Mental issues may awaken multiple personalities inside your mind. Sometimes I have it all together, sometimes I don’t. Anxiety and depression often combine inside you, creating a monster you must struggle against. There is no specific answer why some are plagued by this monster and some aren’t. Stressful events and trauma are common causes. Chemical imbalances may do the same.
My mental stresses and physical traumas have precipitated smothering anxiety and panic attacks. My life has good parts, but tragedy as well.
My mother was depressed and alcoholic. My father died from an aneurysm when I was eight. That left a hole in my soul. Anxiety and worry moved in. Years later, I married and had twins. Due to a rare disorder, one twin died in utero. Brittany was born with severe disabilities. She was chronically ill and had a multitude of problems requiring around-the-clock management for 32 years. She lived at home with me.
But even during the 32 years of her life, I managed life somewhat. Doctors prescribed various antidepressants for me, but they never really helped. Side effects made it difficult to function.
When Brittany passed away, grief, anguish, and additional guilt plagued me. I felt guilty about bringing her into this life and into the suffering she endured. I prayed a lot for her to get relief. I suffered dark times during her life, and after she was gone.
We often blame ourselves for our children’s life difficulties. Brittany endured much. But her smile was the biggest blessing in my life. After her death, grief plagued my heart and soul, impacting my well-being.
After her funeral, a fresh start somewhere else seemed invit-
This stuff is amazing. In italics, no less! What are we talking about?
Baking soda! Is there anything this magic dust can’t do?
People use baking soda to bake bread and cookies of course, but also as a deodorant and mouthwash, to polish their silver, freshen their breath, clean their kitchens, ease the itch of bug bites, deodorize their refrigerators, eliminate stains on clothing and carpets, gargle when they have a sore throat, unclog drains, whiten loads of laundry and their teeth, dissolve baked-on, burnedon crud on pots and pans, soak their feet, and extinguish grease fires.
But baking soda boasts benefits beyond its broad basic abilities. It has healthcare applica tions.
As alluded to above, baking soda shines in oral health. The Journal of the American Dental Association put it this way: “Baking soda-containing dentifrices are ideal candidates to be considered as a universal dentifrice because baking soda is inexpensive, abundant in supply, highly biocompatible, exhibits specific antibacterial properties to oral microorganisms, has low abrasivity, and is effective in plaque biofilm removal.”
number of clinical studies established that baking soda is more effective at stain removal and whitening than some non-baking soda-containing dentifrices.
There’s more.
A Medical College of Georgia study published in 2018 in the Journal of Immunology found that a daily dose of baking soda may help reduce the destructive inflammation of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. In a 2020 study published in Integrative Cancer Therapies, doctors treating cancerous tumors added a 5% baking soda solution to chemoembolization drugs with beneficial results.
The National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative recommends (with appropriate doctor supervision) the use of sodium bicarbonate to treat metabolic acidosis. According to a 2021 review by the International Society of Sports Nutrition, taking baking soda before exercising can boost athletic performance.
A dentifrice, for the record, is a paste or powder for cleaning teeth.
In another article, the same journal said a
Perhaps baking soda’s most well-known claim to healthcare fame is its role in relieving heartburn and indigestion. The recipe is half & half: dissolve a half teaspooon of baking soda in a half cup (4 oz.) of water. Drink up!
An important note: the Arm & Hammer label
PARENTHOOD
by Dr. Warren Umansky, PhD
Your father died a few months ago. He was advanced in age and lived a few hours away. You saw him often and talked with him and your mother several times each week. Your 17-year-old son comes to you and tells you how much he misses his grandfather. He says he hasn’t had much joy in his life since grandpa died. What should you do?
A. “Yeah, me too,” you tell him. “Just keep busy and you’ll feel better.”
B. Let him know that you miss him too. Talk about the wonderful things you miss about him. Be vigilant of his mood and behaviors.
C. Set up something to do together with your son each day. Play catch. Watch a favorite show together. Read an interesting book together. Play board games or do a jigsaw puzzle.
D. Take him to see a mental health specialist immediately.
If you answered:
A. You let him know that you have the same feelings, but you don’t offer yourself as a source of comfort. That he came to you means he was looking for greater wisdom than just “keep busy.”
B. This response lets him know that he is not alone and that you are willing to talk about the loss and laugh at happy memories. You also want to be safe and keep an eye out for dangerous behaviors.
C. Great response. Doing a special activity each, regardless of how busy your days might be, say that his feelings are important to you. Furthermore, it gives you regular opportunities for him to talk to you and for you to observe his mood and behavior.
D. This is not necessary unless he has expressed suicidal thoughts or tried to harm himself.
Your child came to you to talk about his feelings. You have done well to nurture that kind of relationship. It implies that you have had conversations with your child on a regular basis and that he feels comfortable sharing his concerns. Parents need to have regular conversations with their children about how they are doing in order to be there for them when things are not going well and to recognize challenges they may be having. There’s no need to insert your opinion unless you are asked. Often, just asking, “How do you feel about that?” or “What do you think should be done?” is all your child needs. Keep the lines of communication open. It starts when kids are young, but adolescence is not too late to get it started if it hasn’t happened earlier.
Dr. Umansky has a child behavioral health practice in Augusta.
MEDICAL MYTHOLOGY
THE CRANBERRY CURE
Just about everyone has heard that cranberry juice prevents and/or cures urinary tract infections (UTIs). If you’re a member of the cranberry cult, you might be dismayed to read on and discover that the National Kidney Foundation would like to deprogram us all. They report that cranberry juice does indeed have acidic properties that help get rid of germs in the bladder. However, they point out that the clinical data which would convincingly prove that cranberry juice can either prevent or cure UTIs is somewhere between weak
and non-existent. The best course is to get medical attention ASAP to treat UTIs. That not only stops the I of a UTI in its tracks, but helps prevent kidney disease.
Water also cures all
There is another bit of medical mythology which holds that hydration is the #1 key to prevention when it comes to kidney stones and UTIs. As long as a person is drinking plenty of water — repeat: plenty of water — the risk of a kidney stone or urinary tract infection is very low. There is a basis in fact for all of that:
kidney stones are less likely to form with adequate hydration. But often this strategy begins after the signs of an infection are felt, making it kind of a cranberry juice cure without the cranberry juice. The plan of action is to flush out the infection in a deluge of water. What can sometimes happen is a rare but dangerous condition called hyponatremia where vital sodium levels in the bloodstream are severely diluted. That can cause cellular edema (swelling), which is especially critical in the brain where there is no room to expand.
When a UTI is properly treated with antibiotics, good hydration helps those drugs dissolve and be more effective. Just don’t overdo it.
Other cranberry-adjacent myths
Papaya is often mentioned as a crucial dietary element for both kidney health and digestion. As with cranberry juice, the scientific evidence to back many claims by the papaya cabal is lacking. Eating too much papaya, which happens sometimes among those who have an infection and trust in its curative powers, can actually lead to kidney stones. As with anything else, papaya should be consumed in moderation. When it comes to papaya and various other vitamins and herbal supplements like echinacea and goldenseal, don’t trust your health to them until you’ve discussed it with your healthcare provider. Hey, maybe they’ll get your doctor’s full endorsement. But what if they’re completely ineffective and your health is compromised as a result?
Natural is good. But what actually works is by far the best. +
from page 1
ing. We packed up and moved to another state, leaving our home of 20 years. I moved from a relatively small town into a large beach condo complex in a crowded, bustling city. It was enjoyable at first. However, communal living wasn’t as simple as it seemed. I was unaccustomed to a city full of people with less than wonderful behaviors. Strange accents. Strange smells. Strange manners.
Many good people live there. Others cast a shadow over happiness and security. Adjustment was a struggle. Anxiety moving up a notch.
Just before Christmas, my husband and I were in the 3rd car in a five-car interstate pileup. Metal bent. Air bags deployed. We ricocheted around like a stray bullet in a western movie. Our car looked like an accordion. My husband was knocked unconscious. Coming to, he had chest pains. I feared a heart attack. The impact had knocked both shoes off his feet. He was dazed and had difficulty speaking.
Cops, EMTs, and ambulances converged. We spent the next 24 hours in the ER being evaluated and tested. Life teetered on a cliff edge, it seemed. Nurses finally said it wasn’t his heart, but a bruised chest from the seat belt. Still, my stress and anxiety hovered near extreme.
We both had soft tissue injuries. My husband had a concussion. When say concussion, people go, “Glad it wasn’t any worse.” A concussion is a bruised brain and affects memory, speech, coordination, and reasoning. He went to concussion therapy and physical therapy. I had PT briefly.
His injury was far worse than mine. I was driving and blamed myself. More guilt piled on. We both had Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.
Presently, driving brings forth anxious and panic attacks. My husband doesn’t drive anymore. Weekly grocery shopping is a major anxiety trip. Traveling anywhere feels like a death sentence. I really just wanted to huddle in the dark of my bedroom.
Physical injuries are mostly behind us. Mental recovery is incomplete. Aggressive drivers, speeders whipping in and out of traffic, and tailgaters are the worst. It disrupted any peace that I had before. Anxiety gets worse daily. I sought professional help, but was told there was a waiting list months long. Not finding immediate help was frustrating and added to my existing anxious and depressed mind. I struggled to help my husband deal with our living environment. Grieved over the loss of my daughter is ongoing.
Stomach pain, trouble keeping food down,
and other digestive issues ensued. I lost a significant weight putting me in an unhealthy status physically. People say, “You need to eat. You need to gain some weight.” Too bad it is not that easy.
My husband has had 3 black out spells since the car accident. Doctors attributed it to medication side effect or maybe hypotension. Once his head hit the side of a marble tub hard enough to break the tile. I heard the crash, ran into the bathroom to find him unconscious, lying on the floor, bleeding profusely. I thought he was dead. Gradually, he came to, but was dazed. He had a five-inch laceration in the back of his head. After 24 hours in the ER, twelve staples closed his laceration. I was anxious and overwrought. This was his second concussion in less than 3 years.
PT helped again. I sought professional care from online mental health doctors and therapists. Antidepressant and another anti-anxiety medication had near intolerable side effects, but I pushed through and give medications a chance to work.
A week later, I was awakened by a panic attack. BP was 214/110. I was dizzy and off balance. Many ER tests were performed over the next 24 hours. I had a reaction to the antidepressant, they said.
The vertigo-like symptoms were made worse by fluid in my ears. (Serous otitis media) It just happened to start the same night and appeared unrelated. Two days later, I was in the ER again with high blood pressure. My symptoms were treated with a litany of medications with varying results.
My gastroenterologist manages my GI problems with some success. I gain back a few pounds.
My online mental health with the new antidepressant. She added a couple of medications to control my anxiety.
My mental health doctor, my primary doctor and I agree the root of the health issues stems from anxiety and depression. When you need help desperately, and can’t get it, you may feel hopeless. Giving up isn’t in me.
If you have depression and/or anxiety, don’t wait until it is out of control and warps your life and health. Don’t give up. Be your own advocate. Get help. Online doctors and therapists are more available and are covered by many insurance plans.
When you get to the end of your rope, don’t tie a knot and hang on like they say in college psychology. Climb back up your rope of despair until you reach the top again. Don’t give up. Choose to carry on.
GREG LEOPARD PC
ATTORNEY AT LAW
ARE PICNICS UNHEALTHY?
They can be, but there are a few simple ways to make sure picnics and meals on the patio or back deck don’t create any unpleasant surprises.
In our steamy CSR area (my wife hates it when I say “CSRA area,” so...) climate, things can go south rather quickly in terms of spoilage. In more moderate climates, uncovered fresh food might be safe for as long as two hours, but around here, especially in hot weather, dietitians and assorted food experts say a 1-hour limit is safer.
A simple way to keep food from warming up to the point where it’s an attractive target for bacteria is to have a large bowl of ice, and then set food containers in that bowl.
Meats should be kept in the fridge or in your icy-cold cooler until it’s time to slap them on the grill. It is sometimes difficult to determine if and when meats are thoroughly cooked. Because of open flames on a grill, meat can look overcooked yet still be undercooked inside. The solution is quick, simple, and inexpensive: a meat thermometer. Check the temperature and keep cooking until the internal temperature of the meat is 165°F. You’re home safe at that point.
Other safety tips:
• wash your hands before cooking, which might not be as easy in a park, but if necessary use waterless hand sanitizer
• keep foods that need to be cooked, like raw burgers, chicken, fish, etc., in separate coolers from ready-to-eat foods like salads, fruit, vegetables, and desserts.
• after people have been initially served, keep foods covered
• apply the better-safe-than-sorry principle to leftovers. It’s far better to throw away food that may be contaminated rather than take a chance just to possibly save a dollar or two of food
• beyond food considerations, picnic safety can and should include sun protection: sunscreen, hats, an umbrella, or all three.
• bug spray might make the event more enjoyable too.
www.AugustaRx.com
Direct editorial and advertising inquiries to: Daniel R. Pearson, Publisher & Editor E-mail: Dan@AugustaRx.com
AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER P.O. Box 397, Augusta, GA 30903-0397 (706) 860-5455
www.AugustaRx.com • E-mail: Dan@AugustaRX.com
www.Facebook.com/AugustaRX
Who is this?
Everybody has heard of this guy, and his claim to fame proves the truth of his claim to fame. That sounds confusing, so we should dispel the mystery and clear things up right away.
This man is Edward Aloysius Murphy, born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1918. He died July 17, 1990 after a career as an aerospace engineer who designed safety-critical systems. That means systems designed to protect life and property to the extreme degree, systems whose failure would result in catastrophic injury or death to humans, and loss or severe damage to equipment or property.
A 1940 graduate of West Point, he spent the war in the Army Air Corps before landing at the US Air Force Institute of Technology in Ohio in 1947, where he designed ultra highspeed rocket sled experiments. These tests, carried out far from Ohio in the desert setting of Edwards Air Force Base in California, were intended to improve survival for pilots in crashes with later applications in the space program.
Engineer and doctor John Paul Stapp was a living rocket sled crash test dummy. He realized the dangers, but said he would never forgive himself if he sent someone else to their death. Plus he realized that no dummy hooked up to a bevy of sensors could equal what a human could report. More about those sensors in a moment. And so he became the fastest man on earth, riding the sled in excess of 630 mph before stopping in less than a second. The decelerations took a toll — cracked ribs, a broken wrist, concussions, exploded capillaries in his eyes and more — but he managed to live until age 89.
The wisdom of the day was that the limit of human survival was 18 Gs. When test pilot Chuck Yeager exceeded that without turning into tapioca pudding, the question became what is the limit?
An accurate answer required accurate sensors, which is where Edward Murphy comes in. He designed improved sensors, except that the first time they were used they supplied no data whatsoever. Referring to the technician who wired up the sensors, Murphy muttered, “if there is any way to do it wrong, he will.” Over the years, Murphy’s recollection of his statement changed more than once. “If there’s more than one way to do a job and one of those ways will result in disaster, then somebody will do it that way,” is how he once remembered it.
To many, the credit for popularizing the Law goes to John Stapp, who mentioned by name the then-unknown “Murphy’s Law” at an Edwards AFB press conference a few days after Murphy’s comment. When asked to explain, Stapp uttered the succinct version everyone knows: if anything can go wrong, it will. True to those very words, there is widespread disagreement about exactly who uttered the Law, but whether Murphy said the actual words or not, it is at least named for him.
Incidentally, although John Stapp didn’t invent the 3-point seatbelt, he helped to perfect and publicize it, and was in the room when President Johnson signed the 1966 law mandating seatbelts in all US vehicles. Consideration of Murphy’s Law has made countless things infinitely safer, from complex surgeries to simply driving to the store for a loaf of bread. +
TALES OF WHAT AILS ME
When I was eight years old, my Mama told me and my brother, “Don’t climb trees.” My brother didn’t, but I did. My tree was a tall skinny pine bent to the left under my weight. I got the idea to swing my feet down and let gravity ease me down to the ground. It didn’t work like I planned. As I turned loose, to drop to the ground, the tree straightened up and sent me winding in a strange and crazy way. I landed on my left arm at a difficult angle. I heard a pop. Pain shot through my head. I didn’t cry but I wanted to. Big brother farm boys don’t cry.
The doctor showed my parents X-rays of my broken elbow. Six weeks in a cast was not fun, but it did get me a lot of sympathy at school with the kids, but not my teachers. It was my left arm. I still had to do my homework with my right hand. Doing stupid things will not always get you out of responsibilities.
Some people say kids do crazy things. Most of the time they are correct: a few months later I did the same crazy thing. My Mama worried about me. My dad was upset. We didn’t have insurance back then.
My desire to climb trees and swinging like Tarzan somehow disappeared, never to return. Even when you’re young, you can learn from experience.
We had a milk cow named Old Guinea. She was a little bit small and mostly red, friendly to a fault. One morning I woke up with a fever that got worse as the day went on. My brother didn’t get sick, so it must not have been contagious since we slept together. They took me to the doctor. Temperature was over 103, but went up and down frequently. They put me in the hospital and drew a lot of blood out of my arm, then gave me medicine. The next day, the doctor said I had undulant fever. Brucella abortus, the doctor said even though none of us knew what that meant. We stuck with undulant fever. Sounded serious galore. I sweated a lot that few days
BASED ON A TRUE STORY
(most of the time) A series by Bad Billy Laveau
in the hospital.
The doctor said I got the fever from drinking unpasteurized milk from Old Guinea. Through no fault of her own, Old Guinea went to the market and on to the slaughter house.
As a child, I had recurrent tonsillitis and otitis media that responded to penicillin. After several bouts, the doctor decided I need my tonsils out even though he said it might not help. Out came my tonsils. It hurt a lot, but I didn’t cry. I was a big boy by then, in my early teens. Nowadays, they say T&A (tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy) is not proper treatment. But six decades later and I’ve never had tonsillitis or a sore throat since, so I deem it a cure and worth the pain, at least for me
Then off to college I went, to get an education and learn how to do something other than work on the farm and pick up dead chickens every morning before I went to school. The summer after my freshman year, I came home with a fever and swollen lymph nodes at the angle of my jaw. The doctor called it infectious mononucleosis, the famous “kissing disease.”
Neither of my parents were really happy with my new advancement in social interaction. It seems that there been an epidemic at the University of Georgia that year. It was a friendly school.
Years later, hepatitis turned me yellow. Food was revolting. My weight crashed like the 1929 stock market. It was a month before I could work an hour or walk around the block. Six months later, I was near normal.
I never got sick much after that until Covid hit. I had a light case of Covid before I got five different injections to prevent it. Vaccination didn’t work completely. I still managed to have two more
bouts of Covid even though they were very mild, and I didn’t die.
I currently live in the grips of hypoglycemia. It’s not a big problem once I learned how to handle it and how to eat semi-properly. I eat four small meals a day, and I’m never very far from bottle of Coca-Cola. Doctors gave me some wafers to eat when I feel my blood sugar falling. Coca-Cola is cheaper and easier to get almost anywhere. Tastes better, too. Now the only ailment I have is AM: Advanced Maturity (that sounds better than old age). AM is not so bad. If I don’t want to do something, I just say, “I’m too old for that. Let these young people do it.” If there is something I really want do, I just say, “I’m older than y’all, so let me go first. You young folks can wait your turn.” It’s one of the social mechanics that I have perfected. You’re welcome to copy it as you see fit. Another one is when someone unloads a long description of multiple ailments, imaginary or otherwise, that I really don’t want to hear, I just say, “I understand.“ It works in political discussions as well. It does not mean that you agree, disagree, or even care about what they’re saying. It disarms them so they don’t have anything else to say. However, some will not be satisfied that you have suffered enough from their verbal regurgitation, so they will repeat it. Nod your head gently. Smile thinly. Keep eye contact. And say, “I really understand.”
If they are adamant about punishing you even more with detailed verbiage, put your hand on your stomach, lean slightly forward, and grunt, “You must excuse me.” Run for the bathroom. Lock the door behind you just in case.
Take out your cell phone and listen to George Jones sing: “I don’t need your rocking chair, Geritol or Medicare.” You won’t get any younger, but you will smile more. And that’s a good thing. Smiles make most ailments better.
Middle Age
BY J.B. COLLUM
I had plans for a very different story today, but about an hour before I sat down to write this, I got a call that I had lost another relative to our old enemy, death. A first cousin, his name was Scott, and he lived in Charleston, South Carolina, where he had spent the majority of his relatively short and decidedly troubled life.
He too was middle-aged, but about five years behind me in that journey. It is a sobering thought. We don’t know what happened yet and won’t until next week at the earliest, when we hope to get the coroner’s report. He had been falling asleep at inopportune moments lately and was in the hospital last week after falling asleep at the wheel and taking his car on an unconscious joy ride through a forest on the side of the road. He wasn’t hurt too badly and was home from the hospital and seemingly doing well, when today he never woke up. His roommate checked on him and found him unresponsive, so he called 911 and Scott’s brother, Robby. Robby arrived to discover that EMTs had already found that there was nothing to be done for Scott.
middle age, losing not just our parents, aunts, and uncles, but those of our own generation in cousins, old school friends, and others of that ilk. It isn’t like a refreshing jump in a pool when we come to this realization, but more like an unexpected ice-cold keg of Gatorade thrown on you when you don’t expect it. But instead of celebrating a victory, you are staring your mortality in the face. You begin to wonder about when you will pass away and what will happen to the ones left behind when you do.
{ { MY 3-STEP PROGRAM
I have been giving this more thought lately, even before this wake-up call, but now I’m determined to do something about it. I have a three-fold plan to put in motion right away that I will share with you, along with some commentary about why these things are on my mind now.
Robby called me shortly thereafter and the two of us commiserated over the tragic loss. Middle age is a time when we’ve typically already lost our grandparents and perhaps are taking care of and eventually saying goodbye to our parents, aunts, and uncles. Some lucky few with extra good longevity genes grow old with their parents, but that is not the case in our family. Both of Robby and Scott’s parents are gone already, along with their step-mother as well. Robby and Scott had four other half-siblings, three still living, spread out across the eastern half of the country, though I am sure we will all be together soon to say goodbye to Scott together.
Perhaps we are entering the final stage of
Step 1: Spend more time with your loved ones. If that requires mending fences, get to it without delay. We will always be too busy if we don’t make this a priority. Once they are gone, it is too late. That seems so obvious that we shouldn’t need to say it, but due to human nature, we do. Even if their past sins seem piled up to the heavens, in most cases, you won’t regret reaching out to them. Scott had lots of issues and at times, I blocked his number. You would too, if you knew why I did it. It didn’t generally last too long and eventually, I’d unblock it, or we would see each other at a funeral and reconnect. After which, he inevitably would wear out his welcome to the point that I would block him again. I won’t go into details out of respect, but he had troubles and I felt pity for him, but I couldn’t let his drama affect my immediate family. I didn’t always like him, but I loved him and I have wonderful
Please see MIDDLE AGE page 9
THECWORD
“Ringing the bell” is a major milestone in a person’s survivorship journey, but for many the effects of the disease and its treatment extend beyond their ceremony. Post-treatment survivors’ unique needs were first explored in the report “From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor*: Lost in Transition” (2005) which recognized that this survivor group had been “… relatively neglected in advocacy, education, clinical practice, and research.”1 While we’ve come a long way in addressing this neglect, recent research reveals that many post-treatment survivors still experience significant physical, emotional, practical, and spiritual struggles.2-4
augusta.edu/cancer/community
These findings call us to continue advocating for their needs and to improve awareness about and access to existing resources like information about life after treatment, survivorship plans, and community support.
General Information
While each survivor’s experience is unique, several resources exist to provide information about life after treatment so that survivors and their caregivers can be informed about common experiences. Examples of these resources include: the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Preparing for Life after Cancer Treatment, Living Well after Cancer Treatment, and Survivorship Videos; CancerCare’s After Treatment Ends: Tools for the Post-Treatment Cancer Survivor; and the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Facing Forward: Life after Cancer Treatment.
Cancer Survivorship Plan
A Cancer Survivorship Plan is a personalized tool for post-treatment survivors. The “From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor” report identified these plans as “…essential so that routine follow-up visits become opportunities to promote a healthy lifestyle, check for cancer recurrence, and manage lasting effects of the cancer experience.”1 Cancer Survivorship Plans can support survivors against becoming “lost in transition” between their oncology care team and their primary care team. Plans are tailored to each individual and include information on the type of cancer, treatment, and follow-up care; resources to address emotional, social, legal, and financial concerns; and recommendations for supporting a healthy lifestyle. Survivorship Plan templates are available from the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) here and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Community
Finding community with other survivors can be beneficial any stage of survivorship, including for folks post-treatment. CancerCare has two message board support groups specifically for post-treatment survivors including a general Post-Treatment Survivorship Support Group and a group specifically for post-treatment breast cancer survivors. Other resources that are available to everyone in the survivorship community: the ACS Cancer Survivors Network, which offers peer community support via message boards; and the NCCS resource page which includes information about joining community groups ranging from specific cancer support groups to CPAT, the NCCS’ Cancer Policy and Advocacy team. We hope you find the resources above helpful but recognize this is not an exhaustive list. If you know of any local or national resources for post-treatment survivors or would like to share your experiences with any of the resources linked here, we would love to hear about them. We are grateful to be in community with you and always appreciate your feed-
BAKING SODA
from page 1
warns users to accurately measure that half teaspoon, limits use to only once every 2 hours or as directed by a physician, and further restricts use to a maximum of 7 half teaspoons within 24 hours (and only 3 half teaspoon doses every 24 hours for those over age 60).
Why the precautions and limitations?
Half a teaspoon of baking soda packs 630mg of sodium. Put another way, it takes merely 2 teaspoons of baking soda to blow right past the recommended dietary guideline of no more than 2300mg of sodium for an entire day. Considering the abundance of sodium already in the average diet, it’s easy to see how quickly baking soda could send the numbers through the roof.
Those who overdo it in the baking soda department run the risk of imbalances in electrolyte, potassium and calcium levels, heart arrhythmias, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and kidney failure. There is such a thing as baking soda toxicity, a potentially serious condition which can develop as the result of excessive long-term use.
So yes, baking soda is some amazing stuff with a plethora of useful healthcare applications. But as in most matters, moderation is best. The most salubrious course is to ask your doctor if taking baking soda will interfere with or react to medications you’re already taking, and in any case to limit use of baking soda to no more than two weeks without a green light from your doctor
BAKING SODA...WHAT IS THIS STUFF?
Another name for baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, and in some countries that’s what everybody calls it. Some brands in stores also call it that (or sodium bicarb for short) rather than baking soda. Whatever it’s called, the only ingredient in sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda) is sodium bicarbonate. It is mined from a mineral that perhaps few people have heard of — trona — and then processed into soda ash. That’s where soda in its name originates.
The big daddy of baking soda, as suggested by the graphic on page one, is Arm & Hammer, a company whose roots date back to the 1840s, founded by John Dwight and his brotherin-law Austin Church. Arm & Hammer is a division of Church & Dwight Company.
USE ONE OF THESE DEVICES TO REACH THE EXAMINER
Although founded and headquartered in New Jersey, the company’s biggest manufacturing plant is in Green River, Wyoming. Why there, of all places?
That corner of Wyoming is home to the largest deposit of trona on earth, and the Church & Dwight mine there produces and ships millions of tons of baking soda around the world every year.
It may be obvious, but baking soda and baking powder are not the same thing. By this point we all know what baking soda is; baking powder contains baking soda plus cream of tartar and cornstarch.
Since both products sometimes occupy a lonely spot in our cupboards, how can their freshness be tested?
Take ½ teaspoon of each. Mix the baking powder in ½ cup of hot water, then stir. Mix the baking soda in 3 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar, then stir. If fresh, both mixtures should bubble as soon as they’re mixed. +
TRYTHISDISH
by Kim Beavers, MS, RDN, CDCES Registered Dietitian Nutritionist,
Chef Coach, Author Follow Kim on Facebook: facebook.com/eatingwellwithkimb
This salad is both fresh and hearty, a perfect combination for a satisfying summer meal. This dressing is also great drizzled over grilled veggies.
Vinaigrette
• 1/2 clove garlic crushed
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon needed for juice and zest)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
• 1 tablespoons basil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Salad
• 2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
• 1 medium cucumber peeled and sliced
• 1 avocado sliced
• 6 cups of mixed greens
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella (sliced thin)
To make the vinaigrette, add garlic to the bowl of the
mortar and pestle. Use the pestle to mash the garlic into a paste (this will take about 10-20 seconds of mashing and muddling). Add the lemon juice and vinegar, stirring and mashing during the addition. Add the herbs, oil and pepper. Continue to stir as you add. Spread the field greens over a large platter and arrange the vegetables over the greens. Top with sliced mozzarella and drizzle with dressing (note: you don’t have to use all of the dress-
Diabetes Exchanges: 3 Vegetables, ½ High Fat Meat, 3 Fats
from page 5
Cancer Information and Awareness https://www.augusta.edu/cancer/community/information-and-awareness
“The C Word” is a news brief of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University. For cancer information visit our website. To request presentations or other resources, contact Nyree Riley at nriley@augusta.edu|706-721-8353 or Maryclaire Regan at mregan@augusta.edu|706-721-4539 Virtual presentations can be arranged.
* “Cancer Survivor” has a different meaning now than in the early 2000s- according to the NCI, “In cancer, a person is considered to be a survivor from the time of diagnosis until the end of life.”
ASK DR. KARP
NO NONSENSE
NUTRITION
Deirdre, a Facebook friend from Dothan, Alabama, asks:
“What is the connection between dental and oral health and nutrition? ”
Thanks for the question, Deidre. When most people think about dental health, they tend to focus on sweets. People understand that frequently eating sweets, especially multiple times in-between meals, leads to dental decay and other dental diseases. In addition, constantly sipping on sodas, sports drinks, smoothies and the like undercuts your dental health. The surprise for most people, however, is that tooth decay is not simply about the sugar in their diet.
The more exposure we have to any type of food or drink, the greater the risk of dental and oral disease. This is a real problem today, with America’s “snacking” compulsion, even if you are eating “healthier” snacks. I want to add that diet drinks, while not containing sugar, do contain acids, like phosphoric acid and citric acid. Read the label. These acids can directly demineralize your teeth without any additional help from oral bacteria, especially if you are sipping all day long. That’s true ven if it’s “only” one soft drink you nurse throughout the day to “save” calories.
I remember one 5-year-old dental patient who needed extensive dental care. He had a tremendous amount of tooth decay and was missing several teeth. When I asked the parents what was going on, it turns out he lived with his parents, but his grandma and several aunts also lived close by. Whenever he wanted some candy or soda, he would ask his parents first, and if they said no, he would then visit his grandma and aunts. This went on all day every day. His oral health was a disaster.
These days, snacking is not the main dietary and nutritional factor responsible for dental disease, especially gum (periodontal) disease. Systemic diseases and conditions associated with being over-nourished are the main factors related to both overall health and dental and oral health. More than 75% of the U.S. population is overweight or obese. We now know that being overweight not only increases your risk of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and osteoarthritis, but also increases the risk of oral disease.
Let us use diabetes as an example. Most patients understand that diabetes increases your risk of kidney disease, heart disease, eye disease and circulatory problems. But these same patients are often unaware that diabetes also increases the risk of periodontal disease, sometimes called “bleeding gums.” If you have diabetes you need to see your dentist routinely and be extra-careful about maintaining your oral health. Burning mouth disease, taste disturbances, and dry mouth are other common oral findings in diabetes.
In addition, there is a “bidirectional relationship” between diabetes and oral health. What this means is that diabetes makes your oral health worse and poor oral health makes diabetes worse (by making it harder to control your blood glucose). This “bidirectional relationship” with oral health also exists for other systemic diseases, like cardiovascular disease.
Patients at increased nutritional risk are also patients at increased risk for medical complications from dental procedures. For example, although dental implants are possible in patients with diabetes, the risk of inflammation around the implant site is higher in patients with diabetes. Delayed fusion of the implant with the surrounding bone (osseointegration) and decreased life expectancy of the implant are all additional dental complications that can occur in people with diabetes.
There is general agreement among leading health organizations, including The American Dental Association, about what is optimal nutrition for promoting health and preventing disease, whether it is dental disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, or cancer. If you review the nutrition recommendations from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the National Cancer Institute, the American Dental Association, the American Diabetes Association and others, you will find astounding similarities among the recommendations. The two leading scientifically-supported ways of eating endorsed by all these groups are the Dash Eating Plan and the Mediterranean Eating Plan. Plant-based vegetarian or vegan eating plans may be healthy if they are not overly-restrictive.
What is the “No Nonsense Nutrition” advice for today? If you want healthy teeth, gums, and an overall healthy mouth, don’t just worry about avoiding sweets. Good oral health and preventing oral disease means eating the same way you would to decrease your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic systemic diseases.
It turns out that eating and drinking the wrong foods, eating and drinking too much, and eating and drinking too frequently is not only bad for oral health; it’s not that great for your whole body.
Have a question about food, diet or nutrition? Post or private message your question on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/AskDrKarp) or email your question to askdrkarp@gmail.com If your question is chosen for a column, your name will be changed to insure your privacy. Warren B. Karp, Ph.D., D.M.D., is Professor Emeritus at Augusta University. He has served as Director of the Nutrition Consult Service at the Dental College of Georgia and is past Vice Chair of the Columbia County Board of Health. You can find out more about Dr. Karp and the download site for the public domain eBook, Nutrition for Smarties, at www.wbkarp.com Dr. Karp obtains no funding for writing his columns, articles, or books, and has no financial or other interests in any food, book, nutrition product or company. His interest is only in providing freely available, evidenced-based, scientific nutrition knowledge and education. The information is for educational use only; it is not meant to be used to diagnose, manage or treat any patient or client. Although Dr. Karp is a Professor Emeritus at Augusta University, the views and opinions expressed here are his and his alone and do not reflect the views and opinions of Augusta University
Dr. Karp
THECWORD, Part II
by Maryclaire Regan, MPH Community Program Coordinator, Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University
We observed National Cancer Survivor Month in June, a time to recognize and celebrate survivors. The National Cancer Institute states, “An individual is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis through the balance of life.” The term was expanded to the current definition in the 1990s thanks to advocacy from survivors and survivor groups like the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS).
Today, there are more than 18.1 million cancer survivors in the United States, about 5.4% of the population).
Announcements
I am elated to announce
MIDDLE AGE
from page 5
that Unite in the Fight exceeded its goal of $150,000. Thanks to the generous
augusta.edu/cancer/community
support of you and other community members, we were able to raise $155,125.11 for patient programming at the Georgia Cancer Center. If you’d like to contribute, you can still donate here until the last day in June. Angela Maskey coordinated this event. She is a rockstar and I am so delighted to be her colleague.
I also want to invite everyone to get involved
with Paceline. Paceline is a community movement that fundraises to support innovative research projects at the Georgia Cancer Center. Since 2019, the Paceline community has raised $1.5 million to support our research efforts. There are so many ways to get involved, whether you register to ride and fundraise, donate as a Paceline Pal, or volunteer. “Together, we set the pace to end cancer.”
UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS
Health Fair
Saturday, July 20, 9am-1pm
Location: 3719 Belair Road, Augusta, GA 30909
First Metropolitan Baptist Church
Project Refresh
Friday, July 31, 9am-12pm
Location: 950 Laney Walker Blvd, Augusta, GA 30901
Health Department
LisaAnn Wheeler (lisa.wheeler@dph.ga.gov)
2nd Annual Community
Health Fair
Saturday, August 17, Time: TBD
Location: 114 12th St, Augusta, GA 30901
Springfield Baptist Church
Project Refresh
Friday, August 30, 9am-12pm
Location: 950 Laney Walker Blvd, Augusta, GA 30901
Health Department
LisaAnn Wheeler (lisa.wheeler@dph.ga.gov)
Health Fair
Saturday, August 31, 10am12pm
Location: 835 North Belair Road, Evans, GA 30809
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
childhood memories with him and Robby and my brother, Jeremy, that I cherish. This last time that I blocked him was an extended one though, and now I regret letting it last so long. It is a sad irony that I will be attending his funeral soon, which is usually the type of occasion when I chose to renew our friendship and try again with him. I wish I had done it sooner.
Step 2: Get your affairs in order. Write a will and make sure it is documented. Get life insurance if you don’t have any. Get an amount appropriate to your situation. If you are retired and have no bills, perhaps just enough coverage to take care of final expenses is appropriate, but if you still have dependents and your salary is a large part (or the only source) of income and your house isn’t paid for, get enough to cover all of that and then some more to give your spouse time to grieve and to have choices about what they do next. Being forced out of a home after you lose a loved one is like a double whammy. Sort of like when a hurricane blows through. You think you have survived it and then the other wall passes over. Don’t leave that mess for your loved ones.
When I recently got laid off, I maintained my health insurance through COBRA, but not my life insurance. I plan on remedying that within the next week. I don’t want to leave my widow high and dry. I also do not have a will. I’ve started one several times, but haven’t finished it. In the past, it was things like, “who gets the kids” that were the road blocks to finishing it, but now we have no excuse. Step 3: Try to put off that day as long as you can. Eat well. Exercise. Don’t smoke. Get regular checkups. Get that colonoscopy you’ve been putting off. Take care of any medical issues you have. Take your medicine. Besides New Year’s resolutions, I think the unexpected death of someone in our age range is the time that more people decide to do something about their health, but like new year’s resolutions that rarely survive the January 1 hangover, we quickly forget the important promises we make ourselves. Perhaps that is the key. Instead of doing it because of how it will make you feel or how it might extend your life, do it as a way to fulfill the unwritten, unspoken promises you have with your spouse, children, or other loved ones. Unless you are a complete schmuck, they probably want to keep you around as long as they can. But even if you are a complete schmuck, do it anyway, just for the fun of it. Live! That’ll show ‘em!
J.B. Collum is a local novelist, humorist and columnist who wants to be Mark Twain when he grows up. Reach him at johnbcollum@gmail.com +
CRASH COURSE
It’s time for baseball’s annual All-Star game. Think for a moment about the mid-summer classic in the context of traffic safety. No doubt the stadium will be filled to capacity, and that’s the point to ponder at this moment.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published a graphic recently that provides some serious food for thought. “In 2021,” the graphic reads above an image of a packed-out baseball stadium, “42,939 people lost their lives on roadways across the nation. That number of people could fill the average baseball stadium.”
That is a powerful image to ponder: the number of people who lost their lives on U.S. roads in a single year could fill every seat in a huge stadium.
A couple of numbers within that number — one general, one specific — are also eye-opening. Of the 42,939 fatalities related to cars on roads, 7,388 were people walking. We have just one word for that: wow
The other number, the general one, is that the almost 43,000 deaths are accompanied by millions of injuries. Millions. In just one year. In just one country. And the numbers repeat, year after year. That probably deserves another wow.
To make matters worse, we’re heading in the wrong direction. There had been consistent declines in both roadway fatalities and the fatality rate (the number of traffic deaths per 100 million miles traveled) for 30 years.
And then came 2020.
Nobody is exactly sure why — was it somehow related to the pandemic? — but there was a sizable jump in traffic deaths in 2020. And then 2021 was even worse.
To put the numbers in context, in the decade from 2011 to 2021, annual road fatalities rose by 10,000. In other words, from the low 30,000s to the low 40,000s. That is a huge jump.
And the fatality rate rose from the vicinity of 1.1 deaths per 100 million miles to 1.4.
Even a tenth of a percentage point is a gigantic increase when it’s being multiplied by 100 million.
Locally, our metro counties didn’t fare too well. According to US DOT statistics, Richmond and Aiken counties have high “Fatality Concentration Levels,” in DOT terminology. That is a ranking based on population, county size (geographically), and fatal accidents.
Richmond County ranked high with 2.5 times more fatalities than the average county. Actual recent numbers were 23 deaths in 2018; 26 in 2019; 30 in 2020; and 44 in 2021.
Aiken County also ranked high with 2.7 times more fatalities than the average county. Actual recent numbers were 25 deaths in 2018; 30 in 2019; 32 in 2020; and 36 in 2021.
As you probably noticed, the death toll rose each and every year.
The 2017-2021 death toll for Richmond County was 155; for Aiken County during those years the number was 162.
Interestingly, for whatever reason Columbia County ranks as average by DOT statistics compared to other counties. Their fatality numbers: 12 deaths in 2018; 11 in 2019; 11 in 2020; and just 8 in 2021. Incidentally, Columbia County had 21 highway deaths in 2017.
It’s rather amazing to look at population versus death comparisons between various counties. Per 50,000 people, Columbia County’s rate is 8.08, while Burke County’s is a whopping 39.8. Richmond County comes in at 15, and Aiken County is 19. The national average is 18.
Up the road, the rate in Cobb County is 8.5; Gwinnett’s is 6.14.
It is plain that nationally and locally there is work to be done. Traffic engineers and patroling police are presumably doing their part. As individual drivers, lets do our part too. As the numbers prove, doing so is a matter of life and death.
+
We publish every 1st and 3rd Friday*
* Except when we don’t. The 4th of July interfered with 1st Friday this month, so we’ve temporarily switched to 2nd and 4th Fridays for July and August. We’ll be back on schedule in September.
THIS MONTH MARKS THE 18 th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE MEDICAL EXAMINER, PUBLISHED JULY 1, 2006. THANK YOU TO ALL OUR LOYAL READERS & ADVERTISERS!
FRONT DESK FOLLIES +
...wherein we share amusing medical mis-speakings and misspellings we have overheard, or that have been shared with us.
My mom told me this story. At the hospital where she worked paramedics brought in a guy who had accidentally stabbed himself in the torso with a knife while cutting something.
When he called 911, their first words of advice were whatever you do, do not remove the knife.
To which he replied, what if I already removed it?
When the ambulance arrived, they found the man with the knife in his torso. Yep, he put it back in.
READERS: What have you heard? Please share! EMAIL: Dan@AugustaRx.com or MAIL: PO Box 397, Augusta GA 30903
WE
More Americans have died on US roads since 2006 than in World Wars I & II combined
The blog spot
— posted by
Sid Schwab
MD on June 20, 2024 (edited for space)
HOUSE CALLS: LOOKING BACK
Clueless when I applied to medical school, I imagined myself one day making house calls, good ol’ Doc Schwab, paid in chickens and pies and blackberry jam. There I’d be, delivering babies on kitchen tables, patching up Old Lady Jones’ leg on the sofa, shaking out thermometers and feeling foreheads. One of my roommates in med school was the son of such a doctor, although instead of clopping around in a horse and buggy, he raced across the back roads of Kentucky in an Aston Martin DB4.
I liked the idea of it, but it turned out that being a surgeon called to me.
Early on, and to some degree throughout my entire career, I actually made house calls. I had to be realistic: not too far out of the way, people with a simple problem for whom a trip to my office was especially difficult. But there were occasions when I went quite out of the way and spent a lot of time.
For example, I’ve always had mixed feelings about “The Phone Call.” A woman is awaiting the news of a breast biopsy; to give the news over the phone feels cold and impersonal. So sometimes, early on, I’d say, “How about if I come over and we can talk about it?”
One time, in my pre-gray-hair days, after I’d spent at least an hour at their home, my patient and her husband gushed their appreciation for the visit and my care to that point, but announced they’d be going to Seattle for treatment. Probably thought I looked too young.
Most of the time my house calls were to a post-op patient, usually older, having a hard time getting around: check a wound, a little debridement, change a bandage, remove or unclog a drain. I’d load up with a few tools, some tape, gauze, and ointments stuffed into my classic doctor bag (a medschool graduation gift from my grandmother). Walking up to the door, I’d wonder what the neighbors thought, figuring they’d be jealous; their neighbor had a heck of a doctor.
The visit was always greatly appreciated and generally met with amazement. Sometimes, it was my own: finding out how my patients lived, in a trailer, in an unkempt, crumbling home, or in a fancy joint with all the options. I’d learn about how they were able, or not, to carry out the post-op instructions I’d given them. This led to a much more practical and pragmatic approach to what I would tell people about after-care at home.
Once, I got a call from a feisty old lady for whom I’d recently done a mastectomy: she was worried about her wound or a drain or something. To her delight, I’d said, “Well heck, I’m almost done here; how ’bout I swing by your place and have a look?” She answered the door naked from the waist up, her unoperated side of the voluminous variety. Responding to my surprise, she said, “Hell, I figured you’d want to see it anyway, so why get dressed?” Her home was right on a main street. No screeching tires, as far as I recall. Making house calls always made me feel good, and the benefits were invariably mutual. In my medical school, each first-year student was matched with a family in which the wife was pregnant. We followed her through pregnancy and delivery and were involved in the care of the baby. At least one home visit was a requirement. The real import was in learning how patients’ conditions are part of an entire life and not just the little slice of the day during which we see them. All doctors—and especially surgeons, who typically send people home significantly altered (if only, hopefully, for a short while)—would be amazed by and learn from seeing patients in their homes. It is, of course, completely impractical and nearly impossible nowadays, time and compensation (and liability?) being among the reasons. Not to mention the risk of seeing an old lady naked at her front door.
Sid Schwab is a retired surgeon +
Events by Deborah,
by Dan Pearson
The Mystery Word for this issue: IANIILCNC
Simply unscramble the letters, then begin exploring our ads When you find the correctly spelled word HIDDEN in one of our ads — enter at AugustaRx.com
We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!
ACROSS
1. Former Augusta District Attorney
6. Shatter
11. Fat meas.
14. River in Paris 15. Craze
16. Operated
17. Late 18th century movement in arts & literature
19. Mel of the Giants
20. Fuel for some plants
21. Join metals with high heat
23. Blinken’s department
24. South American country
26. Inhibitor lead-in
28. Downtown Augusta merchant
29. Leader of a certain army
32. Excited; eager
33. Ernie of the PGA
36. Thinner
37. Doctoral associate
39. Organ of hearing
40. 27th US President (and a former Augusta visitor)
42. Minor facts or details
43. Steps for scaling a wall or fence
44. Variety of grass
45. Process of mountain range formation
48. Mr. Brown
51. Concrete reinforcement
52. By mouth
54. Command to a horse
55. Sadness; gloom; depression
61. Donkey
62. Singer Fiona
63. Now illegal means of settling disputes
64. Born
65. Rule of _____ (in burns)
66. Plant fiber
Area abbrev. 2. Speedwagon intro 3. Intention
4. Apathy in a situation that calls for a response
5. Seaport in NW Italy
6. Look happy
7. Shortened name for a common computer
8. Black bird of South America 9. Sib
10. Farmhaus offering 11. Main Street Augusta?
12. Passover bread
13. Bury
18. Make lace
22. Sci-fi writer Bradbury
23. Echolocation
24. Brain wave letters
25. Lara of Tomb Raider
26. Masculine
27. A of 1-D
28. Dull finish 30. Former host of Late Night
Deplete
Cookie makers?
Cut of meat
Police team 38. Defamatory 41. Move through the air 43. Campus org. 45. What a person might donate
Summerville library 47. Corpulent 48. _______ Creek
49. Curve
50. Muslim messiah
53. Flower holder
56. On, upon or above prefix
57. RN colleague
58. The “A” of IPA
Permit
Sick
DIRECTIONS: Every line, vertical and horizontal, and all nine 9-square boxes must each contain the numbers 1 though 9. Solution on page 14.
DIRECTIONS: Recreate a timeless nugget of wisdom by using the letters in each vertical column to fill the boxes above them. Once any letter is used, cross it out in the lower half of the puzzle. Letters may be used only once. Black squares indicate spaces between words, and words may extend onto a second line. Solution on page 14.
each word, and so on. Try solving words with letter clues or numbers with minimal choices listed. A sample is shown. Solution on page 14.
FTHEBESTMEDICINE
rancine goes to the doctor and announces, “I think I’m a man.”
The doctor says, “To be Frank, you’re going to need a sex change operation.”
Moe: What has two eyes and smokes?
Joe: I give. What?
Moe: Pompeii.
Moe: I thought you went to the pet store to buy a new stand for your parrot.
Joe: I did.
Moe: This looks like the same stand to me.
Joe: It is. They wanted $500 for a new one!
Moe: That is ridiculous. Did you try to haggle the price down?
Joe: Sure, but they wouldn’t come down one penny. They said that is the perch’s price.
The judge glared down at the defendant. “I remember you,” he said. “You were in this court for stealing a pair of shoes. And here you are back for the same offense less than a year later. I’m very disappointed.”
“I am too, your honor,” replied the man. “They just don’t make shoes like they used to.”
Moe: What’s your favorite condiment?
Joe: I guess Worcestershire sauce.
Moe: Why?
Joe: Well, it’s hard to say...
A grandmother was pushing a shopping cart with a little baby in it up and down the aisles of a grocery store. Every time she put an item in the cart she would say, “Here’s something for you, Diploma,” or “I think you’ll like this, Diploma.”
Another shopper had heard this several times and finally asked, “Why do you keep calling the baby Diploma?”
The grandmother gestured toward the baby and said, “This is my granddaughter.” Then by way of explanation she added, “I sent my daughter to the University of Georgia, and this is what she came home with.”
When Chuck Norris was young his parents would sleep in his room when they were scared.
“I don’t know about that,” said the man to the police officer.
“Just put your hands behind your back,” said the officer.
“But really, it was very nice of you to say,” said the man.
“Just put your hands behind your back,” the officer repeated.
“I mean, I’m sure it’s a nice enough warrant,” said the man. “But I don’t know if I would call it outstanding.”
“Just put your hands behind your back,” said the officer.
Staring at my phone all day has certainly had no Effect on ME!
By popular demand we’re making at-cost subscriptions available for the convenience of our readers. If you live beyond the Aiken-Augusta area, or miss issues between doctor’s appointments — don’t you hate it when that happens? — we’ll command your mail carrier to bring every issue to your house!
NAME ADDRESS
Choose six months for $24 or one year for $42 . Mail this completed form with payment to Augusta Medical Examiner, PO Box 397, Augusta GA 30903- 0397
Dear Advice Doctor,
The Advice Doctor
We’re having a huge family meltdown over a recent medical decision we had to make, which was whether or not to put my mother on life support after a devastating car crash. It seemed like the obvious decision, but after being completely invisible and totally unhelpful through the first chapters of this saga, once we signed the papers my sister came out of the woodwork to criticize and question everything. What should I do about this?
— Did I Do Right?
Dear Did I,
At the risk of stating the obvious, shouldn’t everyone be on life support? Duh. I mean, without life, what do we have?
Now that I’ve thought about it for a moment, I supose life itself is really not the full picture. After all, someone with terminal cancer, in a full-body cast, and in a persistent vegetative state is by definition alive. But that’s not the kind of life anyone would want to live.
So it isn’t simply life that we want; it’s life with a measure of health and that intangible element known as quality of life. We want that quality to be good, to be ample, to be satisfying.
The most basic element in having a satisfying quality of life is not wealth, as some people wrongly suppose. It is good health. Health is the ultimate wealth.
So how do we support life, and even enhance it?
The answers are neither unknown nor complicated. We all know the basics: for starters, eat a healthy diet. Do we need to define or clarify that? Probably.
Daily elements in a healthy diet should not include fast food, soda (singular or plural), fried anything, and sweets. Those should be occasional treats or splurges, not part of our everyday routine. What should we eat? Come on. You already know.
Getting exercise every day is also a great way to be “on” life support. Exactly what that is will, of course, vary from person to person. The 70-year-old can’t do what the 20-year-old can. But both should be exercising daily at what I’ll call an ageappropriate level.
In the interests of keeping it simple, I’ll stop there. Sure, there are other ingredients to life support. But practicing just those two each and every day will do a tremendous amount of good.
I hope this answers your question. Thanks for writing!
Do you have a question for The Advice Doctor about health, life, love, personal relationships, career, raising children, or any other important topic? Send it to News@AugustaRx.com. Replies will be provided only in the Examiner.
THE MYSTERY SOLVED
...cleverly hidden in the man’s face in the p. 7 ad for PARKS PHARMACY
THE WINNER: WILLIAM HARDESTY!
If that’s your name, congratulations! Send us your mailing address using the email address in the box on page 3. The new Mystery Word is on page 12. Start looking!
The Celebrated MYSTERY WORD CONTEST
...wherein we hide (with fiendish cleverness) a simple word. All you have to do is unscramble the word (found on page 12), then find it concealed within one of our ads. Click in to the contest link at www.AugustaRx.com and enter. If we pick you in our random drawing of correct entries, you’ll score our goodie package!
SEVEN SIMPLE RULES: 1. Unscramble and find the designated word hidden within one of the ads in this issue. 2. Visit the Reader Contests page at www.AugustaRx.com. 3. Tell us what you found and where you found it. 4. If you’re right and you’re the one we pick at random, you win. (Winners within the past six months are ineligible.) 5. Prizes awarded to winners may vary from issue to issue. Limited sizes are available for shirt prize. 6. A photo ID may be required to claim some prizes. 7. Other entrants may win a lesser prize at the sole discretion of the publisher. 8. Deadline to enter is shown on page 12.
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
Dr. Eric Sherrell, DACM, LAC
Augusta Acupuncture Clinic 4141 Columbia Road
706-888-0707 www.AcuClinicGA.com
Evans Chiropractic Health Center Dr. William M.
Wheeler Rd, Suite 365 Augusta 30909 706-432-6866 www.visitrcp.com
Karen L. Carter, MD 1303 D’Antignac St, Suite 2100 Augusta 30901 706-396-0600 www.augustadevelopmentalspecialists.com
