health & business
We were born to be healthy: Part 6 of 7 By Alvin H. Danenberg, DDS
Food as Medicine The science clearly shows that nutrient-dense foods are medicine. They allow every cell in our body to survive and thrive. The trick is knowing what these foods are and what they are not. Nutrient-dense foods Animal proteins should be pastured and wild caught—not grain fed or farmed. Organ meats are one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet—liver, brain, heart, kidney (you may need to acquire a taste for these). Healthy fats are your friends, contrary to popular belief. Saturated fats from grass fed beef or pastured pork are healthy; coconut oil is healthy; avocados are healthy; butter from grass fed cattle is healthy. All nonstarchy and deeply colored veggies are healthy. Seaweeds like kelp and wakame are healthy. All dark colored fruits like berries in moderation are healthy. Nuts and seeds,
Dr. Alvin Danenberg, Periodontist, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner & DDS, practices at Beaufort Family Dentistry and Bluffton Center for Dentistry. For more information, visit his website www.BeaufortFamilyDentist.com or call (843) 524-6363.
herbs and spices, and fermented foods are healthy. Homemade bone broth is extremely healthy for your gut. And don’t forget clean, filtered water. A healthy plate of food In order to get the combination of micronutrients and macronutrients your body requires and craves, you could think about eating in this way: For every meal or snack you eat, visualize it like a plate of food.
• More than 1/2 of the plate should be non-starchy veggies with healthy fat like ol-ive oil or melted butter from grass-fed cattle. • Up to 1/4 could be a protein like salmon or pastured chicken or grass fed beef with its own healthy fats. • And less than 1/4 could be a few nuts or a few blueberries or maybe a small sweet potato – again with some healthy fats if possible. Here is what to avoid: Grains, processed foods (including pasteurized milk products), sugars, industrial oils, and leg-umes (because of antinutrients and high carbohydrates) should be avoided. Animal products from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) should definitely be avoided. CAFOs are cluttered, unhealthy factories where antibiotics, hormones, chemicals, and other toxic sub-stances often are administered to the livestock. Then these meats are processed for sale.
The Advanced Practice Provider can see you now
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants filling a key role in today’s healthcare Got a nagging sore throat and need medical care? Make an appointment with a nurse practitioner or physician assistant. All across the country, MDs are relying more and more on these Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) to help them meet the growing demand for primary care services. “They’re worth their weight in gold,” said Dr. Kurt Gambla, Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer. “They’re able to take care of routine health issues as well as a doctor and they often have more time to spend with patients.” In the last several years, BMH has hired a dozen APPs for its busy primary care practices to better serve patients by addressing many of these routine medical needs. Several more are working with specialists in fields that include gastroenterology, vascular and general surgery, orthopaedics and obstetrics and gynecology. “It’s a collaborative effort,” said Paul Schaefer, a physician assistant who joined Beaufort Memorial in March and currently divides his time between two of the hospital’s primary care practices. “And one of the other advantages of seeing an NP or PA is that you can usually get in faster to see them.” The crisis in primary care developed as a result of a perfect storm of healthcare quandaries: an aging and growing population, the expansion of insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act and fewer medical students choosing primary care as their field of medicine. Fifty years ago, about 70 percent of all U.S. physicians practiced primary care. Today, it’s down to 30 percent. And it’s only going to get worse. At current graduation and training rates, the U.S. could face a shortage of as many as 150,000 doctors in the next 15 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. APPs are starting to fill that void. “With us in the office, there’s always someone who can see patients if the doctor is in surgery,” said Jaime Cuff, a nurse practitioner who works with BMH orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Edward Blocker. “Or we can take their hospital rounds and leave
Advanced practice providers like Paul Schaefer, PA-C and Ronda O’Connell, ANP-BC, are playing an increasingly crucial role in today’s primary care environment. “It’s a collaborative effort,” says Schaefer, a physician assistant who divides his time between Beaufort Memorial’s Lady’s Island Internal Medicine and Beaufort Primary Care. Photo by Paul Nurnberg.
Some APPs, including orthopedic nurse practitioner Jaime Cuff, CNP, work with specialists. Beaufort Memorial currently has advanced practice providers seeing patients in its vascular and general surgery, gastroenterology, orthopedics and OB-GYN practices. Photo by Paul Nurnberg.
them to see patients in the office.” While NPs and PAs take different educational tracks to get their advanced training, both can perform a wide range of preventative, acute health care services and take care of many other issues a patient might have. They can diagnose and treat common health problems, order and interpret imaging tests and lab work, prescribe medication, refer patients to specialists and manage chronic health issues such as diabetes, high
blood pressure and asthma. “For most routine complaints, they do just as well as a physician,” said Gambla, who worked with APPs as a primary care doctor. “Having them in a practice treating minor issues leaves the physicians time to take care of more complex cases.” Although they are always under the supervision of a doctor, some nurse practitioners and physician assistants have gone on to develop their own loyal patients. However, many APPs like Ronda O’Connell, a nurse practitioner at Beaufort Memorial Primary Care, are still finding it necessary to educate the public on their qualifications and the role they play in today’s healthcare environment. “But once they’ve been treated by an advanced practice provider and begin to comprehend all that we can do, they understand we have the education and training needed to take care of their needs,” she said.
THE CHAMBER CORNER
BUSINESS OF THE WEEK Congratulations to this week’s Chamber Business of the Week - Carolina Lowcountry Block Ltd H&R Block! Each week, the Chamber highlights one member business or organization as a thank you for their investment in the Chamber and our community. Special thanks to K’s Party Store for sponsoring Business of the Week! 10
the island news | december 10-16, 2015 | www.yourislandnews.com
UPCOMING EVENTS
• Thursday, December 10: Business After Hours, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. hosted by Crowley, Weschler & Associates, LLC, 1411 Queen Street. Wear your Ugly Christmas Sweater and don’t forget your unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots annual toy drive. A $50 gift card to Tanger Outlets will be awarded to the winner of the Ugly Sweater Contest. This event is free for
members, $5 for guests. • Friday, December 18: Coffee With Colleagues, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. hosted by Beaufort River Glass, 79 Sea Island Parkway (yellow building in front of the marina). This is a free networking opportunity for members. Bring your business cards! • Save the Date - Wednesday, January 6: Legislative Luncheon, from 11 a.m. at the Callawassie Island Club.