iron maidens: Relay team competed in the 2012 Syracuse 70.3 on June 24.
“Having the thought that you have two other strong women relying on you to do your part for the team is an incredible feeling.” To read more see page 3.
Excellence in Health & Human Services July 4, 2012
milestone: HOA will celebrate its 30th year in Central New York this July.
looking ahead:
On July 11, get tips on home decor, maintenance and leaders in the Central New York home industry in Excellence in Home, & Garden.
“Cancer care has come a long way in 30 years but what has not changed is the practice’s dedication and commitment to their patients, employees and our community.” To read more see page 10.
2012excellence Debunking myths... from head to toe A supplement to Eagle Newspapers
Strike while the iron is
hot
By Alyssa Lafaro Running a half marathon is challenging. It requires at least three months of training, two pairs of new sneakers, and if you’re anything like me, lots and lots of ice for your knees. Imagine running a halfmarathon (yes, that’s 13.1 miles, folks), but you also have to swim 1.2 miles and bike 56 miles prior to that half-marathon. That is what it takes to complete the Ironman 70.3 in Syracuse. Competitors took to the line on June 24. The race director, Ken Hammond, was exuberant for this year’s competition, which offered a new course, new weather conditions (for the past two years the race was in September), and new opportunities for athletes to use the race in preparation for the July Ironman in Lake Placid. This race also provided more chances for professional athletes to attend the world championships in Las Vegas. “We increased slot allocations,” explained Ken. “Last year, we gave away 50 slots to qualify athletes to go to the world championships in Las Vegas. We now offer 100 slots for athletes to qualify for Vegas. We’re the only East Coast race that has 100 slots.” The race’s largest sponsor this year was Fleet Feet Sports, which promoted the Ironman 70.3 in many ways, especially through email blasts that were sent out to about 20,000 people and through promotions on their in-store televisions. “Fleet Feet held a panel to discuss how to prepare for the Ironman 70.3 and things of that nature,” Ken elaborated. “They also had a big volunteer group that came out to help with the race.” See 70.3 on page 2
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By Jennifer Wing With the internet as a tool, many myths can be dispelled with just the click of a mouse. Here are a few myths from childhood that are perpetuated still:
1. If you go out with wet hair, you’ll catch a cold.
Not so, according to Jim Sears, a board-certified pediatrician in San Clemente, California and a cohost of the daytime-TV show “The Doctors.” “Feeling cold doesn’t affect your immune system,” he said, citing a study done at the Common Cold Research Unit, in Salisbury, England, in which a group of volunteers was inoculated with a cold virus. Half the group stayed in a warm room while the rest took a bath and stood dripping wet in a hallway for half an hour, then got dressed but wore wet socks for a few more hours. The wet group didn’t catch any more colds than the dry. Source: healthmad.com.
2. Sitting too close to the TV is bad for the eyes.
According kidshealth.org, “Although parents have been saying this ever since TVs first found their way into our homes, there’s no evidence that plunking down right in front of the TV set damages someone’s eyes. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says that kids can actually focus up close without eyestrain better than adults,
so they often develop the habit of sitting right in front of the television or holding reading material close to their eyes. However, sitting close to a TV may be a sign of nearsightedness.”
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3. The more sweets you eat, the worse your teeth will decay.
According to thehealthblog.net, it is not how much sweets you eat that leads to tooth decay but how long your teeth are exposed to sweets. Therefore, it’s not harmful for the teeth if you eat a lot of chocolates and cakes. Just make sure to brush your teeth right after eating and they’ll be all right.
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4. A base tan prevents sunburn.
According to the American Cancer Society, “A base tan gives you very little protection against sunburn. A base tan may, in fact, increase the chance you’ll get a burn, because you may choose to stay out longer without properly protecting your skin.”
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See Myths on page 4
When is bariatric surgery the right option for you? By Carmen E . Zafar Any person who is overweight is struggling, but in a different way. He or she is looking to reach a healthy, ideal weight according to a physician’s advice. When your regular doctor informs you that you have diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or some form of organ failure due to being overweight, you must take action and make a change, a lifestyle change. More than a third (35.7 percent) of adults in the United States are obese, and approximately 17 percent of children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19 are also obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. New Yorkers are no exception with a reported 23.9-percent obesity rate as of less than two years ago. Locally, about 28.2 percent of the population in Onondaga County is battling obesity, according to the CDC. Obesity is considered a weight of 20 percent more than the normal weight for a person’s height. When ‘diets’ and exercise don’t work One local bariatric surgeon believes that besides genetics our modern society has guided many people to obesity. “The way we live in this modern society…genetics haven’t changed but our environment has changed a lot more,” said Dr. Bill Graber, a bariatric surgeon affiliated with St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse. “We get obese from our environment. We drive a lot, work inside buildings, there’s so much food around that we tend to eat when we’re not hungry.” Think
about how many work functions or family functions you attend that are Percentage dominated by eating, and of U.S. adults eating unhealthy foods, who are obese no less. Graber says the Percentage of U.S. types of foods we eat are children who are key to the lifestyle we obese want. Eating “real food” is Source: Center for Disease Control something Graber and his and Prevention associates firmly believe in. What’s a real food? “Anything without a label, something that grows on a tree or can be picked from the ground and has a root,” according to Graber. Graber calls these powerful tools the key to satisfying an appetite but not overeating. While he suggests looking carefully at the labels and the processed foods we take in, this doesn’t mean you cannot have a meal at your favorite restaurant every now and then. Being conscious of what we eat is what saves us from putting on extra, unnecessary weight. “We see many patients that don’t follow a regimen at all. They have tried tons of diets and sometimes exercise just doesn’t work.” He says diets don’t work for some people because they have a hard time following it because of a work schedule or cannot afford to stay on the food plan. In addi-
A ‘growing’ problem?
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See Surgery on page 3