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MID-VALLEY HEALTH Albany Democrat-Herald ■ Corvallis Gazette-Times
Sunday, April 20, 2014
HEALTH STAT
A tube-tying alternative
Quick reads about health topics in the news
Implanted coils prove safe and effective, but not for everyone
New measles drug
BY STEVE LUNDEBERG MID-VALLEY HEALTH
Jenna Vanderhoof and Archell Banta both decided two children were enough, and each opted for a permanent, irreversible birth control procedure via a device called Essure. That’s where the stories of the Albany women began to diverge. Vanderhoof is part of the vast majority of patients for whom Essure, a set of metal and polymer coils quickly and easily implanted in the fallopian tubes, works brilliantly. Basically, she doesn’t even know the coils, put in place three years ago, are there — and she hasn’t gotten pregnant. “The procedure was very simple, considering what it’s doing, and it hasn’t changed anything about my normal body function,” Vanderhoof says. Banta, however, is among the roughly 1 percent of patients who blame debilitating conditions on the device, which she had implanted in March 2013. The troubles reported by her and others — there’s a Facebook page called Essure Problems, and consumer activist Erin Brockovich maintains a website, essureprocedure.net — include back, joint and pelvic pain, bleeding, extreme lethargy, headaches, menstrual irregularities and weight fluctuation. Banta says her gynecologist didn’t think severe discomfort and fatigue, and generally feeling awful, were related to the Essure coils. But Banta switched doctors — she declined to provide their names for the record — and two months ago underwent a second procedure: the surgical removal of her fallopian tubes, uterus and cervix. Her case illustrates the point that while Essure proves safe, effective and trouble free for nearly everyone who chooses it, if you’re unlucky enough to fall outside that “nearly everyone” category, the results can be spectacularly bad. That’s the message Banta wants to get across.
Jenna Vanderhoof, left, of Albany says the Essure birth control coils she had implanted in her fallopian tubes three years ago haven’t “changed anything about my normal body function.” But another Albany woman, Archell Banta, top, is part of a small percentage of patients who attribute a variety of debilitating symptons to the coils, and she ended up undergoing a hysterectomy. Albany gynecologist Paul Daskalos, also pictured above, is Vanderhoof’s physician and an advocate for the Essure procedure. “It has to be individualized, and not everybody is a good candidate,” the doctor says. “But if you’re looking at permanent sterilization options for women, this procedure has many advantages. It’s well tolerated, and there’s essentially no recovery.” Mark Ylen/Mid-Valley Health
Albany gynecologist Paul Daskalos, who performed the implant on Vanderhoof. “It requires essentially no anaesthesia, it’s incision free, and it’s hormone free. “I’m an advocate of the procedure, but it has to be individualized, and not everybody is a good candidate. But if you’re looking at permanent sterilization options for women, this procedure has many advantages. It’s well tolerated, and A 12-year history there’s essentially no recovery; they can go back to work later Essure has been available since 2002. The device’s manu- the same day.” Over the past 31/2 years, facturer, Conceptus, was purDaskalos has performed the Eschased by Bayer Healthcare in sure procedure about 50 times. June 2013. It’s been verified as successful After the coils, made from the — by an X-ray exam at three same materials used in heart months to make sure the coils stents, are implanted in a woman’s fallopian tubes, scar tis- are positioned properly and scar sue forms around them. The scar- tissue has developed — roughly 40 times. ring creates tubal blockage that Some of the 10 cases Daskalos performs the same function as a can’t ascertain as successful intubal ligation (tube tying) operavolve patients not coming back tion. Unlike tubal ligation surgery, for follow-up, he says. One patient, he adds, complains of which requires general anaessome pelvic pain. thesia and must be done in a “The far majority of cases we hospital or surgical center, the do come back with the expected Essure procedure is done in a result,” Daskalos says. doctor’s office. Backup contraception must “It’s a safe procedure,” said
be used for at least three months following the implant of Essure.
Follow-up studies Conceptus, the Essure manufacturer, did a five-year followup study and determined that when the coils are correctly placed, they are 99.83 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and that serious side effects are rare, according to the Food and Drug Administration. According to Bayer, Conceptus’ new owner, Essure is correctly placed on the first attempt 96.9 percent of the time. Other studies say initial placement success ranges from 84 to 98 percent, according to a 2011 review by Mayo Clinic researchers. The procedure is trickier in women with misshapen uteruses and/or abnormal fallopian tubes. The FDA approved Essure as a Class III medical device. Class III devices have undergone the agency’s most rigorous premarketing review. Patients who think they were harmed by a Class III device
cannot sue the manufacturers in state court because federal law gives the FDA the authority to determine a device’s safety, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2008. If a patient insists on having Essure coils taken out, Bayer recommends surgically removing part or all of the fallopian tubes. Some physicians believe a hysterectomy — removing the uterus as well — is needed, though other doctors consider that to be excessive. While sympathetic to those who think Essure has caused them problems, Daskalos and other physicians say it’s possible that what’s actually happening is that symptoms long concealed by the use of hormonal contraception come to light when that use stops. “If they had been on birth control pills and are no longer on birth control pills, now you’re getting general menstrual and general premenstrual symptons that had been masked by birth control pills,” Daskalos says. Follow Steve Lundeberg on Twitter, @AnyGivenLundy, or email him at steve.lundeberg@lee.net.
Art sale proceeds to benefit cancer survivors A mid-valley cancer survivor and printmaker, Susan Chung, is spearheading the Riverside Art Sale and Benefit, from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, at the Wheelhouse Event Center, 421 N.E. Water Ave. in Albany. Admission is free, and a portion of the sale proceeds will benefit other cancer survivors in the mid-valley. The event celebrates the release of the book “26 Love Letters for Mama” by Chung’s daughter, Ema B. Greenspan, which features artwork from 22 female artists across the Northwest. The author and 12 of the artists will be on hand at the event. Original artwork from the book will also be on display.
Greenspan, now 29, wrote the poem “26 Love Letters for Mama” when she was 16 as a tribute to her mother. Years later, in 2010, Chung was diagnosed with breast cancer and treated through the Samaritan Cancer Program. She often reread the poem during treatment. Two childhood friends who are artists visited Chung and saw the poem. They suggested she illustrate it and offered to help. Chung saw the potential of involving multiple artists and started seeking out other talent. Money raised at the event will help other women in breasts cancer treatment through the Susan Chung Brighter Outlook Program — a group therapy program that uses talk
and art therapy techniques to help patients deal with their challenges. “One of the things I noticed when I was going through treatment is it’s hard to process all the changes you’re going through,” said Chung, of Corvallis. “I’d like for this to help the community at large.” For more information about the event, visit QuillPointArt.com. For more information about the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation or to donate to the fund visit samhealth.org/GSHF. And to read more about “26 Love Letters for Mama,” be sure to check out Thursday’s E section. Mid-Valley Health
A novel antiviral drug may protect people infected with the measles from getting sick and prevent them from spreading the virus to others, an international team of researchers says. Scientists from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, the Emory Institute for Drug Development and the Paul-Ehrlich Institute in Germany developed the drug, termed ERDRP-0519, and tested it in animals infected with a virus closely related to one that causes the measles. As reported in the current issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, virus levels were significantly reduced when infected animals received the drug by mouth. The drug also prevented the animals from dying of the disease. This drug, which the scientists said can be produced cost-effectively, stockpiled and administered by mouth, could boost eradication efforts by rapidly suppressing the spread of the virus during local outbreaks. While the drug is encouraging thus far, additional research is needed before it could be considered for use in humans. — Georgia State University
Cancer and norms Young people who conform most strongly to norms of masculinity and femininity — the most “feminine” girls and the most “masculine” boys — are significantly more likely than their peers to engage in behaviors that pose cancer risks, according to a new study led by Harvard School of Public Health researchers. The most feminine teenage girls use tanning beds more frequently and are more likely to be physically inactive, while the most masculine teenage boys are more likely to use chewing tobacco and to smoke cigars, compared with their gender-nonconforming peers. The study appeared online in the Journal of Adolescent Health. — Harvard School of Public Health
Hypertension and pregnancy Pregnant women with chronic hypertension (high blood pressure) are highly likely to suffer from adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm delivery, low birth weight and neonatal death, which highlights a need for heightened surveillance, suggests a paper published on bmj.com. Chronic hypertension complicates between 1 to 5 percent of pregnancies, and the problem may be increasing as the prevalence of chronic hypertension increases. Researchers from King’s College London carried out a study to assess the strength of evidence linking chronic hypertension with poor pregnancy outcomes. They combined data from studies from 55 studies done in 25 countries. — British Medical Journal
Calcium and heart attacks With growing evidence that a measurement of the buildup of calcium in coronary arteries can predict heart disease risk, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute researchers found that the process of “calcium scoring” was accurate in predicting the chances of dying of heart disease among adults with little or no known risk of heart disease. Previous studies had found that calcium scores were effective in predicting heart disease among adults with known heart disease risk factors. The new study examined 5,593 adults with minimal risk of heart disease, who had undergone coronary artery calcium screening from 1991-2011. Normally, the coronary arteries don’t contain calcium. A buildup of calcium can narrow the arteries to the heart and lead to a heart attack. The screening process results in a calcium score indicating the amount of calcium in the plaque lining the walls of the coronary arteries. — Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute
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SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 2014
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Enjoy the warmer weather, but don’t forget the strength training
By Joshua Gustafson, CWP, PAPHS, NSCA-CPT inally, spring is here and summer is around the corner! Those long gloomy and rainy months are now behind us and our opportunities for outdoor activities are amplified by longer days, rays of sun and family outings. It is easy to engage in some form of physical activity during the summer, whether it be going for a brisk walk, playing outdoors with the dog or chasing the grandkids around the yard at a family reunion. These forms of physical activity improve our cardiovascular endurance and heart health while burning calories and decreasing our risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s and dementia.
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Just 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days per week, which increases your
heart rate and respirations, can produce amazing health benefits. But did you know that these 30-minute blocks can be broken up into 10-minute increments throughout the day? According to Mayo Clinic and the American College of Sports Medicine, your daily aerobic exercise does not have to be done all at once. Just 10 minutes of exercise that increases your heart rate and respiration three or four times each day will produce tremendous health benefits.
improvement progress and make those everyday tasks much easier to complete.
appropriate strength training.
So enjoy the sun and those family First, check with your primary care gatherings, but also remember that you provider to make sure strength training can improve your overall health and wellis an appropriate addition to your weekly being by incorporating different forms of routine. Then, utilize your community physical activity into your daily lifestyle. It resources and fitness professionals! Yes, is never too late to start, but the journey strength training can be done at home begins with you and your commitments! Joshua Gustafson, CWP, PAPHS, NSCAby manipulating your own body weight CPT, is the director of Health, Wellness or utilizing over-the-counter exercise and Fitness at Samaritan Health Services, equipment; but where do you start and and is a certified wellness practitioner, However, if your goal is to improve your how do you know what is appropriate physical activity in public health specialist, balance and coordination, decrease joint for your own personal needs and goals? and nationally certified personal trainer. pain, increase your mobility, and sustain By looking at your community fitness Gustafson oversees the operations of long-term weight loss, then strength options, identifying experts who are Samaritan’s 24-hour SamFit fitness and training cannot be forgotten. Strength trained to produce results, and selecting a wellness facilities in Albany, Corvallis and training can be appropriate for all ages fitness center that meets your budgetary Lebanon, as well as the population health regardless of your limitations. Just two needs, you can ensure that your personal programs offered by Samaritan Health or three days each week of moderate needs and limitations are attended to and Services. For more information regarding SamFit, please visit AreYouSamFit.com. strength training can speed up your health you are engaging in safe, effective and
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SamFit If your goal is to get fit and healthy – get started now!
Renovations to SamFit in Albany near completion lbany is the third mid-valley location with its own SamFit, a state-of-the-art health and fitness center that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Last September, Albany Athletic Club reached an agreement to transition ownership to Samaritan Health Services. Work then got under way on a number of facility upgrades that are expected to be completed in May. “Our objective is to add new programs and facility upgrades to improve the offerings available to current members and the Albany community,” said Joshua Gustafson, director of Health, Wellness and Fitness at Samaritan. Upgrades include building renovations, new exercise equipment and a variety of new health and wellness services that will provide a modern environment to help members reach their health and fitness goals. “Samaritan Health Services is committed
SamFit has all the tools to help you reach your health and fitness goals. With 24/7 access, you have the freedom to workout on your schedule. We offer specialized training packages, a variety of education and fitness classes, including Zumba, spinning, yoga, Tai Chi and more. SamFit is open to everyone and there are never any enrollment fees when you sign up! Visit AreYouSamFit.com.
to providing exceptional services to this community, which includes preventive health, fitness and wellness services at a nominal rate,” said David Triebes, chief executive officer for Samaritan Albany General Hospital. “SamFit’s mission is to provide self-empowerment to Samaritan employees and community members so that they can make lifestyle changes to improve their overall health.” SamFit focuses on all aspects of wellness through health assessments, exercise, nutritional advice and education. Albany SamFit is located at 380 NW Hickory Ave. in Albany and can be reached by phone at 541-812-3300.
Albany 541-812-3300 Corvallis 541-768-5850 Lebanon 541-451-6990