Medical Examiner

FREE T AKE-H OME C OPY!

AUGUSTA

+

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 16, 2012

WHAT ARE GERMS and where do they live?

Good questions. But what are the answers? We turned to the experts for the goods: the 2nd grade class of Leslie Nordmann at Martinez Elementary School on Flowing Wells Road. For their age, her 22 students have a remarkable grasp of microbiology.

Germs look like small circles. Germs look like green circles. Germs live in your body. Germs live averywhere.

— McKinley, age 7 Germs look like tiny creatures that are mostly green. If you look in a telescope you would see that they are green and they would be there, thats how tiny germs are. Germs live on your body. Mostly in your nose, ears, and your house.

— Victoria, age 7 Germs look like green jelly beans and some germs are clear. So if you sneeze without covering it with your arm you are spreading germs. Germ usally live in your nose (see picture, right). Like if you cough that is germs, and if you sneeze you are covering the area you are in.

— Serenity, age 8

Germs look like tiny circles. They look like green circles. Germs live on my hands. Germs live on my arms.

— Charles, age 8

Germs look like little specks. They also look like little crechers. Germs live at your house. They also live at your school too. Also at the store in the carts.

— Chandler, age 8 Germs look like slime that is skinyer than a peice of hair. Germs look like green shapes. Germs live mostly on

NEW

SPRING PRINTS ARE NOW IN!!!

SAVE SOME GREEN

30% off any one printed top! plus receive a free gift with your purchase!

With this ad. Excludes clearance or sale merchandise. Now thru 4/6/12

humans. Germs live everywhere.

— Dean, age 8 Germs look like green backterea. They look hairy. Germs live in your noes.

They live in your mouth.

— Eric, age 9 Germs look like little stuff. They look like green nasty things. Germs live in dirty shoes. They live on video game controlers. They live on keybords.

— Christian, age 8 Please see GERMS page 2

ESTABLISHED 1930 - SERVING AUGUSTA FOR 5 GENERATIONS

1216 Broad St • Downtown • 706-722-4653 HOURS: Mon - Fri 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

VISIT US AT WWW.IUISCRUBS.COM

“LIKE” US FOR A FREE GIFT!

HOME OF THE WORLD FAMOUS $19.95 SCRUB SET

+2

MARCH 16, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

GERMS… from page 1 Germs are green. They look like small pieces of curled up spaghetti. Germs live everywhere. That’s including your body.

— Antonyo, age 8 Germs look like little geren things. They live on people.

Germs are mostly dert and mud.

— Alex, age 7 Germs look like little booger that are so tiny you can not see them. Germs will make you sick and you can not go to school from them. Germs live in dog mouths and on people too. They will make you sick.

They can make you stay in bed for a long time.

— Austin, age 7

Germs look like slober and spit, but your slobber is apost to stay in your mouth!

Germs live in your body, and mouth, but you can keep germs off of people like your boss at work.

— Anthony, age 7

9 TIPS TO STOP GERMS IN THEIR TRACKS FOR KIDS

Germs look like green nasty spit. And they have big green bubbles. Germs live in sick people that pick their nose and cough on people.

— Melissa, age 8

#1: Wash hands often.

Use warm, soapy water and rub vigorously for at least 20 seconds – tell your kids to sing their ABCs twice in their head while washing to make sure it is the proper amount of washing. Children should be reminded to wash their hands before, during and after food is prepared; before and after they eat; after using the bathroom; whenever hands are dirty or kids have been outside playing; and more frequently when anyone in class or at home is sick.

Germs look like little worms and there green. Germs look like a rabbits tail but purple.

Germs live in your nose or your toes. Germs live on dogs nose or his toes. Germs live in sick people.

— Sabre, age 8-1/2

Germs look like green and small. Some germs look wiud and nasty. Germs live in toilets. Germs live in sick people.

— Maggie, age 8

Germs look like green creatures (above) and they look like seaweed. Germs live on your hand and they live on your body.

— Brandon, age 8

sure to cough or sneeze in your arms. Germs live almost anywhere. They live near most sick people, so be careful because everyone hates being sick! #2: Verify the hand-washing — Kairi, age 8 policy of staff.

Germs look like greem nasty little specks. They look really nasty. Germs live in bad nasty places. Hey, do you know what else. Germs live on your skin sometimes.

— Mia, age 8

Germs look like little small green bacteria. Germs look like slugs of bacteria. They live on dirty things. They also live on things that are not clean.

— Jaden, age 8

Germs look like a haire, stinke star. Germs look like a star with molls all over it, and the molls look like a baby pinecone. Germs live all over.

Germs can spered all over the place. Germs live in your nose.

Germs make you snes when germs are in your nose.

— Brianna, age 7

Germs look like green tiny things. Germs are vary green.

Germs live iny ware there is derty stofe. They could live on your hands.

— Jacob, age 7 #3: Two words: mechanical

Germs look like tiny green blobs that crawl everywhere, so wash your hands! Germs look like tiny little aliens that can spread disease, so be

Germs look like green bugs.

They also look like gooy, slimmy, wet, and pieces of hair.

Germs live al over your home, outside, and in your school.

Germs also live on your pets and on people.

— Leeanne, age 8 +

For many families, daycare is essential. When choosing a facility, be sure to check into the daycare facility’s handwashing policy, the actual hand-washing practices, and the availability of sinks. It is great to have a school with programs on germs and hand washing, especially in childcare centers, because it reduces the spread sicknesses during peak cold and flu season.

pencils.

Studies have shown that the dirtiest thing in any classroom is the community pencil sharpener. If you pack mechanical pencils, it helps reduce germs.

Please see KIDS ‘N GERMS page 15

Georgia Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center • Skin exams • Mole removal • Psoriasis • Skin cancer surgery

• Rashes • Warts • Acne

DR. DAVID DOYLE, JR 14 Locations Serving Georgia

Caring for Patients Since 1969

706-733-3373

WWW.GADERM.COM

2283 WRIGHTSBORO RD (AT JOHNS RD)

MARCH 16, 2012 I N

T H E

F I R S T

P E R S O N

When the cure is worse... ost of us have taken antibiotics prescribed by our physicians. But let me tell you the horror story of what happened to me when I was prescribed an antibiotic for a “cold” that persisted for three months and would not go away.

In 2009, I caught a cold while on an airplane coming back to Augusta from New York.

The woman to my right was coughing her head off and I was trapped in a small area that re-circulated air and germs.

I knew this scenario was trouble. Soon after the flight, I started to cough all day and all night long, propping up so many pillows behind me that I was sitting up in bed. I was full of mucous.

A physician prescribed Levaquin, an antibiotic of the Fluoroquinolone (FQ) drug class, which I took for 7 days as directed. That and using a NetiPot for rinsing out my nostrils cleared up my problem.

I was elated. However, strange symptoms began to slowly appear. I had severe stomach cramps at every meal. My

“I was being burned alive.” spatial orientation was screwed up. I sat in a chair that I thought was right behind me but was 5 feet away and I landed on my rump. My balance was off and so was my grip. A bag of groceries fell right out of my arms.

Then the area between my right wrist and forearm became very sore and tender. I was misdiagnosed, as it turned out, with tennis elbow and sent to a physical therapist who put a contraption on my arm that emitted cortisone. The therapist noticed that my neck seemed stiff and asked me to try to bend my head to my shoulders. Not only could I not come near my shoulders, but this exercise caused exquisite pain. By the time I got home, I felt continuous sparks coming out of my arm and my neck

muscles were in constant spasms. Several days later, I felt like someone had hacked into both shoulders with a hatchet.

The pain was intolerable! I cried myself to sleep for weeks. Then I had insomnia, sleeping no more than 2 hours a night for several months.

Exhausted and wrapped in cold packs, I sweated profusely.

My body stiffened and I could not move. My husband had to carry me, bathe me, wash and dry my hair, feed me and dress me. I started to have seizures and myoclonic jerks-jack-knifing myself out of bed and onto the floor. My blood pressure was erratic, as were my blood sugar readings: spiking over 300, then within hours dropping down to 40. I fainted with the lows.

The skin on my upper torso felt like someone had poured hot acid on it and I was being burned alive. My husband and I were both scared to death.

What was going on? I had been to more than 15 doctors, most of whom thought I was a nut See THE “CURE” page 9

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. 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.)

The

FISCA L H EA LTH

Money Doctor

appears exclusively in the Medical Examiner’s 3rd Friday issue of even months, written by Augusta’s own Bill

Why subscribe to the Medical Examiner?

Why would anyone pay for a subscription to a free newspaper? That’s certainly a legitimate question.

The answer: as a major regional medical center, patients come to Augusta hospitals and physicians from all over the Southeast. The MCGHealth Medical Center alone sees patients from every single county in Georgia, not to mention South Carolina, Florida, and beyond. Add to that the regional reach of Eisenhower Army Medical Center and both Veterans Administration hospitals, the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital, MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center, Walton Rehab and University Hospital, and it’s clear that many people seeking treatment in Augusta are not local residents.

Furthermore, some of our most loyal readers are in town only occasionally. Or their treatments and visits to Augusta are only temporary. Even local residents may find it more convenient to walk to their mailbox than visit one of our many newsstands.

Subscriber copies are mailed the day prior to the issue date so they will be received by most readers no later than the publication date printed on the paper. Copies are sent by First Class mail in a sealed envelope so they’ll arrive promptly and in crisp condition. Rates are $16 for a 6-month subscription (12 issues), $32 for a full year (24 issues). Complete the form below and drop it in the mail with your payment. Thank you! +

Cleveland, a certified financial planner recently named

by Medical Economics magazine as one of the “150 Best Financial Advisors for Doctors” in the U.S.

Read it and reap AUGUSTA

M E DIC I N E

M

3+

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

+

MEDICAL EXAMINER

TM

AUGUSTA’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER

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

+

SUBSCRIBE TO THE MEDICAL EXAMINER

Submit editorial content to graphicadv@knology.net Direct editorial and advertising inquiries to:

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!

Augusta Medical Examiner photography: H + D Photography

NAME ADDRESS CITY

Daniel R. Pearson, Publisher & Editor

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER P.O. Box 397, Augusta, GA 30903-0397

(706) 860-5455

STATE

ZIP

Choose ____ six months for $16; or ____ one year for $32. Mail this completed form with payment to Augusta Medical Examiner, PO Box 397, Augusta GA 30903-0397

www.AugustaRx.com • E-mail: graphicadv@knology.net Opinions expressed by the writers herein are their own and their respective institutions. Neither the Augusta Medical Examiner, Pearson Graphic 365 Inc., or its agents or employees take any responsibility for the accuracy of submitted information, which is presented for informational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment consult your doctor. © 2012 PEARSON GRAPHIC 365 INC.

+4

MARCH 16, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Hope IS Possible

Clutter: it really gets in the way

Helen Blocker-Adams don’t like cleaning bathrooms. Even my own bathroom.

I really don’t. I need to figure out a way to invent a selfcleaning bathroom just like there are self-cleaning ovens.

I may be onto something if I could do that, right? I guess the next best thing to a selfcleaning bathroom is to hire a company that likes cleaning bathrooms. The irony of this is

I

that after I reluctantly clean it, I do actually feel better.

Clutter, it gets in the way. Mentally, physically and spiritually. We’ve all heard the old proverb that says cleanliness is next to godliness. Even in the Word, scripture says “everything should be decent and in order.” When things are in the way, it slows one down from being productive.

People in business have to be productive, efficient and profitable. Since the time has sprung forward getting us ready for the spring, this is the time of the year to remove some of the clutter and do spring cleaning.

Are you ready?

Sometimes things pile up: dirty clothes; trash in the car, mold in the bathroom... I think you’ve got the picture. All of this happens because we get busy, distracted, focused on the more productive things,

“When you have cleared all of your clutter, you can be of greater service to those around you. “ — Michael B. Kitson like community activities or family and everything else gets put to the side. I tend to neglect these things that do matter by the way, and subconsciously don’t realize that it’s hampering my productivity.

Clutter…it gets in the way.

Have you ever felt that way?

I read an article online at a site called Gifted Life that talked about mental clutter.

“Mental clutter is made up of worries and bad feelings.

Regrets of the past and worries about the future can easily overshadow the present moment. Self-doubt can also take up a lot of space in the mind. When an excess of these types of thoughts take over in the brain, it can be stressful, upsetting, and sometimes, even paralyzing. Lingering thoughts that are hanging around creating a depressive atmosphere creates mental anguish.”

Life is something isn’t it?

So there’s the physical clutter we can see, feel and touch.

And then on the other hand,

we’ve got the mental clutter that we can’t actually see and touch, but we can feel it. It can creep up on us like high blood pressure. On the outside, we feel good and look good, but on the inside our body is wreaking havoc and we are oblivious to it until it’s brought to our attention.

Spring is generally the time of year when we clean up.

Spring cleaning is traditional.

According to Wikipedia, spring cleaning is the period in spring time set aside for cleaning a house, normally applied in climates with a cold winter.

The most common usage of “spring cleaning” refers to the yearly act of cleaning a house from top to bottom which would take place in the first warm days of the year typically in spring, hence the name. However it has also come to be synonymous with any kind of heavy duty cleaning or organizing enterprise. A person who gets their affairs in order before an audit or inspection could be said to be doing some spring

cleaning.

But should we wait until the spring to clean? Shouldn’t we choose to clean and get rid of the clutter more regularly so that we can become more productive and happier?

Actually it can help to reduce some of the stress in our lives. I’m not going to wait until the spring to clean up and rid myself of the clutter anymore. At least that is my intention. I really do want to rid myself of the clutter that sometimes slows me down. (And yes, I’m going to do better in cleaning my bathroom more regularly too.) + Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in slightly different form in the August 7, 2009 issue of the Medical Examiner.

Helen Blocker Adams is President/ CEO of The HBA Group, Intl and Executive Director of the Southeast Enterprise Institute, Inc. Visit her website at www.helenblockeradams. com. If you like politics, visit her blog at www.projectlogicga.com.

You can reach her via email at hba@hbagroup-intl.com Helen’s new book, Unlikely Allies: 8 Steps to Bridging Divides that Impact Leadership can be purchased by visiting www.hbagroup-intl.com or www.authorhouse.com

SEND US YOURS TODAY!

“She was admitted yesterday and is still in crucial condition.”

“I have to get my interior crucial linament operated on.”

+

MEDiCAL EXAMINER

“They catheterize the incision as they make it.

That cuts down on blood loss during surgery.”

We’re proud to be NASW’s News Medium of the Year

HEARD A GOOD (OR BAD) MISPRONUNCIATION? PLEASE SEND IT TO US! GRAPHICADV@KNOLOGY.NET

Tell a friend about the Medical Examiner!

MARCH 16, 2012

5+

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

WHAT EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT JOBS, DUTIES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES

by Bad Billy Laveau Steve and Karen are a successful couple. They live in early retirement. They have a reasonable retirement home with some acreage, children that don’t cause too much trouble, and a dog.

Most of the time, Steve wears a highly unkept beard that struggles somewhere between I-haven’t-shavedin-days-because-I don’thave-to-any-more and If-Brat-Pitt-can-have-astraggly-beard-and-still-sleepwith-Angelina-it-must-bealright.

Most of the time, I overlook Steve’s beard, not just because I like him, but because Steve is a retired Crew Chief from the Air Force. He is heavy duty with a socket wrench and an M16.

He has been in hot spots in the Middle East and has been shot at on more than one occasion.

He knows the sound of incoming rockets that jerk you violently from nervous sleep when they hit your building.

One such attack herniated some lumbar discs, but Steve did not cop out to an instant stretcher, a medial discharge, and a pension. He fulfilled his responsibilities first. He had taken on responsibilities, so he performed, no questions asked.

He could complain of pain on his own time, after the attack was over.

Steve reminds me of

the front tire changer in a NASCAR race I once saw.

It is the front tire changer’s responsibility to change the front tires when his car comes in for a pit stop.

In this race, his car brushed the wall and pushed the fender in on the right front tire. The friction set the tire on fire.

Smoke billowed up and flames erupted. The car dove into the pit.

I ask you: What did the front tire changer do?

Your snap answer most probably was PUT OUT THE FIRE, STUPID! All 43 pits have that high octane gas everywhere. We don’t want all 43 pits going up in flames. Fire balls. Explosions. Ambulances everywhere. Helicopters coming in. SO PUT OUT THE FIRE! If the front tire changer had a job, that might have been what he did. But he did not have a job. Just like Steve, he had a responsibility.

Let’s analyze this: If his car comes in for a routine pit stop, he changes the tires.

If his care comes in with a bent fender, he changes the tires.

So when his car came in with a tire on fire, what did he do? He put on fire gloves and changed the tire. The car was gone in 14 seconds. Then he had about 20 minutes to put out the fire and get ready for

E

TH

t s e B the next pit stop.

It was not his job. It was not his duty. It was his responsibility.

Back to Steve: he is not the only one in his family who shoulders responsibility. Karen had a routine medical checkup appointment. The evening before her appointment, her Yorkie began wheezing and refusing to move. What did she do?

Let’s analyze this: She bought the dog, took him into her home, assumed responsibility for his wellbeing, and reared him as a family member. Now, the dog is in respiratory distress. (Not an uncommon event for Yorkies; they are prone to collapsed tracheas.)

Karen did the only thing possible for one who has responsibilities rather than a job or duty. She rescheduled her own appointment and took her Yorkie to the vet. She could

e n i c i d ME

attend to her own less pressing needs at another time.

Steve and Karen reared their children the same way. While most teenage boys are hanging out in the mall playing arcade games or searching the internet looking for soft porn or have their faces stuck into Facebook or Twitter, their oldest son, Kyle, will soon graduate from Airborne Mission System school in the Air Force. Kyle is well on his way to becoming a Crew Chief like his father.

And guess who will deliver the graduation address to the class? Why, Steve, of course.

The Base Commander said he wanted someone who had been there and done that. He preferred someone who knew responsibility, rather than a pretty uniform mouthing a canned speech.

These events illustrate and expose the weakness within a huge segment of our society. Our society has

become too self-centered.

We spend our lives in jobs or duties. We are obsessed with what our entitlements are. We fail to easily shoulder responsibilities. We must become more concerned with what our contributions to our families and society should be.

Therefore, when you face a choice between a job, a duty or a responsibility, always take responsibility. It will require much more from you, but in the long run you and everyone around you will be better for it. Take Steve’s word for it.

And when it comes to medicine, select a doctor who takes your healthcare as a responsibility rather than a job or duty. And certainly you should do the same: take your healthcare as a responsibility.

After all, your body and your mind are the most precious things you have. + 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 706306-9397

The new MacBook Pro now at PeachMac

ATTENTION Compensation and medical benefits are available for covered illnesses related to exposure to radiation, beryllium, silica and toxic substances through the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP).

Over $420 million has been paid to eligible Savannah River Site workers or their survivors through this program.

Anyone with questions and/or potential claims is asked to contact the program through the Savannah River Resource Center, 1708 Bunting Drive, North Augusta, SC or call 803279-2728 or 866-666-4606.

YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION AND MEDICAL BENEFITS

ipads • macs • ipods • software • service

Washington Rd across from Club Car • 706.922.9020 • peachmac.com Augusta • Athens • Macon • Marietta • Peachtree City

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.” — Charles Dickens

Your support of our advertisers makes this newspaper possible. Thank you!

+6

MARCH 16, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Health 101

by Sandy Turner, RN, EdD, Family Nurse Practitioner, and Assistant Dean for Administration in the GHSU College of Nursing DIVERTICULOSIS / DIVERTICULITIS WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? oving on down the GI tract, there is a common problem seen in middle age called diverticulosis.

The term comes from a root word, diverticula, which means finger like sacs or pouches, usually in the large intestines. The ending — osis — generally denotes a diseased condition. On the other hand, the suffix“-itis” refers to inflammation.

The large bowel circles the abdomen coming up the right hand side, across the top under the ribcage and then down the left hand side.

Diverticulae can be anywhere along that part of the colon (you can have diverticula in other areas but we are going to focus on the bowel here).

The large intestine’s main purpose is to absorb water and some nutrients from digested food.

As we have become more civilized we have stopped eating as much roughage as our grandparents. Grains, for example, are more refined now, with the result that our diets contain less whole grains. Inflammation of the diverticula is related to poor

M

diets, and is made worse by lack of exercise. As these “outpouchings” develop, sometimes food gets caught in the pouches and isn’t moved out of the system.

It was once thought that things like small seeds, nuts and popcorn would cause diverticulae to become inflamed. More current research suggests we don’t really know what causes the initial inflammation; it can be something different with everyone. There is no evidence that any one food or item will lead to inflammation and infection.

Pain and GI problems like diarrhea and nausea are the usual symptoms of diverticulitis. The amount of the intestines involved usually determines the severity of the problem. If only a small section or one or two diverticulae become inflamed the person may only have mild symptoms, change their eating a few days and never know they had a problem. If the inflammation is extensive, an abscess can form and spread to a large section of the bowel.

Your doctor determines

that an infection exist by blood work and sometimes an ultrasound of the abdomen. If a person has had the problem before, they usually recognize a recurrence immediately.

Some people learn to identify (and avoid) their specific triggers.

Treatment involves trying to rest the bowel as much as possible, eating mild, soft foods that are easy to digest, along with antibiotics to fight the infection.

Once the dust settles a colonoscopy might be required to see where the problem actually is and if the cause may have been a polyp or something that should be adressed.

Prevention as always is the best key to any condition.

This is more difficult once we have developed diverticulae in our colon. But diets high in roughage and soluble fiber help to exercise the gut and improve bowel mobility.

Also, once it is known that a person has diverticulae through a colonoscopy, it is important to be aware which foods cause problems and to avoid them.

The third measure is early recognition of symptoms. If abdominal pain develops, it is important to get the condition treated before it becomes serious.

The adage “you are what you eat” is appropriate here, but we have to think about what happens to foods after we eat them too. +

HEALTH 101 – Information to help you make positive changes in your life to improve your health by Sandy Turner, RN, EdD, Family Nurse Practitioner, Director of the Good Samaritan House, A Free Community Health Center Open Mondays 15 pm. 213 N Main St., Dearing, GA 706-556-9080.

+

MEDICAL EXAMINER IS NOW ONLINE VISIT US AT AUGUSTARX.COM OR ISSUU.COM (DETAILS ON PAGE 9) PRINT. FORWARD. SUBSCRIBE. CLICKABLE LINKS.

NOW THE WORLD’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER

Editor’s note: Exceptional Living appears exclusively in the Medical Examiner each month, addressing issues that all of us can benefit from involving people with special — let’s call them exceptional — needs.

Exceptional Living

Facing Your Giants

by Naomi D. Williams, MPH, CHES, CIC® Facing the Giants, a 2006 movie, tells a story of defeat, despair, negativity, faith, hope, triumph and victory. One particular scene in the movie depicts the football players after practice, in utter disbelief of their ability to defeat their opponents in the upcoming game. In an effort to inspire them, the coach challenges one of the players to complete a bear crawl exercise with another player on his back for 50 feet…blindfolded.

I won’t spoil the movie’s ending. However, I will spoil this scene’s end. The player not only ~ Eleanor Roosevelt completed this 50-foot exercise, he went the whole length of the football field, bear crawling, with a 140 pound teammate on his back! There were times the young man wanted to give up and quit. He felt he couldn’t go any further, but his coach and teammates cheered him on, encouraging him to give everything he had in order to finish the task.

In my last article I wrote about facing my fears and how I am currently raising my greatest fear, parenting a differentlyabled child (there are a variety of things that could make or define a person differently-abled. My child is significantly developmentally delayed and by scientific terms profoundly mentally retarded).

I’ve been forced to reconcile my fears and I’m so glad that I have. In raising Noah, I’ve found great rewards. Prior to becoming a parent I laughed in the face of fear just as Simba did in The Lion King. I was a scuba diver, a skier, a sky diver (well once, and I decided to leave that sport to the birds). I was an outdoorsy explorer always on the lookout for the next adventure.

After becoming a parent to a child with a host of medical problems, all adventures came to a screeching halt. My dreams of all the wonderful things we would do together transformed into the fear abyss of what ifs: what if he doesn’t live, what if he doesn’t walk or talk? What if I can’t take care of him? And so many other thoughts.

Living in fear is detrimental to your health. The constant worrying, aversion to food or overeating to compensate, lack of sleep, aid in the betterment of no one. I decided to put the blindfold on and release fear the night Noah died. Thankfully, the NICU staff was able to bring him back. Noah and I had a conversation and I released him to go. If he started having complications again, that would be his sign to me to sign the DNR (do not resuscitate) and let him go be with Jesus and his great grandparents. Surprisingly his monitors didn’t go off at all the rest of the night, and that was my sign that he was staying and ready to fight for his life. From that night forward we’ve kicked fear to the rear and fight for Noah to be the best he can be.

Since we’ve been on the healthy track we’ve accomplished things I wasn’t sure we ever would. We both recently completed our very first half marathon. We’ve taken a couple of trips on airplanes and long distance drives for collegiate football games. We set goals and push each other to accomplish them. I mentioned in my first article at the beginning of this year that I have audacious goals set for us and some that seem unrealistic for many.

We’ve completed one of those goals, the half marathon; another is to get Noah potty trained. Will it happen? I don’t know. I do know that if we never try there’s no chance it can happen. I’ve traded in my fears, regained my dreams and am setting out on the adventure of my life. +

“You must do the things you think you cannot do.”

MARCH 16, 2012

7+

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

SAVE THE DATE

Nursing Showcase nears The 13th annual Nursing Showcase will be held April 27 at First Baptist Church of Augusta Fellowship Hall. This FRIDAY event precedes the national observance of Nurses Week, to be commemorated this year May 6 - May 12 with the theme “Nursing: Advocating, Leading, Caring.”

Nursing Showcase is an event that brings together hospitals and healthcare agencies throughout the CSRA to recognize and reward registered nurses who excel in their profession. At Showcase, nurses receive special honors for their “Spirit of Nursing” as recognized by their supervisors and peers. Nominees for “Nurse of the Year” receive recognition for providing care beyond expectations. One nominee will be announced as recipient of the “Nurse of the Year” award.

Showcase begins at 6:00 p.m. with a reception and poster presentations that will provide continuing education credit.

Dinner tickets are sold in advance and can be purchased from any Georgia Nurses Association (GNA) board member or by mail request to PO Box 1936, Evans, GA 30809. The GNA’s CSRA Chapter website address is www.csra-gna10.org. +

APRIL

27

CSRA Parkinson Support Group When: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 6:00pm Where: St. John Towers dining room, 724 Greene Street Augusta Dr. Madeleine Hackney, research health scientist at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and assistant professor of Medicine at Emory School of Medicine, will speak on how an adapted form of Argentine tango dancing can be used as an alternative therapy for Parkinson disease. She will describe her tango studies, explain her findings and shed some light on why tango may help increase gait speed and stride length, maintain cadence, improve balance and potentially help freezing of gait.

Contact: Eva Erwin, (706) 364-1662 +

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY

Wilkinson & Magruder

LLP

Experienced help for Augusta and Aiken Social Security Disability claimants

✔ Local firm, local attorneys ✔ More than 50 years experience on staff ✔ FREE claim evaluation ✔ Veterans Benefits Claims also Conveniently located next door to the Social Security hearing office.

CALL US TODAY FOR PERSONAL SERVICE

706-737-0771 Toll Free: 888-724-8844 www.AugustaDisability.com

“YES”

YOU NEED A SPECIALIST (AN AUTOMOTIVE SPECIALIST)

GET THE RIGHT PRESCRIPTION! • Prime Credit = Prime Rates • Good Credit = Great Rates • Credit Issues? Avoid High Interest • We’ll beat Credit Union Interest Rates • Autos located to your order • Low mileage • Late models • New and used vehicles • Cars, Trucks, SUVs, Vans, Crossovers • “High Line Specialist” • Economy & Fuel-Saver Specialist • Thousands of vehicles to choose from

GEt THE CURE NOW!

CALL 706.504.7911

+8

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 • Doctors Hospital, 3651 Wheeler Rd, Employee Entrance (near the Joseph M. Still Burn Center entrance) • Eisenhower Hospital, Main Entrance, Fort Gordon • George C. Wilson Drive (by medical center Waffle House and mail boxes) • MCG Hospital, 1120 15th Street, South & West Entrances • MCGHealth Medical Office Building, Harper Street, Main Entrance • MCGHealth Medical Office Building, Harper Street, Parking Deck entrance • MCG Hospital, Emergency Room, Harper Street, Main Entrance • MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center, Harper Street, Main Lobby • Medical College of Georgia, 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 • ASU 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 • 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

Plus... 500+ doctors offices throughout the area for staff and waiting rooms, as well as nurses stations and waiting rooms of area hospitals.

MARCH 16, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

P harm acy 41 1 EDITOR’S NOTE: 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.

SAVE MONEY THROUGH DRUG COMPANY COMPETITION The latest thing in pharmacy is for drug companies to fight for your dollar as long as they can. Years ago a drug company would have a brand name product lose its patent and the price would go up so that those who wanted the brand name product would pay for that drug continuing to be made. The generic version of the drug would become preferred on insurance and would make up ninety-five percent of all sales for that medicine.

These days drug companies are seeing the loss of a patent as an inevitable event that should not affect sales to a great degree. The strategy: manufacturers will put out copay assistance cards for their brand name product that will get consumers the brand name product for a generic price. This will allow more patients to choose to continue taking a brand name drug instead of switching to a generic to realize a cost saving. Brand name manufacturers are also aggressively negotiating to keep preferred status on insurance plans. State Medicaid plans may be given a large enough rebate from the brand name manufacturer to keep the brand instead of the generic drug as the Medicaid preferred product.

But are these incentives good for everyone? NO! As with any other insurance program in this country there are restrictions and limits to the benefits. We have all heard of the famous $4 Lipitor card. Who can get Lipitor for four dollars? First of all, no one on a federal or state funded insurance plan. This includes Medicare and Medicaid, of course, but some of these plans included Tricare and state employee benefit plans as government funded plans also.

There are a lot of people out of luck for the four dollar program either way you look at this restriction. Also every copay assistance plan has restrictions that vary from plan to plan. There may be a maximum benefit per use and this benefit may be as little as ten to fifteen dollars per use. There may be other restrictions such as your primary insurance having to pay before the copay assistance card will pay anything. So if your insurance only pays for the generic, then you cannot use the copay card and would have to pay full price for the brand just like you had no insurance at all.

The brand name manufacturers are heavily promoting these

cards at your doctor’s office as part of the standard sampling and promotion program for a brand name drug. Copay assistance cards are also available online thru the manufacturer’s website.

Just remember that it is buyer beware on these copay programs.

The patient needs to be responsible for reading the fine print that comes along with these cards and compare the final price for the brand to the price through your insurance of the generic version.

Your pharmacy can be a great help in determining the actual costs of brand and generic medications, but remember that pharmacies are charged fees every time they bill or reverse a claim.

So be considerate and try to keep transactions to a minimum.

One card I frequently see offers a thirty, sixty or ninety day supply for thirty-five dollars, but it has a maximum benefit of one hundred and forty-five dollars per use. With copays of ninety to one hundred dollars per thirty day supply on popular insurance plans, this leaves over a hundred dollars left for a ninety day supply but thirty-five to fifty dollar copays on thirty to sixty day supplies. You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to figure out that sixty days’ supply at fifty dollars is better than two $35 copays. I have done this calculation for many patients and the only transaction needed is to find out if your insurance plan pays for a ninety day supply. If you already know this and your copays then we can skip to the end result and say you save more by getting days at a time and fill your prescription instead of having you wait at the pharmacy while a pharmacist or technician re-creates the wheel.

Check with your pharmacy or doctor about which drugs that you take have rebate programs, or go online to your drugs’ websites and look for patient assistance program icons. Also check with your insurance for a formulary of covered drugs and on ninety day supply availability. A little knowledge goes a long way toward saving you money.

Questions about this article or suggestions for future columns can be sent to us at cjdlpdrph@bellsouth.net +

Specialty Health Care Ser vices

INFUSION THERAPY Antibiotics • Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition Pain Management • Immunotherapy - IVIG Subcutaneous IG Remicaide • Rituxan • Reclast • Iron Home and Ambulator y Infusion Ser vices

3630 Wheeler Road • Augusta, Georgia phone: 706.447.4343 • tollfree: 877.436.4584

www.genesishealthllc.com Taking Care of You

To advertise in this paper, call 706.860.5455 today!

MARCH 16, 2012

9+

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

THE “CURE”… from page 3 case and refused to give me any medication to help.

Watching TV one night, we saw a legal ad that said: “Have you taken Levaquin? Call this law firm.” We called that law firm and many others. At the same time, in between the worst of my pains, I used my research skills to hunt down all of my symptoms on the Internet, separating fact from fiction, as I was trained to do.

I had Fluoroquinolone (FQ) Toxicity. No doubt about it. I found a network of ten active victims. One was a doctor who had long studied this condition and with whom I consulted.

Another, who himself had taken Levaquin, was now so crippled that he had to quit his anesthesiology practice.

My MRls and shoulder ultrasounds indicate (inoperable) rotator cuff tendon ruptures of both shoulders, tendinosis of the biceps, thousands of tiny spontaneous ruptures across the back and neck, edema and fluid leakage of the knees.

At about this same time I finally found a savvy doctor, a skilled surgeon and therapist, who knew exactly what to do and treated my symptoms so that I could function.

My research and advocacy about FQ Toxicity came to

BLACK BOX WARNINGS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will place a black box warning — so named because the warning is surrounded by a black box — on a prescription medication if that drug poses the threat of serious side effects and severe health risks to prescribed users. Black box warnings appear on a package insert or on the medication’s label as a clear sign to users about the potential dangers of that drug. This is the strongest type of warning that the FDA will issue to a drug manufacturer before a recall takes place and the medication is entirely removed from the market. +

sometimes medicine is sick

the attention of the FDA, and they recruited me into their Special Government Employee Program. I am one of two Patient Reps who have FQ Toxicity-- out of the 40 Patient Reps across the USA to have been selected in 2011. We are the liaisons and advocates for 500,000 persons who have this dreadful condition.

Our prognoses are bleak.

The antibiotic we took is a neurotoxin which altered our DNA. In addition to the tendon ruptures, it has caused central nervous system (CNS) disturbance, brain damage and irreversible neuropathy. I am going blind, have double vision in each eye (separately), antibiotic resistance, trouble swallowing (my throat will eventually close) and each organ (including my heart, liver, kidney) will be damaged.

Many children who have taken an FQ-class drug have Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, in which their skin bubbles and peels away. A rash of round lesions about an inch across arises on the face, trunk, arms and legs, and soles of the feet. The young and elderly are especially at risk for serious life altering side effects. However, anyone, even the most physically fit young adults, can be struck down by

just one pill.

I live from day to day with several goals: • To encourage or force the FDA to put a black box warning on Levaquin and Cipro for CNS problems and irreversible Neuropathy (currently the black box warnings address only tendonitis, tendon rupture and worsened myasthenia gravis) • To give this information more publicity so others can be informed • To serve as a resource to all persons afflicted with this and other similar conditions • And to raise enough money to continue the research on FQ Toxicity for a treatment or cure.

Informed consent is a must prior to prescribing or taking any medication, and to find out about side effects and drug contraindications. In medicine, informed consent requires that significant risks be disclosed, as well as risks which would be of particular importance to that patient.

For a more in-depth view and information, please visit my websites: www.SharelnTheCare.net or www.FQActionNetwork.org. + — Judith Cohen Augusta, Georgia

Summerville Pharmacy

Retail • Packaging for Assisted Living and Personal Care Homes

Most Insurance Accepted DELIVERY

+

MEDICAL EXAMINER IS NOW ONLINE You have two choices: • visit AugustaRx.com and click on “News and Blog,” or go directly to http://www.augustarx.com/news/ - or • visit Issuu.com and enter “medicalexaminer” (one word) in the search window. All 2012 copies are online there. Click “Subscribe” and enter your e-mail address for a FREE digital subscription.

2279 Wrightsboro Rd, Augusta, GA 30904 • (706) 481-7140 • Fax: (706) 733-7301

PRE-K TO 3RD GRADE TUTOR FOUNDATIONAL READING, MATH AND LANGUAGE ARTS SKILLS TO PRIVATE, PUBLIC, HOME-SCHOOLED, AND HOSPITAL/HOMEBOUND STUDENTS

ELEANOR WILLINGHAM, ED.D. STATE & NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING EDUCATOR

706-737-8616 OR SETTINGFOUNDATIONS@GMAIL.COM

+ 10

MARCH 16, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Don’t Lick the Beaters and other interesting food facts

by dietetic interns with University Hospital’s Augusta Area Dietetic Internship Program

Seafood Protecting food, health and property RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • REALTOR SERVICES • GREEN PRACTICES

Request a FREE estimate online or by phone (803) 441-0007 www.jurypest.com

Our Service Makes the Difference...You Be The JUDGE!

U FATIG

SEAFOOD! Is it really brain food? As a general rule is seafood more nutritious than, well, land food? or just the opposite?

Growing up, many of us were probably coaxed into eating the fish on our plates by our mothers telling us that “fish is brain food.� Have you ever wondered if that’s true? Is fish really good for me? With all of the talk about mercury and other toxins in fish, you may have questioned the truth of your mothers’ comments.

Let’s consider that question and take it a step further by asking “Is seafood more nutritious that land food, or is it just the opposite?�

As it turns out, our mother’s adage has some validity to it. Fish provides multiple essential nutrients that promote brain development in our younger years, and

which are made up largely of fats and water, need to function properly.

So, we’ve established that fish provides a lot of beneficial nutrients, but what about all of the talk of toxins like mercury in fish? Does fish really contain toxins? If so, shouldn’t we avoid eating it?

To answer the first question, it is true that fish and seafood are the main dietary sources of mercury. That being said, most consumers in the United States are not in danger of receiving harmful levels of mercury from fish. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates commercial fishing to ensure that fish meant for consumption in the U. S. meet safety standards for mercury and other contaminants.

Additionally, much of the fish

that support brain function throughout adulthood. To start, fish is an excellent source of lean protein. Supplying the body with enough protein is important for our brains to process normally: our bodies break down dietary proteins into amino acids which are used to make neurotransmitters that allow brain cells to network and communicate.

Additionally, fish provides vitamin D, vitamin A, calcium, and magnesium that aid in brain and total body functioning. Fish can also be an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are exactly what our brains,

Please see SEAFOOD page 16

E

Wounds Stop Here.

Walton Wound Care Center combines 60 years of experience in treating acute and chronic wounds.

Let our wound care experts help you get back up to speed.* Now accepting new patients/referrals.

Conveniently located inside Walton Rehabilitation Hospital.

Curb-side parking!

,QGHSHQGHQFH

$ELOLW\

Certified by the American Academy of Wound Management*

5HFRYHU\

1355 Independence DrivE s Augusta, Georgia 30901 s Toll Free 1-866-4-WALT/. s WWW Wrh.org

www.thomasandthomasdesign.com Home | Web Design & Hosting | Photography & Video | Apps

“Serving the Medical, Dental and Education Communities since 1976�

Visit us at any of our 5 locations or at www.hccu.coop 706 434 1600

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL

3 YEARS WEB HOSTING: $99.95 Thomas & Thomas Design specializes in creating strong web branding for small businesses and nonprofits. We love working with organizations that want high quality web and photography services, from the look and feel of your site to the photos and graphics that will be used across all mediums including web, print, identity, and advertising. We also provide hosting services, domain registration, and domain transfer services for our clients. We can provide hosting for your website whether it was designed by us or not. Please check our portfolio online and contact us if we can help you.

MARCH 16, 2012

11 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

The blog spot From THE Bookshelf Posted March 11, 2012 at http://patientobservations.com/ (Being a mother’s blog of her daughter’s leukemia treatments)

My daughter’s (and my) journey Our clinic visit on Thursday went well. I hesitate to say it, but I think Elsa has turned some sort of developmental corner where she actually understands now that she can’t eat or drink and this understanding has brought us both peace.

When we started this whole crazy ride, spinal tap days were absolute hell. Telling an 18month-old on steroids that she can’t consume large quantities of food for 6 hours is a totally heartless, miserable task. The day was spent weathering storm after tantrum after miserable breakdown. At the end of the day, I would feel like I had been in a rock tumbler for hours.

Now, Elsa asks to “eeeeeat” or do “nana” and I simply say, “We can’t eat or drink until after Dr. Parikh puts the medicine in your back,” and she just shrugs and moves on to something else. Sometimes she asks to eat and I say, “Not until Dr. Parikh does what?” and she smiles and points to her back. Amazing! Granted, she asks to eat 15-30 times during the waiting period, but each time, when I explain to her that we have to wait, she quietly accepts her situation. I know this sounds painfully simplistic, but life with a two-year-old is all about these seemingly tiny, incremental shifts in their being that usher them forward out of their baby-ness and into being a kid. In the daily grind of our mom/daughter life, these shifts bring about little earthquakes that shake up our whole routine. This time, the change is for the better.

So Thursday was relatively easy, but, unfortunately, Saturday morning, at about 3AM, gifted us a fever of 102.2 and a trip to the ER. As an ER nurse myself, I find it especially difficult to bring my kid in for just a fever. I have seen hundreds of patients who bring their kids to the ER for a simple fever and the question [that I only ask in my own head] is, “WHY!?” “Why on earth would you bring your kid in for just a fever!? Keep them home. Tylenol.

Hydrate. Snuggles. Done!” But to the ER we go, anytime her temperature is above 100.4. Doctor’s orders.

I was thankful that I didn’t see this fever coming though.

Some nights, she feels warm to me before bed, so I spend the entire night tossing and turning, repeatedly checking her temperature and trying to refocus. The anxiety I have about the possibility of an ER trip is killer. The actual ER trip, itself, is usually not as bad as the anticipatory anxiety.

Since CT Children’s Medical is a pediatric hospital, we don’t have to worry about all that scary stuff that goes along with a regular ER: drunks, trauma, cardiac arrests, etc. As an ER nurse myself, when I see a pediatric patient coming in, I run for the hills, hoping another nurse will get the patient.

I am terrified of pediatrics. My tagline at work is always, “I’ll deal with all your drunks and change all your adult diapers if you will take my one pediatric patient.” Their tiny bodies, tiny medication doses, and terrified parents have always intimidated the hell out of me. Granted, since Elsa got sick, my feelings about pediatrics have been changing, but historically, I avoid sick kids. At CCMC, we never have to worry about getting a nurse or doctor who secretly hates pediatrics (like me!). Everyone there specializes in the wee ones and that makes a WORLD of difference. They actually like being around sick kids – go figure.

So this particular trip, we were there for about 4 hours total for a blood draw, a dose of IV antibiotics, and instructions to come back in 24 hours if she is still febrile. Her ANC was 1900 (it is elevated because she is clearly fighting off something) and we don’t have to stay unless she is febrile with an ANC less than 500. So far, we have managed to stay home and she does seem to be feeling better. +

“

I am terrified of pediatrics.

”

It’s not every day that a medical memoir comes along with these features: • it’s written by a blonde, blueeyed ex-model hottie • it features a cover photo of a bikini-clad body (presumably the author’s) • it is recommended for readers 18 and up ... and last but not least, • it features a cover blurb

by Salman Rushdie. Yes, that Salman Rushdie, the same one who won Britain’s coveted Booker Prize for literature and who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 (shortly after he, by the way, accepted a 5-year post as Distinguished Writer in Residence just up the road at Emory University).

Says Salman: “Hot Cripple is an immensely impressive piece, conceived out of a personal nightmare with much sharp black comedy and no selfpity. Hogan Gorman’s many characters are created with deadly accuracy, her writing is taut and lean, and her satire of the American medical system hits its mark.”

Not that a Rushdie blurb should be surprising. Who doesn’t like to read the personal memoir of a damsel in distress,

right guys?

In this case, our hot cripple got that way by becoming — at least for a few seconds — the hood ornament on a speeding car on a New York City street one unfortunate day in 2004. She was not exactly rolling in cash to begin with, and to make matters worse, had no insurance.

As Kirkus Reviews puts it, “She may be the furthest thing from Snow White (more like the “witch-bitch”), but her harrowing experience grappling with a twisted spine, disinterested welfare hacks and outrageous court officers rendered her so broken and vulnerable, readers will root for this unrepentantly bitchy, foul-mouthed fighter. In fact,

Gorman’s obvious toughness in dealing with her suddenly penniless situation following her accident only underscores the bleakness of the whole affair.”

This is one of those books that we here at Medical Examiner World Headquarters have yet to read, but it’s not difficult to see why it’s ranked #17 on Amazon (at least in one branch of health-related books): millions of people in this country are dealing with no insurance, under-insurance, or are trapped in jobs simply because the job provides insurance they absolutely need but could never afford on their own.

Sometimes the very job that provides the all-important health insurance is systematically ruining the health of the insured.

How’s that for a paradox?

Hot Cripple is probably not going to spur congressional hearings that result in universal coverage, but it’s another snapshot of a healthcare system that desperately needs reform. +

Hot Cripple: An Incurable Smart-Ass Takes on the Health Care System and Lives to Tell the Tale by Hogan Gorman 272 pages, published March 6, 2012 by Perigree / Penguin.

the

Clipping File Our fat is getting thinner The Wall Street Journal reports that levels of trans fatty acids dropped by 58 percent in white adult Americans (at least the ones studied, presumed to be representative of all of us) between 2000 and 2009. The figures were released by the CDC and published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The drop is attributed to the US Food and Drug Administration’s 2003 mandate that trans fats be listed on nutrition labels.

Faced with airing that particular piece of nutritional dirty laundry in public, food manufacturers scrambled to remove trans fats from their products. Its presence in the national food supply continues to dwindle, and in those products that have it, increased awareness means consumers avoid products still containing trans fats. And now, the CDC says the beneficial results are beginning to show.

Does your doctor’s practice have lots of practice?

Hope so, because after all, practice makes perfect. And practice is especially important in medicine, where we want our surgeons to be perfect.

Just how good a doctor is doing knee surgery in particular is, like just about any other complex task, a factor of repetition.

According to a study presented to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (and reported in the WSJ), the learning curve is pretty steep: a patient who is one of the first ten to undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair in a surgeon’s career has five times the risk of having to repeat the surgery within a year compared with a surgeon who has done ACL repair more than 150 times.

If an ACL procedure or any other surgery is in your future, don’t be afraid to ask your doctor how many times he or she has performed it before. If

the number is low, you have options: get a referral to another doctor, or inquire of your doctor about the possibility of another more experienced doctor attending to assist. The second doctor may be a partner in the same practice.

If you like to play pool...

With warm weather approaching — okay, with warm weather already here — it’s time to endorse the health benefits of ye olde dip in le pool, even if that sentence mixes French and Old English.

The American Journal of Cardiology says that regular swimming yields good things in vascular health: reduced blood pressure and improved artery health in older adults.

Specifically, systolic blood pressure (the first, higher number) dropped by an average of 7 percent (from 131 to 122) and arteries showed signs of greater elasticity, all just from swimming between 15 and 45 minutes a day three or four times a week. +

+ 12

MARCH 16, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

THE EXAMiNERS +

Wow.

What?

by Dan Pearson

It’s this ad for hearing aids...they’re You’re right. This almost giving them away. sale is amazing.

These prices are unheard of.

The Mystery Word for this issue: UGAFETI

Literally. © 2012 Daniel Pearson All rights reserved.

PUZZLE

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

We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!

2

12

3

4 13

5

6

7

8

14

16

9

10

11

Click on “Reader Contests”

15

17

18

QUOTATION PUZZLE W R O T S Y A T T G T H S T H C I E S T S N W O A T T A E A A E T R H T H E E W C R I O W A — Author unknown

DIRECTIONS: Recreate a timeless nugget of wisdom by using the letters in each vertical column to fill the boxes above. 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.

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2012 All rights reserved

E

S

3 6 1 2 4 8 5 3 1 3 6 8 2 8 9 8 6 7 5 9 8 1 7 9 4 9 6 4 6 4 1 9 2

X A M I N E R

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2012 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 and entering unique and minimal choice numbers (such as 5 thru 10 in this puzzle). A sample is shown. Solution on page 14.

1 1

1 2 2 R 2 3 4 5

E 1

2 6

3 7

4 8

5

6

9 10

1 2

G 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4

1

2

’ 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 1 2 3 4

U 1

2

1 2

— Alfred Adler

1 2 3 4

1.FFLOUTTTTTIIPE 2.RHHPTISAOOOONI 3.GRISAVEE 4.HEINNSM 5.TCE 6.IR 7.P 8.L 9.E 10.S

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 © 2012 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

VISIT WWW.AUGUSTARX.COM TO ENTER! 1

19 20 21 ACROSS 1. Scull power 22 23 24 25 26 4. Wax coated cheese 27 28 29 8. Pulsate 12. Bridge 30 31 32 14. Diego’s wife 33 34 35 36 37 38 15. Migrant farm worker 16. Prolonged 39 40 unconsciousness 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 17. Word describing 90° 19. Stepdad’s child?

50 51 52 21. Sea eagle 53 54 22. Said gratingly 23. Family Fold’s Ms. Eubanks 55 56 57 58 59 24. Pen prefix 60 61 62 27. Natural loss of consciousness 63 64 65 28. The road to Costco?

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2012 All rights reserved. Built in part with software from www.crauswords.com 30. Husband of a countess 32. Double curve 31. Prefix meaning without DOWN 33. Voltage measurer 33. Langley follower 1. Hollywood statuettes 39. Bull 34. By mouth 2. Having no distinct feet 40. River in central Europe 35. Jerry’s co-star 3. Branching 41. Female sweetheart 36. Room within a harem 4. American Indian tribe 45. Walton Way library 37. “Augusta’s Most Salubrious 5. Really, like, like 50. Bad cholest.

Newspaper” for short 6. Stay attached 51. Mom’s sister 38. Mistake 7. Reloaded movie?

52. Hot water tank 39. ____ now, informally 53. Chlamydia and gonorrhea 8. Word with dog or china 42. Hippocratic add-on 9. Squiggly-lined exam (abbrev) 43. Most discourteous 10. Be ill 54. Heraldic shield border 44. Having a handle 11. Ball holder 55. Prone to giddiness; easily 46. Duck with soft down 13. One of the two equal intoxicated 47. Dodged sections of a cone (geometry) 59. Paradise 48. Tranquil 14. Couples’ name 60. Cass Elliot, for one 49. Before this time, poetically 18. Old Indian coin 61. Rock 52. Predict 62. Pre-Ashcroft US Attorney 20. Home for nomads 53. Denmark cape (with “the”) 23. Sam or Missy General 54. Curve 24. Verge 63. Attract 55. Weapons abbrev.

25. Noble 64. Be inclined 56. ____ buds 26. Anger 65. Condensed moisture 57. Doc’s org.

28. Crafts partner 58. Mafia title 29. Word cancelling your previous sentence Solution p. 14

WORDS NUMBER

THE MYSTERY WORD

MARCH 16, 2012

13 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

March 27 is American Diabetes Association Alert Day The Patient’s Perspective

by Kathy Crist

Nearly 26 million Americans live with diabetes, yet 7 million of these people do not even know they have the blood sugar disease.

To help prevent and diagnose diabetes in all Americans, Kathy Crist March 27th is American Diabetes Association Alert Day, a call for people nationwide to take the new Diabetes Risk Test to determine if they are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90 percent of cases and is on the rise in the United States.

The Diabetes Risk Test is available in English and Spanish year-round at stopdiabetes.com or by calling 1-800-DIABETES. Participants are encouraged to take the test and share the free questionnaire with their social networks.

I personally encourage everyone of any age to take the new Diabetes Risk Test.

The questions are simple and quick, and you can participate with family members, friends, classmates and work colleagues to protect your health together.

Generally, diagnosis occurs seven to 10 years after onset of the disease, leaving many people with debilitating and deadly complications,

such as heart and kidney disease, blindness, stroke and amputation. Often, people with Type 2 diabetes have no symptoms of the disease, but common symptoms can include: • Frequent urination • Unusual thirst • Extreme hunger • Unusual weight loss • Extreme fatigue and irritability • Frequent infections (particularly skin, gum or bladder) • Blurred vision • Cuts/bruises that heal slowly • Tingling or numbness in the hands/feet Leading risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include being overweight, sedentary, over the age of 45 and having a family history of diabetes. Individuals in the following population segments face increased possibility for undiagnosed diabetes: • Older Americans—diabetes risks increases with age. One out of every four Americans 65 and older has diabetes.

• Certain ethnic populations including African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic/ Latinos, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders.

• Women who have had a baby of nine pounds or more at birth.

Individuals can prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes through: • A healthy weight—losing just 7 percent of body weight (15 pounds if you weigh 200

by Marcia Ribble

2012 MARCH

27 pounds) helps control diabetes.

• Regular physical activity— exercise helps lower blood glucose and can decrease the need for insulin or diabetes pills.

• Healthy eating—diabetes. org offers meal and snack guidelines and flavorful recipes for diabetics and those prone to the disease. +

Kathy Crist, co-owner of Right at Home of the CSRA is available to discuss your family care giving needs. Right at Home is dedicated to helping the elderly by providing private-duty care giving services; personal emergency buttons from LIFELINE; and computerized medication dispensers. Right at Home serves Columbia and Richmond counties in GA, and Aiken, Barnwell, McCormick and Edgefield counties in SC. If you have further concerns about caring for a loved one, please contact them at 803-278-0250, or 277-227-3029 or on the web at www.rightathome. net/csra.

You could be reading your ad instead of ours.

For advertising information, contact us at 706.860.5455

I am preparing for a total knee replacement some months from now. My first total knee replacement occurred in 2005 and the replacement is still in a pristine state. My knee is in such good condition, in part, because my surgeon was excellent. But a great deal of that positive outcome was also due to choices and behaviors I could control.

Today I’ll focus on the months of preparation for a total knee replacement.

I was fortunate enough for that surgery to have insurance that paid 100% for my presurgery physical therapy. But not everyone has insurance like that. However, we can do a lot of the pre-surgery exercising on our own. Knee replacement requires strong arm, strong leg, strong back, and strong core muscles. Strength in these areas will help you to sit down, stand up, walk, transfer from walker to bed and bed to walker and to chair, and otherwise negotiate your daily living tasks. Strength will help you to gain and maintain your independence post-surgery.

After my surgery I was able to teach for another six years before I retired.

If you are a senior, many supplemental Medicare insurances will pay for you to attend an exercise program at places like the YMCA, whose Silver Sneakers program can help you to identify and choose exercises that will increase your strength in those areas without further damaging your joints.

Another option in the Augusta area is also located at the YMCA on Wheeler Road, in the wonderful pool for special needs people. The water is kept warm, the help with exercising in the pool is excellent, and the other folks there are very friendly. I know because I’ve gone there and will go back soon to engage in exercise that is not load bearing on tender joints.

If that’s not an option for you, another possibility is to ask your orthopedic surgeon to

Talk is cheap.

Not talking can be deadly.

recommend exercises you can do at home with only minimum instruction in doing them properly. One of my doctors showed me in no more than 5 minutes how to do leg lifts, and told me to do 100 of them a day. That exercise alone tones the hamstrings, quads, and core muscles in the abdomen. It took me a while to build up to 100, but it is do-able with a little persistence, and sometimes a little help with exercise bands.

Using a chair with arms, sit at the front of the seat and stand up using both your legs and your arms. Doing it ten times in a row will also help to prevent you from becoming an invalid.

It also works on getting rid of our bat wings on our arms. You can use the same chair, again sitting toward the front of it, to create a pivot that will allow you to use your legs to move the weight of your body as if in a rocking chair. I usually do this while I’m watching TV or working on the computer and I hardly notice that I’m actually exercising.

With good preparation, you can go into your total knee replacement able to optimize your outcomes and shorten the amount of time it will take you to get back in shape after the surgery. + Marcia Ribble received her PhD in English at Michigan State University and recently retired from the University of Cincinnati where she taught composition. She has taught writing at the college level since 1985, and loves giving voice to people who have been silenced. She can be reached with comments, suggestions, etc. at marciaribble@hotmail.com.

+

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR MEDICAL EXAMINER? +

At GHSU:

Among our GHSU stops, newsstands on Harper Street, in the lobby of the Children’s Medical Center, on Laney-Walker Blvd. across from the Student Center, just outside the South and West entrances to the hospital, and at the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home. +

+ 14

MARCH 16, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

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

...carefully hidden (in the middle photo) in the page 15 ad for MERCY MINISTRIES Congratulations to Claire Mullis, who scores a $20 Wild Wing Cafe gift certificate, two free movie passes courtesy of Health Center Credit Union, a free Top Notch Car Wash gift card, and anything else we may be able to scrape together on short notice. Win this stuff!

The new Mystery Word is on p. 12. Start looking!

EXAMINER CLASSIFIEDS HOMES, APARTMENTS, ROOMMATES, ETC.

Townhouse, 1-car attached garage located off Pleasant Home Road $725 /mo 706-228-4655

HOUSE FOR SALE 3 bedroom, 2 full bath, 2-car garage. Off Dyess Pkwy near Ft. Gordon. $99,900. Call 706-3395548 or 706-210-4334

TOWNHOME 3 bedroom, 3 full bath townhome. 2 master suites, like new, end unit with extra parking, single garage, covered patio, $125,000. 706-799-0394

TOWNHOME large furnished room (dresser, bed, night stand, linens) for rent with private bathroom in convenient and very nice neighborhood near Doctors Hosp. $445 a month includes utilities and Internet service. Please contact 706589-0238 ask for May.

SERVICES HOME HEALTH CHECK-UP Biological and chemical contamination will make you sick. Help your doctor! We Cure Sick Homes. 706-772-9898 www.commandonow.com

The Celebrated MYSTERY WORD CONTEST

APARTMENT One bedroom, one bath garage apartment, $595/mo. TOWNHOME Two bedroom, 1.5 bath townhome, $645/mo. Quiet West Augusta area.

706.951.3598 or 706.855.5986

...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: gift certificates from Wild Wing Cafe, Top Notch Car Wash, Cheddar’s, and movie passes from Health Center Credit Union!

TOWNHOUSE One bedroom townhome in Town Club on Berckman Road. Gated community with security system. Minutes from ASU. Gym & pool on site. Info: call 706-564-1107

SAY IT THE WRITE WAY Online editing, proofing, writing and drafting service. Visit http://sayitthewriteway.webs.com or email proofing-editing@live.com

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.

TOWNHOME Great location, everything new, 2 master suites, sunroom, all appliances. $98,000 (706) 504-4023

SPARKLING CLEAN Looking for offices to clean. No contract req. Husband & wife team have years experience and give FREE on-request estimates. Call 706.831.8552 or 706.831.8553

The new scrambled Mystery Word is found on page 12

SENDING US A CLASSIFIED? USE THE FORM BELOW AND MAIL IT IN, OR GO TO WWW.AUGUSTARX.COM AND PLACE & PAY CONVENIENTLY AND SAFELY ONLINE. THANKS!

31612

LYNN’S CLEANING SERVICE over 20 years experience in the CSRA with an eye for detail. Call 706.833.2658 or email lynn_dubose@hotmail.com 1612

12012

21712

HOMESBYOWNER.COM Sell • Buy • Rentals • 706.564.5885 WEST AUGUSTA Luxury 3 BR / 2 BA

BIBLE BY PHONE - Free daily Bible readings; for Spiritual Encouragement and Growth. Call 706-855-WORD (9673)

WHAT’S YOUR DRUG OF CHOICE?

.75

1.00

1.25

1.50

1.75

2.00

2.25

2.50

2.75

3.00

3.25

3.50

3.75

4.00

4.25

4.50

4.75

5.00

5.25

5.50

5.75

6.00

6.25

6.50

6.75

7.00

7.25

7.50

7.75

8.00

8.25

8.50

8.75

9.00

(Copy this form or continue on additional sheet if more space needed.)

Send this form with payment to:

AUGUSTA MEDICAL EXAMINER, PO BOX 397, AUGUSTA, GA 30903-0397 Total ad cost by number of words as shown above: $

O

A

R

S

P

A

N

C

O M A

A

D

R

A

S

L

P

O

T O

F

E

D

A M

B

E

A

T

R

I

D

O

K

I

E

G

H

T

A

N

G

L

E

E

R

N

E

R

I

P

T

E

E

S

P

E

D

E

E

P

O

E

R

I

N

A

L

E

X

A

O M

E

E

R R

E

E

S

E

B

O

I

L

E

R

B

O

R

D

U

R

E

E

D

E

D

E

N

E

R

E

N

O

D

E W

E

A

R

L

E

N

T

I

T

O

R

O

D

I

N

A M O

R

A

T

A

L

D

L

A

U

N

T

S

T

D

S

W E

A

K

H

E

A

D

M A M A

S

T

O

N

D

T

E

N

D

R

A W

A

E

P

I

N

D

E

R

O

G

E

E

T

E

R

QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION: Page 12: “It is what we are that gets across not what we try to teach.”

— Author unknown

AD COPY (one word per line; phone numbers MUST include the area code): .50

CAREGIVER/COMPANION Need a ride to the doctor, store, etc. or someone to come in to visit and help you. Great References, reasonable rates. Call (706) 589-1698 or email msmagic4@yahoo.com.

QUOTATION

In case we need to contact you. These numbers will not appear in the ad.

.25

PERSONAL TRAINER Certified by United States Sports Academy in Science of Bodybuilding and Strength Training for Athletes. Significant improvements for all sports at all ages. Natural techniques for relief of all common sports-related injuries employing positioning and myofascial release. Rapid recovery and strength gains.

One free session to 1st 10 applicants.

E-mail Hme3065805@aol.com or call 803-257-5421

SEE PAGE 12

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING FORM Name Address Work number (if applicable) ( ) Home phone ( ) Category of ad (leave blank if unsure):

LAWN SERVICE Commercial, residential.

Call Vince: (704) 490-1005

THE PUZZLE SOLVED

(OURS IS COFFEE)

Augusta Medical Examiner Classifieds

NOTICE! ATTENTION! If any current or past employer has failed to pay you min. wage or time and a half overtime pay, you may be entitled to an order from US Federal Court awarding you twice the amount of your unpaid wages plus atty. fees. For info, call Arthur H. Shealy, Attorney at Law, 803-278-5149, 1010 Plantation Rd, North Augusta SC 29841. You may be entitled to a similar award for unpaid wages if your employer required you to perform duties during your lunch hour, before clocking in, or after clocking out.

The Sudoku Solution

COFFEE IS GOOD MEDICINE VISIT DRUGOFCHOICECOFFEE.COM FOR YOUR REFILLS TODAY

8

3

6

1

7

9

2

4

5

2

9

7

8

4

5

6

1

3

5

4

1

2

3

6

7

8

9

6

7

2

5

1

8

3

9

4

1

8

9

4

6

3

5

7

2

4

5

3

9

2

7

8

6

1

3

1

8

7

9

2

4

5

6

9

2

5

6

8

4

1

3

7

7

6

4

3

5

1

9

2

8

WORDS BY NUMBER “It is easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.”

— Alfred Alder

Multiply by number of times ad to run: x Total submitted: $

The Augusta Medical Examiner publishes on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month.

Your ad should reach us no later than 5 days prior to our publication date.

Thanks for reading!

www.AugustaRx.com

MARCH 16, 2012

15 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

KIDS ‘N GERMS… from page 2 #4: Wipe down common surfaces with disinfectant or antibacterial wipes.

Drinking fountain handles, water faucets in sinks, light switches, paper towel dispensers, handles, and doorknobs all foster germs! #5: Clean and wipe down desks and keyboards.

Desk surfaces, computer keyboards, and computer mouses ranked high in levels of five bacteria: * E. coli * Klebsiella pneumonia * Streptococcus * Salmonella * Staphylococcus aureus Send your kids to school with disposable wipes so he or she can clean off their desk at the end of the day and before and after lunch if they eat at their desk.

#8: Clean community toys.

Plastic toys such as Legos can be washed with soap and water, and board game surfaces can be wiped down with disinfecting wipes. Toys are shared almost by definition, so ones with germs can cause a common cold very easily. #9: Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

If your kid is the one who is sick, encourage other kids to keep their distance to minimize the spread of the germs and sickness. If possible, have your child stay home from school, child care, and public places so others won’t be exposed. +

#7: Don’t borrow crayons.

Since all objects passed from one person to another are potentially germ carriers buy your child a box of crayons.

It is great if each child could have their own art supplies if possible.

It’s far out how close we are

ROGER M. SMITH, M.D.

We’re a lot closer than you think: less than a mile from the medical complex, golfing and downtown Augusta. New home prices begin in the $100s. Lots available from the $30s.

#6: Cover your mouth and send tissues to school with your child.

Kids need to be taught to cough into the crook of their arm, into their sleeve, and then to immediately wash their hands. Virucidal tissues – have you ever heard of them? These tissues prevent the spread of viruses because it kills them when you blow your nose.

OPHTHALMOLOGY

706.724.3339 820 St. Sebastian Way • Suite 5A • Augusta, GA • • Medical & Surgical Treatment • • Cataract Surgery •

Will Greene 706-799-9998 cell 803-613-1641 office wgreene@hammondsferry.com www.hammondsferry.com

M E D I C A L S E RV I C E S D I R E C T O RY Knob

Home Health Check CENTER FOR PRIMARY CARE

Hill

BACTERIA, MOLD, MYCOTOXINS, VIRUS AND VOCs Cause Asthma, COPD, Fibromyalgia, Fatigue, Congestion, Eye Irritation, Respiratory Problems, Stuffy Head, Sore Throat, Skin Conditions and more.

39

ASSISTED LIVING CENTER, INC.

$

A specialty care community offering:

Spinal Cord Injury Care • Traumatic Brain Injuries Respite Care • Specialized Rehabilitation Care Specialized Dietary Requirements Adult Day Care • Alzheimer’s Care

Approved for VA and Medicaid and private pay

COMMANDO SERVICES

LOCAL HOME INSPECTION CALL TODAY!

706-772-9898

Family Care Center

CPC-EVANS

No appointments • All major & secondary ins. accepted 3686 WHEELER ROAD GROVETOWN

For more information or to make a referral, please contact us:

(across from Doctors Hospital)

(old Post Office Building)

KNOB HILL ASSISTED LIVING CENTER Ryan Hunt • huntglobalinc@gmail.com 2822 Knob Hill Farm Road • Evans, GA 30809

706.922.6300

706.434.3500

Mon-Fri: 8am-7pm; Sat: 9am-6pm

Mon-Fri: 9am-6pm

CPC-SOUTH

363 NORTH BELAIR ROAD

2011 WINDSOR SPRING ROAD

706.650.7563

706.798.1700

CPC-CENTRAL

CPC-N. AUGUSTA

706.868.7380

803.279.6800

3614-D DEWEY GRAY CIRCLE

CPC-CROSSROADS

Primary & Urgent Care

Knob Hill Assisted Living Center is just off Washington Rd. near Windmill Plantation, approx. 3 miles from Evans WalMart

706-860-0541

FAMILY MEDICINE

105 HUGH STREET

CPC-AIKEN

1701 MAGNOLIA WAY (OFF DYESS PARKWAY)

410 HITCHCOCK PARKWAY NEW CPC OFFICE AS OF AUG. 1

706.922.6600

803.649.6941

Evans, South, Crossroads, Central and North Augusta offices open 8:30 am-8:00 pm Monday thru Thursday and 8:30 am-5:00 pm Friday Aiken office hours: 8:30 am-8:00 pm Mon & Tue and 8:30 am-5:00 pm Wed thru Fri CPC-Crossroads open weekends for CPC patients with acute care needs. Please call ahead.

NEW PATIENTS WELCOME • SIMPLY WALK IN www.urgentmd.com

26 PHYSICIANS • EVENING HOURS • 6 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS •

DOCTOR’S OFFICE CLEANING SERVICE FREE E ST I M AT E S

D.O.C.S. HELPING DOCS T H O R O U G H • D E P E N DA B L E • D I L I G E N T • H O N E S T • • • DA I LY • B I -W E E K LY • W E E K LY • P R N

7 0 6.2 8 4.7 2 8 7

FREE E ST I M AT E S

TO ADVERTISE HERE CALL 706.860.5455

+ 16

MARCH 16, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

SEAFOOD‌ from page 10 consumed in the U.S. is raised on farms and farm-raised fish usually have lower concentrations of mercury if any compared with fish caught in the wild. It is also important to understand that levels of mercury vary between different types of fish, so choices can be made to lower potential mercury consumption.

We’ve now established that seafood is nutritious and safe to eat, but couldn’t we just eat a steak instead? How exactly does seafood (fish) compare to “land food�? Is it more or less nutritious?

Both seafood and “land-foods� like meat and dairy products are good sources of protein. The difference lies in the type of fat within the foods and the health implications of that fat. Think back to earlier: the brain is composed largely of fat and therefore requires some level of dietary fat consumption to function properly. The trick is that certain fats are healthier for the brain than others. For example, saturated fat is not what the brain needs. Instead, the brain requires unsaturated fats like omega-3 fatty acids. “Land foods� such as beef, pork, lamb, and dairy products contain higher amounts of saturated fats, while fish and seafood contain higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids.

When the two are compared based on nutritionally-beneficial fat content, fish win.

Because not all fish are created equally, it is important to be able to identify the best types of fish to consume. Ideally, we should select fish that are both high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury content. Fish containing high levels of omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish like mackerel, salmon, and sardines, along with herring, trout, and pollock. Fish lower in mercury include salmon, flounder, tilapia, trout, pollock and catfish.

(Beware of the choices higher in mercury: shark, swordfish, tilefish, and King mackerel). The best choices for fish, therefore, are salmon, herring, sardine, pollock, and trout.

The current recommendation of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) is to make seafood the protein on our plate twice a week. The portion should be around 4 oz per serving.

Just remember: don’t let the method of preparation turn your nutritional asset into a nutritional liability. Frying fish adds unnecessary amounts of unhealthy fat. Stick to baking, broiling, steamed, or pan searing your fish to optimize its nutrition. Happy fish-eating to you! +

RECOGNIZES

DEDICATION

1RZ FRXOG EH WKH SHUIHFW WLPH WR EX\ RU UHĂ&#x20AC;QDQFH D KRPH ZLWK 6XQ7UXVW 0RUWJDJH ,QF ¡V 'RFWRU /RDQ 3URJUDP <RXU ZRUN LV PHDQLQJIXO <RX KHOS SHRSOH HYHU\ GD\ $W 6XQ7UXVW 0RUWJDJH ,QF ZH DSSODXG \RXU GHGLFDWLRQ DQG KDUG ZRUN 7R VKRZ RXU DSSUHFLDWLRQ ZH¡YH FUHDWHG WKH 'RFWRU /RDQ 3URJUDP ZLWK VSHFLDO PRUWJDJH Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLQJ GHVLJQHG ZLWK \RX LQ PLQG Â&#x2021; )RU OLFHQVHG PHGLFDO SK\VLFLDQV ZKR KDYH FRPSOHWHG WKHLU UHVLGHQF\ ZLWKLQ WKH ODVW VL[ \HDUV 8S WR Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLQJ IRU ORDQ DPRXQWV XS WR 0D[LPXP ORDQ DPRXQW RI PLOOLRQ Â&#x2021; )RU 5HVLGHQWV ,QWHUQV DQG )HOORZV 8S WR Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLQJ 0D[LPXP ORDQ DPRXQW RI Â&#x2021; 1R PRUWJDJH LQVXUDQFH

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; by Lightsey Laffitte Dietetic Intern

Â&#x2021; $YDLODEOH IRU SXUFKDVHV DQG UHILQDQFHV

Some resources for additional information: â&#x20AC;˘ http://www.choosemyplate.gov/preschoolers/food-safety/ serving-seafood.html â&#x20AC;˘ http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/what-to-know-aboutomega-3s-and-fish â&#x20AC;˘ http://www.choosemyplate.gov/preschoolers/food-safety/ serving-seafood.html â&#x20AC;˘ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/03/health/03real.html â&#x20AC;˘ http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/proteins.html â&#x20AC;˘ http://www.adaevidencelibrary.com/conclusion. cfm?conclusion_statement_id=251534&highlight=seafood&home =1

ÂŽ

SOLID

+

Â&#x201A;

Ă&#x201A;

Â&#x2021; )L[HG UDWH DQG DGMXVWDEOH UDWH ORDQV ZLWK LQWHUHVW RQO\ RSWLRQV Â&#x2021; &RPSHWLWLYH SULFLQJ DQG VSHFLDO UHODWLRQVKLS GLVFRXQWV For more information, contact me today: Steve Griffin VP/Mortgage Loan Consultant 706.855.4092 Office 706.564.2557 Cell 4212 Washington Road Evans, GA 30809 steve.griffin@suntrust.com suntrustmortgage.com/sgriffin

$YDLODEOH RQO\ LQ $/ $. )/ *$ 0' 06 1& 6& 71 9$ :9 DQG '& WR 5HVLGHQWV ,QWHUQV )HOORZV 'RFWRUV RI 2VWHRSDWK\ '2 RU OLFHQVHG PHGLFDO SK\VLFLDQV WKDW KDYH FRPSOHWHG WKHLU UHVLGHQF\ ZLWKLQ WKH ODVW VL[ \HDUV %RUURZHUV VKRXOG QRWH WKDW PRUWJDJH ILQDQFLQJ ZLOO UHVXOW LQ QR SURSHUW\ HTXLW\ XQWLO VXFK WLPH DV WKH ORDQ SULQFLSDO LV SDLG GRZQ WKURXJK UHJXODU PRUWJDJH SD\PHQWV DQG RU WKH SURSHUW\ YDOXH DSSUHFLDWHV $GGLWLRQDOO\ LI SURSHUW\ YDOXHV GHFOLQH \RX FRXOG RZH PRUH WKDQ \RXU SURSHUW\ÂśV YDOXH Â&#x201A;$GMXVWDEOH 5DWH 0RUWJDJH $50 SURGXFWV KDYH LQWHUHVW UDWHV WKDW PD\ LQFUHDVH DIWHU FRQVXPPDWLRQ Ă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Â&#x2039; 6XQ7UXVW 6XQ7UXVW 0RUWJDJH DQG /LYH 6ROLG %DQN 6ROLG DUH IHGHUDOO\ UHJLVWHUHG VHUYLFH PDUNV RI 6XQ7UXVW %DQNV ,QF

www.drugofchoicecoffee.com *

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Coffee is good medicine.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; J. Perkins Brewster III. Our illustrious founder

* about to emerge from hibernation.

Please visit us soon using your computing machine.

GOT A STORY?

Seriously, who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t?

Tell us about your medical experiences in Medicine in the First Person More info, page 3