Longevity: Why are we all so focused on living longer instead of living better?
By Deann Zampelli   |   April 16, 2024

I admit it. I am an obit reader. I look at the photo first to see if I know them and then almost reflexively at their age. 89? Not bad. 76? Too early. 56. Damn. Too close to home. Of course, I then have to know how they died and if the cause of death isn’t […]

CBD: What is it and why its use is skyrocketing in the wellness community?
By Deann Zampelli   |   March 26, 2024

Cannabidiol. CBD. Don’t get too excited. This is the non-psychotropic part of either the marijuana or the hemp plant. According to the CDC, “Hemp is defined as any part of the cannabis sativa plant with no more than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).” Which is otherwise known as the “stoney part.” However, use caution when buying […]

Medical Self-Advocacy: Why it Is More Important Than Ever
By Deann Zampelli   |   March 12, 2024

A few months ago, I had a diagnostic test for some G.I. issues. Just to clarify, that was not referencing a broken romance with a soldier on leave, but gastrointestinal issues. A little less sexy.  I was introduced to my doctor about ten minutes before the procedure. As I always have a million questions, I […]

Transitions: The Language of Letting Go
By Deann Zampelli   |   February 27, 2024

As Winter gives way to Spring, I find myself pondering life’s various transitions. Never more so than this week, while in Mammoth with my teenagers for our annual pilgrimage to the snow.  For the first time, my 13-year-old daughter left our rented condo on her own to meet a friend on the mountain. Happy, confident, […]

Healthy Aging: What is it and what does it mean to you?
By Deann Zampelli   |   February 13, 2024

When my daughter was in kindergarten, she came home distraught because her teacher wanted all the students to share what they wanted to be when they grew up. She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes and said, “Mommy, I am only 5. How am I supposed to know that?” Exactly. At 5, or 55 […]

Ozempic: Is it the next Fen-Phen?
By Deann Zampelli   |   January 30, 2024

In the 1990s, a wonder drug took the step aerobic, Atkins-dieting, slip dress wearing population by storm. Fenfluramine/phentermine, the pharmaceutical treatment known as Fen-Phen, appeared to be the panacea that cellulite battlers worldwide had been searching for. Effects included loss of appetite, feel good hormones surging and fat melting off at a staggering rate. It […]

The Whine Club
By Deann Zampelli   |   February 25, 2021

I was going to be the “Cool Mom.” The “Let’s Play Hooky and Eat Ice Cream For Dinner Mom.” Or at least that was the plan. The cruel reality came crashing down during the COVID pandemic when, against my will, I blurted out to my children the words feared by parents and kids alike: “Because […]