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Today’s events
Breastfeeding and New Parent Support Group
10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Lawrence Memorial Hospital Free
Breastfeeding and New Parent Support Group
10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Lawrence Memorial Hospital Free
Community Blood Center blood drive
10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Lawrence Board of Realtors parking lot, 3838 W. Sixth St.
Breast Cancer Survivors Group
5:30 p.m., Presbyterian Manor
Jayhawk Alateen
7 p.m., First United Methodist Church Free
Al-Anon - Jayhawk AFG
7 p.m., First United Methodist Church Free
Sex Addicts Anonymous
7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Lawrence Memorial Hospital
Alcoholics Anonymous open meeting: River City Group
Noon, Alano Club, 311 E. Ninth.
Special coverage

Get the facts: 2009-2010 flu season
Track flu data from state and federal public health agencies.
The Low Down
In depth
Poll
Have you been affected by a natural disaster?
Poll results
| Response | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| No. | 29% | |
| Flooding. | 25% | |
| More than one event. | 12% | |
| Other event. | 8% | |
| Hurricane. | 8% | |
| Tornado. | 4% | |
| Earthquake. | 4% | |
| Blizzard. | 4% | |
| Hailstorm. | 4% | |
| Total | 24 | |
Poll
What do you think is Lawrence's largest health issue?
Poll results
| Response | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking. | 33% | |
| Obesity. | 30% | |
| Uninsured adults. | 15% | |
| Smoking. | 10% | |
| Crime. | 2% | |
| Sexual transmitted diseases. | 2% | |
| Access to healthy foods. | 2% | |
| Air pollution. | 2% | |
| Total | 39 | |
Our health
Art therapeutic for Parkinson's patient
McLouth resident Sherry Leftwich enjoys artwork and says it helps with her Parkinson's disease.
Flu shot clinic
The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department held a drive thru flu shot clinic free to the public.
E. coli scare prompts beef recall
Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. is recalling about 131,300 pounds of ground beef because a family in Ohio fell ill after eating meat produced by the company that was contaminated with E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Wednesday.
Home births see a boost
Midwives like Fran Brier are seeing an increase in home births that may signify an increase in acceptance of birth outside the hospital.
Living with Mental Illness: Latonya Johnson
Lawrence resident Latonya Johnson talks about living and coping with bipolar disorder and severe depression and the help she got through therapy.
More Health
- Game-time nutrition: keeping your athlete healthy and strong
- February 13, 2012
- More than 7 million boys and girls across the country will participate in organized sports this year, and unfortunately, injuries are a part of every season. The mistake athletes, parents and coaches often make is overlooking proper nutrition as a sports injury prevention measure. A balanced diet to fuel your athlete is just as important as protective gear.
- Caffeine fix as easy as taking deep breath
- February 9, 2012
- Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks.
- Study: Electric boost helps brain learn better
- February 9, 2012
- People learned better when a key part of their brains got mild zaps of electricity, a finding that may someday help Alzheimer’s patients keep more of their memories.
- Low risk of heart incidents found for marathoners
- January 11, 2012
- It’s dramatic news when a marathon runner collapses with no pulse. Now a big study finds such calamities are rare and usually due to a pre-existing heart problem.
- Experts warn of carbon monoxide leaks
- Energy audits find draftiness in some homes had prevented deadly levels
- January 9, 2012
- When Robert Coffman began checking homes for energy efficiency, he discovered some had far more to worry about than drafty windows.
- Offbeat Occupations: Yoga teacher a trainer in graceful aging
- January 9, 2012
- The sounds of a sitar and a pair of hand drums flow from a stereo in the corner of the room. Ten colored yoga mats are splayed across the center of the floor.
- As I See Fit: Start new routine by making small changes
- January 9, 2012
- Do you look forward to your workouts and gym time? Are you “in shape” and enjoying the compliments that accompany a toned body? Are you thinking about amping your program up a notch?
- Confront medical realities
- January 9, 2012
- Deep down inside, we all know it: It’s inevitable, this living, breathing, beautiful, multipart machine, the human body, is - at some point, somewhere - going to break down.
- Kansas Department of Health and Environment promotes walking through program
- January 3, 2012
- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is promoting a free program to help people who want to do more walking for exercise in 2012.
- Tricks for avoiding dry, itchy winter skin
- January 2, 2012
- If it’s dry and cold where you live, work or play, it’s winter skin season, but the fixes may not be as obvious as they seem.
- Anatomy of a hangover: Is there anything you can do?
- December 30, 2011
- Dry mouth, pounding headache, queasy stomach, body aches — all standard fare the morning after a heavy-drinking New Year’s Eve celebration.
- Preventive care: It’s free, except when it’s not
- December 28, 2011
- President Barack Obama’s health overhaul encourages prevention by requiring most insurance plans to pay for preventive care. On the plus side, more than 22 million Medicare patients and many more Americans with private insurance have received one or more free covered preventive services this year. From cancer screenings to flu shots, many services no longer cost patients money. But there are confusing exceptions.
- More retailers pull formula after Mo. infant death
- December 23, 2011
- Several more national retailers have joined Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in pulling a batch of powdered infant formula from their shelves after a Missouri newborn who consumed it apparently died of a rare bacterial infection, the companies said Friday.
- Palm-sized baby, 2nd smallest in US, is growing
- December 15, 2011
- At birth, Melinda Star Guido was so tiny she could fit into the palm of her doctor’s hand. Weighing just 9 1/2 ounces — less than a can of soda — she is among the smallest babies ever born in the world. Most infants her size don’t survive, but doctors are preparing to send her home by New Year’s.
- Tiniest babies are growing up healthy despite odds
- December 12, 2011
- A medical report from the doctor who resuscitated infants at a suburban Chicago hospital is both a success story and a cautionary tale. These two are the exceptions and their remarkable health years later should not raise false hope: Most babies this small do poorly and many do not survive even with advanced medical care.
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