We live in a country where we have lots of beautiful sunshine which is very good for the soul. Unfortunately, it is not as good for the skin and that is why regular skin care screenings are very necessary.
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Earlier this year I wrote a blog about a friend of mine having massive dental surgery to give her a beautiful new smile which would have prohibitive up north. She decided to have the work done here for a fraction of the cost and looked to me to recommend a dentist to her.

As I had been going to the same dentist, Dr. Don Olivera, since I moved here in 1994 I readily recommended him. I had broken my jaw on arrival (no, not trauma but a frozen snack bar) and I found Dr. Don to be very gentle and very good and, of course, he speaks English.

Although I was a little nervous about the recommendation for such major work the results were spectacular and my friend was thrilled. A year later her new teeth are still in her head which is a very good sign.

Yesterday I went for what I thought was going to be a routine cleaning (which I am diligent about along with regular checkups) and just when I thought the cleaning was over and I was about to get out of the chair the technician said she wanted to call in Dr. Don.
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Living in Mexico

When you live in Mexico you can truly enjoy the good life.

Just across the border from the U.S. , Mexico is now “closer than ever” – that’s a motto used by the Mexican Tourism Association – and as many expats are choosing to live in Mexico, we couldn’t agree more.

What does that mean exactly? Well, in terms of physical proximity, Mexico is the closes southern neighbor to the U.S. and a NAFTA partner, with all the good roads, high-speed communications, and top notch health care that you’d expect up north. Those who move to Mexico find living and doing business there to be very easy.

Mexico is served by a large number of international airports with regularly scheduled flights from all over the world. But imagine having the option of driving from the U.S. or Canada to explore this magnificent country in your own car, at your own pace. Imagine returning to the U.S. and not having to worry about skyrocketing airfare or – perish the thought – disrupted air service caused by strikes, weather or other delays.

By living in Mexico you will be ble to enjoy its rich culture and customs.

Previous administrations did little in the way of infrastructure improvements, but President Filipe Calderon seems committed to allocating funds for new and expanded road, ports and telecommunications infrastructure. This goes hand in hand with increased privatization, which will allow concessions in the national airport network and the telecommunications sector. The idea is that all of those improvements will further encourage and facilitate commerce.
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Between 1 – 9 months of being smoke-free you will notice significant improvements in these areas: coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath.

Healing from nicotine addiction is a process and some improvements are dramatic and happen quickly and others will come more gradually. In some cases a sense of smell can take a huge jump in sensitivity up to 8 months after quitting smoking which can be a delightful surprise.

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Health Benefits to Quitting Smoking

I have quit smoking many times in my life and recently agreed to quit again with my daughter who brought home this document outlining the immediate and long term benefits of quitting smoking.

I know that quitting smoking is the hardest thing, as it is the strongest addiction, you will ever do in your life. Staying off demon cigarettes, however, is harder still for some.

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Cruz Roja (Red Cross) in Chapala

There are many very worthwhile charities in Ajijic, Lake Chapala and you will find yourself recruited to help many of them.

Ninos Incapacitados, DIF School for the Deaf, Love in Action, Casa de Ancianos and the Animal Shelter on the carretera across from Arden’s Furniture Store are a few of the most popular ones as they all do so much for so many.

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When I first came to live in Ajijic in 1994 I wore very fetching green tinted contact lenses. When one of them became damaged I asked my eye doctor in Toronto, Canada to send me some new ones. I stupidly thought this would be a simple process but in those days you had to obtain the appropriate Mexican paperwork to allow your lenses into the country.

I went to see a couple of doctors to obtain said paperwork but soon found that you could only import contact lenses if you were a corporation which I was not.

Having failed at this endeavor I also noticed that the dust from the lake would get into my eyes and cause eye infections so I finally gave up on contacts. Also a friend of mine told me I looked 5 years younger wearing my glasses. The decision was made, vanity won out and I went back to eyeglasses, green eyeglasses but eyeglasses nonetheless.

Getting ones glasses fixed here was my next challenge. There was (and I believe still is) a small shop on the carretara going into Chapala with an eye above the door that could sometimes and sometimes not fix your glasses for you.

Next I found out that the Lake Chapala Society on Independencia in Ajijic had free eye exams with previous sign ups but, alas, no (more…)

I believe that one of the many reasons we moved to Ajijic, Lake Chapala over 15 years ago was that it was getting very difficult to find a place that one could smoke in Toronto.

On arrival to Ajijic, Lake Chapala there were no such restrictions in place and one could smoke freely anywhere as it were. Of course, you might run into the odd rabid anti-smoker but that was to be expected.

Now it would seem that last week-end federal officials closed several restaurants and bars in Guadalajara for not adhering to the General Law for Tobacco Control.

Many of these establishments in Jalisco still allow their patrons to smoke ever though the law states they must have separate smoking areas.

Although the details are still sketchy, a team from the Federal Sanitation Protection Commission ( Cofepris) is thought to have visited approximately 40 restaurants in the city.

To reopen, owners of the closed restaurants need to make their establishments 80% smoke-free with outdoor or (more…)

We had an occasion to take a visiting relative from Canada to Dr. Carlos Garcia at Clinic Maskaras.

To being with we were able to get an appointment in 15 minutes – the same day!

Next, on arrival the patient was weighed and vital signs duly noted and within minutes we were in the doctor’s office and the consultation had begun. As this was a new patient he asked tons of questions compiling a very comprehensive dossier going back almost to birth. How many doctors have asked you if you have had dengue fever now or when you were three?

After a brief but thorough examination some tests were ordered. These immediately took place at the clinic and at the lab next door. Results will be ready on Tuesday and a follow up consultation will take place free of charge to ascertain the problem and subsequent course of treatment.

All of this was painless, pleasant and extremely efficient.

Now had we been in Canada a doctor’s appointment could have taken weeks to set up.
Any necessary tests would have scheduled for sometime in the distant future. (more…)

I think most of us have faced weight issues over the years and keeping slim certainly does not get any easier as we get older.

I was at an ideal weight when I first came to Mexico 15 years ago but soon put on 40 pounds. That’s right I said 40 pounds.

I was golfing and playing tennis and finally got it off using the, then very popular, Cabbage Soup Diet.

Over the years it slowly came back even though I was walking five times a week. I have tried all the diets from Fit for Life to Atkins and, although, they did work in the short term these diets were hard to maintain over time.

The last five years or so I have been very unhappy with my weight but seemed unable to find the motivation to do anything long lasting about it.

When we move to Mexico from the frozen north, in particular, it is like living in endless summer and some of us let ourselves go as if we were on permanent vacation. By the time we realize (more…)