Healthy Living August 2012

No

or size, our new MRI scanner is all about

With our new Toshiba Vantage Titan™ MRI scanner, Florida Hospital Waterman continues to enhance the services available to our community.  The wider bore of this scanner offers more room…more room means greater patient comfort.

It’s just one more way we’re providing exceptional patient care in a community of health and healing.

matter your shape

CRYSTAL CLEAR VISION

IS JUST

minutes away!

The LenSx® Laser – the latest in computer-guided precision for catarct surgery.

Cataracts can affect anyone of any age, especially people over 50. Left untreated, cataracts can cause blindness. Now, the experienced doctors of Lake Eye Associates can remove cataracts more quickly and safely than ever before, with little or no downtime.

As Lake County’s most advanced provider of cataract surgery, we are the 1st to offer the revolutionary LenSx® laser cataract surgery. This bladeless procedure is the most accurate cataract surgery system ever created, and our surgeons are the only area specialists to offer it.

We also utilize today’s finest procedures including ReSTOR ® and Toric ®, as well as TECNIS ® intraocular lens implants, which eliminate cataracts, vision problems and glare – even astigmatism – so effectively that 9 out of 10 patients can stop using glasses altogether, even at night.

Trusted professionals working hard to brighten your world

As board-certified Ophthalmologists, we share more than exceptional experience caring for a vast array of patients and performing countless thousands of cataract, refractive, ocular and laser surgeries—we and our friendly staff also share a commitment to making you feel comfortable and confident from the moment you walk in the door.

From routine eye exams to prescriptions to safe and effective eye surgeries, we are devoted to preventing, controlling and healing vision problems—including cataracts—so your world is as crisp, clear and bright as it can be.

Be enlightened. Call to schedule an appointment or visit us online to learn more.

TAVARES - 352-343-2020

LEESBURG - 352-365-2020

352-750-2020

(Golf Car Accessible)

SHELBY L. TERPSTRA, DO

MARK J. VOCCI, MD

SCOTT R. WEHRLY, MD

SCOT C. HOLMAN, MD

Scan the code to read more about the The new LenSx® refractive laser surgery is the safest, quickest, most advanced cataract procedure

We are so excited about our first MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS issue, we could just…

CONT D

IN EVERY ISSUE

HEALTHYBODY

FITNESS

54 A MONSTER WORKOUT

Whole-body fitness feels whole-body good!

WRITER: LISA GRAYFORD

EAT FIT/NOT FAT

56 RED LOBSTER

For the healthy seafood lover in you.

INSIDE

58 SHOULD YOU IMMUNIZE YOUR CHILD?

What is the latest news on immunizations?

Are they safe?

WRITER: RICHARD T. BOSSHARDT, M.D., FACS

60 SLOW AGING: CLEANSE YOUR BODY

Detoxify for a healthy body.

WRITER: TRACI BROSMAN

62 HONEY-CITRUS ICED TEA

Cool off with this naturally-sweet Southern favorite.

HEALTHYMIND

SMARTS

66 THE LEARNING PROCESS

Learning isn’t just for the young… it truly is a lifelong process.

WRITER: BETSY STOUTMORRILL

PLAY NICE

68 SHOW-UP OR SHOW-OFF?

Biking etiquette equals biking safety.

WRITER: TRACY DRAPER

HEALTHYSPIRIT

INNERVENTION

72 LIFE AFTER DEATH

How do you find life after the death of a loved one?

WRITER: BETSY STOUTMORRILL

MENCOURAGEMENT

74 OVERCOME DISCOURAGEMENT

Find the source of your unhappiness and affect change today.

FAMILY

75 BULLY-PROOF YOUR KIDS

The “real” world isn’t always such a pretty place. Prepare your kids.

VOX

76 DOMESTIC SILENCE

If you suffer from domestic abuse… don’t suffer in silence.

12

HEALTHYFINANCE

BANKING

80 ARE YOU BEING FINANCIALLY BULLIED? Is your bank pushing you around?

WRITER: ELLEN B. WILCOX, GEPC

BUDGET

82 SCHOOL SUPPLIES + COUPONS = SAVINGS

Small savings add up on back-to-school items.

WRITER: MARY EDWARDS

SAVINGS

83 TAKE A (SALES TAX) HOLIDAY

Do your homework and save during this year’s sales tax holiday.

WRITER: KATE SHEAROUSE

Beating-Heart Surgery in Lake County.

Keep your heart care close to home with Mission Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgeons, specializing in providing treatment for patients with disorders of the lung, airway, heart and great vessels. Gary Allen, MD, FACS is board-certified in cardiothoracic and general surgery. He is one of very few surgeons who performs the “beating heart” open-heart surgery, where the heart is not stopped, only slowed down with medication. This revolutionary technique is less invasive and much safer, decreasing the risk of kidney or liver complications. The strength of the heart is preserved, plus the recovery time is only 3-4 weeks. If you suffer from the following conditions, you might want to open your heart to Dr. Allen:

Severe Coronary Artery Disease | Heart Defects | Heart Valve Damage

Gary

S.

3120 Waterman Way, Tavares, Florida 32778

Publisher’s notes

BULLYING

Since launching Healthy Living Magazine in October 2008, we’ve provided avid readers with countless human-interest stories and have spotlighted many inspirational people throughout Lake and Sumter counties. From conversations with our readers, I’ve learned that these “feel-good” articles have a way of lifting their spirits, warming their hearts, and enriching their lives.

Of course, we understand that life isn’t always peaches and cream. Sometimes, we must delve into controversial and difficult subject matter that may not be necessarily exciting and uplifting but has a profound impact on the human race.

That brings me to this month’s feature story — bullying. Growing up, I was never bullied by any of my peers. Fortunately, bullies never sought out my three children as prey, either. Many of you reading this may have never been bullied or knew a loved one who was bullied and therefore have very little interest in the subject.

Even if that is the case, I strongly encourage you to read Jim Gibson’s fabulous article that takes a look at the breadth and depth of bullying that occurs in today’s society. Through his writing, Jim reveals startling and honest information about this increasingly widespread problem.

Despite my lack of knowledge about bullying, I do know the problem has hit close to home. In 1995, a Tavares Middle School student who was allegedly being bullied by a classmate took matters into his own hands. He brought a semiautomatic handgun to school and shot the alleged bully 13 times. He is now serving a life sentence in prison. To me, it is disheartening to think something like this could happen in our small, quiet community.

But bullying is no longer confined to the hallways and playgrounds of our schools. Technology has opened up an entirely new world for bullies to carry out their aggression and misdeeds. Today’s bullies utilize social media sites, chat rooms, and email to stalk and inflict harm on their prey.

I wish to conclude my letter by saying this: Though victims have endured the dark world of bullying, they are a shining light in God’s eyes. I pray their hearts heal and they discover eternal peace. p

Sincerely,

Kendra Akers publisher

KENDRA AKERS publisher kendra@akersmediagroup.com

DOUG AKERS vice president doug@akersmediagroup.com

EDITORIAL // DESIGN

JIM GIBSON executive editor jim@akersmediagroup.com

TIFFANY ROACH managing editor tiffany@akersmediagroup.com

JAMES COMBS staff writer james@akersmediagroup.com

BETSY STOUTMORRILL, PH.D. copy editor betsy@akersmediagroup.com

HEATHER TOOTLE office manager heather@akersmediagroup.com

contributing writers

RICHARD T. BOSSHARDT TRACI BROSMAN TRACY DRAPER

MARY EDWARDS

LISA GRAYFORD

FRED HILTON

KATE R. SHEAROUSE

ELLEN B. WILCOX

TINA MORRISON administrative assistant tina@akersmediagroup.com

JAMIE EZRA MARK creative + content director jamie@akersmediagroup.com

CIERRA CHAPPELL production manager cierra@akersmediagroup.com

STEVE CODRARO art director steve@akersmediagroup.com

JOSH CLARK senior graphic designer josh@akersmediagroup.com

ANTHONY CASTO graphic designer anthony@akersmediagroup.com

contributing designers KEVIN DANKO

FRED LOPEZ chief photographer fred@akersmediagroup.com

contributing photographers TERRI KRACHT MARIAH DELGADO

editorial interns MAGGIE ROSS CHRISTY KEY

SALES // MARKETING

TIM MCRAE

vice president of sales and marketing tim@akersmediagroup.com

MIKE STEGALL senior marketing representative mike@akersmediagroup.com

HEIDI RESSLER marketing representative heidi@akersmediagroup.com

DISTRIBUTION

SCOTT HEGG distribution manager scott.hegg@akersmediagroup.com

THE ROAD TO UNDERSTANDING

Iknow the “road of life” analogy is well worn and has been paved over many times, but it is such a perfect description of “real” life that I am simply forced to use it again. It is true; the journey a person travels throughout his or her lifetime really does have potholes, bumps, and curves. Now, I am told there are straightaways with nice smooth surfaces — but that part could be just a myth, as I haven’t come across any of those myself. Sometimes a pothole might just be small depression we barely notice and keep right on moving, and sometimes it might seem like a bottomless pit that completely engulfs us. Here at Healthy Living our reason for existence is to make your life better. We want to help you through the hard times. When it comes to the small potholes, helping is usually relatively easy — put some vitamin E on that scar or try some digestive enzymes for that stomach problem. But when it comes to the major canyon-like potholes — the death of a spouse or child, a terminal diagnosis, financial ruin — those answers aren’t always as easy to come by.

In an effort to help our readers through those hardest of times, we are introducing a new column titled Innervention to our Healthy Spirit section. Each month you will hear from people just like you who have experienced things similar to what you are going through. Sometimes they may offer you advice on how to cope and other times they may just simply tell you their stories. Many times the greatest solace others can give you when you are in the depths of despair is simply the knowledge that they survived — and through that knowledge you then have that hope also.

The very first article is written by our copy editor, Betsy Stoutmorrill, who lost her youngest son to an automobile accident six years ago. I have three children and I cannot fathom the depths of despair Betsy and other parents who have lost children go through to survive such a catastrophe in life. I cannot imagine surviving such a loss and I am not entitled to say to a parent who has lost a child that “I understand” — because I don’t understand. But Betsy does. And she courageously shares a part of her life with you — the hardest part — in an effort to tell you that you can make it through.

Betsy will be the first of many brave people who will bare their souls to you in an effort to make this life a good one or at least a better one. In advance, I applaud them all and hope in some small way we can help make each of your lives a little bit happier.

Until next month — hold fast…

Jim Gibson editor

Contributors

RICK BOSSHARDT, M.D., FACS

Rick Bosshardt, M.D., graduated from the University of Miami School of Medicine in 1978. He founded Bosshardt & Marzek Plastic Surgery Associates, Lake County’s first practice to provide full-time cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery services, in 1989.

TRACI BROSMAN

Traci Brosman is co-founder of World Wellness Education, which is dedicated to encouraging and inspiring others to live healthier lives. On LakeFront TV’s World Wellness Education show, Brosman interviews others who are on a journey from sickness to health. Brosman also helps health and wellness professionals through her mastermind groups and success coaching. Contact her through www.holisticmarketingmentors.com or www.worldwellnesseducation.org.

TRACY DRAPER

Tracy Draper is an AFAA certified personal trainer with over 10 years of experience in the profession. Sports were a big part of her teen years. After having children, she rekindled her competitive fire and won titles in triathlons, aquabike, and cycling events in Central Florida. Visit her at www.TrainingWithTracy.net.

MARY EDWARDS

Mary Edwards is a wife and mother to four young children, a business owner, and a blogger. She strives to teach others how to save money and improve their budgets. Mary also enjoys sharing her knowledge in community outreach programs and coupon classes. Mary is the owner and author at www.couponersunited.com.

LISA GRAYFORD

Lisa Grayford is a certified personal trainer at Gold’s Gym Clermont and a fitness instructor at both the Clermont and Mount Dora Gold’s Gym locations. She is also the fitness coordinator for Monster Challenges, an adventure sport of mud and obstacles throughout a 4-mile course located in south Lake County. She can be reached at lisa@ monsterchallenges.com.

FRED HILTON

Fred Hilton spent 36 years as the chief public relations officer/spokesman for James Madison University in Virginia and 10 years prior as a reporter and editor for The Roanoke Times in Roanoke, Virginia. He is now happily retired in The Villages with his interior designer wife Leta, their Cadillac Escalade golf cart, and their dog Paris. (Yes, that makes her Paris Hilton).

KATE R. SHEAROUSE

Kate Shearouse is the president and owner of Accounting Innovations, Inc. Accounting Innovations is a community-minded accounting firm committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in its client relationships. Kate is a graduate of the University of South Florida Masters in Accountancy Program and a CPA candidate. Please visit www.accountinginnovationsinc.com for more information.

ELLEN B. WILCOX, GEPC

Ellen B. Wilcox is a graduate estate planning consultant. Educated at Gettysburg College, the University of Maryland, Paris, France, and Arizona State University, Ms. Wilcox brings more than 33 years of experience to her clients. She is president and CEO of Wilcox Wealth Management, a full service financial advisory company in Lady Lake, Fla. Ms. Wilcox may be reached at 352.259.1547.

ADVISORY BOARD

RICK BOSSHARDT, M.D., FACS

Plastic Surgeon

ROSANNE BRANDEBURG, MBA

Executive Director, Lake-Sumter Community College Foundation, Inc., Chairman, Lake County School Board

PATRICIA BURGOS

Environmental Program Manager

Lake County Water Authority

RUTH ANN BYRD, LA, CME

Aesthetic Skin Solutions

AL CARDIELLO

Certified Personal Trainer

KATHERINE COOK

Founder of the Leesburg Center for the Arts

ISAAC DEAS

Interfaith Chaplain for Cornerstone Hospice

LORI ESAREY, ARNP

Total Nutrition Therapeutics

TERRI FECHTEL

Liaison for Suncoast/Omni Home Health

GREG FRESCOLN

Principal, First Academy-Leesburg

MAEN HUSSEIN, M.D.

Hematology, Oncology, Internal Medicine

SHERI HUTCHINSON

Public Information Officer, Community Outreach Manager, Lake County Health Department

CAROL MILLWATER

Executive Director, Lake-Sumter Medical Society

MANDY RICHARDSON

Marketing Manager, Mid-Florida Eye Center

ERIC ROUKEY

Physicians Consulting Group

B. E. THOMPSON

Director Of Development, Lifestream Behavioral Center

ELLEN WILCOX, GEPC Wilcox Wealth Management

JEFF WITTMAN

Licensed Nutritionist, Owner, Lake Nutrition Centers

The Healthy Living Advisory Board consists of a handpicked group of knowledgeable individuals representing a unique cross section of Central Florida business owners, professionals and individuals. They provide a critical review of our magazine and offer recommendations of approval or adjustment based on their distinctive skills and life experiences.

TIPS TO BETTER HEALTH

Although most of us desire to become healthier, few of us are willing to make the necessary changes to become healthy. Fortunately, Jean Sumner of The Villages is helping people make small weekly changes through her recently published book, 52 Tips to be Healthy. Her weekly health tips are easy and simple to implement and they are guaranteed to have you living 52 times healthier at the end of the year — in spirit, mind, and body.

Sumner has pursued wellness throughout her life. She is passionate about exercise, eating healthy, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Several years ago she formed World Wellness Education, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to educating the world about wellness one story at a time. The club invites speakers who have been cured of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease using alternative therapies.

To order the book, visit www.worldwellnesseducation.biz/52Tips-to-Be-Healthy.html. ■

Don’t blow off safety plans

A B.E.liever in health

B.E. Thompson was the recipient of the Lake County Health Department’s 2012 Individual Hidden Hero of Public Health Award. A native of Lake County, he has dedicated his life to protecting the well-being of residents in Lake County by promoting a healthier lifestyle. In his current position as director of development at LifeStream Behavioral Center, he serves children and adults by providing high-quality treatment, education, care management, and rehabilitation services to help those who suffer from mental illness and substance abuse.

Additionally, he has focused on his personal health during the last two-and-a-half years, losing more than 270 pounds by incorporating exercise and nutritional eating into his daily regimen. His success has inspired many people to embark on their own weight-loss journeys. ■

SAY “OWIE” NO MORE

Pregnant women know how uncomfortable wearing a seat belt is. Never fear, the Owie Pillow is here! The Owie Pillow is a product that helps redistribute the pressure of a seatbelt on the stomach, effectively relieving stress and pain on the area. It was invented by Kristine Currier, who had difficulty coping with an uncomfortable seat belt during her pregnancy.

The pillow is equally effective for people recovering from surgeries, suffering from abdominal problems, or travelers who desire a little extra comfort on the road. It won Start Up Nation’s 2011 Leading Moms in Business Award and has been featured on Fox 5 news, Healthy Mom and Baby Magazine, and numerous blogs.

For more information, visit www.owiepillow.com. ■

In preparation for hurricane season, United Southern Bank is urging customers to create emergency plans to protect against the potential threat of bad weather. “Through a few easy steps prior to a hurricane, households can be well prepared for a storm,” says Marketing Officer Lynne Winker.

• Create an emergency kit, which should include first-aid supplies, a flashlight, extra batteries, three days of non-perishable food and water, and a supply of necessary medications.

• Consider using a water- and fire-proof safe to store important documents, collectibles, and family heirlooms.

• Establish a plan before an emergency — such as a safe place to go — to help eliminate confusion and stress.

• Know when and where to evacuate and whether your local emergency shelter allows pets.

• Secure your home, shutters, and outdoor objects that pose a potential hazard. Turn off propane tanks and other utilities if instructed by emergency personnel.

• Have a battery-powered radio so you can stay informed about the storm’s progress and receive important information from authorities. ■

Soak up the sun safely

More than 2 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year. The American Cancer Society recommends the following practices for sun safety.

• Protect skin with clothing, such as long-sleeve shirts and broadbrim hats.

• Avoid being outdoors when the ultraviolet light is strongest, particularly between the hours of 10a.m. and 4p.m.

TEE OFF FOR HEALTHCARE

The Alliance Healthcare Foundation’s 15th Annual Go for the Green Golf Classic will be held September 14 at Mission Inn Resort and Club. The event allows business professionals and community leaders to gather on the links for a day of networking, relaxation, and friendly competition. At the same time, they are supporting quality healthcare in Lake and Sumter counties. The golf classic will be held on picturesque El Campeon, which was built in 1917 and is one of the South’s oldest golf courses.

The Alliance Healthcare Foundation is a nonprofit philanthropic organization supporting the mission of the Central Florida Health Alliance, which includes Leesburg Regional Medical Center and The Villages Health System.

For more information, please call 352.751.8816. ■

August is National Breastfeeding Month

For new or expectant mothers, here are some tips provided by the Mayo Clinic.

• Babies breastfeed every two or three hours round-theclock for the first few weeks. Watch for signs of hunger, such as stirring, restlessness, sucking motions, and lip movements.

• Hold off on giving your baby a pacifier because it may interfere with breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics says to wait until breastfeeding is well established before introducing a pacifier, which

means three or four weeks after birth.

• It is perfectly acceptable to let milk dry naturally on your nipples after each feeding. It can soothe your nipples. Minimize the amount of soap, shampoo, and other cleansers coming in contact with your nipples during bathing.

• Don’t become discouraged when beginning breastfeeding. The more you breastfeed your baby, the more natural it will feel.

• Continue making the same healthy lifestyle choices you made during pregnancy. This includes eating a healthy diet, drinking plenty of fluids, being cautious with medication, and refraining from smoking. ■

• Use sunscreen and lip balm with an SPF of 15 or more on areas of the skin exposed to the sun. Products should be used on hazy or overcast days as well.

• Wear wrap-around sunglasses with at least 99 percent UV absorption to provide the best protection for the eyes and the skin around the eyes.

• Avoid other sources of UV lights, such as tanning beds and sun lamps.

• Protect children from the sun by using the same precautions prescribed for adults. ■

HAIR TODAY, HAIR FOREVER

August is National Hair Loss Awareness Month. The American Association of Dermatology (AAD) says that hereditary hair loss affects approximately 80 million men and women in the United States.

Since looking good on the outside makes us feel good on the inside, MensHealth.com strongly encourages you to consider eating the following hairhealthy foods: protein (chicken, beef, eggs), iron (lean red meat, dried beans, whole grains), zinc (oysters, nuts, beans), omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, sardines, flaxseeds), and vitamin C (broccoli, citrus fruit, green peppers).

The above-mentioned foods can be healthy in other ways, so make sure they are part of your diet even if you have no problem sporting the “Mr. Clean” look. ■

(VIOLENT CONTENT)

EAST SUPERGERMAN BULLY

WRITER: TIFFANY ROACH

Tell us the story again!” my kids ask me over salami and cheese sandwiches. “Yeah, the one when you beat up the big mean kid on the bus!” They want to hear this story because The Super Hero Squad had been off limits for a week. Every time I allowed them to watch the show, they ended up re-enacting the episode, which inevitably ended up with screaming, teeth marks, and bloody noses. I deemed the show “too violent,” and now my kids are jonesing for a good fight story any way they can get it.

“All right,” I say swallowing a bite of salami and cheese sandwich — my favorite since childhood. “But don’t interrupt, okay?”

They promise and I begin.

“Well, when I was 8-yearsold, my family moved to Germany. Your Uncle Jay was 6-years-old and your Uncle Joel was almost 4-years-old.”

“Almost four just like me?!” my youngest excitedly interrupts.

I nod and continue, “We went to a German school there, which means, the teachers and kids didn’t speak English — they spoke German.”

“Did you speak German too?” my kids ask.

I tell them we did not, but that my parents made sure to give us English–German dictionaries before sending us off to our first day of school. The fact that my parents sent us off with dictionaries is a standing family joke and would likely be a great springboard for years of therapy — if I had time for therapy.

“So, your Uncle Jay and I went to German School. He was in kindergarten and I was in the

third grade. At recess, we made friends because we played tag and you don’t have to be able to talk to play tag. You just have to be able to run, right?”

“Yeah! And you were fast, right?” the kids ask. I can tell they think I am starting to get to the “good part” of the story.

“Yes,” I say. “I was the fastest. In fact, I was the fastest kid in the whole school.”

I feel completely unselfconscious bragging about my 8-year-old self to my kids.

“The German kids started lining up to race me and I would race every one of them. And I would win every time. So I made friends because I ran really fast and smiled a lot. Your Uncle Jay made friends, too. He was only six though, so he wasn’t as fast as me. But he was still pretty fast for a 6-year-old.”

“Is Uncle Jay faster than you now?” they ask.

I tell them he is not.

“Okay, so then we went on Christmas vacation from school. And when we came back from vacation, there were a bunch of new kids at our school. You see, the Berlin wall had come down, which meant all of the people in East Germany could now cross over to West Germany, where we lived. These new kids did not speak German either and some of them were small, some were regular sized, but there was one boy…”

“…Who was as big as a giant!” The kids interject excitedly.

“Well, maybe not as big as a giant, but give him a few more years and he definitely could have played ‘the Eastern European bad guy’ in a Die Hard movie,” I clarify.

“What’s a Die Hard movie?”

my kids want to know.

I explain it is a movie men watch over and over in college when their girlfriend breaks up with them.

In truth, the kid — Alexander — was 12 and Eastern “Europeaningly” huge. He was also cruel and would slap and push the other Eastern European kids. In retrospect, he was pretty much the quintessential stereotype of a bully. I remember how he would sit in the back of the classroom with his head on the desk. He would growl at the teacher, curse in his language and flip her “the bird” when she addressed him. She quickly learned to leave him alone at his desk in the back by the window.

During recess, when we played tag and held our races, Alexander smoked cigarettes. I remember watching him. As the “fastest kid in school,” I held a certain unspoken position of prestige in the schoolyard. The position gave me enough confidence to make eye contact with Alexander a few times, which he would reciprocate by spitting in my direction.

“Usually, your Uncle Jay and I would walk home from school. But sometimes — if it was really hot, or snowing, or raining — we would ride the bus home. It was the city bus and it made stops in our village a few blocks away from our house. Well, one day, it was snowing, so we got on the bus to go home. And guess who was on the bus?” I ask dramatically.

“The giant kid!” the kids fill in with matching dramatic effect.

“That’s right,” I say. “And on the bus ride home, he was being really mean — pushing kids,

laughing at them. Your Uncle Jay and I held tight to the poles on the bus and tried to ignore him. But the mean kid started pulling on your Uncle Jay’s backpack, laughing and pulling him over. Your Uncle Jay was pretty tough for a little kid and I held on to him as I told him our plan in English, ‘Get ready to run when I say, okay?’ And your Uncle Jay said ‘Got it.’”

We were coming up to a bus stop, so I pressed the button on the bus to tell the bus driver to stop and then I yelled ‘Run!’ Your Uncle Jay ran and jumped off the bus. I went over to the giant mean kid, I looked in his big mean eyes, and then I punched him as hard as I could in the stomach. And then I ran as fast as I could and jumped off the bus before he could catch me — and the bus driver closed the doors behind us.”

At the end of the story, I let the kids cheer as I take the last bite of my sandwich.

“Aw, man! That is so cool!” my kids comment — their thrill for some good violence apparently temporarily satiated. They don’t ask about whether or not the bully retaliated, because they have already heard about how he never bothered us again.

“I can’t believe you punched someone!” my son says and I don’t miss the hint of awe and pride in his voice.

I remind my kids they are under no circumstances to punch anyone in the stomach unless it is a giant mean kid of Eastern European descent who smokes and messes with one of them. And then I smile and tell them, “mach schnell,” but they are already headed outside to reenact the story — running as fast as they can.

DO CARROTS HELP ME SEE BETTER AT NIGHT?

Ihave never been able to see very well at night. For that matter, I’ve never been able to see very well in the daytime either. I’ve worn glasses since the second grade and am pretty much legally blind without them. When I was taking my physical for the military, the eye examiner projected the traditional eye chart on the wall and asked me to read the lowest line I could. I told him I knew there was a big “E” on the top line but I really couldn’t see it.

He then projected a picture of an enormous black dot that covered more than half the wall. He asked, “Can you see the huge black dot?” “Yes,” I answered. “Congratulations,” he said, “you just passed the eye exam.”

Maybe I should have eaten more carrots. Remember, as kids we were all told that eating carrots could make you see better — particularly at night?

Sadly, the story about carrots and good sight falls by the wayside like so many delightful stories we heard as kids. The ultimate buzz-buster for folklore, Snopes. com, says flatly: “While carrots are a good source of vitamin A (which is important for healthy eyesight, skin, growth, and resisting infection), eating them won’t improve vision.”

Patty Vision Centers agrees: “Ingesting large doses (of vitamin A) will not give you superhuman vision or allow you to get rid of your glasses.”

The Aussies tested the carrots-helpyour-vision theory.

In an experiment under the auspice of the University of New South Wales, Dr. Andrew Rochford ate more than 30 pounds of carrots over 10 days. His eyes were tested before and after the carrot binge. There was no change in his vision. The origin of the carrot myth is more fun than debunking it. In World War II, the British government wanted to increase the amount of domestically-grown food and the military wanted to hide the new invention, radar, from the Nazis. The story was spread that eating carrots helped the RAF pilots see at night and dominate the German pilots. According to the World Carrot Museum (yes, there is such a thing), the idea took off. The Brits began growing more carrots (and other vegetables) and the Nazis were fooled.

A few diehards, like The Sun in England, still cling to the old saw that eating enormous amount of carrots helps you see at night. Another believer is the noted American hunter Elmer Fudd, who has never had any nocturnal success at catching that carrot-munching “wascaly wabbit,” Bugs Bunny.

WRITER: FRED HILTON // PHOTO ILLUSTRATOR: ANTHONY CASTO

What are the benefits of da Vinci robotic surgery?

Ocala Health System offers the latest technology in a full spectrum of medical specialties for women and their families. From our state–of–the–art da Vinci robotic surgical system to imaging services, cancer care, cardiology, orthopedics and more — we provide the highest quality care for every patient, through every stage of life. In addition, we are accredited by the Joint Commission.

The da Vinci robotic surgical system offers many benefits compared to traditional surgery or other minimally invasive techniques. These include: significantly less pain; less blood loss and scarring; shorter recovery time; faster return to normal daily activities; and in many cases, better outcomes. That’s why robotic surgery with the da Vinci robot is considered the best option for a variety of procedures.

For more information about the benefits of robotic surgery and procedures offered, visit WomensHealthClick.com or call ConsultA-Nurse at 1 (800) 530-1188. When you have questions, we have the answers.

PRBLEMS WITH YOUR PROSTATE?

Does this sound familiar? As you grow older do you realize you are getting up more often at night to urinate? Have you come to accept this as an inevitable part of aging as did your father or his father before him?

“Men no longer need to suffer from frequent urination because they are getting older,” says Dr. James Young, a down-to-earth urologist with 29 years of experience at Urology Associates of Lake County in Eustis. Although the cause of these symptoms is most likely an enlarging prostate (BPH), a normal part of the aging process in men, treatment options are more numerous and less invasive than those offered to our fathers and grandfathers.

Years ago there were two options for treating an enlarged prostate… surgical excision via an open operation (knife) or much more commonly by performing a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), commonly referred to as a “rotorooter” by patients and physicians. Both required hospitalization as well as major anesthesia and could be fraught with complications such as bleeding, infection, loss of bladder control and even death.

“In my career I have performed over 3,000 TURPs; however, I no longer perform any” says Dr. Young. “There are presently too many excellent alternatives to consider a hospital operation for the vast majority of patients with BPH.”

“When I see a new patient I perform a physical examination and properly evaluate the patient’s symptoms, thus diagnosing the underlying problem(s),” he says. “Next I describe to the patient what’s normal and then explain what is abnormal with him. Lastly I teach him his treatment options. If I’ve done a good job of teaching, he will select the correct option for himself.”

While prescribing medications for BPH can be done by primary care physicians, only urologists are trained to thoroughly evaluate the bladder and prostate

(including ruling out prostate cancer) as well as providing extremely effective minimally invasive office-based therapies as alternatives to lifelong medical therapy.

One such option is Prostiva-RF Therapy, a procedure performed by Dr. Young in his office under local anesthesia that usually takes less than 30 minutes. Prostiva utilizes low level radiofrequency energy to ablate (destroy) the obstructing component of the enlarged prostate. “I am very happy with the results I have achieved for my patients using Prostiva-RF Therapy” says Dr. Young, who has successfully treated more than 900 patients with this procedure. “Medtronic is a $13 billion a year publicly traded corporation that perfected the technology for Prostiva and produces the necessary hardware. Recently Medtronic produced an educational DVD for international distribution to inform patients and physicians worldwide regarding the benefits of Prostiva therapy. Seven of the eight patients featured on the DVD are my patients. I am very proud Medtronic selected my practice to feature the benefits of Prostiva-RF Therapy. However it is sort of a bad news/good news thing. The bad news is neither my patients nor myself received a penny for our participation. The good news is Medtronic gave us all the DVD’s we want, so if anyone wants one all he needs to do is drop by my office at 801 Northshore Drive in Eustis and we will give him one!”

And with an office staff with nearly as much experience as the doctor, (many have worked with Dr. Young more than 20 years) you don’t spend a great deal of time waiting to see him. “We pride ourselves in being timely in seeing our patients’. We respect our patient’s time

as much as we do our own,” adds Dr. Young. “Patients appreciate this; many of our patients tell me I have the best office staff on the planet. I consider that a huge compliment.”

So if you are getting up at night and can’t get back to sleep because you are thinking about what may be wrong with you, it’s time to check in with Dr. Young and have him check you out.

“Many men accept frequent bladder urges as part of aging. And while it is part of the aging process, it’s not like death and taxes. There is something you can do about it,” he says.

ASSOCIATES OF LAKE COUNTY

Since 1982

JAMES W. YOUNG III, M.D.

Practicing in Lake County since 1982 with extensive experience in evaluation and management of prostate problems.

EDUCATION

Board Certification: American Board of Urology, February 1984

Medical Degree: University of Arkansas, 1977

College: University of Mississippi, 1973. B.A. Chemistry and English

RESIDENCY

University of Arkansas, 1978-82. Urology

INTERNSHIP

University of Kentucky, 1977-78. OB/GYN

CURRENT MEDICAL LICENSURE

Florida and Arkansas

HOSPITAL AFFILIATIONS

Medical staff of Florida Hospital Waterman Florida 1982 – present

Vice-Chief of Medical Staff 1987–88 Waterman Medical Center

Chief of Medical Staff 1988-90 Waterman Medical Center

352.357.6786

801 Northshore Drive, Eustis, FL 32726

ProstateEvaluation.com

It takes many people to provide quality, compassionate and personal medical care

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS (PA) and ADVANCED REGISTERED NURSE PRACTITIONERS (ARNP) play a critical role.

PAs and ARNPs are the unsung heroes of a physician’s practice. Their mid-level medical status enables them to treat patients much as a physician would, but their schedules allow them to take the extra time with a patient that a busy physician just doesn’t have in today’s hectic world.

PAs and ARNPs are licensed healthcare professionals who practice medicine under close

physician supervision. Much like physicians, PAs and ARNPs perform exams, order and interpret diagnostic tests, diagnose illnesses, initiate and manage treatment plans, counsel patients on all aspects of preventive health care, and prescribe medications. PAs may also assist the physician during surgery. They are trained to work closely with physicians and complement physician care in all respects.

PAs complete medical based education that is very heavy in pathophysiology of the human body and have more advanced

KevinNOON ARNP

training from a purely scientific standpoint, while ARNPs have a deeper social science training that grows from the unique theories that are taught through the nursing programs. This gives ICE patients the best of both worlds: the latest in specialized technological medical care and a nurse’s caring and compassionate bedside manner that treats the patient as a person, not just a patient.

“Our PAs and ARNPs enable us to provide the best possible integrated healthcare available today,” says Dr. Asad Qamar.

“I consider the care and the expertise they provide to be on level with that of a physician. They are very down-to-earth and have such a great relationship with each patient. Many times, as a physician, I fi nd that my time is stretched, but I have such confidence in, and work so closely with, our PAs and ARNPs that I know each one of our patients is getting just as much care from them as I am able to provide. I would trust each of my medical team’s abilities with my own family members.”

Kevin Noon started his journey into cardiology 18 years ago when he was one of Monroe Regional Medical Center’s youngest ICU nurses. He worked in the cardiac critical care unit for five years while he finished studying for his Master of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Florida, graduating in 1998 as an ARNP. Since then, Noon has worked in the fields of asthma, allergy, sleep, and obesity medicine. He joined Dr. Qamar’s practice four years ago and has been enjoying cardiology ever since.

“What is so wonderful about working here at ICE is the fact that when Dr. Qamar takes on a new mid-level healthcare worker such as a PA or ARNP, he puts them through a rigorous training program that teaches them his “recipe” or method for treating his patients. Then the trainee does six months of rounds with Dr. Qamar that is similar to a miniresidency or an apprenticeship. Only when Dr.

Qamar feels the PA or ARNP is totally ready, will he allow them to begin treating patients. Even then, there is very close collaboration between the doctor and his new worker. Dr. Qamar is very particular when it comes to his patients and makes sure each one receives the best care we can possibly give.

“We, the PAs and ARNPs, become an extension of Dr. Qamar. We become his eyes, ears, and hands at his various offices. When he is in the catheterization lab, we will be in one of the other offices taking care of ICE patients just as if he was there. This allows us to reach more people while delivering the quality care Dr. Qamar brings to his practice… all the while under his indirect supervision. If we have any issues at all concerning patient care or test results, Dr. Qamar is right there with the guidance and answers we need. And that’s why I love working here at ICE.”

“Kevin Noon is my guardian angel. He walked into my hospital room, discovered me in cardiac arrest, and saved my life. You won’t find a better nurse practitioner anywhere and if it wasn’t for Kevin — I wouldn’t be here today.”

— TracyDUBOIS

JoseSOCARRAS PA-C

Jose Socarras enjoyed his job at Mercy Hospital in Miami as a medical lab technician so much that he decided to attend medical school. Following graduation from Auton University at Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Socarras returned to Miami and Mercy where he gained the status of physician’s assistant and spent the next 17 years assisting in thoracic and vascular surgery. He has participated in open-heart procedures and heart transplants.

Socarras’ love of horses brought him to Central Florida when he bought a horse farm in Micanopy. He then began to work at Ocala Regional Hospital and now has taken the next step in his medical career, a position at ICE.

“I love it here,” PA Socarras says. “Working with Dr. Qamar, Kevin Noon, and Sheila DePaolo is such a pleasure. We are such a great teamand everyone is so helpful.”

SheilaDEPAOLO PA-C

As a small child, Sheila DePaolo remembers her mother breaking her nose. When her mother returned home from the hospital, 4-year-old Sheila immediately took over her care, making sure she was comfortable and well cared for. Twenty-one years later, she is still taking care of people — but on a much larger scale.

“I have always loved taking care of others and I am simply fascinated with the human body,” says DePaolo, now a physician’s assistant (PA) with the Institute of Cardiovascular Excellence (ICE). “Since I was young, I have known exactly what I wanted to do and I am so excited to be fulfilling my dreams.”

PA DePaolo was born in Connecticut and has lived most of her life in Florida. While attending Forest High School in Ocala, she was dually enrolled at Central Florida Community College. During this time, and as a prime example of her untiring work ethic, she worked as a clerical assistant in a physician’s office.

It was here PA DePaolo first encountered a physician’s assistant and quickly decided to pursue it as a career. “I love the responsibility that comes with being a PA,” she says. “Physician assistants are educated and trained to know and practice all the different healthcare specialties, allowing a broad foundation of medical knowledge. PAs have the

passed away

suffering from COPD for many years. When he was hospitalized, Jose Socarras visited him in the hospital every day. He treated Francis with the utmost respect and kindness, while keeping us both carefully informed of every step he would take in my husband’s treatment. I am so pleased with the care and concern he afforded us through such a difficult time.”

— PatDINARDI

freedom to work with the entire patient and I love that.”

Following community college graduation, she graduated from the University of Florida with her Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and Cellular Science and enrolled in the physician assistant school at the University of Florida. She graduated with a Master of Physician Assistant Studies at the young age of 24 and immediately began her career as a PA at ICE in 2011.

“I have been here for one year and I absolutely love it,” she says. “As a PA, I work very closely with Dr. Qamar, who has such a passion for helping and teaching others, no matter who the individual. He has certainly passed this trait on to his mid-level providers. I enjoy being a part of such a professional team that focuses so much on the care of the patient.”

“The only word I can use to describe Sheila DePaolo is extraordinary! She is kind-hearted, understanding, and she takes the time to sit and talk with me to fully explain my treatment. Extraordinary!”

— ThelmaGHIGLIOTTY

“My husband, Francis, recently

after

BobDIPRIMIO

“I had a heart bypass in 1993 following a heart attack. Dr. Qamar performed a heart and leg catheterization and concluded

that I needed a pacemaker and the proper medications for my heart and stents to alleviate the peripheral artery disease he found in my legs. I can honestly say I am absolutely satisfied

BethSWING

“I fell three years ago and severely sprained my right ankle. As I walked I compensated for the pain in my ankle and my left leg began to hurt behind my knee. I returned to my orthopedic doctor and an MRI showed that everything was structurally okay.

“Recently the pain

THE VILLAGES

1950 Laurel Manor Dr. Building 240

The Villages, FL 32162

Office: 352.509.9295

Fax: 352.509.9296

with the exceptional care I have received from Dr. Qamar and his staff. I have had several doctors through the years and this is the best heart care I have ever received.”

became so bad that it began to affect my ability to work so I thought I should consult a specialist. It just so happens I work for a doctor who I feel is one of the best cardiovascular physicians around — I am in the medical records department at the Institute for Cardiovascular Excellence.

“Dr. Qamar saw me immediately and performed an arterial duplex

ultrasound. I had blockages in both legs. Dr. Qamar performed angioplasties and all I can say is that I have been given my life back. I love the outdoors and hadn’t been able to do all the things I love — playing ball with and walking my puppy, biking and hiking — since I fell. Now I am virtually pain-free and back to living my life to the fullest.

THE VILLAGES

8489 S.E. 165th Mulberry Lane

The Villages, FL 32162

Office: 352.259.7900

Fax: 352.259.7966

OCALA

4730 SW 49th Rd, Ocala, FL 34474

Office: 352.854.0681

Fax: 352.854.8031

WILLISTON

412 W. Noble Ave. Williston, FL 32696

Office: 352.528.3540

Fax: 352.528.0721

According to police and news reports, Ken Rex McElroy bullied an entire town. The Nodaway County, Missouri resident terrorized locals. He was arrested 21 times for crimes ranging from assault to pedophilia and rape and 21 times he walked away a free man, several of those times coming after witnesses “suddenly decided” not to testify in court.

After he shot a 70-year-old grocer in the town of Skidmore, residents could take his bullying no longer. On July 10, 1981, as the 46-year-old McElroy and his wife sat inside their pickup truck on the town’s main street, over 40 people crowded around the vehicle and several shots rang out. Ken McElroy was killed instantly and even after a thorough federal investigation, no shooter has yet to be identified.

Although this case of bullying, and the resultant measure of violence that ended it, are extreme examples of this mounting problem, each bullying incident, no matter how small, has a profound effect on all those involved.

What is bullying?

Whether you think the fi rst bully was a fellow named Cain or some upstart Homo habilis, it seems bullying has been a round for as long as man has existed, as examples are found in t he earl iest forms of communication.

T he professiona l defi nition of bu llying is t hat it is a negative, mean, repetitive behavior t hat occurs in a relationsh ip c haracterized by an imba lance of power — but does any of us rea lly need a professiona l explanation?

Accord ing to researc h, virtua lly a ll of us have eit her experienced it fi rst hand, persona lly watc hed a bu lly in action, or, more recent ly, watc hed video evidence of it through some form of media.

But it seems, as societal interaction has evolved to become more complex over time, so have the ways and means of bullying. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) breaks bullying down into the following categories: physical, verbal, relational, and — the newest evolved category — cyber bullying.

YOUTH SUICIDE BY THE NUMBERS

4,400 // commit suicide each year

1/2 // of all suicides related to bullying

3RD // leading cause of death

100 // suicide attempts for each successful suicide

14 // percent of high school students who have considered suicide

7 // percent have attempted it

Physical bullying, considered a direct form of bullying, includes person-to-person contact through hitting, pushing, or kicking.

Verbal bullying, another direct form, includes name-calling and aggressive teasing.

Relational bullying, which involves social exclusion and spreading false rumors, is considered indirect bullying.

Cyber bullying, an amalgam of direct and indirect bullying, is the use of an electronic device such as a computer or cellphone to aggressively bully another person. Research shows that incidents of the use of email, texting, and forms of social media to bully seem to be on the rise.

Research also shows that in today’s society, males tend to use direct bullying and females tend to use indirect bullying. In the incidence of cyber bullying, some studies show that males tend to be the aggressors but both males and females are on the receiving end of cyber-aggression.

Is bullying on the increase?

With a recent spate of highly-publicized incidents of bullying, and even movies created to bring national attention to it (Cyberbully, Bullied, and Bully), sociologists and psychologists are scrambling to determine if this latest activity is a social anomaly or an unacceptable social behavior that is simply on the rise.

Susan Swearer, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a renowned national authority on bullying, says researchers are really unsure as to whether bullying is increasing on a national level or just receiving more media attention.

“There are no strong, national, longitudinal data to indicate whether bullying is on the rise or not,” she says. “However, in the past decade, with the advent of electronic bullying, these negative behaviors that used to be relegated to face-to-face interactions, can now happen 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So, while the behavior is not new, technology has put a new face on bullying. The media has defi nitely increased attention to bullying; however, whether it is more prevalent than it was 20 years ago cannot be answered empirically since we don’t have strong, longitudinal data to be able to answer this question.”

Although empirical research data may not defi nitively back up the fact that bullying is on the increase, local experts see it in a different light.

2 TO 9 TIMES // increased odds that bullying victims are more likely to consider suicide than non-victims

10 TO 14 // the age of girls who may be at even higher risk for suicide

“Bullying is defi nitely a growing problem,” says Joelle Bangsund, a licensed clinical social worker with Summit Mental Health in Clermont. “I see it all the time and I am seeing more of it. I am seeing a lot of children left alone or unsupervised due to both parents either working to make a living or just having busy lives. These children, with what amounts to a dysfunctional family life, become frustrated and that frustration many times is turning into bullying.”

Dr. Swearer notes that bullying, although found throughout all strata of society, is a highly personalized trait, whether you are the bully or the bullied. She says that research data discloses there is no defi nitive profi le for either personality and it varies across individuals, peer groups, family, schools, and communities.

Although Dr. Swearer sees no neatly labeled box we can reach into and pull the typical bully out of, she does recognize some of the multifarious social and biological factors that can produce bullying behavior.

“We know that aggression also has a heritable component,” she says. “Involvement in bullying is complicated and is likely a function of the interplay between genetics, personality, upbringing, peer influences, school environment, and community and societal factors. While it would be nice to point to singular causes of bullying, the reality is that it’s more complex.”

According to Dr. Swearer, bullying is not something that completely disappears as we “mature,” it may simply be a matter of semantics.

“Bullying does decrease as children get older and there is less bullying in high school; however, it might also be that older students don’t use the word, ‘bullying’ and instead talk about ‘drama,’” she says. “We also know that sexual harassment increases as students get older, so again, language may be an issue here. We also know that bullying can occur in the workplace, so it never really ‘goes away.’”

Although it doesn’t go away, by far, the preponderance of bullying incidents occurs during adolescence. The act of

BULLYING BY THE NUMBERS

bullying may be morally objectionable but the side effect, depression, is downright dangerous.

Student bullying and depression

One of the most comprehensive studies on student bullying was conducted by a team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in 2009.

Using a standardized test to determine bullying behavior, researchers polled over 7,500 students to determine if they had either bullied or been bullied in the prior two months. The students ranged from grades 6–10 and varied in age, gender, and race.

The study recognized three categories of students involved in bullying: bullies, victims of bullies, and bully victims (those who both bully others and suffer being bullied by others). Researchers studied four types of bullying: physical, verbal, relational, and cyber.

Results showed that all three categories of children who were involved in bullying received lower grades, had lessdeveloped social skills, and a decreased feeling of well-being than students who weren’t involved. The study also stated that in that two-month period over 20 percent of the students had been bullied physically, over 52 percent had been bullied verbally, over 51 percent had suffered relational bullying, and almost 14 percent had been victims of cyber bullying.

In addition to measuring incidence of bullying, tests also

Approximately 2.7 MILLION students are bullied by 2.1 MILLION students each year

282,000 students are reportedly bullied in high schools throughout the nation each month

75 PERCENT of school shooting incidents are attributed to bullying or harassment

1 IN 7 students is either a bully, victim, or bully victim

1 OUT OF 20 students has witnessed a student in possession of a gun at school

Approximately 56 PERCENT of students witness bullying at school

71 PERCENT of students say bullying is an ongoing problem

Approximately 15 PERCENT of absentee students miss school due to the fear of being bullied

1 out of 10 students drop out of school or change schools due to bullying

measured the level of depression suffered by both bullies and their victims. Levels of depression for students involved in any of the four types of bullying were higher than those not involved at all and levels were higher for those involved in frequent incidences (over two times each month) than for those who suffered only one-to-two incidences in the same time period.

When it came to physical bullying, bullies, victims, and bully victims had equal levels of depression, however the results for verbal and relational bullying showed higher levels of depression for victims than for bullies.

Cyber bullying differed in that levels of depression were significantly higher for victims than for bullies and somewhat higher for bully victims. Noting that this fi nding differed from research data on traditional bullying, researchers have called for additional studies to discover the cause of this unusual fi nding.

Researchers stated that any student involved in bullying, whether a bully, victim, or bully victim, is prone to suffer depression and therefore should receive counseling and treatment by a mental health professional. Research shows that over one-half of all adolescent suicides can be directly linked to bullying.

Dr. Swearer concurs. “Bullying is a mental health problem and we know that involvement in bullying (as a bully perpetrator, victim, or both) is strongly linked to depression,” she says. “People who are depressed may experience suicidal ideation and may attempt suicide.”

Florida’s stand against bullying in public schools

Florida statute 1006.147, also known as the Jeffrey Johnston Stand up for Students Act, was passed in 2008. Jeffrey Johnston was a 15-year-old Cape Coral former honors student who committed suicide in 2005 following three years of relentless bullying by a fellow student. The law is designed to protect other children from the same fate and requires every Florida school district to adopt a policy prohibiting bullying. By law, that policy must be integrated into each school’s curriculum.

The statute describes bullying as “systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one or more students and may involve: teasing; social exclusion; threat; intimidation; stalking; physical violence; theft; sexual, religious, or racial harassment; public humiliation; or destruction of property. This wide-ranging statute includes both students and employees and requires all public schools to thoroughly investigate all reported claims of bullying.

Research shows that over one-half of all adolescent suicides can be directly linked to bullying.

The law covers children waiting at a bus stop, riding a school bus, or at school. If bullying of a student is confi rmed, then school officials are required to contact the parents of both the victim and the child accused of bullying along with the appropriate law enforcement entities for possible prosecution.

By law, students should be made aware of the defi nition and consequences of bullying through information disseminated at their schools. They should have the ability to anonymously report such incidents and expect to have them promptly investigated. School officials are required to provide means of counseling for both aggressors and victims.

By law, your child is to be protected from bullying in all its forms, including cyberstalking. Contact your local school officials to determine what policy is in place to protect your child. A state model can be found at http://www.stopbullying. gov/laws/florida.html.

What to look for

As children get older, it becomes harder to admit being bullied. Embarrassment or a fear that parents or school officials will feel “they aren’t mature enough to handle their own problems,” may stifle any form of communication. So what should parents or school officials look for?

Signs a child is being bullied

• Unexplainable injuries

• Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry

• Frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick, or faking illness

• Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge eating. Kids may come home from school hungry because they did not eat lunch.

• Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares

• Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school

• Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations

• Feelings of helplessness or decreased self-esteem

• Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide

Kids may be bullying others if they

• Get into physical or verbal fights

• Have friends who bully others

• Are increasingly aggressive

• Get sent to the principal’s office or to detention frequently

• Have unexplained extra money or new belongings

• Blame others for their problems

• Don’t accept responsibility for their actions

• Are competitive and worry about their reputation or popularity

What to do if your child is involved in bullying

Amazingly, the way to handle bullying with your child is the same if he or she is the bully or the bullied. Research shows students are less likely to be involved in bullying of any type if they feel their parents love and support them, understand their problems, and reassure them when they are upset.

Dr. Swearer adds, “Model kindness and bravery at all times. Teach children how to be nice, kind, and how to stick up for others. Volunteer. Realize the world is a diverse place and acceptance of everyone is critical for ending bullying.” Get involved. Bullying is serious business. If you think your child is being bullied or is bullying others, seek help immediately — notify school authorities; if needed, contact law enforcement officials; and seek counseling for all involved.

For more information on bullying and what you can do to help put a stop to it, visit www.stopbullying.gov.

Sources: Depression High Among Youth Victims of School Cyber Bullying, NIH Researchers Report; http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/ releases/092110-cyber-bullying.cfm: Bullying and Suicide; http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html: School bullying among adolescents in the United States: physical, verbal, relational, and cyber; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19766941: Warning Signs; http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/warning-signs/index.html: Get Help Now; http://www.stopbullying.gov/gethelp-now/index.html: National Statistics on Bullying in School; http://www.alicetx.com/news/article_87be339a-5658-11e1-a0870019bb2963f4.html; School Bullying; http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/school-bullying.html: Parenting a Bully; http://www. bullyingstatistics.org/content/parenting-a-bully.html (Accessed July 6, 2012)

• Teacher

• School counselor

• School principal

• School superintendent

• State department of education

Bullies are more likely to

• Abuse drugs or alcohol

• Solve problems with violence

• Steal, damage the property of others, and have run-ins with law enforcement

• Be aggressive toward their parents or other figures of authority

• Make poor grades

Who should you contact if you think your child is the victim of bullying at school: (In order)

“Bumble”

The Take Stock in Children

Time

Annual Corporate Spelling Bee is September 6, 2012

It’s time to bring on the sting!

Presented by

Be part of an exciting evening of local “bees-nesses” swatting it out in a spelling bee competition.

• New competition format – Does your hive have what it takes?

• Swarm to beautiful Lake Receptions in Mount Dora.

• It’s good for Bzzzness!!!

GET YOUR COLONY IN ON THE ACTION

KILLER BEES – $1,000

- 8-person team

- Dinner and a drink for each person

HONEY BEES – $500

- 4-person team

- Dinner and a drink for each person

SPECTATOR TICKETS – $25

- Dinner and a drink for each person

THANK YOU, SPONSORS:

Thursday, September 6, 2012 • Lake Receptions

4425 Highway 19A, Mount Dora, FL

Cocktails: 5:30–6p.m. | Dinner and Competition: 6–8:30p.m.

For more information, call Take Stock in Children at 352.787.6576 or email HOOVERB@LAKE.K12.FL.US.

Scoring

2O students

learn the nuts

and

behind constructing a basketballplaying robot.

bolts

WRITER: JAMES COMBS // PHOTOGRAPHER: FRED LOPEZ

ast March, hundreds of fans packed the University of Central Florida (UCF) Arena and cheered wildly for their favorite teams. The arena buzzed with excitement each time a basketball made its way through the hoop or whenever a shot was blocked.

But this wasn’t a home game for the Knights. As a matter of fact, these weren’t humans playing basketball. Instead, the players on the court were actually robots that high school students maneuvered using computers and joysticks to score points and block shots.

Think of it as March Madness — mechanical style.

One of 63 teams at the competition was Lake County’s 12 Volt Bolt, which is part of the worldwide organization For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). For six weeks, students from various high schools throughout the county spent their evenings and Saturday mornings carefully crafting a robot that can shoot foam basketballs with incredible accuracy and defend with resiliency.

Then, those six weeks of labor-intensive work came

Last M of fa

machine

down to 135 seconds of performance on the court. In the competition, which is called Rebound Rumble, each team randomly formed an alliance with two other teams and competed against an alliance of robots from three other teams. The teams battled in a dozen heats and each time formed a new pair of alliances. On each end of the court were four hoops — one on the bottom, two in the middle, and one on the top. Teams received more points for scoring in the higher hoops.

Additional points were earned during a 30-second bonus round as students attempt

to balance their robots on a ramp.

The FIRST robotics competition includes teams of high school students throughout the world who compete to build a robot that can accomplish an assigned task, which changes every year. In 2011–2012, more than 58,000 students participated in the competition.

During the six-week build season, 12 Volt Bolt students gathered inside a workshop near downtown Eustis to build a robot made mostly out of aluminum that could weigh no more than 120 pounds. Some relied on their mechanical skills

to help construct the robot while handling machines such as the band saw, drill press, lathe, and mill. Others used their science, math, and problem-solving skills to program the robot to perform desired tasks.

A total team effort is required for robots to fare well at competitions. But the real goal of the competition is not about winning; it is about broadening the minds of students and equipping them with lifelong skills to help them succeed in the workplace. Indeed, the 20 students comprising the 12 Volt Bolt team learned all about teamwork, commitment, and

responsibility.

Just ask Jessie Poen, a senior at Mount Dora High School who serves as the team’s chief executive officer. She became involved with FIRST as an eighth-grade student.

“By being part of this program, we receive realworld experience, learn applied engineering and problem-solving skills, and gain invaluable knowledge of business and marketing,” she says. “We also work together in a cooperative environment that stresses leadership, participation, and teamwork. Some students

are hands-on with tools, some do programming, and some focus on marketing. However, everyone has responsibilities and therefore we gain a sense of belonging.”

Frank Goodman, a student at Mount Dora Bible School, is the 12 Volt Bolt team captain. His participation in the program helped him decide on a career in electrical engineering. After high school, he plans on

enrolling at Brown University in Rhode Island.

“Before I joined FIRST I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life,” he says. “Being part of this helped solidify my decision. I love that this program is so hands-on. It is so much different from sitting in a typical classroom because you are so much more engaged.”

Of course, these young robot builders do not go at it alone. Fourteen adult mentors who work in engineering and other fields put their expertise to use by helping guide the students.

One of them is Dave Owen, who has spent the past 15 years as an engineering services manager for Walt Disney World. His son, Ryan Owen, was instrumental in helping bring FIRST to Lake County.

A 2004 graduate of Tavares High School, Ryan was recently hired by General Motors as a designer.

“Today’s youth do not enter the job force with the technical skills they need,” Dave says. “I enjoy helping them develop those technical skills as well as job skills before they enter the workplace. Because the students have six weeks to build the robot, it put them in a real-world situation and forces them to compromise and communicate. They learn to prioritize, work as a team, and develop relationships.”

Another mentor, Ed Daughtery, is an aerospace engineer for Goodrich Corporation. One of his duties involves building missiles for the U.S. Navy. “I think it is good for Lake County to have a program of this caliber,” he says. “We’re developing homegrown talent, and hopefully they’ll use their

skills and knowledge close to home rather than moving away from the area.”

Jim Gillies is a retired project manager who worked for various mechanical contractors. As a mentor, he helps oversee the team’s marketing and public relations campaigns. One thing that impresses him about the students is the sportsmanship they frequently display as well as their community involvement. These qualities helped the 12 Volt Bolt win the 2009 Chairman’s Award, which is awarded to teams that “best represent a model for other teams to emulate.”

“Our students always display a willingness to help other teams if needed during the heat of battle,” Gillies says. “They also helped the Salvation Army build a robotic bell ringer, bagged lunches for the Haitian relief effort, and collected food for food banks. Throughout the years we have had a great group of students come through this program, and that is why serving as a mentor is so enjoyable.”

In 2012, the team had an opportunity to compete at FIRST regional competitions

Life can be challenging and stressful enough — but it doesn’t need to feel that way when you find yourself needing legal assistance. Dealing with current concerns or planning for the future may find you seeking legal counsel. This counsel should answer your questions and provide direction to ease your mind.

Like you, the lawyers and staff at Campione & Hackney, P.A. understand the worries, stresses, and challenges associated with operating a business, being involved in litigation, launching a new business, buying or selling real estate, estate planning, mounting financial concerns, and other events encountered in our everyday life. That empathy and compassion for others has forged a dedication and culture within our firm focused on meeting our clients on a personal level to provide competent, thorough, and professional legal services.

By listening and engaging at a personal level, we are better able to identify and discuss the legal issues in order to properly counsel you, providing answers to questions and direction to ease your concerns.

Direction

You can certainly feel lost when entering the complex legal world. The maze of paperwork and complicated terms can quickly become overwhelming. You need and require direction. With a combined 50 years of legal experience, David M. Campione and Harry Hackney offer the professional counsel necessary to provide the direction that will guide you through this daunting legal system.

Local representation

Small-town atmosphere does not mean that one must sacrifice quality or depth of experience. The lawyers in our firm have varied backgrounds and experiences to ensure competent and thorough legal representation. Being a part of the community in which we serve has created an awareness and commitment to serve our community on a professional and civic level. By living and practicing in our community, we understand your needs and expectations. A commitment

to serving the needs of our clients creates relationships that extend beyond onetime representation and lead to lifetime relationships.

Answers

Have questions? We provide answers. The lawyers and staff of Campione & Hackney, P.A. are committed to providing individualized attention to each client. When you call, the attorney handling your case is there to listen — and give you answers and input to ensure your decisions are informed and well thought out.

Control

“We want our clients to know they are in control of their cases,” says David Campione. “We listen and then we listen some more. An open dialogue is imperative to understand the client’s needs and desires when developing direction and recommending a course of action.” We strive to ensure that our clients are wellinformed before making a decision.

You are covered

Our law firm prides itself on its strong work ethic and attention to detail. We have developed a team of professionals and staff dedicated to serving the varying legal needs that might arise in your lifetime. Our clients have come to expect thorough and comprehensive representation from the attorneys and staff of Campione & Hackney, P.A. Our areas of practice have evolved with the times, resulting in the law firm offering a wide array of legal services designed to serve the personal and business needs of our clients.

Calmly and with quiet confidence, we will give you peace of mind in the toughest of times.

Campione & Hackney, P.A.’s areas of practice encompass:

• Civil Litigation (bench and jury trials)

• Real Estate (including closings and title insurance)

• Business Entity and Corporate Law

• Consumer Bankruptcy

• Estate Planning – Wills and Trusts

• Probate

The Attorneys

David M. Campione has over 20 years experience in the areas of law pertaining to real estate, business, corporate, contracts, transactional, asset base lending, bankruptcy, debtor/creditor, estate planning, and probate. The depth and expanse of his legal experience and civic involvement is driven by a strong work ethic and commitment to make a positive difference.

Harry Hackney is unique in that he is Florida Bar board-certified in civil trial law. Only approximately 5 percent of Florida lawyers are board-certified in any area of legal specialization. He specializes in trying civil controversies both jury and non-jury that involve real property, commercial transactions, business law, insurance, guardianship, probate, elective share, trusts, estates, and wills in Florida state courts, Federal courts, administrative agencies, and arbitrations. He is certified by the Florida Supreme Court as a Circuit Civil Mediator. He also handles civil appeals and has appeared before every level of the Florida state court system from small claims court to the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee.

We encourage you to visit our website at www.CampioneHackney.com to view our professional qualifications and a complete list of the areas of practice for the firm. We welcome your questions and inquiries concerning those services.

Life presents challenges and obstacles that sometimes require legal representation. You can rest easy knowing that in such instances, the lawyers and staff of Campione & Hackney, P.A. are here to provide answers and direction, helping you to navigate a course through and around such challenges and obstacles. We provide compassionate, neighborly, and quality legal representation.

CABINETRY TUBSSHOWERS

We offer all the newest and most popular styles of kitchen cabinetry for all tastes and budgets. We carry an extensive selection of better quality lines of cabinetry that are sure to please and can help you achieve any specific design look you desire.

As one of the largest and most trusted kitchen cabinetry and remodeling firms in Central Florida, we offer the area’s lowest prices on beautiful, top lines of cabinetry. We back our sales with experienced service and professional installation that is unmatched. We strive to be the best, and it shows in our finished kitchen and bath installations.

Featuring top-rated walk-in and whirlpool bathtubs, our tubs have unique features not found in any other whirlpool bath. They have mastered the ergonomics of body comfort and perfect jet placement, giving you luxury at a reasonable price as well as the warmest bath experience possible. In fact, we guarantee a hot bath every time. And unlike other whirlpool baths, you won’t need to buy an in-line heater to keep warm. Highdensity foam insulation and our unique passive warm air induction system allows our tubs to stay hot. Gently contoured lumbar support and spacious bathing wells combine with maximum hydro-massage to provide the ultimate escape and relaxation. 60% OFF

For those of you who want to renovate or install a new shower in your bathroom, it’s important to know that Wildwood Kitchen & Bath, Inc. is the area’s largest manufacturer and installer of custom Jetta Stone Solid Surface Shower bases and wall material.

Our Jetta Stone Solid Surface showers feature one-piece construction. There are NO grout lines to clean on this durable, sanitary, non-porous surface. Our showers are affordable and are available in both custom and standard sizes. You can also choose from a wide choice of colors and styles. WALK-IN TUBS $3,295 Starting at featuring Mid Continent Cabinets LIST PRICE

CABINET SALE! SHOWER SALE!

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BODY FITNESS F

A MONSTER WORKOUT

WRITER: LISA GRAYFORD // PHOTOGRAPHER: FRED LOPEZ

MONSTER BARS PULL UP

This exercise works the following muscle groups: arms, back and neck, biceps, chest, deltoids, forearms, latissimus dorsi, pectorals, rhomboids, shoulders, and triceps. The benefits to this exercise are integrated closed chain pulling strength and improved scapular rhythm.

STEP 1: Place hands on pull-up bar with palms facing backward. Your grip should be at least shoulder-width apart with entire body hanging down.

STEP 2: From the start position, draw your belly button inward toward your spine.

STEP 3: Maintaining optimum spinal alignment and in a controlled manner, pull your body upward. The shoulder blades should move down and in while the arms follow.

STEP 4: Only move as far as you can control your core stability and then return to the start position.

Do 2 sets of 4–6 reps for women and 8–10 reps for men.

MODEL: Stacy Loudon, below and bottom right.

BODY EAT FIT/NOT FAT

RED LOBSTER

The American Heart Association (AHA) as well as The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends dining at Red Lobster at least twice a week. Okay, maybe this statement is a bit of a stretch, but it’s not too far off — both the AHA and the ADA recommend eating seafood at least twice a week. The reason for this recommendation lies in the omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood such as salmon and tuna, which studies show reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, and enhance brain function in children. There is a whole school of healthful and nutritious reasons for eating fish — including the high protein content, as well as natural oils shown to improve hair, nails, and skin. So if you are trying to decide where to dine out, consider Red Lobster and you might just be following doctor’s orders.

HERE ARE A FEW TIPS FOR REELING IN THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF A SEAFOOD DINING EXPERIENCE:

• Substitute cocktail sauce for butter when enjoying your seafood appetizer.

• Avoid heavy cream sauces and ask for butter, mayonnaise, and dressings on the side.

• Don’t order deep-fried food. Instead, request your fish grilled, blackened, or baked.

• If you have the option, order a half portion.

• For those who love to load up on the famous Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, feel free to indulge in one. However, keep in mind the endless biscuit basket can be a dietary health hazard, containing 150 calories in each biscuit.

BE AWARE LOBSTER PIZZA WITH A CAESAR SALAD

With its thin crust, low-fat lobster topping, and “salad” components, this menu selection is a bit deceptive. However, between the cheese on the pizza and the creamy Caesar dressing, this meal packs on the numbers in total fat, saturated fat, and sodium.

Lobster Pizza

Calories 720; Total Fat 30 grams; Saturated Fat 13 grams; Sodium 1,390 milligrams; Carbohydrates 69 grams.

Caesar salad

(with 1.5 ounces of Caesar dressing)

Calories 550; Total Fat 51 grams; Saturated Fat 9.5 grams; Sodium 1,120 milligrams; Carbohydrates 14 grams.

Total Meal

Calories 1,270; Total Fat 81 grams; Saturated Fat 22.5 grams; Sodium 2,510 milligrams; Carbohydrates 83 grams.

BETTER

LOBSTER AND SEAFOOD MIXED GRILL WITH WILD RICE PILAF, AND STEAMED VEGETABLE MEDLEY

For those who enjoy seafood, this menu option gives you a little taste of everything. By choosing the wild rice pilaf and vegetable medley for sides, you are ordering a wellrounded meal. However, for those watching their salt intake, this might not be a great choice.

Lobster and Seafood Mixed Grill

Calories 500; Total Fat 11 grams; Saturated Fat 2.5 grams; Sodium 3,220 milligrams; Carbohydrates 42 grams.

Wild Rice Pilaf

Calories 180; Total Fat 3 grams; Saturated Fat .5 grams; Sodium 650 milligrams; Carbohydrates 34 grams.

Steamed Vegetable Medley

Calories 50; Total Fat .5 grams; Saturated Fat 0 grams; Sodium 200 milligrams; Carbohydrates 6 grams.

Total Meal

Calories 730; Total Fat 14.5 grams; Saturated Fat 3 grams; Sodium 4,070 milligrams; Carbohydrates 54 grams.

INSIDE

SHOULD YOU IMMUNIZE YOUR CHILD?

WRITER: RICHARD T. BOSSHARDT, M.D, FACS

With parenthood comes a daunting level of responsibility. We are entrusted with the care and nurturing of another human being who is totally dependent on us to make decisions relative to his or her health and well-being. One of those decisions is whether to immunize our children or not.

When I was a child, immunizations were still in their infancy, no pun intended. For some childhood illnesses, there were no vaccines. When one child contracted measles, chickenpox, or mumps neighboring parents sent their children over to that house on purpose so that the whole neighborhood would get through the illness at the same time. I know because this is what my parents did, and all of my friends’ parents.

When vaccines came out, they were uniformly considered life saving and, in ways that seem in some ways miraculous, they were. Diseases that were considered a fact of life, such as tetanus, nearly disappeared. Polio has

been eradicated, or nearly so, in most parts of the world. Only a few pockets of endemic polio remain in a handful of Third World countries, where vaccination is not universal. Childhood mumps, measles, and chicken pox became largely a memory.

With time, however, troubling questions began to be asked regarding the risks of vaccines. All of medicine can be distilled down to a weighing of the risks of a medical treatment against its benefits. The latter must outweigh the former to a significant degree for a treatment to be regarded as worthwhile. The greater the dangers of an illness or condition, the greater the risks we can accept for an effective treatment, but the balance must always be largely in favor of the treatment.

It has been claimed that the risks of vaccines exceed the risks of the illnesses they are intended to prevent. A careful review of the data refutes this. For example, according the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the risk of pneumonia from

measles is 6 in 100 patients, the risk of encephalitis (which can produce permanent brain damage) is 1 in 1000, and the risk of death is 2 in 1000. The risk of pregnant mothers with measles passing on the illness to their unborn children, resulting in severe birth defects, is 1 in 4. The MMR vaccine prevents measles and the risk of death from the vaccine is 1 in 1,000,000. The CDC describes similar benefits occur across the board for all current vaccines.

The controversy regarding the dangers of vaccines reached a peak in 1998 with a study published in the respected British medical journal, Lancet, by an English physician asserting that vaccines were linked to the dramatic rise in children with autism over the past decade. The fact that children are often diagnosed with autism around the time they are receiving most of their childhood vaccinations was widely regarded as further de facto proof of a causal link. It was suggested that giving young children multiple vaccinations stressed their

immune systems and/or that the preservative in vaccines, a form of mercury, was toxic, making them susceptible to the causative agent for autism.

This possibility so frightened millions of parents in England and here in the U.S. that there was a significant trend toward parents refusing to have their children vaccinated. It wasn’t long before cases of now rare childhood diseases began to be reported.

The controversy was largely settled when the study was thoroughly discredited after it was found that not only were the data falsified and the conclusions misrepresented, but the physician himself was being paid by attorneys seeking to sue vaccine manufacturers. No subsequent studies have corroborated a connection between vaccines and autism. I said “largely” because even with the overwhelming weight of evidence in favor of the benefits versus risks of vaccines, many people continue to view them with a jaundiced eye even going so far as to suggest a conspiracy

CLEANSING

SLOW AGING: WHY YOU SHOULD CLEANSE

WRITER: TRACI BROSMAN

Your body is exposed to harmful substances every day. These substances are in: the air; cleaning products; lotions; makeup; perfumes; the water supply; processed foods; and non-organic fruits, vegetables, and meats. These toxins sit in your body, taxing its systems and making it difficult for them to do their jobs efficiently. Add in a hectic lifestyle, little exercise, and stress to an already struggling system, and your body cannot fight off disease. Our bodies were not designed to live in this toxic environment and that is why it is so important to clean your internal organs and allow your body to remove what should not be there. Through resting, cleansing, and nourishing, you take care of our body from the inside out.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU SHOULD CLEANSE?

If you have any of the following conditions, your body might benefit from a cleanse:

• Feeling sluggish

• Cannot wake up in the morning

• Acne and other skin problems

• Headaches

• Bad breath or body odor

• Depression

• Prolonged anger

• Mood swings

• Foggy mind

• Constipation

• Flatulence, gas

• Allergies

• Bags under the eyes

• Distended stomach

It is not recommend that pregnant women or children cleanse. You should consult your doctor to determine if a cleanse is appropriate for you.

BENEFITS:

• More energy

• Healthier looking skin

• Clarity of mind

• Feelings of joy

• Lower stress levels

• Improve immune system

• Clean digestive track

• Slows aging

• Better nutrient absorption

• Increase ability to fight disease

• Quicker recovery time from strenuous exercise

During cleansing, your body removes toxins from the blood in the liver, kidneys, skin, lymph nodes, intestines, and colon.

CLEANSING STEPS

• Clean the colon with herbs and/or colonics to release toxins and debris.

• Build up good bacteria with acidophilus and bifidus.

• Clean the liver, kidneys, and blood tissues with diet, herbs, and supplements.

• Remove heavy metals, such as mercury and lead, with herbs and supplements.

• Rebuild immune system with diet, herbs, and supplements.

• Replenish nutrients with diet and supplements.

There are many detoxification diets out there. Typically a seven-day cleanse will work best.

During the detoxification process, your symptoms may initially worsen. Toxins are often released through our pores, mucous membranes, and digestive functions. This is temporary, while your body rids itself of toxic waste and begins to heal. Be prepared to get additional rest if needed and stay hydrated.

While detoxing, you should avoid alcohol, all breads, pasta and grains, sugars, artificial sweeteners, coffee, cigarettes, carbonated beverages, processed foods, and hydrogenated oils. You should also reduce exposure to chemicals in

household cleaners, makeup, deodorant, toothpaste, perfumes, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions. Replace these items with natural products.

During and after the cleanse, you will want to stay hydrated, provide your body with plenty of nourishment, and get plenty of rest. Other things you can do to remove toxins are exercise, deep breathing, saunas, massage, colonics, and dry-brush your skin. The following products aid detoxification: milk thistle, turmeric, dandelion root and leaf, burdock root and seed, whole leaf aloe vera, and green tea. Good luck! Take care of your body and your body will take care of you for years to come.

R BODY

HONEY-CITRUS ICED TEA

Yield: 8 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Chill time: 6 hours or overnight

Ingredients:

4 tea bags

2 cups boiling water

3 navel oranges

2 medium lemons

2 cups orange juice

¼ cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons honey

1 liter ginger ale, chilled

Directions: Place tea bags in a teapot; add boiling water. Cover and steep for three minutes. Discard tea bags. Pour tea into a pitcher. Peel and section two oranges and one lemon. Add to tea. Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, and honey. Cover and refrigerate for six hours or overnight. Cut remaining orange and lemon into slices and freeze.

Just before serving, strain and discard fruit from tea. Stir in ginger ale. Serve with frozen fruit slices.

Nutrition Facts

One serving (1 cup)

Calories: 124

Trace fat

No cholesterol Sodium 11g

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com. Submitted by Sheila Bradshaw

SMARTS M

THE LEARNING PROCESS

WRITER: BETSY STOUTMORRILL, PH.D.

Infants provide a front-row seat to one of the most remarkable construction projects on Earth,” says John Medina, the author of Brain Rules and the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University. According to Medina the biggest brain construction booms occur during the terrible twos and the equally terrible teens, but fine-tuning of brain function continues well into a person’s 40s — and the potential to learn is indefinite. He also emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all for the human learning or developmental timeline. Each person learns in a unique way, but Medina showcases in his 12 “brain rules,” the specific, recognizable factors that affect and improve learning throughout a lifetime.

DR. JOHN MEDINA’S BRAIN RULES

RULE # 1 EXERCISE

The human brain loves motion, because it circulates oxygen to increase brain power. Keep moving and keep learning.

RULE # 2 SURVIVAL

The evolution of our brains improved our capacity for imagination, invention, and creativity. Being a lifelong learner keeps your brain growing.

RULE # 3 WIRING

Our unique human experience rewires our brains every day. Open your mind to new experiences and make the most of everyday opportunities.

RULE

# 4 ATTENTION

Our brain focuses based on emotion and ignores the boring stuff. Tune into your feelings, passions, and interests.

RULE # 5 SHORT-TERM MEMORY

The first flash or imprint of a memory is volatile and easily corrupted. Take notes, snap pictures, capture the experience, and retell the story.

RULE # 6 LONG-TERM MEMORY

The brain has a 30-second window to make a memory more permanent. Spaced repetition is vital to retaining a clear productive memory.

RULE # 7 SLEEP

Even when the brain is asleep, it is not resting; don’t underestimate the universal drive for a nap. Discover your rhythmic pattern of waking and sleeping to identify your most productive hours and optimal learning times.

RULE # 8 STRESS

The instant release of adrenaline can spark imagination and increase the chance of survival. Be aware that chronic stress can cripple your learning and memory.

RULE # 9 SENSORY INTEGRATION

Stimulating multiple senses produces stronger learning and permanent memories. Use all your senses; notice how aromas bring back memories and an old song brings flashbacks?

RULE # 10 VISION

Sight is the brain’s most powerful resource for information. Beware though, because the brain may see what it wants to see.

RULE # 11 GENDER

Male and female brains have different structures and biochemicals. Recognize that reaction to acute stress differs: men remember the gist, women recall the details.

RULE # 12 EXPLORATION

The malleable brains of curious little humans create naturally great explorers. Malleability and curiosity doesn’t end with infancy, but continues through the life span.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO LEARN

Medina isn’t the only scientist supporting the idea that the human brain is an ever-evolving, malleable organ that responds well to new stimulus and experience. “We tend to think of the brain as being static, or even beginning to degenerate, once we reach adulthood,” says Heidi Johansen-Berg of Oxford University’s department of clinical neurology. “In fact we find the structure of the brain is ripe for change.”

This sentiment is echoed by National Research Council researchers Marilyn Fenichel and Heidi A. Schweingruber. “People’s needs and interests change over the course of a lifetime, along with the way they process information and use tools, such as technology, to facilitate learning. They develop new interests and manage new tasks that arise depending on their stage of life.”

BRAIN INJURY AND RELEARNING

Due to the influx of wounded veterans and a growing geriatric population, there is much interest in how the brain heals and relearns after a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Jane Rosett is recreating her life after a TBI. In 2011, her article titled Starting again after a brain injury was published in The New York Times, Sunday Review.

At the time she was 45-years-old and 59 months post-accident. “It took 26 months before I was able to thread my way back unattended to the house I had lived in for 17 years,” she says. Rosett explains how her brain is reworking itself.

“[N]europlasticity lets me bypass damaged parts of my brain and forge new neuronal communication routes so I can access, or remember, sensory information that I received as a word, from another place from within my brain….”

It is this neuroplasticity that should be credited with the “miracles” that happen when an injured person learns to walk again, relearns a skill, or regains knowledge. Rosett does not call herself a survivor, because she is still in the fight. But her capacity to learn and relearn is a testament to the amazing power of the human brain.

PLAY NIC

SHOW-UP OR SHOW-OFF?

WRITER: TRACY DRAPER

You know who this is about. Every club has one (or two?!) of them. Sometimes they draw lots of attention to themselves with fancy kits, shiny wheels, the latest power tap, or other expensive toys that are impressive to most onlookers. Sometimes they seem to have more money than talent or skill but that doesn’t seem to matter — they look the best and believe that they are, regardless of experience or riding ability.

These are the ones who thump their chests and tout “I am an ‘A’ rider because I’m fast.” Well, bully for them. Lots of cyclists are fast. But are they safe? Are they skilled? Do they know how to see a potential crash in the making and avoid it? Do they know how to encourage another rider who may be making mistakes that are not best for group rides? Not necessarily. These are the “show-offs” and no one really likes being around them, except for the fast pulls and excitement occasionally generated when riding with them.

On the other hand, there is a more elite group of riders that I prefer to be around. They are what I call the “show-ups.” These cyclists simply come to ride, ride hard, and ride well. Sometimes they hang out in the middle of the group with an occasional strong pull but mostly keep to themselves, under the radar and out of the spotlight. They are safe, steady, and non-aggressive. They are levelheaded and trustworthy. With nothing to prove, the show-ups come and do what they do, do it well, and do it without fanfare.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

It probably has more to do with maturity than it does testosterone. On a weekly basis I ride with Dave Viney, who has more records and wins than one can shake a stick at, including the Canadian National Championship. Occasionally, I also have the privilege of riding with Grant Potter, who is the current World Masters Champion. They come and join group rides. I have yet to hear either of them boast of their titles or break away from the group, or try some dangerous maneuver because they have the skill to do so. Do they have testosterone? No doubt! And grace. And patience. And passion. And enough maturity to overlook the hot dogs who come out to show off. I want to be like Viney and Potter when I grow up.

FOR FURTHER THOUGHT

Which category do you fall in for the most part? Here is a short quiz. Be honest. These are questions that I have spent time asking myself.

• Is every group ride a training ride for you or sometimes can you just come and relax?

• Do you see other “A” riders doing a particular skill that you secretly go practice on your own? (i.e., riding with your elbows on the handlebars)

• Do you eyeball a better rider and set out to somehow “beat” that rider on a ride?

• When the ride is over, do you believe that you were “one of the best” out there in your group?

• If you had a pull, did you feel like you had to go faster than the last guy or gal to show that you are stronger?

• Do you set out to impress others?

Your answers, given in truthfulness, will reveal whether you are a show-up or a show-off. Each of us has at some point been a bit of a show-off. It comes more naturally to some than others! However, in a group setting where safety is paramount, hot dogging is not welcome. Keep training rides as training rides and social group rides as such. Stay within your skill level. Look out for the new guys or gals and encourage them with humility and kindness. Most of all, be a show-up, not a show-off. Those around you will appreciate it!

NEED HELP WITH WEIGHT LOSS

SPIRIT MENCOURAG

OVERCOME DISCOURAGEMENT

Do you ever get discouraged or depressed? I really don’t know any man who doesn’t at some point in his life. Even if you have fame, money, success, intelligence, or popularity — or even all these things combined — you are still highly susceptible to discouragement. In fact, if you do have all these things, you may be more susceptible than most.

For a man, being down is somewhat different than it is for a woman. Women tend to socialize and share their feelings with others,

while men usually turn inward and suffer in silence.

I am this way. I am not comfortable sharing these types of feelings with others... but I am seeking change.

If you also bury your feelings, understand that we must be careful not to make the situation worse by isolating ourselves from those who love us. Many times feelings of discouragement come from fear or frustration or, ironically, from feelings of being alone in this world. If it is the latter and we turn inward, those feelings of being alone are intensified.

At the first feeling of discouragement, examine yourself to see if you can find the root cause. Are you afraid that you will not be able to provide for all the needs of your family? Are you frustrated at circumstances you cannot control? Do you feel like no one knows what weight is on your shoulders and it is yours alone to bear?

s of feelings be careful not ose who love ar or frustration is the latter nsified. elf to see ll not be frustrated one knows b ?

Whatever the cause of your discouragement, you must deal with it early before it becomes entrenched and deepens into depression.

Many times men are reluctant to admit they have fears, but fear can be as simple as the anxiety you feel after making a decision that affects your family’s well-being. Simply being unsure can make you begin to question your decisions, then you begin to lose confidence in yourself and this can breed a fear of failure, which leads to discouragement.

All men, even the most outwardly confident, have fears. It is so simple to admit yours, discuss them with your wife, and face them together. After all, you are partners in life.

Does it seem that your life is lived at the whim of circumstance? For all of us, there are certain aspects of life beyond our control. Learn to accept that fact and take command of the ones you can control. You will soon see that the control you do have will decidedly influence the circumstance around you and give you an increased sense of self-confidence.

Always remember that you do not live this life alone. Your wife, children, friends, and family are there for you. They love you and accept you for who you are. Realize that others genuinely care about your happiness and learn to share your feelings with those around you.

Don’t wallow in discouragement. Take charge of your feelings and make the changes necessary to regain your confidence and happiness.

ILLUSTRATOR: ANTHONY CASTO

We send them off to kindergarten, middle school, camp, or the Chick-fil-A playground. And as their parents, we know who and what is out there: the thirdgrader with a beard, the table of “popular kids” in the cafeteria, the school bus brats, the kindergartener who spends his days watching WWF wrestling.

It is only a matter of time before our kids will encounter bullying, so how do we ensure our little ones are equipped for whomever or whatever comes at them? Just short of hiring a personal bodyguard, here are some

SPIRIT LY

BULLY-PROOF YOUR KIDS

want them to go out bravely, sense of control. So when you

practical phrases you can say to prepare your children as you send them off to the perilous playgrounds.

THE SEND OFF

You have hugged and kissed and now it is time for those last words before you send your child over the threshold — what do you say? If you find yourself saying, “be careful,” consider the message you are really sending your child. “Be careful” is a cautionary statement that tells your child to be watchful of harm. You are instructing your child to be defensive of what could happen, rather than proactive. We don’t want our children

hrases like these:

“You are amazing; now go

proactive phrases like these: have fun!” know you can!”

one another!”

“Be kind to someone who needs a friend.”

Statements like these arm your children in two ways. First, these phrases tell your children who they are. Your children are still learning their value, their worth, and their place in this world. You are the one to tell them they are valuable, irreplaceable, deeply loved, and admired. Children who know they are adored — even by one person on this planet — will hold tight to this knowledge when they are sent out. When your children encounter bullies who try to tell them they are not valuable, they need to be confident in their worth. When your children are told

they are “stupid,” they will need to be able to draw from the arsenal of your words of truth in the face of untruth. So make sure your children know who they are — smart, brave, kind, unique, athletic, capable, and loved beyond measure.

In addition, these phrases will help your child act in a manner that repels bullies. Bullies are attracted to children who are fearful, lonely, and insecure. These statements will help your child avoid projecting these attributes when he or she is away from you. By instructing your children on what they can do — “have fun,” “do your best,” or “be kind,” — you are sending your children off with a mission. Rather than being “careful,” they will “take care of others.” Your children will not be afraid if they have jobs to focus on. Your children will not be alone if they have another person to focus on. Your children will not be insecure if they are living proactively and outwardly.

PHOTOGRAPHER: FRED LOPEZ

SPIRIT

No one should live in fear or under the constant, or even occasional, threat of physical, emotional, psychological, or sexual abuse… especially when the threat comes from a loved one. But many do just that every day. Too many, too often live a painful life of silence out of fear, shame, or ignorance of the fact there is a way out.

It may sound impossible that someone could not realize she is being abused, but sometimes the victim may believe she is somehow responsible for the anger that triggers the abuse. This is especially true if the person was raised in a violent home or has low self-esteem.

And women are not the only victims of violence and abuse… men remain silent, too. According to Domestic Violence Statistics. org (DVSO), even though 85 percent of reported domestic violence is against women, the 15 percent reported by men is not truly representative. “Men are largely silent,” states the DVSO, “because of the perception that men are physically stronger and should be able to subdue a female attacker easily. Those men who do report physical violence are more likely to be ridiculed — both by law enforcement and by the public — than women are.”

“Domestic violence and abuse does not discriminate,” says Melinda Smith, M.A. and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. in their April 2012 posting for HelpGuide.org. “It happens among heterosexual couples and in same-sex partnerships. It occurs within all age ranges, ethnic backgrounds, and economic levels.”

Kelly Smallridge, executive director of the Haven of Lake and Sumter counties, is concerned about the growing violence she is witnessing in younger people. “We are seeing an incredible growth of juvenile violence or teenage dating violence,” says Smallridge, “and their actions are very violent.” She attributes this to teens being desensitized by the violence portrayed in the media, video games, TV, and the movies.

What are the warning signs of abuse or violence? If someone must check in frequently and often mentions the partner’s temper or possessiveness, these could be signs of abuse. Frequent injuries attributed to being clumsy could be signs of domestic violence. It is a red flag when a person is isolated and not allowed to freely visit

with others or has limited access to money or transportation. “If you suspect that someone you know is being abused,” says Smith and Segal, “speak up! If you’re hesitating — telling yourself that it’s none of your business, you might be wrong, or the person might not want to talk about it — keep in mind that expressing your concern will let the person know that you care and may even save his or her life.”

Help is available, so don’t remain silent if you are the victim of abuse or violence… or if you suspect someone else is a victim. The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence provided 477,489 nights of emergency shelter to 15,789 survivors of domestic violence in the 2010-11 fiscal year. Other services, such as medical or counseling support, were delivered throughout Florida, including at the Haven of Lake and Sumter counties (www. havenlakesumter.org). Smallridge says, “The most important thing the Haven offers is safety.”

THE COST IN LIVES AND DOLLARS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE AND VIOLENCE:

• $4.1 billion are spent each year in the U.S. for the direct medical and health care services for intimate partner violence.

• Every day more than three women are murdered in the U.S. by their husbands or boyfriends.

• Every 9 seconds a woman in the U.S. is assaulted or beaten.

• 40 percent of victims of severe, physical domestic violence are men.

• Men are more likely than women to be the victims of attacks with a deadly weapon by an intimate partner.

SOURCE: http://domesticviolencestatistics.org/domestic-violence-statistics/Accessed 7.4.12.

suffer in ein

“My neighbor went to Comprehensive Vein Center and she was very satisfied with the results. I had a huge bulging vein that ran from my upper thigh to below my knee and my wife urged me to go and see Tom Tran, PA to get the same help our neighbor had received. The vein wasn’t painful, but it was very unsightly. After my first treatment I came home and my wife couldn’t believe the vein was completely gone!”

JIM SCHAEFFER VILLAGE RESIDENT

BANKING

ARE YOU BEING FINANCIALLY BULLIED?

B.

Webster’s New College Dictionary defines bully as “one who is habitually cruel to those smaller or weaker.” It is also commonly defined as “one who exhibits aggressive behavior manifested by the use of force or coercion to affect others.”

Does either of these definitions reflect your own experiences when dealing with financial professionals such as bankers, mortgage brokers, or financial advisors?

I set about to research this question more than two months ago. Here is what I learned from those eager to fill me in.

For starters, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) receives more than 23,000 complaints per month about banks alone. As a measure of customer satisfaction, banks have the worst customer satisfaction of all industries tabulated. (Car dealers are a far distant second.)

The chief bank complaint most often concerns fees that are imposed on accounts, often without prior notification, and nearly always without easily understood details and ramifications. Specifically, customers complain about fees imposed after an account has been closed.

Other bank complaints revolve around inaccurate or incomplete information, and extensive documentation requirements for various bank services, such as personal or real estate loans. The latter is often deemed “overkill” especially by

customers with well substantiated and excellent credit histories.

Banks are rated low on overall customer service with depositors also resenting the attitude of bank personnel intent only on putting the “round peg in the round hole.” In other words, customers recognize the reluctance of bankers to modify procedures to accommodate the needs of the individual.

in the driver’s seat, and cruise over to a more customer-focused financial home!

Mortgage brokers are sometimes affiliated with larger financial entities, but more often they represent a company doing only mortgages and not providing other financial services. Nevertheless, like their bank counterparts, they are heavily regulated while offering and — yes — promising both better rates and more customer-friendly service. However, there is a tendency in the mortgage industry toward high-pressure tactics, which are very often viewed by the customer as bullying.

A comment I often heard was that the giant banks and their employees depersonalize the customer, treating the account holder as a number rather than as a person.

Ah, but here is a bright note in this otherwise gloomy scenario: most of the above is far more true for the bank giants than it is for the smaller, local and community banks and banking institutions. So, if you are unhappy with your bank or credit union, put yourself

One person who shared a story with me said he had consulted a mortgage broker for a second opinion when seeking a real estate loan from his bank where he had a long-standing relationship. In consultation with the mortgage broker, he stated clearly that he was researching options and weighing costs and rates. When the customer ultimately decided to have his bank handle the transaction, the mortgage broker became relentless in attempting to bring home the loan. The customer was dogged for weeks, even after the bank loan had funded. The mortgage broker was no longer customer friendly, to be sure!

When it comes to financial advisors, I am sorry to have to say that some bullying tactics are present in my own arena as well as in other areas of the financial services industry. Both the

WRITER: ELLEN

WILCOX, GEPC // PHOTOGRAPHER: FRED LOPEZ

So, if you are unhappy with your bank or credit union, put yourself in the driver’s seat, and cruise over to a more customer-focused financial home!

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Financial Industry Regulatory Agency (FINRA) receive and adjudicate thousands of complaints each year. I have been part of this industry for more than 33 years, and I have read and heard complaints ranging from personal dissatisfaction with a representative’s customer service all the way to serious charges of fraud (Bernie Madoff, etc!). Most of the bullying comes from the hard-sell representative. Sometimes intimidating tactics have been reported as well. Learn to say a very firm, “No!” to such antics.

Many of the individuals I interviewed told stories of promises, and even printed offers, of “special deals” with financial institutions, especially banks and credit unions, that were either not met at all or later rescinded in whole or in part. Generally, there were “ramifications” to the “offers” that easily, and often inadvertently, caused the “offer” to be null and void.

A prime example seems to revolve around “carrots” offered in exchange for “going paperless.” These and similar “offers” are all around us nowadays as financial institutions struggle to manage the rising overhead costs of providing paper documentation. If your financial institution or professional makes such an offer, be sure you understand it completely and puh-leeze read the fine print accompanying such offers.

What should you do when you are truly dissatisfied and feeling abandoned, or even

abused, by the financial professionals in your life? Here are a few basic ground rules:

1. Speak up at the first hint of displeasure. Be specific about issues while keeping personalities out of the fray. Request satisfactory resolution, and document your request.

2. Don’t stop at the first customer service representative. Ask to speak to a supervisor, and if that doesn’t bring the desired results, ask to speak to a manager. Take your issues to the highest level possible.

3. Document all conversations with customer service personnel, noting date, time of day, and name(s) of person(s). Take copious notes. No one can remember every detail. Note promises made and who made them. Ask for and note the date and method by which resolution will be made.

4. Follow up on any resolutions agreed upon to be sure they have been correctly and completely implemented.

5. File a written complaint with the appropriate authorities. All financial institutions are strictly regulated, and industry governing bodies mete out significant penalties and punishments for infractions.

6. When your issue is resolved satisfactorily, still decide to make a change, and let it be known. Competition is extreme in today’s marketplace. If your financial professionals aren’t treating you with courtesy and fairness, do not continue to give them your business. Move to more friendly ground.

Bullying is not acceptable in any sense of the word. Stand firm, stay calm, and remain committed to your point of view. You may be surprised at the outcome.

Ellen B. Wilcox is a graduate estate planning consultant and a registered principal with, and offers securities through, LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Ms Wilcox is president and CEO of Wilcox Wealth Management, which is not affiliated with LPL. She may be reached at Ellen@ ellenwilcox.com or www.ellenwilcox.com.

he new school year is fast approaching. If you have children, you need to start planning your back-to-school purchases. From clothes and school supplies to electronics and lunch boxes, the pennies can add up fast! So, how can you save on school supplies? Here are some tips to help cut the costs:

TAKE INVENTORY

Many teachers send home unused or partially used supplies from the previous year. Check your children’s backpacks and lunchboxes. Can items be reused this year? Make a list of items that need replacing.

CHECK THE WEEKLY ADS

Beginning in late July, the local office supply stores, retail stores, and drug stores will

start running their back-toschool sales. Keep an eye on the ads each week. Also check www.couponersunited.com/ category/backtoschool for a round-up of the best deals at all of the local stores each week.

USE COUPONS

Did you know there are coupons for items like tape, pens, and scissors? Browse through the Sunday coupon inserts and online at free coupon printing sites like www.coupons.com for great back-to-school coupons.

STOCK UP OR BUY IN BULK

When you’re purchasing everyday items like pencils, paper, and crayons, consider stocking up for the year. For example, if crayons are on sale for a quarter a box now, grab enough for the year. When your child runs out,

shop from your home instead of running to the store where all of the great sales have now ended and you are stuck paying full price.

SHOP ONLINE

Shoppers tend to spend more money when shopping in the store or at the mall. Shop online and buy only what you need. Use cash back sites like www. shopathome.com to save even more. Coupon codes can also be found on sites like www.shopathome.com and www.retailmenot.com

STOCK UP FOR NEXT YEAR

After the kids are settled back into the school routine for a few weeks, check for deeply discounted items and clearance items. The stores are trying to clear the shelves and make room for the next season. This can

be hit or miss, as the items are random, but many times you can find items up to 90 percent off!

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SALES-TAX HOLIDAYS

Florida’s Tax Free Weekend takes place August 3–5 and applies to books, clothing, and footwear priced $75 or less and school supplies costing $15 or less.

WRITER: MARY EDWARDS

SAVINGS

TAKE A (SALES TAX) HOLIDAY

WRITER: KATE SHEAROUSE

Oftentimes compared to Black Friday, the Florida sales tax holiday is back this year! Your time to save is officially scheduled from 12:01a.m. Friday, August 3, through 11:59p.m. Sunday, August 5, 2012. Follow the basic rules of Black Friday, like making a list and checking it twice, and you will revel in your savings!

MAKE A LIST. Knowing what items are exempt from sales tax during the sales tax holiday will make this process much easier.

1. Clothing and related items with a sale price of $75 or less are exempt from sales tax during the 2012 sales tax holiday.

2. School supplies with a sale price of $15 or less are exempt from sales tax during this time.

3. Books are NOT exempt from sales tax during the sales tax holiday.

DO THE MATH. There are some items you may not want to wait to purchase until this time. For example, back-to-school items with limited quantities or in high demand should be purchased as soon as you find them. Also, if the sales tax is negligible, it might be worth giving up the minor potential savings in order to ensure you have the item.

BE PATIENT. Stores are especially crowded during the backto-school shopping season, and the holiday will add greatly to this. Know that navigating around the store and checkout may take longer than usual during the sales tax holiday.

EXCHANGE IT. Did you know that if the store is out of a size or a color you want during the sales tax holiday, most stores will let you exchange the item for the tax-free price once the right size and color is in stock?

DO YOUR HOMEWORK. You can have your most successful back-to-school shopping season because of this holiday. And, if you end up with too many great deals, consider donating to a school supply drive.

In the Forefront of CARDIOVASCULAR CARE

When it comes to concerns about your heart or circulation, it is imperative to seek care from well-trained medical professionals who possess vast experience, stay abreast of the latest advancements in the field, and provide appropriate care for your individual needs.

Vishnu Yelamanchi, M.D., FACC and Shrikanth Upadya, M.D., FACC, meet those criteria. In the past decade, both doctors have provided outstanding care to meet the needs of their cardiovascular patients. Now, they’ve joined forces by opening Cardiac and Vascular Consultants to be available to and better serve patients in Leesburg and The Villages.

Their vast array of comprehensive cardiovascular care includes consultative cardiology, diagnostic testing, cardiovascular screening and preventive (non-invasive and invasive) treatment options so their clients can enjoy optimal health and achieve an active lifestyle. As university-trained, boardcertified physicians, they possess the skill and knowledge to ensure any cardiovascular problem is thoroughly examined, completely understood, and successfully addressed.

Because Drs. Yelamanchi and Upadya diagnose and treat existing cardiovascular problems, patients enjoy a wealth of services under one roof. If necessary, both doctors have the capability to treat patients through procedures such as atherectomy and stenting. Stenting involves placing a small metal coil in a narrowed artery to improve blood flow. This procedure is performed in arteries of the heart, arteries of the neck for preventing stroke, and arteries of the leg to improve circulation. They also stent pelvic arteries in carefully selected patients to treat erectile dysfunction.

Their cardiovascular practice is one of the few to perform cardiac catheterizations through the wrist. Through this state-of-theart procedure, complications are drastically reduced, recovery time is improved and patients can sit up immediately after the procedure. They also screen and treat patients for peripheral artery disease, which is extremely important since 30 percent of people with this disease die within five years of diagnosis. This disease is treated through the use of balloon angioplasty or stents.

Most importantly, they blend oldfashioned, personalized care with comprehensive technology. For instance, their practice is one of a small number of practices worldwide to utilize the TandemHeart® stenting procedure in critically ill patients who have no other treatment options available. This is a shining example of how they go the extra mile in patient care and bring cutting-edge procedures to the area. Drs. Yelamanchi and Upadya spend quality time with their patients and get to know them on a personal level. This helps streamline patients’ disease management and overall care.

Cardiac & Vascular Consultants, M.D., P.A.

352-633-1966

1149 Main Street

The Villages, FL32159

1050 Old Camp Road, Suite 206

The Villages, FL 32162

709 Physicians Court

Leesburg, FL 34748

Visit us online at www.cvcfl.com

Local doctors available 24/7 at local hospitals to adequately serve you in times of emergencies.

DR. VISHNU YELAMANCHI

Dr. Yelamanchi specializes in interventional cardiology and cardiovascular disease. He is board-certified in Cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is also a Fellow of the America College of Cardiology. He completed his residency in 1996 at Chicago Medical School, which is where he also underwent fellowship training as a chief cardiologist. He completed a fellowship in coronary and peripheral intervention in 2000 at the Cardiovascular Institute of the South located in Houma, La. and served as a senior research specialist in health science at the University of Chicago-Illinois. He is professionally affiliated with the American College of Cardiology.

DR. SHRIKANTH UPADYA

Dr. Upadya specializes in interventional cardiology, cardiovascular disease and internal medicine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, General Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is also board-certified in Adult Comprehensive Echocardiography by the National Board of Echocardiography and in Nuclear Cardiology by the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. He completed his fellowship in general cardiology at Yale University. His professional affiliations include the American Society of Echocardiography, the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, the Society of Cardiovascular Computer Tomography and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

ATHERECTEMY AND ANGIOPLASTY

This patient suffered from peripheral artery disease of the thigh. Drs. Upadya and Yelamanchi used atherectomy and angioplasty to successfully treat this patient. The quality of their work helped improve the patient’s circulation and decrease pain. They’ve enjoyed many successful outcomes treating peripheral artery disease.

CAROTID ARTERY STENT

By utilizing carotid artery stenting, Drs. Upadya and Yelamanchi helped save the life of a patient whose right carotid artery was 100 percent blocked and left carotid artery 99 percent blocked. They possess the knowledge and expertise to help even high-risk patients with severe blockages return to a normal lifestyle.

Blending comprehensive, cutting-edge technology with old-fashioned, personalized care.

AUGUST 2012

3

Red, White, and Blue BBQ and Political Hob Nob

The Red, White and Blue BBQ is designed to show appreciation to public safety professionals in Sumter County. At this fifth annual event, valor awards for excellence in police, fire, and EMT services are presented. The event also attracts local and regional elected officials and candidates for face-to-face interaction with voters. The event is held at George Nahas Chevrolet in Wildwood from 5:30–8p.m. For more information call Samantha Merritt at 352.793.3099 or visit www.sumterchamber.org.

4

Lakeside Inn Summer Lawn Concert Series

Bring your lawn chairs or a blanket to kick back and relax on the lawn of the historic Lakeside Inn for the Summer Lawn Concert Series. The Bonazzoli Band will perform live from 7–10p.m. The concert is for all ages. There is no admission charge. No coolers, please. Call the front desk at Lakeside Inn at 800.556.5016 for more information.

“Hunger is Not a Game” Food Drive

The Leesburg Public Library is having a food drive to help the Leesburg Food Bank. Donations accepted at the Leesburg Public Library. Canned foods, snacks, juices, condiments, cereal, pasta, dried fruits, coffee, toilet paper, paper towels, baby food, baby formula, diapers, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and detergent are just some of the items needed. The library is located at 100 E. Main Street in Leesburg. The event will be August 4 from 9a.m.–8p.m. Call Sandy Hutchins at 352.728.9790 or email Julia.hutchins@leesburgflorida.gov for more details.

8

SHINE Insurance Counseling (August 8, 9, 22, 23)

Do you or your family members have questions concerning Medicare (parts A, B, C, and D), prescription plans, Medicare supplement plans, Advantage plans, Medicaid, acquiring extra help, or medical equipment? SHINE volunteers, under the department of Elder Affairs, will be providing free and unbiased individual counseling with no appointment necessary. Counseling will be at Cooper Memorial Library (2525 Oakley Seaver Drive, Clermont) August 8 and 22 from 9a.m.–noon. On August 9 and 23, sessions will be held at the Eustis Library (120 North Center Street, Eustis) from 10a.m.–noon. Call Florida Elder hotline at 800.963.5337 for more information.

Women’s Self Defense

11

Aikido is a martial art that seeks to harmonize the attacker and the defender so they can blend seamlessly. The defender is taught the techniques of O’sensei to immobilize and neutralize the attacker without injury to either party. If you are someone who is seeking a martial art that doesn’t use strength, then Aikido is the art

publisher of every month. everywhere.

in just our first 3 years

recognized with

for you. DiMarco Sensei is the chief instructor of Lake Aikikai. Call Amber Johnson at 352.255.1969 or email Johnsonpossibilities@yahoo. com for more details.

2012 Cool Summer Mornings 5K

This is the third of four running events that make up the Cool Summer Mornings 5K Series at Waterfront Park, 330 Third Street, Clermont. Run starts out on the rolling residential streets of Clermont, with the final two miles taking place on the flat South Lake Trail. Call Mark Lepow at 352.394.1320.

24

14th Annual Professionals’ Seminar

Hosted by Florida Hospital Waterman Foundation and Lake-Sumter Community College Foundation and sponsored by First National Bank Trust and Investment Services, this annual event offers continuing education courses for CLER, CPA, and CTFA. All local professionals (attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, etc.) are invited. The event is free, but reservations are required. The seminar will take place at Lake-Sumter Community College in the Magnolia Room, 9501 U.S. Highway 441, Leesburg from 7:30a.m. –2:30 p.m. Contact Joan Ordazzo at 352.253.3270 or email Joan.Ordazzo@ahss.org for more information.

39th Annual Sportsmen’s BBQ

25

Come out to the Lake County Fairgrounds and enjoy some good eating while supporting the Central Florida Dog Hunter and Sportsmen’s Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving sportsmanship, the environment, and our community. This event is open to the public from 10a.m.–5p.m. Bring the family and enjoy barbecue chicken and pork dinners, raffle drawings, vendors, and bounce houses for the children. For more information, tickets, to offer donations or receive a vendor application, call 352.267.8382 or 352.434.7043, or email CFDHSA@yahoo.com.

27

Amputee Support Group “W.A.L.K”

Waterman Amputee & Limb Loss Konnections (W.A.L.K.) is a support group for amputees and people with limb loss. Our mission is to empower all amputees and people with limb loss to live quality lives, achieve active lifestyles, and continue to be productive members of society. Held the fourth Monday of each month (except December), 6–7p.m. at the Florida Hospital Waterman Garden Conference Room B. Refreshments provided. Call Tracey Estok at 352.253.3892 for more information.

Reduce Your Stress

30

Partners in Health, through the Golden Triangle YMCA, is now offering members free monthly senior wellness programs to promote healthy living for seniors. This includes: Doc Talks, health screenings, vendor fairs, and scholarships and incentives for seniors to join in YMCA activities. 9–10:30a.m. at 1465 David Walker Road, Tavares. For more information, call 352.343.1144 or visit www.ymcacentralflorida.com.

- SCREENING COLONOSCOPY

- HEARTBURN/ACID REFLUX

- DIARRHEA/CONSTIPATION

- IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

- LIVER DISEASE

- RECTAL BLEEDING

- HEMORRHOIDS

- PEPTIC ULCER DISEASE

- LIVER CIRRHOSIS

- HEPATITIS

- PANCREATITIS

CLERMONT • LEESBURG • OCOEE

Rajab Abu Khadrah, MD, FACG Khalid Maqsood, MD, FACP, FACG

SPECIALIZING IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DISORDERS INCLUDING:

SHOW OFF YOUR BRAIN

Cognitive skills were put to the test at Sterling House in Leesburg’s Brain Bowl MMXII. Participants enjoyed an afternoon of challenging and fun activities that taught them about the six areas of cognitive function. These hands-on activities addressed language, motor skills, vision, attention span, and more. The event also included a special presentation of Cross Train Your Brain by renowned geriatrician Dr. Kevin O’Neil.

1. Kevin Mahany and Seth Colpoys

2. Debbie Flaherty and Maegan Safford

3. Kelly Wise

4. Marie Ellis, Dr. Kevin O’Neil, and Rosemary Brown

5. Pat Steinberg, Jackie Frugè, Janet Couch, and Licia Sterbinsky

6. Jean Miller and Angie Duncan

7. Angela Lindsay, Lisa Archer, Dori Hanna, Carol White, and Rosemary Brown

PHOTOGRAPHER: HEATHER TOOTLE

YOU GOT TO KNOW WHEN TO HOLD ‘EM

The third annual Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament benefitted United Way of Lake and Sumter counties. The event, which was held at Gator Harley-Davidson in Leesburg, featured table prizes including an Apple iPad, flat-screen television, Sirius XM radio, Florida Lotto prize pack, indoor diving experience, and much more. The tournament also included raffle prizes, a 50/50 drawing, and food and beverages.

PHOTOGRAPHERS: TERRI KRACHT AND MARIAH DELGADO

1. Terri Kracht, Pam Furino, and Sue Cordova

2. Andrew Parks

3. Charlie Stone and Sue Cordova

4. Libby and Gary Nichols

5. Adrienne Bradley

APRIL POOL’S DAY

In April, the National Training Center, in conjunction with the Lake County Health Department, provided safe swimming demonstrations on how to keep children safe in Florida’s pools, lakes, and oceans. The demonstrations included a mock water rescue, a life-jacket fitting, a CPR demonstration, and an infant self-rescue course. Gift bags were given to the first 200 children who visited all the demonstrations.

1. Kenny Thompson and Wayne Nichols

2. Ray, Royce and Jarred Del Mundo

3. Kaley and Carmelo Santana

4. Back Row: Octavious Taylor, Aaron Pereira, and Sharod Mollett; Front Row: Linda Harvelle and Cory Hilt

5. David Lawrence, David Lawrence Jr., and Chris Moss

6. Bill Griswold, and Barbara and Jim Dunn

7. Deanna Chapman, Linda Harville, Zoey and Jayson Tootle

PHOTOGRAPHER: HEATHER TOOTLE

Our Patients Say It Best...

After undergoing quadruple bypass surgery in 1994, Jose Sierra was told by cardiologists that walking was one of the best ways he could keep his heart healthy. Sierra followed that advice for years. However, not long ago he began to experience pain in both his heel and on the bottom of his foot while walking, which made the task extremely painful and difficult.

“I could only walk about one-and-ahalf blocks,” he says.

Sierra made an appointment at Tri-County Podiatry. Suspecting something wasn’t quite right, Dr. Johnny Wu ordered an arterial test. The test revealed that Sierra was suffering from peripheral artery disease. He had 100 percent blockage in his left leg and 90 percent blockage in his right leg. After being treated for the problem and regaining normal circulation, his foot pain disappeared.

“I had been to other podiatry practices but nobody had ever considered ordering an arterial test on me,” Sierra says. “I’m so fortunate Dr. Wu has a good clinical eye because he very well may have saved my life. My case is a great example of how Dr. Wu goes above and beyond to care for and treat his patients to the best of his ability. Thanks to him, I’m back to walking painfree and enjoying life to the fullest.”

T he Perfect Home…

T his is it!

You can’t ask for much more than this beautiful four-bedroom, threebathroom home. The location is superb in the gorgeous Sunnyside area with close proximity to shopping, school, and churches. This great entertaining floor plan has many possibilities. Your fourth bedroom upstairs has its own private bath, making it perfect for a mother-in-law area, second master suite, guest bedroom, or large social entertaining room.

Built in 2008, this home sits on a beautiful corner lot with nice trees and landscaping. Your backyard is completely fenced and houses a gorgeous custom pool built in 2010. Your upgraded kitchen features beautiful Corian counters, custom cabinets, a large pantry, and is open to the dinette and living area. You can choose from formal dining or a dinette overlooking the pool. The separate den could be a great office or separate TV room. This floor plan is PERFECT! This beautiful four-bedroom pool home awaits you and your family. Don’t miss this one.

$265,000

PHOTOGRAPHER: FRED LOPEZ

DATE: 1/16/2012

TIME: 1:18PM

EXPOSURE PROGRAM: MANUAL

SHUTTER: 1/250 SEC

F-STOP: F/14

ISO: 100

FOCAL LENGTH: 35MM

LOCATION: EUSTIS, FLORIDA

IN ADDITION TO RECEIVING A SEASONAL FLU SHOT, ONE SHOULD:

• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue.

• Wash your hands carefully and often or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

• Stay home from work or away from others when sick.

• Be informed about the flu.

• Avoid or minimize contact with sick people (a minimum threefoot distance is recommended).

• Stay away from others as much as possible when you are sick.

IMMUNIZATIONS

HOME TO YOU

Vaccinations are a safe and cost-effective way to prevent serious illnesses and possibly even death. Preventing illness through vaccination promotes overall health, avoids expensive medical treatment and hospitalization, and helps reduce the spread of disease in the community. Individuals can protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors from serious or even life-threatening diseases by receiving physician-recommended vaccinations in a timely manner.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that people receive their seasonal flu vaccine as soon as it becomes available in their community. Being vaccinated before December is best, since this ensures that protective antibodies are produced and active in the body before flu activity is typically at its highest. The CDC continues to encourage people to get vaccinated throughout the flu season, which can begin as early as October and last as late as May. Over the course of the flu season, many different influenza viruses can circulate at different times and in different places. As long as flu viruses are still spreading in the community, vaccination can provide protective benefits.

Lake EMS and the Lake County Health Department hope to administer as many flu shots as possible in this area. This will be accomplished by providing this service within the community itself. Both of these service providers will travel to local churches, community centers, retirement communities, and private organizations to bring immunizations right to the front door of Lake County citizens.

HOME BOUND PROGRAM:

The Lake EMS and the Lake County Health Department Home Bound program continues to be a favorite with area residents and is in high demand. Each year we continue to add homebound patients to the program. We not only provide this service to the patient but also to the caretaker. It is our goal to make certain that every citizen has an opportunity to receive an immunization. The citizens who benefit from this service often ask to remain on the program each year. This program is a great success and offers the elderly a convenient solution to their immunization needs.

Some might ask why a homebound person needs a flu shot since he or she rarely leaves home. Many homebound people have illnesses which have compromised their immune systems, making them more susceptible to flu viruses and other contagious diseases. They also often rely on family and friends as caretakers and can inadvertently become infected with influenza through contact with visitors if they are not vaccinated. For more information regarding the flu season, please visit the CDC website at http:// www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/flushot.htm

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE OUTREACH IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM OR TO SCHEDULE A SHOT FOR A HOMEBOUND INDIVIDUAL, CALL DEANNA CHAPMAN, LAKE EMS, AT 352.383.4554.