The annual health fair at the Telluride Medical Center takes place Saurday, October 8, 2011, between the hours of 8-11 AM. Listen to the conversation between Sasha Cucciniello and Primary Care manager, Eric C....
by Dan Hehir, MD
Here in Telluride the arrival of autumn is heralded by many events. We all recognize the cool mornings and changing of the aspens as signs of fall, but here at theTelluride Medical Center the first sign is the arrival of this years’ influenza vaccine. While many of us may respond to these seasonal cues by taking winter clothes out of the closet, making sure the ski gear is in order, or stacking firewood, I would like all of us to add getting a flu shot to that regimen.
Influenza is a viral illness that affects hundreds of thousands of US citizens a year. When calculating the suffering, death, lost work and productivity, the impact is quite severe. While there has been a lot of attention paid to pandemic flu in the media in the past few years it is important to note that the seasonal flu has great impacts to us all. Indeed it is estimated that it is involved with the deaths of about 36,000 US citizens a year. Fortunately, we have yearly flu shots that can protect us from this insidious virus.
(ed. note: Dr. Hackett's discussion about altitude sickness is part of an ongoing series, "To Your Health" brought to you by the Telluride Medical Center. See this link for an introduction to the series.)
by Dr. Peter Hackett
The symptoms of altitude sickness are much like those of a hangover: headache predominates, and there may be queasiness, fatigue, irritability, dizziness, and trouble sleeping. These symptoms typically come on within 24 hours of arrival to over 8000 ft from low altitude (less than 3000 ft). They usually resolve in 24 hours without treatment, and sooner with ibuprofen or oxygen or descent to a lower altitude.
Ginkgo successfully prevented mountain sickness in some studies, but not in others. It seems that the exact ingredients vary in different preparations, so effectiveness varies. It is safe and non-prescription, and the dose is 100 mg twice a day starting a few days before travel to altitude.
Editor's note: Don't miss mushroom cook-off at the Wilkinson Public Library. Starts noon today and feaures Blakely Stein, executive chef, J.B.& Me; Jesse Mirman, executive chef, Honga's; Lewis Williams & Lucas Price, chef/owner La Cocina De Luz; and Benjamin Steendlik, reigning Champion Mushroom Chef. Which of them will be Grand Master of the Mushroom Parade on Saturday?
Looking for a glimmer of hope in the world? Look down. We are talking about mycelium and their fruit, mushrooms. Fungi are the stars of the Telluride Shroomfest, Thursday, August 18 – Sunday, August 21– and maybe the planet. Just ask guest speaker Paul Stamets.
“Music is medicine and plays an important part in cultivating a deeper awareness; it allows our spirit to move into the spirit world where this transformation occurs," Martin Klabunde
Remember the old Beach Boys song about "good vibrations." There's a variation on that theme this coming weekend at the Telluride Yoga Center.
Friday, August 19 – Sunday, August 21, the Telluride Yoga Center hosts "Collective Awakening," which begins with a night of indigenous music, followed by a day of meditation, sacred music, drumming, dance and ceremony and then one day of Adungu (Ugandan bow harp) and drum classes. As an added bonus (though not part of the workshop), Telluride Yoga Center owner/yoga instructor Kristin Taylor's Sunday morning class will be accompanied by live music.
[click "Play" to hear Lisa Jacobs' conversation with Susan]
The laid back lux of Spa Linnea is just one of many reasons tourists might choose to stay at Hotel Madeline. "That's nice," you say as a local, "but what's in it for me?" Turns out, plenty.
On Sunday, August 21, 10 am – 3 p.m., Spa Linnea hosts a launch party of a new line, Naturopathica, and everyone, guest, local, is welcome to come to enjoy mimosas, light bites, a mini-facial, body melt foot therapy, a mineral makeup makeover and a spa gift. And should you fall in love with the place– which you will after all that pampering – Spa Linnea has a SpaFit Monthly Member program anyone can join.
[click "Play", Ashley talks with Susan about micro flare jeans] Everything old is new again. This week's installment of Telluride Inside...
Here's what the Telluride Yoga Center does not offer: hip-hop yoga or yoga for dogs. (Yep, those variations on the theme are out there, along with circus yoga, acrobatic yoga, even Christian yoga, also not on the schedule.) Otherwise, Telluride's original yoga studio, located at 201 West Colorado Avenue, Suite 200, in the historic Nugget Building, offers something for everyone.
And that means you. Even if you are not young and buff. Even if you can't bend like pretzel. Even if you have nagging injuries. Even if you you are a jock who gets plenty of exercise. Maybe especially if you are a jock who gets plenty of exercise, but has no clue how to breath or simply need to chill out. My teacher, Gary Kraftsow, of the American Viniyoga Institute, once defined yoga at the level of asana (postures) as "flossing for the spine." What could be more basic than spine health.
The eighth annual Riverfront Park Fashion Show brings some of fashion’s best and brightest to Denver’s Riverfront neighborhood. The theme is “Classic” but don’t expect to see your mother’s flat knit and pearls strutting down the catwalk. This year the “Crack Pack” is sure to have fashion addicts hooked on the edgy, youthful looks that define classic in a fresh new way.
Fashion Friday is all Telluride's Two Skirts spotting trends and highlighting designers worth noting, then bringing it all down to a local level. This week fashionista Ashley Deppen focuses on Mischa Lampert.
Alright already. I don't want to wish away the summer either, but Lampert's chunky wool hats are special: hand knit wool head gear that act like winter armor, but also have great style. Her Sailor Fur number with its slightly conical shape makes you look like a character out of "Lord of the Rings." And I mean that in the very cute elfin sense. The earflaps on the Nolita model insulate you from the cold – and the world.
