Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 6, 2011

15

THE GOOD LIFE

 Mountain Views News Saturday, August 6, 2011 

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Today’s Subject: 

TRIGGER POINT THERAPY

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

AUGUST 2011 - 
MONTHLY ACTIVITIES

ANTIPASTO SALAD

Orzo, a rice-shaped pasta, is combined with 

traditional antipasto fare for this main-dish salad

Monday: Closed July 4th 12 noon: Intervale 
Lunch Café: Come enjoy a hot meal with others. 
Donation for seniors (60+) of $2.00; visitors 
$3.75. Please call 355-0256 to make your daily 
reservation. 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 12 noon: Intervale Lunch 
Café; daily reservations needed 355-0256 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 12 noon: Intervale Lunch 
Café; daily reservations needed 355-0256 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: 12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily 
reservations needed 355-0256 1:00 to 3:30 
pm: Game Day. Join us for 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: City Hall Closed on June 17, July 1, 15 
& 29

12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily reservations 
needed 355-0256

Saturday: 11:30 am: Senior Club brown bag 
lunch and BINGO at 12:30 pm. Starting July 16 
the Senior Club will meet at the Senior Apartments 
- 70 Esperanza Ave., Sierra Madre 


INGREDIENTS: 

 Janet Travell, M.D. became President John F. 
Kennedy’s personal physician in part because she 
successfully treated his low back pain. She used a 
then little-known technique that she called “trigger 
point therapy.” Dr. Travell believed that tiny 
nodules of contracted muscle tissue sent pain 
throughout the body and that, by finding and 
treating them, the pain would be alleviated. Over 
her years of research, she charted more than 620 
potential trigger points.

Dr. Travell and others believed that when muscles 
become chronically strained, injured, or inflamed, 
a small nodule or band forms at the site. 
Eventually, the presence of these formations alters 
the function of the muscle and surrounding tissue, 
including the nerve supply. The process of 
releasing these points of tension relieves the pain. 
The value of this approach lives in the theory that 
seemingly unrelated areas of pain may be created 
by distant trigger points. This explains why 
treating an area directly does not always alleviate 
discomfort.

Trigger points are diagnosed by touching and 
mapping the involved areas. Jaw pain may be 
caused by points in the muscles that make up 
the neck; headaches may be influenced by points 
along the muscles supporting the back of the 
head. What appears to be deep joint pain, an area 
that has no muscle tissue, may instead be caused 
by muscles that are near the joint. Once found, 
the taut muscle fibers are treated by manual techniques, 
injections, percussion, laser, needles, or 
electrostimulation, to name a few.

In Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction - The 
Trigger Point Manual, by Travell and Simon, the 
authors state that in 75% of the cases in their pain 
clinic, patients’ trigger points were the sole cause 
of their pain. Additionally, conditions such as arthritis, 
carpal tunnel, bursitis, tendinitis, angina 
pectoralis, and sciatica were believed to be caused 
by trigger point activity alone.

Although the presence of trigger points has 
been demonstrated by modern imaging techniques, 
their clinical value has remained controversial. 
Most of the professionals that use this 
approach (chiropractors, massage therapists, osteopaths, 
physical therapists, etc.) are not part of 
the research community. These techniques may 
have significant value on a practical level and require 
very real skill to utilize, but don’t presently 
translate into black and white data in the world of 
hard science. That said, trigger point therapy is a 
solid, generally non-invasive technique for pain 
management and is especially good news for those 
people who have not fared well with mainstream 
approaches. In those cases, the alleviation of trigger 
points may well be their solution.

Have a healthy, fulfilling week!

Dr. John

1 cup (6 ounces) uncooked orzo

6 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 
2-inch lengths

2/3 cup bottled Italian dressing

1 (4-ounce) jar fancy pimientos, drained and 
diced

8 cups torn salad greens

4 large ripe plum tomatoes, sliced

12 small balls fresh mozzarella

1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, 
drained

8 thin slices baked ham, cut in half lengthwise

16 long, thin breadsticks

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. 

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a 
boil. Add the orzo and cook it according to the package 
directions, or just until tender, about 8 minutes. 
Add the beans to the water for the last 2 minutes of 
cooking. Drain out the hot water, rinse the orzo and 
beans under cold water, and drain again well. Return 
the cooked ingredients to the pot. Add 1/4 cup of the 
dressing and the pimientos and toss to mix.

Arrange the salad greens on individual plates. 
Divide the tomatoes, cheese, and artichoke hearts 
evenly among the plates and then drizzle each salad 
with the remaining dressing. Top each salad with a 
helping of orzo.

August Birthdays

Karlene Englert, Juanita Fernandez, 
Joseph Kiss, Patricia Miranda, Margaret 
Aroyan, Phyllis Bugh, Phyllis Chapman, 
Beverly Clifton, Mary Kay Gifford, Rosemary 
Morabito, Marjorie Peterson,Susan Poulsen, 
Dorothy Quentmeyer, Genevieve Stubbs, 
Wilhelmina “Miep” Tulleners


EXCURSIONS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18TH 

 Exploring Long Beach - Beat the summer

heat by spending the day in Long Beach 
and enjoying lunch on the historic Queen 
Mary - 8:30 am to 4 pm.

 Cost per person is $44 - this includes 

deluxe coach transportation, driver’s tip, 
exploring Long Beach and lunch on the 
Queen Mary.

 Reservation for this excursion will open 
on June 30th either by visiting the

Recreation Center in person or going online 
at

www.cityofsierramadre.com/
onlineregistration

John M. Talevich, D.C. 

CHIROPRACTIC: Simple, Elegant, Effective

31 S. Baldwin Avenue Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

626-355-4710

Meals-On-Wheels


Meals are delivered to home-bound 
seniors by volunteer drivers through 
the YWCA Intervale Lunch Program 
M-F (with frozen meals for the weekend.) 

Meals are delivered to the home-bound seniors 
by drivers through the YWCA Interval Lunch 
Program M-F (with frozen meals for the 
weekend.) 

 

 Call the YWCA at (626) 214-9460 for more 
information. 

Dear Savvy Senior

Are there any financial resources available to 
retirees who are interested in going back to college? 
Since I retired, I’ve been thinking about going 
back to school to study some topics of interest 
to me, but living on a fixed income I could use 
some financial help.

College-Bound Senior

 

Dear Senior

There are actually numerous discounts, tuition 
waivers, tax credits and other deals that can help 
retirees go back to school a little cheaper. Here’s 
what you should know.

 

Back to School

From continuing education and enrichment 
classes to graduate school, more and more retirees 
are heading back to the classroom looking to 
pursue their interest, connect with other people 
or retool for a new career. But with the high cost 
of college these days, paying tuition, fees and 
books can be a big strain for many older adults 
living on a fixed income. Here are some tips that 
can help you save. 

 

Discounted Tuition

Your first step is to contact your nearby college 
to find out what, if any, deals they offer retirees. 
Many community colleges and some four-year 
colleges for example, allow senior citizens to audit 
classes for free and many offer significantly 
discounted tuition rates for those who take them 
for credit. In fact, according to Fastweb, a college 
financial aid resource, 21 states and Washington, 
D.C., offer free tuition for senior citizens at some 
or all of their public colleges. (Textbook costs and 
sometimes fees are however not covered.)

 

Credits and Deductions

Uncle Sam can offer some assistance too in the 
form of tax credits and deductions. For credits, 
check out the Lifetime Learning tax credit 
that allows students of any age to claim up to a 
$2,000 credit each year for college or other post-
secondary school expenses. And the American 
Opportunity credit, which allows an annual tax 
credit up to $2,500. The government also provides 
tuition and fees deductions for students 
that can cover up to $4,000 in expenses. But, you 
can choose only one of these three tax breaks – 
Lifetime Learning credit, American Opportunity 
credit, or the tuition and fees deduction. To learn 
more about these benefits, visit the IRS’s Tax Benefits 
for Education Information Center, which 
you can access at TaxBenefitsForEducation.info.

 

Scholarships

While most scholarships are aimed at traditional 
undergraduates, there are a number of scholarships 
offered specifically to adult and non-traditional 
students. Two good websites to help you 
find them are fastweb.com and scholarships.com, 
both of which offer huge scholarship databases 
and easy-to-use search tools.

 

Lifelong Learning

Beyond college classes, another popular and 
inexpensive option for retirees is Lifelong Learning 
Institutes (LLIs). These are noncredit educational 
programs that involve no tests or grades, 
just learning for the pure joy of it.

Usually affiliated with colleges and universities, 
LLIs offer a wide array of academic courses 
in such areas as literature, history, religion, philosophy, 
science, art and architecture, economics, 
finance, computers, lifestyle issues and more.

To find an LLI, call your closest college or 
search the websites of the two organizations that 
support and facilitate them – Osher (osher.net) 
and Elderhostel (www.roadscholar.org/ein/intro.
asp). Together they support more than 500 LLI 
programs nationwide.

If you don’t find an LLI in your area, depending 
on where you live, there are other organizations 
that offer non-credit older adult education courses 
like Oasis (oasisnet.org, 314-862-2933), Shepherd’s 
Centers of America (shepherdcenters.org, 
816-960-2022), and SeniorNet (seniornet.org, 
571-203-7100), which offers computer courses 
at learning centers around the country. Also, be 
sure to contact your local public library to see if it 
offers any programs for seniors. 

 

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. 
Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today 
show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

BLOOD PRESSURE 
SCREENINGS

Methodist Hospital will host 
Senior Blood Pressure Screenings on 
the second Tuesday of each month 
from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the 
Community Center. Take advantage 
of this free program, which is open to 
all seniors 50 years of age and older. 
High blood pressure does not have 
any symptoms or outward signs and 
can lead to life-threatening conditions 
which can become fatal if left 
undetected. For additional information 
regarding this program, please contact 
the Community Services Department 
at (626) 256-8246.


DIAL - A - RIDE 

TICKETS

Tickets can now be purchased at:

Sierra Madre City Hall

Sierra Madre Recreation Center

Sierra Madre Library

LUNCH & LEARN 

Join the Senior

Community Commission

at the 

Sierra Madre Recreation 
Center

 for a FREE presentation. 
Lunch is available for a 

$2 donation 

Call (626) 355-0256 by 

12 noon the day before. 


Pasadena Highlands, an independent and 
assisted living community, is proud to provide 
a special gift basket on the first Tuesday 
of each month. Accredited In-Home nursing 
care will provide a special prize on the 4th 
Tuesday of each month. Bingo takes place 
every Tuesday at 1:30 pm at the Sierra Madre 
Recreation Center while the Hart Park House 
is under remodeling. The game begins at 
1:30 pm but those wishing to play must arrive 
10 minutes before to secure your Bingo 
cards. Join us on the 1st & 4th Tuesday of 
each month 


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