Baltimore magazine - Health

Ask The Expert: Fresh Take

Baltimore magazine — Fri, 31 May 2013 17:56:52 +0000

Tips to improve your nutrition during the summer.

By Jane Marion

With local farmers’ markets in full swing, there’s no time like the present to add fresh fruit and vegetables to your diet. But what to buy can be daunting: What’s the difference between rhubarb and rutabaga? Is kale even edible? To help us figure out what to put in our (reusable, natch) shopping tote, we turned to holistic health coach Elise Rubenstein. “I call myself the food lady,” says Rubenstein. “I teach people how to eat, and create awareness. I don’t believe in diets.” This is a plan we can live with.

Mental Notes

Baltimore magazine — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:05:29 +0000

A famous Hopkins psychologist gets personal when it comes to talking about bipolar disorder.

By Jane Marion

At first glance, the works of art in Kay Redfield Jamison’s sparsely decorated office don’t seem to have much in common. There’s a charcoal drawing of composer Gustav Mahler; a delicate print of Romantic poet Lord Byron; a black-and-white photograph of one of Jamison’s many muses, “confessional” poet Robert Lowell.

Ask The Expert: Deep Thoughts

Baltimore magazine — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:11:52 +0000

How can we avoid daily distractions?

By Jane Marion

The Johns Hopkins University professor Dr. P.M. Forni, who made a name for himself as the founder of The Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins, has now turned his talents to the subject of reflection in his new book, The Thinking Life: How to Thrive in the Age of Distraction. “If we agree that life is important, then thinking as we go through it is the basic tribute we owe it,” writes Forni. “It also happens to be the golden way to the good life——the kind of life in which happiness blooms.”

Ask The Expert: Survival of the Fittest

Derrick — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:49:39 +0000

What are the new workout trends for spring?

By Jane Marion

Spring is your classic “good news, bad news” scenario. Good news? The weather is warming! The flowers are blooming! Bad news: Bathing-suit season approaches. To get the latest fitness trends and tips, we caught up with indefatigable International Federation of Body Building and Fitness professional athlete and personal trainer Toni Perdikakis. “I ran my first half marathon the other day and went shopping and walked my dogs by the afternoon,” gushes Perdikakis.“ I have so much energy.” (Can she loan us some?)

Blown Away

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:42:05 +0000

Get pampered at Baltimore’s first blow-dry salon

By Corrine Gasiorowski

Let’s face it. Your haircut is only part of the reason you look so darn good when you leave the salon. The other part is that your stylist blow-dries your hair a lot better than you do. That’s where Hot Air comes in. The salon—owned by Joy Robinson Singer and Kate Taylor—focuses on perfecting blow outs in under an hour, with eight styles (at $35 each), ranging from straight and sleek to beachy with a braid. Hot Air, which is modeled after the popular Dry Bar franchise, “allows women a quick, easy option so they can feel they look great every day,” says Taylor.

What is your favorite way to celebrate spring?

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:06:15 +0000

Talking Points for April 2013.

By Jess Blumberg

Alyssa Porambo, 26, PR and publications coordinator at the BSO: “Opening Day! Or spending a day in Federal Hill Park.”

Melia Wilkinson, 46, executive recruiter: “Getting ice cream at Prigel Family Creamery! Yum!”

Tara Donovan, 38, nurse: “Enjoying the tulips with my daughter at Sherwood Gardens. Beautiful.”

Open Arms

Baltimore magazine — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:02:47 +0000

Hopkins develops a revolutionary new prosthetic limb.

By Jess Blumberg

Everyone saw the power of the prosthetic leg this past summer when South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius was the first amputee to compete in track at the Olympics. But what about the less prevalent prosthetic arm? “We haven’t seen anywhere near that level of functionality given to upper extremities,” says Mike McLoughlin, program manager at The Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). “Most will basically wear a hook, which is technology that hasn’t changed much since the Civil War.” That is, until now.

2013 Camp Guide: Full Listing

Baltimore magazine — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:47:34 +0000

What if you could spend the summer perfecting your tennis serve, sailing the Chesapeake Bay, learning to ride horseback, or polishing your pitch under the tutelage of a Baltimore Orioles star?

It’s all possible—that’s the good news.

The bad news is that all this great stuff isn't for you—it’s for your kids.

In fact, children of all ages today have an overwhelming number of options to keep them busy during the summer months. But to find the right camp for your kid, it’s important to make your application early, as space is limited.

Ask The Expert: Sleep On It

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:39:24 +0000

What role does sleep play in our overall wellness?

By Jane Marion

“To sleep, perchance to dream: ay there’s the rub,” said Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Indeed, Hamlet was not alone in his struggle to sleep, according to Dr. Steve M. Scharf, director of the University of Maryland Sleep Disorders Center. “Forty to 50 percent of the American population has suffered from insomnia. Eight to nine percent of men and 10 to 12 percent of women have chronic insomnia.” We should take a page from our ancestors, the great apes, Scharf says. “When the sun goes down, they make a nest and go to sleep. What do we do?

Better Together

Baltimore magazine — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:01:04 +0000

Getting pampered with your loved one can keep things fresh.

By Hilary Geisbert

The problem with dinner and a movie? It’s about as romantic as a day in traffic court. Why not mix things up with a spa date? “Couple’s massage gives you the opportunity to just be with each other,” says Toni Sullivan, spa director at the Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore. “It’s about rekindling your relationship and the reason you decided to get married or be together.” And it doesn’t just stop at massages.

Mane Attractions: 25 Top Salons In Baltimore 2013

Baltimore magazine — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:51:41 +0000

Get a heads-up with our ultimate 2013 beauty black book!

By Jane Marion with Hilary Geisbert

What is it about our relationship with our hair? Even when the sun isn’t shining (this is Baltimore, after all), if our hair looks good, all is right with the world. Since our very sense of well-being is so wrapped up in our hair, choosing the right salon and stylist is a must. That’s why we take our mission to point out Baltimore’s top salons so seriously. And with so many great salons in the Baltimore area—trust us when we say, several worthy salons didn’t make the cut—it’s a heady task indeed.

Ask The Expert: Youth Movement

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 22:05:57 +0000

What’s the best way to keep kids active in the winter months?

By Jane Marion

Though climbing the tree-house ladder may not be an option and the community pool has long since closed, keeping kids active is critical for our wee ones in the winter season. (Childhood obesity rates have more than tripled in the past 30 years.) To help us beat the winter doldrums, we turned to Jon Adler Kaplan, fitness and wellness director at Meadow Mill Athletic Club and founder of the nonprofit Bmore Fit, which trains teachers to use techniques such as simple yoga poses and jumping jacks as breaks in their Baltimore City classrooms.

Personal Training

Baltimore magazine — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:28:23 +0000

Fitness studios can offer a more intimate atmosphere to stay fit.

By Hilary Geisbert

Sweat Performance: Owner Kyle Jakobe, a certified strength-and-conditioning coach, has trained professional athletes like Torrey Smith, Ray Rice, Ben Grubbs, and Juan Dixon, as well as national high-school and college athletes. The focus of this Timonium facility is to increase not just athletic performance but daily fitness through strength and cardio exercises like running, weight lifting, and agility drills. 2236 Greenspring Dr., Timonium, 410-453-0022.

Ask The Expert: Myth Busters

Baltimore magazine — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:06:35 +0000

We ask Dr. Marc I. Leavey: Which health myths are true and which are false?

By Hilary Geisbert

Dr. Marc I. Leavey, Pikesville resident and primary-care physician at Lutherville Personal Physicians, shares his insight on several common health myths. “There are things in the newspaper that trigger these topics,” he says. Other health myths have older roots. “When you’ve done this for this long [35 years] you have heard just about everything.”

Kitchen Confidential

Baltimore magazine — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:20:24 +0000

Have a spa day with just a few common kitchen ingredients.

By Jane Marion

When it comes to gift giving and watching your wallet, what’s nicer than making your own beauty products to honor the ones you love during the holiday season? For simple, do-it-yourself ideas, we turned to Vesna Stojanovic of Mt. Washington Spa. “Everything you need for beauty can be found in your own kitchen,” says Stojanovic, who touts olive oil and avocado for their natural anti-aging agents and skin-nourishing minerals as well as brown sugar, which serves as a natural exfoliant. “When I make a mask for myself, I put it on my face, and sit and eat what’s left over,” she says.