Medical Examiner 7-16-21 by Daniel Pearson

MEDICALEXAMINER

HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS • HEALTH • MEDICINE • WELLNESS

JULY 16, 2021

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INVASION OF THE

MUTANTS

No sci-fi movie is complete without a deadly invasion of mutants. Naturally the script calls for a happy ending, but there will be some tense moments before the credits roll. The stars of the show will ultimately defeat the invaders, but not before the mutants have eaten, incinerated, or vaporized any number of hapless extras. There will be times when victory seems well in hand, only to be snatched away by an unexpected plot twist. Which brings us to everyday life in 2021. At this point 2021 is starting to look like one of those TV shows where it seems like everyone is about to live happily ever after, but then you think, “Hold on, it can’t end this soon; we’re only 35 minutes into a 1-hour show.” In similar fashion, not long ago it seemed like the pandemic was all but defeated, at least in this part of the world. But then came the plot twists. In place after place around the country and the world, the Delta variant, so-called because it is the 4th major version of the original (following the first three letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha, beta, and gamma), is causing

significant spikes in new coronavirus cases. If anyone is listening — and plenty of people don’t seem to be — public health experts are quite concerned, especially for those who have for whatever reason not yet been vaccinated. Earlier this week the World Health Organization’s chief scientist said, “In the last 24 hours, close to 500,000 new cases have been reported and about 9,300 deaths. That is not a pandemic that’s slowing down.” True, those are global numbers, but the globe being referred to is the one all of us happen to live on. U.S. numbers are a fraction of that because we are a fraction of the world’s population, but here is a dose of good news/bad news numbers for context: Earlier this week, U.S. COVID figures for the previous 30 days totaled 428,910 new cases and 8,573 deaths. Those numbers are absolutely horrible. But from a historical perspective they are absolutely great. The record for new cases in 30 days was set last December at more than 6.4 million. So by comparison, nearly 429,000 new cases doesn’t look bad at all. Those 8,500 deaths in the past month look super-duper compared to the record-setting month of January 2021, during which more than 97,000 Americans died. The danger at hand, then, is a nasty case of coronavirus relativism. Flashback: on March 9, 2020, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced the discovery of a new COVID case, bringing the total for the state to 7. Seven cases in the entire state! Within a week, Gov. McMaster had declared a state of emergency, and within 10 days (with the state total now at Please see MUTANTS page 3

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THE FIRST 40 YEARS ARE ALWAYS THE HARDEST

PARENTHOOD by David W. Proefrock, PhD

Your 8 and 10 year-old sons have set up a wrestling ring in your back yard and have been having wrestling matches with other boys in the neighborhood. What do you do? A. Stop then from doing this immediately and make sure that they don’t move their wrestling matches to someone else’s back yard. B. Stop them from watching so much wrestling on television, and pretty soon they will stop being interested in wrestling themselves. C. They are just being boys. Let them play. D. Supervise them when they are wrestling so no one will get hurt. If you answered: A. This is by far the best. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Someone is going to get hurt and you are going to be held responsible. B. This is not necessarily true and it doesn’t address the very real danger this kind of play presents. C. True, they are just being boys with this kind of play, but it is very dangerous and should be stopped. D. This is about the worst thing you could do. When someone gets hurt, and they will, you will not only be held responsible, you will be responsible. Kids engage in lots of activities that are dangerous, but when you know about them it is your responsibility to stop them and protect them from getting hurt. + Dr. Proefrock is a retired clinical and forensic child psychologist.

2021

AUGUST

OURNEXTISSUE

PART C OF A 26-PART SERIES

IS FOR

CATHETER On any list of the tools in a physician’s arsenal, catheters would have to rank high for their sheer versatility alone. The very word makes some people squeamish: perhaps the only kind of catheterization they have ever experienced is urethral. In this useage, a flexible tube — a catheter — is inserted through the urethra into the bladder to drain urine. There are a number of reasons why this might be needed. Even though patients are usually instructed not to eat or drink prior to surgery, healthy kidneys continue to function, filling the bladder drop by drop. Also, recuperation from surgery sometimes means

JULY 16, 2021 that a person will have very limited mobility for a number of days, making trips to the bathroom challenging, if not impossible. In such cases the easiest solution is for them to wake up from surgery with a urethral catheter (often called a Foley catheter) in place. Men with an enlarged prostate gland can have difficulty urinating, providing another application for catheters. But urethral catheterization, as important as it may be, is one of the simplest of catheter applications. Cardiologists can snake a catheter with a camera on its tip up into the heart to investigate the reason for heart problems and even make repairs. The same can be said for brain aneurysms. These weakened or ballooning places in blood vessels, even very tiny ones, can be located and repaired using catheters. Doctors can also repair blockages affecting circulation via catheter. In procedures of this kind, an incision is made in an appropriate vein — often in the lower arm, wrist or groin area — and a very flexible thin wire is inserted into the

vein and threaded up to its destination. Using that wire as a guide, a tiny tube is extended through the vein over the wire, and then the wire is removed. The tube can then be used as the delivery means for whatever is needed, wherever it’s needed, anything from tiny clamps for brain aneurysm repair to miniaturized surgical tools that can be operated remotely by physicians, to balloons that can be inflated to open up arterial blockages, as well as to deliver stents that keep veins open long after a balloon procedures. Considering that catheters are essentially nothing more than access (or egress) pipes, they are often at the leading edge of medical innovation, making advancements in non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures safe and successful that would be impossible without them. They are in the vanguard of medical miniaturization: some of the leads and coils used in aneurysm repair, for instance, are finer than a human hair. That kind of small can have a corresponding domino effect: small side effects, small hospital stays, small recovery times, all leading to smaller costs. +

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

JULY 16, 2021

MUTANTS… from page 1

an alarming 81 cases), he had issued an executive order mandating that all non-essential state employees stay at home. It’s safe to say the panic-inducing numbers of March 2020 would be viewed as a godsend today. Six months later, in September, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. coronavirus death toll had topped 200,000. The AP called the number “unimaginable” and “completely unfathomable” and said “The number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 67 days.” It’s safe to say the “unimaginable” toll of last September would be viewed as a godsend today. Now we’re on the other side of the slope, however, and even numbers we viewed as horrendous a year ago seem downright comforting today. After a killer heat wave with daily highs well above 110°, suddenly 90° seems cool by comparison. But of course, it isn’t. It’s still blazing hot. The challenge for healthcare officials is trying to convince a weary public — uh, that would be you and me — that taking precautions is still both prudent and necessary. Consider that in March of 2020 the aforementioned 81 cases caused major upheaval in South Carolina. Fast forward to now, where in the past 30 days 4,000 new cases have been diagnosed in South Carolina and the result is a snooze-fest. And that describes the situation in the other 49 states too. The southeastern states are leading the way in not getting vaccinated. The national goal was to stop the pandemic dead in its tracks in the U.S. by getting 70 percent of all Americans vaccinated by the 4th of July. In the two-state we’re close to that number — but on the wrong side of the equation. In the Palmetto State the unvaccinated rate is currently about 63 percent, and in the

Peach State it’s a little higher, around 64 percent. The all-time COVID numbers in Georgia are currently 1,139,396 cases with 21,486 people dead. In South Carolina it’s 599,461 cases with 9,846 deaths. How many of those could have prevented with more vaccinations? No one knows for sure, but a strong clue is provided by the fact that more than 99 percent of COVID hospitalizations and deaths are currently victimizing the unvaccinated. Everyone is free to make their own choice in such matters, of course. But it does seem a bit curious to decline the opportunity to be protected from a plague that has, so far, killed more than 4 million people around the world, including more than 600,000 right here at home, a number that leads the world. In closing, here is a quick review of some top vaccine selling points: they’re free; they are readily available all over; at worst they cause mild side effects lasting only a few hours; they effectively protect recipients from severe cases of COVID and its variants. In short, it could save your life. For something that is free of charge, that’s a pretty good deal. +

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Since hand sanitizer kills 99.9% of germs, should we ever go back to soap and water? Yes, we absolutely should and we will, and for a very good reason: soap and water does a better job of getting rid of bacteria than hand sanitizer does. Hand sanitizers are absolutely great at what they do, but they have their limitations. These products were originally designed as kind of an emergency substitute for ordinary, old-fashioned hand washing when that wasn’t an option: when hiking or camping; before grabbing a quick drive-thru meal on the road. Hand sanitizers are everywhere now, which might lead some people to believe they are the option of choice, which they are not. Soap and water, when available, have several advantages. Soap and water breaks down bacteria on a molecular level. Any germ with a lipid-based outer layer (which includes COVID bacteria) will be destroyed by soap, and its dead carcass washed away by water. Any germ that is not killed by its chemical reaction with soap will suffer the same fate: it too will be washed away. Soap and water, therefore, represent a dual threat to germs, especially when we wash our hands thoroughly and long enough (at least 20 to 30 seconds) to be effective. There are some applications where hand sanitizer falls miserably short of the task at hand. If you’ve been working in your garden or under the hood of your car, hand sanitizer is simply not up to the task. That mud or grease might be sanitized, but it’s still going to be all over your hands. Soap and water is the option of choice. Some studies have suggested that using antibacterial soap may contribute to antibiotic resistance, which is another good reason to make soap and water the option of choice, with hand sanitizers playing their proper and alwaysintended backup role — and that should be the order of the day even in healthcare settings. +

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JULY 16, 2021

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

#143 IN A SERIES

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

his man may look familiar to you, and if he does, thank you for reading. That means you saw his face in our last issue. We used a different image in Part I, but he is clearly still the same J. Marion Sims (1813-1883) of Lancaster, South Carolina. His claim to fame in medical history is his standing as “the father of American gynecology.” In the July 2 issue we used so much space talking about the more unsavory aspects of his career that we ran out of room to talk about the good things he did. (Note: if you missed that issue, feel free to read it online at www.issuu.com/medicalexaminer. Click on the July 2 cover. Also, it’s only fair to acknowledge - as we did in our previous issue - that what we view as unsavory or unacceptable in 2021 was in most quarters considered to be perfectly acceptable in 1830.) There is no doubt that Sims advanced the practice of gynecology. One of his signature accomplishments was devising a way to surgically repair obstetric fistulas. These were devastating and at the time unfixable childbirth injuries usually caused by prolonged or obstructed labor. An obstetric fistula is damage to the tissues separating the birth canal from the bladder and urethra or the rectum. Tears to any of these “pipes,” all concentrated in a compact area of the body, meant that urine or feces could leak into the vagina. Aside from odor, infection, incontinence, embarrassment and frequent divorce, this condition also resulted in infertility in the majority of cases. It was a terrible condition crying out for a cure, and Sims was the physician who finally perfected a successful means of surgical repair. Since this happens as often as 100,000 times a year around the world, it is no exaggeration to say that Sims’ innovation has benefited millions of women over the years, including Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon, who summoned Sims to treat her fistula. As part of his gynecological tool kit, Sims invented what is still known as the Sims speculum. Have you ever had a colonoscopy? Did you recline on your left side with your right leg drawn up? That is known as “the Sims position.” After Sims’ return from Europe and Empress Eugénie in 1871, he took a post at New York’s Women’s Hospital treating cancer cases, which at the time was a disreputable disease thought to have venereal origins and feared to be contagious. By 1874 the Ladies’ Board of the hospital had had enough and raised an uproar, resulting in a new policy banning the admission of cancer patients. For his part, Sims delivered a speech to the hospital’s Board of Governors blasting them for bowing to the Ladies’ Board. A month later Sims resigned and went on to play a key role in establishing the first cancer hospital in America. Sims was unanimously elected president (1876-1877) of the American Medical Association. +

One of the unexpected outcomes of the virus, because many of us are still homebound, is to discover that our old recipes have become super boring, assuming we can still find the required ingredients. For me this has led to a combination of new dishes and experimentation with old favorites. This week that led to having a Mexican dish delivered that was mostly a baked chicken half with rice, refried beans, and an avocado salad. I ate half of the rice, beans, salad and dark chicken meat. Then the second night I had the rest of the rice, beans, and salad and about half of the white meat. There were three corn tortillas and the rest of the white meat still left that I had cut up in small pieces. Normally I would have added mayo to the chicken and made a chicken sandwich, but I felt that would be cheating somehow. So, instead of falling back on the tried and true, I imagined something new based on what I had on hand. I had the bits of chicken, an avocado, a little wheel of Brie, and the tacos. I laid out the three tacos, cut slices of Brie, and laid them on the tacos, put the chicken on top of the Brie and heated them up in the microwave until the Brie had melted. Then I cut up the avocado and put the chunks on the tacos. It was delicious, much more satisfying than a chicken sandwich would have been! The rice wasn’t Spanish rice, so I mixed it with the beans the first night, and the second night I mixed all three together. I really liked the taco chips included, so I used them to

scoop up the rice, beans, salad mixture like they were an exotic dip. Yummy stuff! I have lots of the chips left, so now I need to figure out what to do with them. I still have some avocado, a small container of grape tomatoes, and a big bag of Mexican blend shredded cheese. I also have a bag of raw shrimp to cook. I haven’t had nachos made with anything but hamburger, but why not try them with shrimp, since that is what I have on hand? I have ordered hamburger five times and not gotten any, so the first rule of self-preservation is to use what is available. Since I’ve had Mexican food three days in a row, I’ll most likely cook the shrimp tonight and have shrimp and sauce that I make with ketchup and horseradish after I cook and peel the shrimp. I’ll have plenty of leftover shrimp for nachos tomorrow. I’ll add a salad and some veggies to go with the shrimp. And I have some frozen yogurt for dessert. I do need to order some groceries, but the longer I can wait between orders, the more I am forced to be creative in using up what I already have in the refrigerator and freezer. I am also put in a position to use up fresh food before it goes bad and has to be thrown out. What is even more important, though, is that I am using more healthy food in creative ways and that makes my tummy and the rest of my body feel better. I see the same thing in meals my friends post online too. One of my friends noted today that the healthier food has resulted in her losing weight instead of gaining it. That’s a win every time. +

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

ADVENTURES IN

Middle Age

We’re celebrating

BY J.B. COLLUM

{

I have entered the Bermuda Triangle of is the editor and publisher. It was worth a try demographics. After my most recent birthday, though. I am now in a category most advertisers have Lately, I have found myself on the back decided isn’t important. As a potential adverporch at the end of many workdays with a tising target, those of us in this category are in cold beverage in my hand and country music the vast wasteland between commercials for playing through my speakers. My wife usually hip and happening products and the ads for joins me, and we just sit in our rocking chairs, hearing aids, adult diapers, and reverse mortdrink, listen to the music and talk. When I gages. Perhaps this demographic just doesn’t was younger, I might do this occasionally, but spend much money. I was usually thinking about This has me puzzled though. what I wanted or needed to do After all, hopefully by this time next. Now I practice forgetting. How many young As I sit out there, I am trying to of life, people in my age bracket make decent money and have forget about what I want or need Harley riders perhaps cultivated a taste for to do next and I’m simply enjoyhave you seen? ing the company, the fresh air, some of the finer things in life. For instance, how many young the music, the breeze, the sights, Harley-Davidson riders do you the smells, and anything else see? Very few in my experience. that is in the moment. At this Then again, maybe once we reach this age, time of the year, sometimes I have to make my we have learned how to be more careful with own breeze with three or even four fans blowour money. Perhaps advertising doesn’t really ing on me, but it still works. I have to turn the make as much impact on people my age anymusic up a little louder too. more. Then again, I still spend money like it is Hopefully, this change will continue to free when it comes to certain hobbies. I would progress to where I am less and less interested love for that to magically stop and so would in material things. That would be an excepmy wife. In fact, my wife would especially like tionally good thing. It might even help me to it to stop. retire before I keel over. It is sad that I had to Then again, I have noticed a slight loss of reach this stage of life before I started to feel interest in certain things that used to be the this way, but it is never too late until it is, and cause of much of my spending. In many cases for me it isn’t too late. that might be because I once viewed hobbies My better half and I have found the perfect as something that could possibly lead to a way to spend the late afternoons together new, more interesting or fun career. But now and I am perfectly happy being in a forgotten that I have reached this age, I am pretty much demographic as I sip my rum & Coke, listen resigned to my fate: doing the same type of to the birds and Don Williams sing, feel the work until I retire or die trying. breeze on my face, watch the shadows length I had hoped that writing would be my en, and hold my beautiful wife’s hand. + full-time job one day, but I have learned that writing doesn’t really pay the bills for most J.B. Collum is a local novelist, huwriters. On that note, maybe I could get Dan morist and columnist who wants to at the Augusta Medical Examiner to increase be Mark Twain when he grows up. my pay. Are you hearing me, Dan? Oh well, He may be reached at I’m sure this part will get edited out since he johnbcollum@gmail.com

years publishing to Aiken-Augusta’s medical community!* * on both sides of the stethoscope

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WHO TOOK MY BEER? PART 6

by Ken Wilson Steppingstones to Recovery So all is finally well now, right? You’ve gone through Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and are now in Maintenance. What else is left to do? Not all literature on the stages of change mention a 6th change, but writings on substance abuse, weight management, and smoking for sure add yet another stage. It’s a real boogeyman we don’t like to mention, but we all at least think about it privately and experience angst about its possibility. It’s the R word: relapse. Ugh. Do we really have to mention relapse? Yes, we do. In any behavior modification, relapse tends to happen. It doesn’t have to happen, but we humans have the propensity to return to former

behaviors. Haven’t you noticed? In some circles you will hear “Relapse is a part of recovery.” Well, relapse isn’t necessarily destined to happen. But sometimes it does. In my group lecture on relapse over the past 34 years, as I am standing at the chalkboard I reach down and pick up someone’s drink container and hold it out towards them with the unspoken implication to take it from me without uttering a word for them to do so and it has never failed – they always take it from me! Then I reflect about how easy it is to end up with a drink in our hand! Without even being asked! Often that’s the way a relapse happens. Mindlessly so. Alcoholics in recovery return to their 12-step group and pick up a new white chip (indicating a new start in sobriety) and start their sobriety over. They usually go through the stages of change quick-

er this time…days instead of months. If they relapse again, they break the white (poker-type) plastic chip and pick up yet another one. My first supervisor when I was a counseling intern picked up 175 white chips before she finally got a chip indicating 30 days of continuous sobriety! Kudos to her…she kept coming back and the program kept accepting her back. Hats off to churches that have patience like this with new converts trying to start a new lifestyle. At other times a relapse is deliberately planned and plotted, often as a celebration of X-number of years of sobriety. The mind thinks, “I’ve been without a drink for this long, I think I can handle it now.” Not! The brain can not out-think a chemical reaction and rapid loss of control (reference the THIQ chemical in one of my past columns). It is sad to see someone

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with a period of good sobriety make an error in judgment and “fall off the wagon” and continue on their former path without going back through the stages and getting “back on the wagon.” A wise saying in treatment programs is “you might have another relapse left, but you might not have another recovery.” Once an addict realizes that it’s not a matter of using or not using but a matter of living or dying, recovery gets easier because the resistance has diminished. The thoughts and feelings of an addict who relapses are often despair, shame, failure, confusion, guilt, disappointment, and frustration. At this time they do not need judgemental words like, “I knew this would happen” but a helping hand saying, “come on, let’s try this again.” Anyone who has struggled with weight loss understands this “70 times 7” gesture.

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN A monthly series by an Augusta drug treatment professional

The wise one in early recovery makes a relapse prevention plan. Not that it has to happen. Not that it is expected to happen. Like making a will doesn’t destine you to die one minute sooner, if you do fall down at least there’s a plan in place before someone else makes the plan. The question “who took my beer” implies having a beer for someone to take! The goal is to not have beer for someone to take! If you’re in that category, congratulations to you! I am proud of you and so is everybody you love and care about! +

Beware of online pharmacies! (except parkspharmacy.com)

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

Useful food facts from dietetic interns with the Augusta University MS-Dietetic Internship Program

WHAT’SbyUPJenyWITH FIBER? Cassel Graduate Student Intern, Augusta University

2522 Wrightsboro Road

736-7230

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Notably, fibrous foods are nutritionally dense, packed with micronutrients, and are often very hydrating foods. A person lacking adequate fiber may have difficult bowel movements and other gastrointestinal complications over time. To avoid strenuous time spent on the toilet, and to maximize your health, prioritize fruits and vegetables into your everyday routine. Knowing how important fiber is, you may be wondering how to get more fiber in your diet. It could seem like a daunting task, but it really requires very little change to your current diet. Increasing fiber intake can help boost the intake of many other nutrients Americans do not get enough of as well, such as potassium and other minerals. Recommendations state that on average a healthy person should eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Typically, half a cup to one cup of either fruits or vegetables is considered one serving. Canned and frozen produce are a convenient option, and have just as much fiber as fresh produce. Grains should be mostly whole grains, such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, or

Daniel Village Barber Shop

Ohio Ave.

Fiber is an essential nutrient found only in plants. Fiber is not digested, but that does not mean it does not support healthy digestion. The standard American diet today consists heavily of animal products and processed foods, and little fiber. Ninety-seven percent of Americans do not get enough fiber, and possibly do not even know which foods contain it. Although fiber is not broken down by digestive enzymes in the GI tract, it does undergo fermentation in the colon and during transit. Such fermentation has been shown to be protective against some types of cancers and improve overall gut health and immunity. There are two types of fiber found in foods: insoluble and soluble fibers. While they play very different roles in the body, both are equally important and can be consumed from eating a wide variety of foods. Soluble fiber, specifically, is known for its ability to lower LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Fiber also contributes to satiety and feeling full after a meal by providing nutrient-dense calories, which can promote a lifelong healthy weight.

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oatmeal. Women should aim for twenty-five grams of fiber per day while men should aim for thirty-eight grams. For reference, one medium apple is about four and a half grams of fiber, half an avocado is around five grams, one cup of fresh raspberries is approximately eight grams, and half a cup of cooked black beans is seven and a half grams of fiber. Plant protein sources such as beans, nuts, seeds, and lentils provide a great source of dietary fiber, unlike animal proteins which do not contain any fiber. Consuming the skin of fruits and vegetables is a simple way to increase fiber intake. Adding a thick tomato slice, some onions, and lettuce to the sandwich you may already eat every day will increase fruit and vegetable intake without requiring a drastic diet change. Add some diced vegetables to your omelet in the morning. Try to have a piece of fruit with breakfast and grab one for a snack later; fruit is nature’s fast food, after all. Make half of your plate at every meal fruits and vegetables, and about a quarter of your plate whole grains. Use whole grain pasta for spaghetti night and whole wheat bread for your avocado toast. A diet rich in fiber will improve digestion and immunity, promote a healthy weight, potentially fight against some cancers, lower bad cholesterol levels, and have a positive impact on a person’s quality of life overall. Including more fiber does not require a drastic change: no need to go through your pantry and throw everything away. Simply aim for more fruits and vegetables and choose whole grain products over refined, processed goods as often as possible. +

JULY 16, 2021

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Standard American Breakfast 2 eggs 1 slice of white bread 2 pieces of bacon 1 tbsp of butter 1 cup of orange juice FIBER: Less than 1.5 grams

Cereal & Sausage 1 cup of Frosted Flakes 1 cup of milk 2 sausage patties FIBER: 1 gram

Toast & Fruit 1 slice of whole wheat bread* ½ avocado 1 medium banana 1 cup of orange juice FIBER: 10.5-13.5 grams * depending on bread brand

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Oatmeal 1 cup of oatmeal 1 cup of blueberries 1 ounce of almonds FIBER: About 10.5 grams

4 l

MEDICALEXAMINER

IS ONLINE

visit AugustaRX.com!

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CRASH

COURSE

More Americans have died on US roads since 2000 than in World Wars I & II combined In the past 24 hours, how many people do you think have died nationwide in crashes involving alcohol? Think about that for a moment. The answer is coming up. Impaired driving is a serious issue of public health that can potentially affect anyone, including people who have never had a drop of alcohol in their entire life. That includes hundreds of children who are killed each year by impaired drivers (214 during 2016). The magnitude of the issue is underscored by federal statistics which show more than 1 million drivers were arrested in 2016 for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or narcotics. Estimates of actual instances of impaired driving exceed 110 million per year. In other words, fewer than 1 percent of drunk drivers are stopped and arrested. What if you become a member of the 1 percent? What can you expect? In brief, a massive drain on your finances that will last for years. Let’s break down some of the expense (there won’t be room for all of it).

The first expense will be getting out of jail. Arrest is automatic for driving impaired. Bail for DUI will be at least $1,000. Unless you’re arrested at a roadblock, there will usually be additional charges for things like failure to maintain lane, speeding, running a stop sign, causing an accident, etc. Each additional infraction will increase the amount needed for bail. The money you post will be refunded when your case is resolved, but that could easily be a year or longer. Your case may involve some thorny issues, like major injuries caused to other motorists or pedestrians. You will need an attorney, and as they say, good lawyers aren’t cheap; cheap lawyers aren’t good. Your car, if you didn’t total it, will be towed away. The cost of the tow will be your responsibility. So will getting your car out of impound. Expect to pay $50 for every day your car is in storage somewhere. If it takes you more than 30 days to show up, the towing company is free to sell your car and keep the money. When your court date rolls around, expect to pay fines

and court costs that can easily exceed $1,000. If you manage to avoid jail time and are put on probation, you’ll pay hundreds of dollars over the course of the coming year in probation fees. DUI School is part of many sentences. There goes several hundred more dollars. You will lose your driver’s license if convicted. Conditional driving permits for traveling to work and license reinstatement: hundreds more dollars. Company car? Gone. The big whammy is often insurance rates. Whatever you were paying for car insurance, expect: 1. to be dropped by your carrier, and 2. for your new insurer to charge you up to 4 times what you had been paying for the next three years. It’s a lot to pay compared to one Uber ride. + What is the daily death toll from alcohol-impaired driving? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the numbers average out to 29 people killed each day, which is more than one death per hour all day every day year-round.

THE

MEDICAL EXAMINER +

IS NOT A

OR A

PILL

CREAM It is a TWICE-MONTHLY

NEWSPAPER designed to promote E M I T S U O I R B SALUBRIOUS U L A FOR A S LIVING. 5 5 4 5 0 6 8 6 0 7 CALL

every

READ

ISSUE

JULY 16, 2021

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

The blog spot From the Bookshelf — posted by Jenny Berz, PhD, on April 30, 2020 (edited for space)

THE UNSETTLING RESULT OF A NEGATIVE CORONAVIRUS TEST As a psychologist, I have long been aware of some of the emotional impacts that illnesses like COVID-19 can have on individuals and families. I never imagined that I would experience some of these impacts directly. Furthermore, I never could have guessed what it would feel like to be told I tested negative for COVID-19 when I was feverish and fighting for air at the height of the pandemic. I started feeling sick several weeks ago. It began as innocuous chest congestion of the “am I really feeling this or is it only my anxiety?” variety. Maybe what I had was just a cold. On the third morning, I woke up with nausea, headache, chills, shortness of breath, and the disturbing realization that I could have the coronavirus. The psychological effects of this pandemic are vast. For the healthy, there is a great fear of getting sick. It makes sense. With all of the extreme cases being reported in the news, we are conditioned to believe that having the coronavirus could lead to hospitalization, intubation, and even death. When I became sick, my husband encouraged me to get tested. After I was, and from across the room clad in head-totoe plastic, the doctor told me to assume I have COVID and to self-isolate until further notice. Back at home, I took over the bedroom. I have been alone here for fifteen days. My symptoms have run the gamut from pink eye to drenching fever-induced night sweats to difficulty catching my breath after simple tasks like folding laundry or speaking on the phone. Symptoms come and go in waves. Some days I feel pretty well, only to be knocked down by symptoms later in the evening. Despite many friends’ hopes and prayers that I tested negative, I actually hoped for a positive test result. I craved clarity and validation about what was happening to my body. A positive test result would allow me to lay down the anxiety I had about catching the coronavirus. It would make my isolation from my husband and children worthwhile. And finally, it would provide me with immunity. After four days of waiting, my results came in: negative. I felt deflated. If I don’t have coronavirus, then what on earth is causing me, an otherwise healthy person, to feel so sick for so long? I felt confusion, anger, and injustice all at once. My negative results gave me none of the mental relief I had sought from a positive test result, and all of the burden of managing the worst illness I have ever had in total isolation. The day after receiving my negative test result, I read an article in The New York Times: “If You Have Coronavirus Symptoms, Assume You Have the Illness, Even if You Test Negative.” Doctors soon surmised that a full one-third of people who test negative for the coronavirus actually do have it. My doctor called the next day, letting me know she believed I was one of those people. This provided me with relief. IAfter days of unsettling symptoms as well as questions I had about what was really happening to me and fears of the unknown, my doctor’s assessment validated my experience. And it has allowed me to get back to what I need to focus on: healing. I recently came across the phrase, “when you can’t go outside, go inside.” As a therapist grounded in the practices of meditation and mindfulness, I took this to heart. Searching myself for the answers I craved elsewhere, I was reminded of the importance, now more than ever, of reducing our anxiety by staying in the present moment and of trusting our own experiences as valid and worthy, despite the labels we receive. +

I wanted to be positive.

Jenny Berz is a psychologist

Unfortunately, many of us need this book. The person who always knows just what to say and when to say it — not to mention how to say it — is the exception. For most of us, getting bad news from some medical tests, losing a baby, finding out a friend has cancer, or any one of dozens of other health-related bombs that one of our friends may have dropped on them (including death), and it can be very difficult to know what to say. Sue Halpern to the rescue. Her book, The Etiquette of Illness, was born of personal experiences and those of her friends. And let’s face it: we’ve all been to these places. In one case, she had lunch with a friend who had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment. One of this woman’s close friends hadn’t called or returned any of her calls in months, roughly since the time of her diagnosis. The friend didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. All of us can identify with that to some degree. It’s not always easy to comfort someone who has

experienced a death in the family or who has received some sobering and serious bad news from a doctor. Neither do we want to rush in like a bull in a china shop in some imaginary race to be the first to reach out to someone. As the title reminds us, there is etiquette involved. No points are awarded for being the first to extend words of comfort, any more than there are for being the last. It can be beneficial to get one’s thoughts together, do some research on the subject of the person’s diagnosis, and give careful thought to what you’ll say. That’s where this book comes in handy. Halpern, a psychotherapist, social worker, and human being,

offers sound advice on great ways to avoid that nagging guilty feeling we get when we retreat from a friend in their time of need instead of reaching out to help. Granted, we could tweet our friend or send them a text, but that has to rank near the top of bland and impersonal ways to communicate. Nor is there any law against getting help from Hallmark — quite the opposite in fact — but simply buying a card and signing it, or adding a few words (“thinking of you at this difficult time”) is a poor substitute for a few warm words spoken directly to a friend. Better to call or visit and send a card. Ah, but what to say when you call? There is the rub. Fortunately for us all, here’s a book that offers “what to say when you can’t find the words.” We’ve all been there — and will be again in the future. Unless, that is, we learn The Etiquette of Illness. + The Etiquette of Illness, What to Say When You Can’t Find the Words, by Susan P. Halpern, 208 pages, published in 2004 by Bloomsbury USA

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The Examiners +

What’s that book you’ve been reading?

It’s a fascinating book about cows.

by Dan Pearson

It’s all about how their bodies convert grass into That does sound interesting. How can a book about milk. It’s so interesting! I think I’ll check it out too. Graze Anatomy. What’s the title? cows be fascinating? I highly recommend it.

PUZZLE

ACROSS 1. Plant used for food flavor 5. Pace 9. Enterprise _____ 13. Continent 14. Augusta building 16. Capital of Western Samoa 17. Engrossed 18. Pendant hanging from the roof of the mouth 19. Dank; humid 20. Morris follower 22. Sex drive 24. Viper 25. Rule of _____ (in burns) 26. Cyanotic 28. Abbrev. in gynecology 29. Sinoatrial _____ 32. Med intro 33. RMH opponent in 1968 34. Kind; not harmful 36. Electrically charged atom 37. A small amount 38. New York athlete 39. Where the Wild Things ___ 40. What police do 42. Pale 43. Mr. DiCaprio 44. Very sweet (in champagne) 45. It’s followed by 3, 4, or 5 46. Facebook update 48. Graceland singer 50. Dawg’s conf. 51. Save 53. Sunroom furniture? 57. Liver fluid 58. Declare 61. Computer command 62. Damage 63. Like some pools 64. People stretch them 65. Nasal doc

61 64

DOWN 1. Do no... 2. Jacob’s twin 3. Tears 4. Boat in Paris 5. Decline; downswing 6. Large marble 7. Large flightless bird 8. Pale; ashen 9. Where Oliver Hardy grew up 10. Apple product 11. Prom ride 12. One circuit 15. Irma brought it 21. Exploit 23. Graduate of Summerville Academy (and Pulitzer winner) 25. Bethesda health inst. 26. Main Street Augusta 27. Slow (in music) 28. Non-med doctor’s degree

66. Like, totally excellent 67. They come in groups of 18

5 7

7 4 8 5 2 4 1 6 3 7 5 9 1 7 2 6 4 3 1 9 1 8 5

EXAMINER SUDOKU

We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!

Click on “MYSTERY WORD” • DEADLINE TO ENTER: NOON, AUG. 2, 2021

9 15

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

30. Watch faces 31. Heron 32. Gladys Knight backup 33. 2001 computer 34. Casey’s brother 35. Natal start 37. Like very bad friends 38. Jelly container 41. Late Meet the Press moderator (d. 2008) 42. Synonym for 8-D 45. Type of justice 46. I.M. _______ 47. Hidden, medically 49. People Who _____ 50. Expand 51. Augusta painter Ed 52. Chateau in Braselton GA 54. Word with high or cap 55. Brink 56. “Dress for Less” chain 57. Breast self-screen (abbrev.) 59. Fuss 60. The ___ of Steve (2000 film) Solution p. 14

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

QUOTATIONPUZZLE P T O D L E O O O R I

R K T C O R V S C N S O A I I E O O S E W E T C N N

1 2 6 8 7 9 H H M 2 4 D E 3E 6 9 5 T O N 8 7 D 5 1 — Merry Browne 4 3

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.

3 1

O A 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 F 1 2 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1.DLOTIIBAA 2.TINSAHIN 3.DTESLF 4.IAYE 5.TB 6.IU 7.DL 8.IE 9.T 10.Y

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

THE MYSTERY WORD The Mystery Word for this issue: LBETAT

EXAMINER CROSSWORD

JULY 16, 2021

5 3 4 7 8 1 9 6 2

7 9 8 5 2 4 6 3 1

4 1 6 8 7 3 5 2 9

JULY 16, 2021

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

THEBESTMEDICINE ha... ha...

language professor told his students during a lecture that in English, a double negative becomes a positive. He added that in some languages, however, a double negative is still a negative. “But in no language in the world,” he said, “does a double positive ever become a negative.” “Yeah right,” said someone from the back of the room.

The

13 +

Advice Doctor

going to electrocute himself! What should I do?” The pediatrician had encountered this problem before. “Depending on the current situation in your home,” the doctor said, “he needs to be grounded until he can conduct himself appropriately.”

Moe: Steve Jobs, God rest his soul, would have made a better president than Trump. Joe: Now, now...you can’t compare apples and oranges. Moe: What are the scariest words to read in Braille? Joe: Don’t touch. Moe: Why were the Doritos asked to watch over the dip? Joe: Probably because they’re known to be good with garden salsa.

Police were called to a home to investigate a report that the wife had shot her husband. The first officer on the scene radioed back to headquarters to confirm the shooting. “She admits it,” the officer said. “She warned her husband about walking on her freshly mopped floor and when he did it anyway, she shot him.” “Do you have her in custody?” came the response. “Not yet sir,” the officer said. “The floor is still wet.”

Moe: Last night I slept like a baby. Joe: Me too. I woke up crying every two hours.

A concerned mother took her teething toddler to see his pediatrician. “He’s started gnawing on electrical cords!” she said. “I worry he’s

Moe: What do you call a hockey player in a wheat field when it’s raining? Joe: Grayne Wetzky. +

Moe: Where do boats go when they’re sick? Joe: To the boat doc, I suppose. Moe: Sometimes math makes zero sense. Joe: What do you mean? Moe: 15 plus 15 is thirty, right? Joe: Right. So? Moe: But 16 plus 16 is thirty too.

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 need your advice on a problem I’m having with my wife. I wanted to buy a new (or fairly new) car, so we sat down to talk about it. She asked me what kind of budget I had in mind and I gave her a ballpark figure of $20,000. She agreed that was reasonable, but when we couldn’t find anything decent I wanted to increase our budget. She says I lied to her and I’m going back on my word, when really all I ever gave her was an estimate. — Everybody Rides (Except Me) Dear Everybody, Thank you for entrusting me to provide a possible solution to this problem, which I think is quite serious. I do want to answer your question, but I think the best way to do that is by backing away a little bit and looking at the bigger picture, the larger implications of this issue. You refer to a “ballpark figure” as though that is the only potential source of trouble here. I’ll admit, that’s definitely a big one, but what about the ever-growing figures from concerts, conventions, church gatherings, and more and more every day, simply shopping and going to work? And pretty soon, schools and universities will be back in session and college football stadiums will presumably be packed to the rafters too. So with all due respect, it’s not just about ballparks. The quandary is that on the one hand you have public health officials begging people to get vaccinated and to continue to practice safety guidelines, and on the other hand organizations like the Atlanta Braves, as you so aptly note, are filling their stadiums to capacity with tens of thousands of unmasked people. Fortunately, COVID cases in Georgia and South Carolina, are not showing any signs of spikes at the moment, but news reports are filled with warnings from various places (Missouri, for example) where COVID cases are rising sharply, mostly due to new variations on the original theme. People who dodged the first bullets are being hit with the Delta version. My best advice to you and your wife is to remember that you don’t have to go along with the crowd — any crowd. If she isn’t comfortable with ballpark figures, watch the games from home. Keep staying safe in your home even if others are not. Thanks for writing, and I hope I answered your question. + Do you have a question for The Advice Doctor about health, life, love, personal relationships, career, raising children, or any other important topic? Send it to News@AugustaRx.com. Replies will be provided only in the Examiner.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE MEDICALEXAMINER +

Why read the Medical Examiner: Reason #451

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

8 5

THE MYSTERY SOLVED 2! E AG P E E S The Mystery Word in our last issue was: NATURAL

...cleverly hidden in the wrap in the p. 15 ad for ROLY POLY

THE WINNER: MATT MOSES! 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!

JULY 16, 2021

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER THE PUZZLE SOLVED H A R M

E S A U

B P R I O P A D R B I S C E E

R I P S

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

E P M A R U L A L I N I N I D H B J E W A N A R N S W A T E D A L O O L

I P A D

L L I A M P O

D I A L P O S E C I C K U N L E T E

E G N R E E O T

B E N E T

M A D I S O N

E D G E

R O S S

SEE PAGE 12

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

6 7 2 3 9 8 5 4

8 9 4 6 5 7 1 3

3 4 7 8 1 9 6 2

Love to stare at your phone? Visit issuu.com/ medicalexaminer and stare away.

9 8 5 2 4 6 3 1

1 6 8 7 3 5 2 9

2 5 9 1 6 4 7 8

7 2 1 9 8 3 4 5

5 1 3 4 7 2 9 6

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QuotatioN QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION:

Preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom.

— Merry Browne

WORDS BY NUMBER The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” — Author unknown

READ EVERY ISSUE ONLINE WWW.ISSUU.COM/ MEDICALEXAMINER

JULY 16, 2021

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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

DRUG REHAB

Floss ‘em or lose ‘em!

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

DERMATOLOGY

Steppingstones to Recovery 2610 Commons Blvd. Augusta 30909 706-733-1935

IN-HOME CARE Everyday Elder Care LLC Certified Home Health/Caregiver 706-231-7001 everydayeldercare.com

Zena Home Care Georgia Dermatology & Personal Care|Skilled Skin Cancer Center Nursing|Companion 2283 Wrightsboro Rd. (at Johns Road) 706-426-5967 Augusta 30904 www.zenahomecare.com 706-733-3373 SKIN CANCER CENTER www.GaDerm.com

DEVELOPMENTAL PEDIATRICS Karen L. Carter, MD 1303 D’Antignac St, Suite 2100 Augusta 30901 706-396-0600 www.augustadevelopmentalspecialists.com

LONG TERM CARE

WOODY MERRY www.woodymerry.com Long-Term Care Planning I CAN HELP! (706) 733-3190 • 733-5525 (fax)

PHARMACY

Parks Pharmacy 437 Georgia Ave. ARKS N. Augusta 29841 HARMACY 803-279-7450 www.parkspharmacy.com

SCRUBS CSRA SCRUB SHOP 140 Davis Rd Martinez 30907 706 830 8213 www.csrascrubshop.com

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

TRANSPORTATION AMBULANCE • STRETCHER • WHEELCHAIR

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JULY 16, 2021

“And whoever saves one — it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.”

FREE HEALTH CLINIC for those who have no health insurance and whose income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. We provide ongoing primary care, limited prescription assistance, mental health referrals, and more.

Every Second Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM Walk-ins welcome 9am-11am • By appointment 9am-1pm

AUG. 14

TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT OR GET MORE INFORMATION:

Ladies and gentlemen, we want to hear your stories. And we know you have them. But how can you tell them without violating HIPAA? It’s not difficult. A: Get the patient’s permission, or B: Change and/or disguise enough details to ensure anonymity and protect patient privacy

EVEN MONTHS: ODD MONTHS:

University Hospital POB 1, Suite 2-A First Islamic Center Building 820 St. Sebastian Way 3416 Middleton Dr. Next clinic Augusta, GA 30901 Augusta, GA 30907 HERE

MYMOSTMEMORABLEPATIENT

Upcoming clinic

HERE SEPT. 11

Phone: 706-513-0582 • Email: Shifacareclinic@yahoo.com

There are many doctors who regularly blog about their patients and even write best-selling books about them. Names like Oliver Sacks and Atul Gawande spring to mind. Friends, this is eminently doable. We’d like this to be an occasional (or even better, a regular) feature in the Examiner. We’ll be happy to run your story anonymously and vigorously guard your privacy, or give you a byline (or use your pen name). Our mail and email addresses are on page 3 of every issue.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

Michael Sharkey, MD Lauren Ploch, MD Caroline Wells, PA-C Chris Thompson, PA-C John Cook, MD, Emeritus GENERAL, SURGICAL & COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY

JEWELRY SURGEON

the

• MODERN & ESTATE PIECES •

TRY US!

ROLLED SANDWICHES • SOUPS • SALADS

RESTORATION AND REPAIR ON GOLD & PLATINUM JEWELRY

CLOCK REPAIR

YOU’LL LIKE US!

WE DELIVER

WHEN SECONDS COUNT

1254 AUGUSTA WEST PARKWAY INSIDE BARGAIN HUNTERS

Augusta Office:

CALL AHEAD: (706) 284-0190 To view my work visit scscja.org. Click on resources, then merchandise. Click on the ring photo, then the PDF link.

EYEGLASSES REPAIRED Welcome former Murphy & Robinson customers!

Aiken Office:

GADERM.COM

YOU ARE ESSENTIAL DON'T DELAY. GET THE CARE YOU NEED.

OR CHOOSE DINE IN OR CURBSIDE PICKUP 3626 Walton Way Extension (Walton’s Corner)

Phone: 706.736.1099 Fax: 706.736.4401

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THE MONEY DOCTOR

Six times a year