Medical Examiner 12-18-20 by Daniel Pearson

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DECEMBER 18, 2020

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Let’s spend a few calm, quiet and rational minutes talking about everyone’s favorite subject, the coronavirus. (Part 12 of a feature of unknown duration.) Note: if you missed Parts 3 through 10, those came out during late spring and summer while the Examiner was online only. 1, 2 and 11 are in print. If you want to catch up, they’re all available any time at www.issuu.com/medicalexaminer.

Here at Medical Examiner world headquarters in Augusta, we hear things. We see things. We read things. Sometimes they are reassuring. Other times they’re quite worrisome. In the past few days, just a couple of the things we’ve heard show how much we’re continuing to learn about new or developing symptoms of COVID-19. One of the most disturbing and growing viral symptoms is unfounded skepticism directed at people who frankly have done nothing to deserve the mistrust they’re being shown. Public health officials, for the record, have certainly made mistakes as this pandemic has unfolded. They have said this, and then they’ve said that.

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

DECEMBER 18, 2020

Doing so is actually grounds for greater trust, not less. They didn’t cover up their mistakes or fail to correct them to avoid embarrassment or protect their reputations. They issued the best recommendations they could based on what they knew at that time. As new information came out (after all, this is a “novel,” or new virus), they updated us all. A fair

assessment of what we’ve been told to do and not do suggests public health officials are more concerned with getting the truth out and protecting us than they are looking good themselves. So with that as a backdrop, it’s disconcerting to hear on the one hand that top scientists all over the world have been toiling around the clock to develop a vaccine to stop this virus (which has already killed well over a million and a half people), and now that it looks like they’ve succeeded, to hear people left and right say they aren’t going to get the vaccine. Of course, everyone has the right to choose. We haven’t heard any serious calls for mandatory vaccinations. It’s a personal decision. But it’s not the refusals that are bothersome; it’s the reasons behind them. Among the arguments we’ve heard (in person, not online) Please see REALITY page 5

The good old days in Georgia. The current number: about 10,000.

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What actually is a quarantine? Odds are that two things are true: 1.) very few of us can answer this question correctly; and 2.) very few if any of us have ever been through a true quarantine. If you’ve been reading Quarantine!, the book reviewed in the Dec. 4 issue of the Examiner, you may know the answers. The concept dates back to at least Galen, the Roman authority on medicine who, in the 2nd century A.D., warned that it was “dangerous to associate with those afflicted” with certain diseases. Some 350 years later, in 549, Byzantine emperor Justinian decreed one of the earliest laws isolating travelers arriving from areas where plague was raging. The word quarantine, however, is of much newer vintage (relatively speaking) than the middle 500s. In about 1374, writes Dr. Markel in Quarantine!, the Port of Venice, Italy, enacted a law that required ships entering the port — and their goods, crew, and passengers — to be quarantined for forty days before they were allowed to disembark. Quarantina means “forty” in Italian. Quaranta giorni means “forty days.” As you might imagine, the ardors of a long voyage were not relieved by having the destination port come into view, not if you then had to languish aboard ship for another 40 days. Others in the 14th and 15th centuries were thinking the same thing, so by 1403 the Port of Venice had built and opened its first maritime isolation hospital, or lazaretto, on a nearby island. Passengers and crew could at least leave the cramped quarters on board for presumably slightly better accommodations in a lazaretto. That word, no doubt new to most of us, means “an isolation hospital for people with infectious diseases, especially leprosy or plague.” It comes from the Italian diminutive of lazarro, meaning “beggar,” which in turn comes from the Latin word lazarus, an etymological reference to the Biblical account of Lazarus, a beggar cover in sores. So if you have to work from home or can’t do many of the things you’re accustomed to freely do, remember the people of the Middle Ages who endured strict isolation in cramped and primitive quarters for forty days. What most of us are enduring this year is a walk in the park by comparison. +

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DECEMBER 18, 2020

#129 IN A SERIES

Who is this? ON THE ROAD TO BETTER HEALTH A PATIENT’S PERSPECTIVE

robably every one of us has benefited directly or indirectly this year in particular from the discoveries of this man, Antoine Germain Labarraque. If he was still alive, he would be one of the public health experts regularly being interviewed on the news during this pandemic. Alas, he was born in 1777, which makes it difficult to still be around in 2020. But his discoveries are alive and well. Labarraque grew up in France, where as a young man he spent two years as an apprentice to a pharmacist before being drafted into the French army, where he served as a pharmacist at a military hospital. He was discharged from the military after contracting typhus, and resumed his studies in pharmacology, this time under the distinguished French chemist Jean-Antoine Chaptal before transferring to the College of Pharmacy in Paris. One of his instructors there was Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, the discoverer of both chromium and beryllium. With such world-class professors, Labarraque seemed destined for big things himself, and sure enough, he is the person behind what used to be called Eau de Labarraque (or “Labarraque water”). Never heard of it? Keep reading. Labarraque lived during a time when diseases were thought to be spread by the foul “miasma” (or nasty odors) emanating from swamps, open sewers or garbage dumps. The miasma carried all kinds of bacteria, said the science of the day, and if you inhaled it you could become infected with disease. Naturally then, there was a major push to eliminate nasty odors. In 1824, Labarraque was summoned to the royal court to assist after King Louis XVIII died from extensive gangrene. Long before his death, the king was surrounded by a foul stench caused by his own rotting (but still living) carcass. When Labarraque arrived, he covered the body with a sheet soaked in Eau de Labarraque, eliminating the offending miasma. Over the next three years, that seemingly simple act earned Labarraque a slew of awards, honors, medals, and memberships in scientific and scholarly societies. But it wasn’t really all that simple in 1824. First, what is Eau de Labarraque? We know it better these days as “bleach.” Labarraque had discovered that water containing a solution of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) was a very effective disinfectant and deodorizer. Labarraque originally made the discovery in 1820 in response to a nationwide call for a solution to the notorious stench that arose from rendering factories. A prize of 1,500 francs was offered for the best proposal, and Labarraque won. What makes Labarraque’s discoveries in disinfecting so remarkable is that he was decades ahead of his time, yet is a relatively forgotten figure in medical history’s chapters on germ theory and infection control. Recall that Labarraque won his 1,500 francs in 1820, while Ignaz Semmelweis famously pioneered hand-washing (using Eau de Labarraque, by the way) in 1847, Louis Pasteur published his sterilization discoveries in 1865, and Joseph Lister published his in 1867. So the next time you use a Clorox wipe to disinfect a surface in your home, say a silent thank you to Antoine Germain Labarraque. +

Editor’s note: Augusta writer Marcia Ribble, Ph.D., is a retired English and creative writing professor who offers her unique perspective as a patient. Contact her at marciaribble@hotmail.com by Marcia Ribble My great-granddaughter Luna has just lost her first front tooth. She showed me the big hole where a tooth used to be and grinned broadly. It reminded me of that old song, “All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth….” I recently read her the Christmas story that was my children’s favorite, “The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher.” Like them, she loves the pictures, charming depictions of families making and decorating Christmas cookies despite the predations of the Snitcher who snitched up all their sprinkles, and of plucky little Nat, who got the sprinkles back. It’s funny how even my grown children, some of them grandparents themselves now, remember and treasure the family activity of making cutout Christmas cookies, regardless of how messy it could be. We never quite managed the kind of cookies they show on the Food Channel. You know, those finely decorated treasures made to resemble the angels, trees, Santas, and stars. I still have a big container full of those cookie cutters. They were not limited to the standard few. We had playing cards cutters, lots of animal cutters, gingerbread girls, boys, and angels of various sizes. But, to tell you the truth our glazed and sprinkled cookies tasted a whole lot better than those made with the hard cardboard taste of royal icing. Today some of the kids and grands prefer their cutout cookies naked. Some prefer chocolate chip cookies. To me that’s a positive reminder that it’s the act of baking together that’s important, like the townsfolks in the story who made cookies en masse, it’s a communal affair. Much of Christmas is like that for me. When the kids were little, we went together as a family to pick out and cut our tree. We worked together to decorate it. We sang carols together. We went to church together. We watched Christmas movies together. We marveled at Grandma and Grandpa’s color TV together, and were thrilled when

we finally got one. We ate big family meals together. I loved those times. To me they are and will remain what Christmas means to me. I was as excited as the kids for Christmas morning to finally arrive. I was often up most of the night making Christmas happen and then waiting for them to wake up and come down the stairs to feel the magic. I loved the controlled chaos of present opening, of a family breakfast, of the afternoon rides to visit the grandparents. All of it, even when it wasn’t the same, was always wonderful. One year, Christmas was extra special because our Lee was born on December 9th. Even that tiny, his eyes registered wonder when we showed him the Christmas tree. You know, it’s funny, because with a few rare exceptions, I can’t remember presents given or presents received, but I can remember the times spent as a family making Christmas happen together. I can remember at five being given a real desk to be a writer and teacher with. I also remember outgrowing it way too fast. I can remember when I was eight and Pam was given a toy train, and I happened to wake up and come down when Mom and Dad were setting it up and getting to play with it first. It was kind of boring because all it did was go around and around. I remember the year the Sister Aunties brought us a nun doll with a habit just like theirs. I remember my bride doll and the year my mom sewed a red corduroy pant set to go with it, many years before women wore pant sets. And I remember the year mom stayed up late at night sewing black velvet jumpers for me and my sisters, even though sewing black on black at night was hurting her eyes. And I remember Dad giving us very cheap copies of classic books, what he could afford, which we treasured and fought over. I kept mine for many, many years and mourned losing them. Such happy memories even in a year when Christmas is anything and everything but normal. +

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

ADVENTURES IN

Middle Age BY J.B. COLLUM

your eyes examined every year. There is no need to suffer with poor vision or to be too proud to get some bi-focal glasses. The other benefit is that the doctor might catch some of the other more serious eye maladies early enough to spare your vision. Conditions like macular degeneration or glaucoma.

the worst anyway. We have also seen quite a few high-profile politicians exhibit a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude as clearly evidenced by their hypocritical actions. When someone who makes the rules for everyone else, claiming that those rules are for our own good, then turns around and violates them, it betrays the fact that perhaps they don’t really believe in the rules either. When this happens, you can maybe forgive some for doubting what they are told, but I encourage people to look at the leaders and the precautions separately. Look at it objectively and scientifically and do what you can to keep yourself and your neighbors safe, but don’t be obnoxious and pushy when other people make different choices. Yes, it would be nice if we really knew exactly what the best things to do were and perfectly balanced freedom with responsibility, and it would be great if everyone did just so, but unless and until that day arrives, let’s just do the best we can with what we know and be considerate of others. Maybe, some years down the road, if we face a new pandemic, the experts will have learned what steps really helped because of the benefit of 2020 20/20 hindsight. +

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The purpose of this issue’s column is two-fold; both related to vision in a sense. What do I mean? The year 2020 is almost over, so I thought it was a good time to review the year in regard to its biggest story, the Covid-19 pandemic. I also thought it would be timely to discuss another aspect of middle age that is only tangentially related to a review of 2020 (or hindsight if you will). That subject is the vision problems that manifest themselves in middle age. So, as we leave the year 2020, our hindsight should be 20/20, but if you are old enough to remember men landing on the moon, you most likely have already left 20/20 vision behind. If you ever had it to begin with, that is. I started noticing that I was holding books farther and farther away around age 40 and I only gave in and bought reading glasses when my arms weren’t long enough anymore. I finally started going to the eye doctor on an annual basis shortly after that. I can still see well enough when it comes to things past five feet or so, but anything within arm’s reach is a blurry mess. My issue is age-related, and it has a name, presbyopia. This is common to almost everyone over the age of 40. When we were children, we could see clearly within an inch or so of our eyeballs as our lenses are still flexible when we are young, but as we age, the lenses become stiffer and unable to flex enough to focus up close. If you are dealing with vision issues and are new to the middle age club, be sure to get

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Let’s hope our 2020 hindsight is 20/20.

However, when it comes to seeing 2020 with 20/20 hindsight, I hope that the people who make decisions about how to deal with health crises like these will learn from their mistakes and see clearly how to best climb out of this chasm we find ourselves in. While we are at it, I hope that the citizens can also be reasonable about the precautions they take and not see a conspiracy behind every rule or recommendation. Or mask for that matter. I do understand how they could be unhappy with some of the leaders and how they have acted during this pandemic though. We have seen a lot of flip-flopping and disagreement about what to do and what not to do, even from so-called experts. All of this happening during a presidential election year surely didn’t help, as most politicians don’t want to let a crisis go to waste if they can use it to their advantage and even if one doesn’t take advantage of it, people will assume

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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are population control, mass sterilization (those two are related), and what we’ll call “the China factor,” which goes something like this: the virus was deliberately created in China and unleashed to bring down the United States; the vaccine is Phase II of the Chinese assault, some kind of Trojan Horse that will seem just fine at first, but then will release its time bomb of deadly side effects six months or a year from now. That argument is reminiscent of one going around a few years ago that AIDS was a virus created deliberately to control populations in Africa or kill off gay communities. In response, one epidemiologist made the comment in an interview that it would have been a million times easier, cheaper and more effective to slip some chemical into Coke or Pepsi to accomplish the deed than to develop and then launch a new disease. The 2020 version of this same conspiracy theory holds that China deliberately launched this virus - in China - with the intention of having it gradually and organically spread its way across the entire globe and into every country on the planet, even though their specific aim in doing so was to bring America to its knees. That would be like the city of Chicago draining all five Great Lakes right through the city and across the state of Illinois and then into the Mississippi River Valley because they want to flood New Orleans off the map. It’s completely illogical. Most of us remember September 11 (although time flies: there are kids with drivers licenses who were too young to remember it or were born after the fact. How is that even possible?), so we know how an enemy can launch deadly coordinated attacks across a wide area simultaneously and with pinpoint precision. We lived through the “dirty bomb” era, where the fear was that a very small device could explode (or just pop open) and spew toxic biological weapons wherever the breezes blew. Experts said the threat was real, and if deployed could make an area uninhabitable for years. Thankfully those fears never materialized. But they illustrate the precision that can be employed in modern warfare. COVID-19 doesn’t fit the profile. Neither does the vaccine. So if you get the chance to be inoculated, have an open mind. Judge the vaccine on its own merits: are there widespread reports of unexpectedly serious side effects among those who already got the shot? Proceed cautiously. If not, have a little trust in the profession whose motto is “Do no harm.” +

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CHRISTMAS MORNING CINNAMON ROLLS These cinnamon rolls are not the very healthiest from the traditional “healthy eating” standpoint, but they are easy to make and good enough to be splurge-worthy. But remember: occasional splurges enjoyed to the fullest extent are in fact healthy! What splurge is worth it to you? Enjoy your splurges strategically and completely with health in mind. Just do it too often!

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Yield: 6 big or 12 small cinnamon rolls Nutrient Breakdown: (Per one small cinnamon roll) Calories 261, Total Fat 12g, Saturated Fat 5g, Cholesterol 20mg, Sodium 210mg, Carbohydrates 35g, Fiber 2g, Protein 4g. Carbohydrate Choices: 2 Carbohydrates Diabetes Exchange Values: 1 Starch, 1 Other Carbohydrate, 3 Fats

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Say what, Ken?!!! Are you crazier now than you were already? Maybe, but let’s take a closer look at one of the most prevalent and misunderstood conditions in America today. It’s a bigger problem than a year ago for sure, thanks to the Coronavirus. And if you are a substance abuser, it’s even tougher to accomplish life when depression hits. The prevalence of depression among substance abusers is much, much higher than it is with non-abusers. Why? Up to 50% of substance abusers have other mental health diagnoses, then you add the reactions of the brain to the irregular supply of foreign chemicals. Throw the upcoming seasonal holidays into the mix, the stress of extra bills and strained family relations due to addiction, and we have an explanation for why Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is worse in December, January, and February. Plus we all know that alcohol is a depressant to the central nervous system. So what’s to be thankful for if you’re depressed? It feels bad. Long-face. Lack of desire to interact with your loved ones. Really now. I know this is the Gospel According to Ken, but in my observation anti-depressant medications have both helped and hurt our society. After even a short time of feeling sad it’s common to seek a prescription for an anti-depressant. Most people think they are Happy Pills but

they are not. They are called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs, and they do just what their name says they’ll do: prevent (“inhibit”) serotonin absorption, which means higher serotonin levels in the brain, which can help relieve depression. As a side effect, they often inhibit sexual expression and overall feelings of joy. On the upside, if there is debilitating depression the pills can keep one from staying on the bottom of the happy scale and make better use of the low levels of feel-good chemicals so life can go on in a reasonable manner. You can’t knock that. My point is, sometimes depression is short lived, and not crippling and can be a good gift to you. And taking an SSRI can rob you of the opportunity to re-evaluate life and slow down to rest and re-focus. Some mental health practitioners actually call depression “the healing illness.” So when you get to feeling sad, before you swallow a pill, think first and say “Thank goodness, I’m depressed!” Citing credible research on this issue, Consumer Reports printed excellent articles on this subject in July 2010 and April 2017 in which a study was done on groups of people with about the same degree of depression. One group took SSRIs alone and one group utilized professional counselors alone, and 13 weeks later both groups reported about the same degree of relief from their depression! Which group was really better off? (Do I really

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need to tell you?) Interestingly, a third group did the best with talk therapy and anti-depressants! Hey, I’m for whatever research proves is best. And by the way, the mode of talk therapy that seems to be most effective in such cases is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Such big words! Look it up…it’s really not scary, and it provides a residual benefit of being able to work through problems in the future and thus ward off a lot of situational depression. Depression is serious. It is too complicated to be understood in a few paragraphs. It is the single largest cause of disability in America today. It is much more acute and serious with substance abusers. Untreated depression leads to suicide, not in the dismal months of winter but more often in spring and summer! It is an equal opportunity disease with such famous people as Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Newton, Leo Tolstoy, and Tennessee Williams suffering from it. +

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DON’T LICK THE BEATERS Useful food facts from dietetic interns with the Augusta University MS-Dietetic Internship Program

SOME LIKE IT HOT by Robert Giddings, Graduate Student Intern, Augusta University

Cayenne, jalapeno, habanero and serrano chili peppers are a popular part of many American’s meals today, comprising the spicy part of a number of dishes and sauces. Chili peppers are the fruiting body of the Capsicum annuum plant, which is a member of the nightshade family. Chili peppers were first grown by ancient farmers in South and Central America, but they are now grown throughout the world, although Spain, Mexico, Turkey, China, and Nigeria are the largest producers. Chili peppers are primarily used in culinary applications but there are also medical and weaponized uses.

Scoville Heat Units Chili peppers contain a bioactive compound known as capsaicin which makes the pepper spicy. Capsaicin is primarily concentrated in the white membrane and seeds of the pepper, and higher concentrations of capsaicin produce a spicier pepper. In 1912, an American pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville created a way to measure the heat of a chili pepper and the Scoville scale was born. The number of Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) represents the number of dilutions of water that the amount of capsaicin found in a pepper would need before it was no longer hot. Today a technique called High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is used to determine the exact concentration of capsaicin in a pepper. For reference, a bell pepper has 0 SHUs while a typical fresh jalapeno has 10,000 SHUs. Some growers have developed hybrid varieties which have significantly higher heat, such as the Carolina

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Reaper which has 2.2 million SHUs. The rating of pure capsaicin is 16 million SHUs. Health Benefits Capsaicin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which means that hot peppers can be a healthy addition to the diet when used in moderation. There are possibilities for capsaicin-based cancer treatments, and research published in Future Oncology suggests that capsaicin may suppress the growth of human prostate cancer cells. Chili peppers are rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene, providing nutrients which contribute to the health of the human immune system by producing white blood cells and protecting mucous membranes from invading pathogens. Capsaicin also helps reduce insulin levels, and a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a reduced risk of hyperinsulinemia, where the body contains too much insulin, among subjects who regularly consume chili peppers. Multiple studies have shown that capsaicin helps control triglycerides, cholesterol, and platelet aggregation, which contributes to overall heart health. Capsaicin is also the primary active ingredient in numerous topical medicines which control surface pain and itch. Be Careful While chili peppers can be a welcome addition to many meals, excessive amounts of capsaicin can be harmful. Capsaicin can be irritating and even painful for people who suffer from

Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. It can also be an irritant to the eyes and nose of humans and animals and is sometimes used as insect and wild animal repellents. Oleoresin capsicum (OC), an extract of chili peppers, is the active ingredient of pepper spray and pepper balls used for self-defense and sometimes for crowd control. OC is an inflammatory agent which causes the mucous membranes, eyes, and upper respiratory regions to painfully swell. When used in this manner it causes runny nose, breathing difficulties, pain in the eyes, and temporary blindness. According to Dr. Atli Arnarson, Medical Research Manager at Healthline Media, these symptoms can be experienced through ingestion and casual contact also, as when someone handles a chili pepper and then touches their eyes or other mucous membrane. Recent online viral challenges have surfaced involving eating hot chili peppers or other foods containing concentrated capsaicin with expected results (but add stomach and intestinal pain, nausea, and vomiting in addition to the previously mentioned effects). Capsaicin supplements are available for the public and are a popular weight loss supplement. While there is speculation that capsaicin may increase calorie burn by increasing body temperature, research is still inconclusive. Capsaicin supplements can have painful side effects for people who have sensitive GI tracts, and there is some evidence that high doses of capsaicin can increase blood pressure. When beginning

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CRASH

COURSE

More Americans have died on US roads since 2000 than in World Wars I & II combined

tion. One of the first is simply the loss of full mental awareness, which can translate as not realizing that you’ve already had too much, and yet you’re still drinking. You also can easily forget the delayed reaction time: the current buzz is from drinks that went down the hatch maybe an hour ago. The drinks you’ve had since will only increase the buzz and decrease brain function. Closely related to the above are additional failures to accurately judge your own capability to drive, and once you get behind the wheel to remember to buckle up, and to observe (or even notice) your speed (as well as the posted speed limit). And there you have the National Safety Council’s top three causes for fatal accidents, all wrapped up in each and every individual impaired driver. What makes accidents caused by driving under the influence especially tragic is that the victims are often stone cold sober. It might be some poor guy coming home from the 4-to-12 shift who gets creamed by an inebriated redlight runner. One goes to the funeral home and the other spends who knows how long locked up in a cage. Fortunately, we live in the Golden Age of Alternate Transportation. It has never been easier to avoid drinking and driving since the invention of cars. Remember cabs? They still exist, and they appreciate your business. So do Lyft and Uber drivers. Or appoint someone to be the designated driver for your outing. And don’t forget to take along your Medical Examiner and show them this page where it says H2O rules. +

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t’s the time of year when a timely reminder about drinking and driving is appropriate, even if it might fall on deaf ears. Year round, the top three causes of highway fatalities (according to the National Safety Council) are alcohol, speeding and lack of seat belt use. 2 It’s hard to imagine that any of those are less of a problem during the holidays. Logic would suggest this is the worst time of year for issues with driving and alcohol, and the numbers bear out that logic. A survey conducted by alcohol.org found that out of 1,000 survey respondents, 40 percent of women and 44 percent of men admitted to binge drinking on New Year’s Eve alone, without even taking the remainder of December into consideration. Alcohol.org defines binge drinking as the consumption of five or more drinks for men (four or more for women) within a two-hour period. Unfortunately, this also means an increase in drunk driving, which ultimately results in a spike in holiday drunk driving accidents. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reported a 12-percent increase in holiday drunk driving accidents in the month of December, with a 40-percent increase during Christmas week and New Year’s Eve. Many people find that they consume alcohol more during the holidays than they usually do during other times of the year. Some people don’t drink at all except during the holidays. Others tend to go a little overboard and drink more than they probably should. There are a whole keg-ful of problems associated with drinking that goes beyond modera-

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H O rules

YOUR CAR DESERVES THE GIFT OF C&C CARE!

DECEMBER 18, 2020

IT’S A QUESTION OF CARE

It Is Better to Give Than to Receive

As we look forward to the Holidays we may be wracking our brains to figure out what sort of gift to give our elderly loved one. Typically, as people age they’ve acquired many items; they no longer need or want something else to put on a shelf or store away in a closet – or to re-gift to someone else. In preparation for the next gift giving opportunity, this is the time when you can think outside of the box and perhaps spend your money on assistance for your loved one, which will in turn give you peace of mind. • One very common item that an elderly person who often lives alone may need is a personal emergency response button. As noted in a previous column, these come in many shapes and sizes with varying features, but the basic premise is that it can alert someone if your loved one has fallen. If you choose one with a GPS function, it can also determine the whereabouts of your loved one. This can be a great gift and only costs approximately $40 per month. • Another layer of assistance that would be appreciated is a meal service or someone to assist with meals. This could be a friend, a church member, or in some cases, a personal chef based upon your budget and your loved one’s preferences. This would not have to be every day, but it could be 2 days per week, which would ensure a nice, tasty but well balanced meal from which there might be leftovers for the next day. If just heating a meal in the microwave will suffice, Freshly is a subscription meal service that sends fresh (not frozen) meals to be cooked in the microwave. • You can also hire a general caregiver. It could be someone your family knows, or you might use someone through an agency. This person would assist your loved one with daily living activities or possibly transportation or shopping. Often, elderly people do not want to spend the money for such help even though they desperately need it. It’s a great way for you to give them a gift that they will eventually recognize as priceless. • For years, our loved ones have done their own yard and housework, but as their physical abilities wane, they need assistance with these tasks. They are often reluctant to spend their money on these services. Paying for a housekeeping service once every 3-4 weeks or a lawn service once per month can give you peace of mind and offer them the reassurance their home and surroundings are neat and clean. + by Amy Hane, a licensed Master Social Worker in South Carolina and Georgia, an Advanced Professional Aging Life Care Manager and also a Certified Advanced Social Work Case Manager.

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

The blog spot From the Bookshelf — posted by Christine King, CRNA, on December 8, 2020

COVID-19 AND THE CRUEL DEATH OF MY MOTHER I am very happy to hear that the CDC decided to prioritize health care workers and long-term care residents to be the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. It is very personal to me as a health care worker and a daughter. My mom was admitted to an assisted living/personal care home as the lockdown was hitting this past March. My sister helped my mom sign the papers, and that was the last time any of my mom’s six children were permitted in the facility. It was a small facility – maybe twelve residents – but I’m not sure of that because most of my visits with my mom were through the glass. The isolation killed her. My mom had a smartphone and was able to text. We used to laugh because her texts were grammatically correct, with proper pronunciation, and always signed, “Love, Mom” or “Love, Grandma.” She even used emojis. The last coherent text I received from her was on March 17. After that, she lost the ability to use her phone, which was her lifeline. Some of the facility’s employees would help her if she asked them to, but they were too busy a lot of times, and sometimes they were mean. One even told her it “wasn’t in their job description.” This crushed her. She could no longer count on the only way she had available to communicate with her children. FaceTime calls helped a little, but we had to schedule them with the facility, and after a few weeks, the novelty wore off. She wanted to know why no one visited her. We would explain it was the virus, and she would answer, “Oh, that’s right. I heard about that, but I bet they would let you in if you came.” It was heartbreaking. Soon after she was admitted, she was placed in hospice care. Her hospice nurse, Clare, was wonderful with her but was only allowed in once a week by the facilities director. A friend of mine had her mother in another facility, and because she was in hospice, her family was allowed to visit. I was hopeful the rules would be the same at my mom’s facility, but apparently, each facility is allowed to make its own rules or enforce their own interpretation of the rules. The director wouldn’t budge. We were told we would be let in to spend time with my mom only if death was imminent, and even then, it would only be one person at a time for thirty minutes. There was one time when she told my brother that she wished she could kill herself. I reported this, and they had to investigate it as a credible suicide threat. I was happy that it enabled another person into the hospice team facility to check on her. What was supposed to be a two-week lockdown lasted months. In mid-April, my mother became confused, and her blood pressure dropped dangerously low. It happened to be when Clare was present, and she called my sister and me to come right away. I really thought she was dying, and I thought they would relax the rules and make an exception due to the circumstances. My sister was there, and when I arrived, she had to leave, and I was allowed at her bedside for half an hour. My mom said a few words to me, including, “I love you.” It was the last time I was able to hug my mom. Ever. She recovered from that episode and did not remember that my sister or I were there. No one from the family was ever allowed back into the facility by order of the Governor and the Secretary of Health in Pennsylvania. The only other visits I had with her were through the glass. She was hard of hearing and had a very difficult time communicating

She was a virtual prisoner

This is the harrowing story, says Kirkus Reviews, of two brilliant immunologists, one Christian, one Jewish, who were separated during World War II yet found heroic ways to turn their typhus vaccine research against the Nazis. In a twist of irony not lost on Allen (who also wrote, Ripe: The Search for the Perfect Tomato in 2010), the Nazis were deathly afraid of lice. The little insects were known to carry typhus, a dreadful contagious disease that could cause hallucinations, terrible headaches, raging fever, and often death. Typhus ravaged communities forced to live in subhuman conditions, including soldiers on the war front, as well as inmates in concentration camps and ghettos. It therefore became a wartime imperative to eradicate lice and the disease. In Poland, scientist Rudolf Weigl (1883-1957) and his assistant, Ludwig Fleck (1896-1961)—who would later write the seminal text The Genesis and Development of a

Scientific Fact—were both enlisted to develop a typhus vaccine: Weigl in the service of the German army and Fleck under SS guard at Buchenwald. Weigl, after all, had created the first typhus vaccine in th 1920s. The dual stories of Weigl and Fleck, beautifully told within the devastating tumult of Poland’s unfolding history, describe the war from a vivid perspective: that of the laboratory saboteur. Weigl secretly used his lab to smuggle vaccines to the Polish ghettos and recruited many intellectuals as lab workers, saving their lives. (Frequently, these respected

thinkers would be hired as louse-feeders, letting the creatures feed on their own blood—a surreal scene.) Meanwhile, Fleck’s lab was also a center of conspiracy, and his sabotage was even more dangerous and cunning: He produced a fake typhus vaccine for German troops and Nazi experimenters while sneaking real doses to desperate inmates. Both scientists risked terrible deaths to defend the idea of moral good despite the corruption, bloodshed and evil surrounding them. Allen is unflinching in his retelling of this monstrous era, but he manages to avoid writing a depressing narrative. Instead, Weigl, Fleck, and their vaccines illuminate the inherent social complexities of science and truth and reinforce the overriding good of man. An unforgettable book, concludes Kirkus. + The Fantastic Laboratory of Dr. Weigl, by Arthur Allen, 400 pages, published in 2014 by W.W. Norton & Company.

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through the glass. It was frustrating to her and us. My mom was a very social person and had to eat every meal in her room from the time she was admitted. The week my mother passed away, my sister called and asked if they would rotate residents allowed to eat in the dining room. They hadn’t thought of that but agreed to look into it. My mom, who didn’t do anything wrong, was treated like a prisoner in the last months of her life. The weather was beautiful, and my sister also asked if my mother could be taken outside to get some fresh air. That phone call happened on a Monday. My mom died on the following Thursday, June 18, 2020. She got up to go to the bathroom, said she wasn’t feeling well and laid

down in her bed, and passed away. Clare was called to pronounce her. There was no opportunity for a family member to come and hold her hand. There was no way to know that death was imminent. She did not have a visitor, feel the touch of someone she loved and who loved her, go outside, or eat a meal with another person for three months without ever truly understanding what was happening. In the meantime, the staff could go home, be with their families, and live their lives and return to work without any restriction that I was aware of. I am a nurse. I realize the importance of quarantine, social distancing, and common sense approaches such as mask-wearing and hand-washing. I’m not

saying that there should not have been restrictions on visitations, but the restrictive policy in place was cruel and contributed to my mother’s death. No residents ever got sick while my mom was there, but there is no doubt in my mind that my mother died due to COVID-19. After she died, I sent a message on Twitter to Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health. It read, “Please come up with a system by which families can see their loved ones in care facilities. My mother died yesterday without hugging or even seeing her children in three months. We are heartbroken, and she felt abandoned.” I never received a reply. + Christine King is a nurse anesthetist.

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The Examiners

DECEMBER 18, 2020

THE MYSTERY WORD

Congratulations on your new baby!

by Dan Pearson

Our family tradition is to What did you name our babies after family name the members we’ve lost. little fella?

Thank you. He’s our third.

Nice. So what’s his name?

The Mystery Word for this issue: CHUGO

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

EXAMINER CROSSWORD

PUZZLE

ACROSS 1. Grinding tooth 6. Augusta talk radio source 10. Word of sorrow or regret 14. Fragrance 15. _____ Grey 16. Short pasta tubes 17. 1943 Best Picture Oscar winner 19. Lengthy era (British ver.) 20. 2-time Masters runner-up 21. This is done to a drum 22. Fullness, as of hair 24. It could be yellow or white 25. Wine partner 26. Cottonmouth 31. Hammers, plyers, etc. 33. Wheel shaft 34. Like most Masters golfers 35. Donations to the poor 36. Mr. West 38. Its capital is Vientiane 39. How a golf ball lands 40. Latin: In [this] veritas 41. Like Seattle weather 42. Mental focus 46. Commits perjury 47. Charged particles 48. They get played on Sundays 51. Store or bust lead-in 52. Standard abbreviation 55. Partner of gloom 56. “What do you do for a living?” is one 59. Dutch cheese coated with red wax 60. Prolonged unconsciousness 61. Awaken 62. Depend 63. Gulp 64. Bluish-gray

E X A M I N E R

26 32

We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!

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

DOWN 1. Chemical defense spray 2. Thermometer type 3. What one team experiences in nearly all games 4. Doc’s org. 5. Bunnies 6. A recently weaned animal 7. Group or band 8. Doug Barnard and Judy Woodruff’s H.S. 9. Collarbone 10. Flowering shrub of the genus Rhododendron 11. Stead 12. _____ bomb 13. Trigonometric function 18. Kent’s crush 23. Fairy tale beginning 24. Friends 25. Ortho ending 26. Females 27. Gilbert ______, former Augusta public housing

S U D O K U

QUOTATIONPUZZLE

28. Main part of the Iberian peninsula 29. Liver is a good source of it 30. Prying 31. Baby powder 32. Potpourri 36. Science of body language 37. Formicary residents 38. Same clue as 38-A 40. Vessel 41. ______ lactate (IV) 43. Cool, damp skin is this 44. Post-collision protector 45. Type of guide 48. River in central Europe 49. Traveled by motorcycle 50. Aim 51. Moore of Hollywood 52. Gull-like predatory seabird 53. Try out 54. Mariel Hemingway’s daughter 57. “Don’t have a ___!” 58. Internet pioneer (abbrev)

4 6 2 1 3 8 M P E 7O 5 T A E 9E 2 6 3 P H C 1N 9 T K 5 4 8 7 — Author unknown

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.

Solution p. 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.

O 1 2 3

2 3 1 O T 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

O 2 3

F 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4

N 2

1 2 3 4 O 1 1 2 3

P 1 2 2

1 2 4

L 1 2 3 4

1 . U T T T S O O N A I W W F F G 2 . H H H H H E E E P S T A N N N 3 . R A V E E E E D O O L LT 4 . S L L O N E 5 . S N R 6 . G 7 . E 8 . R

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

WORDS NUMBER

Click on “MYSTERY WORD” • DEADLINE TO ENTER: NOON, JAN. 4, 2021

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DECEMBER 18, 2020

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

THEBESTMEDICINE ha... ha...

his bloke goes into a pub and orders 7 pints of beer. The bartender sets them up in a row in front of the man, who drinks the first pint, the third one, the fifth and the seventh, and then gets up to leave. The barman notices this odd behavior and asks, “Why aren’t you drinking the other three pints?” “Doctor’s orders,” says the man. “What do you mean by that?” asks the bartender. “I’m on medication,” said the man. “My doctor told me not to drink, but he said there’s nothing wrong with an odd pint.” Americans are getting in better and better shape all the time. A few decades ago it took two people to carry twenty dollars’ worth of groceries. Today a five-year-old can do it.

Moe: According to a survey the White House is the most well-mannered workplace in the United States. Joe: Seriously? Moe: Yeah, everybody who works there is always saying “Pardon me!”

The

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Advice Doctor

Moe: You ever wonder why more aliens don’t visit Earth? Joe: Probably because they don’t exist. Moe: I think it’s because they’ve looked up our solar system and saw that we have a 1-star rating.

Moe: Why did the hippo get kicked out of class? Joe: I give. Why? Moe: Because he had a big mouth. Moe: Where does Captain Hook get his hooks? Joe: I know this one: at a second hand store. Moe: I just got this new book about where all 50 states got their names. It’s very interesting. Joe: So tell me about, say, Louisiana. Moe: Ok, let’s see...”The first settlers were a Spanish man and his wife. Their names were Luis y Ana.” Moe: I don’t care what the liberal media says! Come January, the leader of my country will not change, and his name is spelled T--R--U- Joe: Wait, wait...hold up. I thought you didn’t like Trump. Moe: Trump? Who’s talking about Trump? I’m Canadian. I’m talking about Justin Trudeau. Moe: It’s really sad that nothing is made in America anymore. I’ve never even heard of some of these countries. Joe: Tell me about it. I just bought a new TV and on the box it said “Built In Antenna.” +

Why subscribe to theMEDICALEXAMINER? What do you mean?

Staring at my phone all day has had no Effect on ME!

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

Dear Advice Doctor, I know that most people think the election results are already official, but I believe the final outcome remains to be seen. A lot of my friends think I’m crazy, but when it comes to this president I’ve learned time and time again that whatever people think is impossible often happens. What do you think? — Keeping the Faith Dear Keeping, I understand this is a very delicate subject, and at times like this people’s emotions run high. I certainly don’t want to come across as insensitive, but when a death occurs, I don’t always fully understand the tradition for the remains to be seen, as you reference. I do understand that families need support at such a trying time, but some find it very difficult to comfort mourning ones and socialize when the body of the deceased is right there in the room. By contrast, funeral services where no body is present offer just as many opportunities to connect and offer comfort and support, but no one is compelled to look at a dearly departed loved one and say something unnatural like, “He looks so natural.” What is done when the remains are not to be seen? There are a number of options. Some people choose cremation, in which case there is no need to embalm the body. Cremation usually offers significant savings compared to the expense of a traditional funeral. Another very worthy alternative is body donation, and this may be done in more than one way. Medical students all over the world have for centuries studied anatomy and practiced procedures using bodies donated by caring individuals and families. There is only so much that can be learned from medical textbooks. These programs treat the donated bodies with great respect. Body donations are also used when the circumstances are appropriate (and with advance permission from the family, of course) to provide corneas, skin, bones, tendons, veins, heart valves for living patients. So having remains to be seen is by no means a necessity or a requirement. There are alternatives that save money and save lives. I hope I answered 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 #332

By popular demand we’re making at-cost subscriptions available for the convenience of our readers. If you live beyond the Aiken-Augusta area, or miss issues between doctor’s appointments — don’t you hate it when that happens? — we’ll command your mail carrier to bring every issue to your house! NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP Choose six months for $20 ____ or one year for $36 ____. Mail this completed form with payment to Augusta Medical Examiner, PO Box 397, Augusta GA 30903-0397

BEFORE READING

AFTER READING

+ 14

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6 3

THE MYSTERY SOLVED The Mystery Word in our last issue was: LUNGS

...cleverly hidden in the bottom left corner of the p. 8 ad for C&C AUTOMOTIVE

THE WINNER: JOHN TAYLOR! Want to find your name here next time? If it is, we’ll send you some cool swag from our goodie bag. The new Mystery Word is on page 12. Start looking!

DECEMBER 18, 2020

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER THE PUZZLE SOLVED M A C E

O R A L

T A L C

O L I O

O D E R

R O D E

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

G A C A R L N C A G V O D I N M O C C A X L E N Y E O R R A T I I O N D R U G E B R E M A R I G S

A Z A L E A

L I E U

A T O M

S I N E

S P L A A I O N S S A K O U L A

I R O N

N O S Y

T E S T

D R E E

SEE PAGE 12

The Celebrated TheSUDOKUsolution MYSTERY WORD CONTEST 4 6 7 5 1 8 3 2 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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Love to stare at your phone? Visit issuu.com/ medicalexaminer and stare away.

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3 7 9 4 2 8 6 5

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8 5 4 1 9 6 7 2

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QuotatioN QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION Don’t let your fear of what could happen make nothing happen.” — Author unknown

WORDS BY NUMBER

The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never fell — Author unknown

READ EVERY ISSUE ONLINE WWW.ISSUU.COM/ MEDICALEXAMINER

DECEMBER 18, 2020

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REMEMBER: YOU STILL HAVE 23 AND A HALF HOURS EVERY DAY.

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

HOT… from page 9

JEWELRY SURGEON

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any dietary supplement or significant modification in eating habits, it is important to consult a physician or a registered dietitian first to avoid any potential side effects or drug interactions, and to tailor your supplements to your needs. Chili peppers are a fun and spicy way to enliven a meal and explore different cuisines. Hot peppers can provide some positive health benefits to those who can tolerate them, however “too hot” means different things to different people. Capsaicin is best used in its natural form in foods rather than as a supplement, and caution should be used when handling and consuming this enigmatic molecule. Enjoy the spice of life, but do it in moderation. +

Read online: issuu.com/medicalexaminer

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY +

ACUPUNCTURE

Dr. Eric Sherrell, DACM, LAC Augusta Acupuncture Clinic 4141 Columbia Road 706-888-0707 www.AcuClinicGA.com

ALLERGY Tesneem K. Chaudhary, MD Allergy & Asthma Center 3685 Wheeler Road, Suite 101 Augusta 30909 706-868-8555

CHIROPRACTIC Evans Chiropractic Health Center Dr. William M. Rice 108 SRP Drive, Suite A 706-860-4001 www.evanschiro.net

COUNSELING Resolution Counseling Professionals 3633 Wheeler Rd, Suite 365 Augusta 30909 706-432-6866 www.visitrcp.com

DENTISTRY

Jason H. Lee, DMD 116 Davis Road Augusta 30907 706-860-4048

IN-HOME CARE

Floss ‘em or lose ‘em!

Steven L. Wilson, DMD Family Dentistry 4059 Columbia Road Martinez 30907 706-863-9445

DERMATOLOGY

Everyday Elder Care LLC Certified Home Health/Caregiver 706-231-7001 everydayeldercare.com Zena Home Care Personal Care|Skilled Nursing|Companion 706-426-5967 www.zenahomecare.com

LONG TERM CARE

Georgia Dermatology & WOODY MERRY www.woodymerry.com Skin Cancer Center 2283 Wrightsboro Rd. (at Johns Road) Long-Term Care Planning I CAN HELP! Augusta 30904 (706) 733-3190 • 733-5525 (fax) 706-733-3373 SKIN CANCER CENTER www.GaDerm.com

DEVELOPMENTAL PEDIATRICS

PHARMACY

SLEEP MEDICINE

Sleep Institute of Augusta Bashir Chaudhary, MD 3685 Wheeler Rd, Suite 101 Augusta 30909 706-868-8555

TRANSPORTATION AMBULANCE • STRETCHER • WHEELCHAIR

706-863-9800

VEIN CARE Vein Specialists of Augusta G. Lionel Zumbro, Jr., MD, FACS, RVT, RPVI 501 Blackburn Dr, Martinez 30907 706-854-8340 www.VeinsAugusta.com

Karen L. Carter, MD Medical Center West Pharmacy 1303 D’Antignac St, Suite 2100 465 North Belair Road Augusta 30901 Evans 30809 706-396-0600 Your Practice 706-854-2424 www.augustadevelopmentalspecialists.com www.medicalcenterwestpharmacy.com And up to four additional lines of your choosing and, if desired, your logo. Parks Pharmacy Keep your contact information in this 437 Georgia Ave. ARKS convenient place seen by thousands of HARMACY N. Augusta 29841 patients every month. Steppingstones to Recovery 803-279-7450 Call (706) 860-5455 for all the details! 2610 Commons Blvd. www.parkspharmacy.com Augusta 30909 706-733-1935

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DRUG REHAB

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

MoneyDoctor

WHAT ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY? Fun Fact (or at least interesting): Social Security began as the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program, and paid retirement benefits as a lump sum amount in its initial 2 years. The first program beneficiary, Ernest Ackerman, received a lump sum payment in January 1937 of 17 cents!! Fortunately, times have changed! Social Security is a family-based economic security program covering benefits for monthly retirement pay as well as survivor, disability, and nominal death benefits. This article will focus on retirement pay. When should you begin collecting? Who is eligible? Will taxes be paid on

benefits? • The decision of when to take Social Security is dependent on your circumstances. You can begin taking it as early as age 62, wait until you have reached Full Retirement Age (FRA), or even delay until age 70. While there is no single correct answer, the rule of thumb is that if you can afford to wait, delaying benefits can pay off over a long retirement. It is important to note that a claim made before your FRA produces a permanently reduced benefit. For married couples, the timing decision can be critical to the financial well-being of a surviving spouse, since claiming an early benefit can in turn cause spouses to

WE’RE BEGGING YOU!

DECEMBER 18, 2020

receive reduced benefits. What is Full Retirement Age? It was 65 until recently when the age began increasing for those born in 1951 and later. To see the chart go to https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ ssb/v74n4/v74n4p21.html . • To be eligible to receive retirement benefits, a person must have earned 40 credits as a covered worker. Typically, 4 credits are earned each year, so it takes 10 years to qualify. Check your benefits either on the statement sent by the Social Security Administration to workers age 60+ who are not yet receiving benefits or access your online My Social Security account. This is a helpful tool to see estimated benefits and to verify that earnings are correctly reported on your account. Eligibility for married couples has many variables to consider for receiving the most value from their Social Security Benefit. Here is a summary of some points to consider. • Benefits are provided for both a worker and the worker’s spouse even if the spouse never worked. For a non-working spouse, the maximum spousal benefit is equal to 50% of the working spouse’s benefit at the non-working spouses FRA. • Spouses who work & contribute to Social Security can claim benefits in their own right or as a spouse and will receive the higher of the two amounts. • A spouse is eligible to claim a spousal benefit at age 62, and the working spouse must have filed for his/her own Social Security bene-

fit (Different eligibility rules apply to divorced spouses and surviving spouses). It’s important to note that there is no benefit to waiting to claim a spousal benefit beyond a spouse’s FRA. Unlike a worker’s retirement benefits—which receive delayed retirement credits— spousal benefits do not continue growing past the spouse’s full retirement age. Taxation of Social Security Benefits currently falls into one of three categories for income tax purposes: • For most recipients, retirement benefits remain tax free. • For some recipients, up to 50 percent of benefits are taxed. • For the most affluent retirees, up to 85 percent of Social Security retirement benefits are considered taxable income. Whether benefits will be taxable depends on a person’s income tax filing status—single or married filing jointly or separately—and the amount of his or her income. Individuals whose income exceeds certain threshold limits may find that part of their Social Security retirement benefits will be taxed. Taxes and other factors can affect claiming decisions, so we recommend talking with a financial planner to explore the best option for your situation. + by Sharon Head, CPA, with AP Wealth Management, LLC (www.apwealth. com). AP Wealth is a financial planning and investment advisory firm with offices in Augusta, GA.

Proudly affiliated with Dr. John Cook of Southern Dermatology in Aiken

John Cook,

M.D.

Pictured above (from left to right), John Cook, MD; Lauren Ploch, MD; Jason Arnold, MD; Caroline Wells, PA-C; Chris Thompson, PA-C

MEDICINE IN THE FIRST PERSON Everybody has a story. Please tell us yours!

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

2110 Woodside Executive Court Aiken, South Carolina • 803-644-8900

SKIN CANCER CENTER

2283 Wrightsboro Road Augusta, Georgia • 706-733-3373

Skin Cancer Removal • Mohs Surgery • Routine Skin Exams • Mole Removal • Botox • Dermal Fillers

GENERAL, SURGICAL & COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY