Your Health Today

healthtoday

your Volume I, Issue 1

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Your Guide to Healthy Living from Georgia Health Sciences Health System

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Could this condition cause your leg pain?

SILS™ hysterectomy: Surgery without scarring

Telling kids you have cancer

Scan this code with a QR code reader to go to the Georgia Health Sciences app!

A shoulder to lean on

Support groups at Georgia Health Sciences Health System ALS Support Group Lunch and Learn When: Second Thursday of each month, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Lunch is served.

Where: Medical Office Building, 4th floor, Room 4306 Call: 706-721-2681 for more information.

Autism Support Group When: First Tuesday of each month, 6–7 p.m.

Where: Children’s Medical Center, 1446 Harper St., 1st floor, Family Resource Library Call: 706-721-5160 for more information.

A.W.A.K.E. Support Group Support for sleep apnea patients When: Fourth Thursday of each month, 7–9 p.m.

Where: Children’s Medical Center, 1446 Harper St., 1st floor, Family Resource Library, Room 1801 Call: 706-721-0793 for more information.

Blood Cancer/Stem Cell Support Group When: Third Thursday of each month, 5:30–7 p.m.

Where: Cancer Center, 1411 Laney Walker Blvd., 1st floor, Community Room Call: 706-721-9134 for more information.

Breast Cancer Support Group When: Second Thursday of each month, 5:30–7:30 p.m.

Where: Cancer Center, 1411 Laney Walker Blvd., 1st floor, Community Room Call: 706-721-4109 for more information.

Breastfeeding Class When: Third Tuesday of each month, 7–9 p.m.

Where: Medical Center, 1120 15th St., West Entrance, 1st floor, Patient and Family Resource Library Call: 706-721-9351 for more information.

Let’s Talk Cancer Support Group When: Second Tuesday of each month, 5:30–7 p.m.

Where: Cancer Center, 1411 Laney Walker Blvd., 1st floor, Community Room Call: 706-721-0550 for more information.

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Inside this issue Page 3 Tips for a safe and healthy summer

Pages 4–5

Focus on Women • SILS hysterectomy • Digital mammography

Pages 6–7

Cancer Prevention • Advanced gamma knife technology • Telling kids you have cancer

Multiple Sclerosis Support Group

Pages 8–9

When: Last Monday of each month, 6–7:30 p.m.

Where: Medical Center, Augusta MS Center, 6th floor Call: 706-721-1411 for reservations or information.

Heart-Healthy Living

Trauma Support Group

• Taking care of the home team

When: Third Wednesday of each month, noon–1 p.m.

Where: 4th floor, Conference Room 4069 Call: 706-721-0278 for more information.

• Aching legs?

Pages 10–11

Family Health • More care, close to home

Page 12

In the News • Dental faculty practice group delivers complete, one-stop dental care

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 georgiahealth.org.

Copyright © 2011 Georgia Health Sciences Health System

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Cover Image and image on page 3 © istockphoto.com/BlueOrange Studio/Dgmata ; Images on page 3 © 2011 Thinkstock

Tips for a safe and healthy summer

Preventing swimmer’s ear

Summer food safety

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wimmer’s ear is an infection of the outer ear canal that may develop when water is left in the ear after swimming, allowing bacteria to grow. The best way to prevent it is to dry your child’s ears thoroughly after he or she swims. Dry only the outer ear, then tip the head to the side to help water drain from the ear canal. You can also dry the ears with a blow dryer on the lowest setting, held at least a foot from the ear. Do not insert cotton swabs or other objects into the ears.

ood-borne illnesses increase in the summer, especially during outdoor eating. Don’t leave food out of refrigeration for more than two hours, or more than one hour when the temperature is 90 F or higher. Be especially careful with products that contain eggs or mayonnaise.

To avoid cross-contamination, keep raw meat and poultry away from other foods. Wash plates, utensils and cutting boards that held raw meat or poultry before using them again. Cook meat and poultry thoroughly and at a high temperature.

An emergency department just for kids When childhood emergencies strike, depend on the Georgia Health Sciences Pediatric Emergency Department.

You’ll find a team of double-board-certified pediatric emergency physicians, a child-friendly environment and easy access to a full range of pediatric specialists. For more information, please call 706-721-7337.

Teens and texting Concussions: When to seek orried about your Wteen texting while emergency care behind the wheel? Here are some steps you can take: • T alk to your teen about the dangers of this behavior.

• B e a good role model, and don’t send your teen messages while he or she is driving.

• S et clear rules and consequences, such as revoking driving or cell phone privileges if your teen texts while driving.

•A sk your cell phone provider about technological options that allow you to manage your teen’s texting activities.

• F inally, remind your child that friends don’t let friends drive and text.

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concussion is a traumatic brain injury that is often caused by a blow to the head. Call your child’s doctor if he or she receives anything more than a light bump on the head.

Seek emergency care for a child who experiences a head bump accompanied by: • v omiting • a headache that worsens • b ehavioral changes, slurred speech, changes in coordination, confusion or dizziness • v ision or eye disturbances • a blood or fluid discharge • a large head bump • l oss of consciousness

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Focus on Women

SILS hysterectomy ™

Surgery without scarring Women’s care through the ages

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very year, thousands of American women undergo hysterectomies, the second most common surgery among reproductive-age women. Many of these women still have traditional open hysterectomies, which require hospitalization and a long recovery and leave visible scars. Others have less invasive laparoscopic hysterectomies. “Even most laparoscopic procedures require three to four incisions through which various instruments are inserted, leaving scars at the incision sites,” says Erin Holsten, MD, an Ob/Gyn with the Georgia Health Sciences Women’s Center.

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he Georgia Health Sciences Women’s Center delivers state-of-the-art care for women of all ages, from adolescent GYN exams to menopause management … from high risk pregnancy to urogynecology to lifestyle management … from the latest birth control options to in-office solutions for heavy menstrual bleeding and more.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 706-721-CARE (2273) or visit georgiahealth.org and click “Request Appointment.”

The SILS hysterectomy enables specially trained

A new and improved laparoscopic option A new surgery known as SILS™ hysterectomy can

surgeons such as Dr. Holsten to remove the uterus using a single incision in the belly button. The surgery

alleviate scarring and other concerns. Our Women’s

is performed through a SILS port, a soft, flexible

Center is the first facility in the area to offer this

instrument inserted through the incision and into the

procedure and is home to the first doctors in the CSRA

abdomen. The port has three distinct openings, enabling

skilled in this technique.

surgeons to use three surgical instruments at the same time. After the procedure, the port is removed, leaving just one small incision that may not be visible after healing.

Benefits of SILS hysterectomy This advanced procedure:

• generally results in no visible scaring • helps avoid the trauma and additional healing time

• may shorten recovery and speed up the return to normal activities “SILS hysterectomy is a safe alternative for women who are concerned with scarring or who can’t afford to have a long downtime for recovery,” says Dr. Holsten.

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© istockphoto.com/Catherine Yeulet

associated with traditional open hysterectomies

• may reduce wound pain

Improving mammography with 3D breast imaging

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Georgia Health Sciences Breast Image Center is newly accredited as a Center of Excellence.

ne in eight women will develop breast cancer sometime in her lifetime. What’s more, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women. But the fiveyear survival rate is 97 percent if the cancer is detected early. That makes regular, effective screening the best defense.

With that in mind, Georgia Health Sciences Medical Center recently became the first health system in Georgia—and one of only a few in the nation—to implement 3D breast tomosynthesis as a screening method. Also known as 3D mammography, this technology promises to improve breast cancer detection and reduce false-positive results.

patients,” says James H. Craft, MD, a radiologist at Georgia Health Sciences Breast Health Center.

2D versus 3D mammography Conventional 2D mammography

captures the breast in one exposure, creating a flat picture in which features can be hidden. Tomosynthesis takes images from multiple angles and builds them into a 3D image that radiologists can manipulate. It’s like looking into a ball versus looking at a circle.

Tomosynthesis also screens the entire breast, not just the problem area. This is significant because 15 percent of women with a cancer in their breast also have another cancer in the same or other breast. Women also report

Clearer images, more accurate diagnoses Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

greater comfort with 3D screening.

“The quality of images with 2D digital systems

in February, breast tomosynthesis produces a 3D image

is excellent, but the ability to peel away layers with

of the breast. By digitally combining multiple X-rays, it

tomosynthesis is a tremendous advance. The 3D imaging

reduces distortions created by tissue overlap or density

is likely to become the gold standard in mammography,”

and creates clearer, more detailed images.

Dr. Craft says.

“We can pinpoint the size, shape and exact location of a lump or tumor, because the image is not flattened like a standard mammogram. The technology provides better visualization, easier and earlier detection and fewer callbacks, which translates into less anxiety for

Schedule your screening For more information or to schedule a quick, convenient appointment for a mammogram, call 706-721-9729.

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Cancer Prevention

Advanced Gamma Knife technology New hope for patients with brain tumors

Understanding gamma knife surgery Gamma Knife surgery involves no knife and no incision. It is actually a type of sophisticated radiation therapy. “The procedure uses hundreds of beams of radiation focused on the exact location of the abnormality

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earning that you or someone you love needs brain surgery is a frightening experience. What’s more, some patients—often children and the elderly—then learn that traditional brain surgery is too risky for them.

Georgia Health Sciences Gamma Knife Center, which is the only center of its kind in eastern Georgia and the only center in Georgia attached to a children’s hospital, offers hope to these patients.

in the brain, making the Gamma Knife much more effective than conventional radiation therapy,” says John Vender, MD, a neurosurgeon and director of the Gamma Knife Center. “The old technology was limited in the size of lesions it could treat and areas it could reach. It could not be used to treat larger tumors or lesions in multiple sessions.”

Advancing care through technology Georgia Health Sciences Neuroscience Center has implemented a new generation of Gamma Knife. Known

The area’s most comprehensive neuroscience care

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he Georgia Health Sciences Neuroscience Center offers the largest team of adult and pediatric neurologists and neurosurgeons in the area. To learn more, visit georgiahealth.org/neuroscience-center.

Do you need a neurologist?

To schedule an appointment with a skilled neurologist, call 706-721-CARE (2273) or visit georgiahealth.org and click “Request Appointment.”

as Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ with the Extend™ program, it overcomes these limitations. “With Perfexion, we can more quickly treat a wider array of targets in a single session, allowing us to better treat multiple brain metastases,” Dr. Vender says. “Perfexion can also treat areas of the brain, skull base and regions of the head and neck that were unreachable with the older technology.

And, with the addition of the Extend technology, we can treat large tumors in two to five sessions.”

By implementing this advanced technology, Georgia Health Sciences Health System is making lifesaving therapy available to more people in our community and throughout the region.

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Telling kids you have cancer A Q & A session with Kimberly Allen, MS, CCLS, child life specialist I ’ve just been diagnosed with cancer.

Should I tell my children?

A: Many people are unsure about telling their children they have cancer. But strong evidence supports the fact that being honest with kids helps them through the ordeal. Children quickly sense when something is wrong even if they’re not told, so it’s often impossible to hide that someone in the family is ill. Honesty is usually the best policy.

hat are the W dangers of not telling kids?

hat and how W should I tell them?

hat about W follow-up conversations?

A: Secrecy generally makes

A: This depends on how old your children are. Don’t give young children too many details, as they can cope better with small amounts of information. Simply say that you are sick with a disease called cancer and will need treatment. Make sure they understand that they can’t catch cancer from you. Then explain how cancer and your treatment may affect their daily lives. If you’re unable to have this conversation, ask a trusted adult to do it for you.

A: Let your children know that you’re there if they have questions about your disease.

Give them general updates on your health status as your treatment progresses.

Depending on your children’s ages, journaling, drawing and playing out feelings also can help them cope.

things worse. If you don’t tell your children, they may hear you or other adults discussing the illness. Young children often feel that they are to blame for problems in a family. Discussing the issue lets you reassure them that it’s not their fault.

Experience a new era in cancer care

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he Georgia Health Sciences Cancer Center—the CSRA’s only dedicated outpatient adult oncology unit—offers the area’s largest team of cancer specialists. The center features glass walls for plenty of sunlight, original art and soothing colors and music. The center offers: • 30 chemotherapy infusion stations overlooking a garden • easy access to multidisciplinary treatment teams • patient navigators to coordinate care • an attached 158-space multistory parking garage • access to clinical trials

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Heart-Healthy Living

Aching legs? Could it be peripheral vascular disease?

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f you have pain in your legs after walking that goes away with rest, you could have peripheral vascular disease (PVD). The same process that allows plaque to build up in the coronary arteries can occur in the legs, kidneys, neck and arms, causing PVD. Left untreated, PVD can lead to serious, even life-threatening, complications.

“Tens of thousands of Americans suffer from PVD, and many don’t even know they have it,” says Gautam Agarwal, MD, a vascular and endovascular surgeon with Georgia Health Sciences Heart and Cardiovascular Health Services. The center has all the resources and expertise needed to diagnose and treat all forms of PVD.

• having a family history of diabetes or PVD • smoking • being overweight • leading a sedentary lifestyle

Watch for these signs “PVD most commonly

Tens of thousands of Americans suffer from PVD, and many don’t even know they have it.”

affects the legs, with early

—Gautam Agarwal, MD

signs being cramping in the hips, thighs or calves

Are you at risk?

According to Dr. Agarwal, PVD occurs when fatty deposits and scar tissue from cholesterol build up on artery walls, blocking blood flow to the legs, kidneys, neck or arms.

after walking,” Dr. Agarwal says. “With three to five minutes of rest, the pain goes away, but it returns when the person begins to walk again.”

Unfortunately, many people attribute this pain to

PVD is particularly common in people with diabetes, who

aging or the after effects of exercise and do not consult a

tend to have more fat and cholesterol in their arteries. Men

physician. But PVD can indicate serious, systemic vascular

suffer from PVD more often than women, and it usually

disease. Without treatment, it can lead to amputations,

affects people ages 50 and older. Other risk factors include:

heart attacks and stroke.

• high blood pressure

Other symptoms of PVD include:

• having had a previous heart attack or stroke

• cold legs and feet • paleness • bluish-red discoloration

To prevent or control PVD • Monitor your blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and keep them under control • Stop smoking • Maintain a healthy weight • Exercise regularly • K eep your blood sugar under control if you have diabetes

• dry or shiny skin • numbness, tingling or sores that don’t heal

Diagnosing PVD “See your physician if you have the symptoms of PVD. He or she may recommend tests to determine if your arteries are blocked and how far the disease has progressed,” Dr. Agarwal says.

Georgia Health Sciences Heart and Cardiovascular Health Services is equipped with all the technology needed to diagnose PVD, including:

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Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) test using a 64-slice CT scanner, which pinpoints the blockage.

Microvascular Circulation test to determine how much oxygen is reaching tissue and help doctors craft the best treatment plan.

Advanced therapies for PVD Treatments for PVD vary and depend on the severity of the disease. Early cases may respond to medications and lifestyle changes. In more serious cases, however, the traditional treatments are angioplasty and stents or bypass surgery.

Unfortunately, many patients with PVD are at high risk for surgery. The Heart and Cardiovascular Health Services offers advanced alternative therapies to remove plaque from the arteries and veins in the legs, without surgery or stenting. Vascular surgeons will also work with your cardiologists to ensure expert follow-up care, treatment of any related diseases and lifestyle changes after diagnosis and treatment for PVD.

Cardiac rehabilitation Exercise and education for a healthier cardiovascular system

I © istockphoto.com/Catherine Yeulet

f you have heart or vascular problems or have experienced a heart event, Georgia Health Sciences Cardiac Rehabilitation Center offers the safety, security and equipment you’ll need to speed your recovery.

We will design an individual exercise plan for you, monitor your heart as you exercise and teach you how to live a healthy lifestyle.

Medicare and many insurance companies cover most of the cost of cardiac rehabilitation, but a physician’s referral is required. If you would like more information, like to tour the facility or like a staff member to contact your physician about a referral, call 706-721-9055.

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Family Health their health care provider,” says Steven Greer, MD, CAQ, a family and sports medicine physician at Georgia Health Sciences Sports Medicine Center.

Front-line sports medicine care

Taking care of the home team

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wo Augusta institutions have just teamed up to form a winning partnership. Georgia Health Sciences Sports Medicine Center has partnered with the Augusta GreenJackets to provide sports medicine and general medical care to the 28 members of the team. The health system will also be a title sponsor of the GreenJackets, which is owned by Ripkin Baseball and an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

“We’re so proud to be working with these elite athletes who come from all over the country and around the world.

They bring so much to our community in the form of family entertainment activities. We’re very pleased to be

The Sports Medicine Center will provide all local sports-related medical services to both GreenJackets players and opposing team players at home games, diagnosing and treating sports injuries. In addition, they will deliver rehabilitation services for GreenJackets players at the Georgia Health Sciences Sports Rehabilitation Center. This 8,500-square-foot center offers state-of-the-art equipment and a staff of five licensed physical therapists with subspecialty training in various areas. Sports medicine physicians will coordinate care with the medical leadership of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants.

General medical services But that’s not all they will offer the team. They will also provide general medical services for GreenJackets team members, from primary care to diagnosing and treating serious illnesses. “We’re so excited to have a world-class player like Georgia Health Sciences Sports Medicine Center on our team,” says Nick Brown, general manager of the GreenJackets. “Georgia Health Sciences Health System is known and respected for its medical expertise, advanced technology and personal touch. It’s comforting to know that our players will be in such skilled hands.”

Georgia Health Sciences Sports Medicine Center

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© 2011 Thinkstock

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he center’s board-certified sports medicine physicians, orthopaedic surgeons and family-practice physicians diagnose and care for all sports-related injuries. The center also offers rehabilitative services and certified athletic trainers. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 706-721-PLAY (7529) or visit georgiahealth.org/sports.

More care, close to home Georgia Health Sciences Children’s Medical Center expands outreach partners with Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital

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magine that your child is sick and has no access to pediatric specialists.

Unfortunately, that’s not uncommon, especially in rural areas. Georgia Health Sciences Children’s Medical Center is addressing that issue in Southwest Georgia. For some time now, Bernard L. Maria, MD, a pediatric neurologist and brain tumor specialist and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Georgia Health Sciences Univeristy, has held monthly clinics at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital for children in that region, as has Charles Howell, MD, a pediatric surgeon and chief of surgery at Georgia Health Sciences Health System.

Looking ahead In the future, other boardcertified physicians and pediatric nurse practitioners will be placed at Phoebe Putney, providing services such as conscious sedation, urgent care and consultative services for community pediatricians and emergency room physicians.

For patients who need a higher level of care, there also will be a rapid-response team for resuscitation, stabilization and transfer to the Children’s Medical Center. The program will also include on-site and telemedicine subspecialty pediatric care and make consultation services

Expanding the outreach

with pediatric specialists in Augusta available 24/7.

In addition, the Children’s Medical Center has recently partnered with Phoebe Putney and local pediatricians to place pediatric specialists and nurse practitioners on site at

Enhancing medical education The Children’s Medical Center will also deliver

Phoebe Putney. Under the new agreement, the Children’s

continuing medical education for pediatricians and

Medical Center will provide pediatric nurse practitioners

emergency physicians in Southwest Georgia. Phoebe

and pediatric hospitalists to Phoebe Putney. Hospitalists

Putney serves as the headquarters for Georgia Health

specialize in the care of hospitalized patients and are

Sciences University’s Southwest Georgia Clinical

readily available to address the concerns of families,

Campus, which provides resident training for third-

improving the quality of care and patient satisfaction.

and fourth-year medical students. “This partnership

“We are very pleased to enter into this agreement

will offer medical students and family practice

with Phoebe Putney and help provide services to critically

residents more robust pediatric training and enhance

ill patients and children requiring specialty care in the

the undergraduate and graduate medical education

southwestern part of the state,” says Dr. Maria.

program,” Dr. Maria says.

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In the News

Dental faculty practice group delivers complete, one-stop dental care

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eople throughout the CSRA are fortunate to have easy access to one of the largest, most comprehensive dental practices in the state.

The practice is operated by Georgia Health Sciences University College of Dental Medicine, the only dental school in Georgia.

Known as the Dental Faculty Practice Group, it is comprised of dentists who specialize in general dentistry, orthodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, children’s dental care, aesthetic dentistry and much more, including full

mouth rehabilitation and facial reconstruction.

“The 68 dentists in our practice represent all dental specialties under one roof,” says Gail Lemon, manager of the Dental Faculty Practice. “Together, they can address every possible aspect of dental health in everyone from infants to the elderly.” The dentists work closely with otolaryngologists, surgeons and other physicians to treat patients with cleft palate, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), oral cancers and other conditions.

The staff includes one of the few oral pathologists in the state, a radiologist who takes a specialized CT scan

The new five-story College of Dental Medicine building is more than 100,000 square feet larger than the previous building.

to outline the anatomy of the jaw and prosthodontists who make orthotic devices that free some throat cancer patients from feeding tubes. “These dentists not only educate tomorrow’s dental specialists, they practice what they teach,” Lemon says.

For your family’s dental care The Dental Faculty Practice Group is located inside the beautiful new Georgia Health Sciences University College of Dental Medicine at 1430 John Wesley Gilbert Drive. For more information about the faculty practice, visit georgiahealth.edu/sod. To schedule an appointment, call 706-721-2696.