-1. 663-8000.

Nature’s Food Market & Juice Bar

A refreshing quasi-smoothie made up of dense greens, nuts, fruits and a special blend of super foods. This low-calorie, high-protein drink is nutritionally well balanced and provides lots of sustain-able energy. A perfect “meal in a cup!” Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. Visit the new location at 2000 H St. 327-4430; Facebook search: Nature’s Food Market and Juice Bar.

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get fit workout moves

{BARBELL HIP THRUST}

The Ultimate Workout for Moms On The Go

STEP 1: Sit on floor, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lean your upper back against a bench and place a barbell across your hips.

Muscles worked = Hips, butt and core

TO MODIFY: Lie on floor. Knees bent, knees above ankles. Flex your feet so toes point toward your hips. Bridge (lift your hips) up and down, squeezing each rep.

TO ADVANCE: Try doing this with one leg in air above you, and lift from hips, not the leg. Do 12-15 reps.

The fear of bulking up or looking like a female body builder has long kept many women out of the weight room. Strength is often an overlooked component of physical health. However, functional training is vital training.

>| WHY STRENGTH TRAINING IS GOOD FOR WOMEN

Women, especially mothers, can reap physical and mental benefits of weight training. Women become better moms because exercise releases common stresses of life. Exercise is not just about burning calories. It aids in weight control (i.e. a decrease in waist circumference and abdominal fat), lowers blood-sugar levels (diabetes) and prevents depres-sion. Every sweat drop that falls to the ground can represent the release of a stressful moment in life.

>| BENEFITS OF WORKING YOUR LOWER BODY Working out the largest muscles produces the most bang for your buck. Take the squat, for exam-ple. The squat activates the body’s biggest muscles, those in the buttocks, back and legs. Squats and other large muscle group exercises are also great at combating sarcopenia — the inevitable and debilitating loss of muscle mass that accompanies advancing age. Lower body strength also increases stamina. By strengthening the muscles of your lower body over time, you can burn more calories because lean muscle burns more calories than fat. If you’re trying to lose weight, this can be a huge boost to your fitness goals!If you’re still not convinced that weight training is for you, try these six exercises. Over a very short period, you will feel stronger and tighter, have better posture and more energy! Moms, this workout is made for you!

STEP 2: Hold with both hands.

STEP 3: Pushing through your heels, raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.

STEP 4: Slowly lower the weight back to start. Do 12 to 15 reps.

f


Tina Green

get fit workout moves

{GOBLET SQUAT}

STEP 1: Hold one end of a dumb-bell with both hands, elbows bent and hold weight tucked into body (as if holding a goblet glass of water).

Muscles worked = Legs, butt and inner thigh

STEP 2: Turn toes outward in a plié stance, squat down as low as you can, holding core tight so as not to lean forward. Do 12 to 15 reps.

TO MODIFY: Eliminate the weight and place a chair behind you. Try and touch the chair so that thighs are parallel. Do 12 to 15 reps.

{SIDE PLANK WITH CLAMSHELL}

STEP 1: Lie on your side and place left forearm on the floor and elbow directly under your shoulder. Bend your knees and stack your right leg on top of your left leg.

Muscles worked = Obliques, core, shoulders and outer thighs

STEP 2: Raise your hips to create a straight line from shoulder to knees and place your right hand on hip.

STEP 3: From this position, rotate your right knee toward the ceiling, keeping your feet together. Do 12 to 15 reps.

{FULL PLANK OR MODIFIED PUSHUPS }

STEP 1: Begin on floor, with hands shoulder width apart, keeping body in a straight line. Feet and toes together, preferably, but OK to widen stance at first. Head is level with neck, and chin should be the first to touch the ground (if able to go that far down).

Muscles worked = Chest, shoulders, triceps and core

STEP 2: When placing hands on the floor, think of an imaginary line between them and that your chest is hovering above that line.

STEP 3: Keeping core tight, lower your body toward the floor, exhaling on the pushupor upward phase of movement. Perform as many as possible correctly.

TO MODIFY: Place knees on floor, eliminating some of the lever length. Once you can achieve 10 correctly, try full plank pushups.

{SQUAT SHOULDER PRESS}

STEP 1: Place a bench or chair behind you.

Muscles worked = Legs, glutes, hamstrings, shoulders and triceps

STEP 2: Holding on to a 5-to 10-pound dumbbell in each hand, feet shoulder width apart, sit back into a squat position, trying to get your butt to touch the chair or bench.

STEP 3: When you squat, take weights above head to a shoulder press, touch or kiss the weights together. Repeat 10 to 12 reps.


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STEP 1: Lie facedown with legs extended, holding a weight in both hands and arms extended forward.

STEP 2: Raise legs up to about 2 feet above the floor, and arms about 1 foot.

STEP 3: Hold for 2 counts, lower to start position, do 1 to 12 reps.

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{SUPERWOMAN}Muscles worked = Deltoids, lats, erector spinae and glutes

TO MODIFY: Don’t use any weight.


Reggan Scrivner

GETTING STARTED AND BREAKING DOWNI started this journey very gung ho in January. I enjoyed the diet because it was simple and my entire family enjoyed me cooking more often. We were on a road to eating healthier, and I was excited since it didn’t feel like I was on a diet. I felt very accomplished when I completed my work-outs. After the first month, the scale didn’t move. Waking up at 4:30 a.m. to make it to my workout seemed to get harder. Then, I felt like I was eat-ing the same old things every day and eventu-ally shimmied away from my diet. Being a single working mom, my time is limited and I found that the time and energy was taking to work out and prepare food was taking its toll. There was one week when I finally broke down. I cried and thought that I couldn’t do this anymore. The pro-cess felt like it was taking away from my normal life, and I quickly became overwhelmed. I fought through the tears and decided to press forward. I knew I would never succeed if I quit.

INSPIRATION INSTEAD OF HUMILIATIONThe workouts are my favorite part of the chal-lenge. In the beginning, I used the lightest of the kettle bells. I would look at some of the other women using the heaviest kettle bell and couldn’t believe they could lift it. I have finally hit the point where I can use the heavy kettle bell for most of the exercises and it feels great. Even though the scale is not moving as fast as I would like, I know I’m becoming stronger every day. I used to feel intimidated by some of the ladies who work out in the 5 a.m. class, but instead of letting that bring me down, I started to look up to them as inspiration. I wasn’t going to feel humiliated anymore. I have not reached my goal, but that is not stopping me. In the end, it comes down to determination!

B Well‘s Get Fit Weight-Loss ChallengeReggan & Brandon: Looking to Make Lifestyle Changes

COMPILED BY HILLARY HAENES PHOTOGRAPHS BY APRIL MASSIRIO

Four months after starting their nine-month weight-loss challenge and lifestyle change, Reg-gan Scrivner and Brandon Thompson have lost several inches all over their body, lowered their body fat percentages, and are learning the dos and don’ts of eating a healthy, balanced diet. Reggan and Brandon have hit a plateau in shed-ding pounds, but that doesn’t mean they have given up. Read about their short setback and how these two busy participants plan to push themselves even harder for their big reveal in B Well Magazine’s November issue.

get fit diet diary

Starting Measurements

Weight: 168 lbs.Body Fat: 25.2 %Lean Muscle: 125 lbs.Total Fat: 42 lbs.Chest: 42 in.Arms: 12.5 in.Thighs: 22.5 in.Waist at Navel: 40.5 in.Hips at Glutes: 42 in.

Current — 4 Months

Weight: 165 lbs.Body Fat: 24% Lean Muscle: 126 lbs.Total Fat: 40 lbs.Chest: 41.5 in. Arms: 11.5 in.Thighs: 21.5 in.Waist at Navel: 38.5 in.Hips at Glutes: 40.5 in.

"... I know I'm becoming stronger every day."

Height: 5’7”

before photo

Reggan Scrivner and Brandon Thompson


Brandon Thompson

OFF WITH A BANGWe are about four months into our healthier life-style. I have seen and felt many changes already, including loose-fitting clothes. It would be a com-plete lie if I said that anything about this journey so far has been easy. About the easiest thing is the ability to appreciate and feel the changes, and ironically, the hardest is continuing these changes. I started out with a bang with huge fat-loss numbers right off the bat! That got me cocky and over con-fident that things could keep going with minimal changes made to my diet. It hasn’t been that easy since. The workouts great. The personal training is a challenge, and the group of guys I work out with makes it easy to push myself. I find myself reaching new weight goals almost every workout. The work day is better after my morning workouts, but what scares me are the dietary changes.

THE CHALLENGES OF DIETARY CHANGESI have known that our family’s dining habits were never the best, but you don’t know how poorly you have been eating until you reach the point that you don’t see any changes to your body. That’s where I am at. I have no problems with my breakfast/lunch shakes or my healthy morning/afternoon snacks of the usual apples, almonds or raisins. Dinner is what does me in every damn day (In case some of you have forgotten, I have a 3-year-old and a preg-nant wife at home). They both support a healthier lifestyle, but the implementation of this lifestyle is somewhat lagging. We received news the other day that will force the issue at home. Due to some family and hereditary histories, along with ques-tionable eating habits, my wife has developed ges-tational diabetes. A dietary change is no longer something just for me, but something that our en-tire family must now do.

Starting Measurements

Weight: 254 lbs.Body Fat: 28.2 %Lean Muscle: 182 lbs.Total Fat: 72 lbs.Chest: 47.5 in.Arms: 16 in.Thighs: 25.5 in.Waist at navel: 43.5 in.Hips at Glutes: 45 in.

get fit diet diary

CHANGING ROUTINESI have spent the last month and a half studying for my Land Surveyor Boards and those study “rou-tines” have completely disrupted my workout and healthy routine that was just put into place. My exam was on April 14, so moving forward, my goal for the rest of this adventure is to prioritize my routines and re-focus on the goals at hand: To be-come a healthier person, eat healthier foods and build a leaner body. Most importantly, it is to lead a healthy and happy life. I want to be that example for my family. Lately, I feel like I may be letting them down in regards to their and my health... But there is always next month, right?

Current — 4 Months

Weight: 246 lbs.Body Fat: 23.3% Lean Muscle: 191 lbs.Total Fat: 58 lbs.Chest: 46.5 in. Arms: 15.5 in.Thighs: 27.5 in.Waist at Navel: 42.5 in.Hips at Glutes: 48 in. Height: 6’2”

before photo

My goal “is to lead a healthy & happy life.”


get fit diet diary

Trainer Tim Gojich

Brandon is doing better than he thinks. The fact that he has cut back on beer has been a huge step in his body fat reduction and new lean muscle gain. He has more to give me in terms of discipline and making good choic-es, but I have no doubt that he will. He has a loss of 9 pounds of fat while gaining 9 pounds of lean tissue, an overall drop of 5% in body fat. That is really good! The

lean muscle will play a huge role in dropping more fat. If he follows the diet at least 80% of the time, he will drop about 2 pounds of fat a week. This would equal around 35 pounds in the next five months, put-ting him in a good place.

For Reggan, it is a little more work. She does not have the luxury that Brandon has when it comes to eating sloppy and being able to offset it with having a bunch of lean muscle. Women have to work twice as hard on the diet end of things.

The challenge is managing her workouts and diet with her personal life and sticking to it. It can be challeng-ing to want to give in to the birthday parties or extra sweets, but this lifestyle change is doable. My goal is to get her to think like a lean responsible adult. Again, if we continue to stick with the plan, the numbers will improve. Overall, both are headed in the right direction if they come to the gym at least four days a week, eat healthier foods and follow Fit For Life’s Fat Loss Meal Plan. All of this plays a major role in developing a life-style pattern that will not only get them leaner, but keep them lean. One of the biggest factors in attaining weight loss results and maintaining it are your friends, family and co-workers. Establishing a group of people who support your efforts instead of pulling you back to your old ways will be a major part of this change. Brandon and Reggan are both currently trying to es-tablish a support system that includes Fit For Life Gym.

>

get fit golf column

Ladies, are you tinkering with taking up the game of golf?

A lot of women are starting the game because not only is golf good exercise, it’s also a lot of fun and challenging at the same time.

“Golf provides tremendous physical and cardiovascular benefits,” said Donna Tirp, who plays Kern River Golf Course weekly.

“Golf tones my legs and strengthens my core. Other activities might burn the same number of calories; none are nearly as fun as golf,” Tirp said.

Health benefits aside, the golf course is a great place to meet new people and net-work with business associates.

Here are a few things to consider when starting out:

>FIRST OF ALL, PROPER EQUIPMENT IS A MUST. Many women come to my lesson with incompatible golf clubs, which makes learning the game even more of a

Getting Ladies on the Links CONTRIBUTED BY JACQUE SERVADIO, LPGA CLASS A TEACHING PROFESSIONAL AT KERN RIVER GOLF COURSE PHOTOGRAPHS BY APRIL MASSIRIO

challenge. They show up with old hand-me-down clubs from their mom or grand-ma from the 1960s or even older, and sometimes even with their husband’s old set that he doesn’t use anymore. I cringe and then educate them on the importance of playing with clubs that will help, not hinder, them.

> THE TWO MOST CRITICAL THINGS TO CONSIDER IN A CLUB ARE THE LENGTH AND THE SHAFT FLEX. We need to make sure the length is right for you. Just because you purchased ladies’ clubs doesn’t always mean the length is correct. You may need a petite length if you are less than 5 feet 3 inches tall, or a men’s length if you are taller than 5 feet 7 inches tall. If the clubs are too long or too short, it will definitely affect the direction of the ball.

> THE FLEX OF THE CLUB SHAFT IS VERY IMPORTANT. It’s crucial because it will help you hit the ball straighter, farther and higher. If you’re hitting men’s clubs, it is very likely the shafts are too stiff, which will affect your distance and direction. This is why the right fit is so important — one set of clubs does not fit all. If you are looking to purchase a set of clubs and would like some assistance, I can help you determine what flex and length of clubs to purchase.

> LAST BUT NOT LEAST — PROPER INSTRUCTION. There is an old saying in golf, “If it feels comfortable, you’re doing it wrong.” And this is so true! Don’t try to go at it alone or let your friend or husband show you how — you will only become frustrated and likely give up. If you’re interested in starting the game or want to improve your current skill level, visit the “Ladies Only” link on my website at jsgolfinstruction.com for more informa-tion.

“Golf provides tremendous physical and cardiovascular benefits.”- Donna Tirp

Donna Tirp, Jeanni Smith, Jacque Servadio, Debi Brley and Carolina Martinez at Kern River Golf Course.

........................


logan M. newton, CP, BOCOBoard Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist

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Phantom pain is the feeling that the amputated limb is still present. This can feel like cramping, aching, burning or shock-like sensation. Development of this pain can vary in time but ranges from immediate to years after amputation. To some degree, most amputees will expe-rience this, and 5% to 10% of them will need to seek medical care because of the significance of pain. The name “phantom” explains its mysterious origins and un-derstandings. Researchers have discov-ered the concept of brain reorganization, which studies how lost brain input from the nerves of the amputated limb is re-activated to respond to nerves of the re-maining limb. Pressures on the limb may trigger the brain to respond to the lost nerves on the missing limb, which creates the phantom pain. Research has shown that if the lost nerves for brain input are electrically stimulated, the amputee can feel sensations in their missing limb.

Some contributing factors of phantom pain include age, stress, anxiety, fear and/or fatigue. There are many thera-pies that can be used to alleviate the pain, such as acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic and surgery. Home rem-edies may also differ among each ampu-tee and should be discussed with their prosthetist or physician. Some patients have wrapped their residual limb with a hot, warm or cold pack/towel and have applied cooling creams or gels, depend-ing on what works for them. Phantom pain can be a mental game as well. Some patients have used mental exercises and relaxation to alleviate symptoms. This includes tightening the muscles in the re-sidual limb and slowly releasing. A help-ful tool is to log when the pain occurs to identify triggers, so those triggers may be reduced or eliminated.

Any further questions may be discussed with your prosthetist or physician. It is important to remember that with pa-tience, the right remedy may be found for your phantom pain.


healthy bites healthy indulgence

With summer just around the corner, we found a few recipes from the National Honey Board that are perfect for your next barbecue. Not only are they nutritious but these recipes also tap into the power of local raw honey for allergy sufferers.

If you haven’t tried Kern Honey’s Bakersfield Blend, then visit Lassen’s Natural Foods & Vitamins or Na-ture’s Food Market & Juice Bar to pick up a jar and give it a taste. Just by consum-ing a couple of spoonfuls of local raw honey a day (mix it in your hot tea, oatmeal or these recipes), you may slightly relieve allergy symp-toms. Visit kernhoney.com to learn the additional benefits of local honey.

Oh, Honey!

Honey Kiwi Raspberry Fruit Dip

1 ripe kiwi, peeled and diced 1/2 cup unsweetened frozen raspberries 1/2 cup pure local honey 8 ounces low-fat Greek vanilla yogurt Fresh fruit for dipping

DIRECTIONS In the bowl of a food processor, combine kiwi, raspberries and honey and puree. Stir in yogurt. Serve with sliced fresh fruit, such as strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes or bananas.

Honey Cucumber Salad

3 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced and halved 1/4 cup pure local honey 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)1/4 cup water2 tablespoons red onion, dicedPinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS Place cucumbers in bowl and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, stir together honey, white balsamic vinegar, water and diced red onions. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers and toss together. Allow the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for about one hour prior to serving.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 tablespoon walnut or peanut oil 1¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons pure local honey 1 cup shredded carrots 1/3 cup sliced almonds 12 whole leaves Bibb, Boston or butter lettuce 3/4 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped (optional) 1 8-ounce can of water chestnuts, drained and diced (optional)

DIRECTIONSRinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry. Add 2 teaspoons of oil to a large skillet, sauté the chicken over medium heat until cooked thoroughly, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and water chestnuts and cook for 4 to 6 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and honey until thoroughly mixed. Add chicken, carrots and almonds. To serve, scoop chicken mixture onto a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat burrito-style. So

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healthy bites fit foodies

Owner Joe Coughlin started Coconut Joe’s Beach Grill in 1987. Through the years, he has stuck with his vision of laid back, healthy food options combined with a support-ive “una familia” (one family) of his employees, ensuring that customers enjoy a relaxing, stress-free vibe at his beach shack. The décor is also a big part of that — it felt like we were in Hawaii!

Some of the healthy highlights on the menu are the anti-biotic- and hormone-free chicken; marinades made with fresh fruit juices — mainly pineapple and acidic citrus; the beans are cooked in water and spices, not lard; fish — Wahoo and Alaskan cod — filleted on boats and flash frozen for fresh, thick cuts ready for Coughlin’s talented kitchen crew.

If you keep in mind that a great restaurant owner will practice what they preach and enjoy what they serve, then you can tell by looking at the fit and healthy Coughlin family that they serve some incredible food. Coughlin laughed as he divulged that it is not unusual for him to come home to find shrimp tacos or a Glop bowl (rice, beans, coleslaw and salsa) from the restaurant sitting on the table for dinner because it is just that good.

Coughlin is as passionate about life as he is about his food. He was eager to share his vision for Coconut College, his umbrella philosophy under which he shares stories and life lessons with college-aged kids. He believes too many of us have become “viewers of life, not doers of life,” and he enjoys sharing ways that we can reconnect with activi-ties that give greater meaning and fulfillment to our lives.

To Coughlin, “health is the first wealth,” and that means healthy food, a healthy outlook and a healthy lifestyle. It’s not surprising that Coughlin is on the go most of the time, but we were fortunate to catch him on a day that he was in town to learn firsthand about his restaurant and life philosophy.

Benjamin on the grilled shrimp tacos: Although I predominately eat a plant-based diet, I do enjoy sea-food occasionally. Shrimp are high in cholesterol, but low in saturated fat and a good source of protein. A recent addition to Coconut Joe’s extensive menu, the grilled shrimp taco plate is a must-try during your next visit. Juicy grilled shrimp are topped with crisp shredded cabbage and pico de gallo, then double-wrapped in warm, slightly crisp corn tortillas and finished with a homemade chipotle-teriyaki sauce. The taste and quality of these tacos rivals those that I’ve eaten in Hawaii and Mexico.

Nicola on the mesquite chicken salad: I am a salad girl — when I go out to eat, the salad section is typically the first area I check out. I love finding options like this that are full of flavor, texture and color, but allow me to stay on track with my healthy food choices. The chicken is tender, juicy and flavorful, thanks to the fruit juice marinade. Under the chicken is a bed of let-tuce, chopped cucumber and tomatoes tossed in a light dressing. Served with tortillas, this was a perfect meal. Even better, share a salad and some shrimp tacos with a friend to get the best of both worlds!

Coconut Joe’s Beach Grill Address: 4158 California Ave. Phone: 327-1378 Web-site: coconutjoes.com Hours: 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday


Editor’s Note: The B Well Fit Foodies are back in their quest to find local eateries that offer healthy menu options to help you make smarter dining choices. Their restaurant reviews appear regularly in B Well Magazine.

It’s quite a relief for those in search of “healthier” fare on menus to come across a restaurant that caters to their preference.

Yes, you may also find high-caloric fish and chips or burgers on the Coconut Joe’s Beach Grill menu, but you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that these typically unhealthy items are actually somewhat better than your average restaurant’s food. There are lighter options to choose from on the menu, too.

Fit Foodies hangin' loose at Coconut Joe's


Nicola Wright is a fitness and nutrition coach, Turbo Kick instructor, WarmLine volunteer and host of the “Get Fit With Nicola” on the 101.5 KGFM morning show.

Leigh Pozas is the owner/operator, trainer and instruc-tor at Total Woman Fitness & Training Centers. Leigh has 25 years of experience in the health and fitness business.

Joel Livesey is 36 years old and living with Type 1 diabetes. He believes nutri-tion is the key ingredient to his successes as a runner, as it is 90% of his strategy.

Dr. Benjamin Ha, is a Kai-ser Permanente family phy-sician. He actively promotes a whole foods, plant-based diet for his patients to help prevent and reverse chronic illness.

FIT FOODIES

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Joel on the fish and chips: Coconut Joe’s fish and chips ... cowabunga! The best in town! We were presented with a basket of hand-cut, wild Pacific Northwest true Alaskan cod filets that were light, crisp and well prepared. Cod is perfect for fish and chips! It is loaded with protein, B vitamins, omega 3 oils, and has a firm but delicate texture with mild flavor. Many restaurants serve imitation cod that is previously frozen and heavily battered to disguise the taste. At Coconut Joe’s, this is not the case. In fact, a lot of people might think that fried battered fish is extremely unhealthy because the batter is loaded with calories and fat. However, when it comes to frying fish, batter is needed to hold the shape as the flesh of the fish may fall apart without it. Coconut Joe’s does a nice job using a lightly seasoned batter, careful not to disguise the true flavor of the fish. Having lived on the coast for a number of years, I definitely didn’t expect such fresh fish and chips in Bakersfield. It was good for the soul.

Leigh on the Honowoowoo chicken bowl : Tradition-ally, I have always ordered the chicken plate with rice, beans and tortillas, feeling that it was (and is) a healthy choice. But there was an option on the menu that I have been missing. The Honowoowoo chicken bowl is delicious and nutritious! It was a wonderful blend of Coconut Joe’s chicken, marinated in real fruit juices, lightly glazed with teriyaki and steamed vegetables served over rice with either a roll or tortilla (which I did not need!). The serving size was generous, but not ridiculous, enough to fill you up and not fill you out! This dish is a good choice, and I will definitely order it again. Coconut Joe’s is a great local restaurant where you can get freshly cooked healthy food. The atmosphere is fun and friendly. I will be a con-tinuing frequent customer.


healthy bites chew on this

Cucumbers

Nutrition Facts: ½ cup cucumber slices = 8 cal., 0g fat, 2g carbs, 1g sugar, 2% vitamin C

Creamy Cucumber Soup

Ingredients1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly sliced

cucumbers, divided

1½ cups vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium

chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 avocado, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more

for garnish

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

DirectionsHeat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion; cook, stir oc-casionally until tender, about 1 to 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 3/4 cups cucumber slices, broth, salt, pep-per and cayenne; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers are soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender. Add avocado and parsley; blend on low speed until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Pour into a serving bowl and stir in yogurt. Chop the remaining 1/4 cup cucumber slices. Serve the soup warm or refriger- ate and serve it chilled. Just before serving, garnish with the chopped cucumber and more chopped parsley, if desired.

Sauteed Cucumbers(marthastewart.com)

Ingredients1 medium English cucumber 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 teaspoon salt Chopped fresh dill or parsley

DirectionsPeel cucumber and cut into large chunks. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add cucumber and salt and cook, tossing occa-sionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with dill or parsley.

cucumber salsa

COMPILED BY RYAN BARRERA

Cucumbers are a refreshing vegetable that can be eaten alone as a snack, or added to sandwiches and salads for a crunchy bite. This veggie is a member of the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which belongs to the same family as melons and squashes. Cucumbers come in an array of sizes, but commercial production of this vegetable is usually divided into “slicing cucumbers” and “pickling cucumbers.” The small crisp Persian or Kirby varieties are perfect for a salad or pickles. The cucumber originated in Southern Asia, but it now grows on almost every continent and is the fourth most cultivated vegetable in the world. Not only can you get potassium, magnesium, vita-min C, and other vitamins from this green snack, but this vegetable can also help keep you hydrated because it’s are made of 95% water.

SELECT: Choose a firm, unwaxed cucumber without wrinkles or soft spots. The cucumber

should be bright medium to dark green in color. Avoid cucumbers that are yellow, puffy and have

withered ends.

STORE: This vegetable can be sensitive to heat and will wilt and become limp if left at room

temperature. They are best stored in the refrigerator for up to one week before going bad.

PREP: Wash with cool running water

while gently scrubbing the skin with

a natural bristle brush.

Cucumbers can be cut in a

variety of ways: sliced, diced

or julienned.

FUN FACTS: · Cucumbers relieve bad breath.

Hold a slice of cucumber with your

tongue to the roof of your mouth; the

phytochemicals in cucumbers will kill the bacteria

responsible for bad breath.

· “Cool as a cucumber” is actually derived from the

cucumber’s ability to cool the temperature of the blood.

When you apply it topically, the cucumber cools

the blood and eases facial swelling,

which is why cucumbers are so

popular in facial regimens.

· Cucumbers are a great source

of B vitamins and carbohydrates

that can provide an afternoon pick-me-up.

· The biggest cucumber ever grown was in

southern China, measuring 67 inches long and weighed

154 pounds.

basil & crabmeat topped cucumbers

(eatingwell.com)

are in season

cucumber & cream cheese sandwiches


wellness & wonder real success stories

GREENFIELD WALKING GROUP Neighborhood Watch Meets Community Fitness ActivistsWRITTEN BY KELLY DAMIAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY APRIL MASSIRIO

Contributed Photo

Every morning Griset Lopez ties a spangled wrap across her hips and, as the cumbia and salsa music blasts over the speakers, she dances and jokes around in her local park.

When one of the instructors of the Zumba class at Stiern Park needs a break, Lopez jumps to the front of the group and leads the class in a hip-shak-ing, calorie-torching dance routine.

It’s hard to imagine that when she started coming to the park one year ago, Lopez felt shy dancing in front of others and was 40 pounds heavier.

“It makes you feel good,” the 37-year-old said in Spanish.

“It’s one hour, but it changes everything.”


HEALTHY CHANGES

The Greenfield Walking Group — the group responsible for the morning Zumba classes — has changed more than just bodies.

In 2005, Zalyflor Loya, Rosalba Martinez, Maria Pena, Marta Montes de Oca and Gema Perez took a nutrition class together. Along with improving their diets, they wanted to make exercise a regular part of their lives, but joining a gym was too costly and their local park was unsafe, Perez said.

Stiern Park was littered with trash, dog feces and graffiti. The lights were broken; the playground equipment was damaged and cordoned off by yellow caution tape. The only people who spent time there were drug dealers.

“The park needs to belong to the people,” Perez said in Spanish.

The women asked the police department for help. Every day for 30 minutes, a police officer would arrive at the park to assure the women’s safety while they walked.

During the first week, five women walked for half an hour. Then the next week more women joined.

“Little by little, more people came,” Perez said.

As the group grew in strength, so did the women’s determination to make the park safe for everyone. The women called Kern County Animal Control for help with stray animals and reached out to the city for graf-fiti removal. They invited Mayor Harvey Hall to come walk with them and gave him the challenge of pushing a baby stroller along the bumpy, uneven ground.

With the help of local agencies, a grant from the Robert Johnson Foundation and commu-nity volunteers, Stiern Park was transformed. The lights were fixed. The broken play structure was replaced. A new sidewalk was poured. The drug dealers left and families returned to the park.



Participants gather together after the Zumba class.



FROM ACTIVE TO ACTIVISTS

In 2006, the group started incorporating calisthenics into their walking routine. Then they started play-ing music, evolving their morning exercise into the Zumba classes they hold today.

In 2010, Perez noticed that several women who at-tended the class lived near Rexland Acres Park. Even though their park was in a state of disrepair and the site of criminal activity, Perez said she encouraged them to start their own Zumba class.

“Zumba is the magnet,” she said.

Once neighbors were drawn out of their houses and into the park, the Greenfield Walking Group labored to improve Rexland Acres Park in the same way that they had brought families back to Stiern Park. They brought community members and public officials together to work toward a common goal.

Their work continues to grow in new directions. The Greenfield Walking Group started a community garden a few blocks away from where they dance and many women head to work in the garden after their morning exercise. Community agencies and orga-nizations like the American Lung Association, The American Heart Association and Dignity Health often ask the group for help spreading the word about workshops, classes and health events.

Recently, Perez and other members of the group visited Lamont to speak to residents there about us-ing their model to better the community’s health and safety.

Perez doesn’t see her group’s momentum slowing soon. Instead, she said each success “makes you want to do more.”


Neighborhood participants enjoy Zumba in the park.


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wellness & wonder your body

{fun & interesting facts about veins}CONTRIBUTED BY GREGORY WILLIAMS, MD, MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF SOUTH VALLEY VEIN CENTER

Some symptoms of varicose veins are aching pain that may get worse after sitting or standing for a long period of time, throbbing or

cramping, heaviness, swelling, itchy rash or irritated or restless legs.

Unlike the old-fashioned vein stripping procedures requiring a hospital stay and

weeks of recovery, today’s vein treatment is simple and efficient. Non-surgical vein

treatments are performed with the use of only local anesthesia, so patients have no

major downtime, incisions or scarring.

The Duplex ultrasound is a simple, painless advanced tech-nological test that measures the

direction of blood flow and shows any venous reflux precisely.

Factors associated with the devel-opment of varicose veins include gender, increased age, pregnancy, blood clots and jobs requiring long

periods of standing.

Sclerotherapy is the most common treat-ment for both spider veins and varicose veins. A needle is used to inject a liquid

chemical into the vein, which causes the vein walls to swell, stick together and seal shut. This stops the flow of blood, and the vein turns into scar tissue. In a

few weeks, the vein should fade.

Post-treatment pain varies from one patient to another

but most require only acetamin-ophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen for

any discomfort.

Varicose veins, if left untreated, can lead to an increased risk for

blood clots.

Untreated varicose veins may lead to other health problems,

such as swelling, ulceration, bleeding and an increased risk for blood clots. But these symptoms

may be avoided when varicose veins are treated early enough.

Up to 25% of women and 18% of men will suffer with varicose veins. If both parents have venous insuffi-

ciency, chances are close to 90% to developing varicose veins.

Treatment of large, bulging veins is often covered by insurance,

including Medicare.

Both men and women can develop bulging varicose veins,

which often grow larger over time, becoming more of a health

risk than a cosmetic problem.

Varicose veins are enlarged, superficial veins in which blood flow is slowed or even reversed. They are a result from

stretching of the vein walls and malfunction of the valves that normally

direct blood back to the heart.

Brought to you by

................................................... EXPERT CONNECT

I have painful varicose veins - why, and what can I do about them?

(661) 654-8346

1500 Haggin Oaks Boulevard, #202Bakersfield, CA 93311(661) 654-8337 FaxVisit our website for more information:www.SVVeinCenter.com

This is NoT Your MoTher’s VeiN TreaTMeNT

Whether you’re bothered by the appearance of unsightly veins or can no longer stand or exercise for long periods without feeling pain and pressure in your legs, don’t put off getting the help you deserve. Technology and new techniques now make it possible to provide relief for varicose and spider veins in-office without pain, risks or downtime.

A proper diagnosis of your condition is critical to getting the results you deserve. Tiny blue dilated blood vessels, called spider veins, can be the earliest sign of a vein disorder. A bulging varicose vein is a prominent sign that tiny valves in the veins in your legs have stopped working efficiently. It indicates a condition called venous reflux, which is not life threatening but should not be ignored.

If left untreated, both varicose veins and spider veins will continue to worsen and become more painful. Varicose veins can develop into serious skin ulcerations, bleeding or a higher risk for blood clots that require more extensive medical treatment.

TreaTMeNTs ThaT ProMise healThier, haPPier legs

Today’s advanced treatments give you rapid relief using no incisions, or only tiny ones. In many cases, you can resume all normal activities immediately after your vein procedure.

You don’t have to suffer the pain or embarrassment of problem veins. Contact a vein specialist to have your legs screened and learn more about your treatment options.

Gregory Williams, MD a native of Bakersfield and medical director of the South Valley Vein Center, is a board-certified phlebologist (vein specialist) and surgeon. He has been serving the Kern County area since 1995 and was the first physician in the county to perform the innovative and minimally invasive procedures that are now considered state-of-the-art treatment for varicose veins


........................


................................................... EXPERT CONNECT

I have painful varicose veins - why, and what can I do about them?

(661) 735-1346

1500 Haggin Oaks Boulevard, #202Bakersfield, CA 93311(661) 654-8337 FaxVisit our website for more information:www.SVVeinCenter.com

This is NoT Your MoTher’s VeiN TreaTMeNT

Whether you’re bothered by the appearance of unsightly veins or can no longer stand or exercise for long periods without feeling pain and pressure in your legs, don’t put off getting the help you deserve. Technology and new techniques now make it possible to provide relief for varicose and spider veins in-office without pain, risks or downtime.

A proper diagnosis of your condition is critical to getting the results you deserve. Tiny blue dilated blood vessels, called spider veins, can be the earliest sign of a vein disorder. A bulging varicose vein is a prominent sign that tiny valves in the veins in your legs have stopped working efficiently. It indicates a condition called venous reflux, which is not life-threatening but should not be ignored.

If left untreated, both varicose veins and spider veins will continue to worsen and become more painful. Varicose veins can develop into serious skin ulcerations, bleeding or a higher risk for blood clots that require more extensive medical treatment.

TreaTMeNTs ThaT ProMise healThier, haPPier legs

Today’s advanced treatments give you rapid relief using no incisions, or only tiny ones. In many cases, you can resume all normal activities immediately after your vein procedure.

You don’t have to suffer the pain or embarrassment of problem veins. Contact a vein specialist to have your legs screened and learn more about your treatment options.

Gregory Williams, MD, a native of Bakersfield and medical director of the South Valley Vein Center, is a board-certified phlebologist (vein specialist) and surgeon. He has been serving the Kern County area since 1995 and was the first physician in the county to perform the innovative and minimally invasive procedures that are now considered state-of-the-art treatment for varicose veins.


wellness & wonder what happens when...

{...I get tested for al lergies} CONTRIBUTED BY ERIC BOREN, MD, FACAAI, FAAAI & TONNY TANUS, MD, FACAAI, FAAAI OF KERN ALLERGY MEDICAL CLINIC, INC

Sponsored by Kern Allergy Medical Clinic, Inc.

arms along with FDA-approved liquid extracts of actual pollens, mold, pets, house dust, foods, venoms, etc. There is no bleeding and the skin test prick is only mildly uncomfortable. If you are allergic you will feel mild itching on your back. The official reading the skin test results are available 20 min-utes later. Each item tested is carefully measured so that the doctor can inter-pret the results. If itchiness occurs, an anti-itch cream can be applied and an oral antihistamine can be taken. Ifan al-lergic reaction occurs the small bumps generally resolve in a few hours.


TWO-SECOND TIP: ALLERGY SKIN TESTS

ARE PAINLESS AND ROUTINELY, SAFELY AND ACCURATELY

PERFORMED ON KIDSAGE 2 AND OLDER.

4 | WHAT IS PATCH TESTING? An-other variation of skin testing often done to evaluate rashes is called patch testing, which is usually done to detect delayed sensitivities to foods, chemicals, latex and met-als, such as nickel, cobalt, as well as many other substances. These allergens are applied on the back without pricking and reading of the testing is done in 48 hours.

1 | WHAT IS AN ALLERGY? An al-lergy technically means that your immune system has made an an-tibody, such as immunoglobulin E (IgE), specifically against the aller-gic antibody. Whether it is pollen, mold, house dust mites, pets, food, penicillin or bee stings, allergic indi-viduals have made these specific IgE antibodies diffusely in their blood, skin and tissues. These allergic an-tibodies are waiting for exposure to allergens. After the exposure, the interaction of the allergic IgE antibody and allergen results in a microscopic explosion of allergic chemicals, including histamine and numerous others. It is the inflam-mation in the affected tissues that causes the classic symptoms associ-ated with allergies.

3 | ARE SKIN TESTS PAINFUL? On the day of your allergy skin test, no fasting is needed. The only necessi-ty is the avoidance of antihistamine products seven days before the testing. The skin test typically lasts anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes depending on the amount of items being tested. Testing is generally done on your back, so you will be asked to lie down on your stomach. Several small, pointy, plastic skin test devices are available and allow a skin poke or prick on the back or

5 | FINDING OUT YOUR RESULTS After the prick or patch skin tests are completed, your doctor will go over the results in detail. You will learn the cause of the inflammation that triggers your allergy or asthma symptoms. If food allergies are pres-ent, they will be reviewed in detail as well, with strict avoidance urged. Allergy skin testing allows your doc-tor to educate you about your trig-gers, aide in avoidance, and will help to guide treatment options, includ-ing choices of medications and/or immunotherapy or desensitization. After all, why not empower yourself and be the expert on your body?

2 | WHAT TYPES OF ALLERGY TESTS ARE THERE? The point of al-lergy testing is to search for these allergic antibodies. Two methods are available: blood testing and skin testing. Although blood allergy test-ing is available, it remains gener-ally less accurate and fewer specific items can be tested due to the rela-tively large volume of blood need-ed. Allergy skin testing remains the gold standard for accuracy and thoroughness.

Allergy symptoms are easy to describe for more than one-third of people who suffer from them. Having red, puffy, itchy eyes with tearing not only make you uncomfortable but can also lead to the awkward question, “Are you crying?”

Sneezing, congestion, sinus pressure, headaches, nasal drainage, throat clearing, coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath are also unwanted effects of allergies.

Eliminate unwanted hair from most parts of the body with In-tense Pulsed Light. In a short period of time, you may never have to wax or shave again!

life's questions answered

Want to look great for the summer? Skinsation would like to offer guidance to help you along the path of anti-aging and get your body in great shape for summer. Skinsation offers many services, includ-ing skin resurfacing, laser hair reduction, phenter-mine weight loss programs, aesthetic injectables, CoolSculpting fat freezing and Viora skin tighten-ing treatments. Let’s talk about ways these types of services can help you.

CONTRIBUTED BY SKINSATION MEDICAL AESTHETICS & THE SPA AT SKINSATION

Can you pinch an inch? Or two or three? The ugly truth is, we all have stubborn fat and unfor-tunately, as we age, gravity and genetics only make things worse. Proper diet and exercise certainly help but are just not enough to keep these unwanted bulges at bay. Consider CoolSculpting. It is the solution for getting back the body you want without hav-ing surgery or downtime. This procedure targets fat cells and eliminates them in an easy, non-intrusive way by freezing them.

If you're needing extra skin care attention, then consider photo-facials. They are ideal treatments for skin care concerns ranging from redness, light acne scars and rosacea to broken capillaries and hyperpigmentation. Intense pulsed light photofacials involve a non-ablative laser that has been carefully calibrated to seek out specific pigments in the skin — redness, darker discolored patch-es or dark spots from acne or age.

wellness & wonder{how can I get beach body ready for the summer?}

Get rid of the bulge

No more unwanted hair, please

InjectablesAge with grace and beauty

Photofacials

Technology plays a role in beauty improvement. One advance-ment is Viora, a leading medical aesthetic solutions provider for skincare applications, that seeks to help you look and feel your best so that you reach your true potential. Viora combines the mechanism of advanced radio frequency energy and vacuum therapy that work with the body’s natural regeneration process to deliver safe and efficient treat-ments for cellulite, body contour-ing, skin tightening, stretch mark reduction, hair removal and more.

Viora

Avoid surgery! As the face ages, loss of facial fat and facial bone-loss coupled with the loss of skin elasticity results in lines around and under the eyes, de-flated cheeks, deep folds and lines around the mouth and lips. However cosmetic injectables like Botox, Juvederm Voluma and Radiesse, etc. are widely used for facial enhancement and correc-tion in lieu of surgery.

Look into Phentermine. This is a short-term, amphetamine-like appetite suppressant approved by the FDA and available only by prescription. However, you can also accelerate your weight-loss potential by adding vitamin B-12 and/or lipotropic injec-tions.

PhentermineControl the overeating

New technology in skincare

Good-bye redness, acne scars

CoolSculpting

Intense Pulsed Light


wellness & wonder gardening

SPONSORED BY ROBBY’S NURSERY & CALICO GARDENS — 4002 TERRACOTTA COURT. — 588-0859

Blueberries are not only healthy, but they are a beautiful plant as well. Be sure to plant them in nice acidic soil, and these bushy plants will thrive. If you can, plant more than one variety for the best harvest.

Sprucing up your

summer gardenCONTRIBUTED BY KATHY ROBINSON of ROBBY’S NURSERY & CALICO GARDENS

Try some bright four-inch col-orful flowers to make more of an impact when planting. Some-times six packs don’t provide that instant spark, but bigger plants with more flowers can definitely add a punch. For only $3.95 each, your flowerbeds will pop with lively shades of color.

Add a few herbs and you’re on your way to a themed garden. From this herbal container of basil, sage, chives, oregano, parsley and cilan-tro, you can fulfill most any pesto recipe.

For amateur gardeners looking to spruce up their summer garden, start by picking up a few tools to make your job easier. Small hand shovels and diggers are ideal for planting in small pots.

Gardening gloves are always important and a kneeling pad will save your knees!

How about an ever-blooming metal flower or a neat metal sun face to add a little art to a wall or fence? Focal points in the garden can add extra decoration and define your space even further. Who would think recycled materials could be so beautiful?


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For Velvet Ranjel, human kind-ness is something that comes naturally, especially after she began working as a monitor tech at Dignity Health Bakers-field Memorial Hospital.

Ranjel has happily embraced Dignity’s “Hello Humankind-ness” campaign by spreading compassion to others.

“I’ve worked for the organiza-tion for seven years now, and knowing that they support human kindness has made it that much easier to get up and come to work every day,” Ranjel said.

This 41-year-old helps her community in many ways, such as raising money for West High’s choir, band and color guard; volunteering at the hospital; donating blood; and supporting local military vet-erans. Ranjel and her husband of 21 years have seven chil-dren and two grandkids, and Ranjel stays involved in their school and extra-curricular activities.

Though Ranjel demonstrates the value of kindness daily, her compassion shined especially bright early one morning in March 2011. A patient walked into the emergency depart-ment in serious need of medi-cal attention, but when the hospital staff told the patient that he needed an emergency procedure, the man protested.

“When the doctor told him he needed to have this procedure to save his life, the patient said that he could not (stay) because his best friend/travel-ing companion was in the car. That’s when he told us he had a little dog,” Ranjel said.

Ranjel calmly asked the pa-tient if she could find a shelter to look after his dog while he recovered from the surgery. Unfortunately, Ranjel was un-able to find a place to care for the pup named Lil’ Cork, so she called her husband to ask if their family could care for the dog while her patient healed. With two dogs, Daisy and Goat Beard, and a cat named Shadow, they had a full house. But Ranjel’s husband agreed it was the right thing to do.

“(The patient) wasn’t from California, and he didn’t know anyone here in Bakersfield. I can only hope that someone would do the same thing for me, or my family if they were in the same situation,” Ranjel said. “That is what human kindness is — it’s not ‘What’s in it for me?’ It’s about doing the right thing for others.”

After the surgery, Ranjel vis-ited her patient and explained that she would care for Lil’ Cork for the next 10 days while he recovered. The man started to cry, telling Ranjel, “I can’t believe a complete stranger would help me by taking my dog in and caring for him.”

Lil’ Cork had his own medical problems, so Ranjel made sure he got his medicine daily, and her kids took him on walks for exercise.

Though Ranjel didn’t expect anything in return for her act of kindness, this March she was invited to attend a special event in Santa Clara — a cel-ebration of Dignity’s human kindness campaign — to meet the Dalai Lama and Dignity Health President/CEO Lloyd Dean.

“It was surreal! I felt as if I had not truly done anything ex-traordinary to be given such as honor,” Ranjel humbly said.

For Ranjel, showing kindness was the natural thing to do.

“Human kindness is not some-thing that you think about do-ing; you just do it knowing that you want to make somebody else’s day better. You take a step back and stop worrying about yourself for a moment. You give them your ear or your hand, and sometimes even your home,” Ranjel said.

creating awareness some kind of wonderful

WRITTEN BY HILLARY HAENES PHOTOGRAPH BY APRIL MASSIRIO

“Human kindness is not something

that you think about doing; you just do it

knowing that you want to make somebody else’s day better. ”

Velvet’s Words of Wisdom on Spreading

Human Kindness

“Smile a lot — you never know when somebody might need to see a smile. At times, you’re the

one who may need the smile.

“Sit down and listen to people. Some of the stories people

have to tell are incredible, and oftentimes all they want is for

their story to be heard.

“Volunteer at your local schools, soup kitchens or get a group

of people together and go clean up a park.

“Pay your local library a visit and get involved in

reading to children.

“There are the little things such as holding a hand out when someone has fallen, giving

someone flowers, or watering flowers for someone if they are

gone on a trip.

{Velvet Ranjel-Spreading Human Kindness to Strangers}

Velvet with her dogs, Daisy & Goat Beard


STROKE FACTS

• ABOUT 87% OF ALL STROKES ARE ISCHEMIC STROKES, WHEN BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN IS BLOCKED. • STROKES KILL ALMOST

130,000 AMERICANS EACH YEAR —THAT’S 1 OUT OF EVERY 19 DEATHS. • A STROKE IS THE NATION’S

No. 41 KILLER AND A LEADING CAUSE OF LONG-TERM DISABILITY. • PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED

WITH AN OVERALL 35%REDUCTION IN RISK FOR THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF STROKE.

• ABOUT 40% OF STROKE DEATHS OCCUR IN MALES, AND 60% IN FEMALES. • THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH A STROKE IS PROJECTED TO

INCREASE BY 4 million BY 2030.

• 80% OF STROKES ARE PREVENTABLE.

SOURCE: STROKEINFO.ORG, STROKEASSOCIATION.ORG, CDC.GOV

WRITTEN BY ALANA GARRETT

creating awareness b the cause

Bakersfield Heart Hospital Stroke Awareness Group

For more information on the stroke awareness group or how you can join,

contact Jeri Darr at 852-6464 or Ryan Allen at 316-6008.

Email: [email protected]: bakersfieldhearthospital.com

Talking numbers

A stroke can occur at any age, and statistics show that each year, more than 795,000 Americans have a stroke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strokes are the leading cause of long-term dis-abilities. For a person living with the effects of a stroke and their family, it is vital for to have the right guidance to carry on after a stroke strikes.

The Bakersfield Heart Hospital has just that information for people who need to learn more about stroke awareness. The hospital created a free monthly support group for stroke survivors and their care-givers. The goal of the program is to enhance the quality of life for participants by providing support, education and information.

The Stroke Awareness Support Group started with a conversation between registered nurse Ryan Allen, Bakersfield Heart Hospital Stroke Center Coordinator, and social worker Jeri Darr.

“Ryan Allen approached me about bringing education to our stroke survivors and caregivers. We wanted people to know that there’s more to being a stroke patient than just a physical ailment,” said Darr, who is the support group facilitator for the Stroke Survivor Support Group and has worked for this Bakersfield Heart Hospital since 2009.

One of the main goals for the sup-port group is to bring in speakers who can provide information to the stroke survivors and their caregiv-ers, Darr said.

The Stroke Survivor Support Group will help survivors understand their condition more fully and empower them to partner with their physi-cian in making health care deci-sions. Attendees will have informal discussions about how the event has changed them and will share tips and tools to help make the recovery process a little easier.

The group aims to provide emotional support not just for the stroke survi-vor, but for the caregiver as well.

“The stroke survivor, the family and the caregiver are who we want to help. We want to make sure they can care for the patient and themselves, so they don’t burn out,” Darr said.

The support group provides a friendly environment and is open to all stroke survivor adults and their caregivers. Meetings are held at the Bakersfield Heart Hospital at 3001 Sillect Ave. in Bakersfield, in the second floor classroom.

The Stroke Survivor Support Group: Showing support for stroke survivors & loved ones

“We wanted people to know that there’s

more to being a stroke patient than just a physical ailment.”

—Jeri Darr

}} May 2014 · bwellmagazine.com 71

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last look life & happiness

WRITTEN BY KATY RAYTISthe art of nothing

Nothing is beautiful. I told my neighbor that the other day, and he agreed.

Don’t mistake that state-ment as meaning that I’m despondent or hypercritical or wallowing in misery. I’m none of those things.

I’m happy. But I’m even hap-pier when I have nothing to do. Nowhere to be. No one to call. No giant to-do list inferno burning through ev-ery minute of the day.Just nothing. It’s beautiful.

The problem with nothing is that it’s pretty hard to find. Nothing is like Bigfoot. There are occasional, rare sightings, but most people will tell that it doesn’t really exist and you probably don’t know anyone who has actu-ally seen it.

That’s because there is al-ways something lurking around the corner. This is particularly true if you have three kids: Room mom, bal-let recitals, packing lunches, soccer games, birthday par-ties, science fair projects, and everyone’s favorite — the unexpected stomach flu. Nothing always takes a backseat to parenting, and well, quite honestly, that’s a 24-hour job.

Then there is work. It’s hard to say whether nothing re-ally exists in the working world. Well, maybe it does if you count the people work-ing at the DMV. But in a

non-DMV, productive, like-ly-to-stay-employed, work-ing world, nothing is about as real as the Tooth Fairy. Let’s put it this way, I’m pretty sure that if I told any of my clients that I couldn’t get their work done be-cause I have nothing going on right now, it wouldn’t go over very well (in fairness, I haven’t actually tried this).

And yet, contrast that with the fact that most of my clients (even the demand-ing ones) understand com-pletely when I say, “Some-thing came up.” And usually, something did. That hap-pens in life. Something comes up.

Sometimes the “some-things” are self-imposed. This usually happens be-cause we have this weird “nothing amnesia” where we forget that nothing is far better than anything else we might plan. “Sure, we’d love to come over for dinner.” And then the night arrives, and instead of do-ing nothing, you have to get cleaned up, make an arti-choke dip and drive across town.

The list of “somethings” goes on and on and on. Get-ting the car smog checked. Going to church. Taking the dog to the vet. Paying the bills. And the saddest part is that “nothing” never actu-ally qualifies as a something. When you really think about it, it’s pretty amazing that

nothing ever even happens at all. I feel like the main character in the movie “Of-fice Space” (which, by the way, is a great movie if you find yourself on the couch with nothing to watch, though I certainly don’t want to give you something to do). Anyway, he says that he has a dream in life: A dream of doing nothing. And I wholeheartedly share his dream.

For a working mom, the nothing moments are fleet-ing and far between — when the laundry is folded and the dinner is done; when the work is put away and the bills are paid; when the errands are run and the homework is done. Those are the nothing moments, the beautiful moments.

I try to savor those precious minutes as they occur. May-be it’s a bath. Maybe it’s a warm robe right out of the dryer so that it’s extra soft and fluffy. Or maybe it’s just sitting in a chair outside and soaking up the sun. What you do in that time doesn’t really matter — it’s what you don’t do that counts. And doing nothing can be very, very wonderful.

Someday, I will die. And when they are searching around for pithy epitaphs for my headstone I hope that “Katy Raytis — She did nothing well” is in the run-ning. At the very least, it would be true.

Editor's Note: Not every writer can turn musings on everyday life into stories that both entertain us and warm our hearts. But on top of her legal expertise, local attorney Katy Raytis boasts just that talent. After featuring her in April issue of our sister magazine Bakersfield Life, we are pleased to introduce Raytis as an occasional columnist for both Bakersfield Life and B Well magazines. We hope you will enjoy her witty, touching writing in "The Family Verdict" as much as we do."


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B Well Magazine May 2014

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