Don’t Miss this Fun and Funny Evening on August 6th
November, 2011 – Arrf-ritis Dog Walk
The Arthritis Foundation’s 2011 Arthritis Walk & ‘Arff’-ritis Dog Walk”
Nov. 12, 2011
John Prince Park, Lake Worth
Honorary Chairs – Dr. Marc Hirsh & Dr. Brett Hutton, Advanced Rheumatology Center & Dr. Greg Martin, Performance Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches
Jr. Honorees, Leeah Rath & Marisa Salvador
Co-Chairs – MaryJo McPhail, JFK Medical Center; Kelly Hafferly, Cadence Pharmaceuticals
8AM Registration; 9AM Walk Begins
Bring your dogs (because pets get arthritis, too!) and join the Arthritis Foundation in their annual 5K Arthritis Walk & Arff-ritis Dog Walk on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at John Prince Park in Lake Worth.
For more information, visit our web site at or call (561) 833-1133.
July, 2011 – Fireworks at Village Park, Wellington, FL
The Grande Finale of Fireworks on July 4th
Village Park in Wellington
Video by Elien Boes
It was a beautiful clear night for fireworks in Wellington, FL on July 4th, 2011.
September, 2011 – A Second Chance Event
A Dog’s Day Event
September 25, 2011 – 10am to 4pm
Okeeheelee Park, West Palm Beach
July/August, 2011 – Back Pain in Pregnancy
BACK PAIN IN PREGNANCY
By Cheryl Alker
Back pain is one of the most common discomforts during pregnancy, in fact it is reported that at least 50 to 70% of all pregnant women will experience back pain during their pregnancy though it most commonly occurs towards the last trimester. As your baby grows, your uterus expands to as much as 1,000 times its original size. This huge amount of growth is obviously centered in one area which in turn affects the balance of your body, changes your posture and the way you move resulting in pain and discomfort particularly in the lumbar (lower) back area. The majority of women will begin to lean back as the pregnancy progresses to balance the imbalance making their back muscles work much harder.
Some women begin to experience lower back pain with the onset of pregnancy. Women who are most at risk for back pain are those who are overweight or had back pain prior to pregnancy.
Weakness of the abdominal muscles can also cause back pain. The role of the abdominals is to normally support the spine and play an important role in the health of the back. Hormones produced during pregnancy allow ligaments in the pelvic area to soften the joints to become looser in preparation for the birthing process of the baby; this shift in joints and loosening of the ligaments may affect the support that is normal for your back. You may also be more prone to injury so you should take extra care that your exercise program is being monitored by a professional trainer who understands the changes that occur during the development of your pregnancy.
Poor posture, excessive standing and bending over can trigger or escalate your back pain as well as stress. Stress usually finds the weak spot in the body, and because of the changes in your pelvic area, you may experience an increase in back pain during stressful periods of your pregnancy.
So now we have the causes of back pain during pregnancy, below is a guide of how to prevent or minimize the pain, how to treat the pain, when to contact your health care provider and your next steps.
How can you prevent or minimize back pain during pregnancy?
Back pain may not be prevented completely, but there are things that you can do to reduce the severity or frequency.
· Use exercises approved by your health care provider that support and help strengthen the back and abdomen. It is a good idea to work with a trainer who specializes in core strength and understands back pain. Ask them if they have an ante/post natal qualification and whether they have worked extensively with back pain sufferers.
· Always squat to pick up something versus bending over. Flexible hamstrings and a strong core are vital to being able to achieve the correct technique needed to bend correctly otherwise the lower back takes all the strain.
· Avoid high heels and other shoes that do not provide adequate support.
· Avoid sleeping on your back.
· Wear a support belt under your lower abdomen.
· Get plenty of rest. Elevating your feet is also good for your back.
How can you treat back pain during pregnancy?
There are a number of things you can do to treat back pain during pregnancy. Some of the steps you take to avoid back pain may also be used to treat current back pain. Here are some other common interventions:
· Ice or heat.
· Braces or support devices.
· Sleep on your left side and use a support pillow under your knees.
· Medications used to treat inflammation.
· A pure flexibility program that works on postural alignment.
· A visit to your chiropractor or massage therapist (you should have previously worked with both of these professionals prior to your pregnancy).
When to contact your health care provider?
Experiencing back pain itself is usually not a reason to contact your health care provider, but there are situations where contacting your provider is necessary:
· Severe back pain.
· Increasingly severe or abrupt-onset of back pain.
· Rhythmic cramping pains; this could be a sign of preterm labor.
Severe back pain may be related to pregnancy-associated osteoporosis, vertebral osteoarthritis, or septic arthritis. These are not common, but it is something your health care provider will examine if you are experiencing severe back pain.
Your Next Steps:
· Begin an approved exercise program that includes core strength and a pure flexibility program that works specifically on postural alignment and is also designed for back pain sufferers.
· Set aside a couple of times a day where you can take a nap or get off your feet.
· If you are currently working with a chiropractor then utilize his/her services as well as your massage therapist.
· Purchase a support belt.
· Purchase a sleep aid pillow.
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Around Wellington, the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
Cheryl Alker specializes in flexibility training, postural alignment, core strength and back pain. Her 29 year career started as a group fitness and personal trainer, she has lectured and directed fitness training programs in both Europe and the USA and was an advisor for a Governmental health promotion program. Alker and her company Stretch Results International continues to work with a select clientele from a base in Palm Beach County, Florida, educating consumers through public speaking and offering consultation to clients who wish to lose their muscular pain and gain flexibility to achieve full and active lifestyles. Alker has just released a DVD for back pain sufferers. For more information about consultation options, e:books or DVD’s please call Cheryl on 561 889 3738 or visit www.stretchresults.com.
July/August – Bang! Crash! The Lightning Flashed . . .
Creature Feature
Bang! Crash! The Lightning Flashed…
By Stephanie Karpf, DVM
The hot months of summer are upon us, and for residents of South Florida, that means thunderstorms. Lots of thunderstorms! We also have the 4th of July to celebrate, and for many people this involves setting off obnoxiously loud fireworks. For many of our four-legged friends, these months are not fun.
Noise sensitivities, such as those to thunder and fireworks, are a fairly common problem in dogs. Some breeds, such as collies and other herding breeds, can be more likely to have this problem than others. However, I have seen this issue surface in dogs of just about every size and variety. Dogs that show anxiety or fear to thunder can have a large range of symptoms, including pacing, freezing in place, trembling, destruction of things in the home, hypersalivation, escape attempts, urinating or defecating in the house, crying, whining, barking, licking or self-mutilation, hiding, panting, diarrhea and vomiting. If your dog has this problem, it can be heart-breaking to see them get so “stressed out” by an event that you know is not going to harm them. It is important to remember that they are not “dumb” or “crazy” because of this irrational fear. Dogs with this type of phobia or sensitivity often have no control over their reactions to these noises.
There are some things that you can do to help your dog, if they have this issue. The first is to create a “safe place” for your dog. This should be somewhere that is preferably dark and quiet. For dogs that willingly go into a crate, this can be a perfect place. It is best to use a crate made out of plastic, so that it is naturally dark inside. Or alternatively, you could throw a blanket over a wire crate to darken it. The door does not need to be closed on the dog, but can be if the dog seems to calm down more with the door closed. If your dog is not one that will agree to being crated, then the safe place should be a room that has no windows, and can be darkened. It is also best to close the blinds and shades on windows and doors during storms or fireworks displays. Many dogs do react to the light from lightening or fireworks, as they have made an association between the flashing lights and the noise that they are sensitive to.
Another step that can be taken is to play music during the storm. The music that humans find most calming—classical music with slow tempos and simple composition—is also the most calming to dogs. Playing this just loud enough to help drown out some of the thunder noise, can help calm a dog during a storm. Some dogs can even be taught to wear ear plugs, specially made for canine ears.
Pheromones, which are chemical mediators produced by animals to communicate with one another, can be very useful in treating this problem. One that is commonly used in behavioral therapy for dogs is called Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP). It comes as a diffuser, spray or collar. For dogs that have this anxiety issue, wearing a DAP collar or simply wearing a bandana that has been sprayed with this pheromone, can be very helpful.
For many dogs, a change in their diet, to one of lower protein and higher carbohydrates can be very helpful. Your veterinarian can prescribe a diet for your dog that meets their nutritional requirements while enhancing their ability to cope with this stress.
Many dogs that suffer from severe storm phobia, often need medication for this problem. Your veterinarian can prescribe short-acting medications to immediately reduce anxiety and panic, that only need to be given when an event is happening (or ideally, given at least one hour before the onset of the event). This is best for 4th of July, as it is easier to anticipate that this noise is actually going to occur at a given time. For dogs that have thunder phobia as well, there are medications that are given more chronically, over the course of months to help control these symptoms. If you think your dog would benefit from pharmaceutical therapy, you should see your veterinarian about this.
Behavior modification programs that involve desensitization and counter conditioning to the noises that elicit these types of fear and anxiety responses, is very beneficial. This is usually done using sound recordings. Your veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist can devise a protocol for you to work on with your dog, to help reduce their level of anxiety response. This type of program takes time and effort, but it is often very crucial in helping a dog overcome this fear.
Although this problem can be very frustrating, the most important thing to remember when dealing with a dog with storm phobia….is that they can’t help it! You should never punish a dog for showing anxious behavior during a thunderstorm or fireworks event. It is also best not to comfort them with a lot of soothing talk and petting and attention, as this often just reinforces their fear and anxiety. It is best to simply try to distract them with other activities, like fetch or obedience training skills, while modifying their environment as described above to drown out the sound. With appropriate treatment, your dog can be made a lot more comfortable during these “scary” events.
Dr. Karpf is the co-owner of The Visiting Vet, a housecall service for dogs and cats serving Palm Beach County. For an appointment, please call 561-252-8874.
July, 2011 – Summer Swap Meet at Wellington Marketplace
Spring Cleaning Leads to “Summer Swap”
The Wellington Marketplace will be holding a swap meet in our parking lot Saturday, August 6th. Co- sponsored by the Asphalt Angels Car Club, this event will allow members of our community to buy, sell, trade and mingle, all while celebrating one of Wellington’s premiere shopping plazas!
It’s simple: $10 buys you a space. Bring a table and set up shop. Who knows what treasures your neighbor may have! The Marketplace tenants will be offering exclusive sales and promotions as well, so be prepared for bargains! With the Asphalt Angels’ hot rods, there will be something fun for the whole family.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 6th and be sure to “LIKE” us on Facebook for all the latest updates. See you at the Swap!
July, 2011 – July 4th Celebration in Wellington
July 4th Celebration at Village Park and Wellington Aquatics Complex
The public is invited to Wellington’s Annual 4th of July Family Celebration at Village Park, 11700 Pierson Road. The event will begin at 6:00 pm with inflatable rides, face painting, paint-less paintball, traditional games, food for purchase and more! Live musical entertainment will be provided. FREE bingo will begin at 6:30 pm inside the gymnasium, sponsored by Humana, Inc. The event will conclude with fireworks at 9:15 pm. FREE shuttle transportation service will be available from the Mall at Wellington Green Palm Tran bus stop beginning at 5:30 pm. For more information on this event, please call the Village Park Gymnasium at (561) 791-4005.
If your family is looking for a way to cool off earlier in the day, please visit the Wellington Aquatics Complex from 12 pm to 5 pm for a refreshing dip in the pool! Regular admission fees apply. For more information about the Aquatics Complex, please call (561) 791-4770.
For information about other Wellington programs, events, activities, and updates, please visit www.wellingtonfl.gov or watch Channel 18 for the latest happenings.
July/August, 2011 – When Life Spills Your Coffee
July/August, 2011 
Dear Readers,
Happy July/August!
They say that when life gives you lemons, you should lemonade. But what do they say when life gives you a spilled cup of coffee, a mess to clean up and breaks the coffee mug too?
This is how my morning started off today. I woke up and was chatting with my husband. I was making a point, a grandiose point that required elbow room, and I knocked over my over-sized, filled-to-the-brim mug of coffee and it shattered on the kitchen floor. Besides picking up sharp pieces of ceramic around the kitchen, we had to do strange things in order to clean up this spill – like removing a front panel from the bottom of the fridge. And sifting through a container of various straws and kids’ cutlery, that was also sprayed and dripping with coffee. The coffee was everywhere. So instead of doing the things I had planned on, we spent a good 20 minutes trying to get the kitchen back to normal. I went outside to the garden hose to spray down the refrigerator panel and my flip flops. While out by the garden, I noticed a big, beautiful caterpillar, probably caught in the act of eating our tomato plant. So I called the kids over and we took a few moments to stare at the caterpillar, a mini-science lesson at 7:30am.
So while the kids were ogling at this caterpillar, I noticed that there were a few mangos that fell to the ground last night and brought them inside. I ended up cutting into the most gorgeous mango of the whole summer. On the outside, it was yellow, orange and red – ripened to perfection. Its orange flesh was still hot from being outside and so perfectly ripe, it tasted like a bite of pure, delicious summer. It wouldn’t have been quite as good yesterday or even tomorrow, if left on the ground to the ducks and birds. So I guess what I’m saying in my convoluted way is – when “life spills out your coffee,” just forget it and go get a mango outside. If you can!
Welcome to our combined July/August issue! We have so many terrific articles, thanks to our AroundWellington writers this month. Watch out for a few more articles August 1st, as usual, and a new contest too!
Please take a moment to read about the wonderful things going on over at the Wellness Experience over in Kobosko’s Crossing in our AW Spotlight article. Dr. Randy Laurich and his staff have taken Wellness into their own hands, getting very disciplined themselves with diet and exercise. Laurich gives us a little introduction to the high-tech tools he uses to get excellent results in his chiropractic office – the ProAdjuster and the DRX9000. See the two videos within the article.
I was delighted to join a group of Moms and kids for a great tour of California Pizza Kitchen. Check out the story and how to arrange your own tour – see “Mommy Moments.” The CPK Kids tour culminates in the kids’ making their own personal-sized pizzas and eating them. See the videos of the CPK Tour in action too.
Hey Parents! Speaking of fun things to do, see what local mom Shawn Thompson has added to our “Kids’ Corner” article. I think you will love the new “Kids Get Freebies and Cheapies” section! And of course, she continues to update the “Kids Eat FREE” section too. Thank you, Shawn!
THANKS to all of our writers, photographers, advertisers and to you, our dear readers! This month we welcome new advertiser Miami Kids Music. As you can tell from the name, they are coming from Miami and opening a new location in Wellington, a great place for kids and parents to learn together. See the video for an example of Miami Kids Music doing what they do best – on their website.
Hope you’re having a wonderful summer and staying cool!
Here’s our table of contents, showing you everything that’s new for this month. So see below or just visit www.AroundWellington.com to explore.
Please feel free to contact me if you ever have questions or suggestions: aroundwellington@earthlink.net.
Cheers,
Krista Martinelli
Editor
July, 2011 – Cloud Computing
By the Numbers
Cloud Computing
By Juan Cocuy, CPA
I am deviating a bit from my usual discussion about tax issues or planning tips to get into technology. Our firm helps many of our clients with the selection of their tech tools such as what networks they should buy, what software, etc. Lately, it has gotten harder and harder because the choices are so vast and so confusing and change every day.
We have recently seen the evolution of “Cloud Computing” which is a concept that you do not have to own expensive hardware, servers, etc., because you can “house” your programs and data at remote locations. So, as the commercial says, “you just go to the cloud.” This appears to be the direction business computing is heading and more and more companies, large and small, are looking at this as a way to save on costs, improve efficiency and prevent disastrous loss of data. The idea is that you don’t have to buy a new server every few years, you don’t have to pay for software updates, and you don’t have to worry about back-ups because those are done automatically from a remote location. The major providers of these services are Google, IBM and Microsoft.
I am also amazed with technology that allows you to wirelessly do just about anything you want wirelessly and remotely. I recently changed my security system in my home and the technician that did the installation had his iPad with him. At the end, he showed me the invoice, had me approve it, charged my credit card using a card swiper attachment and emailed everything to me in a couple of minutes. And this is a small company, not one of those national firms.
Just yesterday, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple presented their new software innovations. The most important part of the demonstration was the new online-only music and more locker called the iCloud. Their new operating system called Lion will only be available via their App Store and, for the first time ever, a software upgrade of an operating system will not be available in a CD format. The jist of the iCloud is that you will be able to sync all your devices, including calendar and contact information, wirelessly. Don’t ask me how; it is beyond what my little brain can comprehend.
The bottom line is data, media, communication and entertainment will be soon moving so fast that your head will spin. The frustrating part is that you may think you are on the cutting edge with your new device, computer or TV, and in a matter of a few days, you are way behind. My prediction is that soon, they will implant a chip in your brain that will allow you to download and play music, games, and movies, browse the internet, make purchases, check your emails all within your own head. So literally, our heads will be in the Cloud. SCARY!!
Juan Cocuy CPA
About Cocuy, Burns & Co., P.A. Located at 12400A South Shore Boulevard, Cocuy, Burns & Co., P.A. is the only full-service CPA firm in the western communities. We have been in business for over 20 years and provide a full menu of services to the professionals and businesses in our area including tax compliance and planning, auditing and consulting. We can be reached at 561-793-1927 or by visiting www.cocuyburns.com.