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Hitting the trails for Huntington’s Disease See story page 6 Your Guide to Health & Wellness
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Take the right precautions for a family member with dementia
Modifications help create a home environment that’s safe and supportive By Kerry Mills
N
ot every person struggling with dementia lives in a nursing home or assisted-living facility. In fact, more than 15 million Americans— usually family members or friends— provide unpaid caregiving to people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, according to a 2014 report by the Alzheimer’s Association. Although it’s wonderful so many are willing to assume that responsibility, it’s also important they take steps to make sure the home is a safe place, says Kerry Mills, co-author with Jennifer Brush of the book “I Care: A Handbook for Care Partners of People With Dementia (www.engagingalzheimers.com).” Part of that is to focus on potential
hazards. The concept is not unlike new parents making a house “childproof.” Many of the concerns are similar, such as stairs, electrical sockets, sharp objects and swimming pools. At the same time, it’s easy to go too far, Mills said. Ideally, the environment for the person with dementia should be as unrestricted as possible. “For example, if your loved one enjoys cooking for a hobby and can safely cut and peel vegetables, then by all means, encourage it,” Mills says. Mills suggests several ways to make a home safer for someone with dementia. • Front and back doors. Use bells on the doors, motion sensors that turn on lights or alerts, or other notifications that make the care partner
aware when someone has gone out. Add lamps or motion-activated lighting so people can see where they are going when they are entering or leaving the house. “Another way to discourage someone from wanting to leave the house is to make sure that he or she gets plenty of outside exercise whenever possible,” Mills says. • Stairways and hallways. Add reflective tape strips to stair edges to make stairs more visible. Remove obstacles, such as mats and flowerpots, to minimize risks of falls on or by the stairs. Also install handrails in hallways and stairways to provide stability, and install a gate on the stairway to prevent falls. Improve the lighting around hallways and stairs by installing more ceiling
fixtures or wall sconces. • Bathroom. Install grab bars and a raised toilet seat to help both the individual with dementia and the care partners so they don’t have to lift the person on and off the toilet. Add grab bars inside and outside the tub, and a non-skid surface in the tub to reduce risks of falls. You can also add colored tape on the edge of the tub or shower curb to increase contrast and make the tub edge more visible. Lower the water temperature or install an anti-scald valve to prevent burns, and remove drain plugs from sinks or tubs to avoid flooding. • For the possibility the person becomes lost. Provide your loved one with an identification or GPS bracelet in case he or she wanders. Label clothes with the person’s name, and place an identification card in his or her wallet with a description of the person’s condition. Notify police and neighbors of the person’s dementia and tendency to wander. ■
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SUMMER 2016
Beat the heat when biking By Dr. Scott Rollins
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internal temperature gets too high. Extreme hill climbs or sprinting estern Colorado offers some of the greatest off-road cycling can increase the body temperature very quickly. in the world, but the summertime Bright Colorado sunshine is heat can cause serious problems something many outdoor enthusiwhile cycling if you don’t use cauasts enjoy, but is another culprit in tion and it’s easy to get over-heated heat-related illness. The more you before you realize you are in troucan keep the sun from striking your ble. If you want to increase your bare skin, the more radiant heat performance and avoid heat-related you will avoid. Avoiding sunburn illness then try these tips. is especially First, and most as the Heatstroke is an emergency; important obvious, is to burn itself causes stay well hydratif not treated promptly, it inflammation and ed. One liter of causes damage to the brain, another source of fluid per hour is heat. heart, kidneys and muscles. about as much Heat cramps as we can absorb occur when the through the gut, so that is about body overheats; if not addressed, the maximum one should drink heat exhaustion follows with nausea, excessive sweating and feeling per hour. Plain water is just fine faint. Heatstroke happens when the but with more extensive sweating, body reaches about 104 degrees adding some salt and sugar helps and presents with confusion, exreplenish salt and increase the abhaustion and absence of sweating. sorption of the water. Heatstroke is an emergency; if not A simple rehydration solution is one quart of water with 1-2 Tbs sug- treated promptly, it causes damage to the brain, heart, kidneys and ar and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt. You can muscles. also add a few scoops of protein Treat heat-related illnesses by powder to kick it up a notch and cooling the body. Getting into help provide nutrients for rebuildshade, resting and hydration are the ing muscle. Hydration drinks such first priorities. Wetting down the as Gatorade are okay, although they skin and allowing it to dry repeathave a bit more sugar. edly is great for pulling heat from When the ambient temperature the body. Fanning the skin can rises above about 84 degrees, speed up this cooling technique. humans can no longer get rid of Applying cool packs or wet cloths excess heat by simply radiating heat to vascular areas such as the neck, to the surrounding air. At this point armpits and groin is another coolour evaporative cooling system, ing method. Bathing or running known as sweating, kicks in. As the hands and feet in cool water will liquid sweat evaporates from the lower body temperature quickly. skin, heat is rapidly removed from To avoid heat-related illness, the body. In our dry desert climate, wear sun blocking clothing as able, removing heat by sweating works cover bare skin with sunblock, stay well and when combined with hydrated and pace yourself, being some shade, or a breeze, one can aware of heat build up. Avoid riding stay cool in extreme arid conditions. in the extremes of midday sun and With any activity, heat naturally heat. Wet down your shirt or hat to builds in the active muscle until add more evaporative cooling. Rest, core body temperature starts to rise preferably in a breezy or shady and eventually muscle systems slow spot, before getting too hot. Above all, ride hard and stay cool. ■ down or even shut down when the
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A LENS look at your brain By Marsha Kearns
S
ometimes your brain may feel like it’s full of crashing waves, or like it’s in a fog. This may result in such symptoms as stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, migraines, pain, TBI, ADD/ADHD and even the after-effects of a stroke. A safe, new, medication-free option to calm your brainwaves is through LENS: the low-energy neurofeedback system. Different methods of neurofeedback have been used for decades to change behavior or thought processes. LENS was developed by Dr. Len Ochs in 1994 and has racked up an impressive number of positive study results and glowing testimonials from the people who have used it to help update their brain’s operating system and reduce or eliminate annoying symptoms that interfere with their lives on some level. Yes, you may feel like a science experiment with electrodes stuck to your head, but there is nothing to fear. The electrodes simply record your brain activity and map it onto a graph, showing where and how well different areas of your brain are functioning. The same electrodes deliver a feedback frequency to the brain that helps the brain find its way back to healthier functioning. With new, improved brain communication to the ner-
vous system, a person experiences reduction or elimination of symptoms. “The electromagnetic signal is much less than that of a watch battery,” said Loraine Adams, Ph.D. “Yet the mapping shows impressive change over time with no stress or discomfort for the patient. The patient simply relaxes with eyes closed to receive a LENS treatment.” Adams is certified by the American Institute of Biofeedback Technologies (AIBT) and has successfully used the LENS therapy with patients since 2004. She serves patients in Montrose, Delta and Grand Junction. Her portable system allows patients to have sessions in the comfort of their own homes. Adams said it has been very satisfying to see lives improve, especially when people claim to have tried everything before finding neurofeedback. There are no negative side effects to LENS therapy. LENS may be helpful when medication is not an option. It is recommended that patients seek advice from their primary physician prior to reducing or stopping any medication. For more information, contact Adams at 319-9228 or ladams2222@ gmail.com. A LENS informational brochure is available by request. ■
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Help Support the HD cause BUY SOME POETRY “Where Is Your Smile?” is a collection of poems by James Crumly published by the HD Support Group and available for $10. Contact Marie at 250-5997.
BUY A T-SHIRT Territory Sports of Grand Junction donated the services of its graphic artist, Alexis Moore, who drew the design for this year’s annual ride. The T-shirt comes in two colors and short or long sleeve. Contact Marie at 250-5997.
PLAY SOME GOLF The 5th Annual Elwood Classic Golf Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, September 3, 2016 at Adobe Creek golf course near Fruita. Contact Rebecca at midlandgolf@bresnan. net for details and watch for postings at local golf courses. This tournament honors the memory of Rebecca’s husband, Scott Elwood Lampton, who died from HD in 2012.
MEET WITH OTHERS The HD support group meets at 6:30 p.m. the last Tuesday of every month at First United Methodist Church, 522 White Avenue, Grand Junction, CO.
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Hitting the trails for Huntington’s Disease By Charlotte Reicks
L
ong-time BEACON readers will not be surprised to learn that Marie Nemec and Charlotte Reicks—aka the Bicycling Grandmas (BGs)—are once again preparing for their annual long-distance bicycle ride for Huntington’s Disease. This will be their 18th cross-country trip for HD, so it has become a spring tradition. The first 17 rides have taken them over 22,000 miles, through 47 states and to 17 different U.S. destinations, where national Huntington’s Disease conventions are held.
This year’s destination for the national convention is Baltimore, so we decided to do something different and ride only trails – i.e., the Great Allegheny Passage, C&O Canal Towpath and the East Coast Greenway. The Great Allegheny Passage is a 135-mile railroad line (now a trail) from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD following three rivers through the Allegheny Mountains. The C&O Canal Towpath is 185 miles from
Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC, which parallels a canal dug from DC to Cumberland along the Potomac River. The trail we will bicycle is the towpath the mules walked on while pulling the barges from lock
MAY
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to lock (75) upriver. From DC north to Baltimore, we will bicycle pieces of the East Coast Greenway (ECG) for 70 miles. The future vision for the ECG is a 3,000mile, off-road trail from Canada to Key West, FL when completed. In 2016, the BGs will travel the ECG – on the trail at times and on streets or highways at times.
The BGs are joined by five other bicyclists from five states, all connected by Huntington’s Disease: • Sisters Sherri Kole from Idaho and Mary Ann Taylor from California are riding for Sherri’s son, Dustin, who is symptomatic, Sherri for the seventh time and Mary Ann for the third time. Both sisters are accomplished bicyclists, riding the STP Classic from Seattle, WA to Portland, OR, besides the Bike for the Cure rides. • Gary Heiman from Ohio rides with the BGs for the sixth time, also an experienced cyclist whose odometer will roll up to 48,000
miles in May. He is the husband of Barb Heiman, board member and social worker for the Central Ohio Chapter of Huntington’s Disease. Joe Ziegler is the driver for Gary’s support van. • Alina del Rio also joins us again this year, her third Bike for the Cure ride. She is a writer and decorator from Brooklyn, NY. She is gene positive, inheriting the defective gene from her father. • Amy Mack from Michigan fills out the group. This is her second Bike for the Cure ride, as she first rode with the BGs in Michigan in 2014. In 2009 she learned that the father of her adult children was diagnosed with HD. However, both children have tested negative for inheriting the gene. In 2011, Amy bicycled from Maine to Florida to raise awareness and funds for HD. Come enjoy a send-off for the BGs on Saturday, May 14, from 8:30-10 a.m. at the Sherwood Park North Pavilion. Homemade breakfast burritos are on the menu, plus delicious surprises from Home Style Bakery (a supporter for the past 10 years). Everyone is invited. ■
What is Huntington’s Disease? HD is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, with physical and mental abilities gradually deteriorating. According to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, symptoms include personality changes, mood swing, depression, forgetfulness, unsteady gait, involuntary movements, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and significant weight loss. Ultimately the weakened individual succumbs to pneumonia, heart failure, or other complications. Every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene. Today there are approximately 30,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 at risk to inherit the gene. Symptoms usually appear between the ages of 30-50, but can begin in children and in older adults. Present worldwide research is focused on blocking the defective Huntington’s gene from activating. Famed folk singer Woody Guthrie died from complications of HD, and his widow Marjorie Guthrie founded the Committee to Combat HD in 1967, which has since grown into HDSA.
Bike For The Cure Ride the Trails for HD 2016 is dedicated to sister and brother GENEVIEVE AND JAMES CRUMLY of Grand Junction, CO who both inherited the defective Huntington’s gene from their father. James passed away in 2015 at age 46. Genevieve passed away in 2016 at age 49.
James A. Crumly
Genevieve Crumly
Happy Mother’s Day From “Where is Your Smile?” A book of poetry by James A. Crumly It’s Mother’s Day and I was thinking of you and the Mother’s Day gifts I have given to you. My cards were works of literary art. The ashtray was stunning ‘til it fell apart. Bouquets of lilacs only matched by your beauty. Not just a football card, but a rookie, Doug Flutie. The blue flannel night shirt, a robe for a queen. My kindergarten painting, a quaint nature scene. All of these gifts were treasures true. I just want you to know how much I love you. So add this poem to those gifts from the past, because just like you it’s truly first class!
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HEALTH & WELLNESS
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Thank you Dr. Bush!
We wish Dr. Bush the best in his retirement and thank him for his years of service! His last day in the office will be June 23rd.
Welcome Dr. Tracy Carter
Dr. Carter joins us from Idaho and looks forward to serving you. He has been practicing in Boise, Idaho for the last three years and will be relocating to Grand Junction this summer. • Specializes in small incision cataract surgery, eyelid surgery and treatment of glaucoma • Board Certified: American Osteopathic Board of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology
SUMMER 2016
Ophthalmologist
SUMMER 2016
Aspirin can stop nerve pain By Suzy Cohen, RPH
a 25 percent higher cumulative risk of leg amputation. So, gaining cone take for granted the comtrol is important for your indepenfort we feel in our hands and feet, but some people have lost dence. I’ve written about natural that comfort, and they suffer all supplements for neuropathy in the day long with strange nerve-related past; articles are archived at suzycoconcerns. There is new research hen.com. about aspirin which could help you, New research was published last but first let’s talk about nerve pain, March in Current Diabetes Reports. termed “neuropathy.” Scientists confirmed that targetIt feels like you are touching or ing inflammatory stepping on pins cytokines can help and needles! It can By a mile, the most affect you all over, relieve diabetic common cause of not just your hands neuropathy. Often, neuropathy is diabetes. and feet. Dependthat bad gateway ing on various called NF Kappa factors (race, age, B (NFKB) opens weight, alcohol consumption, inits floodgates, and spits out pro-insulin and A1c), your experience of flammatory cytokines like COX-2 neuropathy may also include pain, (Celebrex lowers this), nitric oxide vibration or buzzing sensations, lightheadedness, burning sensations synthase, lipoxygenase, TNF alpha (even in your tongue), trigeminal and a lot of pain-causing interleukneuralgia or cystitis. ins (IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8). Recognizing what your neuropThe researchers reported that athy stems from is critical to you something as simple as salicylate getting well. For some, it is due to therapy could help reduce some of a vitamin deficiency. For example, these cytokines as well as circulatvitamin B12 or probiotics, which ing glucose, triglycerides, C reactive help you to manufacture your own B12 in the gut. For others, it could protein and free fatty acids. When be that wine you drink with dinner you think of salicylates, please because wine is a potent drug mug- understand this is a broad group ger of B1 (thiamine) which protects of compounds found naturally in your nerve coating. By a mile, the the plant kingdom. Salicylate is most common cause of neuropathy the main ingredient in aspirin and is diabetes. other analgesics, both prescribed Approximately half of all people and over the counter. Salicylates inwith diabetes experience diabetic clude spearmint, peppermint (even neuropathies, mainly in the hands and feet. Some doctors will tell in mint toothpaste) and in muscle you that maintaining healthy blood rubs. White willow bark is an herb glucose will reverse neuropathy but that is morphed and turned into that’s not true; we know from the aspirin. They’re not right for everyDiabetes Control and Complications one so please ask your doctor about Trial that even intensive glucose control is insufficient to control the salicylates for neuropathy. Also ask if you can have a blood test to evalrisk of diabetic neuropathy. It’s tough love but I need to say it: uate some of the pro-inflammatory Uncontrolled neuropathy can cause markers I noted above. ■
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By Cheryl Hardy
S
omething good is going to happen to you today. E.J. (Erma Jane) Verdahl lives by that axiom. The message is reinforced for her every day, while watching the Joel Osteen program and walking four miles on her treadmill. “At the end of every show, I am blessed by Joel’s message,” said Verdahl. Throughout her home, Verdahl surrounds herself with depictions of soaring eagles in every art form imaginable. “I have been collecting eagles for 42 years,” she explained. Her sharp blue gaze is reminiscent of an eagle’s. This tiny Colorado native, 69 years old, walks four miles before breakfast and she doesn’t stop there. “Yesterday I walked 11 miles, between the treadmill and yard work,” Verdahl said. “In 1998, while I was working as a flagger on a construction site, my right foot and knee were severely injured. My foot was run over by the three axles of a lowboy trailer that was being pulled behind an 18-wheeler tractor. Consequently, my walking was very limited and painful for some time.” “About five years ago, I was watching Dr. Oz. He said that in order to live a long, healthy life, one should walk at least 10,000 steps (4-1/2 miles) three times a week. I decided to go for it,” said Verdahl. “At the same time, I knew I needed to make a firm commitment to this. I decided to walk seven days a week.” “There were days I was tired and didn’t feel so great, or the weather was too hot or cold. Soon I realized
that I needed a purpose to walk,” she said. “I decided to walk for a charity, in memory of Pearl Tiffany, a 98-year-old friend I had just lost. Pearl was a loving, sharing person who rode a Harley-Davidson wearing leathers until she died.” Verdahl came across the website of Samaritan’s Purse, a ministry founded by Franklin Graham, Billy Graham’s son. “I knew Pearl would be pleased,” she said. “Samaritan’s Purse has several ministries, including drilling water wells in foreign countries, as well as feeding and clothing the poor and homeless. Anywhere there is a natural disaster, Samaritan’s Purse is there. They help rehabilitate our military personnel back into civilian life after coming home from the war zones.” Verdahl explained more about her injuries. “Before I started walking, my chiropractor told me that my right knee was a prime candidate for total knee replacement. Now, thanks to God’s healing and lots of walking, my knee is doing fine. In the last 5-1/2 years, I have walked over 11,000 miles. In 2015 I walked 2,605 miles,” she said Pointing at the shabby-looking shoes on her feet, Verdahl said, “These are Skechers shoes, and this pair has 3,000 miles on it. I am hoping to get a sponsorship from Skechers to provide funds for Samaritan’s Purse,” she said. “My message is that I aspire to inspire before I expire,” she said, eyes twinkling. Connect with Verdahl at: howdyhowdylady@yahoo.com. She is also on Facebook. For donations to Samaritan’s Purse, go to: www.first giving.com/fundraiser/ejverdahl. ■
SUMMER 2016
HEALTH & WELLNESS
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Happy 70th birthday, Family Health West
A
t Family Health West, everything we do revolves around our mission of “taking care of all of you.” That means meeting all the health care needs of every member of your family with a culture of caring you’ll find nowhere else. Since 1946 we have been serving the health care needs of the lower valley with uncompromised compassion and concern. Our philosophy of “taking care of all of you” ensures that our patients receive the best in health care services through all stages of their lives. Our health care philosophy ensures that our patients remain with their families at Family Health West as their situations change. Our patients feel secure knowing that their needs can be met without the undue stress and anxiety of moving to an unfamiliar place. We have on-site nursing and social work assessments to assure appropriate, efficient placement and treatment. Coordinated physical rehabilitative programs allow our patients to
recover as quickly as possible in a comfortable, familiar environment. Family Health West has remained on the leading edge of rural healthcare for over 70 years. The original 20-bed hospital was the result of a community effort to provide health care for residents of rural Mesa County. Today, this dynamic organization has grown to become a comprehensive provider of healthcare services, offering care through our full-service hospital, elder care facilities, a range of outpatient services and physician practices. At Family Health West our first priority is always to provide the best possible service to every patient who entrusts us with their care. At the core of this promise is our family of administrators, physicians, caregivers and support staff who are unmatched in their professionalism, compassion and dedication. We are passionate about our unique culture of caring that can be found nowhere else. ■
Smile. People are listening T he image you project is worth a thousand words. It takes mere moments to make a first impression, and according to a UCLA study, only 7 percent comes from our spoken words. Since your smile is always the first thing people notice, maybe it’s time to create the smile you’ve always dreamed of having. It’s never too soon – or too late – for a professional, cosmetic dental makeover. Whitening is by far the most popular way to make over a smile from boring to beaming. With in-office and/or take-home bleaching, we can brighten most teeth. Veneers are completely natural-looking and can correct the appearance and function of cracked,
chipped, or unevenly spaced teeth. We can also change the length, shape and color of your teeth. Tooth-colored fillings can strengthen your teeth – and they’ll look like you’ve never had a cavity. Crowns can repair severely damaged teeth, and when combined with bridges or implants, can replace gaps from missing teeth. So, please, go ahead and give yourself the gift of a great-looking smile. Without saying a word, your smile will shout, “I’m the best I can be!” To make an appointment to get started creating your beautiful, healthy smile, contact cosmetic dentist Dr. Julie Gillis at 242-3635. Please visit our website at www. juliegillisdds.com for more information. ■
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