May 2011
When Ed Smaglik finished up his practice games before the U.S. Bowling Congress Open Championship in June 2009, he sensed something was amiss. He’d suffered lower back issues a couple of times a year from overuse.
“I’m a guy, so I just lived with it,” he said, though he usually took time out from marathon running, cross training, and, of course, bowling to nurse it. This was a big event, so Smaglik pushed through. Several days and 120 games later, his back rebelled. He limped away from the competition–one in which he regularly won thousands of dollars–to seek urgent care for the sharp pain. Continue reading “Getting Back the Back”
When asked how she began quilting 20 years ago, Joan Scott laughs and says, “I took a class, and it took over my life.” Looking around her Cliff Rose studio, it is easy to understand how the patterns, textures and palettes could mesmerize a soul.
Waves of sound float up as I lie on the monochord Soundwave bed. Thrumming bass notes resonate through my body. Sitting beside me, Kelly McCabe chants, his cascading vocals trailing into a breathy falsetto. A rushing in my head drowns out the world, and I am encouraged to let go, to join something greater. The lyrical grandeur builds, and in my mind’s eye, a ring of rocky ridges appears. Light lifts from these peaks to form immense balls of flame, and then, disintegrate. 
When the scale creaks and so do your joints, don’t despair. With some new habits, that creak could become the soothing whir of a spinner bike and restful sleep. Most of us eat too much over the holidays, but even a month-long eating extravaganza won’t create stiff muscles and double-digit poundage. Aging, a sedentary existence and busy schedule, plus food on the go for eleven months might be the culprit though.
And within those eleven months lies the solution. Consider this: If it took eleven months or even eleven years to slowly morph from toned to tubby, give yourself at least a reasonable amount of time to build a better self. One of the biggest killers of a resolution to lose weight or shape up is overdoing it. So start slow, not gung-ho. 
Posture is the position or bearing of the body whether characteristic or assumed. The functional problem with posture arises when we assume a pose to walk around. Robert E. Dahl of Dahl Chiropractic Clinics said, “The head is heavy—about 10 pounds—and we’ll hold it in whatever way necessary to keep pressure off the nerves. If there is difficulty, our musculo-skeletal system gives off pain signals, but the brain sends messages to realign for proper flow to keep vital organs functioning.” 
Touch is healing. We recognize and respond to a pat on the back, holding hands or a hug. Massage takes it the notion of touch as healing farther. And it can be especially beneficial to those who live alone or to someone who longs for a few minutes alone. 
Arriving at the defunct Bita Hochee Trading Post on the Navajo reservation, it was impossible to miss its striking butte. Bita Hochee means “red rock runs through it.” The trading post — north of Holbrook and about a two-hour drive from Flagstaff — serves as the studio for celebrated Navajo artist Redwing Nez. 
When entering the Merchants Gathering in Jerome—an old filling station complete with pump—visitors often find Cody DeLong, brush in hand. On a Friday, he carefully daubed drab olive paint on a canvas to bring a relic truck to life. Whether he is mixing oils for a still life or a landscape, his subjects are often right around the corner.
Mary suffered from insomnia for years. The challenges of balancing a high-powered job and a blended family created stress in the important areas of her life. She met her fiftieth birthday sleep-deprived and depressed. After repeated efforts by her primary care doctor failed, Mary (who asked her full name not be used) sought integrated help at the Center for Creative Change. 
The Collins family appears lucky. It can claim three multi-million dollar lottery winners through its relatives. One of the family wins, a Catholic brother-in-law, stopped to pray on his way home from work and used the posted hymn numbers from a service as his picks. One might say, “God is good,” but psychology experts stress the power of positive thinking and gathering good to you as well.