COVER STORY  When people say plastics are everywhere, they really mean everywhere: in the containers that hold your food; in the pipes that carry your water; in the bottles you use to feed your infant; in windows frames, shower curtains and raincoats; on your head in the form of safety helmets; on your face in the form of eyeglasses; in your hands when you talk on a phone or type on a keyboard. They’re in clothing; they’re in toys; they’re in bandages, lipstick and nail polish.

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SENIORS  If it were a person, on Sept. 21 the Sinto Senior Center would finally be old enough to join the AARP. Fifty years ago, a group of seniors wanting someplace to socialize purchased an old phone company building at 1124 West Sinto Avenue, board member Joanne Shaw relates. Read More>>

NEWS  Health care reform is a top issue for both John McCain and Barack Obama; here's a look at their plans Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  With electrodes dangling from each earlobe and one atop my shiny, bald scalp, I stare at a computer monitor trying to make my blue rocket ship fly through space. No joystick, no keyboard — I’m like Luke Skywalker, using the Force. Actually, I’m not doing much of anything — not consciously. But as I focus on the steady beeping and the raspy hum of the spacecraft’s engine, my brain is learning to produce more of a certain frequency brainwave activity. Ten beeps and my ship picks up a jewel in space! But if my mind wanders or I talk to the psychologist, the yellow and purple rockets want to fly, too. I don’t want that because they are fueled by different brain frequencies — bands of activity that are often associated with daydreaming or anxiety. Gotta keep the blue ship out front. Beep, beep, beep. I simply focus. Pay attention. It roars forward again. Read More>>

PEOPLE  Spokane doctor Esther Smith flags me down outside her office at Fifth and Browne, her white lab coat flapping in the breeze. “I’m sorta outing myself here,” she confides. She doesn’t want anyone back in the office of Spokane Family Medicine to know. Read More>>

COVER STORY  Bisphenol A (BPA) was developed in the 1930s as a synthetic estrogen that might be used to assist women experiencing difficult pregnancies. A very similar chemical called diethyl sylbestral (DES) was later found to cause cancer and serious reproductive problems in both mothers and the daughters of mothers who had taken it; soon both chemicals were no longer used in medical applications. Read More>>

COVER STORY  One solution to the plastic problem may be increased use of a well-known old friend: glass. Made since about 3000 BC, there’s little chance of alarming new findings about this versatile material. It is generally microwave, freezer- and refrigerator-safe and always recyclable. Read More>>

COVER STORY  While plastic industry experts continue to find no reason for concern, Washington State University’s Patricia Hunt, a professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences and head of a laboratory focused on reproductive biology, isn’t convinced. Read More>>

COVER STORY  Many plastics are numbered to assist with recycling. Look for the number in the recycling triangle on the bottom of the object. Green (1 and 2) are considered safest, while red denotes plastics that scientists are most concerned about. Yellow is in between. Read More>>

FROM THE EDITOR  Even though I haven’t been back to school in many years, I still get inspired by all those crisp white pages in brand-new notebooks, a fresh supply of pens (that actually work!) in the drawer and lots of new colorful markers and crayons for the kids. There are so many blank pages awaiting our creative inspiration this fall. It could be time to finally take that art or music class you’ve been contemplating for years. Maybe you’re ready to make a commitment to staying fit. Or maybe you’re considering things you can do to make a lasting impact — to make the world a little better than you found it. Read More>>

GUEST COLUMN  When you turn on your tap, you may be drinking water that is a mixture of river water and our aquifer. In several places, the Spokane River runs directly into our aquifer, mixing with the underground lake. Although the city of Spokane treats water before it reaches our homes, in many areas of Spokane County, people’s drinking water is not disinfected before it comes out of the faucet. Drinking water systems that provide tap water from the aquifer do test the water often to ensure drinking water safety standards are being met. Read More>>

HEALTH LINK  Fall means back to school. Backpacks, lunchboxes and first-day jitters. It also means new challenges for our area’s teachers. Communicating effectively with 20 or more small children can be a challenge. Throw in the child who struggles with speaking and social interaction, and teachers can have a real dilemma. How can they identify what’s holding the child back and effectively educate that child? Read More>>

HEALTH LINK  Where does the time go? It seems like we were just dusting off the lake sand from our toes, and now we’re buying school clothes and looking at winter boots! Scarves and mittens will soon replace suntan lotion and glasses. I suppose there is no sense in mourning the loss of summer when fall brings its own great rewards. When this magazine hits the shelves, our long days will still be warm. By the time the next edition comes out, the leaves will have fallen, covering our ground in a splendor of yellow, red and orange. Change will be here. Read More>>

INNOVATION  Out of context, it could sound downright barbaric — drilling into a patient’s skull and electrifying tissue — but deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been a godsend for many people suffering from Parkinson’s disease. It’s been shown to ease their tremors and other motor symptoms related to the chronic brain disorder. Read More>>

LIFESTYLES  I was checking out at one of my favorite local grocery stores a few days ago and my eyes found their way to the magazine rack. What I saw was quite amazing: Right there on the cover, “Celebrity Dieting Secrets Inside.” I was intrigued. Now, having a background in exercise and physiology, I know regular exercise and eating right are the only “secrets” out there, but all too often we get caught up in all the conflicting advice, information or news — we lose sight of what really works, end up confused and disregard how regular exercise benefits our bodies. Read More>>

LIFESTYLES  As lazy summer barbecues fade to blissful memories, I begin to ponder the “fall schedule.” I liken it to putting on a pair of shoes and socks after wearing sandals all summer. The sensation feels strange and confining. Yet, in a few days, the transition is made and school — and all the associated activity — begins again. Read More>>

PARENTING  We all treasure our child’s early observations at age 2: “There’s doggie!” and “Pee fow-er (pretty flower).” Parents of a gifted 2-year-old may hear something more like this: “There’s a brown doggie in the backyard, and he’s sniffing our flower.” Read More>>

PARENTING  Q: How should I choose shoes for my kids?

A: I have few memories more magical than rolling up to the Buster Brown store at NorthTown to score a new pair of waffle stompers. They had to accelerate well, stop tight, jump high with a zig for every zag — if they did not, they would not be mine. Through the years, I ran Zips, Kangaroos, Keds, simple swoosh Nikes, Saltwater Sandals, Sperry Topsiders. My mom bought the propaganda that a child needed new shoes frequently or their feet would explode. Read More>>