kimturgeon

Join us Tuesday, March 16th, 7:00 PM at the Malletts Creek Branch and learn more about colorectal cancer prevention and screening tests with presentations by three leading area experts - Danielle Kim Turgeon, M.D., University of Michigan Health System, Jeffrey Barnett, M.D., Huron Gastro, and Michelle Releford, a local resident who cared for her husband before he died of colorectal cancer in 2007. An audience and panel discussion will follow. This event is co-sponsored by the UM Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Colorectal Awareness Network (CRAN) of Washtenaw County.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that more than 5,150 Michigan residents will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths nationally. Screening tests to detect colorectal cancer are effective, yet studies show that most Michigan citizens are not getting these tests.

Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche is a book about how not only does America export modern cultural trends such as strip malls and fast food chains, but it's prevalent maladies from anxiety disorders and depression to anorexia and schizophrenia. The author Ethan Watters is an anthropologist who went to research medical trends in several countries around the world. Watters noticed the re-occurrence of anorexia in Hong Kong, schizophrenia in Zanzibar and depression in Japan. He also discusses how the treatment of these illnesses, whether experimental or otherwise, clashes with the local cultures that fall prey to these trends. Watters feels that the American medicalization of other societies threatens traditions of these cultures: "We should worry about the loss of diversity in the world's differing conceptions of treatments for mental illness in the same way we worry about the loss of biodiversity in nature."

yoga pose

Through the generosity of AASY Action, a free yoga class is being offered on Thursdays from 8 to 9:00 AM at the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County. This class is on the 1st floor of the Delonis Center & has been open to clients & staff from community non-profits. They have Yoga mats for up to 20 people and can serve novices to seasoned yoga enthusiasts! Classes are presented by experienced yoga teachers.

teens using drugs

The "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What To Do" series will be presented on February 2, 2010 (part one, "What To Know") and February 9 (part two, "What To Do.") This free, ongoing, two-part series is presented by Ron Harrison & takes place here. The series is co-sponsored by Dawn Farm, the Livingston/Washtenaw Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act Consortium, and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. More information is on this page. All are welcome!

Calvin's father, in the timeless youth graphic novels, Calvin and Hobbes, often insists that outdoor activities with the family will help "build character" in his son, though Calvin himself clearly has other ideas. If you are looking for some similar character-building activities with the family this Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, consider the Waterloo Recreation Area's investigative program, "The Mystery of the Missing Groundhog", and then head out to the trails on a search for some winter wildlife.

Looking for something closer to Ann Arbor? Check out Saturday's daytime hike, the Winter Woods Walk, through County Farm Park where a guide will lead you on and off the trails looking for plants and wildlife. Or try Leslie Science Center's nocturnal Winter Night Walk which caps off a crisp night trail hike with a lively campfire.

If you can't make these weekend events, check out the following Ann Arbor trail guides from the AADL: Riverwalks Ann Arbor and Footloose in Ann Arbor.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and if you are a woman aged 21 or older, have not had a pap test in the last two years and do not have medical coverage for a pap test, you can get one free on Saturday, January 30. Testing will take place at the U-M Health System, Briarwood Building 2, Suite B, 400 E. Eisenhower Parkway between 10:00AM and 2:00PM. This screening is sponsored by the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Women's Heath Program.

Cervical cancer is a serious disease that affects about 11,000 women each year. Cervical cancer has no symptoms at its earliest stages; however with early detection, the cancer can be cured. This test takes less than 10 minutes, and could be life-saving.

To schedule a free screening, call the Cancer AnswerLine at 1-800-865-1125. Registration is required.

Lierre Keith is passionate about eating in a manner which does not cause suffering to living creatures or the planet. Her answer to that mandate for 20 years was to be a vegan. But after 20 years of feeling tired, cold and hungry all the time, in constant pain from her disintegrating spine, and after learning how the destructive forces of agriculture and eating outside one’s local food base are degrading the planet, she has flip-flopped into a passionate crusader for the moral, political and nutritional imperative of eating grass-fed animals from local farms. This is not a journey she has made lightly or even willingly. The facts she bares in The Vegetarian Myth have led her to her new orientation - facts which are as unsettling as they are convincing. This book adds greatly to our understanding of eating and living well.

caregiver

On Sunday, January 10, from 11:00am - 12:30pm at the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Services will continue their "Caregiver Conversations" group, a monthly drop-in educational and support group for adult children in a variety of caregiving roles for their aging parents. This conversation is titled "Caring for a Loved One with Dementia." The group holds a potluck brunch at the meeting. RSVP to Abbie at 769-0209 or abbie@jfsannarbor.org.

The Good Life

Increased homework? Video-game violence? Whatever the cause, recent studies show that kids today are more stressed and anxious than they were fifty years ago, or even last year. Fortunately, with a little help, stress and anxiety can be managed, and the youth department has plenty of books with suggestions to combat stress and live the good life.

Dr. Thomas McIntyre's book, The Behavioral Survival Guide for Kids, provides detailed, comprehensive information on a variety of issues -- building self-esteem, getting along with teachers, managing feelings, making friends, running for President...ok, that last one wasn't included. But other than that, this book has everything.

For those who like more specific advice, Patti Kelley Criswell's books offer excellent suggestions for managing all the ups and downs of friendship -- from making friends and having fun with friends, to making up after fights with friends. Younger readers may enjoy Peaceful Piggy Meditation, a simple guide to the practice and benefits of centering meditation.

Breathe deep, read good books and have a relaxing holiday season. Namaste!