Northwest Gold Coast

Highline Public Schools is hoping to utilize a simple change to their daily schedule that has massive potential for change in student behavior and performance in school. This schedule change is known as Recess Before Lunch (RBL).

RBL reverses the school system’s longstanding practice of having lunch first followed by recess resulting in students rushing through lunch and wasting food in order to leave for recess earlier. This new schedule switches things up in order to improve food intake by allowing more time to calmly and casually consume food, reduce food waste, increase milk consumption, and improve the overall quality of dining experiences for the students. This, in turn, benefits in-class behavior and performance because students return to class calmer and ready to learn and are no longer distracted by hunger or poor dietary habits resulting in fewer visits to the school nurse and fewer discipline problems.

The RBL schedule has been garnering attention in recent years with positive results from Montana elementary schools that have tested this interesting school wellness strategy. Thirteen Highline elementary schools have implemented the RBL schedule including Cedarhurst, Gregory Heights, Hilltop, Madrona, and Shorewood Elementary as the most recent schools. These schools will be measuring food waste, school nurse visits, academic performance, and behavior. For more information go to http://www.hsd401.org/.

Tags: Education, Health by Jordan Comar
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Getting a child to stop thumb sucking can prove next to impossible.  Many parents try quick fixes like putting tabasco sauce or bandaids on their child’s thumb.  Sometimes it works, but more often than not the child goes right back to sucking their thumb anytime it’s free.

Mory Manca’s three daughters were serious thumbsuckers.  He tried everything to get them to stop, but nothing worked, and that’s when he came up with the idea for the Thumbuster.

So what is a Thumbuster? It’s a glove-like device made of Lycra and velcro that covers the thumb and is attached using a band around the wrist.  And, most importantly, it works!  Just look at the testimonials on their website!

The Thumbuster is such an effective product that King 5′s Evening Magazine did a piece on it in 2009, that was so popular they ran it again in August 2010.

Tags: Health, Shopping by Amanda Dorough
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One of the primary providers in a woman’s healthcare routine is a gynecologist.  The decision making process of selecting one can be based on many different factors.  Many times, having a doctor highly recommended by a friend or family member is how we base our decision.  Other times, you may take into consideration what your personal needs might be.  Do you need a gynecologist who is also a practicing obstetrician?  Do you have a preference in having a male or female doctor?  Finding a gynecologist who is accepted by your insurance plan is also something to consider, but many of us will make our decisions based on word of mouth from people we know and trust, by asking questions, and inquiring about the doctor’s experience and skill. 

As a highly skilled and respected doctor, Dr. Myong J. Roe, MD is a board certified gynecologist with over 40 years experience.  Serving in the US Navy as a resident in Obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Roe eventually opened a practice in Auburn, WA.  From 1986 through the present, he currently is on staff with St. Francis Community Hospital, but operates his own practice in Federal Way, WA.  Dr. Roe’s medical specialties include gynecology, general women’s health, gynecological surgery as a minimally invasive surgery specialist, and urogynecology.   Dr Roe is also an expert in the areas of most female cancers, endometriosis, pelvic organ prolapsed and urinary incontinence.  While he currently no longer practices as an obstetrician, his calm and caring bedside manner provides a comfortable environment for his patients as he listens to your needs, questions and concerns. 

For more information on Dr Roe, details on his medical specialties, and what to expect at your first appointment, go to:  http://www.federalwaygynecologist.com/

Tags: Health, Services by Michelle Leonard
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As an alternative to traditional psychotherapy and mental health counseling, art therapy is an effective way to allow people to express themselves through painting, drawing, clay work, sculpting, and collage art.  Engaging in this process can allow people to cope with everyday life experiences and help to define inner strengths.  It can also determine hidden difficulties related to emotional problems, medical illnesses such as cancer, anxiety, depression, grief and loss and divorce.  Where some therapy sessions ask you to talk about yourself and your issues, art therapy helps you to visualize your feelings and express them through a variety of art modulation techniques.  Art therapists are trained in both therapy and art.

With more and more children being diagnosed with autism each year, art therapy has also become a very effective treatment for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  This type of treatment for autism can help with improved ability to imagine and think, recognize and respond to facial expressions as well as helping with sensory issues and fine motor skills.

For counseling and art therapy sessions in the Seattle area, Studio Mene was started in 2004 by licensed mental health counselor and registered art therapist, Mineko Takada-Dill. In addition to Seattle’s North end office, Mineko also works with the Highline School District and Childhaven, serving adults, adolescence and children and their families.  Born and raised in Japan, Mineko has many years experience in art education working with metal work, graphics art, textiles art which led to a teaching certificate in art. Teaching in a specialized school in Japan, Mineko found that for children with severe developmental and physical challenges, art was a joy for them and stimulated their sensories and creative process.  This further led to her graduating from an art therapy program at New York University. Mineko eventually ended up in Seattle, Washington where she has ran her own practice for the last 10 years offering counseling and art therapy sessions for individuals, groups, families, and children.  Consultations and workshops also available.

For more information and how art therapy can benefit you or a loved one, please visit:www.studiomene.com.

Tags: Health, Services by Michelle Leonard
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Vitamin D, also known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’, has  a  number of health related benefits that may surprise you.   Many of us have often associated this vitamin with strong bone health and growth, but numerous studies have shown that diets high in vitamin D can contribute to so much more than just that.

As we age, less vitamin D is converted to it’s active form and bone density decreases.   In assisting the body in absorbing calcium, this vitamin can lessen the affects of arthritis and joint pain, as well as greatly decrease your chances of osteoporosis.  Research has shown that vitamin D has several effects on your immune system function and may decrease the risk of several auto-immune diseases, decreasing your risk of high blood pressure and hypertension, as well as helping to fight off diabetes, gum disease, cancer and multiple sclerosis.     Studies have shown that individuals with the highest blood levels of vitamin D have decreased their chances of colon cancer by nearly half.

Since vitamin D is naturally present in very few foods, and added to others, a supplement may be the best way to get your daily dose.   It has been recommended that adults should have 1000 IU of vitamin D daily, but newer studies are suggesting 2000 IU a day in many adults, or higher for individuals living in sunlight deprived regions, such as our beautiful Pacific Northwest.   Other ways to get your D could be as little as 20 minutes a day of direct sunlight, dairy products, fish that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and Cod liver oil supplements.

To get your daily dose we recommend you grab some sunshine while you can this spring and summer.

Tags: Health by Michelle Leonard
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Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Ancient Proverb

Many enjoy honey simply because it tastes good.

Others know that honey, man’s oldest sweetener, is an effective calmer of coughs or ulcers when ingested with warm tea. Honey is also a natural antiseptic for wounds and, because it has the ability to attract water, it can be used as a face mask or mixed with olive oil to be used as a hair moisturizer.

Yet recent media stories have scared many people off from buying honey with reports that much of the honey sold in the United States is tainted with contaminants or watered down.

So where can one find healthy honey?

Some of the best honey in the world comes to the United States via locally owned, Ritrovo Italian Regional Foods, LLC. For 10 years husband and wife team, Ron Post and Ilyse Rathet have been honey devotees and they have helped bring the hand-crafted honey products of Dr. Paolo Pescia to the US market.

Pescia, a passionate second-generation honey maker, transports his apiaries (beehives) to seasonally-flowering zones and protected national parks located from Italy’s Tuscan coast to its hills. He uses this practice to produce monofloral (one flower) honeys of stunning quality and flavor. All production is done by hand, including the scraping of the honey from their combs. Contrary to the reports of adulteration in some imported honey, Pescia’s honeys, like many other limited-production honeys, are free from chemicals and contaminants. In fact, Pescia honeys have “proudly” passed several lab analyses for the Chinese-based contaminant choloramphenicol, which has never been discovered in honey “Made in Italy”.

Pescia Honeys can be purchased locally at Poggi Bonsi Cucina at 907 S. 152nd Street in Olde Burien.

Varieties of honey are as follows.

Acacia Honey by Dr. Pescia – From a national park in Northeast Tuscany, this golden, liquid honey is extremely floral, perfect for drizzling on pastries or Sunday morning French toast.

Blackberry Honey from Dr. Pescia – Available seasonally, this rare, lush honey produced from bees visiting ripe fall blackberries in the Tuscan countryside. Its deep flavor is perfect for fruit desserts, quick breads, and meats–including game meats.

Cardoon Flower Honey by Dr. Pescia – available seasonally.

Corbezzolo Honey by Dr. Pescia – available seasonally.

Chestnut Honey by Dr. Pescia – The bees are transported to chestnut woods in the hills near the Pescia farm for the production of a transparent, bronze-colored, pourable honey with a potent, molasses-like bouquet and flavor. Ideal as a condiment for cheese plates.

Ivy Flower Honey by Dr. Pescia – available seasonally.

Sulla Honey by Dr. Pescia – From the flowers of a wild local legume in the Tuscan Hills, this light and delicate honey has a velvety texture, making it a delicious addition to tea or coffee. Also use it in any sauce reduction.

Sunflower Honey by Dr. Pescia – available seasonally.

Wild Heather Honey by Dr. Pescia – From the expanses of heather facing the Mediterranean near the Pescia farm, this honey has a slightly crystalline structure and intense yet balanced suite of flavors. Excellent as a dessert topping, elegant over pancetta, and simply wonderful on ice cream.

Enjoy this vignette of one of Post and Rathet’s visits to a Dr. Pescia honey territory.

Or check out this recipe for Honey Panna Cotta.

Tags: Health, Shopping by Elizabeth Paulsen
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