Throughout the pandemic, I have been treating pregnant patients at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. Before the vaccines, there were a lot of unknowns and people were worried. But today, I recommend the COVID-19 vaccines to my pregnant patients. I tell them it is part of taking good care of themselves […]
Health
Pregnant? Planning to become pregnant? Get vaccinated against COVID-19
November 25, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Keeping an elder loved one connected to culture
July 30, 2020 by Leave a Comment
These are tough times to find a place for a loved one who needs to be in assisted living or a nursing facility. Even along the West Coast, where most of the Japanese American population is clustered, residential facilities that specialized in Japanese seniors have closed or sold to new owners, and have switched to […]
iPads for Issei, Nintendos for Nisei, and smartphones for Sansei
July 2, 2020 by Leave a Comment
National Geographic recently named San Jose’s Japantown, located in Silicon Valley, one of the top 26 friendliest neighborhoods in the country. But within and surrounding this welcoming community many older adults are still socially isolated. In fact, according to the AARP Foundation, one in five Americans 65 and older are socially isolated, which means “this […]
‘Finding wellness in one’s roots’
January 1, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Kintsugi Wellness: The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit By Candice Kumai (New York: Harper Wave, 2018, 336 pp., $29.99 hardcover) Candice Kumai is a well known wellness writer, chef, and content creator who has written a book that is a mixture of memoir, self-help and cookbook. Her recognized contributions to national wellness […]
Vision and driving
October 26, 2017 by 1 Comment
Are you becoming more uncomfortable driving at night or avoiding it completely? Do you need a bright light to see anything? “Seeing” is not just 20/20 on the eye chart. Just to list a few other factors, there is color vision, stereo vision, contrast sensitivity and your eyes ability to adapt to light and dark. […]
DUAL BATTLES: Mountain View City Councilwoman fought cancer during campaign
October 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Mountain View City Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga discovered her competitive streak while practicing kendo as a middle schooler. “I’m of the belief that the best offense is a strong defense,” she says, recalling how the martial art taught her to “read” her opponents and anticipate their next move. As an adult, she took that outlook to […]
Overcoming adversity with tenacity: Cancer survivor Patricia Fujii, 84, lives life to its fullest
October 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Despite winning eight gold medals in this year’s Idaho Senior Games, 84-year-old Patricia Fujii does not consider herself an athlete. According to the octogenarian sprinter, the difference between her and the athletes she competed against at the National Senior Games is that the other higher-placing athletes train harder. “I don’t have time to hire a […]
THE GOCHISO GOURMET: Baby steps to giant leaps
October 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Yes, I know how difficult it is to embrace change. I’m rapidly approaching that age when I’ll soon undergo that metamorphosis into my parents, where habits are carved into stone. And the sun is more likely to shower rain than warmth onto this little orb before those habits are broken. But there’s hope, as I’m […]
Youth’s ‘smart’ invention helps elderly and their caregivers
October 16, 2014 by 1 Comment
Two years ago, Kenneth Shinozuka’s grandfather began wandering at night, resulting in accidents. Shinozuka witnessed his aunt struggling to stay up at night to watch over her father, who has Alzheimer’s disease. The 16-year-old Shin-Nisei realized that his family is far from alone. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, some 5.2 million people suffer from […]
Colorectal cancer screening could save lives
October 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Colorectal cancer, or cancer in the colon or rectum, affects both men and women and is the second most common form of cancer and third highest cause of cancer-related death among Asian Americans, according to the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training. The network, established by the National Cancer Institute to reduce […]
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