Women of all ages have the chance to learn the ins and outs of golf with Tee It Up Ladies in Aiken.

The discovery of maple syrup predates the arrival of Europeans on this continent by many years. Indigenous people of the Northeast – probably the Iroquois – were the first to discover the sweetness of maple sap and later taught the Europeans how to collect and then boil and essentially conde…

One of the first signs of spring is related to the seasonal activity of our avian friends. Here in Aiken, birds are actively building their nests.

It has been 10 years now this month since Mark Bittman's opinion column titled "Butter Is Back" appeared in the 3-25-2014 issue of the New York Times. You will probably remember that butter, which is a saturated fat, has for years been considered unhealthy and linked to heart disease.

Did you know that the way you squeeze your toothpaste tube may reflect some insight into your personality? Some say that 40% of our actions are not really conscious decisions but more often based on habits. Therefore how you squeeze the toothpaste tube depends mostly on personal habits and m…

A common plant that most of us in North America consider to be a weed was once cherished by ancient civilizations because of its medicinal properties. The Chinese have been using the dandelion in their medical practices for over a thousand years. The ancient Greeks and Romans were familiar w…

Tai Chi has been described as an ancient Chinese form of exercise that connects the mind and body through self paced exercise. Tai Chi has been shown to improve balance, flexibility and increase muscular strength.

Gretchen Reynolds, who is an excellent columnist for the Washington Post, mentioned several interesting facts in her recent Dec. 12 column. The first was that just 11 minutes of brisk walking every day could decrease your risk of premature death by 23%. The study she referenced was from The …

There are over 1,000 active substances in coffee beans. Thankfully some of them are good for the brain. Caffeine and other substances in coffee have been studied and found to be helpful for brain health.

A starch is a polysaccharide composed of glucose units joined together. Therefore starches are complex carbohydrates strung together in a long, chain-like structure. Starch is manufactured in the green leaves of plants. Excess glucose produced by photosynthesis is stored as starch and serves…

The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that a fully loaded school backpack should weigh no more than 10-15% of the student's body weight. This is because heavy book bags can cause problems. It has been estimated that almost 70% of American school kids carry a backpack that is too h…

It has been estimated that over half of all adults in the U.S. participate in solving jigsaw puzzles at least once a year. Around 1.8 billion jigsaw puzzles are sold in the U.S. annually.

Did you realize that poetry plays a role in healthcare? There is even a monthly section in the Journal of the American Medical Association devoted to poetry. Poetry expresses the human experience about health and the human experience of illness and medical conditions.

Our muscles weaken as we age. Measuring hand grip strength with a device known as a dynamometer is an excellent way to measure grip strength. Data now states that grip strength is an indicator of overall health and is an "indispensable biomarker for older adults." Low grip strength correlate…

If you are looking for a change and a healthy oil to use in cooking and meal preparation, consider sunflower seed oil. Olive oil is considered the standard, but if you want some variety in healthy oils, then sunflower oil would be a nice change.

If you are interested in a sport that has several health benefits, then consider volleyball. Playing volleyball helps to build strength and endurance. Also hand-eye coordination is improved as is cardiovascular health. Playing the sport burns calories, increases flexibility and social interaction.

A study published in an Australian journal last year emphasizes the fact that there are cognitive benefits noted when children preform household chores on a regular basis. In other words childhood chores improve their brain function.

The planting of a seed in the earth's soil has been mentioned in parables as having spiritual implications. Seeds have spiritual considerations, but also the planting of seeds eventually nourishes our bodies if the seed is viable and the necessary conditions are present. To germinate, seeds …

Hopefully by now you have already enjoyed the first of this year's watermelons. What you may not have realized is that watermelon provides many health benefits. Although served as a fruit, watermelon is really classified as a vegetable.

It has now been 10 years this past June since the outbreak of tuberculosis in Ninety Six, S.C. Two school employees developed active tuberculosis/TB, and by the end of the month at least 100 school kids, teachers and others tested positive for TB exposure. It is unusual to have such a large …

Sporotrichosis is a fungal infection also known as rose gardener's disease. The fungus Sphorothrix scnenckii lives in the soil, plant matter, rose bushes and hay. A skin or cutaneous infection is the most common form and may occur after the fungus enters the skin through a cut or scratch, wh…

Because they contain minerals, fiber and vitamins, bananas are considered to be a healthy fruit. A medium-sized banana, which would weigh around 100 grams (gms), is about 75% water. It would also have about 1.1 gms of protein, 2.6 gms of fiber, 0.3 gms of fat and 22.8 gms of carbohydrates.

Most likely those who consumed olives over 8,000 years ago did so because they were hungry and not for health reasons. Archeologists have found evidence of olive oil production dating back to 6,000 B.C.

Hand grip strength has been reported to be an excellent way to measure overall muscular strength. Some consider testing hand grip strength as another vital sign similar to measuring blood pressure, temperature and pulse rate. Most of the research concerning grip strength testing has been app…

You guessed it: arsenic has been called the king of poisons. Whether featured in a detective type novel or in real life such as the case of a Colorado dentist poisoning his wife a few weeks ago, arsenic has been used as a way to assassinate people since Roman times.

Depending on your beliefs concerning human evolution, some have estimated that about 7 million years ago knuckle walkers began to evolve into bipedal walkers. Bipedalism required a lot less energy to ambulate and by about 4 million years ago, our ancestors were mostly bipedal. About 2 millio…

Kaolin is a type of clay found in nature and is a hydrated aluminum silicate. It is a soft, white powder when dry consisting mainly of the mineral kaolinite. When wet it is a white clay-like substance. Kaolin has the potential to be used in many products and has been found in ceramics, cosme…

There is a pigment found in some fruits and vegetables known as carotene. Beta carotene is the most common form of this pigment and is found in yellow-orange plants such as carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, apricots and mangoes. However, carotene is also found in okra, spinach and g…

If you are looking for an inexpensive source of protein particularly a non-animal source then consider beans. Wether dried or canned, beans provide many healthy benefits.

There continues to be good news for modern day honey enthusiasts. A recent article published in the November 2022 issue of Nutritional Reviews reports on research from Toronto with favorable results concerning cardiometabolic health.

Plumbism is an older word that you don't hear very often these days. It is another term used for lead poisoning. This serious disease is caused by exposure to high levels of lead usually over long periods of time. The symptoms may be subtle and the disease is not easily recognized.

GRANITEVILLE — Parkinson's disease and pickleball are common denominators for several people who meet each week in gym of Hillview Baptist Church, with emphasis on minimizing the physical, mental and social problems associated with the disease. 

Two elementary schools and a Central Falls, Rhode Island high school were involved in a project to learn about oceanography. The elementary school kids assisted in making a five foot long sailboat seaworthy and the high school students installed a solar powered GPS tracker so the unmanned bo…

Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it. In general, a body temperature of less than 95 degrees Fahrenheit is considered a hypothermic temperature. Those at risk most often are older adults without adequate food or clothing and ba…

A recent article published in the September 2022 issue of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity reports on the intensity of physical activity found in adults who play pickleball.