Column

How can you thank someone for protecting your freedom?

You – our community – know how. Your generous support of Sentinels of Freedom has said “thank you” to all the brave men and women who have served our nation. I know I have said it before, but I will say it again: we really do have a wonderful community here.

In 2017, the events you held, the mentoring and volunteer work you did, and the donations you gave made it possible for 40 of our program’s severely wounded veterans to graduate college. That is no small feat.

Because of you, Sentinel Kyle Garcia, who was injured by a pressure plate improvised explosive device and suffered a left leg amputation, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and is now attending law school; Sentinel Erin McLoughlin, whose nervous system was damaged in a training accident, completed the HERO Child-Rescue Corps program and is now gainfully employed as a computer forensic analyst for the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations; and Sentinel Tom Block, who lost his right eye due to a suicide bomber, now works for US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and actively seeks to motivate other wounded veterans to push past their injuries.

It is because of your help that Kyle, Erin, Tom, and our other graduates were able to complete their higher education, find meaningful careers, and continue to contribute to their communities. It is because of your help that they are now able to follow their passions and support their families. It is YOUR support that made it all possible. “You provided me with so much more than the opportunity to go to school,” says Erin, “you provided me with the confidence to get my life back in order knowing I had you rooting for me every step of the way.”

And it does not stop there: your support also enabled us to accept 74 more Sentinels to our program this year, and we cannot wait to see them achieve their dreams because of your help.

I am so grateful for each and every one of you and cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together next year. Thank you for your support.

You have the power to enable more life-changing opportunities for wounded veterans. To find out how, visit www.sentinelsoffreedom.org.

 

 

 

 

Earlier and earlier each year, we hear Christmas music on our radios. How many of us still listen to the radio? We know all of them, so let’s have a little fun with them.

 

1. In what movie was Irving Berlin’s song White Christmas introduced?

 

2. Silver Bells is another Christmas song introduced in a movie. What movie was it?

 

3. Who composed the lyrics to The Christmas Song?

 

4. Baby it’s Cold Outside is hardly a Christmas song, but it is still played during the Yuletide season. What movie was it from?

 

5. He was a one hit wonder when he recorded I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus in the early 50s. Who was he?

 

6. Montgomery Ward( remember them?) had a promotion at Christmas in the early 40s that featured a novelty song sung by a Western movie star. What was the tune and who sang it?

 

The winter holidays have arrived and it’s time to consider which wines you’d like to grace your celebratory table. In support of The Golden State and the recent traumas suffered by our most prestigious wine growing areas, I propose selecting some of the finest from Napa and Sonoma. You’ll enjoy wines of incredible style and quality while supporting the fractured economy of a beleaguered region.

October was a fiery month for Napa and Sonoma. Hundreds lost their lives or were injured in the terrible inferno that destroyed homes, businesses, historic monuments, and vineyards. The fire was not one but a series of blazes that erupted on October 8 and became a massive firestorm that ranks as the very worst in California history.

The fires affected everyone in the region. Families were roused from their beds and evacuated in the wee hours of the morning only to find themselves homeless just hours later as the fires swept furiously across the land. The most devastating was the Tubbs Fire that started just north of Calistoga and decimated the town of Santa Rosa. The rural areas were hard hit and the fires extended all the way to Mendocino County.

Many vineyards and wineries were burned but fortunately most were saved from destruction. Strangely enough, vineyards actually make great fire breaks this time of year. The vines are green and leafy with little vegetation surrounding them. In many cases, the fire burned right up to the gates of a vineyard and stopped, answering the prayers of more than one proprietor.

The silver lining to the tragedy was the great spirit of community that thrived during this time of crisis.  Friends worked together to evacuate as the unthinkable overtook their once-picturesque neighborhoods. After the fires were extinguished, communities opened their homes to families that had lost everything. In the face of disaster, human kindness and the true spirit of Thanksgiving prevailed.

What does this fire mean for the wine industry of California? The industry will go on, to be sure. It’s likely that the 2017 harvest will be smaller than most but fortunately the majority of the fruit had been collected before the fire hit. Only the late-ripening cabernet sauvignon grapes were still hanging on the vines.

Says Mike Reynolds, President of Hall/Walt Wines, it was “the most interesting harvest” with which he’s ever been involved. Local growers tell stories of rinsing ashes off grapes while harvesting and crossing their fingers that smoke taint had not affected the fruit. Only time will tell what affect the blaze has had on this vintage, but Reynolds is optimistic.

“Napa Valley has recovered rather quickly from the fire,” Reynolds asserts. “Right now the biggest challenge is the loss of tourist dollars because of people cancelling their plans to visit.” Reynolds insists that except for burned hillsides, the beguiling valley is as stunning as ever. Strange as it may seem, it is the ideal time to travel to the area.

Napa and Sonoma are enjoying clear skies and breezy fall weather. If you’ve ever dreamed of visiting California’s famed wine region, do it now. The hotels, restaurants and wineries would welcome guests wholeheartedly to infuse life into their businesses. If you’d love to finally get a reservation at the acclaimed “French Laundry” restaurant, make that call today.

The notoriously well-crafted and delicious wines of Napa and Sonoma are natural accompaniments to traditional holiday foods such as roasted meats, game, or fish. You can’t go wrong. The holidays are the perfect time to check out some of the best California has to offer. Indulge in a hefty Napa chardonnay or a crisp sauvignon blanc from the Sonoma Coast.

Most wine shops carry a wonderful selection from Napa and Sonoma or go online and have a look around. Find old favorites or experiment with something new. If you are not familiar with the wines of Hall or Walt, look up the breathtaking 2014 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon for an incredibly decadent Napa-style cab, or try Walt’s 2015 Bob’s Ranch Pinot Noir for a rich, spicy wine that will bring great elegance to your holiday meal. Think of it as drinking for a cause.

If you’d like to give more directly to the recovery effort in Napa and Sonoma, go to Redwood Credit Union’s North Bay Fire Relief Fund, a 501(c)(3). All proceeds are donated directly to the fund and will help many struggling families.  

Have a beautiful holiday! Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slips and falls in the rain and snow are a major cause of painful traumas, especially in older people this time of year. The worse type of injury is the vertebral fracture. This occurs when a hard fall onto the back or buttock causes one or more of the bones of the spine to fracture and collapse. The fracture is extremely painful because unlike other fractures, it’s position deep in the body prevents it from being immobilized to allow healing and even everyday activities such as sitting up to eat a meal causes movement of the fractured bone.

If you experience a fall and have severe pain that doesn’t improve within one to two weeks and have severe back pain with any position or activity except lying down, more than likely, you have a spinal fracture. It is very important to have a physician evaluate you and order a diagnostic x-ray so that you can receive appropriate treatment in a timely manner.

The treatment for a spinal fracture depends on the severity of pain and on how much the pain limits your everyday activities. Younger adults may have a fracture, but because of good muscle tone and strength surrounding the spine, they might not have such severe pain that prevents their usual activities such as work, dressing, bathing, eating, etc. Older adults however, tend to have less muscle mass and support of the spine so that even sitting at the dinner table to eat a meal is a chore because of severe pain. In less painful fractures, wearing a tight, elastic, low back support belt can be very helpful, along with taking anti-inflammatory medications such as Advil or Aleve. These fractures may take up to six months to a year to heal naturally.

For older adults who have severe pain that prevents them from participating in their usual activities of daily living, we recommend a curative procedure called a Percutaneous Balloon Kyphoplasty. The procedure fixes the fracture by injecting cement into the bone through a thin, hollow needle. The cement is the same that is used in knee and hip replacement surgeries. It hardens immediately and the severe pain is gone immediately as well. The procedure is safe, done in the office under conscious sedation and takes one to two hours. There are no physical restrictions after the procedure and since the fracture is then fixed, there is no need for any strong pain medications.

I recommend that the procedure be done as soon as the fracture is identified if there is severe pain. If the fracture is allowed to heal on its own, it will likely heal with a deformity of the bone that causes the spine to bend forward, called kyphosis. Kyphosis can lead to long term health problems including respiratory diseases and chronic back pain. An MRI of the spine is usually ordered by the doctor to ensure that the fracture is still new enough to be fixed. Usually the MRI will show inflammation of the bone due to the fracture even six months after the fall has occurred. Once the bone heals, usually six months to a year after the fall, nothing can be done to reverse the deformity.

The best option of course is to avoid falls and injuries. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” as our friend, Benjamin Franklin, says. Wear shoes with good treading and if you need a cane or a walker, use it! Do as much safe exercise as you can to keep your back and spine strong and healthy.

Visit my website for more information: www.delaneymd.com.

Dr. DeLaney is the founder and medical director of Balanced Pain Management in Walnut Creek. She is board certified in both Chronic Pain Management and Anesthesiology and has published multiple papers on chronic pain management. She continues to give lectures at local and national medical meetings on Pain Management.  For more information, visit her website at delaneymd.com or call 925-988-9333.