AUGUSTA
FREE T AKE-H OME C OPY!
+
TM
DOCTORS HOSPITAL • EISENHOWER ARMY MEDICAL CENTER • EAST CENTRAL REGIONAL • GEORGIA HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY • GRACEWOOD • MCGHEALTH • PRIVATE PRACTICE • SELECT SPECIALTY HOSPITAL • TRINITY HOSPITAL • UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL • VA HOSPITALS • WALTON REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
AUGUSTA’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED IN 2006
MARCH 1, 2013
We are what we eat It’s March! MARCH IS NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH
W
hich person are you in the picture above? Take a good look. At first glance it looks like all men are created equal, made from random assemblages of food. But upon closer inspection, there’s someone with what looks like a very well-rounded diet, a fast food junkie, a vegetarian, and one who looks like his entire diet consists of alcohol.
See “Ask A Dietitian” on page 7
A
go on some crazy celery and water diet with the best of intentions, but nobody can stick with something weird for long. That’s where the importance of our normal habits come in. Even for healthy people, normal can include a big juicy burger and fries and a soft drink, or a glazed, jelly-filled donut, but those should mark the occasional side trip, not our everyday dietary habits. As in, “I normally eat fast food once or twice a month.” Think of good food like this: it’s medicine. It’s what keeps us healthy and keeps us from
Which one are you? Most of us are a combination of all (or at least three) of them. Some days we’re the junk foodaholic, other days we’re the poster child for healthy eating. That’s real life. Healthy eating has to take into account that we’re humans. We may Please see WHAT WE EAT page 9
ctually, you probably don’t. I didn’t know either until I accidentally stumbled across a website that said March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Woo hoo! What’s all the celebrating about? Well, it isn’t exactly celebrating. The key word is awareness. Probably few diagnoses are more dreaded than hearing a doctor tell you that you have cancer. I know: I’ve been there. There I was, six years ago give or take, minding my own business, writing an article for this very publication about the importance of getting checked for colorectal cancer (which sometimes means getting a colonoscopy). I thought to myself, “it’s kind of hypocritical to tell everybody else to do something you haven’t even done yourself.” As it turned out, I had a doctor’s appointment coming up and brought up the subject and got scheduled for a colonoscopy. Good thing I did, because they discovered cancer. That chance screening probably saved my life. Not that my story should be unique: although colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of death among cancers that affect both men and women, doctors estimate that 60 percent of all colorectal cancer could be prevented by routine screenings. That’s a lot (some people would say a butt-load - not me, though). Of course, nobody wants to have a colonoscopy. But it sure beats dying, or having a colostomy and wearing a bag for the duration of your life. Keep in mind, however, there’s no guarantee you’ll even need a colonoscopy test. If you’re over 50, celebrate Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! Call your doctor and schedule a screening. Do it this week! + — Dan Pearson Medical Examiner Publisher
A special message • Page 2 Hey kids!!! • Page 3 Medicine in the First Person • Page 6 The Short White Coat med student diary • Page 15
o t n e e b t ’ n e v a h u o y “What, lately? ”
AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!
Come by today to see our new selection of great scrubs! Cherokee • Med Couture Koi • Barco
(706) 364.1163 • WWW.SCRUBSOFEVANS.COM • 4431 WASHINGTON RD • NEXT TO THE EVANS DINER • M-F: 10-6; SAT: 10-4