Health

Everything Ulu

Wednesday, May 28th, 2014

Everything Ulu

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH CTAHR

Breadfruit is an important part of an agroforestry system and essential food plants in many Pacific islands. On May 17, a breadfruit workshop held at the UH Maui, Molokai Farm was attended by 46 residents and covered all aspects of ulu from history to growing to tasting.

Dr. Diane Ragone shared decades of work with ulu, starting as a graduate student at UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources studying ulu, and the last 25 years at the Pacific Tropical Botanical Gardens Breadfruit Institute on Kauai. She travelled throughout the Pacific documenting and collecting breadfruit, and with root cuttings of more than 300 varieties, she was able to propagate and grow to maturity over 170 of them established at Kahanu Gardens in Hana.…

Health Ed Series on Molokai

Wednesday, May 28th, 2014

County of Maui News Release

The County of Maui is pleased to offer the Better Choices, Better Health (BCBH) workshop series on Molokai for six consecutive Thursdays beginning June 19.

The workshop series will be held 9:30 a.m. to noon at Kulana `Oiwi.

Better Choices, Better Health is an evidence-based educational health aging program created by Stanford University and monitored by the University of Hawaii. BCBH is designed to help people manage their chronic conditions as well as their overall health.

Participants learn how to enhance their overall health through achievable action plans for improving nutrition, exercise, relaxation, communication skills, medication management and more.…

Molokai Fitness: Warming Up

Wednesday, May 28th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Ayda Ersoy

Do you warm up properly before you start your exercise, and cool down at the end?

A good warm-up helps increase your heart rate before you start your exercise, it raises your body temperature and increases the blood flow to your muscles to get your muscles ready for action. This will help you burn more calories during your exercise. It will also help minimize potential muscle tears and injury, and can also help improve your muscle strength.

A warm-up also helps you focus more on your workout, and that will lead to a more effective workout and better results. …

Collard Greens

Wednesday, May 21st, 2014

Collard Greens

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH CTAHR

On Molokai, the summer heat can overwhelm many of the vegetables that grow well in the winter. Collards or collard greens can grow at a time of the year when local greens struggle and are in short supply. A primitive member of the cabbage family, it belongs to the “Acephala” group meaning “cabbages without a head.”

Collard is a corrupted term from the word “colewort” meaning “wild cabbage plant.” Native to the southern Mediterranean in an area called Asia Minor, a part of Turkey, it was carried in all directions and is popular in Portugal and Spain to the west, Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia to the east, and African and India to the south.…

Community Care Partners

Wednesday, May 14th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Daria M. Gray, Speech Pathologist

During my visits to Molokai last November and again this past March, I saw the challenges facing care partners struggling to meet the needs of their kupuna who live at home.  It takes great patience and a lot of encouragement to help restore the abilities and skills that have been lost due to the challenges brought about by aging, stroke, brain injury or surgery.  It also requires new ways to adapt daily activities and communication to meet changing needs.  Through the process of rehabilitation, a speech pathologist addresses these concerns through individualized treatment programs.…

Molokai Fitness: Attention to Drinks

Wednesday, May 14th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Ayda Ersoy

Are you really thinking about what you’re doing to improve your health?

This week I’d like to pull your attention to drinking. No, not alcohol – this would probably take quite a few articles… I want to talk about other canned drinks.

When you drink coke, soda or most other canned pop drinks, do you know how much sugar you’re taking? Without even realizing it you’re taking on average between 25 and 49 grams sugar (1 tablespoon is 12 grams!).

Within 20 minutes of drinking your blood sugar level shoots up, your liver responds and your insulin levels increase.…

Molokai Fitness: Weighing Yourself

Thursday, May 8th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Ayda Ersoy

When was the last time you weighed yourself? Don’t be scared! It’s your own body; you need to know everything about it. Check your weight once a week – make sure it’s always at the same time of day (for example, always first thing in the morning), and wear the same clothes every time. Then write it down.

You need to keep track of your weight. If you need to lose some weight, then think about it this way: imagine you are holding a glass of water for five minutes. That’s no problem, right? Let’s say 10 minutes – now maybe your arm starts getting tired.…

Molokai Charity Walk Raises Record Total

Wednesday, May 7th, 2014

Molokai Charity Walk Raises Record Total

Raising a grand total of $66,829.62, the Molokai Charity Walk held last Saturday by the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association (MHLA) was a record-breaking success. The Charity Walk, held annually around the state, raises money for local nonprofits and charities.

More than 200 people from over a dozen organizations participated in this year’s walk from Hotel Molokai to Paddlers Inn and back, a length of about three miles. The turnout, though slightly smaller than last year’s, didn’t hinder the amount of money raised. This year’s walked earned over $4,000 more than last year, according to Laura Echiverri, administrative assistant at MHLA and head organizer of the event.…

Taking Your Meds the Right Way

Monday, April 28th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Jon Mikami, RPh, and Kelly Go, RPh, Molokai Drugs, Inc.

Medications can make a world of difference—if you take them the right way. Half the time, though, this doesn’t happen, at least when it comes to drugs doctors prescribe for chronic conditions.

Sometimes people miss doses. Or they might stop refilling the prescription or never get it filled in the first place. Why does this happen? Costs or side effects of drugs can be an issue. Also, complex dosing schedules or multiple drugs can be really confusing.

The problem is not taking medications the right way can threaten your health, increase complications, and lower your quality of life.…

Collard Greens

Monday, April 28th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH CTAHR

On Molokai, the summer heat can overwhelm many of the vegetables that grow well in the winter. Collards or collard greens can grow at a time of the year when local greens struggle and are in short supply. A primitive member of the cabbage family, it belongs to the “Acephala” group meaning “cabbages without a head.”

Collard is a corrupted term from the word “colewort” meaning “wild cabbage plant.” Native to the southern Mediterranean in an area called Asia Minor, a part of Turkey, it was carried in all directions and is popular in Portugal and Spain to the west, Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia to the east, and African and India to the south.…