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Healthy Choice How to put your health back in your own hands BOOMERS with bad backs. Bad feet. Big butts. Fat guts. Heads that ache. A depressed mental state. Sore shoulders. Achy knees. Another soy lattacino with a double shot of decaf espresso, please. "My prostrate is swollen like a Firestone radial." "God, I'm blind as a bat." "Wha? Sorry, I didn't catch that." "Jesus, my gums are bleeding like crazy." "What the . . . can you feel this lump!?" Hot flashes. Cool libidos. Stuffy sinuses. Migraines from hell. Tingling sensations in your extremities. Insomnia. Insomnia. Insomnia. Didn't hurt yesterday? Yeah, middle age is hell to pay. Just remember, when it comes to the great evil corporate healthcare machine, that Orwellian axiom applies: Ignorance is strength. It's time to get smart.--G.C. Redwood Health Library 314 Western Ave., Petaluma, 707/778-9114 Empowering you with information, that's their motto. And thanks to an impressive reference library, a professional medical reference librarian, and a cordial staff of volunteers, this one-of-a-kind service lives up to its pledge. Don't expect any medical advice, but if you want to brush up on the latest research, get the information you need to make an informed decision about treatment of a medical condition, or look into nutrition or alternative medicine, the Redwood Health Library can help with medical databases, reference materials, health books (including children's health books), videotapes, audiotapes, pamphlets, medical journals, and Internet access. Men's health issues; women's health issues; kid's health issues--it's all here. Memberships are available, but services are free. And the library--a community service of the Petaluma Health Care District--recently expanded its hours to Tuesdays-Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (open Wednesday till 8 p.m.). Northern California Center for Well Being 350 College Ave., Suite 101, Santa Rosa, 707/575-6043 This nonprofit resource center offers a broad range of health classes, from gaining control of asthma to living with diabetes, to helping overweight children, to understanding about hepatitis C. Meditation, nutrition, spiritual wellness--it's all here, in low-cost, easy-to-understand workshops taught by healthcare professionals in a relaxed and supportive setting (courses are offered throughout Sonoma and Mendocino counties). Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Farmacopia 95 Montgomery Drive, Suite 90, Santa Rosa, 707/528-4372 Modeled after a European herbal pharmacy, this 3-year-old business combines the clinical approach of a traditional pharmacy with the alternative-healing aesthetic. Trained herbalists are on staff. One of the owners is a neurologist, so the business has access to high-quality herbal products unavailable to many others. And the staff works closely with local physicians. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Integrative Medical Clinic of Santa Rosa 175 Concourse Blvd. Santa Rosa, 707/566-9193 [ Insider's Guide Index | North Bay | Metroactive Central | Archives ]