SLEEPINGBEAUTY
Quite a few among us aren’t doing so great in the sleep department on a good night, let alone when Daylight Saving Time interferes. Of the two annual changes, “spring forward” is harder to take, since it makes an entire hour vanish into thin air, an hour generally spent in bed, presumably asleep. The “fall back” by comparison isn’t as disruptive, but it still does a number on many of us. Why?
On Night #1 it might seem great. Maybe you usually go to bed at 11 pm. On this particular night as you turn in you reset your clock to 10 pm. It feels good to go to bed early. (That free hour burns a hole in some people’s pockets, however, and they cash in the extra time immediately by staying up an extra hour, going to bed at the new 11 pm.) The problem can arise in the days that follow. According to the body’s internal clock, that 11 pm bedtime we’re staying up until is now midnight, and extreme fatigue can be the result. It isn’t just a matter of staying up late enough to watch the end of your favorite TV show; it might involve driving or working, where lapses in attention could result in accidents and injuries.
The CDC says about 15% of us have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep on most nights, all year long. See the box for a few good ways to make sure we aren’t among them.
Commandments FOR GOOD SLEEP
• LIKE CLOCKWORK Go to bed and get up around the same time, seven days a week. Staying up half the night on the weekends, and/or sleeping ‘til noon on days off are not healthful habits and will disrupt sleep patterns in the days that follow any big breaks from the routine.
• CREATE A SANCTUARY Watching television, surfing the internet, or checking social media are activities that should be strictly off limits in bedrooms. That goes for both grownups and children. Laptops, TVs, and cell phones should not be allowed in bedrooms, and they should disappear well before bedtime.
• THERE ARE LIMITS As stated above, the bedroom shouldn’t be someone’s home office or the room with the best TV in the house. Sleep experts say bedroom activities should be mostly limited to just two activities, and they both start with S.
• BE A KID AGAIN Most kids fall asleep minutes after going to bed. What’s their secret? A calming ritual of winding down activities like a warm bath, putting on cozy pajamas, having a story read to them, being tucked in and feeling safe and sound and completely relaxed. Grownups would likewise benefit from a relaxing ritual of quiet activities before turning out the light. Some people meditate, read poetry, pray, or do something else that’s quiet, calm and soothing, like deep breathing exercises.
• GET COMFORTABLE Make sure your bedroom temperature is just the way you like it, which usually means on the cool side. Make it happen. A box or ceiling fan is many people’s best friend overnight. Your pillow(s), sheets & blankets, mattress, even your PJs, should all be uber-comfortable.
• ACCEPT FAILURE If you can’t fall asleep or stay asleep, getting all worked up over it is a solid guarantee for more of the same. Ironically, trying to relax and enjoy the time awake can be one of the best ways to fall asleep.
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• Call to see if there
• All
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SYMPTOMS THAT CAN INDICATE VENOUS DISEASE AND VARICOSE VEINS:
Bulging bluish or purple veins visible under the surface of your skin
Painful or achy legs that feel heavy
Muscle cramping in your legs, particularly at night
Itchy legs, especially on your lower legs and ankles
Burning or throbbing sensations in your legs
Swollen feet and ankles at the end of the day
PARENTHOOD
by Dr. Warren Umansky, PhD
Your friends have tried for a long time to get you to go out with them for one of their regular Tuesday “Girls Night Out” events. You have put it off many times. Your husband works at night and your three teens are home on Tuesday nights after their sports and band practices. But Tuesday nights are traditionally movie night at your house with your children. You enjoy spending time with them and really don’t want to forego that. What do you do?
A. You shouldn’t disappoint your friends. Agree to go at least a few times each month.
B. Move movie nights to Thursdays, which will free up Tuesdays.
C. Let your friends know that you enjoy being home with your children and they benefit from you being there.
D. Ask your brother to come by a few Tuesday nights each month and do movie night with the kids in your place.
If you answered:
A. When you have children, their successes become your reward. Not going out with friends because you enjoy being with your children is a badge of honor. Your friends might learn from you as role model.
B. Being able to spend time with friends might help you “recharge your batteries” periodically. It also is not bad for your children to see you taking care of yourself once in a while. They know you care about them. Changing movie night on rare occasions and with advance notice to your children should be accepted well.
C. This answer is the most desirable. It reflects your philosophy of parenting (kids come first) and that you enjoy your time with them. And, hopefully, they enjoy the special time with you during the course of a busy week of classes and extracurricular activities.
D. Inviting your brother over periodically for dinner and movie night might be another special occasion for you and the children when dad is working. He also might pitch in when you do go out with friends or have an evening meeting. But your brother shouldn’t become a regular replacement for you to be able to “escape.”
There is nothing wrong with going out with friends when it does not interfere with your first priority, your children. How do you know when “me” time is acceptable? If you are pleased with your children’s performance in school, if they show responsibility at home, and if they respect their parents and each other, you have done a good job and can begin to think about your own needs. Give yourselves credit for having done a good job, but be forever vigilant.
Dr. Umansky has a child behavioral health practice in Augusta.
SALT IS A KILLER
Everyone knows salt is bad news. It isn’t a myth. A diet high in sodium can cause elevated blood pressure, and that puts a strain on the heart and the whole vascular system. Over time that can lead to chronic heart disease.
Another result of a high sodium diet can be kidney disease and kidney stones, and evidence shows that a steady diet of too much salt can cause calcium to be leached from bones, increasing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis.
These are among a number of negative side effects of using a salt shaker too liberally, and buying foods that are heavily processed (which often means they are high in sodium).
So why is the topic of salt here, in an article about medi-
cal mythology?
Oddly enough, one of the reasons is in defense of salt. Do not adjust your Medical Examiner
If someone could pull off a completely 100% sodium-free diet, they would be in bad shape. Salt is essential for life. It is required for a number of bodily functions, including preventing fluid and electrolyte imbalances; transmitting nerve impulses; and for the proper operation of muscles. A lack of sodium will cause muscle cramps, weakness, and fatigue. Another result of chronic low sodium is a condition called hyponatremia. Its symptoms include nausea, headaches, confusion, lack of balance, and it can progress to seizures, coma, and even death.
* WANDA KEMP
You might think hyponatremia would be common after endurance events like a marathon race, and you would be correct. But significantly, it’s a condition often seen in older adults, and occurs in about 20% of all hospital admissions. That’s unfortunate, because hyponatremia is associated with an elevated risk of death.
Of course, the danger is rarely low sodium; it’s usually high sodium.
While sodium may be essential for life, too much of a good thing is a definite risk. One of the factors that may contribute to high sodium levels is what for lack of a better term might be called designer salt.
Ordinary table salt is for commoners. Those in the know have graduated to at least sea salt, if not Himalayan Sea Salt (it’s better if it’s capitalized). Are these exotic salts and their varied colors healthier?
In some cases, yes. But as one Australian study found, an amount nearly 500% above the recommended daily allowance would have to be consumed for the benefits to be clinically significant.
Obviously that would completely cancel any nutritional benefit offered by a few trace elements.
So is salt a killer? It can be, and often is. But a little salt can be a lifesaver.
Who is this?
It’s rarely fun to be a trendsetter, which is exactly the opposite of normal and natural expectations. One would think that wonderful and progressive innovations will be met with immediate praise and accolades, but often just the opposite is true.
Just ask this guy, Bernie Fisher. He could write a book about the burden of being an innovator. Of being right — and knowing it — when everyone else thinks you’re wrong. It all started by accident several years into his medical career (which was launched when he graduated from medical school at the University of Pittsburgh in 1943). After completing a surgical residency, liver regeneration and transplant rejection became a major focus of his research. Becoming an expert on the subjects, he performed many transplant operations, including Pittsburgh’s first kidney transplant.
Fast forward a few years spent making significant contributions to the field of transplantation and vascular surgery to a day in 1957 when one of his medical mentors, Dr. Isadore Ravdin (one of President Eisenhower’s doctors) invited Dr. Fisher to attend a National Institutes of Health (NIH) along with 22 other prominent surgeons to discuss the establishment of a national effort to improve outcomes from breast and bowel cancers.
Fisher later admitted that he “wasn’t the least bit interested in breast cancer,” but out of respect for Dr. Ravdin he attended the meeting. It wasn’t long before he was captivated by what he called “the mystery of metastasis.” He was also struck, not only by the lack of clinical information about breast cancer, but also the lack of interest within the medical community.”
That was about to change. Within the year, Fisher took part in the first randomized clinical trial that actually measured the effectiveness of breast cancer treatment.
At the time, a procedure developed in the late 1890s, radical mastectomy, was the gold standard. As a newcomer to the field, Fisher was horrified by the procedure, which he described as “brutal.” It involved removing the entire breast, underarm lymph nodes, and underlying chest muscles. The operation was so radical, indeed, that follow-up surgery was routinely scheduled to attempt to cosmetically repair the resulting disfigurement. Many women lost the use of their arm on the side which was the surgical site.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Fisher conducted clinical studies measuring the relative effectiveness of lumpectomies versus mastectomies. The raw data showed that a simple lumpectomy and a radical mastectomy were equally effective, so why subject women to the extreme procedure.
Rather than being hailed for this breakthrough, Fisher was accused of putting women’s lives at risk. Most doctors continued to perform the radical surgery on their patients, while Fisher was accused of falsifying his research data and hauled before a congressional committee for questioning. Eventually, the medical establishment discovered that Fisher was right, and his discoveries fundamentally changed the standard of care for millions of women and extended and improved their lives.
Bernard Fisher lived long enough — 101 years, in fact — to see his reputation restored and complete some 60 years of work as a surgeon scientist. +
Middle Age
BY J.B. COLLUM
I forgot! No, wait. Did I? It’s on the tip of my tongue… Nope. It’s gone. I was just thinking of something, and I was going to tell you all about it, but I forgot it. I need to remember to write things down. What am I to do? I had the outline for a great column for this week in my head just this morning, but it moved out faster than a bunch of kids when grandma turns the TV to Lawrence Welk. “And a one-a, and a two-a!” Wait, what were we talking about? Oh yes, forgetting. Something that I seem to be more afflicted with as I advance in my march through middle age.
I know that I have left a virtual treasure trove behind me in that march. Just this past week, I somehow misplaced my brand new Milwaukee 11-in-1 screwdriver. I was so proud of it too. I carried it everywhere that first day, just to look at it and smile. I get that from my dad. He loved tools because he loved to accomplish things with them, and the right tool for the job can make work a pleasure — if you can find it, that is.
know it because the word is used in my field. Example: meta-data is data that describes data. You’ll have to do a search if you want more than that here. Some of you have already fallen asleep at this point and we can’t risk that in case any of you are driving while reading this. If you are, stop right now! Put the phone or paper down and concentrate. We middle-aged folks already have a bad reputation when it comes to driving. You don’t want to contribute to that. Do you? Well, do you? Okay then. Back to our discussion.
{ { I CAN’T EVEN REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I FORGOT SOMETHING.
At this point in my life, I really don’t dread projects around the house. I dread trying to find the tools I need to do the projects. Then I dread the effort of putting them away when I’m done. Hmmm. Those two things might be related. I look everywhere that seems logical and a lot of places that are completely illogical, like in the refrigerator in my office. Crazy, right? Well, maybe. But just yesterday, I did find my medicine dispenser in there after missing it all day long. I had given up and was using the one for the next day, figuring once I found it, I’d just swap them out. Once I found it in the fridge, I went looking for my water cup, and sure enough, it was where I probably meant to put my pills.
I finally gave up on finding my screwdriver, so this past Tuesday, I went to Home Depot and bought another one. The price had gone up a dollar. That chafed me even more, but I wanted that screwdriver, so I parted with the cash. About an hour later I was on the phone with my wife, and she told me that our son had found a red and black screwdriver on a brick ledge of the house, but she didn’t think it was the Milwaukee. I figured she was mistaken because I hadn’t lost another red and black screwdriver, so I was thinking about taking the new one back but decided to keep it so I could have one in my truck and one in my office. Once I got home, it turned out to be a completely different screwdriver that I lost so long ago that I had forgotten that I forgot about it. Whoa. That’s kind of meta. Most of you middle-aged folks will be looking up that word meta right about now. I only
I’ve added an Apple Tag to both my keychain and my wife’s because one of us, I won’t say who to protect the guilty, (hint: it wasn’t me) lost a very expensive key fob recently and we don’t want to pay almost $400 again for another one. The tags are cheaper when you buy four at a time, so I think I’m going to make that investment soon to help us not lose any more important or valuable things.
What is really baffling is why I put some things where I put them, like the pills in the fridge. Unlike the example of the fridge, I often can recall that I was thinking something like, “oh, this is great place to leave this. It makes perfect, logical sense. I won’t forget it if I leave it here.” Six months later, when I find my measuring tape in a drawer of my desk, after buying a new one, it will hit me, “oh, yeah. I remember putting that there.” So, you see, as I have aged, my memory has become an I-told-you-so nag. When I finally find it, my brain says, “of course it was there. Why didn’t you think of that earlier, you dimwit!” You see, on top of being very forgetful, my middle-aged brain has gotten meaner to me. Oh well. What can you do?
If you are having memory problems like me, maybe this tip will help you: I’ve decided to carry a small notepad with me so I can write important things down, like I’m an old-time detective jotting down every clue. When I go to bed, it will be on my nightstand so that when I wake up with inspiration, I can jot it down right away. I’ve bought lots of those neat little notebooks over the years with the intention to do just that. Now I just need to find one. Let me see. Where did I put them? Maybe I’ll use a voice recorder instead. Where did I put that? Wait, what was I looking for again?
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
THE #1 TOOTHBRUSH?
What is it? We aren’t talking about Oral-B versus Colgate versus Philips SoniCare. We mean manual versus electric and electric versus water-jet varieties. Which kind does the best job of cleaning teeth?
The best choice will do several things: remove food particles, control plaque, prevent gum disease, protect tooth enamel, and fight bad breath. It’s an important job and plays a role in overall health far greater than many people give a lowly toothbrush credit for.
It’s entirely possible to spend hundreds of dollars on an electric toothbrush, but that doesn’t mean it does a superior job. Experts say proper brushing technique and regularity is more important than the type or brand of toothbrush used.
Even so, toothbrushes matter. Dentists recommend soft bristles over medium and hard varieties. Stiffer bristles, being less flexible, can’t reach into as many nooks and crevices as soft bristles. That’s the same reason that a brush with a variety of bristle lengths is a better choice than a flatbristled brush: more lengths = more areas reached.
Water jet brands advertise themselves as able to reach areas no brush or string floss ever could. The research data is considered to be on the weak side, but it’s easy to see their advantage for someone who wears braces, and (as is also the case with electic toothbrushes) for people with arthritis or limited manual mobility.
Many brands are packaged with a Seal of Acceptance from the American Dental Association. That signifies independent testing and evaluation. By comparison, sometimes toothbrush manufacturers conduct their own studies, which of course violates a basic principle of research. For instance, when Consumer Reports was evaluating various toothbrushes and their respective benefits, the manufacturers themselves were the sources of studies provided to CR which — surprise, surprise — proved how effective their products were.
One advantage of many electric toothbruses is the built-in timer, which helps ensure we brush long enough to get the job done. But anyone who correctly uses a manual brush gets much the same benefit at a fraction of the cost.
GONE FOR GOOD? OR BAD?
Things we may never see again:
Bright light dimmer switch on car floorboards
Positive political ads. (I’m tired of “smear and fear.” I don’t need any help finding things to worry about.)
A wall-mounted paddle in the school principal’s office (“The Board of Education”)
Home intercom (replaced by cell phones)
School dress code: Dresses at least 1 inch below the knees (And no shorts or pants for girls)
A family chore list for kids
25 cents a week allowance … if you do your homework
A smoking area behind school for boys
The Dewey Decimal System
BASED ON A TRUE STORY
(most of the time)
A series by Bad Billy Laveau
No pregnant school teachers — or students
Pickup trucks with full gun racks
A pocket knife in every boy’s pocket (A tool. Not a weapon)
Knife-throwing contest at recess (Boys only. Too dangerous for girls)
.22 rifle target contest at school (Boys only. Too dangerous for girls)
Students building fires in pop-bellied stoves to heat classroom (Boys only, too dangerous for girls)
Crewcuts on all football players
Students always saying, Ma’am, Sir, and Please
Teachers addressed as Mr., Mrs., or Miss
Bible reading before class each day
No profanity in school
No running in the hall
No talking out-of-turn
No visible tattoos at school
No chewing gum in class
Ten Commandments posted on school bulletin board
No yelling or raising voices
No free school lunches
Teachers speaking perfect English
Cursive writing classes
Classes in Modern Logic
Latin and Greek classes
Study Halls where students actually study
Laboratory classes based on LABOR, not ORATORY
Students dusting erasers and emptying trash cans
Book reports without using CliffsNotes or TV shows
No cell phones or calculators allowed in class
No teachers (or students) with beards
Tardiness punished by staying after school
Students standing in the aisles of moving school buses
Student patrols on school buses to keep order
Rules against note-passing in school.
Note-passing punished by teach reading the note aloud in class (a fate worse than death)
Teachers applying Merthiolate to scratches on students (without permission from parents or doctor’s orders)
Ducktail haircuts with collars turned up like Elvis
No cuts in line enforced by social pressure
Boys found in Girl’s bathroom expelled from school
Respectful silence during graduation ceremonies
Politicians making and keeping promises.
Comedians who don’t use profanity.
Concerts predicated upon voice, instrumentation, and light shows, and not gyrations semi-naked girls.
Along with many others, I lived through the demise of all that and more. Men and women with manners and faith developed. We won wars. We built the greatest society and economy known to man.
Rigid guidelines mold character. So does maintaining successful traditions. Dilution thereof weakens a society. I’m against that. When we have something that works, why break it? Loss of successful training models is not a good thing, say I.
Has our “we can accomplish anything” society disappeared forever? I trust not. It is up to us to keep it.
Save America! It is the right thing to do.
TRYTHISDISH
by Kim Beavers, MS, RDN, CDCES Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Chef Coach, Author
BANANA BROWNIE WAFFLES
This waffle batter is chockfull of goodness. In addition to cocoa powder, we used whole wheat flour, wheat germ, bananas, and eggs, and canola oil instead of butter.
Top with sliced bananas or berries and a dollop of light whipped cream or a drizzle of maple syrup and your kids won’t be hungry ‘til lunch.
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder, sifted
• ¼ cup wheat germ
• 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1-½ cups 1% low-fat milk
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Pure maple syrup or light whipped cream, optional.
Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, bananas, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well blended. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Lightly oil or coat the hot waffle iron grids wit nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter onto the center of the lower grid (about 2 cups or the amount specified for your waffle iron) and cook on medium to medium-high setting until done, 2 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining cooking spray and batter.
Top with maple syrup or light whipped cream as desired.
Yield: 8 (4 ½ x 4 ½-inch waffles)
Nutrition Breakdown: Calories 270, Fat 10g (1.5g saturated, 0.7g omega-3), Sodium 330mg, Carbohydrate 37g, Fiber 4g, Protein 8g.
Percent Daily Value: 15% Calcium, 15% Iron
Recipe re-printed with permission from the Meal Makeover Moms, “http://www.mealmakeovermoms. com” www.mealmakeovermoms. com
ASK DR. KARP
NO NONSENSE
NUTRITION
Mary, a Facebook friend from North Augusta, writes:
“The other day I ran across the term ‘Nouvelle Southern Cuisine.’ What is this? Should we really be messing with traditional Southern cooking?”
This is a good question to answer right now, in November/December, when the holidays make food such a priority.
My initial reaction is not food-focused, but rather, health-focused.
Yes, let’s absolutely mess with traditional causes of Southern chronic disease. The Southern United States is not just known for its foods but is, unfortunately, a region known for hypertension, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer, one of many “chronic disease belts” in the United States.
The question becomes whether we can decrease risks of these diseases by changing traditional Southern cooking, just a bit, so it is less fried, less over-salted and less saturated-fatfocused.
Is this possible without “messing up” Southern flavors? Chronic disease risk is not just based on the genes you inherit from your family; it is also based on the cookbook and lifestyle you inherit from your family.
The fact is that when your great grandma made these “traditional” Southern dinners, she was serving them as a “Sunday-after-church” dinner to people who were expending 3500 calories a day growing and harvesting peanuts or other crops. Today, by contrast, many people sit at desks, work on computers, or watch TV, but they still want their “Sunday dinner.” These days, in fact, we seem to want to eat a Sunday dinner twice a day, every day, for both lunch and dinner!
The term Nouvelle Southern Cuisine or New Southern Cooking refers to updating Southern recipes to include more modern, healthier ways of preparing and serving traditional Southern dishes. Perhaps evolving from deep-fried Southern chicken with macaroni and cheese and over-boiled fat-back collards to instead, oven-fried or air-fried chicken and serving more veggies with less fat and salt. Have you ever thought about preparing collards by braising them in a pan with a little olive oil and sprinkling in some raisins and roasted sunflower seeds or other nuts prior to serving? Or do you routinely over-cook your collards, leeching out every nutrient known to mankind?
Let’s discuss some other simple ways of making traditional Southern foods healthier. The three foods I’ve chosen to use as examples are traditional Southern cornbread, Southern potato salad, and Southern veggies. Once you
get the “Nouvelle” idea, you and your family can start experimenting on your own. The hope is that, starting today, you can start new Southern traditions of food and new Southern traditions of family health and wellness.
Let’s look at traditional Southern cornbread. A typical Southern cornbread recipe contains flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, buttermilk, whole milk, and butter. I make cornbread at home all the time, but with these changes: I add a bit more cornmeal and a bit less flour; I omit most of the salt and add diced fresh rosemary instead; I use egg substitutes or egg whites instead of whole eggs; I use low-fat buttermilk and skim milk instead of high fat dairy products; and I use olive oil instead of butter (and I use less). I may add some canned whole kernel corn (shouldn’t cornbread have corn in it?), and sometimes I even chop up some red and green peppers and add those to the batter; it makes the cornbread very colorful and adds a great flavor.
It is true that adding rosemary, corn, and chopped up peppers may change the flavor of your traditional Southern cornbread, but honestly, I think it makes the flavor better. Of course, you don’t have to add these ingredients if you want the flavor to be more traditional. I call my Southern cornbread, “nouvelle” Southern cornbread. Are you serving bacon and eggs with your cornbread, or maybe an egg white omelet with mushrooms and green onions? Or maybe just accompanying the cornbread with some fruit or melon?
What about that Southern potato salad? What potato salad are you eating at the lake? Instead of the usual Southern potato salad with chopped-up hardboiled eggs, bacon, and tons of mayo, why don’t you make Southern sweet potato salad? It’s a different but very traditional and healthier Southern potato salad. Peel and cut up some sweet potatoes, put them in a microwaveable
dish with a little water and cook them in the microwave until they are tender but not too soft. You don’t want them to get mashed and smashed when you mix the potato salad. Add the sweet potatoes to a big bowl, throw in some green tomato relish, cut up green onions (scallions), chopped red peppers, a little salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix. Notice I don’t worry all that much about measuring, I just throw things in to taste. If you feel adventuresome that day, you might add other flavors to the sweet potato salad, such as some chopped olives, rosemary, or other herbs from your garden, like tarragon. You can even add a little curry if you want and if you happen to like that flavor. Add just enough olive oil so that the salad looks appetizing, not drowning in oil. Another advantage of this potato salad is that without the mayo it is less likely to spoil sitting out on your picnic table.
What about cooking and flavoring all those great Southern veggies? Instead of adding salt, fatback, bacon, or butter, try using a little olive oil and some Liquid Smoke. Just a drop or two added to your microwaved veggies can make it taste very Southern by giving it that smoked fatback-type flavor. I got that trick from a farmer from Wrens, Georgia. Nancy and I were strolling through the Augusta Farmer’s Market and went by his butter bean stall. I asked the farmer how to prepare the butter beans. First, he told me about the bacon, butter, and salt, but then, to my surprise, he said he didn’t prepare butter beans that way. Instead, he used Liquid Smoke because he had heart disease risks that he was trying to lower. How about that! I got a nutrition lesson from an overall-wearing farmer from Wrens, Georgia, selling butter beans.
What is the “No-Nonsense Nutrition” advice for today? Traditional Southern foods in your family may be contributing to the traditional Southern chronic diseases in your family. The idea is to change the meaning of “traditional” in your family regarding both foods and family diseases. Remember, if you want to eat a traditional Southern meal like your great grandma used to make, it’s ok once in a while. Just go out and till the peanut fields for the rest of the day. Not a bad idea for an after Thanksgiving dinner activity, too!
Nancy and I send you our best wishes for a very happy holiday season. +
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 or anyone else.
Dr. Karp
FOODISMEDICINE
& TREATING VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
by Jamie Rasmussen, MS, RD, LD
Outpatient Dietitian, PACT E&G, VA Augusta Healthcare System, Uptown Division
Vitamin D deficiency affects up to half the world’s population and about 35% of adults in the United States. Vitamin D defi ciencies are usually diagnosed through blood tests.
Unlike most other vita mins, the main source of vitamin D is not a food. It’s sunlight. With sunlight exposure, vitamin D is synthesized in the epidermal layer of skin and is then transported to the liver where it is converted to the active form of the vitamin, known as calcitriol.
Because sunlight is the main source of vitamin D, levels often drop in the cooler months of the year where chillier days are spent indoors and the sun’s rays are not as strong.
bone fractures.
Vitamin D is important for calcium and phosphorus absorption, which are important for bone health. Sustained low vitamin D levels over time can lead to osteomalacia or osteoporosis and, therefore, a higher rate of
The following factors increase risk for vitamin D deficiency: very little sunlight exposure, darker skin tones, little to no dairy consumption, a history of weight loss surgery, kidney or liver health issues, Crohn’s or celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, and obesity.
A diet high in fatty fish, vitamin D-fortified foods, eggs, mushrooms grown in sunlight, or the use of supplements may help increase vitamin D levels.
Discuss supplementation with your primary care provider or pharmacist to determine the best dosage, best form of vitamin D, and to avoid interactions with other medications. The daily recommended levels for vitamin D are 600IU (15 mcg) for ages 19-70 and 800IU (20 mcg) for over age 70.
Adequate vitamin D through sun exposure and food intake will help maintain strong bones throughout life.
CRASH COURSE
Americans have died on US roads since 2006 than in World Wars I & II combined
What are your thoughts on the question posed in the brackets?
Do you think older drivers — let’s define that as those in their 70s — are driving accident rates and insurance premiums up? Or are they helping to bring them down?
{
unchanged for older drivers, while the rate for middle-aged drivers has increased. How do highway safety analysts account for the improved numbers?
{ Are older drivers safe? Or a menace on the highways?
The answer is important because in the past two decades the number of older drivers has skyrocketed. Just between 2013 and 2018 alone, the number of drivers in their 70s rose by about 5 million. And the number of older licensed drivers rose almost twice as fast from 2010 to 2018 as it had in the previous decade. Another potential threat to older drivers: during this time period their average annual mileage also continued to grow.
Those factors are actually a reflection of improved healthcare and better quality of life. Older adults are healthier than their predecessors were at the same age, often staying in the workforce, so naturally they are keeping their licenses longer and driving more miles too.
Historically, however, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, older drivers were more likely to crash than other age groups, and they were less likely to survive if they did crash. With the Baby Boom generation getting progressively older, a potential highway safety crisis loomed on the horizon, the National Academies warned in 1988. True enough, fatal crashes involving older drivers peaked at more than 4,800 in 1997.
Since then, the news is much better.
For drivers 70 and over, fatal crash rates per licensed driver fell 43 percent between 1997 to 2018, compared with a decline of only 21 percent for drivers ages 35-54. Most of those improvements for older drivers occurred during the first half of the 20-year study period. More recently, the rate of fatal crashes per driver has remained more or less
A lot of it is guesswork, but it’s careful and logical guesswork. Among the suspected factors: across the board improvements in highway design and construction is one. Remember decades ago when many highways didn’t have white lines painted along the shoulder-edge of the pavement? Remember construction zones marked with pots of burning kerosene instead of flashing lights and reflective cones?
Road design improvement trends are ongoing. One of the recent options gaining momentum is the gradual conversion of intersections to roundabouts, a design that keeps traffic moving while slowing everyone down. When collisions do occur, they’re low speed fender benders, not full speed T-bones.
Another possible factor: multiple improvements in the design of cars and their safety systems, including more and better airbags, backup cameras, lane deviation warnings, and less obvious changes like construction that incorporates internal crumple zones to absorb impacts. One mitigating aspect of this factor is that older adults tend to keep their vehicles longer than younger age groups, meaning they may lag behind in benefiting from the latest vehicle safety design advancements.
On the negative side, although they’re healthier than ever, drivers 70 and over are still more fragile than younger people, so they’re more likely to die than middle-aged drivers if they do crash.
Even so, highway safety experts expect the trend of progressively lower accident figures for older drivers to continue as improved cars and roadways become more common. +
THEMEDICALEXAMiNERJOKESPAGE
IS DEAD
There are others that have died in addition to the eight past publications pictured. The Senior News is no more. The Augustan (or “The New Augustan”) seems hard to find, but that could still just be a temporary COVID situation. And many people say The Augusta Chronicle is a mere shadow of its former self.
The good news is that one area publication is alive and well and going strong, and for that we have our loyal advertisers and loyal readers to sincerely thank. If you’re wondering, the name of that publication is shown below:
MEDICALEXAMINER
More
the blog spot
BOOK REVIEWS FOR PREMED STUDENTS
As a child, I was always reading. As is the case for many people, I lost my literary passion in high school and college as my time was taken up by extracurriculars and doomscrolling on my phone. One thing I have thoroughly enjoyed about my gap years between graduation from college and matriculation into medical school is reconnecting with reading. I have read a wide variety of books, but below are my reviews and recommendations for fictional and nonfictional works that may benefit other premedical students.
LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK TO READ?
A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic’s Wild Ride to the Edge and Back by Kevin Hazard
This memoir takes you on a journey into the streets of Atlanta, Georgia, and the notorious Grady Hospital. Kevin Hazard expertly pairs comic relief with harrowing tales of heroics, tragedies, and survival to give readers a unique look into the life of a paramedic. Any premedical student will benefit from learning about an incredibly important profession within the health care team, and it may inspire, or deter, them from pursuing EMT certification during college or gap years.
The Weight of Air: A Story of the Lies about Addiction and the Truth about Recovery by David Poses
Written by someone who has been through the gauntlet of addiction, this memoir shows that recovery is not linear while exploring social factors of health and the stigmas associated with addiction and mental illness. This book is devastating, inspiring, and gives excellent insight into the thoughts and actions of someone struggling with addiction. Premedical students can gain valuable perspective on a common yet incredibly complex disease while honing their empathy and compassion for future patients struggling with addiction.
At Least You Have Your Health by Madi Sinha
A fun, fictional read that explores current issues that face the medical profession, such as concierge medicine, the dangers of medical misinformation, physician burnout, and the complexities of patient-doctor relationships. This book was entertaining, the characters were relatable, and it raised thought-provoking medical ethical dilemmas. I encourage premedical students to remember that reading is fun and not everything you read needs to be nonfiction and super scientific. For those of us who want an easy, witty, page-turning novel that still includes relevant themes, At Least You Have Your Health is a great choice.
Bad Medicine: Catching New York’s Deadliest Pill Pusher by
Charlotte Bismuth
I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I did find the content very interesting. This book follows the investigation and trial of Dr. Li, a pain medicine physician running a corrupt practice where prescriptions were provided in exchange for cash. This book describes the heartbreaking stories of Dr. Li’s patients and their families following overdoses and deaths while detailing the long process that the prosecution underwent during this precedent-setting case. I enjoyed learning about this case and the role of physicians in the opioid epidemic, but I found the writing to be somewhat dry and difficult to follow at times. This book can offer premedical students a better understanding of addiction and how the health care system can enable or prevent future overdoses and deaths.
Being
Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the
End
by
Atul Gawande
This book is so important as we enter the medical profession with an aging population. As a hospice volunteer and a medical assistant who works primarily with a geriatric population, I found this book to be incredibly impactful. Being Mortal talks about aging, death, and dying in a unique way that prioritizes the patient rather than merely prolonging life. This book raises uncomfortable questions and emphasizes the idea that care is often greater than cure. I would encourage any premedical student to read this book to have a better understanding of the aging process and what is important when treating patients who are dying.
Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and the Health of Our Nation by Linda Villarosa
This book dives deep into health disparities in America. It tracks racist themes throughout history and does a great job of showing how these themes persist in
modern medicine and society. While dense at times, this book gave me a lot to think about as I enter the medical field. I would recommend this book to any premedical student, particularly white students who may not have as much knowledge regarding the experience of being Black in America.
The Curious Human Knee by Han Yu I am two chapters deep into this book, and I am hooked. The knee is more complicated than I ever imagined, and Yu does a fantastic job keeping the reader interested as she tracks the evolution of the bipedal knee, the anatomical complexities of the joint, the significance of the knee in fashion, and beyond. Whether you are interested in the field of orthopaedics or just want a better understanding of why the knee is so prone to injury and aches, this is a compelling and interesting read for any premedical student.
Natalie Enyedi is a premedical student.
mercadolandscapingservice.com
posted by Natalie Enyedi on November 10, 2024
What are you all smiley about?
I just asked the boss for time off over the holidays.
EXAMINER CROSSWORD
PUZZLE
ACROSS
1. Daniel Village has one
5. Swollen (usu. a body part)
10. Snare
14. “ ____ Calling”
15. Dodge
16. The old days
17. Opened the windows
19. Loop; spiral
20. Swallow up, as in flames
21. Self-service restaurant
23. British Prime Minister from 1997-2007
26. “Friendly confines” team
27. Sponge
30. Flow back
31. Negative reply
33. Long narrow cut
34. Break
36. Type of code
37. Exclamation of fear or surprise (often plural)
38. Section starter (at times)
39. Sushan today
40. Stroke ltrs.
41. Soft, light color
44. Plot of ground
45. Masculine pronoun
46. Porcini mushroom
47. Friendly
49. Type of opera
50. Party of 23-A
51. Pensioner
54. Ceremony; rite
58. Hygiene adjective
59. The way something looks
62. Latin word or prefix that means “Before”
63. Amendment to an insurance policy
64. Store opening hour?
65. Brave or noble feat
66. Squamous
by Dan Pearson
Cool! Are you going someplace exotic like Hawaii?
No, just going to visit the in-laws for a week.
Well, you sure look happy about it.
Yeah, the boss said no time off, so...
THE MYSTERY WORD
The Mystery Word for this issue: NTSSIAT
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!
X A M I N E R S U
DIRECTIONS: Every line, vertical and horizontal, and all nine 9-square boxes must each contain the numbers 1 though 9. Solution on page 14.
67. Latin abbrev. for “Let it stand”
DOWN
1. Jazz musician Brubeck
2. A person wronged may want to get this
3. Georgia’s famous Crawford
4. Artificially open an airway
5. The Bell is on it
6. A black light emits this (abbrev)
7. It can be welcoming
8. Notion
9. Figures out
10. Baseball legend with local ties
11. Chambers
12. Operatic melody
13. Throw stones at 18. Evils
22. People soak in these
24. Word on express lane sign
25. Piano ________
27. Intimidate (with “out”)
28. Living
29. TV’s Kelly
31. Type of cavity
32. Deliver a speech
35. Swelling
36. Reservoir of a traditional thermometer
39. Glenn Hills High School athletes
41. A fruit whose name is its shape
42. Becomes visible
43. The Greenblatt is one
46. Wound
48. Material for 7-D
49. Condition
51. Highway
52. Sea eagle
53. Heroic
55. Single entity
56. Skin eruption
57. English court (historical)
60. Handheld organizer (abbrev. from the 1990s)
61. Snakelike fish
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.
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 minimal choices listed. A sample is shown. Solution on page 14.
— Daniel J. Boorstin
THEBESTMEDICINE
ha... ha...
Astunning blonde walks into a bar and sits down at an empty table.
A young man sees her and eagerly approaches, offering to get her a drink.
Annoyed, she says “A drink. How original. Yeah right, like I’ve never been offered a drink before. You’re not even going to try a pick-up line? You think you can just see a woman and somehow that gives you the right to walk up and bother her? Why would I let someone like you get me a drink?”
“Because I’m your waiter?” he replied.
Moe: Sometimes I can hear blood coursing through my veins.
Joe: You have to listen varicosely.
Moe: I came up with a new hobby!
Joe: What?
Moe: Collecting highlighters.
Joe: I bet a month from now you’ll have forgotten all about collecting highlighters.
Moe: Mark my words.
A doctor and a lawyer were in love with the same woman.
One day the doctor gave the woman a rose. She was happy and thought it was very romantic.
In response, for the next three days the lawyer gave the woman an apple. On the third day the woman finally asked:
“What’s up with the apples?”
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” said the lawyer.
A COVID test went out with a few of his frieds one weekend. They were walking along downtown and came to a bar and somebody in the group suggested they go in.
“I can’t go in there,” said the COVID test. “They won’t serve me.”
Disappointed, one of his friends asked, “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive,” said the COVID test.
Moe: My boy asked me if I had seen his sunglasses anywhere.
Joe: Ok...
Moe: I told him no and asked him if he had seen my dad glasses anywhere.
Moe: They say 70 percent of the Earth’s population is not very good at math.
Joe: Fortunately I’m in the other 40 percent.
Moe: A colon can completely change the meaning of a sentence.
Joe: Example please.
Moe: Let’s see... ok, compare “the marbles fell out of my pocket” versus “the marbles fell out of my colon.”
Joe: I see what you mean.
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
CITY STATE ZIP
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
My ex-husband has had one redeeming quality since our divorce: living more than 500 miles away. Two weeks ago he showed up on my doorstep to hand me his on-time child support check (not a bad thing) and announce that he’s moved back here (a bad thing). He deliberately kept me in the dark just to make a power play. How can I avoid the anxiety he is going to work overtime to give me?
— Not Happy
Dear Not Happy,
There are more than 200,000 people living in the Augusta area, and I am quite sure most of us identify with your situation. My family was in the dark for 11 days after Hurricane Helene. It’s not something we want to endure again, especially considering all the food we had to throw away.
The good news is that there are strategies available to anyone regardless of their budget to avoid things like this in the future.
At the top of the list in terms of cost, generators minimize the impact of power failures. Exactly how much the effect is minimized depends on your budget. There are wholehouse generators that kick on instantly as soon as there is even a flicker in the power grid. That level of backup comes with a serious price tag. At much lower but still substantial costs (from several hundred dollars up to several thousand) are smaller generators that will keep refrigerators and freezers running, along with some lights (but maybe not air conditioning).
Not everyone can afford to buy a generator, and even if money is no object, some people view the cost of something they might not use a single time for years into the future as being the very opposite of money well-spent.
There are still plenty of available options to keep you from being in the dark. The top of that list is, of course, the simple flashlight. Except that flashlights are not so simple any more. They are available in light levels ranging from blindinglybright to low light, plus strobe options and different colors that could be very useful if used to warn other drivers if you have a roadside breakdown. And instead of needing to rely on batteries, they are rechargeable. Inexpensive and compact energy banks charged ahead of time can extend their usefulness by hours.
Thanks for writing, and I hope I answered your question.
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
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.
WORDS
—
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
ACUPUNCTURE
Dr. Eric Sherrell, DACM, LAC Augusta Acupuncture Clinic 4141 Columbia Road
706-888-0707 www.AcuClinicGA.com 3633 Wheeler Rd, Suite 365 Augusta 30909 706-432-6866 www.visitrcp.com
L. Carter, MD 1303 D’Antignac St, Suite 2100 Augusta 30901 706-396-0600 www.augustadevelopmentalspecialists.com
116 Davis Road Augusta 30907
706-860-4048 Floss ‘em or lose ‘em!
