SENIORS  Maybe you don’t think your voice is ready for Broadway. Music Therapist Barbara Dunn has heard that excuse before from people in the singing groups she leads.
“About three-quarters [of the class] will joke about their singing — ‘You don’t want to hear me!’” she says. “But by the end of the class, nine times out of 10, everybody is singing.” Read More>>

COVER STORY  As a family care physician, Dr. John McCarthy will, over the course of visits during your life, tell you a few words you don’t want to hear.
You probably shouldn’t go tanning. You’re overweight. You should eat vegetables, exercise more. Oh, and you should take these pills every six hours. Read More>>

COVER STORY  For patients, it’s a common complaint: You wait in the waiting room, you wait in the doctor’s office and, when the doctor finally arrives, it’s a five-minute visit and she’s gone. Read More>>

COVER STORY  Lauri Costello, a family practice physician in Spokane, was already frustrated with the world of medicine. She was irked by the red tape and bureaucracy and dealing with insurance companies. Then a patient — a woman who’d had a stroke — sued her practice. Thanks to a gag clause, she says she can’t get into the details. Read More>>

COVER STORY  Primary-care physician Donald Condon had served Medicare patients for more than 30 years in Spokane. But last September, he decided to “opt out” of Medicare. All his Medicare patients — about 800 of them — had to find new doctors. Read More>>

COVER STORY  Most people think doctors have it all — great careers, busy offices, money for vacations and cars. But here’s a surprising fact: After 10 years in practice, 17 percent of general internists will have left their field, according to findings from the American Board of Physicians and the American Board of Internal Medicine. Read More>>

FROM THE EDITOR  A recent study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine showed weight training injuries have brought almost a million Americans to emergency rooms since 1990, with injuries ranging from fractures to sprains and strains — often from dropping weights on various body parts. It makes a trip to the gym sound downright dangerous. I recently heard of a woman who got injured falling off an exercise ball. From sprained ankles to back spasms, sometimes it seems the quest for fitness has a way of backfiring. Read More>>

FROM THE EDITOR  It’s not easy to talk about the subject of weight. That became clear to me as Lisa Fairbanks-Rossi searched for a parent to interview for her story in our Healthy Kids special section in this issue. Nobody wanted to use their real names. Read More>>

DIET & FITNESS  The Mayo Clinic enjoys a top-notch reputation as a purveyor of state-of-the-art health information. Their health-related websites are among the best available. Now they’re stepping into the weight-loss world with a set of books designed to help you lose up to 10 pounds in two weeks, and then continue to lose or maintain your weight. Read More>>

FROM THE EDITOR  It’s not easy to talk about the subject of weight. That became clear to me as Lisa Fairbanks-Rossi searched for a parent to interview for her story in our Healthy Kids special section in this issue. Nobody wanted to use their real names. Read More>>

PEOPLE  Ever wonder if you could continue to live in your home if you suddenly couldn’t climb stairs? Or what if you suddenly had to rely on public transportation? How would you cope? Could your home be designed to help you out? Read More>>

COVER STORY  As mountains crumble to the seas, so too is Mother Nature at work to retrieve your home and return it to the earth. Her impressive list of accomplices includes the formidable force of gravity, the seeping, but potent, power of water, the fiery might of electricity and the permeating poison of an invisible gas. Add to that the forces of humans — attempting to remodel, embellish and otherwise alter their code-built homes — and it’s clear there is potential for problems. But with a little knowledge and attention to maintenance, you can stave off all those forces, ensuring your home will continue to provide safe shelter for many years. Read More>>

COVER STORY  Fire and water. Earth and wind. For ancient Greeks, and the Buddhists before them, these basic elements provided a foundation for contemplating the world. In this special section, we invite you to take a look at how these simple, time-honored concepts can help you in your quest to create a healthier home. Read More>>

FROM THE EDITOR  This edition of InHealthNW is all about creating a space where you and your family can thrive and grow. There’s no shortage of attention to creating a beautiful space — a fact that HGTV exploits 24/7. But how can your home environment improve your health and safety? From the air you breathe to the water you drink, our special section on Healthy Homes looks at ways to make sure your dwelling is safe and sound. Read More>>

SENIORS  We all know exercise is good for the body, and many of us are well-aware that exercise can make you feel better emotionally as well. But in his recent book, Spark: The Revolutionary Science of Exercise and the Brain (now available in paperback), John Ratey, MD, and Eric Hagerman take you inside your brain to learn just why exercise is so good for your mind. If the thought of making your heart more efficient and your physique a little sleeker isn’t enough to motivate you to exercise, maybe the incentive of keeping your mind razor-sharp will provide that extra nudge. Read More>>