COVER STORY  It’s 10:50 on the first morning of my year of perfect health and my lungs are burning. I can feel the first pump of sweat forcing its way out of the pores at the edge of my scalp and underneath my arms. I’m running, and my legs feel weak. They aren’t Jello-y exactly, but they definitely don’t have the power I’d like them to have. I come to the base of the Lincoln Street hill and slow to a walk, breathing hard.

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INNOVATION  Between the east and the west sides of Washington state, there’s a dental gap. And not the David Letterman kind. Graduates at the University of Washington School of Dentistry tend to stay in Seattle. They tend to practice in the Big City or the Big Suburbs. But Seattle doesn’t need dentists. Places like Colville do. Read More>>

COOKING  Did you know that many chefs admit they thrive on deadlines, using their adrenaline to power creativity? Chef Adam Hegsted is known for exploring new territory in the culinary world. His skills have been recognized both nationally and regionally. But his latest position as executive chef for the Coeur d’Alene Casino’s Worley, Idaho, resort properties brings a whole new set of challenges and ample opportunity to get the adrenaline pumping — creating menus and crafting food for six different food venues, often open simultaneously. And there are plans to expand, adding a pub and steak house. Read More>>

PEOPLE  There haven’t been a lot of things that have stood in Anna Mae Ericksen’s way. You could argue that Ericksen, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday at a party with more than 200 guests, has been one of the most influential developers of Spokane’s thriving medical industry. But you wouldn’t really need to argue — there aren’t many who’d disagree. Read More>>

NEWS  A little more than three years ago, about 40 higher-ups from Rockwood Clinic gathered at Fotheringham House in Browne’s Addition for the clinic’s annual board retreat. That weekend, the assembly of board members, executive administrators and other health care officers made a fateful decision at the quiet bed and breakfast not far from downtown Spokane. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  As a Marine, Erik Seiler served in the infantry from 2003 to 2007. His deployment resumé reads like a checklist of the last decade’s violent situations: Haiti in 2004; Fallujah, Iraq, in 2005; and Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006. Seiler says he first sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after returning from Fallujah. “I had six months back [in the States], and then I had to deploy again. I used it to get my mindset prepared to deploy again. Read More>>

FROM THE EDITOR  What a great year we have planned for InHealthNW. Luke Baumgarten has signed on to do a series of articles about his search for better health. Despite being basically happy with his life, Luke struggles to find time to exercise, has trouble consistently making healthy choices in his diet, feels over-committed and stressed, and has trouble sleeping. Sound familiar? In this issue, Luke outlines his goals for the year and begins the journey. Don’t expect a perky report on how great it is to get healthier, though — Luke’s story is a frank look at how difficult and ultimately rewarding it is to make lasting changes. Read More>>

SPECIAL SECTION  Urban Dictionary.com, a Web page that allows the public to create alternative definitions consisting of everyday colloquialisms, defines “Dentist” as the following: “A dentist is a man or woman who takes great delight in hurting you. He does this with his vast collection of sharp, shiny and scary tools. Once he’s managed to make you cry — or pass out from pain — he charges you for it.”
A second entry identifies “Dentist” as “a sadist with newer magazines.”
Harsh? Yeah, kinda. Read More>>

SPECIAL SECTION  Smiling is good for you. It can relieve stress, reduce blood pressure, make you look younger, lift your mood and contagiously spread to grouchy people. But then, not everyone looks like they just emerged from the set of a toothpaste commercial.
The good news? We’re living in the 21st century. If there’s something about your mouth you don’t like, it can be fixed. Read More>>

SPECIAL SECTION  They’ve got cell phones with GPS systems, pocket-sized digital videogames and 8-gig MP3 players. Old 1980s technology just won’t fly for today’s grade-schoolers: not for toys, and not for crooked teeth. Read More>>

GUEST COLUMN  Our community has not been here before. Well, at least not since 1918. That is the last time an influenza pandemic of the magnitude of the H1N1 virus moved through Spokane and Washington state. The 1918 pandemic, which came to be known as Spanish Influenza, eventually took the lives of an estimated 20 million people worldwide. Historians remind us that more Americans died in the 1918 pandemic than died of injuries in World War I. It is a sobering thought. Read More>>

PARENTING  You may have heard of agoraphobia, or claustrophobia, but have you heard of fever phobia? I sure have. I would define it as the grave concern that any temperature greater than 99 degrees Fahrenheit heralds certain peril. Some parents have the belief that if a fever rises too high, bad things will happen: poaching of the brain, melting of teeth or something equally horrific. In actuality, any serious consequence of fever itself would require a sustained fever north of 106 degrees Fahrenheit. 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>>