Darkness can be paralyzing.

This weekend was warm enough that locals seemed to collectively change their wardrobes from light layers to tank tops, shorts and other summer staples. If you cringe at the thought of your right to bare arms, then it’s time to take the Tough Lotus Challenge.

The Chaparral baseball team isn’t quite ready to give up on its dream of a third consecutive state title.

Besides pulse, respiratory rate, and blood pressure, a patient’s temperature is also considered a “vital sign.” The thing that makes a person’s temperature vital is that the body’s homeostasis, or ability to maintain all functions optimally, depends upon a certain range of heat. Most everyone can recite that the average body core temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit with a healthy range being anywhere from 97 to 99 degrees. Temperatures that vary below or above this average create an internal atmosphere that is not conducive to the various systems’ functioning. The term “fever” generally refers to anything over 99 degrees. In order to maintain the healthful range, the body has a regulating system that kicks in much like any thermostat. If the core temperature starts to rise, we begin a cooling mechanism through sweating. If the core temperature starts to decrease, shivering will initiate warming through muscle contractions.

Kevina Godfrey is somewhat of a hidden gem.

Hard rocker Tom Keifer would be among the first to say that life doesn’t go as planned. The long-time musician, best known for his lead role in the band Cinderella, released his first solo album – ”The Way Life Goes” – April 30 after a 10-year process and a long struggle with partial vocal chord paralysis — the ruination of many music careers.

Dr. Stuart Hetrick never planned to open New Image Med Spa in Ahwatukee Foothills.

Jake Connell gave up lacrosse and golf since moving here from New York State.

Ahwatukee Foothills resident Andy Roach has been selected to be part of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, courtesy of the world-famous Chandler facility, Advanced Auto Service and Tires Centers and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

Back in Ahwatukee Foothills after moving to Pennsylvania to teach yoga, Carol Ann Marusiak is now preparing for a new adventure: a stand-up paddle board race.

For Horizon Honors senior Stephanie Yamamoto, 17, Japanese taiko drumming is more than just rigorous exercise or a way to get in touch with her roots — it’s a spiritual art.

Bryant Morrison has found a home in Kingman.

In a previous column I discussed the PACER, a test of cardiovascular fitness that is part of the national youth physical fitness test battery (FITNESSGRAM). FITNESSGRAM, was developed at the Cooper Institute in Dallas and is now offered as a cooperative program with the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN) and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD). In addition to assessing cardiovascular fitness, the FITNESSGRAM Test Battery includes tests of muscle fitness, flexibility, and body composition.

Doug Christofis had some of the little things slip and it didn’t sit well.

Like the amped up comeback tour of two rockers who had their heyday sometime in the mid-'80s, Sylvester Stallone and director Walter Hill ("48 HRS.," ''The Warriors") join forces for a hard-hitting exercise in beefy, brainless fun with the New Orleans-set actioner "Bullet to the Head."

PHOENIX – Oh, that sneaky Kyle Pitman.

Dustin Hoffman’s directing bow at 75 finds a perfect match in the well-heeled subject of “Quartet,” a charming tale of aging musicians whose passion for life continues undiminished in a stately English manor filled with humor, caring and of course great music. This optimistic fairy tale about aging and the continuing possibilities it offers for emotional satisfaction should strike the fancy of older audiences who turned the British indie “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” into a breakout hit released around the world. Leading a cast of real-life musical veterans, Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay put the stamp of quality on a lush-looking production, albeit one that adheres to genre rules with an iron grip.

Ahwatukee Foothills has one of the youngest, most active demographics in the Valley today. The truth is that people in Ahwatukee love to work-out. Yet some are hesitant to exercise if their knee is arthritic fearing that exercise will increase the knee pain in their knee joint which is already sore, causing more damage to the knee. As an orthopedic surgeon, I am often treating knee injuries sustained from athletic injuries or as a consequence of sustained high impact exercise. While it is true that the wrong type of exercise can result in arthritis, it is equally true that the correct type of exercise is an excellent treatment for arthritic knee pain.

The ASHLine, a tool in providing free quit smoking support and NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) items such as the patch, gum lozenge or medication at free or reduced costs, is helping open a new Phoenix gym.

Just when I thought I was running out of topics to inspire me, a magazine article about “finding your happy weight” caught my attention. Voila — the writing inspiration flowed like water.

The signature play of Matt Guida’s astounding junior season looked like a split-second decision, but was actually days in the making.

The headache, sometimes handy as an excuse, more often than not, a very real, annoying discomfort. For some, it is a pain that is debilitating and in some rare instances a headache could signal an emergency medical situation.

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This holiday season, please consider extending your compassion and generosity to poor people and exhausted animals in India by becoming an Animal Rahat sponsor (“Rahat” means “relief” in Hindi).

Insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes and obesity (diabesity) are global epidemics that continue to rise and come with major health consequences. Type 2 diabetes is commonly associated with poor diet and inactivity. However, there is now evidence of autoimmunity in Type 2 diabetes.