Health

Molokai Fitness: Breathing

Thursday, March 6th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Ayda Ersoy

Are you breathing? Or rather, do you realize you are breathing?

Just try this now: stand up, stretch for a second, then sit down. Do this right now, don’t continue reading until you have done it!

Now think, when you were standing up, did you hold your breath? How about when you were sitting down?

This week, before every meal close your eyes and take a deep breath. Just feel your in and out breath. You will feel relaxed. You will also be much more present.  Most of the time, you don’t realize how much food you are eating, maybe you don’t even realize what food you are eating!…

Faces of Molokai Community Health Center

Friday, February 28th, 2014

Faces of Molokai Community Health Center

MCHC News Release

There’s no doubt that 2013 has been a year of growth and renewal at the Molokai Community Health Center (MCHC).  In light of this, we would like to introduce the many new faces that you will be seeing on our campus and how they may be a resource to you.
Our new Dental Director, Benjamin Mead, DDS, is a Hilo-born University of Hawaii, Manoa graduate who finished his dentistry program at the University of Missouri Kansas City School where he completed his studies in 2008.

Dr. Mead returned home to Hawaii Island, where he worked in both a private practice setting and at a public health clinic as a lead dentist.…

Lions Roar: Vision Screenings

Friday, February 28th, 2014

Lions Roar: Vision Screenings

Molokai Lions Club News Release

February was a big month for vision screening on Molokai. On Feb. 3-4, the Molokai Lions Club did their yearly school vision screening. Lion volunteers along with Doctors Karsten Lee and Carlys Higuchi from Maui Optix screened 395 children in four elementary schools and four preschools. Twelve children were found to have a possible problem and the school health aid will refer that finding to the parent.

This service has been going strong for many years and it’s been enhanced in the last several years with the help of the Maui doctors. Your support of the Lions Annual Walk for Sight helps the club defray the air cost for the doctors.…

Tips from the Vet for Your Pet: Choosing Dog Food

Thursday, February 27th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Dr. Stewart Morgan DVM, Molokai Humane Society

With all the different dog foods that someone could buy, it helps to get an idea of what is best for  your individual dog. Dogs that are pregnant, nursing, growing, used for hunting/sport or simply house pets have different needs when it comes to food. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is a group that sets standards for marketing and labeling of animal feed and marketing. The standards they set on pet food labels are the guidelines companies use to make pet foods that are considered adequate for different times in a dog’s life.…

Kualapu’u 5K Results

Thursday, February 20th, 2014

Kualapu`u School News Release

On a rain-splashed Saturday that coincided with the opening day of competition at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Kualapu`u School held its first of six fundraisers on its extended Farrington 5K course.  Eighteen participants ran, jogged, walked, and biked 3.8 miles to show their support for healthy lifestyle choices and to help raise money for this year’s Kualapu`u School 5K team.

Race results:
Elementary School Students
1. Kekai English 54:38
2. Emma Lee Duvauchelle 1:08:00
3. Sunni Han 1:08:35
4. Kaniunaku Duvauchelle 1:08:20 (bike)
5. Tenani Han 1:09:13

Open Women
1. Sue Forbes-Kikukawa 26:45
2. Katina Soares 35:51
3.…

Tips from the Vet for Your Pet: Keeping Pets Safe

Wednesday, February 19th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Dr. Stewart Morgan, Molokai Humane Society

At the Molokai Humane Society, we see lots of dogs that have been injured in ways that could have been prevented. The first step to keeping your dogs safe is knowing where they are. If your pets are in your fenced yard, you should always check on them at least one to two times per hour to make sure that they are safely in your yard. Also make sure that they are not eating or digging in areas where they should not be. Consider in home dog training to avoid this from happening.…

Molokai Fitness: Benefits of Water

Wednesday, February 19th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Ayda Ersoy

In my last article, I talked about starting your journey to health and fitness by taking small steps. Let’s look now at the first step that you can start right away. This week, start by trying to drink more pure water. Let’s look at the benefits.

Water increases energy. Since your brain is mostly water, drinking it helps you think, focus and concentrate better and be more alert. And your energy levels will increase.
Water helps you lose weight – filling your tummy if consumed prior to meals, it reduces hunger, raises your metabolism and has zero calories!…

Caring for Kalaupapa’s Cats

Friday, February 7th, 2014

Caring for Kalaupapa’s Cats

Feral cats living on the isolated Kalaupapa peninsula have become an attribute of the settlement, welcoming visitors and providing companionship for residents by lingering around homes and community buildings. But as the numbers of ferals continue to rise, gathering in colonies of 20 to 30 cats, it creates an environmental hazard to the settlement, according to National Park Service workers.

“In the last few months, a couple people have moved out and the cat colonies [they were feeding] have been abandoned,” said Paul Hosten, a terrestrial ecologist for the National Park Service.“…The health of those cats deteriorates and so they pick up diseases, they fight, they spread illnesses like cat leukemia and the problem becomes a health concern.”…

Kualapu`u School 5K Race Series

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

Kualapu`u School 5K Race Series

Kualapu`u School News Release

Kualapu`u Charter School announces the first of six 5K fun-raising races to be held this Saturday, Feb. 8.  All interested runners, joggers and walkers are invited to come to Coffees of Hawaii this Saturday to race.  Registration begins at 8 a.m.  Event start time is 8:30 a.m. The $10 adult registration fee will be used to send a team of Kualapu`u School runners to Oahu for the Honolulu 5K for Kids, slated for April 27.  There is no entry fee for students.

The six races in the series will be used as qualifying races for Kualapu`u School’s six member team that competes on Oahu.…

Bill to Address Radiation Concerns

Wednesday, February 5th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Jade Bruhjell

Hawaii, a close neighbor of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima, sits poised to be further enveloped by radioactive elements brought by air and Pacific Ocean currents from Japan. Being a new sort of disaster, we find ourselves stunned and confused with conflicting reports, and after over two years, still unable to fathom how to cope with a continuing and escalating catastrophe here in our Island chain. Sea life and drinking water are two of the most affected aspects, and on Molokai, fishing is such a part of daily life that we need to think seriously about current levels of radiation.…