Health & Wellness

As the holidays get closer, life naturally gets busier and healthy habits can get thrown out the window. Holiday parties, Thanksgiving leftovers, and Christmas eggnog take the place of health for a lot of us, and any nutrition goals can be a struggle.

Instead of trying to focus on weight or diet this season, why not use this time to start a healthy cooking habit? You may be busy this time of year, but there will also be several occasions where a home cooked dish is welcomed or expected. If you don’t cook at home regularly, here are some tips to get you started.

As the days get shorter approaching the winter solstice, we count on the holiday gatherings and Christmas lights in our community to brighten up our lives. For many people, the parties and celebrations in this season are a poignant reminder of what has changed in the past year. Some of the people that have been part of our traditions are no longer here. What we think should be the “happiest time of the year” just seems all wrong.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but breast cancer is not the only screening women should care about. All women should have an annual health-screening exam. Having an annual health care visit is a great opportunity to take charge of your health. Routine health care visits can help find problems early or prevent health problems before they occur. If problems are found early, they may be easier to treat and less likely to pose serious risks to your health.

Signing up for a health insurance plan can be daunting and time consuming. As a Certified Enrollment Counselor, my job is to make it easier for South Lake Tahoe families and individuals to navigate Covered California and enroll in a health care plan.

With all the talk the about health care, I have heard rumblings and rumors about what is happening with the Affordable Care Act and what is changing with insurance. Get informed! Make a free one-on-one appointment with me or one my fellow enrollment counselors, have your questions answered, and get enrolled for 2019.

Learn from experts how “Smoke, Heat, Mosquitoes and Ticks” are affecting Northern Nevadans’ health during a free presentation Wednesday, Oct. 10 at Western Nevada College in Carson City.

A panel of experts representing the Desert Research Institute's Western Regional Climate Center and the University of Nevada, Reno will share their expertise on fire, extreme heat and biting insects from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Marlette Hall in the Cedar Building on campus.

Talking about suicide can be uncomfortable. If you have a loved one that you are concerned about, you may be nervous to ask personal questions such as, “Have you thought about ending your life?” After all, what if you offend them? What if they get angry? Or, what if they have just been waiting for someone to ask, and now that you have, they feel safe sharing their feelings and no longer feel alone.

Jen Dulyanai will present a program on Safety for Women during the next American Association of University Women (AAUW) on Saturday, October 13 starting at 10:00 a.m. at Lake Tahoe Community College.

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Barton Health was recently awarded five "Best Performance" awards for nursing care by the Collaborative Alliance for Nursing Outcomes (CALNOC). They recognized
Barton’s excellence in providing safe, high quality health care with zero instances of hospital-acquired pressure injuries and infections patients can develop while hospitalized.

CALNOC establishes benchmarks for hospitals based on data analysis of patient safety

The 2018/19 flu season almost upon us and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending an annual influenza vaccination for everyone six months and older with any licensed, age-appropriate flu vaccine.

They said flu vaccines have been updated to better match circulating viruses (the B/Victoria component was changed and the influenza A(H3N2) component was updated).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Nature is healing, and a new partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and Barton Health is bringing the benefits of 154,000 acres of wellness around Lake Tahoe to the public.

"Nature is medicine, nutrition is medicine and you don't have to pop pills for health," said Nancy Laurenson of Barton Health during a recent wellness outing on the Rainbow Trail at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center.

Curious how essential oils can change the state of your healthcare? Join us for an informal essential oil education event at the beautiful beach of South Lake Tahoe.

Learn the basics of using essential oils to achieve and maintain wellness. Learn how these powerful oils can be used in your home daily for many different purposes. Safe, effective and no side-effects. Special promos offered at this event!

Beach Retreat and Lodge at Tahoe (parking is free at Safeway across the street) Class will be held out back by the firepits.

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Imagine you're ten years old and have just been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. No other students in your school have this disease, nor do any of your friends or family members. Insulin, glucose, pumps, blood testing, counting carbs are new words you now need to grasp and understand.

Facing life with this chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin is daunting, confusing, overwhelming.

Every day we are surrounded by toxins. Chemicals that mess with our bodies and make us sick.

You might think that pollutants are outside, but the ones we come into contact with the most, are in our homes. Everything from dishsoap to shampoo, make-up to toothpaste is chock full of nasty chemicals. Think about that kitchen cleaner - is that something you want to sniff, or eat?? And yet we use it to clean our counters and chopping boards. We are ingesting toxic chemicals every single day.

Every day we are surrounded by toxins. Chemicals that mess with our bodies and make us sick.

You might think that pollutants are outside, but the ones we come into contact with the most, are in our homes. Everything from dishsoap to shampoo, make-up to toothpaste is chock full of nasty chemicals. Think about that kitchen cleaner - is that something you want to sniff, or eat?? And yet we use it to clean our counters and chopping boards. We are ingesting toxic chemicals every single day.

The doors are now officially open at the 26,000 square foot state-of-the-art Robert Maloff Center, home to the Barton Center for Orthopedics & Wellness.

During a ribbon cutting ceremony at the South Lake Tahoe facility Thursday, July 12, Lisa Maloff was honored for her $10 million donation in her late husband's name that made the dream to improve community health and well-being of others a reality.

WEDNESDAYS 8AM at KIVA BEACH
Start your Wednesday mornings connecting with nature, meditation, community, and yoga on the beach. All levels welcome. Please bring towel, blanket, or yoga mat. After class, optional beach clean up, or jump in the lake! Class starts at 8am and runs about one hour. FREE / Donations Appreciated

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Those who use Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, including CalFresh and CalWORKS issued cards, will be unable to use them for a 24-hour period so the State of California can transition to a new EBT vendor.

THe statewide 24-hour EBT outage and black-out period is scheduled from Saturday, June 23, 2018, beginning at 11:00 p.m. and going until Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 11:00 p.m. During this 24-hour period, those using the EBT cards will be unable to access benefits, nor will they be able to access the program's website at www.ebt.ca.gov.

It has been a very tough and tragic week, with the passing of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, and because of their suicides and a report released by the CDC, NAMI ((National Alliance on Mental Illness) El Dorado County is seeing an increase in phone calls from the community.

Suicide rates have been rising in nearly every state, according to the latest Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the 10th leading cause of death and is one of just three leading causes that are on the rise (behind diseases of the heart and Cerebrovascular diseases).

Dr. Megan Jewell has joined the team at Barton Health as its newest OB/GYN physician. Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Jewell’s credentials tout a da Vinci® Surgery certification in benign gynecology. Dr. Jewell joins Barton Health in a time of momentum as the health care system has been recently been recognized for its quality and safety standards for women’s health in the local community.

El Dorado County residents who may qualify for CalFresh, CalWORKs, Medi-Cal or the County Medical Services Program (CMSP) now have multiple ways to enroll in the programs, check their benefits and more. Through a secure internet portal at www.C4yourself.com, individuals can complete their applications and annual renewals, submit documents, and check the status of their case online at any time; they can also access their case information over the phone via the State’s secure Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System at any time.

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Mark Estee, chef and restaurateur, capped off a 6-month series of Healthy Lifestyles programming and curriculum at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada’s William N. Pennington Teen Center with a full menu of Local Mushroom Risotto, Panzanella Salad and Sabayon with Berries (recipes listed at the end of story).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Barton Health has announced the addition of Dr. Gregory Burkard, Jr. to their family of care providers.

Burkard is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is an interventional pain and sports medicine physiatrist. This means he is a physician that treats a wide variety of medical conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, muscles, joints and more.

Did you know that one in three American adults is at risk for kidney disease? Major risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, a family history of kidney failure, and being age 60 or older.

The best way to fight kidney disease is to find it before trouble starts. But if you’ve already been diagnosed, Medicare can help you make informed decisions about your care.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The votes have been counted and Dr. Keith Swanson has been named Barton Health’s Doctor of the Year. Each year, hundreds of Barton team members cast their vote to nominate a favorite physician in honor of National Doctor’s Day, and the 2018 winner was announced at Barton’s Doctor’s Day Celebration on March 29.

“We honor Dr. Swanson as our Doctor of the Year, and the incredible contributions he’s made to the community as an orthopedic surgeon and practitioner of nearly 40 years,” said Dr. Clint Purvance, CEO at Barton Health.