Working for Your Health: Is old age over?
Few of us relish the thought of growing old. No matter how well we take care of ourselves, aging can bring unwelcome changes that are often painful and debilitating. Yet we are fortunate to...
Second Saturdays Strength Training
Emily Mizer, co-owner of Strong Martha Boxing Gym, teaches a free, public “Second Saturdays Strength Training” class every month at the Oak Bluffs library.
Before jumping in, I wanted to learn a bit about her...
Menopause, then and now
Menopause is a natural part of aging, ushering women into their next life stage. It occurs when women’s ovaries stop producing hormones, and they have not had a period or spotting for an entire year.
While...
Connect to End Violence crisis hotline
“You are not alone. We are here to help” runs in bold letters across the top of the Connect to End Violence webpage. Connect is a dual domestic violence program and rape crisis center,...
On My Way: Raking for stuffed quahogs
I looked over the water. The first light with hints of yellow and orange was on the surface. My head hurt a little from want of coffee and sleep. The pond appeared a little...
Balancing and healing with crystals
Crystals are more than pretty objects to admire. They are used in a noninvasive, energy-based healing mode to realign our body's energy.
Some 6,000 years ago, the Sumerians of Mesopotamia believed in crystals’ healing properties. Traditional...
Flu vaccines for 2024
Influenza is a very serious health risk, and can be fatal. The Centers for Disease Control reported estimates of influenza disease burden in the U.S. for the 2023 – 24 season (Oct. 1, 2023,...
M.V. Cancer Support Group celebrates 30 years
No one needs to face cancer alone; that’s the message that comes through loud and clear when speaking with M.V. Cancer Support Group board members Annemarie Donahue, Margie Meltzer, and Myra Stark. These women...
Working for Your Health: Community health center scrambling after Leslie’s closure
As news of the closure of Leslie’s Pharmacy reverberates across the Island community, local agencies are scrambling to assist vulnerable patients who relied on the longtime pharmacists for advice and prescriptions.
Leslie’s, a Vineyard Haven...
On My Way: Becham was love
The harmony sounded from the trees. I looked to see. The tops bent and swayed. The branches swirled and the leaves fluttered. The morning hike was for Becham. A loving terrier-mix, Becham had been...
Dukes County Health Council: Take the plunge
Watching athletes like Katie Ledecky and Torri Huske take home the gold during the Paris Olympics has inspired some of us to take to the water. These superstar athletes are doing more than making...
Healthy Thinking
Two years ago, almost to the day, I lost my mother to Alzheimer’s disease, which took us both through six trying years. With a close-up view, I thought I was familiar with the lay...
Lyme from the inside out
A few years ago Laura Indigo presented a program at the Chilmark library about her work as a Functional Nutritional Therapist. Though not able to attend, it piqued my interest and I reached out....
Darkness into Vineyard light
For anyone who has or knows anyone who has wrestled with suicide or died from it, all can seem pretty dark. Seven years ago, a group of concerned Islanders organized a yearly walk to...
National Recovery Month
September is National Recovery Month. The prologue to this was (is) Overdose Awareness Day, where those who have passed away from an overdose were remembered, and their lives — as well as their fight...
Lone Star, Oak Mite bites? — a welter of questions
Are you among the legions of Islanders with small insect bites particularly on your feet and ankles? Are you mystified because you can never see these critters even though their bites are like small...
On My Way: Happy trails
Smiles poured over us. We had made the top. After a 3½-day road trip, countless miles on I-80 through America’s vast and endless cornfields, motels, and McDonald's breakfast sandwiches, even a stop at the...
Working for Your Health: Summertime blues
On Martha’s Vineyard, as August swelters on, the crowds have come. Seemingly overnight, the number of people on our 96-square-mile Island skyrocketed from an ample 20,500 to a staggering 100,000.
The stressors related to summer...
Volunteers make a difference at M.V. Hospital, Windemere
This summer, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Windemere welcomed more than a dozen volunteers, making the newly relaunched Volunteer Program a great success. With summer winding down, Michele Moore, volunteer coordinator, is actively recruiting volunteers...
On My Way: Passage to South Beach
The original plan was to paddle from within the Lagoon to the Edgartown Lighthouse. But some four hours later as we battled a headwind it was clear to me South Beach was the destination.
My...