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Veterans burial benefits

April 24, 2012 By

submitted by Jason “Oz” Oszczakiewicz, Owner/Supervisor, Varcoe-Thomas Funeral Home of Doylestown, Inc.

Today, many veterans and their families are still unaware of the VA burial benefits or entitlements they may receive when a veteran passes away due to a non-service related death. 

If a veteran or veteran’s family can furnish a funeral home or the VA with a copy of an Honorable or Medical Discharge this entitles a veteran to several important benefits: a flag for a burial or cremation service; honor guard presentation for flag at a funeral home, church, cemetery or place of service; a Presidential Memorial Certificate signed by the current President; a VA marker, headstone or appliqué that marks the grave, mausoleum crypt or a columbarium niche at a VA Cemetery or local private cemetery. 

Cemeteries may have certain restrictions that apply.

A veteran, veteran’s spouse and dependent child(ren) under 18 years of age may also receive a free grave, opening of the grave, a government grave liner for placement of casket within the grave, and the VA marker with foundation if  burial occurs in a national VA Cemetery or state run veterans cemetery. The potential savings for a veteran and spouse can be up to $10,000. Cremated remains may also be placed in a grave or columbarium above ground for the veteran and spouse. 

Reimbursements also apply if a veteran dies in a VA hospital, nursing home or facility, and receives a disability payment on a monthly basis due to disability that occurred while in active service. The Bucks County Commissioners Office also provides a $100 reimbursement for Bucks County vets who served during wartime.

The local VA cemetery is Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Newtown. 

Please visit www.cem.va.gov for additional burial benefit information.

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Filed Under: Doylestown Observer Columnists, Senior Scene Tagged With: , , , ,

Enzyme Deficiency Syndrome: The root of many health conditions

April 24, 2012 By

submitted by Dr. Jeff Griffin

Nowadays, many of us purchase our food at the local grocery store. The food we consume is often shipped from several states away or perhaps imported from overseas. It is often harvested prior to maturity and if not fresh, then it is likely frozen or canned.

Our daily diets routinely consist of foods that are genetically modified, nutrient deficient, vitamin enhanced, mass produced, artificial, chemical or hormone laden, highly processed and rushed to market to limit spoilage. We have become a society of convenience – ignoring the quality of food we consume while sacrificing proper nutritional needs required by our body.

Food enzymes are a natural component in our food supply because they help us to digest our food and allow us to breakdown and assimilate the nutrient content within the food we eat. Current food industry practices have systematically removed enzymes from our foods in an attempt to prevent spoilage and extend shelf-life. While shelf-life is necessary in our modern society, enzymes must be replaced, just as vitamins and minerals are.

Enzymes are the construction workers of the body. Protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals are simply the building materials. Failure to replace enzymes causes the body to borrow enzymes from our immune system to digest our food – often resulting in a weakened immune system and more susceptible to illness and disease. 

Enzyme nutrition works with the body’s innate intelligence and allows optimal health using whole foods containing protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Symptoms associated with Enzyme Deficiency Syndrome are common, yet can be easily identified and successfully treated.

Below is a short list of symptoms associated with this common disorder:

Stiff sore joints, headache, heartburn, indigestion, gas pain, bloating, constipation/diarrhea, anxiety, irritability, depression, restlessness and insomnia.

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Filed Under: Doylestown Observer Columnists Tagged With: , , ,

A better you is a better world

April 24, 2012 By

submitted by submitted by Michael McCreery, Head Instructor, Action Karate, mrmccreery@actionkarate.net

I work for the county out on 95
 All day I hold a red flag and watch the traffic pass me by 
In my head I keep a picture of a pretty little miss
 Someday mister I’m gonna lead a better life than this

Working on the highway laying down the blacktop 
Working on the highway all day long I don’t stop
 Working on the highway blasting through the bedrock 
Working on the highway, working on the highway


Bruce Springsteen

Everything in life comes down to work, ask Tiger Woods or Lebron James. Great golfers and basketball players are great because they work hard at the thing they love. So what level of work does it take to be great?

Well, according to author Malcolm Gladwell in the book “Outliers,” between the ages of five and 20 Tiger and Lebron logged 10,000 hours doing the thing they loved to do. In his book, he points out example after example of people that achieved greatness and they all logged in 10,000 hours or better on what they loved.

It takes a lot of work to be the best you; it takes the same amount of work to be a jerk. So, do you love yourself? Do you believe and understand that your belief in yourself, your self-esteem, is incredibly important to accomplishing your goals?

Then start logging those hours making you a better you. Not for your sake, but rather for the sake of those that are most important to you. A better you is a better world.

Carlos Castaneda said it all, “The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.”

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Handling heartburn naturally

March 28, 2012 By

submitted by Dr. Jeff Griffin

Heartburn is a common condition that results from what is claimed to be an excess amount of acid in the stomach. Billions of dollars are spent each year on over-the-counter remedies and prescription meds for this condition.

Increased acid production in the stomach is usually attributed to over-stretching of the stomach wall due to overeating – thus signaling the brain to release more. The most common causes of heartburn are the failure to reduce the rate of secretion, which results in a large quantity of gastric juice or problems associated with a delayed emptying of the stomach.

Heartburn can also occur if the mucosal lining of the stomach is not able to adequately protect the stomach wall from acid and then results in irritation. The stomach needs mucus to protect itself from the acid as well as protein-digesting enzymes.

Two commonly used herbs that can be utilized to enhance the body’s ability to produce mucus and protect the gastrointestinal tract are Slippery elm and Marshmallow root.

The major goal of both prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies is to reduce or eliminate the production of hydrochloric acid and protein-digesting enzymes. These products can relieve symptoms but also have the ability to severely compromise normal digestion and interfere with the delivery of nutrients to the body that are necessary to maintain health.

Antacids prevent normal digestion from occurring in the stomach and shift the entire stress of digestion over to the pancreas. Plant enzymes, on the other hand, can relieve the pancreas of some of its digestive burden by reducing the amount of pancreatic secretion required.

The digestion accomplished by plant enzymes occurs early enough in the digestive process to trigger a reduction in this secretion. Thus, plant enzymes have the ability to lower stomach acid secretions without compromising the digestive system.

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What makes you happy?

March 28, 2012 By

submitted by Michael McCreery, Head Instructor, Action Karate, mrmccreery@actionkarate.net

Happy happy

Put it in your heart

Where tomorrow shines

Gold and silver shine

 

Shiny happy people holding hands

Shiny happy people laughing

      R.E.M.

There is an ancient Chinese proverb which loosely translated reads:  “All that you desire is already yours.”

Abraham Lincoln said, “In my experience, people are about as happy as they choose to be.”

And last but not least, Nike says, “Just Do It.”

What we need to be happy is a question we often forget to ask ourselves. Is there something you could do for yourself that would make you happy, put a spring in your step, a smile in your heart? Many of us haven’t asked ourselves that question enough. Some of us haven’t asked it at all. Or if we have, we haven’t answered it.

Instead we diligently search for our path, for the way through our lives, through our current situation or circumstance, never taking time to ask ourselves what would make us happy and what would feel good to us. Then we wonder why life feels so hard, so difficult and unrewarding.

Discovering what would make us happy can help us through any difficulty in life. It can help us through the quieter moments of our day. It can help us make larger, more significant decisions. It can help us in our work, especially if we look in our hearts and answer honestly.
 

What would make you happy? It’s a simple question, but one with profound consequences. Asking and answering that question, then acting on it, is often our path; a path that will lead to our next step, a path that is in our best interests.

We will be choosing our destiny. And the destiny we are choosing is joy. What would make you happy?

Ask yourself often. Think about your answer. You may well find that the answer is within reach.

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Filed Under: Doylestown Observer Columnists Tagged With: ,

Great Communication = SUCCESS

February 21, 2012 By

submitted by Michael McCreery, Head Instructor, Action Karate, mrmccreery@actionkarate.net

 

“The screen door slams 
Mary’s dress waves 
Like a vision she dances

across the porch
 As the radio plays

Roy Orbison singing for the lonely

Hey that’s me and I want you only

Don’t turn me home again

I just can’t face myself alone again”

Bruce Springsteen


Convey, impart, converse, get in touch, be connected.
 That is the definition of “communicate.”

The ability to communicate clearly is an art. Just because you speak does not mean you communicate. To communicate effectively you must paint a picture so vivid with your words that your audience can see it in their mind’s eye.

Let us use the example of one of my many passions: music. I think the reason I love music is its ability to communicate with me.

I cannot hear the words from Thunder Road without a visual in my mind that is so clear that I see the sunlight playing off her dress, smell summer time in the air and sense the ache of young love. That one verse communicates with crystal clarity.

One of the hardest things for me as a teacher and in any relationship is to communicate my thoughts with that kind of clarity. In my experiences, I have learned that it is not enough to paint a picture; it must be a picture painted enthusiastically, with a relevance to the involved party and done at the age level of your audience.

Children understand the Wiggles; adults understand Springsteen. The best communicators always cater to their audience. The same applies to success with our goals.

We need to paint a picture in our mind’s eye with such clarity that our brain can easily accomplish it. When you create that vision in your mind you can turn it into a reality.

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When should my child see an orthodontist?

February 21, 2012 By

submitted by Dr. Cathleen George, orthodontic specialist

Dental development for every child is different, therefore Dr. Cathleen George, a Buck’s County orthodontic expert in early interceptive treatment, recommends a screening for all children before the age of seven-years-old.

The American Association of Orthodontists also declares seven as the magic number for orthodontic screening. Orthodontic treatment may not always be necessary at age seven, but vigilant examination can anticipate the most advantageous time to begin treatment. If early treatment is unnecessary, a reputable orthodontist will continue to provide free developmental growth monitoring.

An orthodontist plays a pivotal role in a person’s dental health, and early screening often provides a critical ‘window of opportunity’ to correct many orthodontic and dentofacial irregularities prior to puberty. A complimentary comprehensive screening should include a full series of dental and facial photos, digital x-rays, a digital intra-oral scan, study models and a complete cephalomalic analysis.

A few of the many benefits of early treatment include; correcting oral habits, creating room for crowded teeth, correcting dentofacial and jaw discrepancies, lowering the risk of trauma from protruding teeth, influencing proper jaw growth and harmony, creating a full smile with limited extractions, a more favorable stable outcome, and improved self esteem and confidence. 

Although young persons are the most common orthodontic clients, nowadays many adults also seek to perfect their smiles. Some practices cater to adults with semi-private treatment rooms, Invisalign, and advanced orthodontics, which shorten treatment time.

There are many orthodontic practices to choose from, just be sure to do your research and pick the one that best meets your treatment needs.

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Filed Under: Doylestown Observer Columnists, Spring Home & Garden 2 Tagged With: , , ,

Consumer Troubleshooter

November 1, 2011 By

submitted by Bucks County Consumer Protection Agency

Q. I wanted to make you aware of something that happened yesterday. I had a message on my answering machine from a woman who said “this is Karen, sorry I missed you, call me back right away.”  The number she left began with the area code of 809. I know that is not in the U.S. and is part of a scam that has been around for a long time. Can you let people know about this scam?  S.K., Warrington

A. The reason this scam is coming around again is due to the increase in area codes in the United States. Area codes 809, 284 and 876 are all out of the country. 809 and 284 are in the Caribbean Islands and the 876 area code is for Jamaica.

The scam basically works because most people do not realize they are dialing out of the country. When you call those numbers you are billed hundreds, even thousands of dollars, because they are like 900 pay-per-call numbers in the U.S. The difference is in the U.S. all 900 pay-per-calls are required by law to provide the consumer with the charges and rates involved in making the call. Since these scammers are working outside the U.S. they are not under the same regulations.

Your phone company cannot remove the charges, but they will not discontinue your service as long as you pay their charges. We recommend that all consumers be wary of any calls or emails that look or sound suspicious. If you are not familiar with an area code, check your phone book or call your telephone company to verify where the area code is physically located.

If you wish to sign up for the Do Not Call list you can go to www.donotcall.gov or by phone at 888-777-3406. The National Do Not Call list is managed by the Federal Trade Commission and any complaints should be filed through the Do Not Call Web site.

We all need to report violations of this law to help put a stop to these types of calls. For a brochure on how to recognize and report phone fraud call Bucks County Consumer Protection at 215-348-7442 or 1-800-942-2669. If you would like to e-mail your request you can contact us at consumerprotection@co.bucks.pa.us. 

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Filed Under: Business Notebook, Doylestown Observer Columnists Tagged With: , , , ,

Recognizing peer pressure issues

November 1, 2011 By

submitted by Ron Seidman, VP/GM,  A Child’s World ECE Centers

When should we begin to pay attention to peer pressure issues? The answer may be from the time your child is very young. Your child sees another child with an ice cream cone and wants one too. But teaching your child about peer pressure is a lot more than just saying no or saying the food is not healthy or it’s dinnertime. It is about building confidence that we gain through positive experiences.

If a pitcher throws a curve for a strike 90% of the time he will have confidence to throw that pitch in a tough situation. The confidence was built through hours of practice. Anything one wants to be good at requires practice. So, maybe it isn’t so terrible you couldn’t get your child to practice the piano and the confidence to play was not developed into becoming a pianist. However what is critical is that while your child is growing up, he/she is learning to make important decisions his/her entire life.

How do children get good at making decisions if they don’t have the practice and build the confidence in their decision making powers? I say, let them make choices. Do you want a pretzel or a cookie? But here is the hard part for moms and dads. If they choose the pretzel, they don’t get the cookie too and they begin to learn that decisions can have consequences. It is great if they like the pretzel and made the right choice. There are many teaching moments and opportunities to make decisions and maybe to choose the cookie next time.

Recently my own 14-year-old daughter went through her own peer pressure moment. After five years at the same dance school, she wanted to change schools. She had specific reasons. Her very close friends at dance school put pressure on her not to change. After some back and forth, she did not give in to pressure.

I was very proud that the reasons for her decision were made with sound principles and good judgment. I was most proud that she had the courage to stand by her principles because she knew what was right for her. What good is sound judgment and principles without the courage to stand up for what you believe? Good judgment comes from practice and experience. Principles and courage are taught by parents. It’s never too early to start.

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The best of childcare and early education

August 30, 2011 By

by Ron Seidman VP/GM, A Child’s World

Many of you have seen plaques in businesses you frequent or in advertising claiming a “Best of Category.”  The truth is that quite often a company will send a business a letter informing that they have been selected as the best of their town in their business category and for a fee they will make the business a plaque. Newspapers do it a different way.  They entice the business to place an ad and their clients, friends, relatives or anyone can vote for them.  Besides the pay-for-play nature of this marketing, it is all very subjective.

My brother doesn’t like any restaurant I choose.  However, the issue is different when it concerns childcare and pre-school, better referred to as early care and education (ECE).  ECE centers are heavily regulated.  In addition, standards put in place by the state in the last six years have done much more to upgrade quality, safety, teacher and director qualifications and much more.  There is now a quality rating scale known as KEYSTONE STARS that is based upon The Environmental Rating Scale (ERS).

The ERS was developed at the University of North Carolina and has become a national standard.  Centers are given a rating based on their score in the ERS, which is a very rigorous instrument.  The highest level achievable is 4STARS and if the center your child attends has this rating you can be assured he or she is in a good to excellent program that is focused on a quality environment.

Many centers have difficulty reaching 4 stars and many others such as the chains and the franchises do not participate at all because it is costly and difficult to comply with facility improvements, required supplies and most important development and training for a high quality staff. Less than 10% of centers in Pennsylvania are rated 4STARS.

When it comes to early care and education the only rating you should care about is the certificate from PAKEYS and the rated number for KEYSTONE STARS.  If the center your child attends does not have a rating, you should ask why or just find one that does.

For more information about KEYSTONE STARS visit www.PAKEYS.org.

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