May16 14

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FREE T AKE-H OME C OPY!

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MAY 16, 2014

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MAY 16, 2014

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Party like it’s 1899

B

efore dietitians and dieters across the fruited plain cancel their Medical Examiner subscriptions, we ask them to at least read the following paragraph.

None of the following should trump the specific advice any reader has been given by their healthcare provider. Whatever they say comes first.

Secondly (for those of you still reading), if you expect this article is going to endorse a daily breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, toast, coffee cake, orange juice, coffee and other assorted

goodies that wouldn’t fit in the page one picture, you’re about to be sadly disappointed.

But here’s the deal.

My grandparents didn’t care about fat. They didn’t read labels. I don’t think they had a clue about what cholesterol is.

They drank whole milk. They ate bacon. They fried food in pure lard. And they lived into their eighties.

What about you and me?

If we commit any of the aforementioned dietary offenses or lapses (and we do), they’re definitely guilty pleasures.

We’re extremely well-

informed nutritionally compared to past generations of history and if we try to conscientiously follow the best recommendations for healthy living, how long will we live?

Hopefully as long as our grandparents did.

Stop the presses!

“Hold it right there,” you say.

“People long ago had much shorter lifespans than we do today. I’ve seen the statistics.”

At this point I have no choice but to trot out an overused Mark Twain quote: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies,

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and statistics.”

Let’s focus for a moment on that last one. If you have 60 seconds to spare and a Googleequipped device, you can readily find statistics for very short life expectancies in Third World countries today and for civilizations of yore.

Those statistics may be, if not damned lies, at least ordinary garden variety lies.

To illustrate my point, one might read that children born in medieval Europe or equatorial Africa might have an average life expectancy in the mid-40s.

However, do a little digging and you’ll discover that for, let’s say, a 20-year-old in any of the times and places just mentioned, they could easily expect to live another fifty years.

Why the discrepancy?

Infant mortality. In other words, if a couple in Somalia or 17th century America had two children and one died in childbirth and the other lived to age 90, that couple’s offspring had a 45-year average life expectancy.

High infant mortality rates skew the numbers dramatically downward, but people who survived infancy had quite a few years ahead of them.

The only constant is, well, constancy It sure isn’t change. Life expectancies (discounting infant mortality) have stayed basically the same for 2,000 years.

Examples: Plato lived over 2,000 years ago, and he was about 80 when he died. Ditto for Hippocrates, except that he lived 90 years. Socrates died at the tender age of 71, but then, he was executed.

Long before these gentlemen lived and died, the Bible — a really old book — made a statement that sounds like

• PSORIASIS • RASHES • WARTS • ITCH RELIEF

it could be describing life this week, not 2,500 years ago: “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty if our strength endures.” That’s from Psalm 90.

You don’t have to trust statisticians who are, according to Twain, liars. Visit any old cemetery and look at the tombstones. Do the math.

Check out the average age of the residents when they moved in.

You’ll undoubtedly find plenty of people who died in their late sixties, seventies and eighties despite the fact that they were born in the 1700s or even earlier.

When people attack When they attack food, that is.

And in times past, boy did they.

Way back in 2008, a study was published in the British Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine. The study “examined the huge amount of Victorian medical records available from 1850 - 1900,” an era that conjures up mental images of orphanages, child labor, malnourished, barefoot children working in unsafe textile mills, and adults who scraped through short, harsh lives.

Study authors found that those mental images reflect “historical realities that have been greatly distorted.”

How? For starters, men consumed an average of 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day, women around 3,000. The 2008 British study said that compared with “an average of around 2,200 calories today.”

So Victorians were tubs of lard?

Not even close. “Obesity was virtually unknown except in the upper-middle and wealthier classes,” said the study.

They also found that people in the 1850-1900 era were Please see PARTY page 3

We welcome Chris Thompson PA-C to our practice, welcoming new and established patients.

MAY 16, 2014

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

SEE PAGE SIX

PARTY… from page 2 healthier than we are today, despite all the advancements in medicine over the past dozens of centuries.

As alluded to earlier in our comments about how statistics can be distorted, study authors found that infant mortality was high in Victorian England. But “if children survived to the age of five, adult life expectancy was 75 for men and 73 for women; and they generally remained in good health until their last few weeks of life.”

The British study found Victorians consumed less salt, sugar, alcohol and tobacco than we do, and ate more vegetables, eight to ten servings a day.

As a result, records show that in the mid-Victorian period, cancers and heart disease were less than 10 percent of the levels we experience today.

What does it all mean?

I sure hope you’re still reading, because the lessons we can take from all of this are significant. So if you aren’t reading this, please start!

Lesson #1 is not consuming 3,000 to 5,000 calories per day.

This is inaccurate and misleading, if technically true.

That was then; this is now.

Nor is the message to eat bacon and eggs and sausage, et cetera every day. However, the fact that Victorians could do it and experience virtually no obesity and extremely low levels of heart disease and cancer is no accident: they worked. They were physically active all day long. We, on the other hand, go to work sitting in a car and then often spend the majority of our workday sitting in a chair.

All things being equal, we could eat practically anything we want every day (yes, like the page 1 breakfast) without major

health repercussions — if we were active throughout the day. To a significant degree it’s not how much food we eat; it’s more about how much we burn. That’s a vote for getting more exercise.

Of course, all things are not equal. Foods today are often much more refined and much less nutritionally dense than what Victorians ate.

That’s a vote for continuing to be a label reader and mindful eater.

There is one other significant moral to the story of living a long and healthy life. While we may enjoy ever-lengthening life expectancies despite our assorted bad habits, it’s worth noting that many lives today are artificially lengthened at great cost: people survive on expensive pharmaceuticals and are often restricted by health-related handicaps.

How much better it is to pursue the healthiest life possible. As an old proverb puts it, “May you live until you die.” +

What’s your story?

!

Nearly all of us — even doctors and nurses — are sometimes patients. Perhaps you were recently injured playing your favorite sport, or years ago you somehow got hurt without even leaving your favorite recliner. Maybe you were diagnosed with a dreaded disease, mugged in a dark and lonely parking lot, or you stubbed your toe in the safety of your own bedroom. On the other hand, perhaps you needed medical attention 5,000 miles from home. Whatever your medical experience, we’d like to hear your story for our Medicine in the First Person feature. It can be frightening or funny, ordinary or extraordinary, just a few paragraphs long or quite a lengthy tale, bylined or anonymous. We’ll publish your encounters with the medical profession as often as we receive them. + Send your submissions for Medicine in the First Person to the Augusta Medical Examiner via e-mail: info@AugustaRx.com or to PO Box 397, Augusta, GA 30903-0397. (The Medical Examiner reserves the right to accept, reject, or edit any submission at its sole discretion.)

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MAY 16, 2014

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Hope IS Possible

Hate: a powerful 4-letter word Helen Blocker-Adams

M

artin Luther King, Jr. is the only person who is not a former U.S. President to have a major monument dedicated to their memory in Washington, D.C. Thousands of people from all over the world attended the dedication ceremony in 2011, including many from Augusta.

The story of Dr. King has been told for many years and his message of hope, dreams, courage, economic progress, fairness, and doing the right thing are what he stood for.

Dr. King never stood for hate. But hate was as thick during that Civil Rights era as clouds before a storm.

But sixty years ago tomorrow (May 17, 1954), the Supreme Court handed down its landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision branding segregation in public schools as unconstitutional.

Do you remember this picture (right)? It captures an incident that took place in Little Rock before I was born. It was 1957, and was a direct result of the Supreme Court’s decision.

Hazel Bryan is the woman on the left, and even if you didn’t know what she was saying, the horrific look of hatred on her face is unmistakable.

Her facial expression toward the brave woman in the foreground named Elizabeth Eckford spoke volumes.

The story behind the picture and how it affected the lives of these two women is still

evolving today. It’s a story you might want to read one day.

Hate is evil. Hate is not of God. Hate can’t possibly be good for our mental health and well-being. I think it’s safe to say that most of us have been treated in an unkind manner at least once in our lifetime. Some have been publicly ostracized.

Embarrassed in front of their peers. Been made to feel inferior. Been cursed at in a vile manner. Been talked about. Been bullied. Any of

these situations could trigger that emotion called hate. But it doesn’t have to. It’s a choice we make.

What is hate? It’s a deep and extreme emotional dislike, directed against a certain object or class of objects. The objects of such hatred can vary widely, from inanimate objects to animals, oneself, or other people, entire groups of people, people in general, life itself, or the whole world. Other targets could be hot topic issues like politics and religion.

Although hatred can simmer quietly, it is often associated with strong actions of anger and hostility against the objects of hatred. Hatred can become very driven.

Actions taken upon people or even oneself after a thought has been allowed to fester are not uncommon. Hatred can result in extreme behavior such as violence, murder and war.

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Think about it. We can go back to the beginning of time and Jesus was treated in a way no human being can ever imagine. He did not respond with hate. Rev. King was spit on, hosed with strong streams of water, lied about, jailed, and so much more. But he did not respond with hate.

Personally, I do not believe that a person can hate if he truly has God in his heart. Of course, being treated in a nasty way and not experiencing strong negative feelings toward that individual is easier said than done. But if you succumb to hate, who is that hate going to hurt the most?

You. It’s your body, mentally, physically and spiritually, that could suffer the most. Think of the stress on your mind and body. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile.

I’m not naïve enough to think hate and evil can disappear from this world. It’s here and will be here until....

But embracing that word, buying into that mentality and accepting that hate has to be a part of our life is a choice we do not have to make. We do not have to hate. Period.

There are many people who have demonstrated their capability to rise above hate, even though they could have chosen otherwise. It’s a crucial choice to make and a difficult one, but it can be made.

Which do you choose to enhance your emotional wellbeing? Hate or love? + Editor’s note: The preceding is an adaptation of a column that previously appeared in this space in 2011.

Helen Blocker-Adams is Executive Director of the Southeast Enterprise Institute; mental health advocate; and youth advocate. You can email her at hba@hbagroup-intl. com or visit her website at www. helenblockeradams.comvisiting www.hbagroup-intl.com or www. authorhouse.com

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

WHAT EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT THE WONDERS OF MOTHER’S DAY

I

AUGUSTA

t was a special day. My granddaughter came to visit to help us celebrate Mother’s Day. Ours was a private, a stay-at-home event honoring and celebrating the women in our family without the drudgery of enriching the restaurant business or fighting traffic or waiting in lines.

I smoked chicken wings for two hours. I favor Stubbs Mopping Sauce, while my son goes for Johnny Harris. My wife did her part: Silver Queen corn on the cob (dripping in butter, of course), baked harvest apples, ladyfinger peas with chopped Vidalia onions, and baked oatmeal cookies. The food was so good it must be sinful in some corner of the world. I will worry about my cholesterol, lipid levels, waistline, and BMI another day.

Afterwards, we settled in for a couple hours of slumber in favorite chairs.

All went well for a while.

Then our dog went into a barking convulsion. She is a female attack Yorkie. Usually

these fits mean a pickup loaded with pine straw sits idling out front while a worker comes to our door to interrupt our naps and sell us some pine straw.

But our driveway was empty. No stray cat occupied our back deck. Timmy had not fallen down the well.

No amount of soothing and petting could stop the barking. Something was amiss. Our Yorkie demanded we recognize her alarm. I half-heartedly looked about the yard and found nothing.

Still, our Yorkie would not stop barking. Finally my wife scanned a clump of azaleas in our backyard and was astounded to see a turtle about 10 inches in diameter.

We all stumbled out and from a respectful distance, stood motionless as we quietly watched as Mrs. Turtle laid her eggs. For a half hour or so, Mrs. Turtle carefully and skillfully covered her nest of precious eggs. Eventually, her maternal job done and her duty to Mother Nature complete, Mrs. Turtle melted FREE T AKE-H OME C OPY!

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E

TH

Best quietly into the woods. She struggle briefly with a small ditch. (I wanted to lift her over the small ditch, but turtles carry salmonella and I had no hankering for a miserable bout of nausea and vomiting and diarrhea.

Actually she did not need my help; she negotiated the ditch quickly.)

We and our Yorkie studied the nest from a short distance.

So skillfully had Mrs. Turtle prepared the nest, I would never have even noticed that she had been there at all.

She had smoothed the soil and

e n i c i d ME

covered it with leaves to the point that only a highly skilled eye could detect its presence.

Our attack Yorkie’s barking went into neutral. She was content. She had warned us of an unknown assailant. Her job was done.

Could she hear the turtle from inside our home? Could her nose detect it through walls, closed doorsand windows? Did she have some magical or animalistic connection to the maternal instincts of Mrs. Turtle?

I don’t know.

But I do know she

alerted us to look, and was content only when we saw the turtle nest and knew that we had too..

But it was Mother’s Day, and we were there to honor, appreciate, and celebrate Motherhood. So it only made sense that we appreciate my wife, our granddaughter, our female Yorkie, and Mrs. Turtle. I am thankful for all these ladies.

I was happy, even though my planned nap had been interrupted.

But now I have a new duty: Protecting turtle eggs for the next 2 months. I marked it off with bricks so I will not disturb it when I mow the grass. It is the least I can do.

It was a marvelous Mother’s Day. + Bad Billy Laveau is a retired MD with a pointed sense of humor.

Bad Billy speaks and entertains at public and private events for audiences not subject to cardiac seizure secondary to overwhelming laughter and glee BadBilly@knology. net or 706-306-9397

TM

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MAY 16, 2014

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER M E DIC I N E

I N

T H E

F I R ST

P E R S ON

The scoop on CP

M

y name is Katie and I have cerebral palsy, or CP. I have what is called spastic right hemiplegia (onesided) which mostly affects my right arm with weakness and tightness. I don’t need a wheelchair or a walker, so some people don’t realize I have CP. I’m basically a normal teenage girl despite the fact that I have CP. When I was a baby, my parents noticed that I didn’t use my right hand, which usually stayed near my right cheek. I used only my left hand. A few times I couldn’t fall asleep until 6 in the morning. After five febrile seizures in 4 months

In short, I have it. when I was about 2 years old, I had my first MRI after an EEG came back normal. The MRI said that I had cortical dysplasia, and my mom jokes that meant I had “a hole in my head.”

I was put in the Babies Can’t Wait program so I could get occupational (OT), physical (PT), and speech therapy. My mom kept all the therapy notes and reports from the medical tests, and I read them so I could tell you about the parts I don’t

remember. I do remember that I played with a bear puzzle to help me use my right hand and a swing that helped with my balance. I also remember mom buying me hotdogs as a snack after OT. My therapists made hard work feel like fun. I received Botox to loosen up my muscles, but that stopped working when I was a kindergartener, which was around the time that I was officially diagnosed with CP. I saw a developmental pediatrician and had neuropsychological testing.

For a few years I had an ankle-foot orthotic (AFO) to help me use my right leg better and a Benik glove to straighten

out my right wrist. Sometimes I wore jackets even when it was warm so the glove would be quite so noticeable.

I haven’t had speech or PT for a few years because I don’t really need it anymore, and I was also able to stop OT last year. Instead of usual therapies I sing for speech, I go for walks for PT, and I do hippotherapy for OT, which is therapy on horseback to strengthen a certain part of a body (for me, it’s my right arm).

I’m responsible for stretching my arm and leg, but I’m a teenager, so I usually forget.

I still need to wear a brace on my right arm to help straighten my wrist, but after my spine x-ray results came back last year, I was told that I don’t have scoliosis anymore. I think hippotherapy is the reason.

I was considered at risk for seizures because of the cortical dysplasia, but I haven’t ever had an epileptic seizure (knock on wood).

School is okay, but sometimes

people used to ask me why I get to carry my books in a bag when I switch classes even though no one else is allowed to. Or they always used to ask me about my right arm. It’s hard to explain what cerebral palsy is. I decided to create a Facebook page to explain what cerebral palsy is, and that just because I don’t use a walker doesn’t mean I might need a little extra help once in a while.

The page is called “Learning About Cerebral Palsy.” If you have questions for me, you can write it on my page.

I’m thinking about my future and starting to drive, which for me means looking for a steering wheel that doesn’t require two hands and a career that doesn’t require two hands. I think I might go into IT. There’s no way to tell where I’ll go; only time will tell. + — submitted by Catherine Cox Augusta, Georgia

WE’RE BEGGING YOU We’re never too proud to beg. What we’re begging for is Medicine in the First Person stories. With your help, we’d like to make this a feature in every issue of the Medical Examiner. After all, everybody has a story of something health- or medicine-related, and lots of people have many stories. Send your interesting (or even semi-interesting) stories to the Medical Examiner, PO Box 397, Augusta, GA 30903 or e-mail to Dan@AugustaRx.com. Thanks!

“The cause was a mystery for a long time.”

“And that’s when I fell.” nearest hospital “He doesn’t remember a thing.” “The was 30 miles away.”

“I was a battlefield medic.” “He was just two when he died.”

“OUCH!”

“It was a terrible tragedy.” “She saved “I sure learned my lesson.”

“I retired from medicine my life.” “It seemed like a miracle.” seven years ago.” “We had triplets.” “It was my first year “I thought, ‘Well, this is it’.” NOTHING SEEMED of medical school.”

“They took me to the hospital by helicopter.” TO HELP, UNTIL. . “It took 48 stitches.”

ambulance crashed.”

“Now THAT hurt!” “The “My leg was broken “I’m not supposed to be alive.”

“This was on my third day in Afghanistan.” in three places.”

“I lost 23 pounds.” “Turned out it was just indigestion.”

“At first I thought it was something I ate.” “The smoke detector woke me up.”

Everybody has a story. Tell us yours.

Here’s our “No Rules Rules.” We’ll publish your name and city, or keep you anonymous. Your choice. Length? Up to you. Subject? It can be a monumental medical event or just a stubbed toe. It can make us laugh or make us cry. One thing we’re not interested in, however: please, no tirades against a certain doctor or hospital. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

“

Man — despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments — owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.

— Author unknown

“

MAY 16, 2014

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

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Marinated Mushroom Salad - a healthy Spanish tapas dish

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One of our favorite things to do on a Sunday evening is to have a light meal with several different tapas dishes. It always reminds me of the time we spent in Spain a few years ago. This marinated mushroom salad is perfect to serve as an appetizer. Very flavorful, but still healthy and clean. It has a very light lemon dressing that also will make for a perfect accompaniment to grilled fish or chicken.

On our trip to Spain in 2008, we fell in love with the very relaxed atmosphere there. We enjoyed an amazing four days in the perfect climate and sampled all of the delicious foods Spain had to offer. For those of you who have travelled there, you understand when I say the Spanish lifestyle is laid back.

The dinner hour doesn’t even start until about 9:00 pm, generally serving tapas instead of a large meal.

Tapas in Spain were usually marinated salads made from fresh vegetables, cured meats such as prosciutto or chorizo, fresh cheeses, olives and fresh wholegrain breads. Lovely Spanish wine or Sangria was served with these yummy Tapas. We enjoyed the late dinner hour and sampling small bites of different flavors, almost all of which were very pepper, salt and pepper to leaf parsley, coarsely chopped light, tasty and healthy. the lemon juice and olive oil • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed Give this recipe a try. Have and whisk again to mix all • 1/4 tsp. of crushed red pepper some marinated mushrooms ingredients together well.

• 1/4-1/2 tsp. of Real Salt or sea and transport yourself to Spain.

Pour dressing mixture over salt mushrooms and parsley and • 1/4 tsp. of cracked black toss to coat mushrooms. pepper Serve immediately at room temperature or if you prefer, Instructions: chill slightly. + With a damp paper towel, What you’ll need: clean mushrooms and then slice • 1 lb. of organic button them thinly. Place into a mixing Alisa Rhinehart writes the blog mushrooms www.southerngirleatsclean.com bowl.

• 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed Chop the parsley and place in She is a working wife lemon juice and mother living in the bowl with the mushrooms.

• 1/4 cup of organic coldEvans, Georgia. Visit In a separate small bowl, whisk pressed extra virgin olive oil her blog for more together lemon juice, olive oil • 1 Tbsp. of white balsamic recipes and information and white balsamic vinegar. vinegar on clean eating.

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MAY 16, 2014

The next issue of this, Augusta’s Most Salubrious Newspaper, will be dated June 6, 2014.

We publish every 1st and 3rd Friday.

+8

P harmacy 411

OUR NEWSSTANDS Medical locations: • Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Ctr, 15th St., Main Entrance • Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Uptown Div., Wrightsboro Rd., main lobby • Doctors Hospital, 3651 Wheeler Rd, ER Lobby Entrance • Eisenhower Hospital, Main Lobby, Fort Gordon • George C. Wilson Drive (by medical center Waffle House and mail boxes) • GHSU Hospital, 1120 15th Street, South & West Entrances • GHSU Medical Office Building, Harper Street, Main Entrance • GHSU Medical Office Building, Harper Street, Parking Deck entrance • GHSU Hospital, Emergency Room, Harper Street, Main Entrance • GHSU Children’s Medical Center, Harper Street, Main Lobby • GHSU, Laney-Walker Boulevard transit stop, Augusta • Select Specialty Hospital, Walton Way, Main entrance lobby • Trinity Hospital, Wrightsboro Road, main lobby by elevators • Trinity Hospital Home Health, Daniel Village, main lobby • University Health Federal Credit Union/ University Hospital Human Resources, 1402 Walton Way, Main Lobby • University Hospital, 1350 Walton Way, Emergency Room lobby area • University Hospital, 1350 Walton Way, Outside Brown & Radiology/Day Surgery • University Hospital - Columbia County, 465 N. Belair Road, Main Lobby • University Hospital Prompt Care, 3121 Peach Orchard Road, Augusta

Around town: • Barney’s Pharmacy, 2604 Peach Orchard Rd. • Birth Control Source, 1944 Walton Way • GRU Summerville Student Bookstore • Blue Sky Kitchen, 990 Broad Street • Columbia County Library, main branch lobby, Ronald Reagan Drive, Evans • Enterprise Mill (North Tower), 1450 Greene Street, Augusta • Daniel Village Barber Shop, Wrightsboro Road at Ohio Ave. • Hartley’s Uniforms, 1010 Druid Park Ave, Augusta • International Uniforms, 1216 Broad Street, Augusta • Marshall Family Y, Belair Rd, Evans • Mellow Mushroom, 12th and Broad Streets, Augusta • Parks Pharmacy, Georgia Avenue, North Augusta • Southside Family Y, Tobacco Road, Augusta • Surrey Center, Surrey Center Pharmacy, Highland Avenue, Augusta • Top-Notch Car Wash, 512 N. Belair Road, Evans • Wild Wing Cafe, 3035 Washington Road, Augusta

Very little if anything about healthcare is inexpensive, and that includes medicine. Tiny pills can command large prices. Over-the-counter medications may be less expensive, but are they also less effective? Find the answers to lots of your drug store questions in this column written by Augusta pharmacists Chris and Lee Davidson exclusively for the Medical Examiner.

SAVINGS ON BRAND NAME MEDICINES ARE POSSIBLE

B

rand name medicines today generally come with a high price tag. The drug manufacturers contend that this is needed for research and development costs associated with both the drug in question and other costly attempts that did not make it to market. Additionally, there has been a recent increase in class action lawsuits over unknown or undisclosed drug side effects, and the manufacturers have to be able to pay these costs too. Making pharmaceuticals may be lucrative, but it’s also very expensive.

This does not mean that help may not be available for endof-the-line users. Your primary insurance will be the first line of help, of course, but often there is a fairly large copay left over for the consumer. A few months ago we talked about discount cards and the difference between them and a copay assistance card put out by the drug manufacturer. In this issue let’s talk about manufacturer copay assistance cards. They can often be found by going to the drug’s (or its manufacturer’s) website.

A few details about copay assistance cards need to be clarified first. Not everyone is eligible to use a copay assistance card. A true copay assistance card is a discount taken off your insurance copay, and this type of card cannot be used by people on Medicare, Medicaid and other government insurance plans.

Depending on the fine print of the specific card, this can include employees covered by state health insurance plans, Tricare for military beneficiaries and civilian employees of the government.

There are some manufacturer assistance cards that offer a free supply of medication instead of a discount off the price.

Retired bomb plant workers love us.

Government beneficiaries typically are eligible for these types of manufacturer programs.

With that preamble out of the way, if you are taking one or more high priced brand name medicines, check with each manufacturer program and find out if you are eligible to participate. If so, sign up and give your pharmacy the copay assistance card(s). The pharmacy will then bill your insurance and rebill the copay to the copay program. You will pay a lower copay and save money on your brand name medications.

Keep in mind that copay programs often have limits on the amount of discount per dispensing.

Some will only pay down the copay to a certain dollar amount and you will be responsible for perhaps the last fifteen to twenty dollars. Some programs have a maximum benefit per program year or per dispensing. I have seen as low as a fifty dollar total maximum benefit, and at the other extreme as high as eighteen hundred dollars per year.

For those of you with no insurance or who cannot afford even a discounted copay there is another option. Manufacturers typically have a program for free medicines that can be shipped to you or your physician directly from the manufacturer. You typically must meet stringent income requirements to qualify for these programs, but if cost is an issue then it is worth it to apply.

Let me know if you have any questions about whether a particular drug has a copay assistance program. I h…ope this helps your monthly budget. + Questions about this article or suggestions for future columns can be sent to us at cjdlpdrph@bellsouth.net Written for the Medical Examiner by Augusta pharmacists Chris and Lee Davidson (cjdlpdrph@bellsouth.net )

They say we’re the bomb.

William E. Durrett, Jr., M.D.

(And we’re a provider for DOL/EEOIC benefits)

Pain Management, Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine www.aikenpain.com / email: thepaincenter@aikenneuro.com

P / 803.642.6500 F / 803.649.7551

P

ARKS

HARMACY

Hometown. Not big box.

437 Georgia Avenue, North Augusta, SC Plus... 500+ doctors offices throughout the area for staff and waiting rooms, as well as many nurses stations and waiting rooms of area hospitals.

MAY 16, 2014

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

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CALL 706.860.5455 TO ADVERTISE IN THE MEDICAL EXAMINER

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MAY 16, 2014

DON’T LICK THE BEATERS Useful food facts from dietetic interns with University Hospital’s Augusta Area Dietetic Internship Program

D

o you feel that you’re consistently giving into your sweet tooth? Many people have trouble controlling sugar craving and the tendency to overload on sweets. You might expect that giving in would satisfy the craving, like drinking a glass of water quenches your thirst. Instead, ingesting excessive amounts of sugar can cause intense sugar cravings, binge eating, weight gain, and heart disease.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that we limit our daily sugar consumption to 7% or less of our daily calorie intake—that’s about 6 teaspoons (100 calories) for women and 9 teaspoons (150 calories) for men. But that adds up fast! According to the USDA, the average American consumed 132 pounds of sugar in 2010. (In case you’re wondering, 6 teaspoons times 365 days comes nowhere near 132 pounds.) Therefore, it’s important to be aware of the amount of sugar you’re adding in your diet. While the occasional sweet treat won’t make or break your weight loss program or your overall health, it’s the portion control of sweets that many of us battle.

In general, the fewer sweets you eat, the less you’ll crave sweets. One step you may take to conquer your sugar habit is riding your pantry and refrigerator of added sugar products. Just don’t do it like this kid is suggesting (right).

Surprisingly, some “diet” foods or “healthy” foods, such as yogurt and instant flavored oatmeal, contain measurable amounts of unnecessary added sugar. Other added sugars sneak into our diet disguised as ketchup, teriyaki sauce, chocolate milk, etc. Finding these sneaky sugars will require a bit of label reading in the beginning but then you will become more aware of what foods contain added sugars. Scan the ingredients list on the food label and see if any of these sugar forms appear listed below. (Especially if the sugar is in the first five ingredients on the list, avoid that product.)

Agave nectar Agave syrup Barley malt Beet sugar Brown rice syrup Brown sugar Buttered syrup Cane sugar Cane juice Cane juice crystals Carob syrup Confectioner’s sugar Corn syrup

9+

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

High fructose corn syrup Corn sugar Corn sweetener Corn syrup solids Crystallized fructose Date sugar Dextran Dextrose Diatase Diastatic malt Evaporated cane juice Fructose

Fruit juice Fruit juice concentrate Glucose Glucose solids Golden sugar Golden syrup Grape sugar Grape juice concentrate Honey Invert sugar Lactose Malt Maltodextrin

DO YOU HAVE

PSORIASIS? RED, SCALY PATCHES ON YOUR ARMS, LEGS OR TRUNK?

You may qualify for a clinical research study of an investigational topical medication.

You must be 18 or older to participate.

You don’t need insurance.

Qualified participants will receive compensation for time and travel.

CALL

AUGUSTA CENTRE FOR DERMATOLOGY DR. ANNE M. LOEBL

706 447-3930

Maltose Maple syrup Molasses Raw sugar Refiner’s syrup Sorghum syrup Sucanat Sucrose Sugar Turbinado sugar Yellow sugar

Once you have identified the foods with hidden sugar, clean out your kitchen by throwing them out or donating them. But keep in mind; you don’t need to throw away everything that is sweet.

A lot of our whole foods contain natural sugars. Foods with natural sugars, like fruit and milk, contain essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. Satisfy your sweet tooth with apples, bananas, melons or berries which combine natural sugar with fiber and significant levels of antioxidants. Be wary of the certain fruit- or milk-based products that contain added sugars, like flavored milk, flavored yogurts, and canned fruit with added sugar or syrup. Opt for unflavored skim or 1% milk, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, and whole pieces of fruit.

Now that you’re aware of what to look for and what to avoid, it’s time to replace all these added sugar products that were tossed. You can replace high sugar cereals with a whole grain cereal that contains little to no added sugars. Sweeten it naturally with fresh berries or half of a diced banana.

Replace all of your candy snacks and cookies with healthy snacks like nuts, whole fruit, peanut butter on whole grain crackers, or raw veggies with hummus.

Another major step to take to avoid sugar is to rethink your drink. At least half of the sugar we consume comes from soft drinks, fruit drinks, and sport drinks. Just one 12-ounce can of regular soda contains 8-10 teaspoons of sugar (remember: the recommendation for the whole day is just 6 teaspoons) and 130-150 calories. When choosing a refreshing beverage to quench your thirst, keep in mind that you want to eat your calories, not drink them. Choose ice cold water flavored with a squeeze of fresh lemon or an orange slice. You can also flavor unsweetened iced tea with fresh mint, crushed raspberries, or a squeeze of citrus.

So don’t despair candy lovers, there’s light at the end of this frosted candy coated tunnel. With a little determination and food knowledge, you can train yourself to stop craving sugar by cutting out the added sugars and extreme sugar portions. When you do, you’ll experience something truly sweet: weight loss success and a healthier you. + — by Patricia Jenkins Dietetic Intern, Augusta Area Dietetic Internship, University Hospital

This issue contains a hidden Mystery Word.

Details, pages 12 and 14

+ 10

MAY 16, 2014

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Follow the Medical Examiner between T issues at our blog

+ AugustaRX.com/news

and all the usual places facebook.com/AugustaRX

twitter.com/AugustaRX

We

by Ross Everett

THE STATE OF THE STATE

his month, The Commonwealth Fund released a report that scored each U.S. state across four dimensions of health care access, quality, costs, and outcomes between 2007 and 2012. The report included 42 specific measures by which states were graded and serves as a follow-up to a 2009 report of the same design. The measures include a wide variety, ranging from number of uninsured residents to hospital admission/ readmission rates to prevalence of obesity and tobacco users in each state. The extensive study is intriguing.

To put it simply, Georgia did quite poorly. Our state ranked 45th out of 51, included D.C. Perhaps even more disheartening, though, is that Georgia dropped 10 spots from the 2009 list, where we ranked 35th. Our drop was surpassed only by Indiana, which fell 12 spots (31st to 43rd), and Michigan, which dropped from 15th to 26th. Across the four dimensions upon which The Commonwealth Fund based its findings, Georgia ranked 39th in Access and Affordability, 43rd in Prevention and Treatment, 33rd in Avoidable Hospital Use and Cost, and 38th in Healthy Lives.

Additionally, Georgia’s lowest ranking was 46th in a fifth dimension, Equity, in which the study designers ranked

each state based on gaps in performance for vulnerable populations—based on income and race/ethnicity— for selected measures.

One particularly notable finding was the rate of uninsured people. After all, the push to diminish the number of uninsured Americans has been the most prominent of the current administration’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). However, here in Georgia there was an increase in uninsured adults ages 19-64 from 22% to 26%, and in children under 18 from 11% to 12% was seen from the 2009 report. Remember that these numbers only measure through 2012. Georgians can hope that implementation of the healthcare law since then has improved these figures.

Yet, as the authors of the report note, of the bottom 25 states in the ranking, 16 have voted to opt out of Medicaid expansion made available by PPACA. Georgia, of course, is one of those sixteen.

Governor Deal was quick to reject the idea of expansion, clearly vocalizing his stance on the issue in August 2012 after the Supreme Court’s ruling on the healthcare law.

The Governor, like most opponents of expansion, cited cost as the primary reason to decline. The expansion would extend Medicaid

eligibility to residents with incomes equal to or below 133% of the federal poverty level. Between 2014 and 2016, the federal government will absorb 100% of the costs.

The federal government will then gradually reduce its contribution to 90% by 2020.

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s ruling, however, this notion of cost has been mostly debunked.

The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute states that Georgia’s share of the costs would commit $2.1 billion over the next 10 years. Does that sound like a lot of money?

It’s only about 1 percent of the state budget. In fact, the Institute says Deal’s decision will cost the state as much as $65 billion in lost new economic activity and the loss of more than 56,000 new jobs over the next ten years. Their estimates largely draw on two researchers at Georgia State University, who projected that every dollar Georgia invests over the 10 years would return $30.45 into the state economy.

Furthermore, to opt out of expansion is to “waste” Georgia money. Consider that Medicaid is largely paid for by federal funds. These funds are raised through general revenue taxation that Georgia residents are already paying. Thus, Georgians aren’t receiving the federal service they are helping to pay for. Instead, Georgia taxpayers are being used to support Medicaid enrollees in other states. A previous Commonwealth Fund report estimated that this “waste” could approach a net cost of up to $2.8 billion for Georgians in 2022.

Still, those who challenge the expansion say that the uncertainty of continued subsidization from the federal

government after 2020 make the risk too high. However, in the face of scrutiny, Governor Deal did not want to assume responsibility for failing to insure up to 500,000 Georgians, so he opted to help write, promote, and sign HB 990 into law last month, a bill which prohibits the governor from expanding Medicaid without prior approval from the state legislative houses (which both have Republican supermajorities). In a glorious punt, Deal was able to shift responsibility in the name of the republic, as both the state House and Senate passed HB 990 in March of this year. It went just as planned.

As evidenced by the Commonwealth Fund’s most recent state ranking, Georgia’s healthcare system is moving backwards. Dropping 10 spots in 5 years to 45th is ghastly. Thus, while Medicaid expansion would not be a cure-all for our shortcomings, to negate the benefits of this expansion is unjustifiable.

There is no doubt that Georgia’s decision to decline Medicaid expansion is solely political. It is just one more step in a marathon of attempts to countermand President Obama’s administration in the name of politics. This time, it will cost a half-million Georgians the opportunity to have health insurance. + Ross Everett is a 3rd year medical student at the Medical College of Georgia. He grew up in Buford, Georgia, and graduated from the University of Georgia in 2011.

In addition to his coursework, he is interested in health policy, health systems and health management. Please contact him at wideeyedwhitecoat@gmail.com and Like him on Facebook at Wide-Eyed White Coat.

GUEST COLUMN

Health and safety go hand in hand. Right?

S

your

www.facebook.com/ AugustaRx

afety is an important component of our health. In today’s world, the definition of safety has expanded to include much more than it did even a decade or two ago. Disease, violence in all forms, and even terrorism all play a part in our selfprotection plan today. It is now wise to be vigilant even walking from building to car no matter where we may be.

With that in mind, I have noticed a trend which has taken hold in the last few years that I believe crosses the common sense barrier. More and more people are turning their vehicles into a personal billboards about themselves.

It is now possible to be stopped in traffic and learn more than you ever wanted to know about the stranger stopped in front of you. Their vehicle

can tell you their initials, or their first name. They want you and everyone else to know the size of their family, including the total number of children and how many of each gender they have —and in what order they arrived. They include pets and their species. You can learn if they are mourning the loss of a loved one,

including the dates of birth and death; their religious and political leanings and any cause they are passionate about.

You can find out which college they attended and/or currently support, as well as the schools their children attend.

They will have bumper stickers about the sports and hobbies they are interested in right down to the particular team they root for. They are eager to let you know which vacation spot, restaurant or radio station they prefer. Military service is not left out, nor is their profession.

Do we really need to know whether or not they are a grandparent, married or divorced, or what their sexual orientation or nationality they may be? Apparently we do.

Please see SAFETY page 15

MAY 16, 2014

11 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

From the Bookshelf The blog spot – Posted on April 23, 2014 at storytellerdoc.blogspot.com

Bingo resilience Her wary eyes, magnified by thick spectacles, watched my every move as I pulled Room 21’s curtain to the side and entered.

In her early eighties, it was apparent to me that my entrance into her life was more important than the abdominal pain that brought her to our Emergency Department. In the corner sat a slight man with wispy gray hair poking out from the borders of his baseball cap. His wrinkled face and tired appearance made me question if this man was her son or husband.

I returned my gaze to the patient and extended my hand to introduce myself. “Hello, Ms. Westin.

My name is Dr. Jim and I will be taking care of you today while you are in our Emergency Department.”

“Hello, Doctor,” she replied. “Please call me Bertha.”

Turning to the gentleman in the corner, I introduced myself again.

“Thank you, Doctor. My name is Sam. I’m her son.”

“Thank you for being here with your mother today, Sam.” Sam nodded. My response, actively thanking him for taking the time to accompany his elderly mother to the Emergency Department, is something I have been saying for the past few years to adult children who accompanied their elder parent to our department. It is my way of acknowledging and validating their efforts in helping their ill parent in a time of need. Of putting aside their own needs and demands, dropping everything at that moment to be at their parent’s side during an Emergency Room visit. This supportive action is one I respect immensely.

I turned back to Ms. Bertha and began questioning her. She had developed abdominal pain in her midepigastric to left upper quadrant about four hours prior to her arrival. The pain had completely dissipated by the time I examined her.

Her physical exam was perfect. Nontoxic. Benign. I couldn’t find a thing wrong with her.

Because of her age, we did the standard precautionary testing, including blood work, an EKG, and a urinalysis. While waiting for her test results to return, I stopped in briefly several more times for rechecks and to make sure she remained comfortable.

Finally, I went in for the final time with all of her returned test results. All results were normal and favorable.

On review of her records, I had noticed that she had never been to our ER before. I questioned her on this. “What made you nervous enough to come in for your abdominal pain today?”

“That was probably my doing,” Sam answered. “After the past few years,” Sam continued, “I didn’t want to take any chances.”

“Can I ask what has happened in the past few years to you, Ms. Bertha, that had made your son worry about you today?”

And then, Ms. Bertha’s real story came rolling from her mouth, her words tumbling right into the pit of my heart.

With a mixture of sadness and smiles, Ms. Bertha and Sam told me she had lost four children--two sons (one to cancer and one to AML with a concurrent brain tumor) and two daughters (one tragically in the late 1980s from a motorcycle accident). Her husband died five years ago. In the past year, she had buried two siblings. This recent loss of her siblings had convinced Sam that his mother’s abdominal pain was going to bring terrible results.

Sam was her only immediate family left.

When they finished, I grabbed Ms. Bertha’s right hand between mine. “Ms. Bertha,” I said, “After all that has happened to you, I admire your smile and great attitude. What keeps you going?”

“Bingo,” she answered.

We all laughed. Her resilience and happy personality made me smile. My goodbyes to Ms. Bertha and Sam were heartfelt.

As I stepped from Room 21, I was hopeful that, thanks to Ms. Bertha’s inspiration, I too would find my “Bingo” someday.

I will keep looking.

What’s your “Bingo?” +

“What’s your bingo?”

Speaking of blogs, the Medical Examiner blog is found at www.

AugustaRx.com/news. Visit daily!

The dilemma of what treatment option to pursue is well known to doctors: the standard course is to begin with the most conservative and least invasive option. If that works, well and good.

Everyone likes a happy ending.

But it’s not always that simple. Take prostate cancer as one example. There are at least half a dozen recognized treatment avenues to take, each with its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages.

The one determined to be the best option for Mr. A may not be best for Mr. B. The advantage of one option over another may rest entirely with clinical factors.

But many other factors can enter the picture. Does the patient have an overriding fear of surgery? A distrust of pharmaceutical companies?

Does he come across as skeptical of whatever is suggested, or is he willing to do whatever the doctor says, no questions asked? Are his religious views a factor in making the decision? Does his extended family — distant cousins and faraway in-laws — appear to have as much say in

the matter as he does, perhaps even more? What about the cost of the procedure and payment of the balance not covered by insurance?

The husband-and-wife team who wrote this book (Groopman’s previous books have been reviewed here) address how patients can sort through the sea of conflicting options. It’s not a simple process.

And it hasn’t been made any easier in the Internet era.

A couple of decades ago and before, patients took whatever their doctor said as gospel truth. Nowadays, we’re likely to Google everything from our symptoms to various Mayan

folk remedies. There is an endless flow of information out there. Even if all of it was accurate — which it isn’t — the sheer volume can be crippling, and certainly not conducive to good care.

Do you take the medicine that has as a side effect of increased risk of causing a heart attack, or the one with a higher risk of causing internal bleeding? What if the one you didn’t choose is actually more effective in treating the primary condition you have?

Well, the good doctors don’t have a crystal ball for their readers, but they do offer plenty of sage advice on how to make thorny decisions, as well as a simple formula that can help patients wade through all the conflicting advantages and disadvantages of any collection of medical advice.

Maybe the book could have been entitled Your Made-Up Mind. + Your Medical Mind, How to Decide What Is Right for You,

by Jerome Groopman, M.D. and Pamela Hartzband, M.D, 320 pages, published in September, 2011 by Penguin Press.

Research News New e-dangers found According to a study published this month in the peer-reviewed journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, tankstyle e-cigarettes (so called because they have refillable reservoirs) emit cancercausing formaldehyde at levels similar to traditional tobacco cigarettes.

According to study authors, the significance of the finding is that the FDA’s recent proposal to regulate e-cigarettes under the same rules as tobacco focuses only on the liquid ingredients that go into what they call “e-cig juice.” Surprisingly, there is no proposal currently under consideration to study the chemical makeup of the inhaled vapors themselves.

An additional finding was that levels of carcinogens in evapors increased dramatically when the battery power in an e-cigarette was increased.

One of the researchers was asked about the relative safety of traditional and electronic

cigarettes. He said, as quoted in The New York Times, “If I was in a torture chamber and you said I had to puff on something, I’d choose an e-cigarette over a regular cigarette. But if you said I could choose an e-cigarette or clean air, I’d definitely choose clean air.”

An overlooked aspect of prenatal care A Canadian study published on Monday of this week points out that traffic accidents are an often overlooked complication of pregnancy.

Researchers studied the driving histories of more than half a million pregnant women and in the process discovered a 42% increase in serious crashes during the second trimester when compared with their accident rate during the three years before their pregnancy.

Pregnant women traditionally worry about the health risks posed during pregnancy by things like air travel, weight gain, and hot

tubs, say study authors, while traffic safety seems to be a more realistic and common threat.

They advise such ordinary but important measures as avoiding excessive speed, signalling turns and lane changes, yielding right of way, obeying stop signs, minimizing distractions, and always wearing a seatbelt when pregnant.

Actually, all of those sound pretty good for non-pregnant drivers too.

Parents make a key difference Several years after car-crashfree babies emerge from the womb, they sometimes get into serious trouble, like abusing prescription drugs.

A study in this month’s Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics says that strong parental disapproval is one of the most effective deterrents to prescription drug abuse, one of the fastestgrowing types of drug abuse among teens. Talk is powerful. +

+ 12

MAY 16, 2014

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

THE EXAMiNERS +

I’ve decided to vote for Yu.

by Dan Pearson

Me?

Yu is.

Yu is my choice. I think you mean are.

I am.

The Mystery Word for this issue: PORANAID

© 2014 Daniel Pearson All rights reserved.

EXAMINER CROSSWORD

PUZZLE

1

2

3

4

5

14

15

17

18

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

All Mystery Word finders will be eligible to win by random drawing.

We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!

TO ENTER EMAIL DAN@AUGUSTARX.COM

16 19

Include your name and contact info, the Mystery Word, and where you found it.

QUOTATION PUZZLE A T B Y H N A R I S T T U T N F W C I U T A E N Y P P U W S E A M O N T E O E U S N

R S M C

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2014 All rights reserved

— 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.

E

7 9 1

X A M I N E R

8

4

S

1 6 5 3 4 5 1 9

2

6

2 3 9 5 8 6

4 2 9

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2014 All rights reserved. Built with software from www.crauswords.com

U D O K U

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

Use the letters provided at bottom to create words to solve the puzzle. All the listed letters following 1 are the 1st letters of each word; the letters following 2 are 2nd 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.

O 1 1 2

2

3

1 2

1 2 3 4

L Y 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 N P E 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 1

1 2 O 1

2

B G 1 2 3 4 5 6 1

2

3

4

5

1.AAAOOOSSWWHITTPGH 2.FFHEESAAANNIOP 3.EEEDAACMTY 4.DDLKHSB 5.SLEET 6.THE 7.I 8.E 9.S 10.T

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 © 2014 All rights reserved

BY

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

13

20 21 ACROSS 1. Bug 22 23 24 25 5. Show theatric emotion 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 10. Epstein follower 14. Extent of space 33 34 35 15. Tommy or Hank 36 37 38 16. Taro 17. Discourteous; crude 39 40 41 19. Skirmish 42 43 44 20. Institute 21. Garden implement 45 46 47 22. Low bank or reef 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 23. School like A. R. Johnson 26. Common descriptor for 55 56 57 bread and life 58 59 60 29. Trail component?

32. The “A” of IPA 61 62 63 33. Hamlet is one

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2014 All rights reserved. Built in part with software from www.crauswords.com 34. Having a coat of hair 35. Meadow 29. MTV practical joke show DOWN 36. Trauma pt. destinations 30. Opposite of thesis (in 1. Baseball, for example 37. The “D” of HDL/LDL poetry) 2. Pitcher stats 38. Drip feeds 31.

Produce a paper copy 3.

Monthly housing expense 39. Length of life 34. Very bad smelling 4. Handcuff 40. _______ diet 37. Knights’ wives 5. Premature 41. Leg joint 41. Former Greenjackets 6. Republic in W Africa 42. The human race catcher Jason 7. Minerals 43. “In our ____;” among us 44. Gull-like seabird 8. Comedy Central’s 44. 13 through 19 46. Research _______ .0 45. Swore 47. Benson, atop Confederate 9. Low-ranking naval offcr.

47. Big _____ Monument on Broad Street 10.

Confuse or befuddle 48. Beginning to James 49. Relaxation 11. Fight-or-flight hormone Brown’s A Man’s Man’s 50. Inflammation, generally 12. Rec. daily allowance Man’s World speaking 13. Mr. Rogers 49. Soft feathers 51. A performance by two 55. Lance starter, sometimes 18. Online auctioneer 52. Potpourri 21. Sturdy; robust 57. Roman sun festival that 53. GRU’s Sydenstricker ____ 23. Encounters became Christmas 54. Western alliance 24. Number after Seven?

58. Georgia dome covering 55. “That was a long time ___” 25.

Tantalizes 59. Willow 56. Unruly crowd 26. Ft. Gordon hosp.

60. Dryer residue 57. Habitual drunkard 27. Canton in N Switzerland 61. Comply 28. Unconscious; without 62. Irritably impatient feeling 63. Trademark Solution p. 14

WORDS NUMBER

THE MYSTERY WORD

MAY 16, 2014

13 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

THE BEST MEDICINE ha... ha...

I

believe in reincarnation. I have lived previous lives, I’m sure of it. For one thing, I’m always exhausted.

A man was attacked and left bleeding in a ditch. Two psychiatrists came walking by and saw the man. One said to the other, “We must find the man who did this right away. He needs help.”

Why did the siamese twins go to a shrink?

They were co-dependent.

How many paranoid schizophrenics does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Who wants to know?

The old man imagined that he was still a ladies man despite his age, so he flirted with the attractive young waitress.

“So tell me, sweetheart, where have you been all my life?”

“Well,” she said thoughtfully, “I probably wasn’t even around for the first fifty or sixty years of it.”

A man in a bar sees a guy fall off his barstool three times. He finally walks over, asks the guy

where he lives and kindly offers to take him home.

When they get there he knocks on the door, holding up the man who is falling-down drunk.

A woman answers the door and the man says, “Ma’am, I have your husband here.”

She says, “Where’s his wheelchair?”

A black guy, a Jewish guy, and a redneck are digging a ditch when they hit something hard. They free it from the dirt and discover it’s an old brass lamp. As they rub the dirt off it, a genie comes out and offers each of them a wish to show his gratitude.

The black guy says, “I want my own country where all us brothers and sisters can live in peace and harmony forever.”

“Done,” says the genie, and then turns to the Jew. “What about you?”

“I want my own country too, so the Jews can live in peace forever with no persecution.”

“Done,” says the genie, turning to the redneck. “And you?”

“Let me see if I’ve got this straight,” says the redneck. “The blacks are all gonna live in their own country, and the Jews are all gonna live in their own country?”

“That’s right,” says the genie.

The redneck says, “Well then, I reckon I’ll take a Diet Coke.”

A beggar saw a morbidly obese man coming out of the post office and decided to lay a guilt trip on him.

“I haven’t eaten in three days,” he said.

The obese man said, “I wish I had your willpower.” +

Why subscribe to the Medical Examiner?

Because no one should have to make a trip to the doctor or the hospital just to read Augusta’s Most Salubrious Newspaper.

The Patient’s Perspective

by Marcia Ribble

T

hese days cellulitis is the name of the game I’m playing. It was initially caused when a change in my medications suddenly made me swell up by forty pounds.

The meds have changed now and I’ve lost half of that weight quite rapidly, so I’m on my way back to good skin health on my legs again.

The process is a slow one and I’m impatient. I’d like it to all be better tomorrow. Or yesterday! Meanwhile, the old skin that died from the infection is sloughing off like a really bad sunburn. I cannot even imagine what people who notice my legs must think. I would probably wonder if it is contagious. It isn’t! But it is fairly gross to look at as the skin fights its way back to being healthy.

I first spent weeks in a pink flexible cast topped with pressure bandages which looked like a problem was occurring, but not like I was a young member of the zombie apocalypse with bits of myself trending toward disintegration. Now I’m into a full-fledged zombie look-a-like status. The dead skin is flaking off in small sheets of waxy yellow and orange. Under it, the new skin is fragile and easily broken down. It sometimes oozes a nearly colorless drip that follows gravity down my leg. Then it dries up and scabs over.

The whole process reminds me of badly skinned knees healing. They’re raw, then scab over, and I’d bend my knees and crack open the scabs, which would need to

Talk is cheap.

Not talking can be deadly.

re-heal several times before the underlying skin had formed a solid but flexible armor against the outer world. It reminds me of how important our skin is — not in the way it’s portrayed in advertising designed to free women of their money while not removing wrinkles, age spots, and the like — but in the far more serious life and death struggle to remain intact and protect our inner layers of skin from attack by the omnipresent viruses and bacteria that opportunistically invade when there is a break in the skin.

Skin can be a thing of beauty, but its greatest beauty lies in its ability to be our first line of defense, a powerful and very active protector, keeping us free from infection.

So love your skin with its wrinkles and age spots and imperfections, because it works every day, all day long and all night long, to keep you and me safe. + Marcia Ribble received her PhD in English at Michigan State and retired from the University of Cincinnati.

She taught writing at the college level and loves giving voice to people who have been silenced. She is now teaching again at Virginia College in Augusta. She can be reached with comments, suggestions, etc., at marciaribble@hotmail.com.

+ +

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+ 14

MAY 16, 2014

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

THE MYSTERY SOLVED The Mystery Word in our last issue was: OPTOMETRIST

SEE P AGE ...cleverly hidden (upper left) in the p. 16 ad for 12 !

GROUP & BUSINESS CONSULTANTS

Unfortunately, due to a glitch at AugustaRx.com, we were again unable to receive and view Mystery Word Contest entries for the Jan. 24 issue. We hope to have that problem fixed soon.

We’re putting The Mystery Word on sick leave until we can get this repaired. Our apologies.

The Celebrated MYSTERY WORD CONTEST ...wherein we hide (with fiendish cleverness) a simple word. All you have to do is unscramble the word (found on page 12), then be the first to 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. 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.

The new scrambled Mystery Word is found on page 12

SENDING US A CLASSIFIED?

EXAMINER CLASSIFIEDS HOMES, APARTMENTS, ROOMMATES, LAND, ETC. FOR RENT 2 bdrm 1 bath unfurn upstairs condo. Carport, pool, outside laundry. Country Club Hills condos, Milledge Road near GRU/ASU. $700/mo + $500 dep. We furn water, you pay electric.

706-736-7167 Email: ronst79@gmail. com ROOMMATE WANTED! 3 bdrm, 2.5 bath house with pool, 2 minutes from colleges. Perfect for medical or grad students. $425+share utils. 706.993.6082 WEST AUGUSTA House for rent. 3 bdrm, 2 bath, 1500 sqft, 1-car garage, 3024 Sterling Road, located off Stevens Creek at Riverwatch Pkwy. $850/mo. Call 678467-7187.

FOR SALE: GORGEOUS, immaculate, never occupied townhome located mins from Medical District. 2 bed, 2 bath, master en suite, walk-in closets, office.

1450 sq ft. hardwood floors throughout, fabulous upgrades, custom kitchen and baths. Floor to ceiling windows, fenced yard. Partially furnished! 120k OBO.

803-507-6621.

Augustagahomesearch.com Foreclosures • Rentals • MLS Roman Realty 706-564-5885

SERVICES VIDEOS-FOR-THE-WEB SERVICE Documentary style interview or demonstration shot HD with pro audio and basic edits, 3-min. finished video uploaded to your account. Complete package $250. Please call David: 803-645-8370. Documentary Video Productions, LLC – Aiken, SC. BIBLE BY PHONE - Free daily Bible readings; for Spiritual Encouragement and Growth. Call 706-855-WORD (9673) FULL-SERVICE MOVER Anthony’s Professional Moving, 28 years serving the CSRA moving hospital equipment, offices, homes, apartments, etc.

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15 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

SAFETY… from page 10 Isn’t Facebook a loud enough scream to “look at me”? Why is it fashionable for the world to know everything about us? There was a time not too long ago when privacy was valued. I don’t see calling this much attention to ourselves as an improvement to our society. We have this rolling advertisement parked in the driveway and anyone interested in learning about us just got a huge leg up.

Ironically, I would expect the same people who drive these rolling personal I.D. cards — I mean cars — would be outraged if someone, the healthcare provider, for instance, divulged personal information about them without their consent.

I try to keep my information to myself as much as possible but even the best of efforts are not always successful. Once while walking my dog I was stopped by a neighbor who remarked that I read a lot. When I asked how he could possibly know this, he said he had often seen me carry books back and forth to my car. I was taken aback that he had been watching me and noticed such a minor detail. He was making what he believed to be harmless conversation but I started to use a canvas bag just the same.

We can’t live our lives in fear but just as we do all we can to safeguard our health through lifestyle changes to improve our quality of life, we should also be mindful of our safety and do all we can to increase our odds of avoiding becoming a victim. Maybe cleaning the personal ads off our cars would be a good start. +

The

Money Doctor Coming up in the June 20 issue.

When you grow your website you

GROW YOUR PRACTICE Meaningful video gives patients a reason to visit your website, and gives you an opportunity to inform and educate.

— Robert B. Ashton

Documentary Video Productions LLC (803) 645-8370 “Fact-based no-hype video creativity” You’ll like what we do for you or it’s free.

They say the camera adds ten pounds.

What if instead it added ten patients?

+

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY DEVELOPMENTAL PEDIATRICS

ALLERGY Tesneem K. Chaudhary, MD Allergy & Asthma Center 3685 Wheeler Road, Suite 101 Augusta 30909 706-868-8555

DRUG REHAB

CHIROPRACTIC Poppell Chiropractic Clinic 1106-A Furys Lane Martinez 30907 706-210-2875 Most insurance plans accepted

DENTISTRY Dr. Judson S. Hickey Periodontist 2315-B Central Ave Augusta 30904 706-739-0071

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

Steven L. Wilson, DMD Family Dentistry 4059 Columbia Road Martinez 30907 706-863-9445

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

Ideal Image 339 Fury’s Ferry Rd Martinez 30907 1-800-BE-IDEAL • www.idealimage.com Schedule a FREE Consultation

MEDICAL MASSAGE

Steppingstones to Recovery 2610 Commons Blvd.

Augusta 30909 706-733-1935

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Group & Benefits Consultants Inc. 3515 Wheeler Rd, Bldg. C Augusta 30909 706-733-3459 Floss ‘em or lose ‘em! www.groupandbenefits.com

Jason H. Lee, DMD 116 Davis Road Augusta 30907 706-860-4048

LASER SERVICES

FAMILY MEDICINE Urgent MD Augusta: 706-922-6300 Grovetown: 706-434-3500 Thomson: 706-595-7825 Primary Care Rates

HOSPICE Alliance Hospice 3685 Old Petersburg Rd. Suite 145 Augusta 30907 706-447-2461 Hospice Care of America 4314 Belair Frontage Rd. Suite E Augusta 30909 706-447-2626

Medical Massage Stuart Farnell L.M.T. 803-646-1846 jsfarnell@att.net www.FarnellClinic.com

OPHTHALMOLOGY Roger M. Smith, M.D. 820 St. Sebastian Way Suite 5-A Augusta 30901 706-724-3339

OPTICIAN

Parks Pharmacy 437 Georgia Ave. N. Augusta 29841 803-279-7450 www.parkspharmacy.com

SENIOR LIVING Augusta Gardens Senior Living Community 3725 Wheeler Road Augusta 30909 SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY 706-868-6500 www.augustagardenscommunity.com

SLEEP MEDICINE Sleep Institute of Augusta Bashir Chaudhary, MD 3685 Wheeler Rd, Suite 101 Augusta 30909 706-868-8555

VEIN CARE

Murphy & Robinson Phil Harris 1571 Walton Way Augusta 30904 706-737-2020

...PHARMACY

O P T I C I A N S

PHARMACY Medical Center West Pharmacy 465 North Belair Road Evans 30809 706-854-2424 www.medicalcenterwestpharmacy.com

Vein Specialists of Augusta G. Lionel Zumbro, Jr., MD, FACS, RVT, RPVI 501 Blackburn Dr, Martinez 30907 706-854-8340 www.VeinsAugusta.com

WEIGHT LOSS PHC Weight Loss & Wellness Centers 246B Bobby Jones Expwy Martinez: 706-868-5332 Thomson: 706-597-8667 www.phcweightloss.com

If you’d like your medical practice listed in the Professional Directory, call the Medical Examiner at 706.860.5455

+ 16

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

MAY 16, 2014

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We know the way.

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