As the winter season approaches, Michigan gets on average 36% of sunshine compared to 66% in the summer months. Vitamin D plays an important role in our overall health. In today's USA Weekend, you'll find an article about the benefits of vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," and you can check out, Vitamin D for Dummies, from our health collection.

Is your medicine cabinet filled with expired or unused drugs and are wondering what to do with them? Safely dispose of them on Saturday October 29th from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM at the Canton Township Police Department. Help keep the water supply clean and at the same time stop dangerous medications from being accidentally consumed or stolen. The free event  is part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and this week's Red Ribbon activities.

Photo courtesy of AP Images

What kind of dog do you wish you had? How fast does a Corvette really go? What does the inside of the human body look like? If you have ever asked yourselves these questions and more, then you should definitely visit the J600-699 collection in the Children's Section. This is the nonfiction collection that is chock full of cats, cars, pets, cooking, gardening, health, body parts, and so much more. See you in the stacks!

Michigan's Harvest: Food, Farming & Community is taking place from September 24 to November 20, 2011 at the Albert L. Lorenzo Cultural Center at Macomb Community College. You'll find exhibits, presentations and activities on a variety of food topics including Michigan's agricultural heritage, modern methods of food production, and the local foods movement. Most events are free but require pre-registration.

CVS Pharmacy is offering flu shots at the Canton Public Library on Saturday, October 15 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and Wednesday, October 19 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. If you have health insurance with a major company, your shot is free. If not, you will pay $29.99 and receive a $5 gift card back from CVS. This is the combo shot protecting you and your loved ones from H1N1 as well as this year's strain of Flu. Let's all stay healthy this winter and get our flu shots… at Canton Public Library.

Do you know what the following people have in common? Diogenes, the Greek philosopher to Ben Franklin, founding father, to actors Emily Deschanel and Brad Pitt to singer Alanis Moressette?  They are all vegetarians!  Find out about the vegetarian life style when we celebrate Vegetarian Awareness Month with the folks from VegMichigan on Saturday, October 22 at 12 noon.  Why do they do it?  It's a healthier, greener and more humane way to live your life.  Come learn why.   

Yoga and breast cancer: a journey to health and healing by Ingrid Kollak, Isabell Utz-Billing

1 a minute [videodisc]

Breast cancer: what you need to know--now from the experts at the American Cancer Society

The caregiver [sound recording] by Shelley Shepard Gray

Two Canton CVS pharmacies will hold flu vaccination clinics at the Canton Public Library in October: on Saturday, October 15 (9:00 AM-1:00 PM) and Wednesday, October 19 (9:00 AM-3:00 PM). The combined vaccination will cover the H1N1 virus and the current season's flu strain.

Those with insurance coverage will receive their shots without charge (no co-pay) if they fill out and return consent forms in advance. Forms are available at the library's Reception Desk and may be returned there. Please give the form to the Receptionist and indicate the clinic date of your choice.

Cost without insurance will be $29.99, payable by cash or check; you will receive a $5 CVS gift card. Reservations are neither accepted nor necessary. This is not a library sponsored program.

The Doctor is In! Please join us on Thursday, September 29 from 7:00-8:00PM in the Purple Room for a special presentation, Conquering Your Pain the Holistic Way, by Livonia's own "Dr. Phil," Dr. Philip Hoehn, DC, CCSP. Learn how chiropractic care can provide a healthy and natural approach to relieving pain from sports injuries and other ailments.

As the Canton Public Library continues to deal with a declining budget, patrons are reminded the "magazine express" program has been discontinued.

Canton's own Pat Butzin, volunteer extraordinaire, is always available to lend a helping hand - even in Haiti after the earthquake. Learn how the experience changed her, changed her mind about many things and changed Haiti. Join us on September 22 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room for an evening of hope, helping and sharing.

As more folks look for alternatives to factory farmed foods, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) are growing in popularity. Joining a CSA is a great way to eat healthy and support local farms. To find a CSA near you, you can visit CSAFarms.org. There is also an option for those interested in participating in a CSA this winter. One clever organization, Locavorious, has partnered with several small farms in the communities around Ann Arbor to offer frozen produce subscriptions, similar to shares offered by regular CSAs. During the peak harvest, they prepare and package local produce at its peak freshness, and preserve it in a community freezer.

The homesteading handbook : a back to basics guide to growing your own food, canning, keeping chickens, generating your own energy, crafting, herbal medicine, and more by Abigail R. Gehring — Are you interested in being more self-sufficient? This book is truly a one-stop resource for virtually all aspects of homesteading including herbal medicine, useful crafting, keeping animals like chickens and goats, building sheds and other small structures, canning, generating energy, growing edibles, and more. If all that sounds like a lot of work, it also includes fun things like how to make your own ice cream.

Generations United recently published a fact sheet explaining The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and it's impact on older adults and children: Health Care Benefits for Children & Older Adults: The Affordable Care Act.

Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer's newest book, discusses the complex issues that surround the meat we consume. This ranges from animal welfare to health to politics. Foer employs his unique voice to reveal the commonplace, yet horrendous practices that occur in the factory farming industry. The facts unearthed through his investigative jounalism argue cases for both a selective omnivore diet and a vegetarian diet. This book is shocking, fascinating, and may challenge the reader's everyday eating practices and beliefs. We have it in multiple formats:

Eating animals [book] by Jonathan Safran Foer

The president and the assassin: McKinley, terror, and empire at the dawn of the American century by Scott Miller

Hot time in the old town: the great heat wave of 1896 and the making of Theodore Roosevelt by Edward P.

A recent study of 565 children  by Ganesa Wegienka, an epidemiologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit indicates if during their first year, children (birth through 12 months) are exposed to pets, they are less likely to develop pet allergies.  

According to Dr. Wegienka, exposure to pets after that first year of growth has little impact on a child's proclivity towards pet allergies.

It's never too late to start! Check out these new diet books in our health collection!

The 17 day diet: a doctor's plan designed for rapid results by Mike Moreno

The Special K challenge & beyond: your guide to weight management, healthy living & delicious cooking by foreword by Katherine Brooking

The Dukan diet: 2 steps to lose the weight, 2 steps to keep it off forever by Pierre Dukan

Don't want to be cooped up in the house this summer? Play some cool outdoor games and keep boredom at bay. Need ideas to get you started? Check out the list of books below. You'll find new ideas for games along with some old familiar favorites.

Run, jump, hide, slide, splash: the 200 best outdoor games ever by Joe Rhatigan & Rain Newcomb

Get out!: outdoor activities kids can enjoy anywhere (except indoors) by Hallie Warshaw with Jake Miller; photography by Julie Brown

Come out and celebrate the Grand Re-opening of the I-275 bike path on Saturday, June 4th. More information and details available at Canton Patch.