Today, the planet is taking a crash course on the limitations of modern medicine and the complications of human disease. It is a good time to look back and see what Saranac Lake’s history might teach us about public health.
From our place in the world of modern medicine and science, it can be easy to see healthcare in the past as quackery. Many visitors to the museum skeptically ask, “Was there anything to it? Was there any benefit to the Saranac Lake treatment?”
UPDATED WITH EXTENDED DEADLINE: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted some critical stress points in our local food system. Farmers have reported labor issues, market closures and fears of supply chain disruption.
To bolster local food security and aid in the resilience and sustainability of local farms, the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) has announced a $100,000 Local Food Security Grant opportunity for farms in its 14-county service area. » Continue Reading.
I’ve heard it said that there are ten million times more viruses on Earth than there are stars in the universe; maybe more. And that scientists estimate that, at any given moment, there are more than a billion viruses present on earth. » Continue Reading.
At 8 pm on Sunday evening, March 22, 2020, the State of New York began its official “pause” of most commercial and public activities in an attempt to halt the spread of COVID-19.
Under the Governor’s executive order, all non-essential businesses are to close, and all state residents are to remain in their homes. Click here for a list of “essential businesses.” » Continue Reading.
Whether we seek a wilderness, park, backyard, garden or streetscape, studies show we can expect an emotional, psychological, and physical benefit from regular outdoor activity, interactions with trees or woods, waters and views, however prosaic or sublime. The more we can focus on the natural world around us, the more our powers of awareness grow and the more our minds can grow quiet.
As the First World War slowly ended, another pandemic, influenza, was spreading around the world and killing tens of millions. The impact of losing so many young people so suddenly from that flu, coming on top of so many deaths and injuries resulting from the war itself, must been extremely profound. That time of death, threat and recovery motivated many to get outdoors and to push to acquire more public lands in which to literally “re-create” themselves. » Continue Reading.
Senator José M. Serrano and Senator Rachel May have announced the introduction of legislation (S. 7765) to create a New York Senior Trail Guide that identifies walking and hiking opportunities for active seniors in State Parks, DEC managed lands, and along public, non-motorized multi-use trails. » Continue Reading.
Transgender Day of Remembrance occurs annually on November 20th . It is a day to memorialize those who have been killed or murdered as the result of transphobia, (hatred or fear of transgender and gender non-conforming/non-binary people). We also remember those who died as a result of suicide.
This day serves to bring attention to the continued violence and non-acceptance endured by the transgender community which we see at an alarming new rate, often emanating from the federal government against it own people. » Continue Reading.
Longtime grassroots Adirondack Park environmental activist Joe Mahay died in early August at home with his family. Joe and his wife Naomi Tannen had been living in Florence, Massachusetts, where for the past year and a half Joe had dealt with metastatic cancer and chemotherapy.
Joe was one of the founders of the Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks and twice served as its Chair, tactfully leading the organization through its formative years and a raucous debate over the future of the Adirondack Park in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Joe had a long career as an administrator at a non-profit agency working with people with developmental disabilities in Essex County and poured his volunteer time for many years into the protection of the Forest Preserve and Adirondack Park.
The New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Health (DOH) have launched a new website, Know Your NY Water, created by the statewide Water Quality Rapid Response Team efforts, established in 2016.
The website provides New Yorkers with information about the state’s public drinking water and the health of New York’s abundant lakes, rivers, and streams, as well as waters used for recreation and habitat protection. Users can search by location to learn more about the water they use or encounter. » Continue Reading.
Black flies bite, but ticks really suck. Enough complaining – that never helps.
After such a long winter, we are all grateful that spring has finally sprung, even though the price of warm weather seems to be the advent of biting insects. Swarms of mosquitoes can drain the fun from an evening on the deck, but a single black-legged or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) can take the shine off an entire summer if it infects you with Lyme disease and/or another serious illness. » Continue Reading.
Eighteen years ago, when I moved back to New Hampshire, I rarely came across ticks. The dog didn’t carry them unwittingly into the house, and I could spend the day in the garden or on wooded trails and not see a single, hard-shelled, eight-legged, blood-sucking creepy-crawly.
Not so anymore. Now, from the time of snowmelt in the spring to the first crisp snowfall of autumn – and often beyond – we find ticks everywhere: on the dog, crawling up the front door, along kids’ hairlines, on backs or arms or legs, and occasionally (and alarmingly) walking along a couch cushion or bed pillow. » Continue Reading.
Is being out in Nature healing? An increasing body of evidence says yes according to Florence Williams, the author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes US Happier, Healthier, and More Creative.
What makes us happy? For a long time, research has pointed to having good relationships, being engaged with one’s community, meeting one’s basic needs of food, housing, and income, getting exercise, and being involved in some cause more significant than one’s self; spending time helping others. But what about the environment we live in, does that matter, and if so, does it matter in some significant way? » Continue Reading.
I’d been living in the North Country for about a month when I woke up to discover a red bulls eye on my left arm. Since, mentally and emotionally, I have never advanced much past the fourth grade, my first thought was: “Cool!”
Because it was clearly visible, however, a number of people subsequently pointed out that this, technically, was nothing to celebrate. So I walked around for the next three days looking like the dog from the Target ads, while people dutifully commented on my impending doom.
Nothing ever came of it. So far the only discomfort ticks have caused me is embarrassment, owing to an appointment with a massage therapist that went horribly wrong. » Continue Reading.
Winter has arrived in the North County, and the snow will not be leaving us anytime soon. Not everyone has access to plows or snow blowers, which leaves us with one last snow removal tool, the shovel. Shoveling snow can be a physically intensive activity, and should be treated as one.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2015, more than 158,000 people were treated in an emergency room, doctor’s office, and clinics for injuries that happened while removing snow or ice manually. In order to prevent these types of injuries, you can follow some of these steps. » Continue Reading.
The New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) have made an agreement to reach out to different regions of New York State to provide additional Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) education to older adults.
The new program is called SHINE or Senior Health Improvement and Nutrition Education. The nutrition education focuses on adding extra, calorie free flavor to food, preparing quick and healthy meals or snacks, eating healthy on a budget, and maintaining these healthy changes throughout your life. » Continue Reading.
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