health

Community Leaders Discuss Biking In The Northern Berkshires

Lucas Willard — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:35:21 +0000

A community forum focused on biking in the Northern Berkshires was recently held, where panelists discussed the challenges and future for expanding the potential for biking in the region.

Jonathan Butler, Adams Town Administrator, said that that the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail – an 11.2 mile railroad corridor turned bike path that runs from Lanesborough up through Adams – has had an impact on the town’s economy that he calls “nothing short of significant”.

"Tell Me The Truth, Doctor" by Dr. Richard Besser

Joe Donahue — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:12:00 +0000

Dr. Richard Besser is chief medical editor at ABC News, and author of the new book Tell Me The Truth, Doctor: Easy-to-Understand Answers to Your Most Confusing and Critical Health Questions.

"Cooked" by Michael Pollan

Joe Donahue — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:10:00 +0000

Michael Pollan’s new book, Cooked, follows the twists and turns of Pollan’s education in the kitchen. Organizing his journey around the four classical elements —fire, water, air, and earth—Pollan apprentices himself to a series of culinary experts to discover how these elements can transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink.

Vox Pop : Open Forum - Banning Sugary Beverages : 3/12/13

Patrick Donges — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:00:00 +0000

One day before a ban on certain sugary beverages in certain settings in New York City was set to take effect; a state judge ruled yesterday that the policy, championed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, should not be imposed.

In his ruling, Justice Milton A. Tingling Jr. called the rules, “arbitrary and capricious,” echoing consumer and beverage industry claims that the rules, which would include restricting the size of sugary drinks to 16 ounces or less at restaurants, street carts, and entertainment venues, are confusing and unenforceable.

Julia Soto Lebentritt on the lullaby and elder care

Alan Chartock — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:40:09 +0000

WAMC's Alan Chartock speaks with Julia Soto Lebentritt, an eldercare case manager, bereavement facilitator and therapeutic activities director. Lebentritt, the owner of Spontaneous Care Communications, is the author of a new book called As Long As You Sing, I’ll Dance. She is director of The Lullaby Project.

Mass In Motion Kicks Off in Northern Berkshires

Lucas Willard — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:20:59 +0000

Today in North Adams, members of the community and local governments came together to kick-off a state-funded wellness program that focuses on community health and planning. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard attended the event and filed a report.

Today, members of the North Berkshire Community celebrated the kick-off of Mass in Motion, a statewide effort with a goal to promote fitness to battle obesity, chronic disease, and to encourage healthy, active living.

Adventures of a One-Breasted Woman

Joe Donahue — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Susan Cummings’s surgeon proclaimed to her a few weeks after her mastectomy, “You’re cured now, that’s it.” But, that wasn’t it by a long shot for Cummings, who has just written a memoir about her first six years after treatment for early-stage breast cancer.

She writes about being a struggling New York actress and wrangles with her fear of more cancer and shame of her altered body.

Outgoing Mass. official addresses lab shutdown

Lucas Willard — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:56:11 +0000

The outgoing head of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health department says he believes a "single rogue chemist" was responsible for the mishandling of drug evidence at a now-closed state laboratory.

Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach spoke to reporters on Wednesday for the first time since announcing plans to resign in the wake of the scandal.

Auerbach said he personally accepted no responsibility for what occurred, but thought it proper to resign because as head of the agency, the buck stopped with him.

More CT Students Being Exempted from Vaccinations

Lucas Willard — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 20:49:32 +0000

An increasing number of Connecticut students are being exempted from vaccinations as parents cite allergic reactions or religious prohibitions. WAMC’s Lucas Willard has more…

The Connecticut Post reports that according to the state Department of Public Health, 1,056 children entering kindergarten and seventh grade last year received exemptions. That's up by 127 percent from 2003, when the state recorded 465 such exemptions.

Vaccination coverage in Connecticut still remains high, with more than 97 percent receiving various vaccinations.

Dr. Patricia O’Gorman, Ph.D

Joe Donahue — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 14:10:00 +0000

Dr. Patricia O’Gorman, Ph.D is an internationally-recognized psychologist in private practice in East Chatham, and Albany, New York, is noted for her work in families, children of alcoholics, trauma, child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and substance abuse.