Medical Examiner 7-1-22 by Daniel Pearson

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JULY 1, 2022

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YAY!

OR NOT

As you may have noticed, news of the pandemic’s death has been greatly exaggerated. We checked the numbers for June 27 and on that day more than 103,000 new cases were reported in the U.S. Anecdotally, we’ve heard reports from area employers where entire departments tested positive and are out of commission. News reports talk about new variants on the rise. The good news: COVID has gradually become less of a killer and more of an inconvenience. Even at that level, however, it still poses the possibility of long-term symptoms. The best strategy: continue to use preventive measures. +

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GOING TO POT

People who smoked marijuana in the 60s and 70s ran the risk of going to prison for using, and many of them did — not just for a few days or weeks, either; sometimes for years. Their children and grandchildren in many places around the world and right here at home can walk down the street smoking weed in broad daylight that they bought in a store that advertises what they sell with neon signs. The trend of legalization, decriminalization and availability is steadily growing everywhere, and along with it grows the perception that weed is safe and harmless and is finally enjoying the free access that it should have always had. The medical community, meanwhile — at least some elements within it — is saying “not so fast.” After all, tobacco is perfectly legal and available everywhere, and no one thinks its use is safe or healthful. Legality and salubriousness are two entirely different matters. On the positive side, marijuana use does not have many of the problems of other adult indulgences. As just one example, hangovers are an alcohol problem, not a weed problem. But there are other issues that concern doctors, and should be of concern to partakers of the various elements of the marijuana family: cannabis, CBD, and THC. As a starting point, it’s common knowledge that the potency of marijuana

today is tremendously higher than it was a generation ago. Some products can have THC concentrations as high as 90%. By comparison, an analysis published in Biological Psychiatry in 2017 noted that cannabis potency in 1995 was about 4%. As weed comes more and more into the mainstream of recreational use, it’s easy to forget that it still delivers a drug that can affect mental clarity, and its potency is increasing. For that reason, marijuana addiction or cannabis withdrawal is actually a thing, even though that possibility was viewed as a ridiculous notion even just a few years ago. In fact, in 2018 the journal Neuropsychopharmacology reported study results showing that as many as 90% of heavy marijuana users who quit experience withdrawal symptoms. Given increasing use and potency, it’s hard to imagine that the incidence of withdrawal issues has dropped since 2018.

Another point of concern is product safety. While traditional medications are heavily regulated for purity and the accuracy of their claims of effectiveness, CBD and THC products are the type that make impressive promises but have ads or packaging with disclaimers like, “These claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.” The very fact that CBD products are sold everywhere — from pharmacies to off-brand convenience stores — is a good reminder that CBD products are can be of unknown quality. You wonder if the product you’re buying is made in a sterile facility under meticulous manufacturing guidelines, or by some entrepreneurial stoner in his garage. In one study of 20 legal cannabis dispensaries, contaminants were found in plant-based products from all 20. The same concerns are often raised about vaping products, which are available in about a million flavor and additive options (which in some places can include THC and CBD). The entire industry has exploded so rapidly that health information and safety regulations are having a hard time keeping pace. The FDA’s website admits, “The FDA has seen only limited data about CBD safety [but] these data point to real risks that need to be considered before taking CBD for any reason.” Please see GOING TO POT page 9

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

THE FIRST 40 YEARS ARE ALWAYS THE HARDEST

PARENTHOOD by David W. Proefrock, PhD

Your 12-year-old daughter just completed sixth grade and is a very gifted athlete. She is clearly the best athlete in her class, including the boys. She loves all sports and excels at everything she tries. However, she is just not very feminine. You are worried that the other kids in school will begin making fun of her and wish that she would develop some more feminine interests. What do you do? A. Take her on a shopping trip for makeup and new clothes. Maybe she’ll develop an interest in those things too if you foster it. B. Have a talk with her about how she looks and acts, and warn her that classmates may begin to make fun of her. C. Support her in her choices as long as they remain positive and don’t worry about her femininity. D. Limit her sports activities and get her involved in other things that are more appropriate for girls. If you answered: A. You might well enjoy spending a day together, but buying makeup and dresses won’t change her. Even worse, it will be obvious to her that you don’t approve of her and don’t accept her for who she is and what she does. B. If she hasn’t experienced teasing already, or if she has handled it herself, a talk like this will only show her that it is you who doesn’t accept her, not the other kids at school. C. This is the correct course of action. She is an obviously talented young lady who is developing her talents in a positive way. Help her in any way you can. D. This is enforcing a gender stereotype from the past. You will be harming her if you take away what she likes and is good at and replace it with things she is not interested in.

JULY 1, 2022

PART Y OF A 26-PART SERIES

IS FOR YAWNING Yawning is one of those everyday garden variety events that is a medical mystery. There are plenty of theories about the reasons for yawning being investigated by researchers — some sources put the number at around 20 — but even the top theories are inconclusive, and sometimes raise as many questions as they do answers. Take theory #1. Ask anyone why we yawn and they’ll say it’s what people do when they’re tired or sleepy. Makes sense. We’ve all been there, done that. But if that’s why we yawn, then why do we do it after waking up, right after we’ve

been asleep for 7 or 8 straight hours and are presumably very well rested? For that matter, dogs and cats may doze up to 20 hours a day and they do plenty of yawning. So do babies, and they sleep practically around the clock when they first arrive on the scene. They had practice: fetuses yawn in the womb. Conversely, people yawn when they’re anything but drowsy: when they’re nervous. Some people will yawn repeatedly before they give a speech or a presentation. An article not long ago in New Scientist noted that paratroopers often yawn before jumping out of an airplane. Those yawns are evidence for the faction which theorizes that yawns help boost alertness. Another theory suggests that yawning is a way to regulate the brain’s temperature. Evidence for this theory include studies where research subjects watched videos of people yawning. Normally this would induce yawns (more about that in a moment), and in fact it did in a control group. But when a second group watched the same videos while holding a cold pack to their scalp or forehead, the number of yawns were reduced.

The Vocabulary of Yawns The official scientific name for yawning is oscitation. The study of yawning is known as chasmology. The young man to the left looks like he’s about to pandiculate. Pandiculation is the act of simultaneously yawning and stretching. +

Your concerns are the concerns of several decades ago. The were harmful to women then and would be even more harmful now. Support her. If she begins to have concerns and expresses them to you, then talk with her in a supportive way, not one that confirms the negative stereotypes. +

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In other studies where yawns were induced, some study participants were instructed to breathe through their nose and others through their mouth. Rates of yawning were much lower among the nasal breathers, leading to the conclusion that mouth breathers were heating their sinuses and brains more. All of the various theories face the difficulty of overcoming one daunting challenge: if we officially yawn because we’re bored or sleepy or nervous or our brains are overheated, then why does seeing someone else yawn, reading an article like this one, or looking at a picture like the one above induce yawns (plural)? Yawns are more contagious than COVID-19. In fact, some animals can catch the bug too: dogs will yawn after watching a human yawn, and many animals (chimpanzees, dogs and cats - feral and domestic - birds, and reptiles) exhibit the same contagion among themselves as humans do. It would seem that there is a yawning gap in our knowledge of this subject.

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JULY 1, 2022

ALL THINGS ENDOMETRIOSIS

Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining is found outside of the uterus. The disease can be found anywhere; cases of endometriosis have been found on every organ of the body. Symptoms of endometriosis include painful, heavy, and/or irregular periods; painful and irregular bowel movements; nausea; vomiting; infertility; and more. Symptoms can depend on where the disease is located. Every person with endometriosis is different; they don’t have exactly the same symptoms and the same treatments don’t work for every endometriosis patient. Treatment options for endometriosis include laparoscopic surgery, birth control, drugs like Lupron and Orilissa, diet changes, and pelvic floor physical therapy. The only way to truly diagnose endometriosis is through laparoscopic surgery and the gold standard of care is excision, cutting away the endometrial tissue. Before that decision is made, doctors may want to do blood work, scans, and other procedures to rule out other illnesses. However, the longer a patient waits the longer they have to live with their symptoms and the longer the disease has to grow. Personally, I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2010 at 19 years old after having terrible

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HERO

by Samantha Bowick, MPH, Board Certified Patient Advocate

periods since age 13. My first laparoscopic surgery didn’t succeed in removing all the endometrial tissue. I didn’t know all of the treatment options at the time and simply trusted my doctor. Just because a doctor recommends a treatment doesn’t mean you should blindly trust it. Do as much research as possible before agreeing to a treatment. I wish I had. I now have osteoporosis that was diagnosed at 24 and I’m sure it’s a side effect of the Lupron. Since my first surgery I have had five more, including a complete hysterectomy at 23 (which isn’t a cure for endometriosis; there isn’t a cure). I still had the same pain three months after the hysterectomy, and my gynecologist at the time told me there was nothing else he could do for

me. I can’t have children and that’s something I struggle with. Endometriosis can come with other illnesses, and often they are diagnosed before endometriosis. The list includes irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), interstitial cystitis, polycystic ovary syndrome, adenomyosis, and mental health issues. Endometriosis is a body-wide disease. Endometriosis is extremely costly and can derail someone’s entire life. I was attending college to be a pharmacist and was a pharmacy technician when my pain started becoming more frequent. The disease has caused me to miss school, work, and social activities. I have lost friends because they didn’t understand why I canceled plans. I was unable to work for at least five years and am very thankful to have my family’s help. It’s hard not being able to support yourself. I withdrew from pharmacy school twice because my body couldn’t handle it. I can’t stand on my feet for long periods of time without pelvic pain. If you have endometriosis, you aren’t alone. If you think you have it, seek care as soon as possible. It can take years to be correctly diagnosed. Do your own research no matter who is giving you advice and recommending treatments. +

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WHAT EXACTLY IS SUNBURN?

It’s kind of amazing to think that you could be burned on a cold day by invisible rays coming from something that is almost 100 million miles away, but that’s what sunburn is. We think of overexposure to sunlight as the cause of sunburn, but the burn is actually caused by ultraviolet (UV) rays, and they go right through clouds, meaning that a person can get a sunburn on a cloudy day. It’s a real testament to the power of the sun’s rays to consider that they can cause blisters on our skin in extreme cases, and those cases are to be avoided. Years ago, many people would get their summer started by deliberately getting at least a mild sunburn to jump start their tan. Statistically, even a single blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles the risk of developing potentially deadly melanoma later in life. If our skin could have been interviewed for this story (we tried) it would tell us it wants no part of this obsession with tanning. The body will shed UV-damaged and sunburned skin in what dermatologists and oncologists say is essentially cellular suicide. It’s what we call peeling, and it is the body’s means of getting rid of cells that have so much DNA damage from the UV assault they have endured that they should be prevented from propagating. Dead skin peeling away is part of the healing process, but it isn’t always perfect: sometimes damaged cells survive and as cells tend to do, they replicate. Like the dented bread pan that transfers its imperfection to every loaf, damaged cells produce damage offspring. It’s obviously the best case scenario to prevent sunburn in the first place: be liberal with sunscreen but judicious in sun exposure time (remembering that UV rays are present even on cloudy days). Stay hydrated. Regularly reapply sunscreen during exposure according to package instructions. If you do get sunburned, products like aloe and hydrocortisone cream can help reduce swelling and itching. Really serious sun exposure with fever, dehydration, chills, and extreme pain should be treated by a doctor. The same goes for blistering over a large area, which can become infected; picking at the peeling skin can cause more problems. It bears repeating: prevention is the best policy. +

MEDICALEXAMINER

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www.AugustaRx.com The Medical Examiner’s mission: to provide information on topics of health and wellness of interest to general readers, to offer information to assist readers in wisely choosing their healthcare providers, and to serve as a central source of salubrious news within every part of the Augusta medical community. 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 Opinions expressed by the writers herein are their own and/or their respective institutions. Neither the Augusta Medical Examiner, Pearson Graphic 365 Inc., nor its agents or employees take any responsibility for the accuracy of submitted information, which is presented for general informational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment, consult your doctor. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised. © 2022 PEARSON GRAPHIC 365 INC.

JULY 1, 2022

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

#168 IN A SERIES

Who is this? ON THE ROAD TO BETTER HEALTH A PATIENT’S PERSPECTIVE Editor’s note: Augusta writer Marcia Ribble, Ph.D., is a retired English and creative writing professor who offers her unique perspective as a patient. Contact her at marciaribble@hotmail.com by Marcia Ribble

his man’s place of fame in medical history is perhaps one of the most unlikely we’ve ever examined. Born into a poor family in 1894 in Hoboken, New Jersey, he was raised in a tightly structured religious household. He credited his high school biology teacher, Natalie Roeth, as the key influence in his decision to pursue a career in science. His father had other ideas, however, insisting that his son pursue engineering. He gave that the old college try for two years at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken before realizing that his original intentions and field of interest, to study botany, biology, and zoology, had never wavered. He finally gathered sufficient courage to confront his father about his intention to leave Stevens and pursue a degree in biology at Bowdoin College in Maine. That decision was the end of his relationship with his father. But it launched his scientific career, which he pursued with unequaled zeal, particularly in the field of entomology (the study of insects, not to be confused - even though it often is with etymology and etiology). To provide a small insight into his collegiate zeal as well as his family situation, he graduated magna cum laude from Bowdoin, a ceremony his father did not attend (nor did he attend his son’s wedding a few years later). He went on to continue his graduate studies at Harvard, studying under a recognized leader in the field of entomology. Our subject wrote his doctoral thesis on the subject of gall wasps, collecting, cataloging and measuring (in more than two dozen different ways) hundreds of thousands of gall wasps. He published several scientific papers on entomological topics in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, and in fact, the museum has more than 18 million insects cataloged in its collection, more than 5 million of which are gall wasps collected by the gentleman above. Despite all of the above, this man’s enduring fame has exactly nothing to do with insects — other than bees. Well, birds too. Together, the birds and the bees. Yes, if you didn’t recognize him from the photo, this is Alfred Kinsey, author of the eponymous Kinsey Report, a best-selling compendium of the sexual habits of supposedly everyday people (in two volumes, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male in 1948, followed by Sexual Behavior in the Human Female in 1953) that was shocking and controversial in its day, a time when sexual topics were not openly discussed in polite company. In the decades since, all kinds of sexual habits have gone mainstream (like reporting sexual activity in the Oval Office in the late 90s or Donald Trump’s candid campaign trail remarks captured and reported on the evening news more recently), but the Kinsey Report(s) have continued to be controversial. Due to the morals of the day, it wasn’t exactly easy to get members of the Ladies Auxiliary at the Lutheran Church, for example, to talk openly about their sexual fantasies and habits, so Kinsey and his staff at Indiana University often conducted interviews with prostitutes and others on the fringes of society, not the everyday middle class people as the books represent. +

One issue many seniors have with their healthcare is being ignored when they are having problems. For example, I have fallen twice recently. I injured my shoulder in the first fall and was in significant pain. I am housebound and my nurse tried to get the doctor to send out a portable x-ray machine to see if it was broken. That was over two months ago, and it has still not been x-rayed despite my history of breaking bones in falls. Since then, I fell again, and this time hurt some ribs. Same story. X-ray requested by nurse and ignored by doctor. One would think that was enough, but there’s more. Last November I requested that my doctor write a prescription for a motorized chair or scooter to help me be more mobile. I live next to a shopping strip with a movie theater and across the street from a mall. I use a wheelchair 95% of the time, and I find trying to wheel it farther distances than in my building is more than I can do. Last month I was back at the doctor again and requested that mobility device a second time. The doctor said no one was more deserving of it than me, but I had to see a rehab doctor before one could be ordered. To this date, no appointment or referral to a rehab doctor has been made. If it was only this one particular doctor or my particular situation, that would be bad enough, but it is way too common among seniors as a group. We need advocates who can move the mountains of neglect we often experience. An acquaintance of mine recently experienced severe swelling on her legs with weeping wounds. Despite having a nurse and doctor who make house calls, nothing was done until she ended up in the hospital at risk of losing both legs. There it was “discovered” that she has trouble swallowing too even though she has complained about that for a long time. The hacking cough it causes and the loss of

breath were no secret, and she is on 24 hour oxygen. I have heard of patients so profoundly ignored despite attempts by their nurses to get help for them that they died from the neglect. It seems like there is an assumption among doctors that if you reach a certain age, allowing you to just go ahead and die is acceptable. And a little neglect is OK if it enables death to come sooner. I am NOT old. I’m only a month short of being 79. With good medical care I should easily live into my 90s, and maybe beyond. Many folks my age and older are still living full and interesting lives. I have two 18-month-old great grand twins who come weekly to play with great grandma. Yes, even in a wheelchair I can still play with little kids. Being in a wheelchair does not prevent me from playing peek-a-boo or many of the other fun things kids love. Silas has learned how to give kisses and I am a lucky recipient. Junior hides behind the door and giggles when I “find” him there. They both love to try out their expanding vocabulary on me. I also play bingo three times a week with the other folks who live here. Since moving in last August, I have developed a reputation for being someone who listens and who keeps secrets. I know who is incontinent and wears a diaper. I know who has cancer that is now terminal. I know who is suffering heartbreak from too infrequent visits with family, and those whose families treat them with love. Some who can’t remember well know they can ask me who someone is, and I know and can tell them without causing embarrassment. Learning people’s names is an old habit from my years of teaching, when I had to learn upwards of 150 names every term. I know if people are there, but I also know when they aren’t there and inquire about them. Perhaps they aren’t important to their doctors, but they are very important to me! +

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

ADVENTURES IN

Middle Age

DEAR READERS

BY J.B. COLLUM

the cutest kid in the history of kids though (no, I’m not biased; you’re biased. It’s just objectively true.) and we couldn’t possibly love her more than we already do, so we will get through the challenges and come out better on the other side. It helps that their aunt, our oldest daughter, Kate, will be doing the lion’s share of watching them, especially when grandma and I are working, but I plan on spending as much time with them as my nerves can stand. I know I’ll get a lot more exercise than usual, and I know I need it, so that’s fine. We are planning on taking them to the zoo, the beach, and to the new Dave & Buster’s opening this coming Monday, or last Monday by the time this issue comes out. Plus, lots of swimming in the pool here at home where I will be required to throw them around the pool and let them ride on my back while I play dolphin.

{

In this edition, I’d like to offer a potpourri of observations, experiences, and updates on some previous articles. By that, I mean a somewhat random collection of subjects. I don’t mean that it is going to smell funny. This publication could never smell funny. Except maybe if you used it as a cage liner for a pet, but I know that none of you would do that, at least not until after you’ve read it from cover to cover first. Okay, you at least read this column, right? And then you cut it out and paste it into your scrapbook that you keep in your shrine dedicated to me. Complete with pictures and candles. Sure. In reality, I’m betting that only my mother holds on to her copies. Right mom? Sorry to ignore the rest of you for a moment to speak to my mother, but she did give birth to me and raise me, and she represents almost 10% of my readership. Got to keep the fans happy.

{

News Roundup

I got my second carpal tunnel surgery done a couple of weeks ago. So far, so good. My doctor tried a different method for stitching it up, and so far it is doing even better than the previous one, and it doesn’t look as gross. Win, win! The feeling was back in the tips of my middle fingers the next day. In fact, that hand is already doing better than the right one, though they both continue to improve. This time, I didn’t even need the Percocet by the second day. I did decide to put off the implant surgery for ED after hearing from a friend about a serious side-effect: losing feeling in that part of the body. If that happens, and apparently the occurrence of this is statistically significant, what would be the point? Instead, I am going to first give some of the other methods more of a chance than I had planned on. Even the dreaded needle! Ugh. Anyway, thanks for that information, Dan. You know which Dan you are. Not that he’s had the implant surgery himself. He just knows things. Plus he’s another 9 or 10% of my readership, though, technically, it’s his job to read it, so I’m not sure if that counts. My lovely wife and I are about to go through one of the best and conversely toughest experiences as middle-aged people. Our grandchildren, all three, will be arriving this afternoon to spend an entire week with us. They range from 4 years to 12 years old. The youngest is more of a challenge even than usual as she has some physical health issues that we must keep an eye on, and she is autistic and non-verbal. She is probably

Spending time with grandchildren is so impactful and important. For you and for them. Some of my fondest memories as a child are from the time I spent with grandparents. I also learned some things from them that my parents didn’t teach me. My grandmother was someone I could talk to about anything, and I am trying to be that for my grandkids, so no matter what they say, even if it is way out there, I just smile and make a comment something like, “oh, that is interesting.” Spending time with them is now one of the things I look forward to most. Then, after a day or two of it, or sometimes maybe an hour or two, the thing I look forward to most is them going home, or if not home, just somewhere else. Then I have time for my ears and nerves to recover. Being a grandparent with ADD, watching grandchildren with all their distracting noise and movement, makes for an especially difficult struggle when I have something to do, like work. I’m sure my fellow grandparents out there know exactly what I mean. I don’t think my grandparents had ADD. Back then, you weren’t allowed to have stuff like that. But that is a story for another day. Thanks for your readership. Until next time, take care of yourself and spend lots of time with your loved ones, even when it isn’t easy. + J.B. Collum is a local novelist, humorist and columnist who wants to be Mark Twain when he grows up. He may be reached at johnbcollum@gmail.com

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ONE OVERHEAD DOOR IS GOOD

by Kim Beavers, MS, RDN, CDCES Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Chef Coach, Author Follow Kim on Facebook: facebook.com/eatingwellwithkimb

LENTIL AND LEMON SOUP This savory soup is finished with lemon and parsley to perfectly balance brightness with savory flavor.

TWO ARE ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

Ingredients • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil • 3 carrots, sliced • 2 ribs celery, sliced • 1 onion, chopped • ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt • 1 teaspoon minced garlic • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves • 2 cups dried lentils, rinsed and drained • 6 cups reduced sodium chicken stock • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest • 1 bay leaf • ¼ lemon juice • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley Instructions Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and allow to heat up until it shimmers. Add the carrots, celery, onion, salt and garlic to the pan. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add in the thyme.

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Stir in the lentils, stock, lemon zest and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cover. Simmer for 35 to 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Stir in the lemon juice and sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 ½ cup)

Nutrition Breakdown: Calories 170, Fat 3g (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 140mg, Carbohydrate 26g, Fiber 6g, Protein 10g. Percent Daily Value: 30% Vitamin A, 4% Calcium, 15% Vitamin C, 15% Iron. Carbohydrate Choice: 1 ½ Carbohydrates, 1 Lean Meat Diabetes Exchanges: 11/2 Starch, 1 Lean Meat +

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NUTRITION Mary Ann from Savannah writes:

“I live alone and eat healthy, but usually not from all food groups each day. For example, one day I may eat only vegetables, and on another day chicken or fish with some bread. It might take me all week to eat from all the food groups. What are your thoughts on that?”

This is an important question. Yes, it can be a challenge to prepare meals for yourself. I am the chef in the family and I love preparing meals for Nancy and myself. When she raves about how wonderful the meals are it motivates me to try to out-do myself the next time! However, at a different stage of life when I was living alone, that motivation was not there and it was harder to prepare balanced, varied meals just for myself. Of all the nutrition and diet recommendations, variety and balance are probably the most important. Usually, the last sentence I say in a seminar is, “all the nutrition information I just presented can be summarized in just one, simple sentence, which is “Eat a balanced variety of foods each day and enjoy them.” Variety not only within each food group, but a variety of food groups, so that your meal is “balanced” and has foods from all the food groups. While that is optimal, if you cannot fit the desired variety in each meal, then making sure you get enough variety and balance over a period of days is the next best thing. Why is a balanced diet with a variety of food so

diseases and conditions, can develop nutrient deficiencies much more quickly because their bodies have less nutrition reserve. In fact, the reason we worry about people going on restrictive fad diets for long periods of time is that, as each day passes, the risk of developing nutrient deficiencies increases. No food cop will hand you a ticket if you do not have all food groups present at each meal. However, one way of increasing your variety and balance at a meal is the concept of portion size. Contrary to what you see in restaurants, normal portion sizes are really quite small. It is much healthier to eat more variety of small portions of food than to eat only one or two food varieties at each meal. On that day when you are only eating meat with bread, consider eating a smaller amount of meat (it’s also a good way of saving some food dollars) and less bread, and adding a salad or a peach or an ear of corn. Focus more on the quality of what

you are eating, rather than the quantity. If you find that your meals are consistently unbalanced, in spite of your efforts, speak to your physician about taking a daily, simple and inexpensive vitamin pill. Not a “super-duper” pill or any of those expensive special vitamins. Although there are no general recommendations for everyone to take a daily vitamin, you may fit into the group who would benefit from this. You simply may not be getting enough variety and balance of food to meet all your micronutrient needs. And this may be especially true for your calcium and Vitamin D intakes, too, so ask your physician about taking a calcium and/or a Vitamin D supplement. What is the “No-Nonsense Nutrition” advice for today? It may be possible, with just a little change, to quickly add in another 1 or 2 food groups to each meal. Try to do that. Although it is recommended, you will not die if you do not have all the food groups present at each meal, as long as you have variety and balance on a regular basis. Finally, you may be in that group of individuals who should be taking a simple multivitamin supplement. +

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 ensure 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, evidencedDr. Karp 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 or anyone else.

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important? Eating a balanced variety of foods is crucial because it is an easy way of assuring you are getting all the macronutrients and micronutrients you need to thrive. Every food contains a different profile of nutrients. Although the term “superfood” is a popular advertising term these days, the term is marketing hype, not fact. The fact is that no one food can supply all the necessary nutrients you need, so the easy and healthy way of insuring that you are getting a complete profile of nutrients in your diet is to eat a large variety of food from all the food groups. When nutritionists talk about eating a varied diet and getting in all the food groups and nutrients, we are usually looking at a 7–10-day period. In fact, the dietary guidelines are based on a 7–10 day average period, not day-to-day. We start getting concerned about an adult person’s nutrient intake when it is inadequate over two to three weeks. Babies. younger children, the oldest-old (over 85) and people with certain

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

A WORD ABOUT ROE V WADE Let’s establish one thing about this brief article in Sentence #1. The Medical Examiner is not about to enter the fray of this controversial subject. That’s not what this publication does. But the recent Supreme Court decision does offer a teaching moment for everyone, no matter which side of this issue they happen to be on. The events in Washington are a metaphor for all the healthcare decisions we can lose, collectively and individually, or have given to or taken by others. Abortion opponents lost their battle in 1973; abortion supporters lost theirs in 2022. Similarly, think about the person who ignored warnings about tobacco for decades, continuing to puff their way through a pack or two every

week until one day a doctor informs them that one of their lungs will have to be removed. Their entire world, at least healthwise, is in the hands of others. Someone else was encouraged for years to get exercise and lose weight, but never quite got around to it. Now they have lost their freedom, mobility, and ability to speak clearly, all due to a stroke that was likely preventable. All the many protests since the Supreme Court announced its decision clearly demonstrate that people want freedom (whether it’s freedom to or freedom from). One of the best ways to protect our independence is to live the most reasonably salubrious life possible, and thus avoid having others, or avoidable circumstances, make decisions for us. +

GOING TO POT… from page 1

Among their realistic cautions are noting that CBD can interfere or interact with the workings of other medications a person may be taking, causing unexpected side effects. There is a free “Interactions Checker” at drugs.com that can be used to investigate cannabis interactions with any medication you may be taking. Significantly, the Surgeon General has warned against using cannabis products while pregnant, and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology adds while nursing. A long-term study found that children ages 3 to 6 were more likely to have aggressive behavior, anxiety, and hyperactivity if their mothers used cannabis during pregnancy. At some emergency rooms around the country, so-called cannabis poisoning is seen regularly, along with one of its primary symptoms, Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS). Emesis means vomit or vomiting, and the hyper variety has been described as “scromiting,” vomiting that is so violent that it combines screaming and vomiting. There have been deaths reported from CHS caused by extreme dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found, logically enough, that lifetime use of cannabis by vaping is associated with respiratory problems, and the American Heart Association has warned that, since high-potency THC is a stimulant, and has been implicated in heart attack, stroke, and arrhythmias. The bottom line is that weed has its uses, whether for controlling nausea or seizures or some other application (including simple relaxation) and it may be effective for many people. It may also be safe. But it might not be. Users should at least be aware of the possible risks. +

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CRASH

JULY 1, 2022

CONGRATULATIONS!

COURSE

More Americans have died on US roads since 2006 than in World Wars I & II combined

day of the week — and you’re correct on that. Several trains hit several cars several times every day of the week, every day of the year. The latest U.S. figures might surprise you. The 2019 numbers are still unofficial, but the estimates are 2,216 collisions, 807 injuries, and 293 deaths. That’s an average of 6 crashes every day and more than 5 deaths a week. As bad as that sounds, we’re heading in the right direction. Here are the stats for a few select years over the past four decades:

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et’s spend the space devoted to this installment of Crash Course on a somewhat rare but especially deadly type of collision: cars (and other vehicles) versus trains. Talk about an unfair contest. The average car weighs less than 3,000 lbs, while most pickup trucks and SUVs are closer to 5,000 lbs than 4,000. Take a guess what a train weighs. There are a ton of variables: how long is the train? Are the cars empty or fully loaded? If they’re loaded, what are they loaded with? For starters, a single locomotive can easily weigh more than 200 tons all by itself; that’s 400,000 pounds. So a train with three locomotives weighs over a million pounds just in the engines. Hopper cars that carry coal and gravel can weigh 100 tons apiece. A single train wheel — one wheel — weighs over 2,000 pounds. If you recall, an SUV weighs 4,000-5000 pounds. A freight train of any decent length could top 40 million pounds of rolling weight. No wonder they flatten pennies when they roll over one. They do quite a number on cars and trucks too. There is not a car, bus, truck, or big rig that wouldn’t be tossed aside like a Matchbox toy in any encounter with a moving train. Do you use the Waze navigational app? If so you’ve noticed a recently added feature: if you’re within sight of a rail crossing the app will sound a loud alert chime. Does that change seem a bit unnecessary for crashes that are as infrequent as train/vehicle collisions are? As mentioned above, car-train and truck-train collisions aren’t exactly everyday occurrences. But they are nowhere near as rare as you might think — or as they should be. Places like Instagram and Facebook have hours of recent footage of collisions involving trains. Even so, you might think a train doesn’t hit a car every

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Train/car collisions aren’t daily occurrences. Are they ?

YEAR

1981 1990 2000 2019*

COLLISIONS

DEATHS

INJURIES

9,461 5,715 3,502 2,216

728 698 425 293

3,293 2,407 1,219 807

THEMEDICALEXAMiNER IS16YEARSOLD!!! +

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* Preliminary statistics So 2019’s average of six crashes per day looks absolutely great compared to 1981’s nearly 26 crashes per day resulting in, on average, nine deaths per day. The thing about train crashes isn’t their frequency, it’s their severity. When a 4,000 pound vehicle is struck by a 40 million pound vehicle, it’s easy to pick the winner. Big dangers are presented by unmarked crossings, of which there are still a few in rural areas around the CSRA, and multiple rail crossings. One train passes and vehicles, pedestrians, and bike riders start to cross, only to meet a second train they couldn’t see before, barreling along on the second track. Of course, the biggest danger from trains is not posed by the trains. It comes from careless and impatient motorists who drive around dropped crossing gates, ignoring clanging bells, flashing lights, and those ear-splitting 100-decibel train horns. +

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Send your interesting (or even semi-interesting) stories to the Medical Examiner, PO Box 397, Augusta, GA 30903 or e-mail to Dan@AugustaRx. com. Tell us if you want it “by you” or if it needs to be anonymous. Thanks!

JULY 1, 2022

the blog spot — posted by Susan Wolverl, MD, on July 24, 2020

STOP REWARDING HEALTHCARE WORKERS WITH SUGARY TREATS I’m an obesity medicine specialist who is frustrated. I keep running into the same issue, and it’s time we start discussing the elephant in the room: the need we all have to show love and appreciation with food, especially sugar. It’s never been more problematic than it is right now. As our patients with obesity are sick and dying from COVID-19, we are honoring the front line workers caring for them with sugary treats. Even now, as I write this, a nurse just came and threw some candy on the desk in front of me. The association between love and sugar is deep-seated and entrenched in our culture. When we are small and fall down, we get a cookie to help us stop crying. We get a lollipop at the doctor after getting a shot. When we have a breakup, it’s a pint of ice cream. When we have a birthday or retire, it’s a cake. We use food as a drug, and we use it to treat every emotion that we have from happiness to sadness and everything in between. You would think that in a hospital we would know better. And it’s not just my facility; I hear this from people everywhere. Breakrooms are battlefields. My patients say, “I do great until I get to work, and then there is so much junk around, I can’t resist.” When staff does a good job, supervisors reward them with treats. And don’t even get me started about week of the nurse or as I like to affectionately call it, “week of kill the nurse.” Monday bagels, Tuesday donuts, Wednesday pizza, Thursday make your own waffles and Friday, an ice cream party. With obesity at epidemic proportions and despite millions being spent on treatment, we have made little headway. Two-thirds of Americans have obesity or overweight. Obesity is a major risk factor in most of the chronic conditions we see, including almost 40% of all cancers. Nearly half of Americans have diabetes or pre-diabetes, a condition that was rare only a century ago. Two of the top conditions that increase the risk for poor outcomes in COVID-19 are obesity and diabetes. Even with this knowledge, we continue to show appreciation to our front-line healthcare workers with sweets, the very thing that increases the risk for these two conditions. Huge ice cream sandwiches, boxes of donuts, cookies, and candy are pushed on carts throughout the hospital. This may seem like an inexpensive way to brighten everyone’s day, but at what cost to their health? The problem is sugar hijacks our brain biology. Most have a hard time resisting, especially when it is right in front of them, and some may even meet the criteria for sugar addiction. If we had co-workers with alcohol use disorder, we would think twice about inviting them to join us at an open bar. But we don’t give a second thought to baking a tray of brownies and setting it in the breakroom for all to enjoy. Is anyone even stopping to ask themselves the question, is this a good idea? We are starting to make changes at my institution. There are specific guidelines about what kind of food can be served at meetings, specifically, no desserts and no beverages with sugar. But as a society, we have far to go to change the enmeshed association between love and sugar. It’s time to tackle the elephant in the room and start discussing these issues and how we can make changes at home, work, and in our communities. We need to show love and appreciation in ways that promote health rather than disease, and we need to set an example in health care. +

You’d think in hospitals we would know better.

Susan Wolver is an internal medicine physician.

11 +

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

From the Bookshelf

Back in the day did you ever buy a record by an artist you had never heard of before just because the album cover intrigued you? Sometimes you were rewarded, sometimes it was a waste of money. Browsing at Augusta’s Barnes & Noble recently, this book was like that. Knew nothing about it; had not heard any buzz, but it looked like it could be interesting. Or a snoozefest. As it turned out, it was quite a score. This book is worth the price of admission on so many different levels. On one hand, it is a fascinating general history of the progression of medicine down through the centuries told through detailed case histories of various unfortunate patients, some of them mostly unknown to the pages of history, others with entire chapters dedicated to their lives. There are the stories, for example, of everybody from Abraham of Genesis fame and his adult circumcision to Bob Marley and the toe (one of his own) that lead to his untimely

and unnecessary death at age 36. Along the way are all kinds of spellbinding tales of medical interventions that made history, some for their success, others for their failure despite heroic attempts. Some of them are noteworthy for how primitive they seem under the glare of 20th century light, others for how futile even the most technologically advanced care can sometimes be. Beyond the medical histories recounted in so much detail that one wonders

how the author could have stood over a surgeon’s shoulder in 1657 and lived to write a book about it in 2018, the book is also quite an education into medicine itself. While it’s hard to imagine a surgeon or nurse who wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy reading this book, the author has taken pains to explain anything that might be foreign to someone without M.D. following their name. If he uses a word that might not be generally familiar — occlusion or idiopathic, for instance — he takes a moment to define it. The book also contains an extensive glossary and is liberally sprinkled with sidebars that contain extensive information on general topics: fever, sutures, hernia, scalpels, hemorrhoids, bariatric surgery and much more. Definitely good reading. + Under the Knife — A History of Surgery in 28 Remarkable Operations, by Arnold van de Laar, 357 pages, published in October 2018 by St. Martin’s Press

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The Examiners +

Sometimes I think all this gender-neutral stuff is for the birds.

by Dan Pearson

I was all in until my My ophthalmologist’s I would have thought favorite restaurant practice changed its you’d totally support changed its name. What do you mean? name to The Eye Persons. that kind of thing.

Yeah, I’m still trying to get used to Spouse Saver too.

PUZZLE

ACROSS 1. Hippocratic follower 5. Augusta’s Earth ____ 9. Smoke and fog 13. Walton ________ 15. Mountain goat 16. Famous Laker 17. The A of 34-A 18. Finn craft 19. French notion 20. Alkali 21. Famed crimefighter 23. Comparison word 25. Former acorn 26. Family of famous artists 27. It’s at one end of an arrow 29. Move to and fro 32. Sewing case 33. Ancient physician 34. Largest venue in Aug. 36. Contractions 40. If can follow stone or iron 41. Canoe propeller 42. Self-esteem 43. Rods partner 46. Long-running NBC show 47. Flashdance star 49. One is named 51. 2012 presidential candidate 52. Intervening (in law) 54. Swoon 56. Energy 57. Otherwise 58. Dark Angel star 59. Bad cholest. 62. Killer whale 64. Augusta _____ 66. Noted architect 68. Greek god of love 69. Otherwise 70. Cinemas’ name 71. Legendary story 72. Observed

5 14

17 20

41 44

25 28

58 64

57 63

37 42

26 29

59 66

DOWN 1. By mouth 2. Ethereal 3. Of thou 4. A dynasty in China 5. Earliest 6. Embarrass 7. Field official (in brief) 8. Still existing (esp. of a document) 9. Snow runner 10. Lakeside town (in SC) 11. Caribbean sorcery 12. Nerd 14. Fig tree that can cover acres 22. Brain current meas. 24. Downtown Bar 26. Acronym for pro wrestling 28. Stroke abbrev. 29. Augusta talk radio station 30. The villain in Othello 31. Small secluded valley 32. Tiger’s dad

Click on “MYSTERY WORD” • DEADLINE TO ENTER: NOON, JULY 11, 2022

We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!

E X A M I N E R

8 6 7 2 7

6 2 4

9 1

3 4

5 6 5

S U 6 D 5 O K 3 U 9

5 1

DIRECTIONS: Every line, vertical and horizontal, and all nine 9-square boxes must each contain the numbers 1 though 9. Solution on page 14.

73. Wish for

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

34. Guitarist Feliciano 35. Prohibit 37. Legume 38. Look at amorously 39. Promising, as an outlook 44. Ernie of the PGA 45. Last name of a Hill Section street? 47. Grand local hotel of yore 48. Ambulance worker (abbrev) 50. Red dye 51. Word with eye or cage 52. Local furniture vendor 53. FL tourist destination 54. Positive start? 55. Congressman Rick 56. Composition in verse 59. Sorenstam org. 60. College department head 61. Pleasant, cheerful tune 63. Powdery residue 65. Savannah River Brewing product 67. Cry of a cat

QUOTATIONPUZZLE

5 Ex 6 Pr 7M un G T O T C R I E O S L I N T D A P B O M L T O L Y OAngel ACROSS Za E R T E D W L T G T I M N S1 EBest F E E T N Sstar H Y 8 Ot H O F A H N movie 17 To exist ise DIRECTIONS: Recreate a timeless nugget of wisdom by using the letters in awards 18 Depart 9 Br each vertical column to fill the boxes above them. Once any letter is used, cross7 it outTherefore in the lower half of the puzzle. LettersCity may be used only once. 19 __ Black squares indicate spaces between words, and words may extend onto a second 9 line. Plural of I 21 Sister by Ev Solution on page 14. 11 Brandy marriage 10 C Use the letters provided at bottom to create words to solve the puzzle above. All the listed letters following #1 are the first letters of the various words; the letters following #2 are the second letters of each word, and so on. Try solving words with letter clues or numbers with cocktail minimal choices listed. A sample is shown. Solution on page 14. 12 P B M DOWN 14 M 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 1 2 13 3 4 Mischi5 6 7 W evous 1 Idiot co 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 child 2 Slovenly us 1.WAAYYLIBISOFTT 2.VOOOOSTEWERHAL 3.AALLUUMOTTE 4.TEMKNRY 5.OE 6.RN 7.E fr Latter I S B person L I N D L 15 O V E 1. ILB 2. SLO 3. VI 4. NE 5. D = SAMPLE: 1 2 3part 4 of 1 2 2 3 4 5 16 Il 31 Goddess ti the morof tillage 4 1 9 2 8 6 3 5 7

8 5 3 9 1 7 2 4 6

— Robert Schuller

Solution p. 14

WORDS NUMBER

THE MYSTERY WORD The Mystery Word for this issue: OUGTEN

EXAMINER CROSSWORD

JULY 1, 2022

2 7 6 5 4 3 8 9 1

7 3 2 4 6 8 9 1 5

5 6 4 3 9 1 7 8 2

1 9 8 7 2 5 6 3 4

JULY 1, 2022

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

THEBESTMEDICINE ha... ha...

nce upon a time there was a deep pit just outside a small rural town. People got hurt all the time falling into the pit. Finally, three local hayseeds decided to figure out a way to solve the problem. “Why don’t we park a ambulance out here,” said the first one. “That way we can git folks to the hospital faster.” “That’s a right dumb idea,” said the second one. “I reckon what we should do is build a hospital here, next to the pit. That a’way it’ll be even faster. And we won’t need no ambulance neither.” “Y’all are both dumb as rocks,” said the third one. “We should fill this pit in. Use your head,” he said, tapping his temple. “Then we can dig a new one next to the hospital we already got.” A woman went to the emergency room where she was seen by a young new doctor. After about three minutes in the examination room, the doctor told her she was pregnant. She burst out of the room and ran down the corridor screaming. An older doctor stopped the woman and asked what the problem was. After listening to

The

Advice Doctor

her story, he calmed her down and sat her in another room. Then he marched down the hallway to the first doctor’s room. “What is wrong with you?” the senior doctor demanded. “That woman you just examined is almost 70 years old, she has two grown children and several grandchildren — and you told her she’s pregnant???” The new doctor continued to write on his clipboard and without looking up said only: “Does she still have the hiccups?” Moe: How’s it going with that hide & seek tournament you’re trying to organize? Joe: Slow. Good players are hard to find. A policeman stopped some boys who were riding on a bike. “Boys,” he said, “what you’re doing is not legal. Even if it was, it’s just not safe to have three people on a bike at the same time.” “Three?!?” said all the boys at once. “Jake must have fallen off someplace!” Moe: Have you seen that video about dyslexia? Joe: No, but I heard it’s all over the internet. Moe: It is. It’s gone rival. Moe: What did 50 Cent do when he got hungry? Joe: 58. Moe: I spilled spot remover on my dog. Joe: What happened? Moe: He’s gone. +

Why subscribe to theMEDICALEXAMINER? Staring at my phone all day has certainly had no Effect on ME!

Because try as they might, no one can stare at their phone all day.

13 +

Dear Advice Doctor, I should probably be asking an attorney about this, not The Advice Doctor, but your advice is free, so here goes. I was recently fired from my job for stealing. The thing is, my hands are clean. As God is my witness, I have never stolen anything from my employer. But I know who did, and I haven’t said anything because that person is in desperate shape financially. I could easily retire or live off my savings for quite a while. I don’t need the job, but that person does. Still, I know my name and reputation are tarnished by my choice to protect a co-worker. Do you think I made the right decision? — Cover Charge Dear Cover Charge, Like perhaps everyone who read your letter, I commend you for your concern. You’ve raised a very important issue that applies to far more than just you and your coworker. In fact, the CDC says people like you who keep their hands clean are making a major contribution to public health. Hand hygiene is vital for people who work in food service, the medical field, and the public in general. A number of threats to health are prevented by frequent and thorough hand washing, including diarrhea, flu and other respiratory infections such as pneumonia and more. But how and when should hand washing be performed? The answers might surprise you. Despite heavy advertising, antibacterial hand soaps are not as effective as plain old soap and warm water. Antiseptic hand sanitizers are not considered to be effective for dirty hands, but they are efficient germ killers (but still not better than soap and water). Surprisingly enough, soap can spread bacteria. That would apply to bar soap, which can transfer bacteria from one user to the next. For that reason, especially in a household battling colds and flu, liquid soap has its advantages, and a hands-free dispenser makes it even better. In public restrooms, turn off water using a paper towel, and use it also to open the door. The benefit of clean hands can be cancelled out by dry, cracked skin which provides many entry points for germs. Moisturizing lotion can help prevent that. Clean hands are a simple but significant public health strategy. I hope this answers your question. + Do you have a question for The Advice Doctor about 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.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE MEDICALEXAMINER +

Why read the Medical Examiner: Reason #714 BEFORE READING

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 CITY STATE ZIP Choose six months for $20 ____ or one year for $36 ____. Mail this completed form with payment to Augusta Medical Examiner, PO Box 397, Augusta GA 30903-0397

AFTER READING

+ 14

9 1

THE MYSTERY SOLVED The Mystery Word in our last issue was: PANACEA ...cleverly hidden in the p. 2 ad for MEDICAL ASSOCIATES PLUS

THE WINNER: GERALD MERZ! 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 PUZZLE SOLVED O R A L

A E R Y

W G A C

I A G O

P O E M

M E R R Y

T H H A B E N A E N E W Y E G W A G L E N E N E S L A K E S N E P O R C A M O S E T H S

F I R S T J O S E A L E

A R E S B E X K A F T I S A S H N O T E T U I B A L A A R N L B E R O M F A I N T A L B A L L I M S E R E E N W

M O D O C

O B E A H

G E E K

B E A N

O G L E

R O S Y

L P G A

D E A N

L I L T

SEE PAGE 12

The Celebrated TheSUDOKUsolution MYSTERY WORD CONTEST 4 8 2 7 5 1 3 6 9

...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.

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QuotatioN QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION “Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.” — Robert Schuller

WORDS BY NUMBER It is better to let someone walk away from you than all over you. — Author unknown

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JULY 1, 2022

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A SLICE OF COVID PIE I woke up this morning, and that was a good thing. Meant I wasn’t dead yet. TV was on. I couldn’t tell if it was a Spanish Inquisition Documentary or a CNN Update on Donald Trump. I unfolded from my fetal position. My mother taught me to sleep like that back before I was born. But all was not well with me. I felt achy. Energy level questionable. My get-up-andgo had got up and went. Most likely Covid stories incessantly absorbed from cable news. At least I hoped that was all it was. Some medical professional scrapped my brain through my nose and said I had Covid. Said to stay away from people, drink fluids, take vitamins, take naps, and rest. Wow. Now I had an excuse for being sorry, lazy, and nocount. I am good at all that. Anything I didn’t want to do, I said, “I got Covid. Cain’t be doing that.” If I wanted to do something, I said, “Stand back. I’m gonna do that first. You can be next. I’m too sick to wait.” Those who loved me said, “You shouldn’t be doing anything.” I came back with, “I got just a slice of Covid.

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (most of the time) A series by Flatwoods Frankie

Didn’t get the whole Covid pie. So, humor me, Dear Hearts.” It works like a voodoo charm. Scared everyone almost to death and they got out of my way. If you want people to get out of your way, tell them you have Covid and threaten to cough on them. No matter how tough they are, they will find a new zip code. My Covid case wasn’t all that bad. For me it was mostly an inconvenience. I had a couple of relatives to die from Covid. Some left young children. One 70ish friend survived after 55 days in the hospital. Three weeks on a ventilator. Now is on Oxygen 24/7. He will get Covid vaccine as soon as he is able. He tells everyone he was stupid for not getting vaccine. His reason: “he didn’t like shots.” Not being one to over-do recovering too quickly, I wait-

ed a bit before getting two Moderna jabs. Then I had just a second crumb of Covid. Didn’t amount to much. Low energy level. Achy. Not much different from the aftermath of Moderna jabs. I stayed on the immunization train and got two more boosters when the time was right. Lived right through them, too. No big deal. But there is some bad news: I am a Covid long-hauler. I often have dyspnea (shortness of breath) when I do much of anything. My exercise tolerance is questionable. I adjust what I can and can’t do based on energy level. I can do most easy things. Instead of walking an hour each day, I divide it into 4 episodes of 15 minutes each. The good news is that I don’t sweat as much and therefore don’t smell socially repugnant as much. My wife approves of that. Several friends died of Covid, ages 43 to 70 and beyond. Not one of them got a Covid vaccination. I read that some with vaccinations died with Covid. I am biased. I think the more antibodies you have against a given pathogen, the better your

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JULY 1, 2022 chances of fighting it off are. Whether immunity is natural or acquired matters not. It is like an army in battle. Some soldiers may be better than others, but more is better. No commander ever said, “Men, we got a big battle coming, so let’s send some of you home.” It is never wise to have fewer soldiers to fight against armed invaders, no more than it is wise to have less antibodies to fight against pathogens. As Sun Tzu wrote 2,11500 years ago in The Art of War: When you have a battle, there will be corpses left on the field. One of them might be yours. I do all I can to avoid being a corpse left on the field. Are my defenses perfect? No. Are

all my decisions right? No. But I refuse to decline any help I can get to prolong my longevity. If the FDA approves a new vaccine, will I take? Not only, YES, but I want to be first in line … right after my wife and children. So far, Earth is the best place I have been, and I want to be here as long as I can. To be clear, I am a Christian and I want to go to Heaven … but not right now. And certainly not because I refused to do my part preserving my health. Of course, in America you make your own choices. You can chose to get just a slice of Covid pie. Or you can go whole hog and get the whole pie. +

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