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DECEMBER 6, 2024
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ome things about Kentucky are absolutely great. The horse country in and around Lexington is beautiful. Mammoth Cave is a stunning natural wonder. There’s a quilt museum in Padukah and a Corvette museum in Bowling Green. Kentucky is cool. But it’s good to be from South Carolina and even better to be from Georgia if the subject is tobacco use.
WE DO E C I F F O HOUSE CALLS!
Despite decades of research and data proving the dangerous effects of cigarette smoke, Kentucky and its neighbor, West Virginia, have the highest rates of smoking in the nation. Across the nation, in Kentucky and West Virginia, and right here in the CSRA (and even in Utah, home of the lowest smoking rates in the U.S.), almost 70% of surveyed smokers say they want to quit. In 2022, more than
half of all smokers reported trying to quit, but fewer than 1 in 10 succeeded. Many potential quitters aim for New Years Day as Day One for their new tobacco-free life. That’s less than a month away, so the time to launch Start-Up 2025 and get a head start on more salubrious living is here. Turn to page 3 for some great ways to join the ranks of ex-smokers in the coming year. +
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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER
DECEMBER 6, 2024
THE FIRST 40 YEARS ARE ALWAYS THE HARDEST
MEDICAL MYTHOLOGY
PARENTHOOD PRO-ANTI by Dr. Warren Umansky, PhD
You find yourself saying no to your children all the time. You don’t remember your parents doing that to you when you were a child. When you are in the store, your children are always asking you to buy them something. “No!” When it’s time to eat or take a shower or get ready for bed, “I just need to get to the next level of this game. I’ll be there in five minutes.” “No!” It’s so tiring and you wonder why your children aren’t more compliant and happier doing the things you expect of them or ask them to do. What can you do? A. It may be a phase they are going through. Don’t be so tough on them; give in more often. It is likely to get better in the future. B. Have a family meeting. Go over rules and expectations you have for the children and reasonable consequences for their performance. C. Let your spouse or partner handle it when you get frustrated. That way you won’t overreact. D. Explain your rationale when you say “No” and ask if your child understands.
If you answered: A. It is likely that your children have learned their approach works; they can delay, get what they want, and get you off their back. You probably have given in more than you have made them accountable for their unpleasant behaviors. Letting them continue these behaviors will only lead to more undesirable behaviors with you and others. B. This is a healthy approach to resolving the problem. Sitting down with the children regularly and talking about what is going well and what needs to be changed is likely to bring about the best outcome. C. Handing off your responsibilities is not a good solution and is likely to weaken your position as parent and role model for your children. D. Children benefit from knowing the reasons they can’t get something every time you go to the store, or factors that dictate the daily schedule at home. It also reinforces that you have a good reason for saying no. Children who always want something or won’t do what you want can drain your energy and make daily life unpleasant. Clear communication is important so that everyone knows what is expected and when. Overexposure to electronics certainly can add a lot of conflict to the home. Limiting electronics is best. Using rehearsal strategies before going somewhere (“Remember, we are going to the store only to get groceries, not for toys. And how are you expected to behave in the store?”) will make trips a lot easier. Family meetings can happen daily. Another name for it is “eating dinner together.” That time should be used to enjoy and appreciate the food, but also to review how everyone’s day went and to plan ways to make the rest of that day and the next as successful as possible. + Dr. Umansky has a child behavioral health practice in Augusta.
That mysterious headline is meant to introduce a brief discussion of antibiotics and the mythology that can sometimes surround them. Historically, antibiotics were viewed as a practically miraculous addition to the little black bags doctors were once known for. In the medical arsenal they were like going from bow and arrow to laser guided missiles. Like kids who ignore their old favorite toys to play with a new toy, doctors in many cases overdid it with antibiotics in their early days. And why not? There are no downsides to using antibiotics. Oh if only that was true. To stick with the arsenal analogy, antibiotics could in some respects be compared to the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. Its destruction was indiscriminate. Similarly, antibiotics can inflict casualties in unintended ways. One of the least understood body systems is the human microbiome, a broad term that embraces a few hundred trillion or so microbial cells living in and on our bodies. They may be microscopic, but they play a huge role in how
salubriously we function. The connection between antibiotics and the microbiome can be a perilous one: a round of antibiotics can kill good bacteria right along with the bad. The microbiome is estimated to include as many as 1,000 different species of microorganisms (including viruses, which do not respond to antibiotics), but our body’s bacterial population alone is at least 75 trillion. These trillions of microbial guests are not just parasites taking a free ride at our expense. They are staff members of our personal corporation. As CEOs we may not know every employee, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hard at work. The problem with these tiny employees is, as the old saying goes, they can be out of sight, out of mind. Doctors gradually discovered that their beloved antibiotics were sometimes severely damaging the microbiome’s delicate balance. Researchers began looking at antibiotic use more carefully. One study of about 14,000 children performed at Mayo Clinic uncovered the effects of disrupting
this balance. Children given antibiotics in the first two years of life had a 20% higher risk of obesity, a 32% higher risk of ADHD, a 90% higher risk of asthma, and almost a 300% higher risk of celiac disease. Other studies have found a connection between antibiotic use and the prevalence of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The connection: these and related conditions were almost non-existent before the widespread use of antibiotics, and they are still rare conditions in poor countries with low rates antibiotic use. To be sure, no responsible doctor would remove antibiotics from his or her toolbox. Unquestionably, they save lives. But some researchers estimate that as many as half of all antibiotic prescriptions are medically unnecessary. Those needless doses contribute to the growing ineffectiveness of antibiotics, something that Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, warned of as far back as 1945. So called superbugs are a growing concern in healthcare, shrugging off direct hits from what used to be the atomic bomb of medicine. Half a century ago it took an average of 21 years for bacteria to become resistant to a new antibiotic. Today it takes an average of one year. Having recently endured a global pandemic, we all know how vulnerable we can be. When a medical crisis arises we need all available weaponry. In the case of one of the best potential healthcare weapons ever devised, antibiotics need to be used only as a medical necessity. Doctors should be antianti, not pro-anti, as often as possible. +
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DECEMBER 6, 2024
OFF THE MAP First, an item of business. Please accept the apologies of the staff and management of the Medical Examiner for this article and the one on page 1. We know that as a Medical Examiner reader, you’re unlikely to be a cigarette smoker. You know better. We get that. And yes, we saw our own map that plainly shows that just 18 percent of Palmetto State residents smoke and only 16 percent of Peach State residents do. We get that too. But look at it from another angle. After decades of research clearly establishing the link between smoking and a host of health problems; after all of us have seen thousands upon thousands of anti-smoking messages over many years; and after smoking has gone from being universally permitted and accepted (even on airplanes) to now been banned just about everywhere, one would think smoking rates would be single-digit in most places, and perhaps almost have disappeared elsewhere. But 18 percent? That’s nearly one in five, a number way too high for comfort. So the quit campaigns like this one continue. Granted, not everyone agrees there is a need. We get that too. The Medical Examiner personally knows smokers who do not believe there is a proven link between tobacco use and cancer. Their reasoning: if the connection is so clear and the evidence so conclusive, why are there people who have smoked heavily for decades whose lungs are clear and cancer-free? In other words, maybe smoking rates will never be zero, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. Let’s dispense with all the medical stuff, like what smoking does to lungs, the heart and
vascular system. We’ve all heard tons of such evidence, and 16 to 18 percent of local residents are still fine with smoking despite all that. That means the key to quitting for many people isn’t that kind of information. The best reason for quitting is because you want to. Period. For lots of people, no amount of “scare tactics” matter. It boils down to a personal commitment. Once that point is reached, success becomes much more achievable. And that is a very good thing since, as mentioned on page 1, some 70 percent of all smokers want to quit, and half try to quit every year, most unsuccessfully. How can the odds in a potential quitter’s favor be improved? You might be thinking, “Finally! It took them long enough to get around to it!” The thing is, it doesn’t require a lot of space to explain workable quitting strategies. That’s because, while quitting isn’t necessarily easy, it isn’t complicated. Here are some basic tips and tools that will dramatically increase any quitter’s chances for success. Employ any or all. Best wishes! • Talk to your doctor about your plans. • Talk to a pharmacist about your plans. • Follow an online quit resource such as exprogram.com or smokefree.gov. Most are free. Whether on your computer or phone, such programs quadruple a tobacco users chance of successfully quitting. • Accept setbacks. Some former smokers tried to quit and failed dozens of times before succeeding. Each attempt increases the chances of success next time. +
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WHY CAN’T I EAT BEFORE MY MEDICAL PROCEDURE? There are a number of reasons, but the top one might be that you want to survive the procedure. Yes, it’s that important. Generally speaking, the “nothing by mouth” order comes into play when a patient will be sedated or under general anesthesia. In such conditions, it’s possible that stomach contents can be aspirated. What exactly does that mean? Well, it isn’t a pretty picture. It means that while unconscious, a person may become nauseated and vomit. That’s no fun even when we’re awake, but under anesthesia it can be an absolute nightmare. It’s possible, even likely, that some of the vomit can be inhaled (or aspirated) into the lungs. Even if that happens during surgery and doctors can immediately apply suction, there is a significant risk for lung damage and infection. Heartburn is a reminder of the caustic nature of stomach acids. Imagine the damage acids can cause to delicate lung tissue. Partially digested foods have no business in the lungs, and a common result of aspiration is infections, and they can be very serious, even fatal. There are countless cases in medical literature involving patients who lied to their doctor prior to surgery (“Nope, I haven’t eaten since last night”) who ended up paying a very high price: days or weeks on a ventilator, and sometimes death. Anyone playing that game is pulling a fast one on himself. Granted, it’s possible that a person could sail through an operation with flying colors despite ignoring doctor’s orders on NPO (from the Latin, nil per os, literally “nothing by mouth”). The instructions are a precaution, but they do add one more level of safety and remove one more source of potential risk. Some people counter, accurately, that victims of car accidents, gunshots and stabbings, etc., are operated on without having to go NPO for 8 hours prior to surgery. Trauma surgeons are aware of this and take action accordingly. The bottom line: not eating before a procedure helps doctors focus on the job at hand, not the unexpected complication of your doing. It helps you get well faster. +
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(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. © 2024 PEARSON GRAPHIC 365 INC.
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SHORT STORIES Who is this?
DECEMBER 6, 2024
#224 IN A SERIES
Y
ou probably don’t recognize her, but she was one of the most influential women in American history. She fundamentally changed society in ways that are still felt today. What is all the more remarkable is that she rose to national and international prominence from a starting point of obscurity, financial insecurity and social and family issues. For example, she was teased and bullied in school because of her name (Elizabeth Bloomer). At age 16, her father died in the family’s garage while working under their car. It was never confirmed whether his death was an accident or suicide, but either way, the family lost its provider. It was later revealed that both her father and her brother were alcoholics, as was her first husband. Despite these obstacles and setbacks, Elizabeth Bloomer went on to study dance under Martha Graham, dance at Carnegie Hall, and even played a role in an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. None of which explains why she would be profiled in a publication that focuses on health and medicine. Those were never her fields, yet she managed to make an enormous impact in the pursuit of wellness and improving the quality of life for millions of Americans. It all really started for Elizabeth when she married her second husband, Jerry. It’s hard to comprehend today, but divorce carried with it a huge stigma in 1947. Nevertheless, she managed to remarry well: Jerry was a lawyer and Navy veteran. Jerry’s job was extremely demanding, but just when he promised to cut back and spend more time with the family and less time working, the vice president of the United States, Spiro Agnew, resigned. President Nixon nominated Jerry — well, officially it was Gerald — to serve out the remainder of Agnew’s term as vice president. Being in the Washington spotlight, many things became public about Elizabeth (who had been called Betty since childhood). During her husband’s Senate vice presidential confirmation hearings, it surfaced that Betty had received care from a psychiatrist. The Fords handled the revelations calmly, and the news did not derail Ford’s confirmation. Over the next few years, Betty Ford pioneered attitudes that were nothing short of revolutionary at the time that are routine today. For instance, she spoke openly about her diagnosis of breast cancer. That was virtually unheard of at the time. Her years of dancing resulted in some lingering pain from old injuries, and as a result Betty became increasingly dependent upon pain medication. Without even realizing it, she drifted into the family tradition of alcoholism too, although at the time she thought her alcohol consumption was normal. When these matters were revealed by the news media, Betty Ford openly and without shame brought the topics into the light of mainstream conversation. Having witnessed her mother’s labors as a single mother, Betty campaigned for equal rights and pay for women. She was the sole representative of the Nixon administration to attend the funeral of Alberta King, the assassinated mother of Martin Luther King. Betty Ford’s impact was ultimately greater and more lasting than her husband, much of it in the broad realm of health and wellness. +
I was in the throes of my internal medicine rotation, going through a depression flare and doing my best to cry at home and not at the hospital. One day as I was about to interview a patient with metastatic brain cancer, the resident interrupted my start of the interview, made her own quick assessment and quipped, “make sure you do a through physical” (for a patient who already had a complete workup) before abruptly leaving the room. Something about that morning, about my complete uselessness as a part
of the medical team, my glaring knowledge deficit and any experience in basic inpatient care, and general misery of the season hit me and the tears came. They were unstoppable, and I was new at that hospital and didn’t know where any of the bathrooms were. I had no place to hide except this poor guys’s room. Of course he noticed. “Hey... Areou ok?” he said softly. “Sorry, I just... I’m just under a lot of pressure“ I replied, barely getting the words out.
“Here take a seat.” “Thanks,” I sniffled, and sat at the foot of his bed. “It’s a lot, isn’t it?” he said knowingly. “Yes, it is.” I replied, knowing my comments were selfish but being too needy in that moment to be stoic. We talked for a little while. I don’t remember the rest of the conversation. It wasn’t profound. But this man with metastatic, very likely terminal cancer, who deserved so much more sympathy than I did, had enough heart to be nice to a medical student. +
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ADVENTURES IN
Middle Age BY J.B. COLLUM
ten it a few times. To compensate for this, I bought an Apple Watch several years ago. It is also a phone all on its own, so when I didn’t have my phone, I got by talking on the watch, which caused some curious looks, but I’m used to that by now with my echo location experiments mentioned earlier. The watch also doubles as another way to pay for things in case I forget my phone and my wallet, which I have also done. I can’t remember if I already told you that or not. Night driving is another challenging exercise. If the streets are well lit, it’s not so bad, but going down a dark country road with periodic bright headlights shining in my eyes basically results in me praying a lot and hoping for the best. If it is cold and the windshield wants to fog up, it’s much worse because I have to try to find the controls to turn on the defogger while barreling down the road trying not to run into a herd of deer, or the edge of a log left too close to the road by clean-up crews after the storm went through. It is still bad out there in that regard. What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, night vision. If you then add to the deer and the debris driving on a multi-lane super highway like I-520 or I-285 or any one of the seemingly thousands of eight-lane roads in metro Atlanta with one million bright headlights in your eyes, you can see how going out at night can be an unappetizing proposition. I think I mentioned before that my friend and his wife took us out to Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Atlanta for our anniversary but I had to drive. I almost turned them down, but I didn’t want to seem ungrateful and I knew my wife would make me regret it if I did. It is sad that it has come to this. I could keep going on and on about what I have lost, but my editor and publisher have been begging me to not be so wordy, so we will pick this back up in the next issue. That is, if I remember. So, no guarantees. We’ll either get back to this subject or go off on another tangent. I feel the need to end this on a high note though, so I will share one more thought. There are some benefits to losing certain abilities. I have noticed that my children tend to be a lot more helpful now when they see me struggling. They offer to drive me, or even completely take over a task for me, so there is that. For instance, I hardly ever have to cut the grass anymore, but that also coincided with me buying a really nice zero turn mower. That could be a factor. +
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Mark Twain once said, “of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most.” I understand his sentiment. Not that I’ve completely lost my mind, just aspects of it. Unfortunately it isn’t just my mind either. My short-term memory is a less reliable means of storing information than a chalk board in a hurricane. My fading night vision has made me try to figure out if it is possible for humans to learn echo-location like bats and dolphins have. So far, the answer to that is a resounding no, but it has drawn more attention to me as I walk along in the twilight making strange whistles and clicks in my effort to research the subject. I’ll hear something on television that makes me want to look up more info, but the time it takes me to pull out my phone and open a browser to search is enough time for me to forget what I was searching for. As an example, just a few days ago I was watching The Rookie, which I have been binge-watching lately, and saw an actress who looked familiar but I couldn’t remember (shocker, right?) where I had seen her before. So I pulled out my phone and then couldn’t remember what I wanted to look for, so I put it back in my pocket and went back to watching the show. When I saw her again, I remembered and with the help of my phone, then figured out she played the sister of Lois Lane in one of the superman shows. This is not an isolated case. Related to my bad short-term memory, I also lose things regularly. It is mostly because I put things down and forget where I put them. Sometimes they remain hidden for months because I put them somewhere I never think to look. The good news is that I now have lots of extra tape measures, screw drivers, pens and various other tools. I’ve taken to having designated places for certain things and even multiple designated places to keep duplicates. I have screwdrivers in my office, bedroom, shop, camper, and my truck. The same goes for flashlights, tape measures and many other tools. After all, the older I get, the less time I have to look for things. Rituals and routines help. When I get in my truck to go somewhere, I reach down to make sure I have my wallet. Then I plug my phone in to the truck, mostly to make sure I didn’t leave it at home. I have to have my keys or I couldn’t enter or start the truck, so that part is a cinch. Then I buckle up. Not following this ritual has led to me to discover I didn’t have my wallet, but not until checking out at Home Depot. I specifically mention them because they don’t support paying with my phone yet. Technology can help with my poor memory, but only when the merchants cooperate. Come on, Home Depot, get with the program! The same applies with my phone when I don’t follow the ritualistic pattern. I’ve forgot-
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I CAN’T EVEN REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I FORGOT SOMETHING.
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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UFOs ARE GONE NOW After a grand total of 1,650 UFO sightings, including 757 between May 2023 and June 2024 alone (according to a report to Congress), UFOs will disappear. Why? Because they will now be called, “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena,” or UAPs. Problem solved. Orwell and George Carlin would love it. This is far from the first time we have collectively decided to change to more pleasant and acceptable nomenclature. Here are a few examples.
Infantile Paralysis became Polio. My uncle E. D. had infantile paralysis back in the 30s. (E. D. did not stand for anything. Granny said that was all she could think of, so she named him E. D. Nobody argued with Granny once her mind was made up.). My cousin Coleman, aka “Little Man,” had polio in the 50s. The change in terms did not lessen his suffering. Smoker’s cough became
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (most of the time) A series by Bad Billy Laveau
early COPD. Abbreviations are less stigmatizing than the descriptive words Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Gonorrhea and syphilis became STD. Certainly less shameful than Sexually Transmitted Disease. I know there are a litany of additional diseases clumped under the STD umbrella, but let’s not mess up a good story with facts. Dumping garbage became Waste Management. Burn barrels that most everyone had in the last century are now “atmosphere pollution devices” and are frowned upon by the white tennis shoe ladies at civic meetings.
TVs with a kid changing channels became Home Entertainment Centers with 13 different remote devices, some of which you cannot find or remember how to use. Bible reading before class became “divisive and white supremacy.” Heavens to Betsy, we can’t have teachers telling kids to not steal and not kill anyone. That might infringe upon a child’s right to freedom of expression. Or make him feel discriminated against. The Pledge of Allegiance each morning became disrespectful to “newcomers” who saw no need for restrictive documentation. Drunk driving became “operating a vehicle while medicated.” After all, who can blame someone for realizing he missed his nerve medicine for 3 days, so he took them all at once on the way to Drunk Drop In Bar.
DECEMBER 6, 2024 Family fights became “domestic disturbances.” Gunshots down the street became “neighborhood disturbances.” Do you think the person receiving lead bullets felt less inflicted? When a cop is chasing a murder suspect and rams him with the police car, the cop testifies in court that he “performed a VRM.” (Vehicle Redirection Maneuver). It sounds gentler to the jury while the suspect in suing the cop for depriving him of his “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” “Tongue-tied” became a “speech impediment.” And then later on, “verbally challenged.” But therein resides something I do not understand. My twin aunts, Hazel and Helen, were tongue tied … except when they sang in church. Their voices could bring tears to the eyes of the most vile heathens. They amazed me. Gave me chills. The Church congregation never mentioned it other than to say, “The Good Lord works in strange and mysterious ways.” And I am not one to question God’s work. Not a good plan. If you don’t grasp that, I suggest you need a stronger religion. Criminal arson of burning about 500 building nationwide by the BLM crowd was “Mostly Peaceful.” I don’t think the owners of destroyed businesses and livelihoods thought it was mostly peaceful.
Weather cycles became “global warming.” That became “global climate change.” No one mentions that we have been in a global warming cycle ever since the last Ice Age. Colleges had free forums where anyone could speak on any subject without fear of reprisals. Some say what is available now are “free speech cages,” confining free speech to specific areas, limiting rather than promoting open expression. “Freedom of speech” means you can only say what the crowd agrees with. Diversity means you must agree with them. College Education has become College Indoctrination, at least to some degree. They seemed to have forgotten that one of our founders said he would fight to the death to protect your right to say things he was totally opposed to. Our society has a way of softening any phrase that is offensive to someone … meaning it doesn’t fit into their personal comfort zone. Is that good? I fear not. Reality is not always smooth, soft, and socially acceptable. Mike Tyson once said, “Everybody has a plan … until you get punched in the nose.” He was speaking physically, but the same applies to mentally. One needs to hear the unvarnished truth. A verbal punch in the nose might awaken a new thought process and be beneficial to you and me and the world. +
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Questions. And answers. On page 13.
TRYTHISDISH DECEMBER 6, 2024
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by Kim Beavers, MS, RDN, CDCES Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Chef Coach, Author
THANKSGIVING BOWL
Last time I checked, it was completely appropriate to be thankful on days not named Thanksgiving. Your taste buds will thank me for these recipes, inspired by the noodle bowl concept. It is an easy way to customize a meal for one or many.
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Bowl Base: • 1 cup salad greens OR • ½ cup leftover starch (mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes or rice)
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Place base ingredients in a bowl and add toppings of choice. (Toppings can be any leftovers that you have from Thanksgiving such as, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, turkey, toasted pecans, macaroni and cheese, etc.) Top your bowl with cranberry vinaigrette (recipe below) Make Kim’s Thanksgiving Bowl by placing 1 cup mixed greens in a bowl. Top with: • ¼ cup collards • ¼ cup mashed potatoes • ¼ cup corn • ¼ cup quinoa or rice • ¼ cup shredded carrots • ¼ cup sliced cucumbers • 2 ounces turkey • 2 tablespoons cranberry vinaigrette Yield: 1 serving Nutrition Breakdown: Calories 370, Fat 15g (3.5g saturated fat), Cholesterol 50mg, Sodium 420mg, Carbohydrate 40g, Fiber 7g, Protein 23g. Diabetes Exchanges: 2 Vegetables, 2 Starches, 2 ½ Lean Meat, 2 Fat Tim’s Thanksgiving Bowl Place 1 cup mashed potatoes
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in a bowl. Top with: • ¼ cup corn • 1 cup green beans • 3 ounces turkey • 2 tablespoons cranberry vinaigrette • 1 tbsp chopped pecans Yield: 1 Serving Nutrition Breakdown: Calories 480, Fat 20g (6g saturated), Cholesterol 75mg, Sodium 600mg, Carbohydrate 46g, Fiber 6g, Protein 30g. Diabetes Exchanges: 2 Vegetables, 2 ½ Starches, 3 Lean Meats, 3 Fats Cranberry Vinaigrette • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or any herbs you have
left over) • 1 teaspoon honey • ½ teaspoon salt • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper • ½ cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce Place all ingredients into a pint sized jar, put a lid on and shake to combine. Dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. Yield: 8 Servings (serving size: 2 tablespoons) Nutrition Breakdown: Calories 90, Fat 7g (1g saturated), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 150mg, Carbohydrate 7g, Fiber 0g, Protein 0g, Added sugar 5g. Carbohydrate Choices: ½ Carbohydrate Diabetes Exchanges: ½ Other Carbohydrate, 1 Fat +
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DECEMBER 6, 2024
TO VACATION OR NOT? That is the question. by Ken Wilson Steppingstones to Recovery When I was a church pastor I planned a rare weeklong vacation, and a member of my congregation apparently didn’t think I should be gone that long. He said “The devil doesn’t take a vacation!” and I curtly replied, “Correct – and I’d be just like him if I don’t!” As a counselor, sometimes I think my job security stems from what people do on vacation! In my line of work The January Effect is an influx of new clients due to excesses during the holidays. I mean, people do crazy things while celebrating on vacation. So for this month I’ll digress from the series on how to find a treatment program due to the timeliness of addressing the holidays and addiction. The holidays are hard
enough as they are, notwithstanding adding in addiction. One thing is for sure – addiction doesn’t take a vacation! It’s a sleeping tiger, always ready to pounce and consume everything good in its reach, even after resting up with sobriety. The addict, whether in recovery or not, undergoes a plethora of emotions which run the gamut from overwhelming feelings of sadness to the heights of elation – just like the affected family. They are like those old-fashioned jumping beans which appear out of control. And the holiday season seems to be getting longer and longer, right?!! Remember when holiday music wouldn’t start ‘til after Thanksgiving? And Christmas trees weren’t available ’til then either? I was in a local big-box building supply store in September and employees were putting
up lighted Christmas trees already! Go figure. I was just getting past Labor Day! For the addict/alcoholic, if you want to have a memorable holiday in a positive way, go ahead and play the tape forward to January 2 and think of how good you’ll feel then if you don’t relapse during the holiday. It’s like someone in Weight Watchers visualizing themselves in pants that are 6” less in circumference. Everything such a guy puts in his mouth is then carefully calculated. This works. We gravitate towards our fantasies, upside or down. Remember The Vacuum Principle: wherever there’s a vacuum, something will rush in to fill it up. If you have lots of holiday downtime, have a plan to be engaged in something positive so you won’t be “sucking wind” when the sleeping tiger
wakes up. If you fail to plan, plan to fail. If you go to a party where there is alcohol, go with a friend and agree ahead of time that you’ll be accountable to each other. Perhaps you can have a signal to leave and - no questions asked - leave when you or they signal. For families of the addicted one, know that it is normal to feel a variety of emotions this season. Perhaps there is still active addiction going on, or perhaps you haven’t had closure on past negative events such as theft or other actions resulting in loss of trust. Here come those emotional jumping beans again. Get a support system. Write it all out and maybe share with the loved one
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who is in recovery or needs to be. Exercise your power by doing so and not practicing co-dependent behavior of weakly waiting, watching, and hoping. If company is coming who enjoy alcohol, decide how you’ll control the flow of it – maybe talk about it before a cork is popped, or decide how you’ll cut it off the second a single person begins to get crazy. If the flow merely slows down, things won’t get better. Always worse. Guaranteed. Like the addict/alcoholic, think about attending selfhelp group functions such as sober dances and bringa-dish dinners. I promise you, there’s no more fun in the whole wide world than a social occasion with people in recovery! Take - and enjoy without guilt - a good, planned vacation or you might just join the devil in his misery. +
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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER
DECEMBER 6, 2024
PRINT CRASH
COURSE
IS DEAD WELL, A LOT OF IT IS.
More Americans have died on US roads since 2006 than in World Wars I & II combined
W
as substantial. And that it’s especially pronounced in people who take a toke only occasionally. That matters for safety’s sake for anyone who drives, even if they’ve never smoked marijuana. It also matters because cannabis is the #1 most prevalent illicit drug identified in impaired drivers. Over time, fewer and fewer states categorize marijuana as “illicit,” and more are sure to come. But really, what bearing does that have on anything? Who cares if someone is impaired by a legal drug or an illegal one? The people they collide with might end up just as dead either way. This time of year happens to be peak season for getting buzzed the old-fashioned way, too: with alcohol. Trips for family gatherings. Christmas parties. New Years Eve. For whatever the reason, drunk driving/impaired driving/buzzed driving kills more than 10,000 people every year. Well over half (56%) of all drivers who arrive in trauma centers after being involved in fatal or serious injury crashes test positive for at least one drug. The stereotype is that the drunk or impaired driver is never the one killed in these crashes; it’s always the innocent, sober other driver. Stereotypes are sweeping, inaccurate generalizations, but for the sake of argument let’s assume this one is true. Let’s also state as fact (not an assumption) that not one of the impaired perpetraitor drivers — not a single one — (and yes, we misspelled that word on purpose) believed they would cause a crash. They probably all realized they were impaired to some degree, of course. But none of them imagined the tragedy and permanent grief they were about to unleash on unsuspecting strangers. It’s especially sad considering that getting a ride home if you’ve been partaking of something has never been easier. As NHTSA likes to reminds us, If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. +
{
ell, don’t just look lively. Be lively. Be alert. Be attentive, on your toes, on your guard, observant, wide awake, on the ball, vigilant, watchful, bright-tailed and bushy-eyed. Wait...reverse that last one. Not that any of us have to display these qualities all the time. Within the context of this column, we’re talking about doing all of the above specifically while driving. It seems like something you would read and say, “Well duh. That’s obvious.” And you would be correct. The problem is that people know it’s not a good idea to drive impaired, but they do it anyway. “I’ll be okay. It’s only a couple miles. I could do it blindfolded.” Be careful what you say. It might come true. Actually, not might come true. Does come true: according to recent figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 8.6 percent of weekend nighttime drivers tested positive for marijuana. Even more recent NHTSA roadside surveys found 12.6 percent of drivers positive for marijuana, a 48 percent increase in less than 10 years. If those numbers are a couple years old due to the lag in acquiring data and then compiling it, but do you imagine the numbers would be lower for 2024? Hardly. This would be a good time to take a weed side trip to address a common misconception about marijuana use within the Crash Course context. Many people think that not only does marijuana not contribute to impaired driving; it can actually make you a safer driver. Clinical research suggests that belief — especially the even safer part — is pure nonsense. A 2015 study published in the journal Clinical Chemistry reported, “Evidence suggests recent smoking and/or blood THC concentrations of 2-5 ng/mL are associated with substantial driving impairment, particularly in occasional smokers.” (Italics ours) Notice that the impairment is described
{
BUZZ KILL
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
READ THE EXAMINER ANYWHERE!
THEMEDICALEXAMiNERJOKESPAGE +
* ANTICIPATION REALITY AVOID PAGE 13 IF POSSIBLE
*
VISIT AUGUSTARX.COM
DECEMBER 6, 2024
11
AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER
the blog spot
Sparkle
— posted by Vivek Podder, MD on November 24, 2024
BELIEF IN GOD: MEDICINE’S GUIDING LIGHT THROUGH EVERY CHALLENGE In medicine, there’s a rhythm we grow accustomed to: diagnose, treat, move on to the next patient. But for me, beneath that rhythm, there has always been a quiet hum: belief. Not the kind that seeks to explain every event or outcome, but the kind that reassures you that even when things go wrong, you are exactly where you need to be. Faith in God didn’t arrive through one grand moment for me. It was a slow realization, woven through small instances of failure and frustration. When something slipped through my hands—an opportunity, an outcome I worked hard for—I often felt the sting of disappointment. But somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing those moments as endings and started recognizing them as beginnings. Every time something felt like a loss, it was as though God was simply clearing space for something better. This belief has reshaped my perspective in ways I never anticipated. When things don’t go as planned, I don’t see them as setbacks anymore. I see them as part of a larger journey I may not yet fully understand. It’s a perspective I take into my work as a physician. There’s comfort in knowing that not every outcome is in my control, but I still have a responsibility to keep moving forward, learning, adapting, and growing. Recently, I’ve come to see how this faith in God also helps me connect with my patients. When a patient faces bad news or uncertainty, I don’t always have the answers. But I know that my role is not just to treat them but to walk with them, trusting that we are both on a path where something greater is at work. It allows me to offer more than medical advice—it allows me to offer hope, even when the outcome remains uncertain. Each challenge I’ve faced has helped me grow, not because I always had the strength to overcome it, but because I believed that something better was on the horizon. Faith doesn’t take away the hardship; it helps me see beyond it. It keeps me grounded in the belief that, even when life takes unexpected turns, there’s a purpose guiding each step. I’ve realized that in life, just like in medicine, you can’t always predict the path ahead. But faith in God offers a sense of calm amidst the unpredictability. It reminds me that even when I face professional or personal challenges, I’m never truly alone. There’s always something working in the background, turning missed opportunities into greater ones and failures into lessons I couldn’t have learned any other way. In the end, faith in God doesn’t replace the science of medicine—it complements it. It allows me to keep going when the path is unclear and to help my patients do the same. Every challenge becomes part of a larger journey of growth, healing, and hope, reminding me that medicine, like faith, is about believing in what we cannot always see but trusting that it will carry us forward. +
FAITH DOESN’T REPLACE SCIENCE; IT COMPLEMENTS IT
Vivek Podder is a physician in Bangladesh
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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER
The Examiners +
Well, I am officially old.
Why do you say that?
by Dan Pearson
Not only am I old, but the proof is that I am in decent shape.
What are you talking about?
Guess what? You are officially old.
Someone described me today as “spry.”
PUZZLE
ACROSS 1. Hit 5. Worth lead-in 9. Bob of This Old House 13. Pacers’ school 14. ____ Flu 16. Nation east of Iraq 17. Voice of Shrek’s Princess Fiona 18. Synagogue leader 19. Former Dawg Gurley 20. Monetary unit of Thailand 22. Dougherty County seat 24. Speedwagon starter 25. Freshwater fish 26. Inner prefix 28. Brother of John and Robert 29. Macon county 32. Malt beverage 33. Diarist Anais 34. Boston diamond 36. Chop 37. Prostate test abbrev. 38. Letters always associated with “bad” 39. Mature 40. White of the eye 42. Relaxing anagram of 37-A 43. Take home 44. Bold, for instance 45. Lair 46. Thermometer type 48. Containing iodine 50. Synonym of 39-A 51. Johns, artist born in Augusta 53. Actor who died in 2008 from drug intoxication 57. Type of list 58. Pelvic exercise 61. Roof overhang 62. Second-hand 63. Intestinal bacteria 64. Requirement
NUMBER BY
2
3
4
5
13
14
17
18
20
6
7
22
32
34
37
35
38
41
39
42
44
43
45
46
49
47
50
52
53
57
58
62
63
65
31
16
29
33
51
30
12
23
28
48
11
25
27
36
10
19
24
40
9 15
21
26
8
59
60
54
55
56
61
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
Click on “MYSTERY WORD” • DEADLINE TO ENTER: NOON, DEC. 15, 2024
We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!
3 E 1 8 7 79 S 2 1 X 5 U A 4 6 M 6 5 7 2 D I 1 9 O N 6 8 1 4 5 K E 1 8 4 3 U R by Daniel R. Pearson © 2024 All rights reserved.
64 66
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
by Daniel R. Pearson © 2024 All rights reserved.
65. Kelly of note 66. Throw 67. Makes leather DOWN 1. Ear _____ 2. _______ Minor 3. Improvised jazz singing 4. Certain lights on a car 5. Coen brothers film of 1996 6. Eggs (Latin) 7. ____ eye 8. Short coat (of the Middle Ages) 9. C or D, for example 10. Resolve differences (with “out”) 11. Type of bug 12. Common conjunction 15. World’s longest river 21. Natal start 23. Ancient tower 25. Mr. Hogan 26. Vote into office 27. Recently 28. Stroke abbrev.
30. Master (in Africa) 31. Ring-shaped bread roll 32. Massage reactions 33. Ft. Gordon occupant 34. Fed. med. agency 35. Up until now 37. Before surgery, in short 38. M.D. asst. 41. Installment of a TV show 42. Not sweet, in wine terms 45. Type of deposit 46. Metal-bearing mineral 47. ________ Blvd. (near MCG) 49. Former Augusta mayor, to friends 50. Downtown street 51. Joseph (in Juarez) 52. Capital of Yemen 54. Greek goddess of the Earth 55. Uniform 56. Ohio team 57. Type of boat 59. Gunk 60. Ernie of the PGA Solution p. 14
QUOTATIONPUZZLE P T B N D E P A F I I T W T W O F E O N O E W
E D E R S R E U P T O S ’
T L M S
1 8 5 4 3 9 8 2 6 3 E 7 O1 E 4 E7 9 6 A 2 5
6 7 2 5 4 9 3 8 1
— Author unknown
by Daniel R. Pearson © 2024 All rights reserved
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.
D L A 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 N’ ’ K 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4
— Daniel J. Boorstin
1.WEEDDLIKKYY 2.HENNISIVOOD 3.AAUUUDDEOO 4.WWCRTNNN 5.ANTT 6.IT 7.IN 8.GO 9.N
SAMPLE:
1. ILB 2. SLO 3. VI 4. NE 5. D =
L 1
O 2
V 3
E 4
I 1
S 2
B 1
L 2
I 3
N 4
D 5
by Daniel R. Pearson © 2024 All rights reserved
WORDS
1
THE MYSTERY WORD The Mystery Word for this issue: PSEOHCI
©©2024 2024Daniel DanielPearson PearsonAllAllrights rightsreserved. reserved.
EXAMINER CROSSWORD
DECEMBER 6, 2024
7 9 8 1 5 4 2 3 6
4 6 5 3 8 2 1 7 9
2 3 1 9 7 6 5 4 8
DECEMBER 6, 2024
13
AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER
THEBESTMEDICINE ha... ha...
A
seedy dive bar opened across the street from a church that believed drinking was a mortal sin. At his first sermon after the bar opened, the preacher urged his congregation to fervently pray that the bar might perish. A week later lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. The irate owner sued the church, claiming the church members’ prayers caused the destruction of his business. On behalf of the church, the preacher adamantly denied all the accusations made by the dive bar owner, so the matter ended up court. After hearing the bar owner and the preacher state their arguments, the judge admitted he was stumped. “This is a most confusing case,” the judge began. “My dilemma: the owner of the bar believes in the power of prayer, but the church does not.” Lilly: Whenever I’m down in the dumps I buy myself a new dress. Millie: So that’s where you get them. Lilly: I was using our computer the other day and I discovered something that made
The
Advice Doctor
me furious. Millie: Oh my. What was it? Lilly: My husband’s profile on a dating site! The big fat liar! He’s so dishonest. I will tell you, he is not “fun to be around.”
©
Moe: Did you hear about the Black Friday sale at the Lego Store? Joe: No. What happened? Moe: People were lined up for blocks. Moe: I despise clickbait! Joe: You and me both. Moe: Give me 30 seconds and I could make a list of at least 20 reasons why I hate it. Joe: And let me guess: I won’t believe #9? Moe: Do you ever sing in the car when you’re by yourself? Joe: Sure, all the time. Doesn’t everyone? Moe: I don’t. Joe: You never sing in the car? Moe: Well I do, but not much. Actually, only when the car is in reverse. Joe: What? That is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. Moe: Seriously? You’ve never heard of a backup singer? Moe: They should have stocked the Titanic with as much root beer as it could hold. Joe: What on earth for? Moe: Duh. Root beer floats, Einstein. Moe: I got an email showing me how to read maps backwards. Joe: I believe that’s spam. +
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.
Dear Advice Doctor, I am newly divorced and I want to get back into the dating scene, as distasteful as that feels to me. I know there are many options involving apps and the internet, but I wanted to go old school and actually meet people face-to-face. It has not gone well, which is a completely foreign experience for me. Am I losing my touch? That would be a real slap in the face on top of what I’ve already been through. It’s bad enough to suffer through a divorce. — Please Help One Become Two Dear Please Help, This is definitely a troubling situation, no doubt about it. I sympathize with you, and I’m sure many readers do too. Millions of people have to endure the same thing you’re experiencing. After all, neuropathy — a fancy medical word for losing your touch — can have a number of causes, including injury, diabetes, cancer treatment, autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, and others. And if that isn’t enough, there is idiopathic neuropathy, which simply means the cause is unknown. Whatever the cause, neuropathy boils down to defects in our nerves resulting in weakness, numbness or pain (or all three), usually in hands and feet. Some people suffer from excruciating tingling in their hands and feet. It may sound trivial, but they will often wish for complete numbness. Closely related, sometimes neuropathy results in extreme sensitivity to touch. Neuropathy can be dangerous. For instance, when someone’s foot is numb and they can’t feel exactly where it is, the result can be a fall. Or someone might be unaware of a blister on their foot or a small pebble in their shoe. By the time it’s discovered, a serious infection could be raging. Sometimes that can even lead to amputations. Anyone experiencing neuropathy should check with their doctor to identify the cause and/or treatment. Being a compliant patient goes a long way toward successful treatment. Other helpful suggestions to minimize (or prevent) neuropathy: monitor and control your blood glucose levels, quit smoking, and drink alcohol moderately if at all. I hope this answers your question. Thanks for writing! + Do you have a question for The Advice Doctor about health, life, love, personal relationships, career, raising children, or any other important topic? Send it to News@AugustaRx.com. Replies will be provided only in the Examiner.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE MEDICALEXAMINER Why read the Medical Examiner: Reason #84 +
+
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
BEFORE READING
AFTER READING
6 8 1 14
4 5 8 4 3
THE MYSTERY SOLVED The Mystery Word in our last issue was: STATINS ...cleverly hidden in the p. 11 ad for MEDICAL VILLA PHARMACY
THE WINNER: ANGELIQUE MITCHELL! 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!
DECEMBER 6, 2024
AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER THE PUZZLE SOLVED B A S H F O R T V I L A U S C A A V I A N I R A N D I A Z R A B B I T O D D S A T A N G A L B A N Y R E O B R E A M E N D O T E D B I B B A L E N I N F E N W A Y H E W P S A L D L A G E S C L E R A S P A N E T T Y P E D E N O R A L I O D I C E R A J A S P E R L E D G E R T O D O K E G E L E A V E U S E D E C O L I N E E D G E N E T O S S T A N S
SEE PAGE 12
QuotatioN QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION If we were meant to pop out of bed we’d sleep in toasters. — Author unknown
WORDS BY NUMBER
Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know. — Daniel J. Boorstin
The Celebrated TheSUDOKUsolution MYSTERY WORD CONTEST 1 8 6 7 4 2 3 5 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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9 8 1 5 4 2 3 6
6 5 3 8 2 1 7 9
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1 7 6 9 3 8 2 4
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