Classes, workshops
STOP SMOKING: Harmony Community Wellness Center offers free acupuncture treatments to those who want to quit smoking on Thursday, the date of the 34th Great American Smokeout promoted by the American Cancer Society. The Wellness Center is at 229 S. Juniper St., Escondido. Call 760-294-1356.
MATERNITY CLASSES: Tri-City Medical Center is offering maternity education classes on childbirth education, baby safety and breastfeeding at 4002 W. Vista Way, Oceanside. Register at 760-940-5784 or visit tricitymed.org.
HEALTHY FATS: Henry's Farmers Market offers a free seminar and cooking demonstrations on "Healthy Fats in Your Diet" from 11 a.m.-noon Nov. 18 at the store at 15727 Bernardo Heights Parkway, Rancho Bernardo. Reserve to 858-385-1606.
AT SHARP: Sharp Rees-Stealy at Scripps Ranch offers free heath education seminars from 6 to 7 p.m. except as noted at 10670 Wexford St., San Diego. Register to 800-827-4277 or visit www.sharp.com/classes:
-- Advances in Prostate Cancer: Treatment Options, Nov. 18: The latest surgical treatment options available for prostate cancer, including the da Vinci Surgical System and the Novalis Shaped Beam Surgery.
AT PPH: Palomar Pomerado Health hosts free and low-cost health education classes and screenings. To register, call 800-628-2880 or visit www.pph.org and click on "Classes and Events" unless otherwise noted:
-- 6 p.m. Thursday, Managing Your Stress, Pomerado Outpatient Pavilion, 15611 Pomerado Road, Poway: Dr. Elizabeth Salada discusses the effects of stress, how to identify and avoid stress in the future, and ways to cope with the unavoidable stressors in your life. Free.
-- 6 p.m. Saturday, HeartSaver CPR (Certified), 125 Vallecitos de Oro, Suite A, San Marcos: This class provides CPR certification and is designed for the layperson who may serve as a rescuer in the workplace. Fee is $40.
SWING CHAIR YOGA: Swing chair yoga classes are offered from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. and 3-4 p.m. Wednesdays at Kat's Studio in Fallbrook, taught by Kat Folger. This exercise offers total body strengthening and lengthening, spinal traction, rehabilitation, inversion therapy, balance, coordination, neuromuscular re-education and relief from neck and back pain. Cost is $10 per class. Call 760-505-5325 or e-mail jamkat92028@sbcglobal.net.
WEB CONFERENCE FOR CAREGIVERS: "The Best Care for Your Parents: Senior Care Solutions and Potential Pitfalls" is a free Web conference offered at 4 p.m. Thursday as part of National Family Caregivers Month. Co-hosted by Suzanne Mintz, president and CEO of the non-profit National Family Caregivers Association, and Home Instead Senior Care co-founder and CEO Paul Hogan, the session is designed to help family caregivers plan for their loved ones' care. Register for the Web conference at www.caregiverstress.com.
PTSD THERAPY: Great Life Technologies LLC of Carlsbad is seeking 190 veterans to receive free treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and follow-up, now through November 2009. CEO Tom Stone and his staff are using "Human Software Engineering" techniques to assist veterans with PTSD. Call 619-557-2700 or e-mail barbara@greatlifetechnologies.com.
FREE FLU-SAFETY CLASSES: UC San Diego Extension is offering a no-cost 90-minute presentation on H1N1 flu (swine flu) safety to San Diego County businesses, civic groups, clubs, associations, youth groups, Chambers of Commerce and other community organizations. To schedule a free presentation, call Shannon Oriola at 619-884-0311 or e-mail her at Shannon.oriola@sharp.com.
AT HEALING INSTITUTE: These classes are offered at the Natural Healing Institute of Naturopathy Inc. at 543 Encinitas Blvd., Suite 105, Encinitas. Call (760) 943-8485, ext. 103, e-mail steve@naturalhealinginst.com or enroll@naturalhealinginst.com; visit www.naturalhealinginst.comvisit:
-- Nov. 21: "Atkins, Paleolithic (ancestral) Diets; Leptin Hormone, Weight and Fat Loss."
-- Alternate Saturdays, ongoing: "Certified Nutritional Chef ---- Therapeutic Luscious Cooking."
HICAP Q&A: The Cardiovascular Disease Foundation offers a question and answer session at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 2 with a representative from HICAP to answer questions about Medicare changes for 2010. HICAP is a volunteer-supported program that provides unbiased information to help Medicare beneficiaries make the best choices for their individual health care needs. The free workshop is at 3088 Pio Pico Drive, Suite 202, Carlsbad. Reserve to 760-730-1471.
ASSISTED CARE OPTIONS: The Carlsbad Senior Center hosts a discussion on options for assisted care and how to pay for them at 10 a.m. Dec. 8 at 799 Pine Ave., Carlsbad. Registered nurse Debra Anthony from A Place for Mom and Paula Straub, a financial professional, will be the guest speakers. Call 760-602-4650.
Screenings
NUTRITION SCREENING: Leucadia Chiropractic hosts a "Week of Gratitute" through Saturday by providing a special free screening for nutritional deficiencies. Call 760-942-3321 to schedule an appointment and please bring in a list of the vitamins and prescription drugs you are taking. The office is at 280 N. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas. Visit www.LeucadiaChiro.com.
WELLNESS TOUR: The AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour will help Escondido and Vista residents monitor their health for free this month. The tour will offer all adults 18 and over six free health screenings: bone density, cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, waist circumference and body mass analysis. No appointment is necessary, results are immediate and from start to finish all six screenings take 20-25 minutes. Also, free one-year AARP memberships will be given to all adults who receive screenings.
Screenings will be from noon-6 p.m. Nov. 25 at the Walgreens at 1574 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido; from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Walgreens at 111 W. Washington Ave., Escondido; and from noon-6 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Walgreens at 1510 N. Santa Fe Ave., Vista.
Free
FREE INSTALLATION: Palomar Pomerado Health is offering free installation of the Philips Lifeline Medical Alert service, which ensures that older adults living at home will receive quick assistance whenever it is needed, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Subscribers wear a waterproof pendant around their neck or wrist that can be pressed at any time to summon help. Free installation on the Lifeline service is a $75 savings. The special offer runs through Dec. 31. Service is $39 monthly with no long-term contract to sign. Gift certificates are also available. To learn more, call 858-675-5371 or 888-704-2774, or visit www.pph.org.
E-BOOK FOR PARENTS: Carmel Valley Dr. Chrystal de Freitas offers a free, easy-to-follow 44 page e-book, "The Birds and the Bees with Ease!" at www.healthychats.com. De Freitas is the creator of the "My First Period" Kit & DVD, based upon the doctor's mother-daughter seminars. "The Birds and the Bees With Ease!" covers what details are appropriate to relate to a child at what age, starting at age 5 and moving up to ages 6 through 9.
Events
BLOOD DONATIONS: The San Diego Blood Bank is hosting these donation opportunities. Call 800-469-7322:
-- 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Northrop Grumman, 15120 Innovation Drive, Rancho Bernardo
-- 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Aurora Behavioral Health Care, 11878 Avenue of Industry, Rancho Bernardo
-- 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday, Rancho Santa Fe Rotary, at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, 5951 Linea del Cielo, Rancho Santa Fe
-- 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Dec. 4, GEICO, 14111 Danielson St., Poway
-- 8:30-11 a.m. Dec. 10, Mitchell 1 parking lot, 14145 Danielson St., Poway
-- 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Dec. 10, First Advantage CREDCO, 12395 First American Way, Poway
-- 1:30-4 p.m. Dec. 10, HME/Kontron America, 14110 Stowe Drive, Poway
EXERCISE CHAIR CONTEST: VQ ActionCare of San Diego is hosting a contest in November in honor of American Diabetes Month to give away a Resistance Chair (a $239.70 value) to a deserving person who is at risk of or living with diabetes, and who has inspired others or made a difference in the community. Write to VQ ActionCare and describe why the person deserves a Resistance Chair, which gives low-impact exercise to help improve strength, endurance, flexibility and balance. The winner will be selected by the VQ ActionCare team on or before Dec. 31 to receive a chair and an instructional DVD. E-mail entries to giveaway@VQActionCare.com by 2 p.m. Nov. 30. For full contest rules, visit www.VQActionCare.com/diabetes-giveaway.php.
ONGOING
FELDENKRAIS: The Encinitas Senior Center will offer a monthly Feldenkrais program, "Awareness Through Movement," for seniors from noon to 1 p.m. Mondays at 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive. "Awareness Through Movement" is a simple series of guided movements designed by Moshe Feldenkrais to scientifically improve human function. No experience required. Cost is $5 per class, payable in full monthly. Call 760-943-2250.
INSURANCE HELP: Vista Community Clinic offers help to low-income families in need of health insurance by assisting with applications for Healthy Families and Medi-Cal. Free, but an appointment is required. These documents will be required for the application process: copy of birth certificate; Social Security card; proof of income (example: pay stubs for the most recent month; employer's letter. If self- employed, bring copy IRS Form 1040, etc.). Call 760-407-1220, ext. 126.
IMMUNIZATIONS: Low-cost or free immunizations for children and low-cost immunizations for adults are available daily at the Vista Community Clinic on a walk-in basis. Vaccinations available include: measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, polio, diphtheria, varicella, HPV, hepatitis B, Tuberculosis test, etc. Call 760-631-5000 or visit www.vistacommunityclinic.org.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Glenner Alzheimer's Center in Encinitas is seeking volunteers and arts and crafts donations for its Alzheimer's day program. Call 760-635-1895 and ask for Dawn.
CLINICAL TRIALS: Clinical trials recruit volunteers to test drugs and therapies. Many are held in and around our area. These Web sites list many clinical trials. Clinical trials have precise inclusion and exclusion rules, so when you find one that interests you, be sure to read the rules carefully:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/. Site of the National Institutes of Health.
http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials. Site of the National Cancer Institute.
http://www.centerwatch.com/. This site partners with WebMD.com to list 42,000 trials.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/clinicaltrials.html. This site sponsored by Medline/National Library of Medicine explains what you should know about clinical trials.
