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Tattoo Remorse - Better Think Before You Ink |
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Written by Maria Gaura
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SANTA CRUZ (October 2009) - Tattoos have waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries, but the current craze for body ink took off in the late 1980s, and Harvard dermatology professor Richard Rox Anderson, M.D., often wonders if he was partially responsible.
Anderson developed the modern tattoo-removal laser in the late 1980s, a technology shift he suspects touched off the tattoo tsunami.
“The popularity of tattooing soared in the US shortly after laser tattoo removal was commercialized,” Anderson said. “Nobody knows exactly why. (But in) my opinion, one of the deterrents to getting a tattoo – its permanence – was removed in the public’s collective mind.”
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iPods and Ear Damage, Limiting Dangerous Decibels |
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Written by Maria Gaura
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SANTA CRUZ (May 2009) - When the iPod was introduced in 2001, it was a $400 toy for tech-savvy grownups. Today, with sales in the hundreds of millions, these tiny agents of auditory obliviousness have penetrated every level of society. They’re helping joggers set the pace, providing bus riders with a sense of privacy, and convincing teenagers that they’re living life to the beat of a movie soundtrack.
And those ubiquitous earbuds are increasingly being wedged into the ears of young children. My daughter recently complained that she was one of only three kids in her 5th grade class who didn’t have an iPod. Some of her classmates have owned portable MP3 players for years.
I resisted her pleas. We wear sunscreen and bike helmets, and keep fresh batteries in the smoke detectors. Why would I hand my kid a device capable of blasting 105 decibels directly into her eardrums?
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Acupuncture Goes to the Dogs |
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Written by Tara Leonard
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APTOS (December, 2008) -- The acupuncture patient rests quietly as Dr. Patty Wilson takes his pulse, examines his tongue, and begins to insert thin, flexible needles into his legs, back and neck. “How’s that feel?” Wilson gently asks, leaning over the treatment table for a final insertion. The patient licks her face.
The affectionate patient is Rocco, a 12-year-old Jack Russell Terrier with bright eyes, perky ears, and a constantly wagging tail. You’d never guess that just months ago this brown-and-white bundle of energy was listless, incontinent, and shaking uncontrollably as the result of an endocrine disorder called Cushing’s Disease. Traditional veterinary medicine offered two treatments: complicated surgery or drug therapy with potentially toxic side-effects. Owner Robert Mettalia chose a third option, an integrative approach that combines the best of Western veterinary practice with Eastern techniques such as acupuncture and herbology.
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The Write Stuff: Yoga Class Relaxes Muscles and the Creative Mind |
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Written by Tara Leonard
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I'm standing in a spare, tranquil room blessedly free of mirrors. My bare feet are planted on the polished wood floor, arms raised, elbows out, fingers splayed against the wall above my head. Triceps trembling, I steal a glance at my fellow students, wondering if anyone else is suffering from this seemingly simple pose.
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Healing Hands: East Supports West in the Battle Against Cancer |
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Written by Tara Leonard
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Talk with Serena MacMullan about her battle with breast cancer and she makes one thing perfectly clear: Mary Morgan saved her life. Morgan is not an oncologist, radiologist or surgeon. She’s not MacMullan’s mother, sister or best friend. Mary Morgan is an acupuncturist.
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See How They Run: Track Club Gets Locals Up to Speed |
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Written by Tara Leonard
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SANTA CRUZ (November, 2007) -- Everyone knows that running is good for you. It strengthens your heart and lungs, burns calories to control weight, and reduces stress. Which all sounds great until the alarm goes off on a foggy Saturday morning and the thought of lacing up those Nikes is about as appealing as fighting commute traffic at the fish hook. Most people would just as soon hit the snooze button.
For them, there’s the Santa Cruz Track Club (SCTC).
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