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final update May 10, 2001
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TODAY'S
FEATURE
The
Conversation of Birds
A bedside account of one woman's passing and the loved ones who
showed her the way -- with birdsong.
Frankie is slipping away. She has never fully recovered from her
surgery for gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Weakened by emphysema,
cancer now races through her body, and the hospice nurses, when
pressed, say they do not expect her to live more than a few more
days. Like consumed lovers, we enter a world isolated from external
time and context, and in which she has become the center of our
small, unblinking universe. Through life, birds have taught Frankie
the beauty of stillness and the virtue of becoming invisible, and
as she faced death, she passed these lessons on to us. We are like
birders watching a rare species disappear.
Read on in
Real Life |

RECENT
FEATURES
Waiting for the Promised Miracle
A permanent cure for insulin-dependent
diabetes? Maybe so. As researchers perfect the transplant of the
pancreas' fragile islet cells, more and more diabetics can hope
for a life free of insulin injections.
Read on in
Public Health
Inching Toward Weight Loss
Every
day, millions of people try to lose weight or to avoid gaining
it. Even so, Americans are losing the battle of the bulge and
increasing their health risks. But a healthy weight can be simple
to attain -- nutritionist Elaine Gavalas shares the way to shed
pounds wisely.
Read on in
Living Well
Striking a Balance
If you think you have to choose
between alternative and conventional health care paths, think
again. Registered pharmacist Christopher Turf explains how "integrative
medicine" combines the best of both worlds.
Read on in
Alternative Health
Cancer: Heredity, Not Destiny
Recent discoveries about "cancer genes" may
be promoting a fatalistic attitude about cancer: You've either got cancer-causing
gene and're doomed, or don't have it in the clear. recent study dispels this myth,
concluding that lifestyle choices are overwhelming factor
development -- prevention.
Read on in
Living Well
Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity: What's the Connection?
The incidence of type 2 diabetes continues
to rise, and a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition, which can result in
obesity, may be the culprits. Although a newly discovered hormone may one day
be the key to new remedies for the disease, a healthy lifestyle is still
the best preventative measure -- and treatment -- for type 2 diabetes.
Read on in
Living Well |

Almost every time I lie down to sleep my throat begins to
itch and I get a little congested which leads to coughing.
My throat is not at all sore and I have no signs of a cold.
This has been going on for several weeks now. Is there any
apparent reason for this condition and is there anything
I can do about it?
You may be experiencing nasal drainage due to allergies,
which can lead to an irritated throat and then coughing.
You might try taking a nonprescription antihistamine like
Tavist®, Benadryl®,
or chlorpheniramine for a week or so to see if the medicine
dries up the nasal drainage and helps relieve your symptoms.
Please be sure to read and follow the directions on the
label of the medication you choose. If, after a week or
so, these symptoms do not improve, please contact your doctor
for further evaluation.
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