Every week, Xpress posts a round up of wellness news gathered by contributor Wade Inganamort from a variety of Western North Carolina sources. Here’s a sampling of the latest tidbits, which you can find on mountainx.com.
Wellness from young to old(er)
"Wellness matters, whatever your age or social status (that goes for pets too). But even a quick look at the numbers reveals that many Asheville and Buncombe County residents face significant health challenges: Disease is the county’s leading cause of death; 59.6 percent of high schoolers use some form of tobacco; 57.5 percent of adults are overweight, along with about one-third of our kindergartners." — [Mountain Xpress]
Asheville lowers water fluoride levels
"National concerns over teeth discoloration, and in some rare cases bone problems, have led officials to lower fluoride levels in Asheville's regional water system. […] 'When questions about the acceptable fluoride concentration hit the press around the first of the year, I instructed our water production division to adjust our fluoride feed rate,' Asheville Water Resources director Steve Shoaf said.” — [Asheville Citizen-Times]
YWCA hosts “Go Red Day” Feb. 4 for women’s heart health
"February is Heart Month and a perfect time to focus on keeping your heart healthy and strong. In particular, Friday Feb. 4 is Go Red Day, a national day of awareness about women’s heart health (http://www.goredforwomen.org." — [Mountain Xpress]
Free event: Meditate with your pet with Alice McCall
"Pets enjoy meditation too! It's a great activity to share with your fuzzy friend with noticeable benefits. Come and learn how to meditate with your pet and experience a guided meditation with Alice. Sunday, Feb. 6, at Wag! a Unique Pet Boutique in Hendersonville." — [Facebook Events]
Clinic offers kids free dental care in Asheville, Buncombe County
"The all-volunteer clinic is a partnership between Eblen Charities, A-B Tech and the professional community. For the 12th year, it will help hundreds of Buncombe County students start off what they hope will be a healthier relationship with their teeth — and dentists.” — [Asheville Citizen—Times]
Park Ridge promotes healthiness at work
"Park Ridge Health wants more than just healthy patients — it wants its employees to hop on the wellness wagon, too. The wellness department at Park Ridge created a New Year, New You Challenge, designed to not only encourage healthy behavior, but to take its 1,100 employees one step further than weight loss, focusing on lean muscle accumulation." — [Asheville Citizen-Times]
With the rise in flu cases, Urgent Care Network offers limited free vaccines
"With the number of flu cases on the rise, Urgent Cares of America has nine urgent care locations that are offering free flu vaccine shots while supplies last. Locations include Asheville Urgent Care, Boone Urgent Care, Hendersonville Urgent Care, Clayton Urgent Care, FastMed of Cary, FastMed of Wake Forest, Fuquay Urgent Care, Urgent Care of Cary, and Wake Urgent Care.” — [PRnewswire]
Tell your true story at health care forum
"Life o’ Mike presents True Stories from 3 to 5 p.m., [Sunday], March 13, at First Baptist Church, 5 Oak St. Through the use of real-life stories from local residents, the event will illustrate the importance of the health care reforms signed into law recently and why the work isn’t over yet. There will be time for a question-and-answer period with a panel of experts on health care and access to care.” — [Asheville Citizen-Times]
National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS
“Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and homes are invited to join in prayer, education, advocacy and service during the 2011 National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, March 6 through 12. A Technical Assistance Center has been opened to assist groups with designing and planning appropriate activities, sermon development, incorporating HIV messages into study and education classes, and mobilizing and engaging members in HIV/AIDS prevention education. For more info, call (888) 225-6243 or visit www.nwpha.org.” — [WNCAP]
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