H&W Feb. 2012 by Gambit New Orleans

HW +

BE STRONGER. LIVE LONGER.

GAM BIT’S HEALTH & WELLNESS > FEBRUARY 2012 > VOLUME 4 > NUM BER 2

G A M B I T ’ S H E A LT H + W E L L N E S S

THE

BEST

DEFENSE SHARPENING INSTINCTS and

STRENGTHENING THE BODY

through martial arts practices.

ONE GIRL’S FIGHT AGAINST SICKLE CELL ANEMIA

PREVENTATIVE POWER OF PAP SMEARS

A VEGAN CHILI RECIPE

HealtH & Wellness > bestofneworleans.com > febrUarY 7 > 2012

Responding to

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BONE

15-year-old sickle cell anemia patient Hidea Johnson hopes for a marrow transplant and a shot at health. B y C a r r i e M a r k s

CHANCE H

In sIckle cell anemIa, an abnormal straIn of hemoglobIn causes a normal red blood cell to change Into the shape of a crescent, or sIckle, causIng paIn and deprIvIng the body of oxygen.

a greater likelihood for patients to have a long and relatively pain-free future. Many sickle cell patients rely on blood transfusions to cope with the disease, Kanter says, receiving both traditional transfusions and exchange transfusions, in which special catheters are implanted that filter the patient’s problematic blood with that of a donor. As Hidea knows, this process is not without risks. In February 2011, her body rejected a transfusion. Philomenia still doesn’t know if it was an arbitrary rejection by Hidea’s body or if the donor blood was contaminated, but it’s not a chance she’s willing to take again. The Johnson family holds out hope that Hidea

may soon have a chance to enjoy life almost completely free of the confines her condition imposes. Hidea recently was added to a list to receive a bone marrow transplant, and Natalie Rowe, a representative of The Marrow Registry and friend of the Johnsons, is hopeful a match will be found in as little as a year. It’s a time-intensive and high-risk procedure reserved for patients with severe cases, but a transplant could dramatically improve Hidea’s condition, Rowe says. Unlike a transfusion, which temporarily flushes out her ineffective blood cells and replaces them with new ones until her body regenerates normal cells, a marrow transplant essentially reteaches her

HealtH & Wellness > bestofneworleans.com > febrUarY 7 > 2012

idea Johnson was diagnosed at birth with sickle cell anemia, but the limp she suffers from these days is rooted in a very different source. An eighth grader at Arthur Ashe Elementary School and a self-proclaimed sports junkie, 15-year-old Hidea injured her foot in a basketball game. Her frustration at not being able to finish out the season is evident, but she and her mother, Philomenia, are both optimistic about a quick recovery. “She’ll be ready in time for softball season,” Philomenia says, and Hidea grins in agreement. When it comes to her more serious preexisting condition, however, recovery isn’t so simple. According to Dr. Julie Kanter, Hidea’s physician and director of the Sickle Cell Center of Southern Louisiana, the root of Hidea’s disease can be traced to an abnormal strain of hemoglobin — called Hemoglobin S — with a protein that allows blood cells to carry oxygen through the body. “This type of hemoglobin changes the cells’ shapes into crescents, or sickles, making them more fragile, more susceptible to getting stuck in blood vessels, and easier to break down,” Kanter says. This interruption of healthy blood flow “causes significant pain to the areas of the body that are not getting sufficient oxygen.” In medical lingo, these episodes are titled “vaso-occlusive” or painful crises; in Hidea’s world, they are a constant threat and frequently require her to be hospitalized. Sometimes her stay is only a few hours; sometimes, it can be weeks before she is released. She was last admitted in November. The stay was a short one: “There was no way she was spending Christmas in a hospital,” Philomenia says. Sickle cell is a genetic disease that primarily affects African-Americans; Hidea’s older brother Lainey, 23, also was diagnosed with the disease at birth. Both rely on a regimen of prescription pain medication and folic acid supplements to combat their symptoms and help increase their red blood cell counts, and they have regular checkups so their doctors can monitor their conditions. Good hydration is key to avoiding painful episodes, and Hydroxyurea, the only FDA-recognized prescription medication for treating sickle cell, helps prevent the sickling of newly created blood cells. Some of Kanter’s patients have no complications and need only yearly checkups and immunizations. Others are so debilitated by organ failure and pain that they are unable to lead productive lives. The long-term prognosis for sufferers with more severe symptoms is grim. “There are varying types and degrees of sickle cell, but those most severely affected have shorter lifespans and a greater likelihood of organ failure and infection,” Kanter says, adding that they also have the possibility of more “severe, long-term, frequent episodes.” But in cases like Hidea’s, doctors’ increasing ability to diagnose early, manage symptoms and recommend preventive measures against crises means

that’s most often not the case.” With a sibling donor, chances of a successful donation are great, 80 percent to 90 percent, Kanter says. Unfortunately, only about 30 percent of sickle cell patients find a match within their family, leaving the other 70 percent with the registry as their best hope. “That’s why it’s so important that we have a lot of members and a lot of ethnic diversity (in donors),” she says. Rowe’s mission is to educate the public about participating in the donor program. People interested in donating can give a saliva sample to go through the preliminary testing to see if they are viable donors. If a match is found, the marrow can be extracted in two ways. The first, peripheral blood stem cell donation is the most common, and

consists of several days of drug treatment to increase blood-forming cells in the donor’s bloodstream, followed by the removal of the cells via a machine that resembles the type used during ordinary blood donation. The second, marrow donation, is a more intensive surgical procedure and occurs under general anesthesia while liquid marrow is extracted with a needle from the pelvic bone. The risks are higher — the necessity of anesthesia increases them — but marrow donors can expect to return to their normal routines within a week, barring any complications. Kanter hopes to continue research to develop universally applicable treatments for sickle cell patients. “This is a disease that affects between 75,000 and 100,000 (people), that’s been

around for 100 years,” she says. “Right now we only have one FDA-approved medication.” Her plan is to improve research techniques so physicians will be able to hone in on predictive biomarkers to determine sickle cell’s presence even earlier, so treatment can start before complications arise. For now, Hidea and her family are hopeful for the marrow transplant that could be the difference between more medication, more hospital trips and the constant threat of her condition — and many more successful returns to the softball field. For more information on becoming a donor with The Marrow Registry, visit www.bethematch.org.

GET A

E ! IN W K T O O N N O E S B AL NT V E R M U NT YO OI

“This is a disease that affects between 75,000 and 100,000 (people), that’s been around for 100 years. Right now we only have one FDA-approved medication.” — Dr. Julie Kanter

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HealtH & Wellness > bestofneworleans.com > febrUarY 7 > 2012

body how to create proper blood cells. It’s reminiscent of the old adage about teaching a man to fish. “When the marrow material from a healthy donor is put into Hidea’s system, her own body will start copying the genetic behavior of a functioning immune system,” Rowe says. “It’s attacking the problem at its source.” While treating sickle cell with transfusion means returning for the procedure every few months, a marrow transplant is a one-time operation. First, though, Hidea needs to find a donor — not an easy task, given the large number of patients on the registry and a corresponding dearth of donors. The genetic origins of sickle cell mean that tissue matches most often come from a donor of the same ethnicity as the patient, which proves problematic, since sickle cell appears most frequently in African-Americans and the registry is populated overwhelmingly by Caucasian donors. A common misconception, too, is that immediate family members are always perfect matches for the procedure. “People have this idea — I don’t know where they get it — that their parents or their siblings are always going to be a match,” Rowe says. “But sickle cell is part of your unique genetic makeup, so

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an ounce of prevention W

hile the five-year survival rate for stage IV cervical cancer is an alarming 14 percent, the disease is almost 100 percent preventable. Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women in underdeveloped countries, but in the United States, because of the emphasis on regular Pap smears, it is rare and usually limited to women who have not received a Pap smear in years, have not followed up on an abnormal Pap smear or suffer from an immunosuppressive disease like HIV. “As long as someone receives routine Pap smears and receives follow-up treatments and evaluations if they have an abnormal Pap, (cervical cancer) should be 100 percent preventable, and that’s without vaccinations,” says Dr. Stephen Champlin, an obstetrician/gynecologist at East Jefferson General Hospital. A Pap smear can detect dysplasia (abnormal cells in the cervix) long before it turns into cancer or while cancer is still in the early, treatable stages. Almost all cases of dysplasia occur because of the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV

is a sexually transmitted disease that has more than 100 serotypes, so the likelihood of coming into contact with some strand of HPV over the course of a lifetime is very high. That’s why the Department of Health and Human Services recommends Pap smears at least every three years for women beginning at age 21 — sooner if they are sexually active. The HPV vaccine can provide added protection against the disease’s most dangerous, cancer-causing serotypes. The FDA currently recommends HPV vaccines for girls and women ages 9-26. An abnormal Pap smear should not be an occasion for panic. In fact, most instances of dysplasia will be corrected by the woman’s immune system, never developing into anything more. In addition, cervical cancer tends to progress very slowly. It could take up to nine years from the time the first abnormal cells occur until cervical cancer has actually developed, allowing anyone receiving regular exams ample time for treatment. Although abnormal Pap results are often dubbed “precancerous,” Champlin

CerviCal CanCer is 100 perCent preventable with regular pap smears. b y K a t i e K i d d e r C r o s b i e

hesitates to overstate their seriousness. “When someone starts to have cervical changes which may lead to cervical cancer, I try not to use the word ‘precancerous,’” Champlin says. “Dysplasia, which is the event where cells start to become abnormal, is a potentially precancerous condition, but in most cases of low-grade Pap smears, even if you don’t do anything about it, it may never take that turn toward being cancerous. Of course, you don’t want to play the odds with something that can be potentially life threatening. So any abnormal Pap smear needs to be evaluated, whether it’s evaluated by doing a repeat Pap smear in four to six months or by doing a colposcopy.” During a colposcopy, the physician uses an instrument which looks much like a pair of binoculars to take a magnified look at the cervix. If there appear to be any abnormalities, the doctor performs a biopsy. “You take a tiny, pepper seed-sized biopsy,” Champlin says. “It should be painless. Then we evaluate the biopsy and decide on the course of treatment. If it’s mild dysplasia, you follow up in four to six

months. If it’s anything more than that, we talk about having the tissue removed.” Although it’s fairly rare now, cervical cancer does still occur in a small number of women in the United States. The most common symptom of early stage cervical cancer is painless bleeding from the cervix, often after sex. “The No. 1 sign of cervical cancer is post-coital bleeding,” Champlin says. “The reason that happens is because the cancer cells are very vascular, but they are also very fragile in terms of their attachment to the cervix. Anything that traumatizes the cervix, like intercourse, can start the bleeding because the cells get sloughed off. It’s not painful until it gets later in its development and starts to spread to other parts of the body.” A radical hysterectomy, which is removal of the cervix, uterus and part of the vagina, is usually the best option to treat cervical cancer. The good news is preventative care can protect nearly every woman before that ever has to happen.

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HealtH & Wellness > bestofneworleans.com > febrUarY 7 > 2012

Less Pain. More Living.

E X E R CI S E FO R LI F E

Kung Fu Fighting AN ANCIENT FORM OF SELF DEFENSE FOSTERS A GREATER MIND-BODY CONNECTION.

HealtH & Wellness > bestofneworleans.com > febrUarY 7 > 2012

BY M I SS Y W I L K I N S O N

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they respectively directed and wrote. Meissner says there’s a connection between his artistry as an actor and director and his work as a martial artist — and that anyone can benefit from the heightened sense of physicality and intuition the ancient martial art affords its practitioners. “I wanted to transform myself as an actor to someone who was less trapped in his head and more inhabiting my body,” says Meissner, who began practicing martial arts in the mid’90s and has taught kung fu and tai chi in New Orleans since 2001. “(Kung

All self-defense moves follow three principles: 1 Go with the force. Use the attacker’s energy against him. 2 Change the angle of the attack to something that is to your advantage and the attacker’s disadvantage. 3 Attack center lines along the front or side of the body. That’s where most of the sensitive targets tend to lie.

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wo blocks from the Industrial Canal, adjacent to a fried chicken restaurant and ramshackle double shotgun houses, there’s a kung fu studio with a banner proclaiming “Powerful Fitness.” Shaolin-Do Kung Fu & Tai Chi (4210 St Claude Ave., 944-1880; www.nolashaolin.com) is owned by Joseph Meissner, who holds a fourth-degree black belt in Shaolin kung fu, and his wife Helen Krieger, a second-degree black belt. The couple garnered critical acclaim and festival accolades following the 2011 release of Flood Streets, the film

1 block from the Magazine St. Whole Foods Market

STEP 1

IF SOMEONE GRABS YOU FROM BEHIND, GO INTO A WIDE HORSE STANCE. DROP YOUR UPPER BODY FORWARD AND THRUST YOUR TAILBONE BACK TO HIT HIM IN THE GROIN OR PUSH HIM OFF BALANCE. FROM THERE, STOMP ON ONE OF HIS FEET.

STEP 2

SLIDE YOUR FOOT BEHIND HIM SO YOUR RIGHT HIP IS UNDER HIS LEFT HIP. STAND STRAIGHT UP TO THROW HIM OFF BALANCE AND EXPOSE THE GROIN.

BO DY EQ U I T Y

STEP 3

HAMMER THE GROIN THREE TIMES, BECAUSE IT MAY TAKE MORE THAN ONE TIME TO HIT THE TARGET SQUARELY, PUSH HIM BACK OVER YOUR LEG, AND RUN TO SAFETY.

Chili nights A MeAtless CoMfort food for Cool Months By lEE CutronE

ating healthy while being good to the environment and community may seem like a tall order, but Stephanie Kern and Trey Buerger, sister and brother owners of The Green Fork (1400 Prytania St., 267-7672; www.greenforknola.com) have made it easy to order. Started four years ago as a small catering business out of Kern’s home, The Green Fork now offers a menu that includes vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Many of the soups, salads, entrees, parfaits and baked goods are made with fresh, organic ingredients from local farms. With a new menu sent out via email each Sunday, customers can order ahead or stop at the shop during working hours. The Green Fork also tallies the number of sandwiches it sells and makes matching, in-kind donations to Ozanam Inn, a local shelter for homeless men. “Our city was thirsty for something like this,” Kern says of the business, which has grown purely by word of mouth. “We’re trying to stay as fresh and organic and as local as we possibly can and still provide a good product.” Though Kern was a stay-at-home mom and Buerger had been part of the corporate world before becoming business partners, the two share a love of cooking and a family culinary heritage that placed importance on cooking with home-grown foods. When it comes to being environmentally friendly, The Green Fork puts its money where its mouth is, using biodegradable containers and plates made from corn, sugar cane or bamboo. “We’re passionate about what we’re doing,” Kern says, “and it’s working.” For the cool weather still ahead, Buerger’s vegan chili recipe is a hearty, highly nutritious alternative to meat-filled varieties. It includes quinoa, a naturally glutenfree, protein-rich seed that has a crunchy, pasta-like consistency when cooked; corn, which is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and a good source of dietary fiber, thiamin and folate; tomatoes, which are rich in dietary fiber and vitamins A, C, and K, as well as potassium and manganese; and black beans, which provide support for the digestive tract, particularly the colon.

vEgan Chili

what &

how

Recipe by Trey Buerger 2 Cu p s f i lt E r E d wat E r 1 / 2 Cu p r E d q u i n oa 1 / 2 Cu p w h i t E q u i n oa 1 ta B lE s p o o n o li vE o i l 1 o n i o n , d i CE d 1 g r E E n B E ll p E p p E r , d i CE d 1 r E d B E ll p E p p E r , d i CE d 6 - 8 ga r li C ClovE s , m i n CE d 1 ja l a p E n o, s E E d E d a n d m i n CE d 2 ta B lE s p o o n s Ch i li p ow d E r 1 ta B lE s p o o n Co r i a n d E r 2 ta B lE s p o o n s Cu m i n 1 2 8 - o u n CE Ca n o f Cr u s h E d o r ga n i C to m ato E s 40 o u n CE s o f Co o k E d o r ga n i C B l aCk B E a n s 1 Ch o p p E d zu CCh i n i 1 -2 ta B lE s p o o n s Ch o p p E d Ch i p ot lE p E p p E r 1 ta B lE s p o o n Ch o p p E d f r E s h o r Ega n o 1 Cu p f r E s h ly s h u Ck E d Co r n 1 Cu p Ch o p p E d f r E s h Ci l a n t r o

Bring water to a boil, add quinoa and cook on low heat until water is absorbed (about 20 minutes). Saute onions and bell peppers in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and coriander and saute until fragrant. Add tomatoes, beans, zucchini, chipotle and oregano, then simmer over low heat for 35-45 minutes. Stir in cooked quinoa and corn, then simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

HealtH & Wellness > bestofneworleans.com > febrUarY 7 > 2012

fu) helps you integrate yourself, mind and body. Our bodies are such an important part of our intelligence and spirituality, and so much of what we do in the modern world separates that. It’s nice to have a practice that brings it all together.” Meissner says most of his students are professionals in their 20s and 30s. “The vast majority of students have never done any martial arts,” he says. “It’s a way for people to challenge themselves and work on self-defense techniques and have fun with other people.” The importance of the self-defense component can’t be overstated — burglar bars over the studio’s windows speak to the threat of crime — and in addition to teaching kung fu, which Meissner says is 60 percent self defense, he offers occasional free self-defense workshops. “If several people have contacted me interested in self-defense, I’ll do a free self-defense workshop,” he says. “It’s pretty much the same as what we’d do in anyone’s first kung fu class, but it’s slightly tweaked to go over more attacks and defenses.” Though kung fu is a time-tested method of self defense (“It hasn’t lasted thousands of years for no reason”), Meissner points out that even the most skilled martial artist is susceptible to attack. The best way to stay safe is to avoid dangerous situations, and the way to do that is by trusting your natural instincts, Meissner says. Fortunately, a martial arts practice sharpens the gut instinct. “The most important component of self defense is learning to trust your intuition and use your instinct,” Meissner says. “So much of what we do in our day-to-day lives puts us in our rational minds and alienates us from our more unconscious instincts, and those are what we need to rely on in self defense. The greatest self defense is avoiding dangerous situations, and our intuition can guide us.”

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