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HEALTHCARE NEWS YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY
AUGUST 2015
IN THIS ISSUE | 2 Advances in orthodontics | 3 Ovarian health | 4 Events & Support Groups | 5 Sleep disorders; Rattlesnake season
Oh, sugar! Learning what to look for can help reduce your intake By Gremlyn Bradley-Waddell
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ou might be stunned by the amount of sugar that’s included in such items as pizza, hot dogs, crackers, condiments, peanut butter and lunch meats. Not to sugarcoat the issue, but they’re often full of the sweet stuff. “Generally, Americans eat about twice as much sugar as we should,” said Jessica Lehmann, a registered dietitian and instructor in the nutrition program at Arizona State University’s School of Nutrition and Health Promotion in Phoenix. “On average, Americans eat about 20 teaspoons of sugar per day.” Considering that the American Heart Association recommends an upper daily limit of six teaspoons of sugar for women and nine teaspoons for men, we all have some work to do.
Variety of names Our bodies are not programmed to deal with all the sugar in modern-day foods, so it’s a good idea to know what’s in your food to start with, Lehmann said. That said, it’s not like you can’t ever eat sugar, she added. After all, the human brain functions on glucose and our bodies are naturally drawn to sweet foods. What makes it really tough to avoid unneeded sugar, however, is the fact that it is often disguised, plus it goes by a variety of different names — often ones that don’t look or sound like how we typically think of sugar. Some of the more common culprits you might glimpse on food labels include high fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, agave, corn sweetener and fruit juice concentrate. What this means is that reading food labels and paying attention to ingredient names as well as serving sizes is key. “There are a lot of different names for sugar out there,” Lehmann said. “If sugar, or a different-named version of it, is in the first three ingredients of a given food, it should be something you don’t use very often.” Words ending in “ose,” for instance, are often a dead giveaway that it’s a sugar, as in the case of dextrose and glucose. But there are caveats; lactose, for example, is a naturally occurring sugar found in unflavored white milk and unflavored plain yogurt and unless someone is lactose-intolerant, it's usually not much of a concern for most people.
Brian McWhorter, D.O., is a hip, knee and shoulder reconstruction specialist with Hedley Orthopaedic Institute. McWhorter, who is also on the medical staff at Mountain Vista Medical Center in Mesa, said that one of the bigger changes in shoulder replacement surgery has been the incorporation of interchangeable parts which allows a surgeon to change the angle, rotation and alignment of an implant without moving where the implant is in the bone. Here, he is demonstrating a robotic arm interactive system that helps him operate with greater efficiency and accuracy while shortening surgery times and patient recovery times.
Moderation is key As with so much in life, moderation is key when it comes to sugar intake. But little touches of it here and there can be rewarding. “I’m okay with using some added sugar to make things that are slightly bitter more palatable, like using agave syrup in a dressing or drizzling honey over plain yogurt,” Lehmann said. To start cutting down your intake Thinkstock of sugar, Lehmann said you should reduce your dependence on commercially prepared food and limit the amount of calories you drink; opt for water instead and flavor it with seltzer, a splash of fruit juice or pieces of diced fruit. “I also suggest that consumers vote with their dollars and buy low-sugar versions of foods whenever possible,” she said.
Jointlydecided Joint-replacement surgery more advanced than ever
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BY D E B R A G E L B A R T | PHOTOS BY R I C K D ’ E L I A
oint-replacement surgeries have Customized implants been profoundly improved thanks “The newest technology available for knee replacements is the advent of 100 percent-customized implants,” said to a plethora of new technologies David Nilsen, D.O., an East Valley orthopedic surgeon with Banner Health. He explained that for several years and procedures including the he’s been using “cutting blocks” made by a 3D printer mainstream use of robotics, the that let him plan where the bone cuts and alignment pins expanding use of 3D printers and should be placed in the patient’s knee. “The next evolution is where not only are the 3D the development of better pain managecutting blocks used, but the actual implanted knee ment protocols. replacement is custom-built for the patient’s exact
Robotics-assisted surgery Bringing a robot into the operating room improves accuracy, according to Brian McWhorter, D.O., a hip, knee and shoulder reconstruction specialist with Hedley Orthopaedic Institute, which has offices in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. McWhorter is on the medical staff at Mountain Vista Medical Center in Mesa. Robotics-assisted surgery for partial knee replacement has allowed huge advancements in the accuracy of implant placement, agreed Vishal Ganesh, M.D., an independent orthopedic surgeon on staff at Abrazo West Campus in Goodyear. “The best part is that the patient only has the damaged area of the knee replaced and the rest of the knee is left untouched. Recovery is two to three times quicker than total knee replacement and the surgery is completed through a smaller incision,” he said.
shape,” he said. “These new custom-made implants require less bone resection and result in a potentially more normal looking and feeling knee.”
Pain management Pain management with joint replacement is far more effective today than just a few years ago, said Bertrand Kaper, M.D., an orthopedic specialist at the HonorHealth Orthopedic Institute in Scottsdale. “Instead of being reactive to pain, we’re focusing on the proactive steps that can be taken in anticipation of pain after surgery,” he said. “These may include nerve blocks, spinal anesthetics, intravenous Tylenol, antiinflammatory medications and medications that can blunt the neurologic pain-signaling to the brain.” JOINT REPLACEMENT, continued on page 5
“Orthopedics is a constantly evolving specialty. Techniques, materials and design all change over time.” — David Nilsen, D.O., an East Valley orthopedic surgeon with Banner Health
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