April Special Section
HEALTH & WELLNESS • Sponsored Section
2 | April 2022 | AppenMedia.com
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Dr. David Remaley
Dr. Destinee Hood
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New study finds redheads have a higher pain tolerance Brought to you by - Roswell Dental Care
Dedicated to providing exceptional dentistry and creating beautiful, healthy smiles for over 30 years. Our services include: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Crowns and Bridges in a few days • Custom Baked Cookies Daily Porcelain Veneers • FREE Nitrous Oxide and Oral Conscious Sedation Tooth Colored Composite Fillings • Facial Aesthetic Enhancements Teeth Whitening- no sensitivity including BOTOX and Dermal Fillers Oral Cancer Screenings on all patients Teeth Cleanings, Digital X-Rays and Comprehensive Oral Exams on all new patients Cosmetic Smile Makeovers and Full Mouth Digital X-Rays Reconstruction (Complimentary Consultation) $100 Value Occlusal Guards and Bite Adjustments New patients only. Snore Guards and Sleep Apnea Analysis Digital X-Rays (90% less radiation) and Intra-Oral Photos Digitally Scanned Dental ImpressionsNo more gooey impressions! Electronic Records Accept and File all Major Insurances Implants Root Canals Extractions Same day appointments available! Spa-like Relaxing Atmosphere
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470.288.1152 • roswelldentalcare.com 1570 Old Alabama Rd • Ste 102 • Roswell, GA 30076
People with red hair have always been known to possess similar, unique traits, such as fair skin and freckles, but did you know that they also feel pain differently than people with other hair color types? It’s true! Research shows that the same gene responsible for giving pigment to hair, skin, and eyes (MCR1), exhibits a mutation in red-haired people that causes them to have a higher tolerance for pain, but also to be more difficult to sedate. Studies have revealed these findings about redheads: • They need about 20 percent more anesthesia to be sedated. • They also need more local topical anesthetics, such as lidocaine, which is why many redheads have a fear of dentists, according to the American Dental Association. • They need lower doses of pain-killing analgesics, such as opioids. • They easily detect changes in hot and cold temperatures.
Be proactive about your care
Unfortunately, these findings that redheads require more anesthesia, but may be more tolerant to pain medications due to their higher pain threshold is still not widely known. It is recommended that redheads be proactive when undergoing a procedure that requires medication for pain. Tell your surgeon, anesthesiologist, and dentist that you will most likely need more anesthetic or local anesthesia, and that you may be more sensitive to opioids. Avoid taking extra doses of these types of pain medications without talking to your doctor. Drs. Hood and Remaley at Roswell Dental Care understand and customize treatment for each person. We assure you will feel confident in the solution you choose before beginning any treatment. For enhanced comfort, we offer FREE nitrous oxide. You can rest assured that your experience will be positive, relaxing, and rewarding on many levels. Give our office a call at (470) 288-1152 or visit us at www.roswelldentalcare.com, to begin your journey to happy and pain-free oral healthcare!
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Getting the most from your Long-Term Care policy Brought to you by - Home Helpers of Alpharetta and North Atlanta Suburbs With Spring at our doorstep, it’s a good time to refresh your annual records and keep up to date on the full benefits of your Long-Term Care Policy (LTC). While you’ve faithfully paid your premiums every year, it may be as long as 20 years or more since you reviewed what that policy can provide. As care needs begin to surface, many people aren’t using the benefits they’ve paid for or understand when it makes sense to utilize LTC. Let’s review some general guidelines that apply to most policies, and some facts that may surprise you. While LTC can be applied towards assisted living, many people don’t know that it can also apply towards in-home care if provided by a licensed agency. This can allow you to age in place in the comfort and safety of your own home. There are typically two circumstances when you can consider starting LTC. The first is when you need help with at least two Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s). Those are the everyday basic activities of bathing, dressing, toileting or incontinence, transferring and eating. The second is when there is cognitive impairment. This could be due to conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. While physical assistance may not be the main concern here, help is needed with reminders and cues to just get through each day. Your LTC plan will have forms that you can provide to your doctor who will write an order confirming the need for assistance. Using your LTC policy does not affect Medicare.
Here are some important facts. Your policy has daily benefit amounts, maximums and terms you need to know. There is typically an elimination period of 30, 60 or 90 days depending on the policy you chose. This may, however, be waived for in-home care and reimbursement could start immediately. It’s very important to always stay current with your premiums but remember, when you start using your policy for care you won’t pay premiums. Call your provider if you have questions about these details. When you consider in-home care, you need to make sure you are working with professionals who understand and can help you navigate the use of your LTC plan. At Home Helpers, we handle all the ongoing paperwork and filings that are required as you use your LTC policy. We can also join you in a call to your LTC provider to help determine what your policy provides. Our skilled Caregivers have been trained to execute a comprehensive care plan that’s created for your unique needs. They can assist with all personal care, help around the house, safely speed up recovery from surgery, or provide specialized care for Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinson’s, etc. The companionship and assistance a carefully matched, heart centered Home Helpers caregiver provides can also help build and boost self-confidence. We’re here to help - from eight hours a day, several days a week to 24/7 and live-in care. For a free consultation contact Home Helpers of Alpharetta and North Atlanta Suburbs today at (770) 681- 0323
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HEALTH & WELLNESS • Sponsored Section
Self-advocacy and second opinions Brought to you by - Premier Dermatology Second opinions can be invaluable. A study by the Mayo Clinic found that a diagnosis was changed or discovered in 21% of patients seeking a second opinion, and nearly 66% of all patients seeking a second opinion had their diagnosis refined. Receiving care for the wrong diagnosis or, more often, not receiving care for an undiagnosed issue can be life altering or sometimes even prove deadly. Recently, a surprising number of patients have told me about experiences when their own initiative or a second opinion proved to be lifesaving. One patient was told that an incidental finding of low platelets (thrombocytopenia) was dismissed by his first physician as likely of little consequence. This patient sought a second opinion, and a bone marrow biopsy identified leukemia and led to treatment. Another patient’s doctor told her that a mass could be watched and that since imaging was not necessary, it would not be covered by insurance. She paid out of her own pocket for a CT scan that identified the cancer that she suspected she had. Multiple other patients shared similar stories. And whereas this may come as a shock to some, it is, sadly, not surprising to me. Physicians are not infallible. I genuinely believe that patients should be their own advocate. Good physicians support their patients seeking additional professional opinions. In fact, my patients and I share similar stories because a second (fifth actually) opinion saved the life – or more accurately the quality and course of life – of my son: I count my blessings that my wife holds to her convictions and advocates for our family. Multiple “second” opinions at her insistence saved my oldest child from a lifetime of developmental struggles and unnecessary deafness. Our oldest effectively stopped talking at about 14 months old. He never had a diagnosed or suspected ear infection. And although he would eventually turn towards us when we called his name, my wife was convinced that he could not hear. She took him to multiple pediatricians and was repeatedly dismissed with the counsel that “boys will be boys” and “not everyone is a talker.” These were board-certified, well-trained physicians. Over the course of a year, his speech deteriorated from a dozen words at 14
months to only 2 words at 2 years old. A pediatric ENT, an audiologist and another pediatrician examined him and suggested autism, but when asked, they could not support their conclusions convincingly. The diagnosis just didn’t fit, as there were no other symptoms of autism. Finally, at our second pediatric ENT and audiology appointment, the audiologist determined that the way sound waves bounced back from his ear drums was not consistent with open, air-filled middle ears. Dr. Matthew Whitley (Pediatric Ear Nose and Throat of Atlanta) scheduled an appointment to place tubes in his ear drums and explore further. Shortly into the surgery, Dr. Whitley discovered that my son had “glue ear,” which is when a glue-like semisolid forms behind the ear drum. Our son could hear sounds, which explains how he passed his first hearing test at one year old, but sounds were heard as if underwater, and he could not differentiate between many sounds which made speech unintelligible. Dr. Whitley inserted tubes, removed the glue-like material from our son’s middle ear and restored his hearing. Within one week our son went from speaking two words to twenty words. We were informed that in a case such as our son’s, it would likely have taken years for the glue ear to resolve on its own. Had we stuck with our first, second, third, or fourth opinion, our son would have been severely affected by deafness (and thus speech) during critical developmental years. As a Mohs surgeon, I have had many of my greatest successes in the field of skin cancer, oftentimes in the context of my serving as a second opinion. One patient was told by his previous Mohs surgeon that further surgery was not possible on his scalp, which was riddled with painful cancers. However, my patient and I selectively employed photodynamic therapy, 5-fluorouracil cream and Mohs surgery with skin grafts. His scalp is now healed and pain and cancer-free. Other patients have come to me with skin cancers dismissed by their previous dermatologists who assured them that a biopsy was not necessary. The most common scenario has been that of growths that the patients were reassured were cysts but that ultimately proved to be squamous cell carcinomas. Biopsies have often identified the presence of skin
See SECOND, Page 17
HEALTH & WELLNESS • Sponsored Section
Is your drinking giving you cancer? Brought to you by - Jonathan Stegall, MD Our love affair with booze goes back many generations. Most of us like to enjoy an alcoholic beverage from time to time. We are all aware of the health risks of excessive alcohol consumption, but surprisingly, most of us don’t think about alcohol as a risk STEGALL factor for cancer.
Second: Continued from Page 16 cancers that, if left untreated, could metastasize to other organ systems. Perhaps most frustrating to my patients, innumerable individuals have come to me upset that at their previous practice they were never told that Mohs surgery is an option. Frequently, patients first see me when cancers treated elsewhere begin to regrow. Usually, these cancers were treated by a scrape and burn (ED&C), standard excision or freezing by another doctor. Each of these methods is appropriate in certain circumstances, but what frustrated these patients is that they were not offered the choice of Mohs surgery. Mohs surgery is a method of curing skin cancer by removing small pieces
There is a consensus among scientific researchers that alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing multiple types of cancer, including cancer of the head and neck, esophagus, breast, colon, liver, pancreas, and prostate. The more alcohol you consume, the higher your risk of getting cancer. Is there a safe amount to consume? The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends not to drink alcohol at all, but if you do, limit it to two drinks for men and one drink for
women each day. One drink equals 12 fluid ounces of beer, 5 fluid ounces of wine, or 1.5 fluid ounces of hard liquor. It is also important to note that alcohol’s cancer-causing effect is magnified by smoking tobacco. Studies have shown that people who use both alcohol and tobacco have a greater risk of developing cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus compared to those who use either alcohol or tobacco alone. If you choose to consume alcohol, please do so responsibly!
of tissue and checking the edges under the microscope until clear, cancer-free margins are obtained. Mohs surgery has the highest cure rate (usually 99%) of any procedure for the most common skin cancers and is considered the gold standard treatment for skin cancer on the head and neck. Physicians have an obligation to present patients with the most reasonable treatment options, even when that treatment option is not available in their own practice. I sleep well at night knowing that I genuinely give my patients treatment that I would not necessarily pick for myself. My job is to present facts and to be a guide but not to choose for my patients. Just today, I saw a patient who was referred to me for Mohs surgery of a basal cell carcinoma on the lower edge of the nose. We reviewed his treatment options together. He had never considered radiation
therapy until I presented it as an alternative to Mohs surgery, and ultimately radiation therapy is what he selected. Likewise, I occasionally have patients referred to me for Mohs surgery who select imiquimod cream instead of surgery after I present it as a treatment option for certain types of basal cell carcinoma. When non-surgical options exist, it is a surgeon’s responsibility to help educate a patient about treatment options worth considering. The providers at Premier Dermatology believe in second opinions and in patient advocacy. I, along with Kathryn Filipek, PA-C, strive to truly listen to our patients and empower them to seek second opinions and alternative courses of treatment. At Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta, whether we are your first or second (or fifth!) opinion, we make you and your family our priority.
AppenMedia.com | April 2022 | 5
Specialist in Integrative Oncology Cancer Treatments Including: Chemotherapy Immunotherapy Nutrition Supplementation
Jonathan Stegall, MD WINNER
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HEALTH & WELLNESS • Sponsored Section
6 | April 2022 | AppenMedia.com
Getting back to life pain-free with spinal surgery Brought to you by - Dr. Basheer Shakir, neurosurgeon at Wellstar North Fulton Hospital While spinal surgery is becoming a more common procedure, many patients still have questions. Understandably, patients considering spine surgery can be either optimistic or worried. Complicating the longstanding challenges are new phenom-
SHAKIR
ena such as the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, new technologies and experienced specialists like those at Wellstar Health System offer people dealing with spinal ailments more hope than ever for positive outcomes. Successful treatment begins with an accurate diagnosis, and the care team at Wellstar collaborates with patients to personalize care and find the best treatment option. Patients and physicians must work together in identifying the source of the problem using imaging, a physical exam and the patient’s personal
history. Today’s technologies offer patients more ways than ever to relieve pain and get back to doing their favorite activities. Over the last several years, new developments have made surgery safer and less invasive. Wellstar’s surgeons are experienced in minimally-invasive procedures, which reduce short and long-term pain, hospital stays, risk of infection, time off work and disability after surgery. Our providers work to keep surgeries as minimally-invasive as possible, making the experience more comfortable for patients and helping them get back to their
routines quicker. No two patients are the same, so Wellstar providers tailor the operation to the patient, considering factors like their differing anatomy, medical conditions, bone quality and age. Each patient will have a supportive care team by their side through the entire process to answer questions and ensure a smooth recovery. To learn more about spine surgery, visit wellstar.org/neurocare. To make an appointment with a neurosurgeon who specializes in spine surgery in North Fulton, call (770) 664-9600.
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Chamblee 4538 Peachtree Industrial Blvd Chamblee, GA 30341 Cumming 2021 Market Pl Blvd Cumming, GA 30041 Dunwoody 1575 Mount Vernon Rd Dunwoody, GA 30338 East Roswell 2701 Holcomb Bridge Rd Alpharetta, GA 30022 Hickory Flat 7820 Hickory Flat Hwy Woodstock, GA 30188 Johns Creek/Alpharetta 10945 State Bridge Rd Johns Creek, GA 30022 Milton/Alpharetta 13081 Highway 9 Alpharetta, GA 30004 Sandy Springs Village 6660 Roswell Rd NE Sandy Springs, GA 30328 South Forsyth 2637 Peachtree Pkwy Suwanee, GA 30024
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There’s no need to leave the neighborhood with the most advanced medical care nearby. At Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, we bring innovative technology, comprehensive medical services and personalized care close to you. Our team provides 24/7 emergency and trauma services, leading cardiac expertise, cutting-edge cancer care and the highest level of treatment for strokes — all just miles away. No matter where you live in North Fulton, Wellstar offers expert care you can count on.
wellstar.org/northfulton
Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center 3000 Hospital Blvd | Roswell
(770) 751-2500
8 | April 2022 | AppenMedia.com
HEALTH & WELLNESS • Sponsored Section
What is Cryotherapy— other than very, very cold? Brought to you by - Hydralive Cold therapy has been around for ages – think ice baths, ice packs, under eye cold treatments. Cryotherapy takes cold therapy to the next level and is not just for athletes and fitness buffs. Cryotherapy is a therapeutic technique that exposes your body to extreme cold. During a short two-to-three-and-a-half-minute session in a cryo-chamber, liquid nitrogen cools the air to subzero temperatures to stimulate your body, kickstarting its self-repair process. Unlike ice or an ice bath, the dry cold provides a cold, but comfortable feeling during the session. The cold, ambient air inside of the chamber is decreasing the skin temperature, rather than the body’s core temperatures, which stimulates the vagus nerve – the main nerves of your parasympathetic nervous system which controls specific body functions such as your digestion, heart rate and immune system. It might seem improbable anyone would opt to put themselves through such a cold experience, but reported potential health benefits include aiding in injury recovery, minimizing muscle pain, joint pain, and chronic pain associated with medical conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and improving exercise recovery. A three-minute cryotherapy session may also provide a moodboosting endorphin boost, as the oxygenated blood flows back into the body. Whether or not cryotherapy is right for you, there are countless ways to optimize your health at Hydralive Therapy. We other services include IV Therapy, vitamin injections including B12 and Glutathione, compression therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Our medical staff is happy to answer any questions about our services. Please give us a call at (470) 359-4815 or visit us at 12635 Crabapple Rd, STE 140 in Milton today!
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COVID-19 Pandemic Stress?: Take a Breather! Brought to you by: The Hourglass Performance Institute
1. General consequences and changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic for families across the USA. The COVID-19 pandemic has had unprecedented, widespread impacts across all American households. There are legitimate concerns about our ability to weather the long-term consequences of the pandemic. One of the major concerns that we are facing is the cumulative effect of stress on people’s health and functioning. Americans are struggling to cope with the disruptions the pandemic has caused to many aspects of their lives, including their work, money, the economy, family responsibilities, personal health concerns, health problems affecting the family, relationships (i.e., family, friends, colleagues), housing costs, personal safety, job stability, and discrimination. The American Psychological Association (APA) conducted a recent survey across the USA which revealed that approximately 8 in 10 adults (78%) say the coronavirus pandemic is a significant source of stress in their life. And, 2 in 3 adults (67%) say they have experienced increased stress over the course of the pandemic. People have been anxious and stressed about many aspects of life due to the pandemic. Many have been worried about the possibility of becoming exposed to the coronavirus or have had to cope with illness or death in the family as a result of the exposure. Others, especially the ones that have lived on their own, have become stressed and depressed due to the isolation and social distancing. Caregivers worry about their job security, their incomes, and their ability to provide adequately for their families. Many parents have had to adjust their lifestyles at home when helping their children with inhome school activities, on top of their usual parental responsibilities. Children are missing their first days of school, months, or even years of in-person schooling, graduation ceremonies, sports competitions, playdates, and time with relatives. And finally, there has been stress in general about the uncertainties for the future, while wondering when or if we could ever return to our “old” lives, before the coronavirus confronted us. In spite of the current COVID-19 vaccines, the pandemic will most likely not go away very soon, and the stressful disruptions in our lives caused by the coronavirus will also remain with us for a while. However, there is a proven method to manage a lot of the stress while facing daily challenges during the pandemic, namely the use of your own breathing!
2. Understanding stress: Stress is change To manage our daily stress with our breathing during this pandemic, it is helpful to understand the underlying principles of stress. An important aspect of understanding stress is to consider stress as change. The more changes we are exposed to in our lives, the more stress this may cause. Just consider the amount of stress we are currently facing due to the dramatic changes caused by the pandemic. These unprecedented changes are associated with almost every aspect of our lives whether financially, socially, physically, mentally, emotionally, or behaviorally. To respond to these challenging changes efficiently, we need to use a gas pedal and a brake pedal, both located in our body. The gas pedal, scientifically called the sympathetic nervous system, is important when we need to be energized and actively involved while dealing with pandemic related stress. The brake pedal, called the parasympathetic nervous system, is important when we need to restore ourselves during recovery periods while enduring the pandemic stress. For healthy stress management, we need a strong pedal system that is used wisely. Efficient use of the pedal system means that we need to know how and when to push on each pedal when managing stress. Exposure to long, intense durations of stress like the COVID-19 pandemic, where we continuously push hard on our “gas pedal,” will eventually exceed our stress management capacity and can lead to signs of burn out. This would be similar to burning up the engine of our car by pushing on the gas pedal as hard as possible for hours in a row. It is therefore important to counteract the activity of the gas pedal by pushing on the brake pedal for recovery purposes when managing daily stress. 3. Controlling the gas and brake pedal system for stress management. There are many ways we can manage stress in life (i.e., hobbies, sport activities) However, the most efficient and effective way of optimizing and controlling our gas and brake pedals when we have to manage stress is via our own breathing! Evidencebased research has demonstrated the immediate and powerful control of our breathing on the gas and brake pedal system. Specifically, our breathing in activates the gas pedal, while our breathing out activates the brake pedal.
A very effective way to influence the pedal system is through the focused abdominal breathing technique. This type of breathing requires a focus on our breathing while paying attention to our abdomen or belly where the diaphragm is located. The diaphragm is a very important breathing muscle that is strongly connected with the gas and brake pedals. To get familiar with the abdominal breathing technique, it is helpful to imagine the belly as a balloon that fills up with air when we breathe in for a duration of 2-3 seconds, and then deflates when we breathe out for a duration of 2-3 seconds. The breathing should be done in a relaxed, comfortable manner and not too deep, to avoid hyperventilation. By implementing even relaxed abdominal breaths, we are pushing evenly on the gas pedal and on the brake pedal, forcing our pedal system to become balanced. The balancing of the pedal system is helpful in recovering from high levels of unhealthy stress, where the gas pedal unnecessarily overrules the brake pedal. To manage stress as well as possible through our breathing, it is not only important to be able to balance the gas and the brake pedals at will, but it is also essential to keep the pedal system strong. A stronger gas pedal allows us to be more energized and focused when facing stressful situations, while a stronger brake pedal enables us to relax deeper and to better restore during recovery periods. We can strengthen the gas and the brake pedals optimally by implementing the focused abdominal breathing technique where we slow down our breathing to about 6 breaths per minute. This means that we breathe in for 5 seconds and breathe out for 5 seconds. This is called resonance frequency breathing. Resonance frequency breathing pushes the deepest on our gas and brake pedals which then maximally strengthens the pedal system. The stronger we make our pedal system, the more we increase our stress management capacity. As mentioned earlier, stronger gas and brake pedals allow us to be more energetic and to recover deeper when managing stressful events like the pandemic. 4. Implementation of breathing during the pandemic To implement our breathing as a powerful tool to help us cope on a daily basis with pandemic-related stressors,
we could use regular focused abdominal breathing during the restoration periods of our day, when we would like to recover from specific daily tasks, and also to establish a healthy sleep routine. Stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread sleep difficulties. According to a 2021 survey commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), about 56% of Americans say they have what experts have labeled “COVID-somnia”, an increase in sleep disturbances. Focused abdominal breathing lowers our brain activity and therefore removes stressful thoughts before we close our eyes, better preparing us for a good night of sleep. When we sleep better, we wake up more refreshed and with more energy, which allows us to manage our daily stress better. To strengthen and maintain our optimal stress management capacity, we should practice resonance frequency breathing sessions for 5 minutes, a couple of times a week, applying our focused abdominal breathing using 5 seconds durations for the breaths in and for the breaths out. To become accustomed to these relatively long breaths, it is recommended to start using 2 seconds breathing durations and increase the length of the breaths by one second during the following sessions until it feels comfortable to use breaths of 5 seconds duration. Focused abdominal breathing will not take all the COVID-19-related stressors away, but it gives us a powerful tool to manage our stress better during the pandemic. Focused abdominal breathing is not difficult and it is always available to us. It is good for young and old and it can be helpful for any type of stressful situation, whether at home, at work, at school, or in sports settings. Good luck and take a breather! The Hourglass Performance Institute, or HPI, is an Atlanta-based mental performance consulting service with its foundation in sport psychology expertise. HPI is specialized in providing stress management services to promote performance, health, and well-being in sport, work, school, and home settings. HPI’s stress management expertise has been cited in the Wall Street Journal. To learn more, visit: www.hpi-us.com
10 | April 2022 | AppenMedia.com
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