Diabetes Awareness Month – Screenings are critical to prevention

Brandywine Hospital encourages community members to get tested   Coatesville – Each year, more than a million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes. And though the condition can largely be managed through proper diet, exercise and medication, many individuals with diabetes will develop serious health complications during their lives. That’s why diabetes screenings are so important. With early...

Tooth loss is more than a cosmetic problem

Health impact of lost teeth can include mental, physical decline in old age By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times Tooth loss is more than just uncomfortable.   While reading a journal article I discovered a study from London that was published in an American geriatrics journal. Apparently in a study of adults over age 60 those who had lost all of their teeth had a more significant...

Cooking up ways to feed family on budget

Program at Coatesville Library will stress healthy, economical meals  While the children enjoy Lil’ Critters at the Coatesville Library, parents are invited to participate in free cooking and nutrition instruction. Cindy Seigafuse from the Penn State Extension will be demonstrating delicious, healthful meals starting Feb. 11 and running through March 4 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon. The program,...

State warns of approaching unhealthy air mass

Those with respiratory problems urged to limit outdoor activity Saturday Harrisburg – The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its regional air quality partnerships have forecast a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day on Saturday, Feb. 1, due to the unseasonably warm air mass moving in this weekend. DEP and the partnerships urge residents sensitive to air pollution to limit outdoor...

Pa. receives poor grade for reducing tobacco use

Report from Am. Lung Assn. cites failures that are costing lives Pennsylvania received grades ranging from failing to mediocre when it came to taking steps to reduce tobacco use in 2013, said a news release on Tuesday, Jan. 21, from the American Lung Association. Less than a week after the new Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health – which warns 5.6 million of today’s youth will die...

Coatesville-area smokers invited to kick butts

Free program to encourage quitting includes nicotine replacement therapy A free smoking-cessation program will be held at the Coatesville Library on Monday evenings from Jan. 27 through March 3. Breathe easier. Live longer. Save money. Improve the environment.  These are among multiple reasons to quit smoking, and now ChesPenn Health Services wants to make the task easier with a free program to assist...

Happy Dental New Year

A new year could mean new insurance and different rules and fees By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times January is the month of renewal, time to start over, make some healthy changes or break some old habits.  It is also a new year for most dental insurance plans. There is no perfect dental insurance plan, some plans will work better for you and your family.  Dental insurance plans...

The problem with goal setting

It’s good to have goals, but you need a plan to reach them By Dr. Matthew Lapp, Columnist, The Times If you are like many people, the beginning of a new year brings a clean slate that allows for new goals, resolutions, and opportunities.  For others, the new year brings a reminder of the resolutions we made in years past that have yet to be resolved, goals that have been king forgotten, or opportunities...

YMCAs to tout fitness opportunities at open houses

Area facilities will be  free on Sunday, Jan. 19, from noon to 3 p.m. On Sunday, Jan. 19, branches of the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley will be free and open to the public from noon until 3 p.m. Visitors will have a chance to swim in the pool, play games, work out, and check out the Y’s offerings. Non-members can also enter a drawing to receive a free three-month membership; one will be awarded...

Don’t ‘should’ on yourself

Making overly hard judgments about yourself isn’t productive By Dr. Matthew Lapp, Columnist, The Times As another year end quickly approaches, this is a great time to take a moment away from the rush of the holidays and reflect on the past year. Many of us started the year with resolutions, goals, and intentions about how 2013 would unfold.  For some people, life may have happened exactly as...