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Boy meets doctor journey through cancer is like no other. Mine began with my visits with Dr. Alice David at Augusta Oncology Associates in the spring of 2011. It has now taken me through a two-week stay in University Hospital, several visits to the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center, countless return trips to AOA, and now more appointments at Radiation Oncology Associates. I’m sure mine is not an unusual story. I’m just one person in one city in one country. Just imagine how widespread this disease has by Tom Campbell WRDW News anchor (ret.) become! Here’s what I’ve discovered: A patient has to have patience. A doctor and her staff, including my nurse, Briana Cleary, have to be tremendous listeners. For that I am most thankful. After more than 40 years of interviewing people, I’ve learned anew what a great quality that is for an interviewer, the ability to listen to what others have to say and to expand on their thoughts. I’ve also discovered that all the patients are a tight bunch. That’s what I’ve been most impressed to see. Supporting each other, through good and not so good days, can make a huge difference in making it through that day. This is truly a one day at a time journey. I’ve never been lucky enough to be married or have a family. So now, I have to rely on others to be my family. My co-workers at WRDW-TV have been wonderful to me. Now that I am retired, I know I can continue to rely on them. The only hard part is that delicate balance. When do you ask for help and when can you do it yourself? I’m still learning that, and it’s proving to be sort of difficult for me. However, I’ve figured out a lot on my own over the years, and this too will come to me. The letters and notes I’ve received from viewers have been a huge help to me also. The prayers, especially from those I don’t even know, have lifted me and my spirits. It’s strange. Had I not been sick, I never would have written or talked about anything like this. I would have kept it to myself. So that’s probably the greatest gift cancer has given me: the ability to open up to others. I could write more, of drugs in my body, of tattoos of sorts on my body, of being tired at the strangest times, and of yearning to feel the way I felt “before.” However, every cancer patient knows that, and you accept that. As long as there’s something interesting to read, a ball game on TV or a favorite show on the radio or a friend pays a visit, the future will be fine. +
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JANUARY 6, 2012
THE ACTION COUNTERACTION At this moment, a fairly significant percentage of the populace is still focused on their annual fresh start, their personal promise to leave some bad habits behind and use the beginning of a new year to launch some improvements. Usually these resolutions include losing weight and getting more exercise, which, let’s face it, would be good goals for roughly 99% of us. If your goals for 2012 include those two objectives, we say congratulations and best wishes. And we also say: you’d better read this article. What follows is a dose of reality that might help you succeed.
The Exercise-Weight Loss Myth Do not adjust your Medical Examiner. You read that line correctly. Conventional wisdom says you have to ramp up the calories you burn if you want to lose weight. We say that is a myth repeated so often it has become accepted as fact. We say there is usually no connection between exercise and weight, unless it’s weight gain. And we also say we wouldn’t NEW FEATURE make such bold PAGE 2 statements without
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the ammunition to back them up. We’ve been saving information here and there from various sources for quite a while for this article in this issue. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Exercise effects and side effects Exercise is good. It is not bad. It’s just not particularly useful for losing weight. In fact, it prevents many people from losing weight. Yes, exercise burns calories. It does plenty of good things. Exercise enhances heart health and helps prevent disease. People who regularly exercise have a significantly lower risk for cancer and diabetes. It has been shown to improve mental health and cognitive ability. It can strengthen muscles and bones and improve respiratory health. It can lengthen life. Exercise has an impressive resumé. On the other hand, here’s a quote from an expert: “In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless.” Those words were uttered by Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism at Louisiana State University and a prominent exercise researcher. The problem with losing weight through exercise is simple: a significant side effect of exercise and burning calories is hunger and thirst. We don’t need studies to tell us that. We all have first-hand experience. For a real-world example, let’s say your regular workout is a 1-hour walk at a very Please see ACTION page 7
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