Your Health: Say what? Ear wax buildup can affect hearing
I’m writing about a subject that may not be too appealing or romantic, but it’s something that pretty much affects all of us. I recently wrote about hearing loss and mentioned that a frequent cause of this was from blockage due to ear wax, also called cerumen.
Your Health: How to make pills easier to swallow
On occasion I have patients present to me with the sensation that a pill was stuck in their throat. This is not an uncommon occurrence. A number of people do have problems swallowing medication in tablet or capsule form. When a pill actually does get stuck it is usually not really in the throat but in the upper esophagus just below the throat.
Datebook
- Submit Datebook items to [email protected] or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.
The Mountain Gardener: Chocolate a boon to any garden
Gardeners are always on the look out for new plants. I recall when I worked at a nursery looking over the showy dahlia shipment for the one that was a deeper, more vivid shade than all the rest. One color that always gets my attention is chocolate. Whether I find it in the foliage of a plant or the flower itself, it's one of my favorites. You can imagine my delight when I discovered the Chocolate Flower Farm in Langley on Whidbey Island, Wash. while I was visiting the Puget Sound recently. I was a kid in the candy store.
Nature Friendly: A river runs through us
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.”
Datebook
- Submit Datebook items to [email protected] or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.
Plain talk about food: Smells I Remember and a Very Berry Fool
Here in Ben Lomond, our star jasmine is blooming above our front porch. Each time we get a breeze, its’ scent permeates our home, sending my thoughts back to the 1940’s.
News Briefs | Published Sept. 12, 2025
Fun run, emergency preparedness fair set for Saturday
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the City of Santa Cruz will be hosting Race the Wave, a 3K...