flora@sitnews.org

Weight Management In the 21st Century: Part 3 - Shake It Up, Baby! - Happy Chinese New Year to all and good riddance to the feeding frenzy we call "The Holidays"... More...
Thursday - February 24, 2005

Weight Management in the 21st Century: Part 2 - Food, Glorious Food - In Part 1 of this series on Weight Management, we looked at some of the reasons Alaska, and America, seems to be on an ever increasing weight gain status. - More...
Wednesday - November 24, 2004

Weight Management In the 21st Century: Part 1, Identifying the Problem - Greetings, Sitnews readers. It's good to be back with you after a summer layoff. In the coming months, I plan to present some new and relevant topics concerning health and welcome your ideas for new columns. The first is a series on weight management. In September, I had occasion to attend a national conference on the treatment and prevention of obesity. I have been concerned about the ever increasing weight of our population, particularly among our children, and wished to understand the cause of this epidemic and which options are currently being employed. As you may imagine, this is a pretty expansive topic and one article will not address it all. Let's begin by trying to understand the nature of obesity and identifying the problem. - More...
Monday - October 11, 2004

Fatitudes - Much controversy exists today about food, eating behavior, and our western, sedentary life style. The health risks associated with these things have created a whole set of health and medical considerations not known in in 1900. In 1900, the top ten causes of death were principally infectious disease. Today, the top ten are primarily life style disorders related to poor nutrition habits, lack of exercise, and stress. We all get tired of the doom lectures presented by health experts concerning our eating and exercise behavior. Here's a lighter view of the situation that makes the point just as well if not better than most of the lectures you'll hear. (Note: Any brand references are solely to illustrate the point, not to demonize a manufacturer.) - Read more...
Thursday - June 17, 2004

#23 THE MAP FACTOR IN HEALTH & HEALING - Modern technology has brought many miracles to human life and health. Life expectancy has increased and diseases are diagnosed much earlier than than in the past. Treatments for pain, inflammation, and disability have improved the quality of life for those living with long-term conditions. Yet, there are some who seem to flourish in spite of their challenges while others remain victims of their disorder. Why is this? What is it that allows some to live with or recover from an illness while others have a life that is about their illness? - Read more...
Saturday - May 08, 2004

#22 Jan's Story: Update - On May 30th, 2003, I shared with Sitnews readers the story of my Ohio  friend, Jan Lively (see Sitnews #14). Jan had survived breast cancer only to have it metastasize as liver cancer. In January of 2001, her tumor marker count (a measure of the number of cancerous cells in her body) was 4500. A friend introduced her to medical qigong and she began to practice routinely. She found a physician who placed her on a diet of macrobiotic, organic whole foods. I met Jan at a month long Chi-Lel Qigong retreat in Hawaii in February of 2002. At that time, her tumor marker count  was 2500; a count of 50 or less is considered "normal". - Read more...
Tuesday - February 24, 2004 - 12:30 am

#21 Listening To The Groundhog - Last week, the groundhog poked his head above the snow, saw his shadow and decided we'd have six more weeks of winter. That being said, it's important to remember that along with the winter months come health considerations. By continuing to follow some basic cold and flu season guidelines, we can make it till spring with minimal inconvenience. - Read more...
Wednesday - February 11, 2004 - 12:50 am

#20 Chinese New Year: HAPPY 4701 THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY! - January 22nd, begins the 15 day celebration of Chinese New Year. You may enjoy participating in this unique event designed to get us off on the right foot for the new year. Even in the west, we can benefit from this ancient tradition. Preparation, the Festival, and Superstitions are the three components of the Chinese New Year Celebration. - Read more & view the photo gallery...
Thursday - January 15, 2004 - 12:50 am

#19 Where Are the Fat Chinese?? - For the last several weeks, I have used this column as both a travel log of my trip to south China as well as a forum for health related subjects. This is probably the last column I will write specific to my Asian adventures, though I will continue to provide information on medical qigong and other Asian health practices. - Read more...
Wednesday - November 19, 2003 - 12:50 am

Travel Log #5: Overcoming Preconceived Notions Part 2 - Zhongshan - There is no tie-dye in southern China but you can buy European pointy-toed shoes extending so far beyond the foot they look like elf shoes. There are no fresh, raw vegetables to be had in restaurants; everything is cooked, including the lettuce. There are no table manners as we know them; it is acceptable to reach across your dining companions, slop food everywhere, and slurp your noodles. However, you are expected to cover your mouth with your free hand while you pick your teeth with the other. To say that I experienced a myriad of cultural differences between the west and the People's Republic of China, what we used to freely call Communist China, is an understatement. There is a rhythm to the movements and social graces of China that westerners observe with awe and without understanding. "How can they do that?", we want to know. - Read more...
Thursday - November 06, 2003 - 12:50 am

Travel Log #4: On the Bus to Guangzhou - Bike with cart piled high with boxes leaning forward, Rider leaning forward struggling to peddle.- Read more...
Saturday - October 25, 2003 - 12:45 am

Travel Log #3: Overcoming Preconceived Notions - Like many westerners, I came to The People's Republic of China with my own ideas of what it was all about. I envisioned rice paddies, poverty, bicycles, rickshaws, everyone wearing Mao suits, and armed guards standing about everywhere I went. I knew the country would be entirely grey and brown, with only the color being the occasional red. This is not the first time I've been wrong, but it is certainly one of my biggest misconceptions. My month in China is limited geographically to Hong Kong, Zhongshan, and Zhongzhou, the capitol of Guangdong Province. Each area is very different and has its own unique properties, none of which did I anticipate. - Read more...
Thursday - October 23, 2003 - 12:45 am

Travel Log #2: The Art of Chinese Massage - When we go for massage in the west, we have certain expectations: flannel sheets, aromatic oils, hot stones, aroma therapy, soft music, cushions and bolsters, low lighting. We have come to consider these things an integral part of the massage experience. Not so in China. I have had a massage of some type, reflexology or full body, nearly every day I have been in this country, and it is not at all akin to its western counterpart. - Read more...
Thursday - October 16, 2003 - 12:45 am

Travel Log #1: Post SARS China - Greetings from Zhong Shan, China! Originally, I planned to stop my column while on my study trip in China. However, with the advent of email, it seemed that I could continue to make some contribution from here. It may end up being part travel log and part health column, but let's see what develops. - Read more...
Tuesday - October 07, 2003 - 1:15 am

#18 Off To China... Greetings, On September 25th, I am off for a month of study in China and my Sitnews articles will be on hold till I return. I will be spending that time with my teacher, Master Luke Chan, studying Level 3, Chi-Lel Qigong. Regular readers will recall previous articles on medical qigong and other aspects of Chinese Medicine. Chi-Lel is a medical style that I teach and employ in my acupressure practice. - Read more...
Tuesday - September 23, 2003 - 1:00 am

#17 How Long Can You Hold Your Breath, Part 2 - In my last article, I wrote about smoking. I took the reader through a tour of the dangers and addictive nature of smoking, and how the tobacco manufacturers would never get tobacco products past the FDA and EPA if they were new products today. - Click here to read more...
Thursday - August 21, 2003 - 12:30 am

#16 How Long Can You Hold Your Breath - In a small one person office at Ketchikan General Hospital's Prevention Services works a part-time person who is on a campaign to erradicate smoking. On behalf of the non- & ex-smokers, thanks for trying so hard and good luck. - Click here to read more....
Saturday - July 26, 2003 - 12:45 am

#15 Peace Health Corp. Holds Points - Several months ago, I was sitting in a dark theatre with friends, Diane and Anna. We were enjoying the ballet except for the repeated interruption of Anna's percussive coughing. She tried sucking on a lozenge and going out for a drink of water. Still, her nagging cough persisted. After some period of time, I leaned over to her and whispered to her, "press down onto your sternal notch and just hold it." Being a nurse, she understood my directions and I demonstrated briefly. Anna sat and pressed, and we watched the ballet in relative comfort. - Click here to read more...
Friday - June 20, 2003 - 12:20 am

#14 Jan's Story By Jan Lively - This article by my friend, Jan Lively, is a reprint from the current Chi-Lel Qigong Newsletter. It is an amazing testament to the healing power of chi, the life-force energy. In publishing it in Sitnews, I hope it brings encouragement and hope to those in need that they do not have to be victims of their disease or debilitation. It is used with her permission. -- Joann Flora - Click here to read more...
Friday - May 30, 2003 - 12:30 am

#13 Spring Cleaning...
Monday - May 12, 2003 - 1:15 pm

#12 Immune Support...
Monday - March 31, 2003 - 8:40 pm

#11 Networking Toward Better Health...
Thursday - March 06, 2003 - 12:25 pm

#10 CHI-LEL QIGONG: MEDICAL QIGONG...
Wednesday - February 19, 2003 - 12:55 pm

#9 Using Alternative Medicine In A Complimentary Fashion...
Tuesday - February 04, 2003 - 9:15 pm

#8 Ringing in the New Year!...
Wednesday - January 08, 2003 - 12:10 am

 #7 Mustering What it Takes to Be Proactive in Our Own Health...
Sunday - December 15, 2002 - 11:30 pm

#6 The Season of Goodies...
Thursday - November 21, 2002 - 11:00 pm

#5 Chiropractic Care...
Sunday - November 10, 2002 - 10:45 am

#4 Acupressure ...
Wednesday - October 30, 2002 - 7:55 pm

#3 Health Benefits of Massage ...
Friday - October 18, 2002 - 11:45 pm

#2 Cold and Flu Season ...
Wednesday - October 09, 2002 - 2:05 pm

#1 Complimentary Health Care Options ...
Wednesday - October 02, 2002 - 10:30 pm