Healthy Options | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: What legislation has been proposed or passed in Maine to protect & strengthen reproductive health? How has Maine been affected by the reversal of Roe v. Wade? Maine is not considered a “safety state” due to its distance to other states, but have we seen an increase in out-of-state...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: What is the Alexander Technique? How can our physical structure be affected by the way we breathe? What does stress have to do with it?! What are a couple of simple examples we can try, to practice the Alexander Technique? What is the difference felt in our body when we gently allow ou...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: Where are ticks found & how can we identify the ticks we may find, in their different life cycles? What size are they right now? What is Lyme disease and why is it often difficult to diagnose- and treat? What are co-infections? What are the different illnesses which are showing up...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: 1. What’s different this year about where we might find browntail moths (BTM), and how has the weather affected their population so far this year? 2. Which areas of Maine have seen more of the BTM nests this year, and which are seeing less? 3. What is the life cycle of the brownt...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: Rhonda Feiman speaks with Kim Austin, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, & Brainspotting practitioner. Brainspotting is a brain-based psychotherapy which uses the eyes and the field of vision to treat trauma, anxiety and more. 1. What is Brainspotting & how does it work? 2. Wh...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: How might we communicate with more awareness, compassion, and empathy, and how can our nervous system play a vital role in our being calm in ourselves, and in our interactions with others? Rhonda Feiman speaks with Peggy Smith, co-founder of the Maine Non-Violent Communication Network...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: TICKS have not gone away even though the season has changed. We speak with our tick specialist, Dr. Beatrice Szantyr on tick awareness, bite prevention, & treatment, Lyme & tick-borne illness. 1. Why are we doing a tick program in the Fall? 2. Do we still need to be vigilant...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: Host Rhonda Feiman speaks with three of the founding members of The Healing Garden, a new non-profit health & wellness organization based in Midcoast Maine, to discuss heart-brain coherence and how energy medicine can be beneficial for our health. Key Discussion Points: 1. What i...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well Host Rhonda Feiman speaks with Lindsey Piper and Mareisa Weil from Maine Family Planning to discuss the evolving situation in Maine- and what striking down this law means for reproductive rights here and nationally. 1. What has changed in Maine since Roe versus Wade has been overturned? 2. What i...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well Ticks ARE out- and biting (ugh!), so it’s time for our yearly update on TICKS, Lyme, and tick-borne illness, with tick specialist, Dr. Beatrice Szantyr. Key Discussion Points: 1. What is a tickborne illness? 2. What tickborne infections are viruse...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne The serious problems of PFAS: The “forever chemicals” in our food, water, land & everywhere… Key discussion points: 1. What are PFAS & “forever chemicals”? 2. Why are we so concerned about them? 3. What products contain PFAS? 4. Are PFAS in our water, soil & products, and how did t...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne Browntail Moth in Maine: Protecting ourselves and our local communities as BTM spreads in Maine -What part of the Browntail Moth (BTM) is toxic to humans? -What can we do to minimize our exposure to Browntail Moth caterpillars? -What are some ways to reduce their spread, locally & statewide?...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne Rhonda Feiman speaks with Florence Williams, author of the new book, “Heartbreak- A Personal and Scientific Journey,” about the physiological and emotional effects of heartbreak and grief- and effective pathways for healing. Key Discussion Points: 1. What are the physiological changes that can oc...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne Program Topic: Enhancing learning and resiliency through reducing stress and anxiety 1. What are the different kinds of stress? 2. When might stress be a helpful thing to experience, and how can we utilize it in a positive way? 3. Learn how to do “box breathing” as a tool for resetting the nervou...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne Osteoporosis: The myths and facts in diagnosis, new developments in screening technology, and the pros & cons of current treatment options Key Discussion Points: 1. What are some ideas and strategies to keep your bones strong and healthy? 2. What are some ways to be safe in your house and wi...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne The many facets of hospice care, with a focus on the surprisingly diverse roles played by hospice volunteers; also, separating myth from fact, starting with the misconception that hospice is “just” all about death and dying. 1. What do hospice volunteers do? How is what they do, different from wh...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne TICKS! Those blood-sucking parasites! (and why you shouldn’t annoy the ticks!): Our annual update with tick specialist Dr. Beatrice Szantyr -What are the ticks we can find in (or find us) in Maine? -What diseases can dog ticks, black-legged (deer) ticks, & wood ticks carry? -How can we prote...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne Brown Tail Moth presence in Maine this year, and how to try to prevent the spread of this hazardous and destructive invasive species, whose caterpillars give off tiny toxic hairs that can cause great harm to human health. Key Discussion Points: 1 What are the health ramifications of exposure to B...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-producer: Petra Hall 1 What are some new strategies being used globally to treat trauma? 2 How does our nervous system respond to stress? 3 What is the difference between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system? 4 What is a simple technique we can try right now to relax our nervous system? 5 What are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and why are th...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-producer: Petra Hall Host Rhonda Feiman explores the intersection of healing and music, with singer and energetic healer Amy Robbins Wilson. Rebroadcast from 5/6/2020 About the host: Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options host Rhonda Feiman shares techniques that have been used for centuries to help people stay healthy and resilient. Experience easily learned movements and breathing techniques that can enhance the health of our nervous systems, and calm our minds- skills especially useful for these stressful times. Key Discussion Points: How can s...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne Current scientific thinking about Covid-19 and a review of basic strategies to keep us (ourselves, our families, and our communities) healthy during these challenging times. -What is the proper way to wash your hands. -What is the proper way to wear a mask? -What should we look for before we retu...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-producer: Petra Hall Engineering assistance: Joel Mann Rhonda Feiman talks with art educator and creative childhood development expert Bridget Matros, about how creative expression is essential for good health in children and adults- especially during these challenging times. Why do so many adults deny that they are creative? How is problem solving a creative activi...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-producer: Petra Hall The focus of this program is on the importance of eye health, and how we can practice good hygiene- for our eyes- especially at a time of increased usage of computers, smart phones, and all that demands our visual attention. How do we maintain good vision? Are we only considering eye hygiene for using screen devices? How does eye health relate t...

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-producer: Petra Hall Engineering assistance: Joel Mann Program Topic: Ticks and tick borne illnesses Rhonda Feiman presents our yearly update with tick & Lyme disease expert Dr. Beatrice Szantyr. -What are ways to protect ourselves from tick bites? -What are the signs & symptoms of Lyme disease and other tick borne illness? -What ticks are we seeing in Mai...