6 minute read
EAT HEALTHY, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE OUT
WITH DR. TARUN MULLICK
With the current cold weather, there are a number of places around town that are serving great warm and delicious food. But one favorite spot that warms me up after a long day is Skippy’s Gyros. Whether lunch, dinner or snack (at any hour), Skippy’s is right around the corner with two spots in the region: at the Geneva/St Charles border and in South Elgin. They have a whole host of delectable originals and a cool striped sign with a bright logo that entices you in to the zip or skip of the excitement of the restaurant. To start I ordered their Greek salad, which is as great as any Greek town restaurant and in fact a bit larger and fulfilling. Crisp romaine lettuce, red tomato wedges, fresh cut cucumber along sliced slivers of red onion give this salad the main ingredients of a Greek salad. Then to send us to a Greek Isle on the Mediterranean Sea, they adorn the salad with feta cheese and kalamata black olives. Topped with a house-made vinaigrette with herbs and oil, this salad is refreshing and keeps you trim. For the main course, who can resist the name of the restaurant as to determine the star dish? Gyros! My favorite is the chicken gyros. They are a blend of chicken and herbs and spices, cooked spirally or rotisserie in a vertical manner for hours until the meat just becomes tender, juicy and full of flavor. I ordered the king-sized portion as I was hungry and literally ate the gyro meat with a fork, savoring every bite alone. They do serve with tomato, lettuce or onion if you want, but for me the gyro meat itself is full of so much flavor that it stands alone! And if that was not enough, they either have a honey mustard dip or the traditional tzatziki cucumber yogurt sauce to go with it. Bam! This joint is a winner!
WORD SCRAMBLE:
E I T N L V E A N H O A C L O L O N L O S P Y C O O C H A E T L E L E T H S R E W O F L
ANSWERS: Valentine, Alcohol, Colonoscopy, Telehealth, Flowers
Dr. Tarun Mullick is a specialist trained at Johns Hopkins and Cleveland Clinic in Gastroenterology and Endoscopy based in Geneva. Connect with him at www.mullickmd.com or by phone at 630-232-2025.
Ask the doctor
It is my honor and privilege to serve the community and readership of this publication. Our practice’s focus is to care for patients, to help them and tailor their care individually with current therapies.
Q: Has the pandemic changed the guidelines for screening?
A: No, the guidelines for screening are the same even amid the pandemic. In fact, a lot of people have postponed their screenings or surveillance, which has resulted in more cancers and other later stage diseases. I recommend catching up with the screenings and surveillance so that you are up to date.
Q: Has the screening age of colonoscopy for cancer changed to 45?
A: Yes, recently a study was done that demonstrated a significant increase in colon cancer for current 27-year-olds compared to a 27-year-old from 40 years ago. This prompted the change of the guidelines for men and women to get screened with a colonoscopy at age 45 rather than 50.
Q: I have gas bloating. Some of my friends have diarrhea, and some have constipation. Are there any new medications available?
A: In the last few years, there are new medicines for constipation that work well for patients with mild symptoms or chronic symptoms. In addition, the same is true for diarrhea that is irritable bowel-related.
Prior to giving those medications, a proper evaluation and workup should be done to rule out other diseases like celiac sprue, infections, Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis, among others. In addition, structural evaluation to rule out reasons is important as well.
Q: Heartburn and gas are bothering me. What should I do?
Should I try over-the-counter medicines, and for how long?
A: It is important to go to a gastroenterologist for evaluation of the heartburn. An evaluation should include an endoscopy to determine the level of esophagitis and rule out a precancerous condition, Barrett’s esophagus. In addition, it is important to identify ulcers and gastritis. Other conditions such as eosinophilic esophagitis, which are related to food allergies, can present similarly. Length of treatment and types of treatment, along with lifestyle and dietary changes, can be determined.
Q: I have been drinking a moderate amount of alcohol over the years, but I really haven’t had any issues. Should I check out my liver and GI system, along with others?
A: Alcohol can affect everyone differently. In some, one drink can cause problems while, in others who drink a lot, there are no issues. I do recommend getting some liver tests or what they call a CMP (complete metabolic profile) lab test to look for any evidence of effect on the liver periodically. Then, next steps can be determined if needed.
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Facility Fees are significantly lower. Cost of health care is going up. Pay less for your test. We are JCAHO certified. Met your Deductible?? Get in before year end. Save on your deductible. Pay LESS. Heartburn, Diarrhea, Constipation, Liver Disease, Pancreatitis, Abdominal Pain, Colitis, Crohns/ Ulcerative Colitis, Gallbladder, Rectal Bleeding We have quality doctors and team on staff to serve you well. Its our honor to take care of you. AMERICAN COLONOSCOPY AND ENDOSCOPY CENTER
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It affects men and women BOTH and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths. It is VERY important to get this screening done - colon cancer is beatable and treatable if caught early enough through colon screening. HEARTBURN PATIENTS PLEASE COME TO GET EVALUATED FOR PRECANCEROUS
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Dear Dr. Mullick, My family never had polyps or cancer. Do I really need a colonoscopy? Jane
Dear Jane: Great question. Colon cancer can affect anyone, regardless of family history. Everyone over age 45 should get a colonoscopy. If you have family history you should start at age 40 or 10 to 15 years before the youngest relative with a problem. Screening helps reduce risk.
Dr. Mullick, I’ve got bloating and gas. Sometimes I have diarrhea or nausea after I eat. Could I have food allergies? My doctor said it’s IBS (irritable bowel). Kristen
Dear Kristen: Yes, food intolerances to lactose, sucrose and fructose are common, so you may need to avoid those. We have tests in the office for that. The symptoms of IBS and food allergies are often similar, so testing for food allergies is reasonable. We can test for that, too. We have helped many patients diagnosed with food allergies, so it’s not all IBS.
