Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 12, 2010

13

The Good Life

 Mountain Views News Saturday, June 12, 2010

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Today’s Subject: 

That Stubborn Sciatica

Health Tips From Dr. John Talevich

Recipes of the Week:

Summer Beef Salad with Cilantro

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 

1 teaspoon lemon juice 

kosher salt and black pepper 

1/4 cup olive oil 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 

1/2 pound arugula, washed (about 5 cups) 

1 cup bean sprouts 

2 cups broccoli slaw (such as Dole) 

3 scallions, thinly sliced 

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 

1 bunch small radishes, quartered 

1 pound skirt steak 

8 ounces green beans, halved lengthwise

DIRECTIONS:

 

 Heat broiler. Season the steak with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and 
pepper and place on a rimmed broiler-proof baking sheet. 
Broil to desired doneness, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium 
rare. Let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing. 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, 
vinegar, lemon juice, oil, cilantro, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt 
and pepper. 

Add the arugula, bean sprouts, broccoli slaw, scallions, red 
onion, radishes, and green beans and toss well. Top with the 
beef before serving. 

Fresh Cucumber/Tomato Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

10 fresh basil leaves

5 fresh oregano leaves

3 small fresh cucumbers (pickling or thin slicing)

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, vine ripened

DIRECTIONS:

Mince garlic or press through a garlic press. Let garlic stand 
in balsamic and wine vinegars for 10 minutes (this takes the 
“edge” off). Discard any garlic which has green sprouts in the 
center, as the flavor is too sharp and bitter for this salad - use 
for another purpose.

Wash basil and oregano leaves (pick at noon time on a sunny 
day for best flavor). Roll up leaves and slice into little strips 
(chiffonade). Chop and add to your best olive oil and allow to 
stand in oil while garlic marinates.

 Meanwhile, prepare salad ingredients. Wash cucumbers and 
tomatoes. Peel cucumbers, leaving a scant amount of peel 
(helps with digestion). Slice cucumbers into 1/4 inch coins 
(circles).

 With a sharp knife, remove stem and blossom end from 
tomatoes (a very small amount). Slice tomatoes into wedges, 
being careful not to crush and lose juice.

 Place tomatoes and cucumbers in salad bowl and sprinkle 
with sea salt or kosher salt.

 Combine olive oil with vinegars, whisking together well. Use 
to dress tomatoes and cucumbers; serve at room temperature.

FYI: 

Protecting 
Yourself From 
Investment Fraud

 Even well-educated and experienced 
investors can find it difficult to avoid 
investment fraud. In fact, studies 
show that investment fraud victims are 
typically college-educated males, with 
above-average income and financial 
knowledge, who tend to be open to 
listening to new ideas or sales pitches 
and may have experienced a recent 
health or financial setback. In one such 
instance, a licensed stockbroker named 
Steve Sampler invested $40,000 in an 
oil well deal. In the end, Sampler’s years 
of experience in the stock market didn’t 
protect him from being a victim of a 
scam and he lost the entire investment. 
“If it can happen to me,” he said, “it can 
happen to anyone.” 

 To help combat investment fraud, the 
FINRA Investor Education Foundation, 
in collaboration with AARP, state 
securities regulators and noted fraud 
experts, developed Outsmarting 
Investment Fraud, a comprehensive, 
research-based program that arms 
investors with the tools and knowledge 
needed to recognize and prevent 
investment fraud. The centerpiece of the 
program is an hour-long documentary, 
“Tricks of the Trade: Outsmarting 
Investment Fraud.” Utilizing both 
humor and compelling stories of real-
life victimsÑincluding SamplerÑand 
perpetrators, the film explores who is at 
risk, how fraudsters use persuasion to 
carry out their schemes and what simple 
steps investors can take to prevent costly 
mistakes. “We found that a majority of 
investors ages 55 to 65 do not perceive 
themselves as vulnerable to investment 
fraud, yet many engage in investment 
behaviors that put them at risk,” 
according to John Gannon, president 
of the FINRA Foundation. ÒThe truth 
is, regardless of age or circumstance, 
anyone with money is bound to hear 
from a fraudster at some point.

 Gannon encourages organizations and 
individuals working to protect citizens 
from financial fraud to watch the film 
and use it to engage those who are most 
vulnerable to scams. “Even if you are 
not at risk for investment fraud,” said 
Gannon, “....you probably know someone 
who is and who could benefit from seeing 
Tricks of the Trade.” 

 The film’s three-part message of risk, 
persuasion and prevention has been 
shown to reduce the incidence of fraud 
by approximately 50 percent. 

 To order a free DVD of “Tricks of 
the Trade” or for more information 
on avoiding investment fraud, visit 
www.SaveAndInvest.org. “A free 
documentary by the FINRA Investor 
Education Foundation helps investors 
identify behaviors that put them at risk 
for fraud,” says Foundation President 
John Gannon.

 
The very thought of sciatica sends chills 
down the spine! That miserable condition 
wherein pain travels down the back of the 
leg is often troublesome and chronic. There 
is hope, though, for the alleviation and 
resolution of this problem.

**Check the Feet**

 In many recurring cases of sciatica, there 
is an underlying instability in the feet. The 
easiest way to evaluate this is to check the 
wear pattern of your shoes. If the heel is worn 
unevenly, either on the outside or inside edge, 
make sure that your heels are replaced and 
perhaps look into getting a high quality, soft 
orthotic from your podiatrist, chiropractor or 
other specialist. Even a generic foot stabilizer 
can be beneficial.

**Eat Your Veggies**

 Should you develop the symptoms of 
sciatica, it is important to eliminate foods 
which create a pro-inflammatory state. Hot, 
spicy foods are on the top of the list, as well 
as acid-forming foods such as meat, chicken, and grains. Increase your intake of veggies and 
fresh fruits (with the exception of citrus) and use soy, beans, raw nuts and seeds for your protein. 
Dairy products and nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant) can also be 
problematic for some people. Sugar, in all its forms, is highly inflammatory. Keep it simple and 
eliminate these foods for a few days, see what happens. It doesn't have to be a life sentence.

**Water**

Drink up! Consume a glass of pure water each hour to reduce inflammation.

**Calcium/Magnesium**

Try a calcium citrate/magnesium supplement, 1500 mg calcium/750 mg magnesium, per day.

**Sleeping**

If you are a back sleeper, place a pillow behind your knees; if you prefer sleeping on your side, place 
a pillow between your knees. It can also be beneficial to purchase a body pillow ~ sleeping on your 
side, put the pillow between the knees and hug it with your arms, correcting the alignment of both 
the upper and lower body as you sleep.

**Epsom Salts Bath**

A cup of Epsom salts in a shallow tub of warm water (up to the navel) for ten minutes will relax the 
low back tissues. In exiting the tub, be careful to avoid straining the low back.

**Ice Pack**

A good-sized ice pack placed just to the left or right of the bottom of the spine (sacrum and coccyx) 
will reduce swelling and release pressure on the sciatic nerve. Keep the pack on for twenty minutes 
and take off for twenty minutes ~ longer is not better. You can repeat this as often as you like. If the 
pain worsens with ice, discontinue.

**Last, but Not Least"

Finally, see your practitioner for a thorough evaluation of the condition. Treatment options, 
depending on complexity, should always go from the least invasive procedures first, ie. postural 
re-education, core strengthening, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, deep tissue work, and 
acupuncture. Time and patience are a must for healing!

To your health! Dr. John Next Week: Part 1 ~ Healthy Digestion

Dr. John Talevich, D.C. has practiced in Sierra Madre 
for thirty years. His clinic, LifeWorks! Chiropractic, 
offers patient-specific approaches to the alleviation 
of pain and individually tailored wellness programs. 

LifeWorks! Chiropractic Center

Individually Tailored Wellness Programs

31 S. Baldwin Avenue Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

626-355-4710

June Birthdays

Pat Fujiwara, Nellie Haynes, Laura Aguilar, 
Florence Brown, Mary Carney, Theresa Daley, 
Ann Disbrow, Ann Durgerian, Joan Ellison, Ruth 
Kirby, Irene Kudirka, Marilyn McKernan, Anne 
Montgomery, Trini Ornelas, Martha Spriggs, Patricia Starkey


Activities: 

Lunch Program: Monday- 
Friday at the Intervale 
Café -12:00 Noon-Call 
(626) 355-0256 to make 
your daily reservation. 
Suggested donation $2.00 
for seniors (60+) and 
$3.75 for visitors.

Monday: 

1:00 pm to 1:45 pm: 
Strength training with 
Lisa Brandley. FREE class 
of stretching with light 
hand weights while you 
sit.

Tuesday:

2nd Tuesday of each 
month FREE blood 
pressure checks by 
Methodist Hospital; 11 
am to 12 noon 

3rd Tuesday of each 
month FREE financial 
consulting; 10 -12 noon 
call 355-7394 for an 
appointment

1:30 pm to 3:30 pm: 
BINGO; cards are only 
25 cents each so stop by 
& play 

5:30 pm to 7 pm: Yoga; 
$7.00 - 50 & over. Please 

call 355-5278 for more 
information

Wednesday:

11 –11:45 am: Balance 
Class with Teryl. FREE 
class designed to improve 
balance & refresh the 
joints

2nd Wednesday of the 
month: FREE Legal 
Consultations: 10-11:30 
am. Appointments call 
355-7394

Wii Wednesday - 1:00 
pm or call the senior desk 
at 355-7394 to arrange 
another time & day to 
learn how to play. No 
previous experience or 
skills required and it is 
great exercise.

Thursday:

1:00 to 3:30 pm: Game 
Day. Join us for UNO 
and Poker with Bridge on 
the 2nd & 4th Thursdays; 
so please call for more 
information.

5:00 pm to 6:30 pm: Yoga; 
$7.00 - 50 & over. Please 
call 355-5278 for more 
information

Friday: 

1:00 pm: Ping Pong

Saturday: 11:30 am: 
Senior Club brown bag 
lunch and BINGO at 
12:30 pm

 Unless listed differently, all 
activities are at the Hart 
Memorial Park (Senior Center) 
222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., 
Sierra Madre


Meals are delivered to home-
bound seniors by volunteer drivers through 
the YWCA Intervale Lunch Program M-F 
(with frozen meals for the weekend.) Call the 
YWCA at (626) 214-9460 or Darlene Traxler 
at (626) 355-0256 for more information.

Meals-On-Wheels


MEALS-ON-WHEELS NEEDS 
VOLUNTEERS TO DELIVER MEALS TO 
OUR HOMEBOUND NEIGHBORS **ONCE 
A MONTH OR WEEKLY** 

Please contact Darlene Traxler at 

626.355.6220 or 

(626) 355-0256.

 June TBA - Cheese Factory Tour & Lunch 

at a Temecula Winery

 May excursions are open and reservations can be 
made by filling out a registration form & making 
payment. For questions, please call the Sierra 
Madre Senior Desk at (626) 355-7394. 

MONTHLY 
EXCURSIONS