HEALTH AND WELLNESS

                                            WHY VISIT A DENTIST? Before the advent of modern dentistry, people commonly suffered toothache and tooth loss from their youth on. Many were disfigured by dark, crooked, on missing teeth. Toothless senior citizens suffered malnutrition and early death because they were unable to chew. Today, most dental patients can be free of toothache, keep their teeth throughout their life, and have a pleasing smile. How did modern dentistry achieve these three remarkable feats? Preventive dentistry, emphasizing education and regular checkups, has been a key factor in avoiding toothache and tooth loss. Thus, some have benefited so much from education in oral hygiene that they rarely need dental treatment. Nevertheless, many people avoid the dentist. Some neglect dental treatment out of indifference. Others are deterred by the expense. Still others are afraid. Whatever, your circumstance, it is worth asking: What can the dentist do for

                          Worldwide, about 2.5 million people have MS. That figure includes approximately 50,000 Canadians and 350,000 residents of the United States, where about 200 people are diagnosed with the disease every week. “With the exception of trauma, [MS is] the most frequent cause of neurologic disability in early to middle adulthood,” states one medical reference. And it affects nearly twice as many women as men, with the onset of symptoms usually occurring between the ages of 20 and 50. TOLA was driving home alone when suddenly her vision became blurred. She quickly stopped the car. After a few minutes, her sight cleared, and she continued on her way, attributing the incident to tiredness. Then, while on vacation four years later, TOLA awoke in the middle of the night with severe headache. She went to the hospital, where a doctor gave her an analgesic and kept her under observation, fearing a possible aneurysm. The next day the pain was gone. How

What would I do without tomatoes! Exclaims the Italian housewife. This is a sentiment shared by countless other cooks around the world. Indeed, the tomato features in recipes of many cultures. Homes gardeners grow it more than any other food. But is it a fruit or a vegetable? Botanically the tomato is a fruit because it is a berry containing seeds. However, most people think of it as a vegetable, as it is usually eaten with the main course of a meal. This tasty food has a fascinating past.                                                          COLORFUL HISTORY In Mexico the Aztecs cultivated the tomato for food. During the early 16 th century, returning Spanish conquistadores took it to Spain and, borrowing the Nahuati word tomatl, called it a TOMATE. Soon Spanish enclaves in Italy, North Africa, and the Middle East were enjoying the new delicacy. Later that century the tomato reached northern Europe. At first it was thought to be poisonous and was grown as a

                         INTERNAL HEALING MEDICINE CAN we overcome stress? If we can, should we? Today psychophysiologists are beginning to formulate models showing that stress, anxiety, and depression influence the body to create or aggravate mental and physical disorders. Greater stress and anxiety tend to degenerate the physical body and depress one’s mental outlook on the world.   Are there ways to reverse this process of physical degeneration while maximizing the condition under which positive attitudes, beliefs, and life-style changes can heal the afflicted body and mind?   The basic assumption at the root of current research is that there is both a psychological and a physical component to all disease. Another common assumption is that individual is able to exercise a marked degree of will power in the development, aggravation, and alleviation of these disorders.   From these assumptions one might conclude that a personal psychology or philosophy may ha