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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 2016)
6 in other words/community march3 2016 Natural Path to Health: A Progressive New Year By Dr. Carol McIntyre I wish you all a happy Chinese New Year in 2016 ~ the year of the Monkey. This year will bring many different opportunities. It will be a year to be curious about new ventures. The Monkey has positive qualities of intelligence, confidence, optimism and fun. Monkey also has other more negative qualities of arrogance, vanity, selfishness and recklessness. Take all of these attributes in stride and be willing to take intelligent risks in order to obtain more fulfillments in your life. Chinese New Year began on February 8 th this year. This is considered the “Spring Festival” in China, one of the most important. It is a time to cleanse your home and surroundings, ridding your space of dirt/bad luck and making room to invite in new good luck. Traditionally the color red is used to signify protection and good fortune. This year of the Monkey is a yang/metal year so be ready for a lot of energy to be circulating. At the office there are things circulating too! I am creating a new space upstairs to include multiple detoxification tools such as the personal infrared sauna, infrared foot bath and inversion table. There will also be a space where people can relax and listen to meditation CDs. This space will be available to anyone during regular Living With ALS business hours. There will be individual fees for each unit or a package fee for use of everything in the space. I plan to have the space ready for use by March 1 st and to add some other physiotherapeutic modalities over the next few months. By creating this new space I will also be creating space in the waiting area. Having the extra space in the waiting area will allow me to begin giving regular lectures which I have wanted to do for some time now. Please let me know your topics of interest! Topics I already plan to lecture on are thyroid, food sensitivity, inflammation and auto-immune disease. I would also love to have a night of sharing~ when individuals come together to offer things they have been researching. We all have a wealth of knowledge to share. Jeff Dolan, Reiki Master, will still be available by appointment at the office. He is working on expanding his practice by including animal Reiki and by doing house calls. I am very excited for him to be here in our community and offer his service in a more diverse way. Please contact him directly for scheduling at 971-275-6228. Blessings to you all for a progressive new year! May the influence of the Monkey bring you fortune and opportunity of the very best stature. I look forward to seeing you soon. Thanks for joining me. Be well~ continued from front page and her dependence on others to assist her intensify. sent to local ALS specialist Dr. Kimberly Goslin, who entific understanding regarding the physiology of this Recently Pam invited me to visit with her and diagnosed her with ALS. By that time she needed a disease. Although there is not yet a cure or treatment help her raise awareness about those suffering from cane or even a walker to move around. “They couldn’t that halts or reverses ALS, scientists have made signifi- ALS. What I learned was that, even through all the determine what it was because nothing showed up on cant progress in learning more. But without additional changes and challenges that ALS presents, Pam breakthroughs, her doctors have told Kofstad she and her family have remained positive, optimistic, has two to five years to live. “There are so many things that are a and hopeful - positive that every day she will try *** struggle, but I have a system and I just her best, with a smile on her face; optimistic that Even with such an unfavorable prognosis Kof- slow down and try not to get frustrated. she can handle the challenges each day will pres- stad and her family have not given up hope and ent; and hopeful that a cure may soon be found. continue to try to live each day to its fullest, keep- Because that's not going to help, all it ing a positive attitude and, amazingly, a wry sense *** does is take more energy if I get upset ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a of humor. about it. I have all day... I'm in no hurry.” progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects Kofstad and her family will share their story nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Ac- of living with ALS and help the The ALS Associa- cording to the ALS Association A-myo-trophic comes my MRIs,” says Kofstad. “I was perfectly healthy, but I tion fundraise for local care services and research on from the Greek language. “A” means no. “Myo” refers couldn’t move my toes and my feet. I was tripping and Saturday, March 12, 2016 at their “Spring Into Action to muscle, and “Trophic” means nourishment – “No falling all the time.” ALS Dinner & Auction Gala” at the Portland Conven- muscle nourishment.” When a muscle has no nour- Recent years have brought a wealth of new sci- tion Center. Kofstad will have two tables of family ishment, it “atrophies” or wastes and friends join her at the event. A away. “Lateral” identifies the areas professional film crew spent several in a person’s spinal cord where por- days with her recently in preparation tions of the nerve cells that signal for her big evening and the presen- and control the muscles are located. tation. “The ALS Association does As this area degenerates it leads to several events throughout the year scarring or hardening (“sclerosis”) to raise awareness, collect donations in the region. ALS may affect any- and to reach out,” explains Kofstad. one, anywhere, although it usually “They called me and asked if they strikes people between the ages of could do my story. It’s quite an hon- 40 and 70. Approximately 30,000 or to be asked and it’s getting pretty Americans can have the disease at exciting now. Being part of raising any given time. awareness makes me feel good.” Two years ago Kofstad first *** began to show symptoms when she During the year since she was slowly started losing the ability to diagnosed with ALS, Kofstad has move the toes on her left foot. Kofs- seen her daily life become more tad spent a year visiting doctors and challenging. She has difficulty having tests run, searching for an an- breathing deeply and her speaking swer to what was causing her prob- voice is becoming raspy and lems. She had six MRIs and sought labored. As her symptoms have medical advice from four different worsened she has progressed from Pam on vacation with her family in July, 2015. neurologists before she was finally continued on page 10 VERNONIA VernoniaChiro.com Joseph Dombek, DC (971) 248-4055 Now Accepting New Patients 610 Bridge Street • Vernonia, OR 97064 START RIGHT. START HERE. SM Donʻt wait for the sun! Get your MOWERS tuned up now! 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