Welcome to The Iowa City Blog’s PEOPLE page!

This is where each month a local person or business from Iowa City or Coralville is featured.  Many of our local residents and business partners deserve acknowledgment for their important contributions to our vibrant community and recognition for their expertise and talent.

Let’s get to know each other and the many personalities that shape the greater Iowa City community.

Do you know someone you would like to see featured here?  Just contact Toni to recommend a person or business in the greater Iowa City and Coralville area.

TERRY WAHLS

TERRY WAHLS
Clinical professor developed nutrient-rich diet, which in part helped her overcome debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis.

Terry Wahls chuckles when she describes people’s reactions to her remarkable recovery.
A nurse overlooked Wahls in the waiting room because she was searching for someone in a wheelchair. The dean of the medical college was shocked when Wahls said her scooter had died on the way to a meeting, and that she had pushed it up the hill. But who wouldn’t be amazed? In 2004, the clinical professor of internal medicine in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and the Iowa City VA Medical Center relied on a wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis. Now she bikes five miles a day. Wahls attributes her progress to two treatments: the nutrient-rich diet she developed, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation, which uses an electrical current to promote muscle growth. Today she’s educating others about “food as medicine” and planning a study to see if her treatment could work for others with MS or Parkinson’s disease. “I had accepted that I was never going to walk again. I had accepted that there was no recovery—that the best I could hope for was to hold steady,” Wahls says. “Even when I was getting better, I didn’t let myself believe it would continue. It took six months of steady recovery to begin to think that maybe in a few years I might be close to normal.”

Early Symptoms

Looking back, Wahls recognizes that her symptoms started in 1987, when she was a medical student at The University of Iowa and occasionally felt twinges of discomfort over her ears. A few years later, she had an episode of blindness in one eye while Rollerblading on a hot day. Wahls was athletic­—a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a competitive marathon runner—but she scaled back her workouts and did fine, for a while.
Then she noticed her gait becoming uneven. After a leisurely three-mile walk for ice cream with her family, it was clear something was wrong. She could hardly move her leg. Wahls suspected a brain tumor, or possibly cancer. In 2000, she was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, which eventually transitioned to secondary progressive MS. In both diseases, immune cells damage the wiring that connects brain cells and its insulation, myelin. Nerves have trouble transmitting information, and the lost signals can lead to vision and hearing loss, weakness, numbness, and poor balance. Over the next three years, Wahls gradually became weaker. Even sitting in a standard chair was exhausting because her back muscles could no longer support her. “Once I got into the wheelchair, I couldn’t have been more depressed about the future,” Wahls says. “My kids were 12 and 9, I knew I would at some point be bedridden.”

Nutrition and Electrical Stimulation

Fortunately Wahls’s disease didn’t affect her mind. She started to read about illnesses that cause the brain to shrink, and she noticed a common denominator: in each case, cell subunits called mitochondria were sending a “time-to-die” signal to cells too soon.
In 2007, Wahls began eating greater amounts of foods known to support mitochondria. Her energy increased, and the progression of the disease slowed. At the same time, she read 212 research papers about electrical stimulation, which was being used to help athletes’ muscles heal and to improve quality of life for people with paralysis. She convinced her physical therapist to give it a shot, though he cautioned that it would be painful and may not help. “I dialed it up to as much pain as I could take, because if I was going to fail, I didn’t want to look back and think I hadn’t gone as hard as I could,” Wahls says. “He was right. It hurt, a lot. But it also released a lot of endorphins, and at the end I felt better than I had in years.”

Wahls continued e-stim using a portable device at home and work, and began to exercise in small time increments. She also revamped her diet to see that every calorie would contribute to maximizing the brain’s building blocks. The “Wahls Diet” calls for nine cups of fruits and veggies per day: three of green leaves, three of sulfur-containing food, and three of bright colors.
Within a few months, she was walking between exam rooms at the hospital. She stopped taking her medications and continued to improve. “I was impressed and somewhat surprised with her drastic recovery,” says E.T. Shivapour, Wahls’s neurologist at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. “We know about the positive effects of good nutrition on many illnesses, including MS. The benefit of physical therapy and regular exercises is also established, and there are data to support the positive effects of the multichannel neuromuscular stimulator. But so far, no one has combined all of these together to this extent. That’s why this case is so unique.”

Helping Others

Now Wahls, Shivapour, and a team of colleagues plan to see if they can replicate the results. With approval from the University’s human subjects office, they plan to enroll 40 patients in the study. Wahls received a $60,000 grant from Direct MS Charity from Canada and has applied for $2.5 million in National Institutes of Health funding.
In the meantime, she is sharing information about food as medicine. While eating more fruits and veggies is generally a good idea, she cautions that the “Wahls Diet” has not been evaluated by the FDA, and that people considering her diet should talk with their physician. Wahls published two health cookbooks, the first and second edition of Minding My Mitochondria, and through periodic surveys, she’s tracking whether 150 followers of her diet notice changes in their health. She speaks at least once a week to groups at the University and throughout the community. Hundreds have attended Wahls’ presentations through the New Pioneer Food Co-op. The Co-op is even establishing a Terry Wahls garden so people can see her favorite foods grow. “We’d all like to have donuts and coffee for breakfast and take a vitamin, but she’ll say, ‘Let’s not go to pills. Let’s go to food itself,’” says Theresa Carbrey, education and member services coordinator at the Co-op. “It’s very empowering. People facing a medical crisis are deeply motivated to change their diet to improve their health, and Terry Wahls helps them achieve that.”

For more information, visit www.terrywahls.com or www.mindingmymitochondria.com.

story by Nicole Riehl; photo by Tim Schoon

JOHN WEBER,

CO-OWNER OF DWELL HOME FURNISHINGS & INTERIOR DESIGN

A Local Business With A Passion

The owners of Dwell Home Furnishings and Interior Design in Coralville, Iowa, adhere to a philosophy that consists of three words: renew, refresh and excite. Founded in 1991 and co-owned by John Weber and 3 hands on partners, the 5,500-sq-ft, two level operation is a balance of design and retail with a merchandise mix John describes as casual, organic and modern.

Wide Appeal & Niche Markets

“There is very eclectic feel to the store, Asian and Middle Eastern influences mixed with antiques in both traditional and contemporary settings,” said Weber. “We try to keep our displays fresh, sometimes changing weekly.

The design aspect of our store is the more profitable with the emphasis on large design jobs. This mixes so will with our retail because we have the ability to instantly create the design by bringing our area rugs in large 9×12 sizes and placing the accessories and lamps to show the feel we want to create. We also have our own delivery staff and trucks which allows us to deliver quickly.

The Dwell Philosophy

The Dwell philosophy of Renew, Refresh,and Excite lets you explore the multitude of texture and color including a wide variety of unique, traditional and eclectic styles. We include upholstered styles from carefully selected Manufacturers as well as beautifully designed casegoods in unique and exotic woods. You will find interesting and inspiring art and accessories with Asian and other strong ethnic influences. You will be inspired by the wonders of one of a kind antique doors and columns from India as well as pieces made from eco-friendly raw materials, including plantation grown woods, reclaimed wood and metal. We recognize that it is not only our social responsibility to keep the planet green, but good business as well. Browse our online store or visit us at 250 12th Ave Suite 100 Coralville, IA and view our products in an inviting and comfortable setting.

Explore our Revolution of Style and let us Inspire your Soul.

One On One With John Weber

Q: Do you see any trends emerging or remaining “hot” in home accents?

A: Living green with reclaimed, re-purposed accessories, case goods, lamps and area rugs. Finding a use for old pediments, doors and columns.

Q: How do you describe your customer?

A: Our customer base is very diverse. The university community brings in a wide range of clients. Clients from each coast, many continents, young and retired. What they have in common is a desire to create a home that is uniquely theirs.

Q: What sets Dwell apart from the competition?

A: It’s more of a combination of ideas that stem from being passionate about our business. We develop personal relationships with our customers and provide exceptional merchandise with superior service.

The Harvest Preserve Foundation

Get To Know The Harvest Preserve Foundation

“We have not inherited the world from our forefathers—we have borrowed it from our children” is the Kashmiri proverb welcoming you to the online home of the Harvest Preserve Foundation.

Iowa City area residents may not be aware that in the heart of Iowa City sits a jeweled parcel of land around which centers the Harvest Preserve Foundation, dedicated to uplifting our spirits through the enjoyment of its natural beauty. The grounds are breathtaking and lend to quiet meditation or gentle walks on the trails.

Its Mission

Its mission is “to restore, protect,and preserve its land holdings as a spiritual sanctuary. The land holdings are known as The Harvest Preserve. The Harvest Preserve is holy ground where invited guests may quietly commune with whatever aspect or manifestation of the Divine they find personally appealing. The Preserve is a place to feel welcome, embraced, and open-hearted, and to indulge in the awe and wonder of nature.”

Please visit the Harvest Preserve website for detailed information on current and future events, volunteering, and don’t miss their wonderful picture galleries!

Membership & Donations

As a non-profit organization, Harvest Preserve Foundation relies on the community for support. There are a number of different ways to contribute to Harvest Preserve Foundation.

- Volunteers are encouraged to participate in planned activities.

- Donations are tax-deductible and always appreciated.

- Planned Giving is a great way to make a future gift to the Preserve. Please contact Julie (julie@harvestpreserve.org) to discuss your wishes to help preserve Iowa’s beauty.

All donations are used to support our operating costs and special projects, such as our prairie restoration along Scott Blvd. Plans to expand our prairie restoration on the hillside in front of the Visionary Stone will commence once funds are raised to do so.

Download the Harvest Preserve Foundation Membership/Donation Form (PDF) right here.

One On One With Julie Decker, The Harvest Preserve Foundation

When and how did the idea for the Harvest Preserve come about? (If you would like I can pull the info from your website), who were the original people involved?

In 2001, Douglas and Linda Paul made an interesting purchase – some very large ancient stones from Indonesia. As the stones slowly made their way to Iowa, the issue of where to place them presented itself and coincidentally, two farmsteads became available for sale on the east side of Iowa City. Seeing an opportunity to not only place the ancient stones, the Pauls saw it as a chance to preserve the land. Since then, Harvest Preserve Foundation, Inc. has been restoring and maintaining native prairie and woodlands, preserving a quiet natural sanctuary and cultivating public awareness, appreciation and participation. What started out as a place to display sacred stones quickly transformed into a spiritual sanctuary, where invited guests can quietly commune with nature.

It is beautiful to see the artwork from various artists inspired by the Harvest Preserve, a testament to the power of the silence and inspiration one can find literally in the heart of Iowa City! What other projects or environmental improvements do you think Iowa City would benefit from?

Harvest Preserve Foundation strongly supports many other like-minded organizations in the area. Specifically, Friends of Hickory Hill Park, an organization dedicated to permanently protecting the park’s unique qualities as urban park land. Hickory Hill’s woodlands, fields, and waterways provide habitat for a variety of wildlife and provide citizens the opportunity to enjoy a natural setting within city limits. We also support Johnson County Heritage Trust, which is committed to the preservation and enjoyment of natural areas in Johnson County and nearby areas in Iowa. These include prairies, woodlands, wetlands, and sites of historic, archeological or scenic interest. We believe that their work is extremely important for preserving the native qualities of Iowa land. Supporting these organizations is important to all of Johnson County and ultimately makes the Iowa City area a great place to live.

Would you like to share anything more with the public about upcoming events or needs?

Our next big project is to tackle our honeysuckle problem on 17 acres of forest preserve. Honeysuckle is a non-native invasive species that can severely damage heathy timber. For this project, we will hire the Conservation Corps of Iowa, a nonprofit organization linked to Americorps. Unfortunately, the project will cost nearly $1000/day, so we are collecting donations to help cover this cost.

Every October we have our annual Open House, where the community is invited to come and explore the property. In 2009 at the Open House we hosted a photography contest, where 10 winners were announced, consisting of both amateur and professional photographers. (You can view the photo gallery at www.harvestpreserve.org ) Iowa City is a wonderful community and we are very happy to be part of it.

For more information on the Harvest Preserve, please browse their website at www.harvestpreserve.org, or call (319)337-4883.

MEET PROFESSOR GINA SCHATTEMAN

Key Role In “Educate To Innovate”

University of Iowa professor Gina Schatteman is playing a key role in “Educate to Innovate,” a White House initiative designed to reinvigorate science, technology, engineering and math education in schools and increase U.S. competitiveness in those fields.

Schatteman, associate professor of integrative physiology in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is taking part in a two-year fellowship through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Working in the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Science Education in Washington, D.C., she has helped recruit more than 200 scientific organizations that will partner in providing middle and high school students with hands-on learning experiences.

Educate to Innovate

A coalition of educators, scientists and philanthropies, was launched because the United States lags in science and math education when compared to other developed countries. Reports show American teens rank 21st out of 30 developed countries in solving scientific problems, and 26th in the percentage of students who meet basic proficiency standards in science.

“Most people don’t realize how far behind we are, or consider the implications of the deficiencies,” Schatteman said. “Innovation is essential to a vibrant economy, and we’re starting to lose that edge. Jobs increasingly require advanced technology skills, and if Americans don’t have them, jobs will be outsourced.”

National Lab Day

Schatteman’s work focuses on National Lab Day, which will match volunteers — university students, scientists, engineers and other professionals in math and science — with educators and students to improve labs and discovery-based science experiences for students in grades 6-12. National Lab Day will be celebrated in May 2010, but activities will take place throughout the year. The National Lab Day Web site, http://www.NationalLabDay.org, includes a matching function to pair educators up with scientists willing to volunteer.

Schatteman was lead developer of a related site, http://science.education.nih.gov/NIHSciEdNation, designed to provide information, training materials and resources for National Lab Day volunteers.

“Scientists want to do their part to inspire the next generation and improve science and math education, but they may not know how they can help,” she said. “We’re inviting teachers to tell us what they need, whether it’s speaking to a class about careers in science, planning a field trip, leading a chemistry experiment, or mentoring a student who is interested in a particular field.”

President Obama praised the initiative during a Nov. 23 speech

“Lifting American students from the middle to the top of the pack in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) achievement over the next decade will not be attained by government alone,” he said. “I applaud the substantial commitments made today by the leaders of companies, universities, foundations, non-profits and organizations representing millions of scientists, engineers and teachers from across the country.”

Schatteman, who studies how adult stem cells can help people with diabetes and teaches physiology courses, plans to return to the UI in fall 2010. She said the fellowship has driven home the importance of communicating science for a general audience and opened her eyes to the variety of careers available to scientists – insights she will share with her students.

One On One With Professor Schatteman

Q. Our present economic climate has made many people refocus their career goals and our younger generation asking where tomorrow’s jobs will be. Based on your fellowship through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) can you share your thoughts on the available careers for tomorrow’s scientists?

A. I’m not a labor economist so I can’t answer your question exactly. However, I can say that jobs in the 21st century will rely more and more heavily on science, math, technology, and engineering knowledge and skills. It used to be that with a high school diploma you could get a great job at someplace like U.S Steel or General Motors. Those days are gone.

Nowadays there aren’t too many good jobs to be had without at least some college or vocational education – and to succeed in those you have to know science and math. Let’s face it, a lot of farmers have college degrees now and would be in big trouble if they couldn’t do the math to figure out the best time to sell or understand worldwide trends to decide what and how much to plant. Firefighters don’t just squirt water. Most are emergency medical technicians or paramedics who need to know human anatomy and physiology, and they’d better understand basic chemistry before cleaning up a hazardous chemical spill.

One specific major I can recommend for kids that are in high school and college now is computer science. Believe it or not, despite the tech revolution, U.S. students just are not majoring in that. If they don’t start soon, all of those jobs will move offshore where there are plenty of students that are.

Q. Can you tell us how the University of Iowa will participate in National Lab Day, to take place in May 2010?

A. It’s a little bit early to say exactly yet, but I have begun talking to different folks. One exciting opportunity I am pursuing is a statewide National Lab Day project that would involve all the Regent University system schools. Stay tuned. I will be tweeting on that.

Q. Are you optimistic that we will as a nation successfully increase our competitiveness in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math education?

A. If you had asked me the same question a year ago I would have said no, but now I think things are turning around. It seems that Americans often don’t pay attention to a problem until there is a crisis looming.

Fortunately, we are finally waking up and realizing that we’d better do something fast. The governors of 49 states have teamed up to work on this problem and our President has made improving science and math education a top priority of his administration. The Governors and President won’t get far without us, though, so the Educate to Innovate initiative was born. It represents a coalition of professional organizations, federal agencies, businesses, and foundations that are working together on a series of projects to make sure that our kids do better. With all of these folks on board, I am now optimistic that we can start moving in the right direction again.

To give you an idea of what is being done, I mention National Lab Day, a recently launched component of Educate to Innovate. Via the National Lab Day website (www.nationallabday.org) teachers can locate local science, technology, engineering, and math college students and professionals that are eager to give them a hand. The site will have tools to show rural teachers how to videoconference with scientists via the web for free. (Ahem, as soon as I get them done!)

National Lab Day also calls on parents and businesses to do their part by encouraging their children and volunteering to be an extra pair of hands or donating no-longer-needed equipment and supplies.

I am thrilled with the number of teachers and volunteers that have connected already. The number is literally growing daily.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500

Q&A section produced by Toni.

MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Riehl, University News Services, 319-384-0070, nicole-riehl@uiowa.edu

Meet Terry Lavery, local Coralville developer and home builder.

With over 30 years of experience, Terry has single-handly redefined our local condominium market with TERRA RIDGE Luxury Ranch Condos in Coralville IA.

How did he do it? Simple:

• By introducing superior quality construction typically found only in high end Iowa City and Coralville single family homes, and combining it with distinct copywrited well thought out plans designed for the discriminating buyer who wishes to downsize without compromising on quality, elegance and space.
• By creating and maintaining a gorgeous eco-friendly environment, increasing the trees density, providing a natural lush landscape for the homeowners to enjoy for years to come.
• By being the first to introduce geothermal HVAC in Coralville IA and Iowa City IA condo market and providing 5 Star Energy rated single family homes as well as duplexes.
• By bucking the trend, anticipating his clients’ priorities, and successfully positioning himself at the top of a very luckwarm Iowa City real estate market without missing a step!

One on One with Terry!

Q: What inspired your vision for Terra Ridge?

A: There was a lack of quality product with the space and interior features that clients are looking for. I wanted to create a stunning environment to complement the luxury condos by applying the best use to the terrain. To me, looking at the environment given and transforming it for the better is an art.

Q: Why Geothermal, Eco-friendly Coralville Homes?

A: I have been building 5-Star Energy Rated homes for years. I decided to incorporate geothermal HVAC to make my homes that much more appealing to the sophisticated buyer. With the changes in the economy and the demand for renewable energy, I felt that the timing was perfect.

Q: Tell us about your Terra Ridge floorplans

A: I have evolved my ranch style living floorplans over the years to accomodate larger living spaces for my clients’ furniture needs, larger storage rooms, taller and larger windows throughout the house to give ample light and bring the outdoors in. One of the most popular floorplan features an open Great Room/Kitchen concept with upgraded features for our clients’ comfort and entertainment needs.

For more info and pics of Terra Ridge Luxury Ranch Geothermal Condos, visit www.geothermalterrahomes.com and the Coralville neighborhood of Terra Ridge Neighborhood.