your
health [ Your guide to Healthy Living from Georgia Regents Medical Center ]
Winter 2014 | gru.edu/health
today
Let’s Celebrate!
13th Annual Radiothon Five fast diet fixes Your heart’s future, revealed Preparing your child for a hospital stay
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
What’s new and noteworthy at
Georgia Regents Medical Center? As part of an academic health center, we are continuously upgrading our services, technology and outreach. Here are a few of our latest initiatives, achievements and honors.
PAGE 3 Tips for a safe and healthy winter
PAGES 4-5 Cancer Prevention It’s not too late to vaccinate Smoke gets in your eyes, nose, lungs
PAGE 6 Heart-Healthy Living Calcium scanning: Your heart's future revealed
PAGE 7 Focus on Women New Ronald McDonald House Breaks Ground
15-Year Alliance Means Better Health Care Delivery
Families from around the state receiving care for their children at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia (CHOG) will soon have a new home away from home on campus. Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Augusta recently broke ground on a new 23-bedroom, 28,000-square-foot house, located just 150 yards away from the front door of CHOG. The partnership brings RMHC Augusta’s support services from downtown Augusta to the CHOG campus, making it easier for parents who live more than 25 miles away from Augusta to provide support to their children during hospitalizations. The new house is set to open in fall 2014.
Georgia Regents Medical Center (GRMC) and Philips, one of the largest electronics companies in the world, have entered into a 15-year alliance to work together on developing better imaging, patient monitoring and clinical informatics systems—a partnership that will ensure GRMC patients have rapid access to the newest patient care resources. The agreement is the first of its kind in the United States—and the largest ever for Philips—and it will impact all care areas, including radiology, cardiology, neurology, oncology and pediatrics, and enhance medical research and clinical technology research and development initiatives for care delivery innovation.
Diet mistakes even smart women make
PAGE 8 Neuroscience Right here, right now
PAGE 9 Digestive Health Could a gluten-free diet be good for you?
PAGEs 10-11 Family Health Diabetes: Take back control Preparing your child for a hospital stay
PAGE 12 In the News CHOG celebrates 13th annual Radiothon
The material in Your Health Today is not intended for diagnosing or prescribing. Consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment. For more information, please call 800-736-CARE (2273) or visit our website at gru.edu/health. Copyright © 2014 Georgia Regents Health System
Images on any of these pages may be from one or more of these sources: ©2014 Thinkstock and ©2014 istockphoto.com.
Savvy substitutions for your
favorite recipes
keep your weight-loss resolutions by substituting high-fat ingredients for [ H] elp tasty low-fat options. For example, fruit purees such as applesauce can replace some of the oil or shortening in a recipe and add extra moistness. Experiment with one whole egg and two whites for every three eggs in a recipe. Nonfat regular or Greek yogurt can replace sour cream, and evaporated skim milk can add creaminess without the fat in many sauces.
Having a blue
new year?
all the excitement and stress of the holidays, it can be common to come down [ A] fter with a case of the post-holiday blues. But if you practice positive thinking, it can actually have physical health benefits. According to researchers at Yale University, those with a positive outlook live 7.5 years longer than those with a gloomy view of the future. Practice turning negative thinking around: For example, instead of thinking, “I can’t do this,” tell yourself, “I have the chance to learn something new.”
Tips for a safe and healthy winter Banish dry,
winter skin
some, the arrival of winter means itchy, dry skin. Which is why it’s more [ F] orimportant than ever to practice good skin care. Use warm water plus a gentle cleanser for bathing—and especially for washing hands, as hot water removes natural skin oils more quickly. Don’t soak: Baths or showers longer than five to 10 minutes can actually leave your skin less hydrated than before you started. And always apply a moisturizer while skin is still damp to lock in moisture.
Keep the fires burning,
safely
is cozier than a fireplace, space heater or woodstove when it’s chilly [ N ] othing outside. But take proper care to help prevent house fires. Clean or inspect your chimney and flue each season, and be sure your home has working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Keep space heaters three feet from anything flammable, including ornaments and Christmas trees, and always blow out candles when you leave a room.
gru.edu/health
[ 3 ]
cancer prevention
It’s not too late
to vaccinate
Know how to reduce your cervical cancer risk
[C]
ervical cancer was
once one of the most
common causes of cancer death for American women. Today, the number of deaths from cervical cancer has declined 74 percent in the United States, mainly due
Two vaccines for HPV (the human papillomavirus), a leading cause of cervical cancer ... have been rigorously tested, and found to be safe and effective.
to the effectiveness of regular Pap test screening in detecting early pre-cancers. Two vaccines for HPV (the human papillomavirus), a leading cause of cervical cancer, are also commercially available. Both have been rigorously tested, and found to be safe and effective. “A vaccine against the two types of HPV that cause 70 percent of all cervical cancers can reduce the
Who should get the HPV vaccine? •G irls ages 11 to 12 (as early
risk of infection even further,” says
as age 9). The HPV vaccine is
Sharad Ghamande, MD, Director
recommended for girls in this
of Gynecologic Oncology at Georgia
age range, prior to sexual
Regents University Cancer Center.
activity. • Girls ages 13 to 18 who have not
Did you know? Our cancer center was involved in the development of the HPV vaccine. Call 706-721-6744 or visit gru.edu/cancer for more information about our Gynecological Cancer Prevention Program.
[ 4 ]
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yet started the vaccine series or who have started but have not completed the series. • Young women ages 19 to 26
Who should receive a Pap screening? • All women should get yearly Pap tests starting about three years after they start having sex or no later than age 21. • Beginning at age 30, most women who have had three normal Pap test results in a row may be tested less often—every two to three years. • Healthy women 70 years of age or older who have had three or more normal Pap tests in a row and no
should talk to their doctors or
abnormal Pap test results in the last
nurses about whether to get the
10 years may choose to stop having
vaccine.
cervical cancer testing.
Smoke gets in your
eyes, nose and lungs Why you should steer clear of secondhand smoke
[M]
ost smokers understand
and lungs, and may experience
you, and support their efforts to
that they’re putting their
coughing, excessive phlegm and chest
quit smoking.
health at risk every time they light
discomfort.
or bars, support those that are
up. But they may underestimate the danger their smoking poses to the
Keep it clean
people around them.
By helping yourself and your loved
According to the American Lung
you’ll be limiting exposure to
causes approximately 3,000 lung
poisonous and toxic
cancer deaths and 35,000 heart
substances.
disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in
Keep secondhand
the United States each year. “In fact,
smoke at bay
nonsmokers exposed to secondhand
with these tips: • If you smoke, get
to have coronary heart disease than
help stopping. In the
nonsmokers not exposed,” says
meantime, don’t smoke in
Zhonglin Hao, MD, Team Lead for
your home, in your car or
the Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer
around your children.
Clinic at Georgia Regents University Cancer Center. Children are especially vulnerable
• Don’t allow smoking inside your home or car. • Make sure your child’s
because their lungs are still
daycare, school and
developing. Secondhand smoke
after-school programs
can increase the number and
are smoke-free.
severity of asthma attacks, cause pneumonia and bronchitis and more
smoke-free.
ones avoid secondhand smoke,
Association, secondhand smoke
smoke are 25 percent more likely
• When you frequent restaurants
• Ask friends, family and co-workers not to smoke around
ear infections. In infancy, it is also associated with low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome. And anyone who breathes in secondhand smoke may suffer from
We’re tobacco-free! This fall, Georgia Regents University became a 100-percent tobacco-free campus. For more information, help quitting and other resources, visit gru.edu/tobaccofree.
irritation of the eyes, nose, throat
gru.edu/health
[ 5 ]
Heart-Healthy living
Calcium scanning:
Your heart's future revealed Get on the right track for lifelong heart health
[Y]
ou may already know
the basic rules for heart-
What is coronary calcium scanning?
healthy living: exercise, a healthy
Coronary calcium scanning is a
diet, no smoking, limiting alcohol
short and easy test that includes a
Plaque in your arteries—which can
consumption and controlling your
computed tomography (CT) scan
narrow these blood vessels and lead
blood pressure and cholesterol. But you
of your heart. The scanner takes
to a heart attack—often contains
still may not know if you have coronary
X-ray pictures of your heart and
calcium in addition to cholesterol.
artery disease, or heart disease,
coronary arteries as you lie on a
On a scan, calcium looks like bright,
because it often has no outward
table that slowly slides through the
white spots; typically, the more white
symptoms. “For many, the first sign is
doughnut-shaped opening. The entire
spots of calcium, the more disease in
a heart attack,” says Sheldon Litwin,
procedure typically lasts less than
the vessel walls and the higher the
MD, Chief of Cardiology at Georgia
five minutes.
chance of having a heart attack.
Regents Medical Center. “Coronary
A cardiologist or radiologist—a
If your calcium score is 0 (no
calcium scanning can reveal the health
physician specifically trained to read
detectable calcium), your chance of
of your arteries before a clot can
cardiac CT scans—will examine the
having a heart attack in the next
threaten your life.”
pictures of your heart and arteries.
five years is very low. But if you have significant coronary calcification,
Should you be tested? The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recommend coronary calcium scans for people at intermediate risk of heart disease. Call 706-721-2328 to find out if this test is right for you.
[ 6 ]
gru.edu/health
additional testing or treatment may be appropriate. The good news is that these results can motivate you to take control of your health and prevent further plaque buildup.
focus on women
Diet mistakes even
smart women make 5 fast fixes
[T]
hink you know how to
low-fat or nonfat milk, diet soft
diet but are frustrated
drinks and unsweetened teas.
that you haven’t met your weightloss goal? Here are some common dieting mistakes and their fixes to help you get back on track.
Mistake No. 4
Shunning snacks. Fast fix: Think of
your snacks as mini meals and plan them with balance, variety and
Mistake No. 1
Skipping breakfast.
moderation in mind. Try cut-up raw vegetables or fruit, low-fat yogurt or
Fast fix: Data from the National
pudding, popcorn, pretzels, a small
Weight Control Registry (www.nwcr.
baked potato with low-fat yogurt or
ws) has shown that eating breakfast
whole-grain crackers or breads with
everyday is an important trait of
hummus or low-fat cheese.
successful medical weight loss. Good options include whole-grain breads and cereals, yogurt and fresh fruit or an egg wrapped in a whole-wheat tortilla.
Mistake No. 5
Sticking with strictly cardio
workouts. Fast fix: Do strengthening
Mistake No. 2
Cutting all carbs.
activities—like lifting weights, doing
Fast fix: Include
pushups and situps, heavy gardening
healthful carbs in your diet like fresh
or household chores—two or three
fruits, vegetables and whole grains,
times a week. This builds and
but skip the refined sugars like white
maintains muscle mass, which helps
breads, pastas and white rice.
control body-fat composition and burns more calories, even at rest.
Mistake No. 3
Drinking too many high-calorie liquids.
Fast fix: Water is the best option
Short on time? Consider short,
We’re here for you!
high-intensity workouts of 15–
Feeling alone in your struggle to lose weight? Our Weight Loss Center offers a free support group and educational meetings on the fourth Tuesday of every month. For more details, visit grhealth.org/weightloss.
20 minutes, also known as Tabata
to meet your daily beverage quota.
(www.tabataofficial.com). Done
Try sparkling or flavored water or
correctly, Tabata workouts can
squeeze a wedge of lemon, lime or
be as beneficial as an hour on the
orange into your glass. Choose
treadmill or elliptical machine.
gru.edu/health
[ 7 ]
neuroscience
Pediatric Neurosurgery Section Chief Ian Heger, MD, works with a patient.
Right here,
right now Caring for brain and spinal cord problems of the smallest patients
[F]
include care for brain and spinal cord tumors, which are the second most common cancer in children; and surgery for epilepsy, which can be up to 80 percent effective in eliminating seizures. One of Dr. Heger’s own specialties is craniosynostosis, the premature fusion of a baby’s skull, which affects one in 2,500 births and can result in misshapen heads and brain damage. He’s partnering with plastic and reconstructive surgery on a new clinic focused on diagnosis and treatment.
ortunately, neurological
problems in children, by and
Specializing in kids
In addition, because the program is
Dr. Heger, who was recruited to CHOG
part of an academic medical center,
large, are infrequent. But when they
in early 2012, is growing the pediatric
patients and families benefit from the
happen, “It’s a huge concern,” says
neurosurgery program into a regional
expertise of clinicians on the adult side
Ian Heger, MD, Chief of Pediatric
resource so that parents can have that
who can consult on complicated cases, as
Neurosurgery at the Children’s
peace of mind. While neurosurgeons
well as new research-based treatments
Hospital of Georgia (CHOG).
at CHOG can treat every kind of
and studies.
Imagine if a parent had to drive to
neurological disorder, its hallmarks
Atlanta or Charlotte for their child’s ongoing treatment, which could take weeks, if not months. And in an emergency situation, when minutes count, having local neurosurgical experts available can make a big difference in a child’s outcome.
[ 8 ]
gru.edu/health
For Dr. Heger, who considers himself a big kid at heart, it’s also about a
Get the help you need Need expert advice from the region’s only pediatric neurosurgery program? Contact us at 706-721-4581.
particular kind of care: “We not only understand the different treatment options available, but we work with the parents and with the patients, if they’re old enough to understand, to find the best treatment that’s right for them.”
digestive health
Could a gluten-free
diet be good for you? Go wheat-free to help eliminate bellyaches
[J]
ust a few years ago,
And consider these tips from Amy
foods, including fresh produce; fresh
the term “gluten” was
Fedewa, RD, LD, a dietitian with the
meat, poultry and seafood; and egg
Digestive Health Center:
and dairy products.
unfamiliar to most Americans. But today, this protein found naturally
Be mindful of balance. “If not
Read labels. Gluten-free does
in wheat, rye and barley has gone
followed properly, gluten-free diets
not necessarily mean good for your
mainstream.
can be low in certain nutrients that
waistline, so check labels to ensure foods are low in fat, sugar and sodium.
Gluten has long been known
your body needs, including iron,
for its role in celiac disease—an
calcium, folate, vitamin D, the B
autoimmune disorder in which
vitamins and fiber,” says Fedewa.
potatoes, corn and rice, choose from
the body attacks the lining of the
The perimeter of the grocery store
a variety of naturally gluten-free
small intestines when gluten is
is where you'll find many naturally
grains: quinoa, amaranth, teff and
present, leading to trouble absorbing
gluten-free—and nutrient-rich—
wild rice.
Know your foods. Besides
nutrients. It has more recently been blamed for a range of gastrointestinal symptoms in adults and children considered sensitive to gluten. “Although there is no official data, some estimates indicate that as many as 17 million Americans—about 1 in 18—may be gluten-sensitive,” says Satish Rao, MD, Director of the Digestive Health Center at Georgia Regents Medical Center. More and more Americans without celiac disease are eliminating gluten from their diets in an effort to minimize gas, belly aches and nausea—and even headaches, fatigue and hyperactivity. If you decide you want to go
Did you know? The Digestive Health Center at Georgia Regents Medical Center is one of only 10 motility clinics in the nation equipped with the advanced technology needed to diagnose and treat even subtle disruptions in how food moves through the digestive tract. Visit gru.edu/digestivehealth or call 706-721-1450 to make an appointment.
gluten-free, speak to a dietitian first.
gru.edu/health
[ 9 ]
Family health
Diabetes:
Take back control Know your risk—and what you can do about it
[D]
iabetes rates in this
country have climbed so
high that experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are calling it an epidemic. According to the American Diabetes Association, 18.8 million people in the United States have the disease—but another 7 million remain undiagnosed. “Even more disturbing, 79 million are thought to be pre-diabetic,” says Rene Harper, MD, an endocrinologist at Georgia Regents Medical Center. “Unless these people make lifestyle changes, they will develop diabetes, too.” Yet you don’t have to be overweight, have a genetic predisposition or be a certain age to get diabetes. Consider
or a Pacific Islander, or if you have
hunger, increased fatigue, blurry
this: Type 2 diabetes, the form that
a close family history, you are at
vision, frequent urination and
develops in adults, is striking more
higher risk), you can take charge of
irritability.
people—and many of them have no
your life by:
Get regular health screenings
family history of the disease. But you
Exercising regularly. Inactivity
and discuss any changes with
can take preventive measures to help
is the most important risk factor
your doctor.
keep the disease at bay.
for type 2 diabetes and may be to blame for half of all cases.
Factors you can control
Maintaining healthy eating
While you can’t do much about
habits. Follow a low-fat, low-
the predispositions (if you are
sugar, high-fiber diet.
older than 40, if you are African-
Know the warning signs. Watch
American, Hispanic American,
for any irregular symptoms, such
Native American, Asian American
as excessive thirst or extreme
[ 10 ]
gru.edu/health
What’s your diabetes risk? Visit gru.edu/diabetes for a quick and easy test that assesses your risk level and whether it’s time you see your physician.
Preparing your child for a
hospital stay Simple advice for getting past the fear and anxiety
[A]
s much as it helps us,
This is the most important thing
no one—not even adults—
parents can do. You can also act out
likes going to the hospital. Children,
the hospital experience with stuffed
in particular young children, may
animals, draw pictures, write stories
be especially fearful. Children often
or read books featuring popular
have misconceptions about the
characters to help explain what a
hospital experience and typically
hospital stay is like. Also, talk about
imagine things to be much worse
the normal things that happen in a
than they will ever be.
hospital, too, like watching TV or
Gently talking through these fears and anxieties—and giving children a sense of control—can help. Follow these five simple steps:
playing with toys.
3
Bring favorite belongings as reminders of home. To make
the stay less stressful, pack a
1
Pick the right time. The older the
favorite toy, game, book, blanket
child, the earlier you can discuss
or other comforting items; favorite
We can help At the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, our Child Life Specialists use medical play, coping techniques and playroom interaction to help make hospitalized children comfortable and content. They can also help your family prepare for your child’s surgery or hospital stay. Call 706-721-5503 to learn more.
an upcoming hospitalization. For
photographs; their own personal
example, a preschooler can be told
care items; and pajamas or other
hold your hand, sing a favorite song
on the way to the hospital, but tell
nighttime wear.
or close their eyes while the shot is
a school-age child or teen a week or so in advance so they have time to process the information.
2
4
happening. Provide children with as many choices as possible. Allow
children to pack or help pack their
5
Stay close. Reinforce that going to the hospital is not their fault,
Give simple, honest answers
suitcase. If they need a shot or an
and remain with your child as much
to their questions and concerns.
IV, let them decide if they want to
as possible, especially overnight.
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[ 11 ]
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In the news
Children’s Hospital of Georgia
celebrates 13th Annual Radiothon The hospital’s largest annual event raises more than $184,727
[F]
or cmn development
phones, give their support and share
Officer Catherine Stewart,
stories of what this hospital means to
the holidays really are the best time of the year, thanks to the Children’s
them and their children. One of those children is Emma
Hospital of Georgia’s annual Cares for
Taylor, 7, who was diagnosed three
Kids Radiothon fundraiser, which took
years ago with mitochondrial disease,
place Thursday–Saturday, Dec. 5–7.
a progressive disorder that affects
“It’s unbelievable to feel the spirit
nearly every system of the body. Her
of giving in this community and what
mom, Nikki, will never forget the
the power of radio can do in just three
month Emma spent in the pediatric
short days,” says Stewart. “Enjoying
intensive care unit and how she stayed
and KISS were jointly recognized as
the Christmas trees in the hospital
with her daughter in her hospital
Radio Station of the Year for their hard
lobby, hearing the wonderful music
room, 24/7, thanks to comfortable
work in hosting the event.
and seeing that many people call in
sleeper chairs purchased through
and give is just incredible.”
Radiothon dollars.
“Since 2001, the Cares for Kids Radiothon has helped us provide
The event couldn’t go on without
the best and most specialized care
The spirit of giving
the support of longtime radio partner
to children and families across the
This year, the 13th annual event—the
Clear Channel, which broadcasts
Southeast,” said Jim Mumford,
hospital’s single largest fundraiser—
the Radiothon on WBBQ 104.3
Administrator at CHOG. “We couldn’t
raised more than $184,727 to support
and KISS 96.3. The event’s success
do what we do for our patients and
programs and services for hospitalized
was highlighted during a recent
families without the generosity and
children and their families, and the
national Children’s Miracle Network
support of WBBQ, KISS and their
community came together to answer
Celebration in Orlando, where WBBQ
listeners, and we are truly grateful.”