Seeking a healthy month of May

May 7, 7:31 AMSonoma County ExaminerLaura McHale Holland

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Did you know that May is Women's Health Care Month? It's also many other things: Clean Air Month, Creative Beginnings Month, National Barbeque Month, National Photo Month, National Revise Your Work Schedule Month and Personal History Month, for example. But health is the topic of most concern to me right now.

While in Las Vegas toward the end of April, I aggravated an old whiplash injury. So I've been feeling like a very old and rusted version of the Tin Man, one of Dorothy's companions in "The Wizard of Oz."

This pain could have returned due to the odd ways in which one must bend and twist directly before, during and after flight; the thick, hard pillows at the hotel where I stayed (at home I use a memory foam pillow); the overall stress and long hours that are part of the tradeshow experience; the fact that I haven't been taking care of myself lately (OK, well, maybe I never have taken very good care of myself); and the inevitable aging process.

Richard Mordecai, D.C., a Santa Rosa chiropractor highly recommended by my friend Mike told me another factor contributing to spine troubles is lack of water. Yup. Many of us simply aren't downing enough of that good old H2O. The fact that I work at a computer for long hours on my day job doesn't help either.

So, why write about this? National Women's Health Week begins May 10. I want to get healthy. And I expect lots of other folks do, too. Chiropractic treatments and massage have helped lessen the pain, as have drinking more water and doing yoga poses. But I'm not yet recovered. Today I'll have a treatment from Naomi Caspe (who, in addition to being a licensed acupuncturist (and a friend of mine), is also a storyteller and clown!). I'll keep you posted.