Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 13, 2011

13

THE GOOD LIFE

 Mountain Views News Saturday, August 13, 2011 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Today’s Subject: 

ALTERNATIVES

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

AUGUST 2011 - 
MONTHLY ACTIVITIES

Salmon With Warm Tomato-
Olive 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 

 September’s “Consumer Reports” has an 
article on the treatment of several common 
health problems using acupuncture, 
chiropractic, massage, breathing, meditation, 
and nutrition, among others. The conditions 
that were evaluated were osteoarthritis, back 
pain, irritable bowel syndrome, digestive 
problems, depression, anxiety, headache and 
migraine, insomnia, cold and flu, allergy, and 
neck pain. Since 38 million adults log over 
300 million visits to alternative practitioners 
yearly, these surveys are significant. Of the 
45,601 CR subscribers that responded on line, 
three out of four used some form of alternative 
care. The upshot? The gold standard for all 
but three of the conditions was prescription 
meds. Low back pain and neck pain were 
treated more effectively with chiropractic, 
and fibromyalgia with deep tissue massage.

Some Thoughts from the Trenches

 The most important factor regarding this 
article is personal belief. We believe in our practitioners and the approach they offer. It’s no 
surprise that the majority of people in the study were helped by prescription and over-the-counter 
(OTC) medications. An enormous amount of time, energy and money go into the development 
and marketing of these drugs. Medicine is the preferred approach for most people. What these 
studies reveal, however, is the movement toward a new level of self-care supported by alternative 
therapies. Meditation, yoga, nutrition and body therapies invite partnership toward wellness. 
Compare this to the use of short and long-term pharmaceuticals requiring less effort from the 
patient. Additionally, we see the problems of severe side effects with both OTC and prescription 
drugs. In a nutshell, the alternative therapies should be thought of more as “essential therapies.” 
We do as much as we can to master our own health and use body-friendly approaches to further 
ensure this.

In Closing

 It’s great to see an article like this one in a major publication, but it can be misleading. If we 
follow the intelligent dictum of good self-care first, low impact and non-invasive therapies second, 
with drugs and surgery third, we can see that this article, while headed in the right direction, has 
a way to go toward embracing long-term strategies for a healthy society. 

To your healthy week! Dr. John


INGREDIENTS: 

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more 

 for brushing 

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar 

1 tablespoon honey 

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

Kosher salt 

4 6-ounce salmon fillets 

 (about 1 1/4 inches thick) 

1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped 

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives 

2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1-inch 

 chunks 

1 cup sliced celery (inner stalks with leaves) 

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint 

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:

Preheat the broiler. Line a broiler pan with foil and 
lightly brush with olive oil. Whisk 2 tablespoons olive 
oil, 1 teaspoon vinegar, the honey, red pepper 
flakes and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Put the 
salmon, skin-side down, on the prepared pan and 
brush the tops and sides with the honey glaze. Broil 
until golden brown and just cooked through, 4 to 6 
minutes.

Meanwhile, put the garlic on a cutting board and 
sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt, then mash 
into a paste with the flat side of a large knife. Heat 
the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon 
vinegar, the olives and garlic paste in a small 
saucepan over medium-high heat until bubbling, 
about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and 
add the tomatoes, celery and mint. Season with salt 
and toss to combine. Serve with the salmon.

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. 

HOW TO PREVENT FALLS

Dear Savvy Senior,

Can you write a column on fall 
prevention tips for elderly seniors? 
My 81-year-old father, 
who lives alone, has fallen several 
times over the past year. 
What can you tell us?

Concerned Daughter

Dear Concerned,

Falls are a big concern for millions 
of elderly Americans and 
their families. In the United 
States, roughly one-third of 
the 65-and-older population 
will suffer a fall this year, often 
with dire with consequences. 
But many falls can be prevented. 
Here are some steps you 
can take to help keep your dad 
up on his feet and reduce his 
risk of falling. 

Check his meds: Does your 
dad take any medicine or 
combination of medicines 
that make him dizzy, sleepy or 
lightheaded? If so, gather up all 
the drugs he takes – prescriptions 
and over-the-counter – 
and take them to his doctor or 
pharmacist for a drug review. 

Schedule an eye exam: Poor 
vision can be another contributor 
to falls. If your dad wears 
glasses, check to see if he’s 
wearing the correct prescription 
and beware of bifocals. 
Multifocal glasses can impair 
vision needed for detecting 
obstacles and judging depth. 

Check his balance: Balance 
disorders – which can 
be brought on by a variety 
of conditions like inner ear 
problems, allergies, a head injury 
or problems with blood 
circulation – are also a common 
cause of falls. If you dad 
is having some balance issues, 
make an appointment with his 
doctor to get it checked and 
treated. 

Start exercising: Improving 
balance through exercise is 
one of the best ways to prevent 
falls. Strength training, 
stretching, yoga, tai chi are all 
great for building better balance. 
Some simple exercises 
that he can do anytime are 
walking heel-to-toe across the 
room, standing 
on one foot for 
30 seconds or 
longer, or getting 
up from a 
chair and sitting 
back down 
10 to 20 times. 
For more balance 
exercise tips, call the 
National Institute on Aging at 
800-222-2225 and order their 
free exercise DVD and free 
exercise book or you can see 
it online at go4life.niapublications.
org. 

Modify his home: Because 
about half of all falls happen 
around the home, some simple 
modifications can go a long 
way in making your dad’s living 
area safer. Start by picking 
up items on the floor that could 
cause him to trip like newspapers, 
books, shoes, cloths, 
electrical or phone cords. If 
he has throw rugs, remove 
them or use double-sided tape 
to secure them. In the bathroom 
put a non-slip rubber 
mat or self-stick strips on the 
floor of the tub or shower, and 
have a carpenter install grab 
bars inside the tub and next 
to the toilet. Also, make sure 
the lighting throughout the 
house is good, purchase some 
inexpensive plug-in nightlights 
for the bathrooms and 
hallways, and if he has stairs, 
consider putting hand rails on 
both sides. And in the kitchen, 
organize his cabinets so the 
things he uses most often are 
within easy reach without using 
a step stool. For more tips, 
call the Eldercare Locater at 
800-677-1116 and order a free 
copy of their “Preventing Falls 
at Home” brochure. 

Other pitfalls: Believe it or 
not, the improper use of canes 
and walkers sends around 
47,000 seniors to the emergency 
room each year. If your 
dad uses a cane or walker, be 
sure it’s adequately adjusted to 
his height and that he’s using 
it properly. A physical therapist 
can help with this, or see 
the Mayo Clinic slide show 
on how to choose and use a 
cane (mayoclinic.com/health/
canes/HA00064) and a walker 
(mayoclinic.com/health/
walker/HA00060). Another 
possible hazard is pets. If your 
dad has a dog or cat, he needs 
to be aware that – because they 
can get under foot – pets cause 
a lot of falls. Shoes are another 
issue to be aware of. Rubber-
soled, low-heeled shoes are 
the best slip/trip proof shoes 
for seniors. 

Savvy Tip: Consider getting 
your dad a home monitoring 
system which is a small 
pendent-style “SOS button” 
that he wears that would allow 
him to call for help if he fell. 
Available through companies 
like lifelinesys.com and lifealert.
com these systems cost 
around $1 per day. 

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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to act in my client’s best interest, not the interests of the insurance 
industry or the medical community. My mission is to find the best 
available coverage for You at the most affordable price.”
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626-797-4618333 W. California Blvd. #110, Pasadena, CA 91105CA Lic #0750065HealtH 
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