SPECIAL SECTION  Ever examined photos of your ancestors, with their lined faces and weary eyes, and assumed they were quite elderly? Then you discovered the pictures were taken when they were just in their forties? Not so long ago, there weren’t many good ways to mask the effects of aging; people could look washed-up after four decades of hard-fought life.

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SPECIAL SECTION  Living naturally isn’t just for squirrels and hippies. It’s not too complicated, either. Organic body and skin care lines leave you feeling better and looking refreshed. And it’s morally gratifying to know that your eco-friendly facial serum didn’t put a koala out of its home. Visiting a spa with an environmentally conscious business model is a wonderful way to support a greater cause while simultaneously pampering yourself. Read More>>

SPECIAL SECTION  When the FDA approved Botox for cosmetic use in 2002, beauty industry spokespeople proclaimed it the “Year of the Botox Party!” So why has it taken until 2009 to get formal invitations to Botox parties here in the Inland Northwest? Some in the business blame the area’s general resistance to national trends, but that’s changing fast. Nearly 200 clients — about 95 percent of them women — now get regular Botox injections at Spokane’s Inland Aesthetics Institute. And for many, there’s nothing wrong with incorporating a little fun into the experience. Read More>>

SPECIAL SECTION  Wonderful things, lasers. They can mend eyes, annoy lecturers, blast TIE fighters. And they can re-sculpt the surface of the skin. At medical spas, skilled laser technicians can erase freckles, moles, hair and spider-veins. But lasers aren’t just a matter of point, click, and — zap — blemish-be-gone. Choose the wrong medical spa, and you could get burned. Literally. Read More>>

SPECIAL SECTION  Winter is nearly here. You’ve said goodbye to the sun, mojito drink specials, 90-degree days at the lake and, lastly, your tan. It’s not that milky complexions aren’t stunning — Nicole Kidman, Jack White and the vampires from Twilight seem to be doing just fine. But if you happen to be one of those people who feel more confident with just a slight (or obvious) tint of color, the options are as bright as a sunny day. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  Stevia is sweeter than sugar. It’s all-natural — a plant, just like sugar cane. But unlike sugar, stevia sweeteners are calorie-free.
Don’t go throwing out your Splenda stash, though. Stevia hasn’t proven itself tastier — or less controversial — than other sweeteners on the market. Yet. Read More>>

FROM THE EDITOR  Welcome to the biggest-ever issue of InHealthNW. We’ve filled our new pages with lots of information — all written by reporters right here in the Inland Northwest. Read More>>

COOKING  A recent survey of more than a thousand American Culinary Federation member chefs showed small plates — also known as tapas, mezze or dim sum, depending on their ethnicity — ranked high on culinary “what’s hot” lists. Read More>>

DIET & FITNESS  I don’t know why it isn’t a compliment to be called a dumbbell. Not only are these weights adaptable to multiple different indoor exercises; they also provide the extra level of challenge you need to continue to progress through the winter months with an indoor workout. They’re cheap and easy to store even in a small apartment. What more do you want? Read More>>

GUEST COLUMN  Nine and a half years ago, my family was told that my 54-year-old sister had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. That is a diagnosis that you NEVER want to hear. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. It is estimated that this year 42,470 Americans will be diagnosed with this disease and 35,240 will die. Read More>>

SPECIAL SECTION  Meet Nikki White. She’s tall and athletic, grew up middle-class in Tennessee and graduated from the University of Texas, after which she went to work in an Austin bookstore.

And she’s dead. Read More>>

SPECIAL SECTION  Look at some of the differences in the health care systems used by France, Canada, Japan, the US and others.  See what innovations, upsides and downs each has in comparison. Read More>>

INNOVATION  Spokane resident Robert Yamada never knew how many friends he had. But when he suffered a spinal injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down, a vast network of friends, families and strangers gathered around him in support.

There is the handful of people who’ve flown to visit him at Craig Hospital in Denver and those he talks to by phone — his girlfriend, father and brother in Spokane.

But every day, he also hears from aunts and uncles, school friends and complete strangers on a Website his parents set up for him at CaringBridge.org the day after his August accident. Read More>>

NEWS  With a chill haunting the air of October, a handful of nurses came together for two days in Spokane and learned how to be doctors.
OK, they’re not quite doctors, but maybe something even better: At the end of seven semesters, these nurses will have doctorates. It’s almost an origin story for Spokane’s first superhero: the Super Nurse. Read More>>

PARENTING  Tracey, a Spokane mother of three thick-haired children, wrote a short response back to her son’s kindergarten teacher after receiving the most recent official Head Lice Parent Notification Letter from Spokane Public Schools:

“I would rather gnaw off my right hand than have lice in my house again.” Read More>>

PARENTING  Why should I get the flu vaccine? I’m not in a risk group and they get the vaccine wrong sometimes anyway. And by the way, what is the deal with H1N1? I am pretty skeptical about that new vaccine. Is it safe? Read More>>

PEOPLE  Mary Ann Wilson is the kind of person you want to spill your heart to.

I’m 20 minutes late for our interview — there are too many Starbucks locations in this town — but Mary Ann still greets me with a smile, warmly touching my arm with sincere “it’s all right” understanding. Read More>>

SENIORS  Don Bridwell’s phone rang. It was his elderly mother calling, again. Again in a crisis. Why does your voice sound so muffled? Bridwell asked.

“I’m hiding in the closet,” his mother said. She was afraid, she explained, of the people hiding in the television. Afraid they would come out of the television and chase her around the room. Read More>>

SPECIAL SECTION  It sounds too good to be true, but there appears to be a way to get rid of fat without diet or exercise. You can “melt” it away by exposing your problem area to the light of a cold laser. “It is a true laser,” says Dr. Michael Hardison, owner of Mountain View Chiropractic in Post Falls. “It’s a red frequency, so there’s no thermal effect at all, there’s no sensation.” Read More>>