Medical Examiner 12-15-23

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HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS

DECEMBER 15, 2023

AIKEN-AUGUSTA’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED IN 2006

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DESIDERATA Being active is a gift you give to yourself THECWORD

(Desiderata: Latin: “Desired Things”)

• Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

• Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

• Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

• Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

• Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

• Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

• Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

• And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

• Strive to be happy. + — © Max Ehrmann 1927

As the end of 2023 draws near, we begin setting our sights on New Year’s resolutions.

This December edition of The C Word emphasizes the importance of being physically active as part of our daily living to lower cancer risk, improve outcomes during cancer treatment, and to maintain health after treatment.

Exercise is Medicine Exercise is medicine and much more.1 Being active on a regular basis has many health benefits for disease prevention, strength, flexibility, and balance across the life span, and also for managing chronic conditions.2 In addition to helping prevent or control conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, backache, depression, and obesity, resistance training and physical activity are helpful in managing pain, increasing bone density, providing greater stamina, improving sleep, and nurturing mental health. Physical exercise involving aerobic and anaerobic activity also improves cognition and well-being.3 A large international study found that “a higher level of leisure-time physical activity was associated with lower risks for 13 of 26 cancers,” including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, kidney, liver, bladder, colon, small intestine, gallbladder, breast, and endometrium as well as the blood cancers of leukemia, myeloid, and myeloma.4 However, a higher risk of melanoma skin cancer is associated with leisure-time physical activity, so be mindful of sun exposure and protect your skin while exposed to UV rays outside.

Physical activity can be incorporated as a

type of complementary therapy in addition to standard cancer care. Complementary therapies such as yoga, tai chi, and walking can help with the side effects of cancer treatment including reducing pain, improving physical and emotional well-being, and improving cancer recovery.

A Vital Sign Colleen Hergott, physical therapist and Chair of the Department of Physical TherPlease see THE C WORD page 4

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

DECEMBER 15, 2023

THE FIRST 40 YEARS ARE ALWAYS THE HARDEST

MEDICAL MYTHOLOGY

PARENTHOOD

by David W. Proefrock, PhD

After having stopped nighttime bedwetting for over a year, your 4-year-old son has wet the bed three times in a row this week. You can’t think of anything going on the would be upsetting to him, and he doesn’t act as if anything is bothering him. What do you do?

A. This could be an important symptom of an underlying problem. Take him to his physician to be checked.

B. Sometimes young children who have stopped wetting the bed revert for a time. Don’t let it become a habit. Spank him when he wets the bed.

C. Don’t do anything different from his normal routine.

Chances are good that the problem will go away in a few days.

D. Let him know that you are very displeased with him when he wets the bed. Tell him that it is a “baby” thing to do, and that he is no longer a baby.

If you answered: A. This is a very good response, but you might want to let t little time pass before you take him to his doctor. If the bedwetting does not disappear on its own in a week or two, a check up by his doctor is the right thing to do.

B. Spanking would be one of the worst things you could do. First, it is very unlikely that he is wetting the bed on purpose. Second, if there is an underlying problem, spanking would only make it worse.

C. This is best for no longer than the bedwetting has gone on. However, if it continues you should have him checked by his doctor.

D. This is also a poor response. Again, he is not wetting the bed on purpose. Scolding or berating him will only make the problem worse.

A sudden resumption of bedwetting in a young child is not unusual or even serious unless it continues. If it goes on for more than a few weeks, it could be a sign of a medical or emotional problem. + Dr. Proefrock is a retired local clinical and forensic child psychologist.

NAPS ARE GOOD MEDICINE Well, they can be. Many people are seriously addicted to their daily nap (or maybe their Sunday afternoon nap).

But there is a right and a wrong way to nap. Good napping can be rejuvenating and restorative and bad napping can mess up the rest of the day and night. Which means it can mess up the next day too, which might cause problems the next night. And day.

And on and on it goes.

What spells the difference between a good nap and a bad nap?

We have to address the elephant in the room: how does the boss feel about snoozing at work? The answer to that question could be the most important definition of a bad nap.

But assuming we’re self-employed, retired, work from home, have the company’s blessing to nap, or it’s the weekend, then what turns good naps bad and bad naps good?

There are several factors.

A sleepless night is something most of us have experienced from time to time. For

some, having trouble sleeping is a nightly event.

The obvious solution might seem to be a daytime nap to catch up on that missed sleep.

Maybe. Maybe not.

The deciding factor in good napping, say sleep experts, is the length of the nap. Sleep too long and maybe you’re not tired at bedtime, and then it’s here we go again.

Sleep experts say it isn’t a good idea to just bed down or stretch out to nap until you wake up. They recommend setting an alarm so that you sleep for 20 minutes or so, and definitely not longer than 30 minutes. The longer the nap, the more likely it is to create prolonged grogginess afterward, what is called “sleep inertia.” In layman’s terms it’s defined as, “I feel worse now

than before my nap.”

Taking a nap after around 3 p.m. is another no-no for typical 9 to 5 lives. Early to mid afternoon probably coincides with that after-lunch lull, but it’s still early enough to not interfere with nighttime sleep.

For someone who works outside the home 9 to 5 and feels the pull of the couch upon arriving home, the prescription is for an even shorter nap, maybe only 10 to 15 minutes to tide you over until bedtime. It should provide a restful boost without impacting sleep that night.

Napping done right is much better than caffeine as a boost for alertness and productivity.

In fact, in the traditional workplace napping could be viewed as a firing offense.

There are enlightened companies out there who recognize that an employee slogging their way through a sleepy haze for hours is a waste for everyone. Conversely, an employee who quietly conks out at their desk for 10 or 15 minutes and awakes refreshed and energized is a small price to pay for enhanced performance and productivity.

So is “naps are good medicine” medical mythology?

Only if they’re too long and too close to bedtime and they negatively affect our sleep.

Anyone experiencing prolonged fatigue or sleep disruption for any reason should talk to their doctor to get relief and restore those good Zs. +

THANK YOU FOR READING!

3 +

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

DECEMBER 15, 2023

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re you a New Year’s resolution fan?

Or a resolution hater?

Both sides in this annual discussion have their valid points.

On the negative side, by the time you read this many carefully made resolutions may have already slipped a little.

Statistically, by this date (January 9) 25 percent of all resolutions have already gone down in ames; that many usually fail within the rst week. By the six-month mark the failure rate is about half. And by this time next year, the wreckage of 88 percent of all those shiny new intentions of last week’s New Year’s Day 2015 will lie strewn across the landscape.

On the plus side, that means a fairly decent 12 percent of all resolutions are achieved after a full year.

Building on that positive note, making New Year’s resolutions is evidence of one of the nest aspects of human nature — that we continuously evaluate ourselves and constantly strive to improve, to be better husbands or wives, better moms and dads, better employees, better bosses, and just better human beings.

The typical resolutions reect those basic desires: the #1 resolution every year is always some form of better health. Lose weight. Get more exercise. Eat less junk food or fast food. Eat less, period. Quit smoking. Drink less, or quit altogether.

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Who is this? See page 3.

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You really can’t fault anyone for such noble goals. After all, health is the ultimate wealth. It’s the currency that makes every other endeavor in life possible.

Speaking of currency, improving nances is, broadly speaking, the second most popular resolution category.

Common examples include establishing and/or sticking to a budget; saving more; cutting impulse buys; getting a better job, a raise, or a promotion.

The third-most common resolutions might be categorized as self-improvement: read more; temper control/ anger management; reduce or manage stress; watch less TV; get more education: learn a new language, skill, or hobby; improve your marriage and other personal relationships, and so forth.

All of these are worthy goals. They are well worth pursuing, even if that means getting past occasional setbacks.

Since failure is always an option, it’s good to expect it and be ready to keep making progress. There is nothing magical about January 1. If you haven’t made some kind of self-improvement goal, it’s never too late. If you’ve started and failed already, restarts are always allowed.

Whatever you set your sights on, keep the letters shown below in mind, as well as what they stand for.

Please see RESOLVED page 2

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Relevant

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New year.

Old scrubs?

We can fix that.

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The Medical Examiner is always available on your favorite device at ISSUU.COM/MEDICALEXAMINER or at the Medical Examiner website (www.AugustaRx.com) and on Facebook (Facebook.com/AugustaRx. Click directly from any Examiner page on issuu directly to websites listed in ads and articles. You can easily view back issues, too. +

That’s a simple question, right? We’ve all heard the term a million times. But can most people answer the question correctly?

Feel free to conduct your own research after reading this brief article and see if the people you ask know.

One of the twists to this topic is the frequency with which people use heart attack and cardiac arrest interchangeably.

They are two different things, although both are definitely medical emergencies.

Cardiac arrest (officially called “sudden cardiac arrest”) could be summarized as an electrical problem. The heart’s ability to jolt itself with a charge of self-generated electricity is what makes the various chambers pump sequentially to get the heart’s job done. Sudden cardiac arrest is an interruption of those electrical shocks.

One way that can happen is when the plug is pulled for whatever reason and as a result there is no pumping. Period.

Circulation has stopped. The other type of cardiac arrest is a disruption of the heart’s synchronized rhythms. There are jolts being delivered, but they’re chaotic and irregular and the heart is essentially just quivering instead of pumping, a condition known as ventricular fibrillation. The net result is the same: circulation is not happening.

By comparison, heart attacks could be described as a plumbing problem. The pipes (also known as arteries) which supply the heart can be blocked by clots and plaque build-up. If the blockage is severe, the portion of the heart muscle supplied with nutrients and oxygen by that particular blocked artery can actually die. Doctors use a couple of medical terms to describe that outcome. One is infarction, another word for tissue death, which is specifically a myocardial infarction when heart tissue is involved. Tissue death can also be termed necrosis. Not a good thing.

Heart attack prevention is all the familiars: don’t smoke; stay active; eat right; control BP and cholesterol; maintain a healthy weight. Heart attack prevention is important because sometimes heart attacks cause electrical disruptions that can result in sudden cardiac arrest. +

MEDICALEXAMINER

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www.AugustaRx.com The Medical Examiner’s mission: to provide information on topics of health and wellness of interest to general readers, to offer information to assist readers in wisely choosing their healthcare providers, and to serve as a central source of salubrious news within every part of the Augusta medical community.

Direct editorial and advertising inquiries to: Daniel R. Pearson, Publisher & Editor E-mail: Dan@AugustaRx.com AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER P.O. Box 397, Augusta, GA 30903-0397

(706) 860-5455 www.AugustaRx.com • E-mail: Dan@AugustaRX.com www.Facebook.com/AugustaRX Opinions expressed by the writers herein are their own and/or their respective institutions. Neither the Augusta Medical Examiner, Pearson Graphic 365 Inc., nor its agents or employees take any responsibility for the accuracy of submitted information, which is presented for general informational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment, consult your doctor.

The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised. © 2023 PEARSON GRAPHIC 365 INC.

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#203 IN A SERIES

Who is this?

T

he life story of the man pictured above is a case study in the unexpected twists and turns on which the journey of life takes each of us.

His name was George Goodfellow, born on Dec. 23, 1855 in Downieville, California, home to 290 people in the 2020 census, but one of the largest cities in California in 1855.

Thanks to his father, Goodfellow developed a life-long connection to mining, the military, and medicine. At age 16, he accepted an appointment to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, arriving in June of 1872. By December, however, he had been expelled for a hazing incident targeting the academy’s first and only black cadet. That resulted in a move to Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended medical school, graduating with honors early in 1876. A few months later he secured an appointment to serve with the US Army’s 7th Cavalry under Gen. George Armstrong Custer, but because the arrival of his official orders was delayed, Goodfellow missed the ill-fated Battle of the Little Bighorn. Granted that reprieve, he married Kate Colt, a cousin of Samuel Colt, inventor of the Colt revolver, a weapon that was to play a prominent role in Goodfellow’s life and career in the years to come.

The Goodfellows spent the first few years of their marriage in California and he briefly practiced medicine in Oakland before his father invited him to move to Prescott, Arizona, to work as the company doctor at his mine. The next year (1880), Goodfellow decided to go into private practice in the silver mining boomtown of Tombstone, Arizona, at the time less than a year old, yet sporting 2,000 residents and 12 doctors (although only Goodfellow and three others had medical degrees).

Goodfellow treated shooting victims like Virgil, Morgan, and Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Billy Clanton, among others. His office was above a saloon a block away from the infamous O.K. Corral. With no shortage of gunshot wounds (often from COlt revolvers) to treat — which he did whether the patient was a lawman or an outlaw — Goodfellow became the leading expert on gunshot wounds in the nation, and pioneered innovative sterile techniques. The standard procedure of the day centered around removing the bullet, which doctors did by probing the wound with their unsterilized fingers; Goodfellow used lye soap or whiskey to sterilize his hands and the patient’s wounds. He is credited with performing the first laparotomy to treat a bullet wound, as well as what many consider to be the first perineal prostatectomy, and was among the first surgeons anywhere to use spinal anesthesia to block pain.

Surrounded by as much violence and death as he often was in a raucous frontier town, Goodfellow still had a sense of humor: his autopsy for a notorious gunslinger who had been lynched for his crimes found that the man had died of emphysema, a condition “that causes shortness of breath at high altitudes.” +

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

DECEMBER 15, 2023

THE C WORD… from page 3 apy at Augusta University, firmly believes in the healing power of physical fitness and maintaining physical activity throughout our lives. She promotes knowing your physical activity vital signs (PAVS) and getting an “exercise snack” by incorporating bouts of physical activity into normal daily routines.5 Dr. Hergott’s go to resource is “Exercise is Medicine,” a global health initiative and program of the American College of Sports Medicine that aims to assure that physical activity assessment and promotion is a standard in patient care.

• www.exerciseismedicine.org/wp-content/ uploads/2021/04/EIM_Rx-for-Health_Cancer. pdf • www.exerciseismedicine.org/eim-in-action/ moving-through-cancer • Cancer Net provides tips and guidance on “Exercise During Cancer Treatment,” citing benefits such as improving how treatment works and reducing treatment side effects, regardless of the stage or type of cancer. Regular exercise helps reduce treatment-related fatigue; maintain heart and lung fitness, physical ability, and strength; can help reduce feelings of anxiety and depression and improve quality Move More of life; and in some cases, augusta.edu/cancer/community Try an “exercise snack” lower the amount of recovery by incorporating short bouts of physical activ- time from surgical procedures. Exercise has ity into normal daily routines. 150 minutes a been associated with better survival rates for week can be broken down to 30 min./day x 5 cancers such as breast cancer and colorectal days (Source: CDC) cancer.

• www.cancer.net/survivorship/healthy-livSources: ing/exercise-during-cancer-treatment 1. Swisher, AK, Yes, “Exercise is Medicine”….but It Is Cancer Net’s “Physical Activity Tips for SurSo Much More! Cardiopulm Phys Ther J. 2010 Dec; vivors” offers information about an effective 21(4): exercise program for survivors and a guide for 4.PMCID: PMC3004757 PMID: 21206672 ncbi.nlm.nih. defining physical activity levels ranging from gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004757 light, moderate, and vigorous activity.

2. Lorig K, Holman H, Sobel D, Laurent D, Gonzalez V, Minor M. Living a Healthy Life with • cancer.net/survivorship/healthy-living/ Chronic Conditions. 4th Edition. amazon.com/Livphysical-activity-tips-survivors ing-Healthy-Life-Chronic-Conditions/dp/193350336X The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) 3. Mandolesi L, Polverino A, Montuori S, Foti F, “Physical Activity and Cancer Fact Sheet” Ferraioli G, Sorrentino P, Sorrentino G. Effects of summarizes evidence linking physical activiPhysical Exercise on Cognitive Functioning and Wellbeing: Biological and Psychological Benefits Front ty (including exercise) to reduced cancer risk and sedentary behavior (including Psychol. 2018; 9: 509. Pub. online 2018 Apr 27. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00509 PMCID: PMC5934999 PMID: prolonged sitting) to increased cancer risk.

29755380 • www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/caus4. Moore SC, Lee IM, Weiderpass E, et al. Associes-prevention/risk/obesity/physical-activiation of Leisure-time physical activity with risk of ty-fact-sheet 26 types of cancer in 1.44 million adults. JAMA The Australian Government’s Department Intern Med. 2016 Jun 1;176(6):816-25. doi: 10.1001/ of Health and Aged Care offers physical activjamainternmed.2016.1548. PMID: 27183032. https:// ity and exercise guidelines by age as well as jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/ fullarticle/2521826 tips for reducing sedentary time when awake 5. Hergott C and Rohrer B. The physical activity vital and advice on quality sleep for people across sign: what older adults should know. June 28 2023. the lifespan and includes information for peoNational Council on Aging. www.ncoa.org/article/ ple with disability and chronic conditions. the-physical-activity-vital-sign-what-older-adults• www.health.gov.au/topics/physical-activshould-know ity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-allaustralians#physical-acCancer Information and Awareness tivity-guidelines-by-age augusta.edu/cancer/community Resources For Cancer Patients and Others To Help Get Us Moving The Exercise is Medicine’s Rx for Health website offers access to evidence-based scientific articles and clinical resources including patient handouts and infographics. The handout “Being Active When You Have Cancer” offers tips on getting started, provides easy to follow guidelines, and lists additional resources.

“The C Word” is a news brief of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University. For cancer information, visit: augusta.edu/cancer/community.To request exhibits or speaking engagements, contact Maryclaire Regan at mregan@augusta.edu or 706-721-4539. Arrange for virtual presentations in order to follow Coronavirus precautions.

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DECEMBER 15, 2023

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

...wherein we share amusing medical mis-speakings and misspellings we have overheard or that have been shared with us.

The patient listed his emergency number as 9-1-1.

“They’re going to do non-evasive surgery.”

FRED: MY NEW HERO

{

Under previous medical history the patient listed “cardiac infraction.”

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READERS: What have you heard? Please share!

H CHURC

used to be the one that could stand up to any challenge has made me think about ways to lighten her load moving forward. The biggest cause of our stress is being grandparents raising our grandchildren, some with special needs, and not a whole lot can be done about that without adversely affecting the grandkids, so I am exploring some other things to help my best friend and better half.

She has recently expressed her fear that she will be taking care of someone for the rest of her life. First it was my father, now our grandkids, and perhaps her parents or even me one day. I hope that isn’t the case, but I can’t promise it.

I need to take better care of myself, so I won’t be an added burden on her at some point. By that I mean more than I am already trying to do with my overeating, disorganized, couchand recliner-loving self. I think this is one of the most difficult aspects of middle age for a lot of people. The kids are grown up and gone, and just when it feels like you can have some time to do the things you want and perhaps a little cash to spend on it, you are beset with the needs of your parents, or perhaps your children or grandchildren. On top of that, you may be dealing with your own health issues.

I am incredibly grateful that we have gotten a lot of help from our kids and other family members and even some good friends. Our oldest daughter, Kate, especially, is here with us taking on the heaviest load in regard to caring for the children. We simply couldn’t do it without her. Our only son, John, the grandkid’s uncle, has provided monetary help, and has bought some needed things, and some things that are just wants, like a new laptop for our autistic grandson. Two in fact; a cheaper one at first to see how well he would care for it (He guarded it like Fort Knox and coddled it like a newborn baby), and then once he proved himself a much nicer, more expensive gaming laptop. This laptop helps him immensely. Our parents have also helped from time to time, and that has proven to be invaluable. But with the rising prices of groceries and other things that come along with taking care of three wild animals — I mean children — in the house, it is still a struggle.

But with the great example to look at in Fred and Ginger, I have come away with new hope and a new resolve to face these struggles with a positive attitude. The alternate woe-is-me way of looking at things just leads to more sadness and a downward spiral into even worse circumstances.

Sometimes people say to us, “I don’t know how you are dealing with this. It is just awful.” After I give them a polite awkward pause, I try to change the subject. It is sort of like when I buy my wife flowers and the first thing she asks is how much they cost. Just let

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In our previous edition, I told you the first part of a story about our trip to the Gulf Coast to help our friends, Chuck and Vicki, with a 50th anniversary party for Vicki’s sister and brother-in-law. When we parted last time, we had just talked about an octogenarian couple who inspired us with their dancing and their overall zest for life despite their age and infirmities. I promised to tell you about the struggles that made their attitude and actions even more inspirational. We are calling them Fred and Ginger for the purpose of anonymity.

I ended up spending a lot of time with Fred since they stayed at the campground we did. We sat around the campfire one night and getting to know each other. We also took him to dinner with us another night. On both occasions, we had some interesting conversations. He told us some amazing stories about his life. He has done so much from managing shopping mall construction, to offshore oil rig design and construction, to design work on aircraft.

Fred’s wife had left earlier because their son was being rushed to a special hospital to try a new treatment for his cancer; his local doctors had said that they were out of options. The prognosis was grim, even with the new treatment. Fred had to stay behind to pack up and get the camper back home before he could join his wife. Their daughter, sadly, did not offer any help. She merely said that she felt “just awful” for them, but expressed no desire to help. I would have been a basket case in a situation like this, but Fred took it in a matter-of-fact way and could still function. In fact, when I offered to help him pack up his camper, he said that he would call me when he was ready, but then he tried to do it by himself without calling me. Fortunately, Chuck noticed and went to help, but Fred only allowed him to do a few little things. He is definitely a member of the “If you want something done right, do it yourself” club. I get it.

I learned that Fred had a stroke earlier this year and couldn’t do what he used to do. I was incredulous because he moved so well on the dance floor. I learned a lot more about him from one of his best friends who was also there and even though he was doing so well for his age, I was told that the stroke had greatly reduced his abilities in the past year. That, along with their son’s cancer and daughters’ apathy, reminded me that we’re not the only folks with problems, and we don’t have the worst problems we could have.

We need to learn from their example.

The stress of getting things ready for the party did lead to some arguments and my wife and I determined that we are perhaps a little too old, unhealthy, and overloaded with other obligations to do something like this again anytime soon, if ever. Seeing how the stress adversely affected her when she

FOLLIES

n he te

BY J.B. COLLUM

nt Joi

Middle Age

FRONT DESK RE! U T A E F NEW

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ADVENTURES IN

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

DECEMBER 15, 2023

MORE YEARS, MORE QUALITY Do you want to live better?

Live longer? No sane person will answer no. One thing is for sure: You cannot get out of life alive. So make the best of what you have. Stay here as long as reasonably possible and in the best condition.

That’s a no-brainer.

How you think and what you do greatly affects longevity and quality of life. You have near complete control of both.

To improve your situation, much can be done by avoiding certain everyday things.

You cannot select your genetic parents, so your genes are fixed and unchangeable. Here at few things you can choose for your betterment.

• Don’t go where alcohol or drugs are sold or used … even if you don’t participate.

Those who do participate will drive while impaired and endanger you secondary to their altered reflexes, actions, decisions, vision etc.

• Don’t drive after 11 pm.

More DUI deaths occur between 11 pm and 4 am than

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (most of the time) A series by Bad Billy Laveau

the other 20 hours. Over 1 million are arrested in the US for DUI each yeat. 13,384 deaths in US last year, up 31% from the year before.

• Be at home in bed by 11 pm. You are safe from drunk drivers in your bedroom.

This is interactive with the previous choice.

• Don’t take drugs other than those prescribed by your physician and filled in a licensed pharmacy. Drugs from any other source could be laced with fentanyl. A beautiful long-time family friend took an “accidental overdose.” She bought it from her reliable, but shady drug supplier. She died. My heart cried. She looked like

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Sophia Loren at her funeral.

• Don’t overeat. If you are overweight (Body Mass Index over 25), reduce your caloric intake by 25%. It saves money. No club dues nor medical visits needed. Eat less, live longer. Is that simple enough for you?

• Only eat desserts on Sunday. You should reward yourself for good behavior.

Once a week is enough.

Don’t buy candy at the store.

If the candy bug bites you, make the candy yourself.

At least you will burn some calories. And you won’t cook it that often.

• Walk briskly one hour each day. (OK, skip Sunday.

That is your reward day.).

Running is neither necessary nor desirable, other than to brag about it to your non-running friends. Running increases neither longevity nor quality of life, but does increase joint pain in later life. Not a good thing.

• Don’t exceed the speed limit … regardless of what it is. 35 mph in a residential neighborhood is for the safety of the residents walking to improve their health.

Your fuel cost will decrease dramatically. Plan trips to be the shortest possible. Drive defensively. There is no short supply of idiots with drivers licenses who are in a stupid hurry.

• On 4 lane roads, drive in the outer lane. Leave the inter lane to the speed demon idiots who can’t wait to have a wreck and visit the ER and court.

• In rural areas at night on 4-lane roads, use the inner lane. Deer accidents are more common in the outer lane.

Georgia has 45,000 to 55,000 deer-car accidents yearly.

• Take all the medications in your prescription. There should be no half-full RX bottles in your medicine cabinet.

Half-taken antibiotics help super infections develop.

Your doctor prescribed it, you bought it, you take it. Dying bacteria will hate you for it.

Only 3 out of 4 prescriptions written by doctors are filled.

Only 1 of 3 filled are taken as written. If you aren’t going to follow physician directions, don’t waste your doctor’s time and your money.

• Drink water each day in ample amounts. Not energy drinks, diet drinks, soft drinks, alcohol, caffeine drinks (coffee, tea, etc.). God did not put any of those in wells or rivers. None of them are in your body unless you drink them. High water intake reduces chances of renal stones. Believe me, that is a good thing.

• Sleep 7½ hours each night. Your body needs that for cortisol production,

mental recovery, physical fatigue recovery, and mood rejuvenation. No therapist or drugs required. Staying up late Friday and Saturday and “catching up” by sleeping late on Sunday doesn’t work.

Remember Fats Domino sang: “Monday morning, my head in bed. Is it worth it for the time I had? Oh, Blue Monday.” Fats was right.

• Don’t buy anything on a payment plan (other than your home). If you can’t pay for it, you can’t afford it.

The stress of late payments will warp you mentally and destroy your credit. US credit card balances are above $1 trillion for the first time and are growing. 30% have credit card balances left over from last Christmas.

This is very troubling. And dangerous. Build an emergency fund large enough to pay your monthly bills for 3 months.

• Christmas presents for children and grandkids are good and expected. Decide on an amount you can afford. Spend half of it on physical gifts. The other half, invest in a good growth stock market fund. The kids will love their net worth at age 21. They will not even remember the Barbie dolls of their early years.

• Buy a quality 3 year-old car; not a new car. A new car loses 25% in value the moment you leave the car lot.

These decisions will increase your longevity, your quality of life and your net worth. It won’t cost you a dime, if you do it one thing at a time. (Paraphrased from Johnny Cash) And even if things don’t come out perfect, they’ll still be better.

Live happy. Live long. It ain’t all that hard to do ... if you think before you act. +

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

by Kim Beavers, MS, RDN, CDCES Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Chef Coach, Author Follow Kim on Facebook: facebook.com/eatingwellwithkimb

MIDDLE AGE… from page 5 me have my nice moment without being reminded of the bad aspect of things. I know they mean well, though. Why not just say something like how proud you are of us for facing this test and doing our best despite the trying circumstances? That’s much better.

Whatever you face these days, keeping your chin up and striving to not only survive but thrive can make a real difference. Let’s all emulate Fred and Ginger for as long as we have the time to do it. It beats the alternative all to heck and back. +

FIESTA TACOS

J.B. Collum is a local novelist, humorist and columnist who wants to be Mark Twain when he grows up.

He may be reached at johnbcollum@gmail.co

These guilt-free tacos are loaded with vegetables and tons of flavors—a sure family favorite. It would be super simple to double the meat/ mushroom mixture and then freeze half for a quick taco any night!

Ingredients • 1 large (4-ounce) portabella mushroom cap (gills scraped out, rough chopped) • ½ medium Vidalia onion, rough chop • 1 medium poblano pepper, seeded, rough chop • 1 medium zucchini, rough chop • 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 8 ounces lean ground beef • 1 plum tomato, diced • 1 tablespoon chili powder • 2 teaspoons ground cumin • 1 teaspoon paprika • ½ teaspoon salt • Freshly ground black pepper • ¾ cup low-sodium chicken stock • 12 corn tortilla shells, lightly charred (see note) •Taco topping suggestions: shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded sharp cheddar, diced avocado, diced plum tomatoes, sliced radishes, reduced fat sour cream Directions Begin by chopping the vegetables (you can chop them by hand but I recommend a food processor). Start by finely chopping the mushrooms in the food processor, then transfer them to a bowl and set aside. Next place the onion and poblano pepper in the processor and pulse about 5 times, then add zucchini and process until all vegetables are finely chopped.

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HOW YOU DECORATE THEM IS UP TO YOU

Heat the olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and finely chopped mushrooms. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon or meat chopper, until browned, about 3 minutes.

Stir in onions, peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes. Sauté until veggies have softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle meat with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.

Add the broth and simmer until the sauce is thickened and all vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

Serve warm taco shells filled with ¼ cup meaty mushroom filling and top with lettuce, cheese, avocado, tomatoes, radishes and sour cream.

Yield: 6 servings (2 tacos per serving) Nutrient Breakdown: Calories 250, Fat 7g, (1.5g saturated fat, 3g monounsaturated fat), Cho-

lesterol 20mg, Sodium 320mg, Carbohydrate 34g, Fiber 4g, Protein 12g Percent Daily Value: 60% Vitamin C, 8% Vitamin A, 8% Iron, 2% Calcium Carbohydrate Choices: 2 Carbohydrates Diabetes Exchanges: 2 Starches, 1 Vegetable, 1 ½ Protein, 1 Fat Note: To cook the tortillas place them in a dry non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add the tortillas in a single layer. Cook them for about 30-60 seconds on each side allowing them to char just a little, so they taste delicious but are still pliable enough to form tacos. If you have a gas stove you can also char them directly over the gas flames turning them with tongs. The direct flame method will take less time but requires more attention so as not to burn the tortillas. Keep tortillas warm by covering with a clean moist dish towel or paper towel. +

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

DECEMBER 15, 2023

A TOUGH QUESTION WITH A SIMPLE ANSWER swer the question with many words so you can answer it with just one. In my Family Workshops over the years (no charge to attendees on Tuesdays 6 – 7:15 p.m.), I have frequently used the “3 Cs” to help family members “get it.”

They are: • You didn’t CAUSE it • You can’t CONTROL it • You can’t CURE it We do a group chant of this often enough to etch it into our brains. I’ve noticed the most challenging attendee is the one who says “I can’t accept that.”

Oh my. Usually after attending for several months, however, this attendee does accept it, and is the most influential in helping newcomers accept it. The (formerly!) blind now leading the blind. It’s why selfhelp groups work so well.

Before “managed care” limited inpatient stays for substance abuse treatment, I saw scores of addicts using

by Ken Wilson Steppingstones to Recovery

This morning I received an observation via email from a local citizen which perplexed me at first reading. It went: “A friend of mine is in the throes of addiction with all the accompanying problems – legal, financial, vocational, and family stress. He has blown his way through a number of treatment programs and is in jail now for drug possession.

Very sad.”

Sad indeed. The observation begs the question: Why do some addicts get well and others do not? Certainly if a simple, definitive answer could be given, someone would’ve written a book about it and become a millionaire from the sales! Millions of parents and spouses have lost sleep wondering why their loved one just can’t seem to get it.

I will now attempt to an-

their health insurance for a Best Western 28-day stay in the hospital, meals and room service included. Some of these patients had completed dozens of programs, unsuccessfully in the long run, but their brain flashed this message like an blinking orange traffic light: “I’m going to go through this and get my job back, my wife back, get the judge off my case and stay clean and sober for awhile. In time I’m going to use again but next time I’m not going to let myself get out of control.”

I’ve asked thousands of clients in treatment groups over the years if they thought this, and they have all admitted that it was going through their minds!

Among the many things about recovery we don’t know, we do know that it takes three factors to successfully recover: Desire (the most important), Support, and Accountability.

Every relapse is due to lack of one or more factors in this equation. Treatment programs are built around these main factors. The Best Westerners and the Frequent Fliers of the recovery world don’t seem to buy into this, to their destruction, of course.

Family members usually rationalize their loved one’s addiction, trying to make sense of it all. On a psychodynamic level, they are usually doing so to minimize their pain, subconsciously thinking, “If I could rationally understand this, it wouldn’t hurt so badly.” If only it were such a simple equation! My best answer is sometimes a brutal and stark response: “God knows and He’s not telling.” Acceptance of this fact is subject for another column…someday.

This morning I shared a post I saw on Facebook that had no credit line, but here it

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goes anyway: “Think about how hard it is to change yourself and you’ll understand what little chance you have to change others.”

For years I’ve asked family members of my clients, “Who in your life has the power to change you?” It’s a tough question with a simple answer. I’m interested in how you answer it. Hopefully, it will be with a single word. +

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

FOODISMEDICINE Tasty tips from registered dietitians with the Augusta Dietetic District Association

AN INSPIRING WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY

by Sunitha Zechariah, PhD, RDN, LD, CNSC, FAND Program Director, Morrison Healthcare Dietetic Internship Hon. Adjunct Professor (Augusta University), ADDA Legislative Chair Losing excessive fat tissue and building lean muscle is exceedingly challenging, especially around the holiday time. It is difficult for several reasons since we have to prepare and consistently eat the right foods, stay active, deal with temptations and setbacks, and all of these need to happen while we work a demanding full-time job, take care of home, family, and kids and the list goes on…..

Sounds challenging, right?

Yes, very. Is it impossible?

Absolutely not, says my special friend, Robert Alexander, who I recently had the pleasure of interviewing.

Please read Robert’s candid interview sharing his weight loss journey.

to meeting people of my past and I look for every mirror I can find now. Not trying to sound conceited, but I’m amazed at where I came from and where I am now.

is said that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” So, I decided to take my first step.

What started you on this weight loss journey?

When I met my wife, I was very fit and in great shape.

Marriage, work and especially kids demand your time away from personal efforts.

I would often dream about getting even in half the shape I once was. I’m not saying that you should forget about yourself and family, but for me personally, these things took more of my effort. But to answer your question I decided to make my dreams a reality and started reading and listening to people….. It

What was your turning point?

That happened when I realized I was ashamed to run into people from my past and tell them who I was. Like people I went to high school with or people I used to work with. I would go out of my way to avoid these situations.

Another breaking point was that I would avoid looking at my reflection. If there was a mirror in my path, I would go out of my way to avoid it.

I told myself I shouldn’t be this way, so I did something about it. Now I look forward

Robert Alexander before

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Had you tried losing weight before and failed? What was different this time?

I tried losing weight before and was successful. I would join weight loss challenges at work and lose up to 25 lbs at a time. These little successes were short lived, as I would go back to old habits like big lunches and high calorie dinners. What made a difference this time is I took every failure of the past and used them as building blocks for what to do this time around.

What were your biggest obstacles in the past?

I used food for comfort. I guess I needed a lot of comfort. I also thought “one day I will.” Then I thought when will that one day be? Also, I looked at my peers and saw that they were living the same way I was so I must be doing ok. One day, in thought and prayer it was revealed to me I was at a point of no return; either it happens now or it will never happen. That

revelation put an urgency in me to start this journey. I believe in the saying, “aging is the relentless pursuit of comfort.” This saying has stuck into my mind and has helped me to really focus on who and what I want to be.

Share your success – how much weight did you lose?

What was your original weight?

At my heaviest I weighed 295 lbs. Now I’m maintaining at 200 lbs. I was a size 46 waist, and now I’m a 34. My shirt size was XXL and now I can wear medium.

Robert Alexander after

What measures have you How did you lose weight? taken to stay on track?

What strategies did you use?

I’ve been consistent by At first I decided to do holding myself accountable. intermittent fasting. I would I will tell key people my goal skip breakfast and lunch with for next month and work the exception of coffee. Of toward it.

It works.

Because course it was hard at first but I feel like I will let people I gave myself two weeks to down if I don’t meet my start. The first two weeks I goals. lost 10 lbs and that motivated me to keep going. I also How do you stay motivated? added 1 hour of steady state Once I started working cardio, which was mostly an with weights, I started to see incline treadmill walk keepresults physically. I felt more ing my heart rate between youthful and things that were 115-125. I also did a Peloton hard were not hard anymore. bike and would alternate so I Things like getting up off of wouldn’t get bored. The bike was convenient because I had the floor and bending over to pick things up. I also learned one at home.

When I got to 225, I bought that we lose lean muscle tissome strength training equip- sue as we get older. I learned we can combat this by adding ment for my garage. I started strength training to our lives. lifting weights and added a I also became a student of protein shake twice a day to what your body needs to be help keep the muscle I had fit. I read books and listened begun to gain. I alternate to podcasts and this gave me cardiovascular fitness and some knowledge for motistrength training. I would also start training at the gym. vation. Once we know and understand how things work, I am mobile with my job, so we can produce strategies to I got a membership at a gym help ourselves. that had multiple locations so no matter where I was, What is your favorite health a gym was close. I still skip lunch, so I take my lunchtime food?

Right now, any food that to go to the gym. It was nice has proteins is my favorite. I because it didn’t take any try to get 40g per meal. It is time from my family when I got off work.

Please see WEIGHT LOSS page 11

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

CRASH

COURSE

More Americans have died on US roads since 2006 than in World Wars I & II combined

H

months. (Nationally those two figures are 21.5% and 17.0%, respectively.)

So winter overall is dangerous for pedestrians, but we’re fast approaching a particularly dangerous time: Christmas.

NHTSA has compiled Christmas crash statistics for the 10-year period ending in 2021, the last year for which definite numbers are available.

(NHTSA defines Christmas as the period beginning at 6 p.m. on Dec. 24 and extending through 6 a.m. on Dec. 26.) It’s odd how fatal Christmas crashes (all crashes, not pedestrian only) seem to come in spurts. For instance, they jumped from a mere 98 in 2013 to 361 the following year. More recently, there were 397 pedestrian deaths nationwide in 2018, “only” 127 in 2019, and then back up to 313 in 2020, going up again to 361 in 2021.

Looking at the big picture, many experts lay the blame for pedestrian deaths at the feet of city planners and societal trends in general. In other words, many cities cater to the car culture to the exclusion of pedestrian safety; and the trend in the automotive world is for ever-bigger cars, trucks and SUVs. Let’s let those people address the improvements that are within their realm to make.

In the meantime, what can you and I do as ordinary drivers?

Probably the #1 strategy for protecting life and limb — including pedestrians — is to slow down.

Speed increases the risk of crashing, and when a crash does occur it worsens the severity of the crash. If you think it’s bad to be in a crash while surrounded by the protective cage a car provides, imagine being hit when you’re on foot. If such a collision doesn’t end up being fatal, it could certainly be extremely painful, possibly for a lifetime.

Here’s another very important step that many people need to take this time of year: keep your windshield clean. Have you noticed that when the sun is close to the horizon a dirty windshield is almost opaque? A dump truck could be right in front of you and be invisible, let alone a human being.

Another important tool: that sun visor could be a lifesaver (a pedestrian’s and yours) for promoting visibility and protecting pedestrians.

Finally, pedestrians can perhaps be best protected by a simple and increasingly rare commodity: paying attention while driving. What a concept. It means not texting while driving, or even talking on the phone. For one thing that’s illegal; for another it disregards and endangers the safety of everyone in traffic around you.

In short, everyone can help reduce the serious problem of pedestrian injuries and deaths. +

{

ow old were you when you learned how to walk? No doubt too young to remember.

Walking is something we’ve all been doing as far back as we can recall.

With that much experience under our belts, it would seem completely unnecessary to review how to walk. Open up a walking school and you’ll be broke and out of business within a month or two.

So how is it that so many walkers in the Aiken-Augusta area are stepping right into the path of oncoming cars and winding up at the morgue?

For starters, it isn’t always the perambulators who are at fault. When cars and people collide, it’s as likely to be the driver’s fault as it is the walker’s.

No matter who is to blame, the problem of pedestrian fatalities is getting worse, both nationally and right here in Augusta. Locally, it started when 2023 wasn’t even a week old when April Harrod was struck and killed on Mike Padgett Highway on January 6, and it hasn’t let up since.

On December 7, Amy McMillion was hit by a car and killed on Gordon Highway.

There were a couple of deadly back-to-back double-death weekends in October, including a couple of hit-and-run fatalities (the drivers were later identified and arrested).

The latest figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reflect across the country what is happening in Augusta.

In 2021, the latest figures they have compiled, 7,388 pedestrians were killed, a 13% increase from 2020. In addition, more than 60,000 pedestrians were injured, no doubt with lifelong implications in many cases.

Based on preliminary data, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), has projected an even higher number for 2022: 7,508 pedestrians killed in traffic crashes. If that projection is confirmed it will mark the most pedestrian fatalities since 1981 — 42 years ago — and represent an average of 20 deaths every day of the year.

Statistically, the deadliest time for pedestrians is between 6:00 pm and 8:59 pm. But it isn’t just the clock that spells danger; it’s also the calendar: as we have seen locally in recent weeks, winter is the worst time of year for these tragedies. That makes sense: it gets dark earlier and stays dark longer. In Georgia, fatal crashes are 4.3% higher in winter months than non-winter. Iowa is the only state where pedestrian-involved fatal crashes are actually lower during winter months. The worst is Washington, D.C., where more than 63% of fatal crashes in winter months involve pedestrians; only 29% of fatal crashes there involve pedestrians during summer

{

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The blog spot — posted by Sylvia Faircloth on The Mighty, Sept. 16, 2023

WHAT MY WALKING STICK MEANS TO ME The day I was told I had rheumatoid arthritis was the day my life changed. It started over 15 years ago with pain in my legs and back. I would notice walking up stairs would be a challenge for me. I always loved walking. I would walk five miles a day. One sunny day I got ready to go on my walk. I had on my gray comfortable jogging gear.

I had my Puma running shoes on. I began my walk.

I hadn’t made it a half a mile when I collapsed right there on the street. My knees and legs were in excruciating pain. I called a friend and asked if they could come pick me up. As I was sitting on the sidewalk awaiting my ride, I was balled up in the fetal position I was in so much pain.

For me this diagnosis was very bad news. I was the woman who loved to dance. I would dance myself out of any situation.

I could move every which way you could imagine. Now I couldn’t even walk a mile. I had to turn in my dancing shoes.

Before long I was having to take injections and pills. There have been so many nights when I couldn’t go to sleep.

Walking became very hard for me. I got a walking stick and it became such a friend for me. I was afraid to fall outside, so I’d use my walking stick to get around. When you depend day in and day out on your walking stick, it becomes very difficult not to have it. Going grocery shopping, I have my walking stick. When I go to my doctor’s appointment, I have my walking stick. I would have never thought in a million years this dancer would be using a walking stick to get around.

There are mornings when it is very hard to get out of bed. I lift my stiff body off the bed, lift one leg up and then the other leg. I then sit up and walk to the bathroom and begin my day.

Pain is sometimes the order of my day. When my body is in pain, I rarely go out of the house. I sit in the house and hope the pain will leave.

I really appreciate the days before my body was filled with pain. We can’t take our healthy bodies for granted. We never know when out of nowhere we may find ourselves needing a walking stick. RA is a disease that affects my joints and leaves me stiff and very sore. I can truly say I have good days and bad. However, through it all I’m grateful for having a walking stick to assist me in difficult times. My walking stick is always there for me and I don’t leave home without it. I may have turned in my dancing shoes, and maybe I can no longer walk five miles a day, but I can grab my walking stick and slowly get to where I need to go. +

“I WAS BALLED UP IN THE FETAL POSITION.”

This could be you.

The Medical Examiner can be delivered right to your door!

Use the handy form on page 13

11 +

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

The

Money Doctor YEAR-END TAX PLANNING This is many people’s favorite time of year.

Lots of hustle and bustle takes place as we get ready for the Christmas season. It may seem counterintuitive, but this is also a great time of year to think about one of our least favorite things – TAXES! Instead of waiting until after December 31st to start putting together your tax files, we recommend thinking about it before December 31st. That is because there are actions you can take before year-end that will save you money. Below is a list of some of the common items we help clients consider for year-end tax planning.

Maximize 401k Contributions Pre-tax retirement contributions are often one of your largest tax breaks each year. The IRS increases the limits each year, so you need to make sure you adjust your contributions to maximize the contributions. If you are not on track to max, talk to your employer and increase your contributions before 12/31.

Taxable Investments Tax Loss Harvesting (non-retirement accounts) When you buy and sell in these accounts the gains or losses impact your tax return.

You should review your positions to see if you have any losses you could harvest to offset gains. If you have a net loss, you can use up to $3,000 each year to offset ordinary income.

Charitable Gifting with Appreciated Stock Charitable giving is another great tax break, especially if you gift at levels above the standard deduction. You can turbo charge

this strategy by gifting appreciated assets such as stocks directly to a charity or to a donor-advised fund. Donor-advised funds allow you to bunch multiple years of gifts together to get a deduction above the standard deduction. You must make the gift before 12/31 to get the tax break this year.

Charitable Gifting with Retirement Accounts If you are over 70.5, you are eligible to gift directly from your retirement account. This is called a qualified charitable distribution. A great strategy if you are below the itemized deduction level.

Other Planning Items There are several other tax planning strategies that you can consider after 12/31. Things like 529 contributions, health savings account contributions, Roth and traditional IRA contributions, and more. These can all be done before you file your taxes and still help you get a tax deduction.

The best practice is to connect with your financial planner and tax preparer well before 12/31. If you provide them estimates of your situation, they can help you consider various scenarios and strategies before 12/31.

This will help you not miss out or run into a surprise when filing taxes in the spring. +

by Clayton Quamme, CFP® a financial planner with AP Wealth Management, LLC (HYPERLINK “http://www.apwealth.com”www. apwealth.com). AP Wealth is a financial planning and investment advisory firm with offices in Augusta, GA and Columbia, SC.

WEIGHT LOSS… from page 9 my favorite because I understand the restorative properties that it has for my body. It satiates me and it’s working with my longterm and short-term goals on the weekend. I like grilled chicken breasts or pork chops and have one when I get home from work, a couple hours before supper. That helps me to not gorge at supper, and seems to help with my energy levels even later on into the evening.

to do with weight training. I love the way it makes me feel afterward. Saturday mornings are my favorite day to train because I’m at home and have all my equipment there and can do it as long as I want. Usually an hour and a half is as far as I will go.

What is your favorite cheat food?

I am a chocoholic, so my favorite cheat food is anything with chocolate in it. Occasionally, my wife and I will go to Dairy Queen, and I will get a chocolate blizzard with chocolate chips. At this point, it doesn’t seem to affect my weight loss because I’m at a place of maintaining, and I factor that into all of my workouts.

During this holiday season, we tend to eat more and exercise less. What would be your message right now to those who are striving to achieve success like yours?

The holidays are tough with all of the snacks and feasting. I think we should enjoy these times, but in moderation. If I know I’m going to have a high sugar, high caloric meal or snack, I will do more to earn those as rewards. I call it “earning my carbs.” I will do more walks and try to keep active by scheduling more house or yard work to keep moving.

What is your favorite exercise?

My favorite exercise is anything that has

Go Robert! Keep up your magnificent work and continue to inspire me and others. +

Want advertising info about this paper?

Check our rates at www.AugustaRx.com

+ 12

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

The Examiners

DECEMBER 15, 2023

THE MYSTERY WORD

+

Why the long face?

Is it that obvious?

by Dan Pearson

Worse. I got laid off.

I got a ‘John Deere’ Oh no. You got one? letter.

As a matter of fact...

You look like you just You’ve heard of a lost your best friend. ‘Dear John’ letter, right?

The Mystery Word for this issue: IASTNTS

© 2023 Daniel Pearson All rights reserved.

Simply unscramble the letters, then begin exploring our ads. When you find the correctly spelled word HIDDEN in one of our ads — enter at AugustaRx.com

EXAMINER CROSSWORD

PUZZLE

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7

8

9

10

14

15

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17

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22

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Click on “MYSTERY WORD” • DEADLINE TO ENTER: NOON, DEC. 29, 2023

We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!

13

3 9 E X 9 1 7 A 3 M8 7 2 I 5 6 N 6 E 4 1 R

23

ACROSS 24 25 1. Blocker kickoff?

5. IBS centerpiece 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 10. Glasgow ______ Scale 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 14. Police invasion 15. Swelling 40 41 42 43 44 16. Novelist Murdoch 45 46 47 48 49 17. Mild oath 50 51 52 18. Baja bye-bye 19. Short nail 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 20. Stop 61 62 63 22. Germ-free 24. Intended 64 65 66 67 25. Some fonts are sans this 68 69 70 26. “Brat Pack” singer 71 72 73 29. Center start 33. _____ Tour

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2023 All rights reserved.

36. African thumb piano 39. Saves 72. Norway to Norwegians comedy 40. Apiece 73. Run in neutral 31. Apple product 42. Lungs should be this 32. Area abbrev.

44. It can follow oh.

DOWN 33. Rind 45. Downtown street 1. Sid of note in Braves history 34. Festive occasion 47. Classic anesthetic 2. Tidal bore 35. Rights org.

49. Kissing in public, etc.

3. Pageant winner’s crown 37. Ltrs. after many mil. names (abbrev.)

4. A number added to another 38. Exclamations of contentment 50. Find something funny 5. Rhythm 41. Avenue on The Hill 51. Self-satisfied 6. Eccentric 43. Deep sleep abbreviation 53. Silent Marx brother 7. WBBQ founder George 46. Fraud 57. Noted local burn patient 8. Show emotion theatrically 48. Hick Shirley 9. Intense medical beam 52. Indian independence leader 61. Former riverfront seafood 10. Adjusted to an urban 54. Staff again restaurant in Augusta environment 55. First quality 63. Women-only part of a 11. By mouth 56. Famous grouch Hindu or Muslim house 12. Medical guinea pigs?

58. Had the courage 64. Slammin Sammy 13. Inquire 59. Prepare to pray 65. How a brewery starts?

21. Brain ____ 60. Two under on 13 67. Lees 23. James of R&B and funk 61. ____ Avenue off 15th Street 68. Fracture type 27. Primary survey letters 62. Toward the ocean 69. Full speed (at sea) 28. River with two major 63. Type of defense 70. Part of the foot and hand tributaries, one White, one Blue 64. _____ story 71. Glass ornament 30. Former HBO political 66. 18-wheeler

BY

8

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2023 All rights reserved.

DIRECTIONS: Every line, vertical and horizontal, and all nine 9-square boxes must each contain the numbers 1 though 9. Solution on page 14.

QUOTATIONPUZZLE Y E T H

H S I S E I M L S E W S O N O I E S T H T L O E S H D N

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2023 All rights reserved

2 8 9 1 4 5 D H A O6 3 S E W I8 7 5 4 T T L1 6 T E D7 9 3 2 — Author unknown

DIRECTIONS: Recreate a timeless nugget of wisdom by using the letters in each vertical column to fill the boxes above them. Once any letter is used, cross it out in the lower half of the puzzle. Letters may be used only once.

Black squares indicate spaces between words, and words may extend onto a second line.

Solution on page 14.

Solution p. 14

Use the letters provided at bottom to create words to solve the puzzle above. All the listed letters following #1 are the first letters of the various words; the letters following #2 are the second letters of each word, and so on. Try solving words with letter clues or numbers with minimal choices listed. A sample is shown. Solution on page 14.

1 2 3 Y 1 2 3

M 1 2 3 4 ’ 1 2 3 4

1 2

A 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4

1

1 2 3 4

2

1 2 3 4 O 1 2 3 1 2

1.HYTTTFIRIWDT 2.TOOOSEHHIAIO 3.LEVMMUNER 4.TEEENA 5.X

SAMPLE:

1. ILB 2. SLO 3. VI 4. NE 5. D =

L 1

O 2

V 3

E 4

I 1

S 2

B 1

L 2

I 3

N 4

D 5

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2023 All rights reserved

WORDS NUMBER

S U 1 4 2 D 3 4 1 O 7 K 1 3 5 U 5 4 7

3 7 6 1 9 2 5 4 8

9 5 3 7 2 6 4 8 1

1 4 2 8 5 9 3 6 7

7 6 8 4 3 1 9 2 5

DECEMBER 15, 2023

13 +

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

THEBESTMEDICINE

college student thinks it will be easy and interesting to take a class in ornithology to meet his science requirement.

How wrong he was! There were mountains of homework and he needed to study for hours every week to prepare for just that one class.

He absolutely had to pass the final exam, so he spent days studying and reviewing material, only to discover on the day of the final that the exam had but a single question with 50 photos: identify all 50 birds by their feet alone. Well, in all his studies he had never paid attention to the feet of a single bird. There was no point in taking the test. Completely dejected, he took the blank exam and placed it on the professor’s desk and headed for the door.

The professor called out, “Wait! There’s no name on this paper. Who are you?”

The student calmly took off a shoe and sock, waved his foot at the professor and said, “You tell me!”

A gingerbread man went to the doctor because his foot hurt.

The doctor told him to ice it.

Advice Doctor

There are four stages in life.

First, you believe in Santa Claus.

Next, you don’t believe in Santa Claus.

Then you are Santa Claus.

Finally you look like Santa Claus.

ha... ha...

A

The

©

Moe: I was just reading a story about an unemployed plumber who decided to move to the Netherlands.

Joe: Why the Netherlands of all places?

Moe: Because everyone there has clogs.

Prisoner #1: You want this candy bar?

Prisoner #2: No thanks. Chocolate makes me break out.

An elevator repairman gets called to a restaurant to fix the small elevator used to transport food from the kitchen to the dining area upstairs He finds the manager and asks, “Can you point me to the dumbwaiter?”

The manager scratches his head, then says, “You’ll have to be a little more specific.”

Moe: What did the atheists name their son?

Joe: Godfrey.

The doctor’s new assistant walked into the crowded waiting room, clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention and announced, ”As of today, our clinic staff has decided to stop calling for patients by name in order to protect your privacy.”

She paused a few seconds as she looked at the list on her clipboard and then said, “The gentleman with hemorrhoids is next.” +

Why subscribe to theMEDICALEXAMINER? Staring at my phone all day has certainly had no Effect on ME!

Because try as they might, no one can stare at their phone all day.

Dear Advice Doctor, I hate to air dirty laundry in public, so the anonymous format you’ve provided here is perfect. My question is about my husband.

He’s a quiet man, which I don’t mind at all. But when I want him to talk, it’s like pulling teeth. The man is the poster child for poor communication. How can I get him to open up?

— Sounds like the sounds of silence Dear Sounds, You used an apt analogy: it’s not easy to pull teeth. It can be when teeth, gums or bones are abnormal in some way. But pulling a healthy tooth, such as an orthodontist does to make way for realigning teeth, is a bit of a job.

Fortunately, anesthesia makes it easy for the patient. In fact, if you do feel pain during a dental procedure like an extraction, don’t be afraid to speak up (if your mouth isn’t full of gauze and cotton balls, that is). There’s no need to try to be a hero.

In various medical settings patients are sometimes told, “You’re going to feel a little pressure.” In many cases they should probably just go ahead and say pain instead of pressure.

But in a dental setting pressure is the perfect word.

As we have established, the goal is for dental patients to feel little to no pain. But removing a tooth is a rather physical act.

The phrase often used, pulling a tooth, as though pulling a knife from its sheath, paints a very inaccurate picture. After all, teeth are solidly embedded in bone, held in place by ligaments. That’s how we can bite into apples and steak and corn on the cob without our teeth coming out. They are very firmly entrenched.

Extracting a tooth requires a little wiggle room, and a dentist or oral surgeon will try to provide that as step two (step one being anesthesia). The composition of bone in the jaws is spongy, comparatively speaking, so wiggling a tooth around with special dental tools enlarges the space around the tooth and makes extraction easier. It might be compared to trying to pull a deeply driven tent stake straight out of the ground versus trying to wiggle it around sideways in all directions to loosen the ground’s grip on the stake before pulling it out.

That is basically what a dentist is doing prior to extracting a tooth: moving the tent stake — I mean tooth — around to make it easier to remove. It’s pretty physical. It’s the perfect time to say, “You’re going to feel some pressure.” Best wishes! + Do you have a question for The Advice Doctor about life, love, personal relationships, career, raising children, or any other important topic? Send it to News@AugustaRx.com. Replies will only be provided in the Examiner.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE MEDICALEXAMINER +

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Why read the Medical Examiner: Reason #170

By popular demand we’re making at-cost subscriptions available for the convenience of our readers.

If you live beyond the Aiken-Augusta area, or miss issues between doctor’s appointments — don’t you hate it when that happens? — we’ll command your mail carrier to bring every issue to your house!

NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP Choose six months for $22 ____ or one year for $40 ____. Mail this completed form with payment to Augusta Medical Examiner, PO Box 397, Augusta GA 30903-0397

BEFORE READING

AFTER READING

6 + 14

4

1

1 3 5 5 4

THE MYSTERY SOLVED The Mystery Word in our last issue was: TREATMENT ...cleverly hidden on the man’s shirt in the p. 5 ad for SCOTT INSURANCE GROUP

THE WINNER: ROBIN IVEY! If that’s your name, congratulations! Send us your mailing address using the email address in the box on page 3. The new Mystery Word is on page 12. Start looking!

DECEMBER 15, 2023

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER THE PUZZLE SOLVED B E T A B O W E L C O M A R A I D E D E M A I R I S E G A D A D I O S T A C K A R R E S T S T E R I L E M E A N T S E R I F D E A N C I V I C P G A M B I R A K E E P S E A C H C L E A R D E A R E L L I S E T H E R P D A L A U G H S M U G H A R P O B A D K E P A L M E R S Z E N A N A S O S A M I C R O D R E G O P E N A M A I N H E E L B E A D N O R G E I D L E

SEE PAGE 12

The Celebrated TheSUDOKUsolution MYSTERY WORD CONTEST 2 8 3 9 1 7 5 6 4

...wherein we hide (with fiendish cleverness) a simple word. All you have to do is unscramble the word (found on page 12), then find it concealed within one of our ads. Click in to the contest link at www.AugustaRx.com and enter. If we pick you in our random drawing of correct entries, you’ll score our goodie package!

SEVEN SIMPLE RULES: 1. Unscramble and find the designated word hidden within one of the ads in this issue. 2. Visit the Reader Contests page at www.AugustaRx.com. 3. Tell us what you found and where you found it. 4. If you’re right and you’re the one we pick at random, you win. (Winners within the past six months are ineligible.) 5. Prizes awarded to winners may vary from issue to issue. Limited sizes are available for shirt prize. 6. A photo ID may be required to claim some prizes. 7. Other entrants may win a lesser prize at the sole discretion of the publisher. 8. Deadline to enter is shown on page 12.

9 4 6 8 5 1 7 3

1 5 3 7 4 6 9 2

7 6 1 9 2 5 4 8

5 3 7 2 6 4 8 1

4 2 8 5 9 3 6 7

6 8 4 3 1 9 2 5

8 7 9 6 3 2 1 4

2 1 5 4 7 8 3 9

QuotatioN QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless still dead.

— Author unknown

WORDS BY NUMBER The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.

— Sydney J. Harris

3 9 2 1 8 7 5 6

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PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY +

ACUPUNCTURE

DERMATOLOGY

EMF PROTECTION

Dr. Eric Sherrell, DACM, LAC Augusta Acupuncture Clinic 4141 Columbia Road 706-888-0707 www.AcuClinicGA.com

Georgia Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center 2283 Wrightsboro Rd. (at Johns Road) Augusta 30904 706-733-3373 SKIN CANCER CENTER www.GaDerm.com

EMF Safe Homes Sheila Reavill Certified Building Biology Specialist 209-625-8382 (landline) SURVEY•ASSESSMENT•REMEDIATION

WOODY MERRY www.woodymerry.com Long-Term Care Planning I CAN HELP! (706) 733-3190 • 733-5525 (fax)

IN-HOME CARE

PHARMACY

CHIROPRACTIC Evans Chiropractic Health Center Dr. William M. Rice 108 SRP Drive, Suite A 706-860-4001 www.evanschiro.net

COUNSELING Resolution Counseling Professionals 3633 Wheeler Rd, Suite 365 Augusta 30909 706-432-6866 www.visitrcp.com

DEVELOPMENTAL PEDIATRICS Karen L. Carter, MD 1303 D’Antignac St, Suite 2100 Augusta 30901 706-396-0600 www.augustadevelopmentalspecialists.com

DRUG REHAB Steppingstones to Recovery 2610 Commons Blvd.

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YOUR LISTING HERE Your Practice And up to four additional lines of your choosing and, if desired, your logo.

Keep your contact information in this convenient place seen by thousands of patients every month.

Call (706) 860-5455 for all the details!

LONG TERM CARE

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CALL THE MEDICAL EXAMINER (706-860-5455) TO BE LISTED HERE

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Money

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Because wallets should be healthy too

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

DECEMBER 15, 2023

YOU’RE SO VEIN THERE ARE 60,000 MILES OF VEINS IN THE HUMAN BODY When even a few inches aren’t working properly the result can be misery.

SYMPTOMS THAT CAN INDICATE VENOUS DISEASE AND VARICOSE VEINS: Bulging bluish or purple veins visible under the surface of your skin Painful or achy legs that feel heavy Muscle cramping in your legs, particularly at night Itchy legs, especially on your lower leg and ankles Burning or throbbing sensations in your legs Swollen feet and ankles at the end of the day

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CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT TODAY

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PHONE 706-724-2500

AUGUSTA VASCULAR CENTER WEST 3623 J. Dewey Gray Circle, Suite #100 • Augusta 30909

PHONE 706-854-9932

AugustaVascularCenter.com