July21 17 by Daniel Pearson

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AIKEN-AUGUSTA’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED IN 2006

RED means...

JULY 21, 2017

2. This jerk had been tailgating me, then he passed me and cut me off when he came back in my lane. And then he ran the red! Well if I stop too, I’m letting him win. I’m actually rewarding his behavior. Not happening! If you let him go through illegally without following him, the terrorists win. Good work. You, sir, are a true patriot. 3. I was inching forward in a line of cars approaching a red light and this cute girl was trying to turn right out of a parking lot, so I waved her out. But then just as she was entering the intersection the light went from yellow to red. By all rights that should have been my spot, so I went through too. What a perfect gentleman you are. You say the light turned red just as she entered the intersection? You two are obviously made for each other, a perfect match. Hope you got to meet her! 4. I’m a very busy person. You are one of the very few people who can make this unusual claim. The rest of us, living our lazy lives of leisure, will do our very best to clear a path for you whenever possible. 5. Traffic is so bad it took me four cycles to even get near the intersection. When I saw the light go red two cars in front of me, I wasn’t one bit surprised that all three of us went through. We’re not surprised either. Four, maybe. But three? [Yawn] 6. I’m in a hurry. A friend of ours was in a hurry recently and ran a red light. He got pulled F RE over, and when he explained to the cop that E! he ran the red because he was in a hurry, 9th ANNIVERSARY the officer closed his ticket book, profusely ISSUE 9 Ways to 9 Easy Ways Feel Healthier apologized for slowing him down, and wished to Lose Weight him well. +

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different things to different people Here and no doubt in every city across the fruited plain, running red lights has grown to epidemic proportions. Many drivers don’t stop for yellows, so a few cars seem to squeak through almost every red. Nationally, more than 700 people were killed during 2014 in crashes that involved red light running, along with an estimated 126,000 injuries. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, most deaths and injuries in such crashes affect someone other than the offending driver: passengers, people in the other car, pedestrians and bicyclists. Here is a look at the Top 10 reasons why local motorists run red lights. 1. As I was driving toward the intersection I was checking Facebook, and when I looked up the light was already yellow. I had no idea how long it had been yellow, so I kept going. By the time I went through it was red. What??? They said on the news that driverless cars were still a few years away.

7. I simply made up my mind I was going to make this light no matter what. So I sped up, but when it turned yellow and I still wasn’t very close to the intersection I just stepped on the gas. I admit it was red for me, but I don’t think the cross street had gone green yet. No harm, no foul. Red means stop; yellow means speed up. You obviously get it. Why is this so hard for people to understand??? 8. I’m late. A perfectly valid reason. But you do realize Please see RED … page 2

What is the best way to lose weight? The easiest way. It’s amazing how complicated people sometimes make it. Instead, here are 9 simple strategies. 1. Lose the liquid calories No more mini-buckets of sugary beverages. Try water instead. 2. Stop snacking Get your crunch from carrot celery sticks 3. Eat slowly and stop before you’re full To lose weight, all most people need to do is simply eat less food. Slowing down gives your brain time to register that you’re full when you actually are, not ten bites later. 4. Eat more protein, since protein keeps you fuller for longer, among other beneÀts. 5. Eat more high volume foods Hunger always wins, so eat foods that are higher in volume and that keep you fuller longer, like Àbrous green vegetables, lean protein, low fat dairy, low sugar fruit, potatoes, and other roots. 6. Reduce reÀ ned sugar intake Most people would beneÀt immensely by reducing reÀned sugar intake. A little here and there is permissible, but not too much. 7. Lift weights A little strength training is a great way to Àrm up and to burn calories. Baby steps, then bigger steps. 8. Drink caffeine, since it helps suppress appetite. It also can increase your physiological and mental capacity. 9. Have a preset plan to cheat Every diet fails at some point, so plan on it. In fact, create it, perhaps with one guilt-free cheat day/meal per week. One sensible cheat day/meal per week is not going to overpower 6 other days worth of diligent dieting, so don’t self impose unrealistic and unsustainable restrictions. +

The Medical Examiner took its first breath in July of 2006. We thank every single reader and each and every advertiser, past and present, whose support has made this publication “Aiken-Augusta’s Most Salubrious Newspaper” for the past 9 years.

3 boys die on Riverwatch T

his is not going to be an article about the June 1 accident on Riverwatch Parkway that took the lives of three young boys, one age 9, the other two just 8. It’s actually about you and me. Even so, let’s take just a moment to review what apparently happened. Two adult drivers were approaching the Stevens Creek Road intersection from opposite directions. One was intending to go straight; the other turned left into the path, as it happened, of the straight-through driver. Both drivers have been accused of running the red light; one was allegedly travelling nearly 67 mph in a stretch where the posted speed limit it 45 mph. The accident was a Àxture in news reports for nearly two weeks and three funerals were held, as accident reconstruction teams investigated exactly what happened, and eventually charges were Àled against both drivers. The fact that children were killed made the story especially heart-wrenching. Since the basic causes were identiÀed — running the red light and speeding — perhaps a noticeable drop in both of those behaviors would be evident around town, even if temporarily. Have you noticed that? At Medical Examiner world headquarters here in Augusta, we have not. We continue to see aggressive driving well in excess of posted speed limits, both on area interstates and major surface roads. It is also amazingly common to see the light ahead of you change green, and then to see one or two vehicles — sometimes as many as three — zip across the intersection. In any context that is unacceptable driving, but in the aftermath of the Riverwatch accident, that is nothing short of contempt for the lives and safety of others. Here is a suggestion from the Medical Examiner: every single time you approach a trafÀc signal that turns yellow, dedicate your stop to the memory of three little boys who died as innocent passengers in a terrible wreck. What a Àtting tribute to their memory. +

JULY 24, 2015

And a few extras thrown in at no additional charge. • Make your bed every day • Have fruit smoothie for breakfast • Skip your coffee and have herbal or green tea instead. • Keep anything artiÀcial and packed with preservatives and other chemicals out of your diet. • Meditate for at least 5 minutes. • Hug someone. It releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones. • Unplug all your devices for at least one hour. • Spend time in nature: go for a walk in a park or by the river. • Drink plenty of water. • Avoid high sugar/high fat combination foods, such as traditional cookies, ice-cream, milk chocolate, cheesecake, etc. • Eat a side green salad with your lunch and dinner. • Eat your lunch outside in fresh air rather than at your desk near the computer. (See p. 2) • Snack on Àbre-rich and antioxidant-packed fruit and/or berries. • Watch your posture, especially when you sit. • Get a massage. • Think of 5 things to be grateful about in your life. • Smile at strangers. It will give a positive boost to your mood. • Make someone laugh. • Read a book that inspires you. • Clean up your workspace; it will help you be more focused and productive. • Listen to classical music. Studies show it boosts cognitive function. • Sleep at least 7 to 8 hours a night. +

In case anyone forgot, this 2015 tragedy was caused when two drivers coming from opposite directions both ran a red light.

JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER Part T of a 26-part series

RED… from page 1 one of these times this habit of running red lights is going to make you really, really, really late, right? 9. My brakes aren’t all that great right now. They make a horrible grinding sound, so I don’t stop anyplace I don’t absolutely have to. You are obviously a handyperson. The solution to this problem is obvious: make sure your 8-track tape player is in good repair and the music is turned up full blast whenever you drive. Your grinding sounds will disappear. 10. My daily commute includes more than a dozen lights. Usually at least half of them are green, but the other day on the way home from work every single light turned red at just the point where I couldn’t justify going through. Finally like the tenth time this happened I just said screw it, I’m going through this one. It was only red for a second or two though. You stop at 90% of red lights? You deserve a medal of some kind. Seriously! If you were a baseball player you would be in Cooperstown, no question. +

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GOT DRUGS? It is rather amazing how many people don’t take their medicine properly, or at all. Prescriptions are expensive, but complications are even more expensive, especially if they’re avoidable and unnecessary — and self-inflicted. Also, life is generally viewed as precious. All of which would suggest that we will all be the healthiest people we possibly can be to avoid trouble, and when problems do arise for whatever reason, we’ll be the best patients in the history of patientdom. All kidding aside, let’s talk about how and why we can accomplish several very important things, including saving money, being more healthy, enjoying life more and enjoying more life, all just by taking our medicines properly. Taking a pill sounds simple enough. Open mouth. Insert pill. Close mouth. Swallow. It’s frequently a lot more complicated than that. This drug is to be taken 4 times a day with food. That one twice a day on an empty stomach. Take this one in the morning, that one at bedtime. These are tablets; that one is liquid. Store this one in the refrigerator. Those are ok at room temperature. People with multiple prescriptions practically need a full-time pharmacy assistant. Before you place a help wanted ad, however, here are some practical suggestions. Write it down — Make a list of all your medications, even simple overthe-counter things like vitamins and aspirin. Keep it up to date. Always take it with you to every doctor appointment. If you get a new prescription, make sure the doctor reviews your list. Some people allow space on their lists to write down any side effects they experience Whether as part of the list or separately, make a schedule of when to take each medicine. Whenever possible,

connect dosage times with a daily event: take this one with breakfast or when you brush your teeth or walk the dog or at bedtime. Keep the schedule readily at hand. Some people use timers on their cell phones, watches or computers as reminders. Organize — Those pill boxes you see in stores are very handy. Many have a compartments for a week’s worth of pills, divided into separate divisions for morning, noon, evening and bedtime. Fill up your box once a week with the right pills in the right compartments and you have fought half the battle already. Simplify — From time to time ask your doctor(s) to review your medications to make sure you still need to take each one, or to make sure that one drug isn’t cancelling out another. The New York Times recently said nonadherence to prescribed medications is “an out-of-control epidemic,” and quoted an Annals of Medicine review which found that “20-30% of medication prescriptions are never filled, and approximately 50% of medications for chronic illness are not taken as prescribed.” Specifically, “1/3 of kidney transplant patients don’t take their anti-rejection medications, 41% of heart attack patients don’t take their blood pressure medications, and half of children with asthma either don’t use their inhalers at all or use them inconsistently.” The Annals review estimated that non-adherence is responsible for 10% of all hospitalizations (at a cost of as much as $289 billion) and 125,000 avoidable deaths every year. In other words, if the CDC tracked medication non-compliance, it would rank as the 6th-leading cause of death in the U.S. +

IS FOR TAKING YOUR MEDICINE Your doctor or pharmacist may also be able to change a prescription from something you have to take several times a day to a longer-acting version that you only need to take once a day. That can save money and help you to be a more compliant patient at the same time. Plan for mistakes — They will happen. You’ll forget to take a pill from time to time. If you’re being the best patient possible, you’ll know what to do because you asked your doctor or pharmacist when you started taking this medicine. You know if it’s a big deal or not — and for some drugs it can be a very big deal — and what to do about it. Doing these things can help make your medications more effective. That, in turn, can sometimes mean better health through a faster recovery or a quicker cure. Even medications taken for chronic conditions can help minimize symptoms and control the progression of a disease, improving quality of life. Turns out little pills can do big things — if we take them as prescribed. +

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JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

The

PROFILES IN MEDICINE

Advice Doctor

presented by Queensborough National Bank & Trust Co.

THE TRANSFORMER Over his 65 years of life, there were several Charlie Norwoods. There was the kid born in Valdosta, Georgia, just a few months before Pearl Harbor, a kid who grew up to be a bit of a handful as a teen. There was the stint at a military academy/high school in Chattanooga, an experience that “turned his life around,” says his wife of some 45 years, Gloria Norwood. There was his 8-year college career culminating in a dental degree, followed by 2 years in the United States Army, including a year in Vietnam. His arrival there coincided with a new Army policy to treat wounded soldiers in combat zones instead of evacuating them to safer areas well behind battle lines. The dentist who came back to Augusta eventually transformed into a United States Congressman who served Georgia for more than a decade on Capitol Hill. His ultimate goal, he confided to Gloria while they were still dating, was the Georgia governor’s mansion.

“I never told my father that or he would never have let us get married,” she recalls with a laugh. It may have indeed been just a crazy dream had it not been for an event in Chattanooga at Baylor School, at that time a boys-only military-style prep school. There, a terrible tragedy involving Charlie became perhaps the single defi ning moment of his life. Soon after classes ended for the summer of 1958, Charlie, all of 16 years old at the time, was at the Lookout Mountain home of a classmate who was

going to travel home with him to visit Valdosta. While his classmate, Felder Forbes, was out of his bedroom in search of a suitcase, Charlie picked up a .22 caliber revolver the young man kept in his room. He assumed it was not loaded, and playfully pointed it at Felder when he returned. That was the moment he discovered it was loaded. A family friend who was a nurse happened to be at the Forbes home that day, so he got immediate treatment for a wound to the torso. The bullet entered the teen’s right lung, but did more damage to his liver and pancreas. He was hospitalized from June 9 until discharge on July 9, but his condition unexpectedly worsened and he returned to the hospital a week later and died on July 19. Some say that Charlie Norwood spent the rest of his life trying to atone for that tragic accident, and most would say he succeeded. And it didn’t take long for the rebuilding to begin. He reluctantly returned to Baylor Please see PROFILES page 6

Editor’s note: this is the 15th installment in a monthly series presented by Queensborough National Bank & Trust and the Medical Examiner profiling exceptional physicians and others of note in Augusta’s long and rich medical history.

W E A LT H M A N A G E M E N T Our experienced, financial team focuses on you, our client, to ensure that all aspects of your financial affairs are being monitored and managed appropriately in accordance with your life goals. We welcome the opportunity to serve. Call today for an appointment.

+ Dear Advice Doctor, I work in a small office that, to be honest, should be about twice its current size. We are overworked and understaffed to the extreme. To make matters worse, by supervisor has given me a bunch of new responsibilities, and believe me, my plate was already full. He says there is no money for a raise right now, but offered a vague promise that we’ll talk about it in a few weeks. I guarantee that will turn into a few months if it ever comes up. Do you think I should give them an ultimatum, or just be glad I have a job? — Work, work, work Dear Work, work, work, Believe it or not, it is a rare week when this very issue doesn’t come up in my medical practice. Not among my staff members, because we have an adequate workforce to handle the practice, but among patients. Many of them have weight-related issues, whether they affect pulmonary function, are cardiovascular, or they involve mobility issues like sore knees, hips and feet related to carrying excess pounds. While people often want a quick fi x from a so-called “diet pill,” we prefer to offer counseling, at least initially, on lifestyle changes that will contribute to successful weight management. You alluded to one of our recurring themes when you mentioned your plate was full. It is simply human nature to do exactly that: fi ll up our plates. The bigger the plate, the more food we’ll put on it — and the more food we’ll eat. It isn’t exactly a revolutionary concept to start with a smaller plate. We will still fi ll it up, but its reduced size will enforce portion control. If we can resist the urge to go back for seconds, we’ll be on the road to lower weight. Imagine doing that for every meal, or even just every night at supper. Avoiding a few hundred calories a day, day after day, will definitely add up. And as those numbers go up, other numbers will go down. + Do you have a question for The Advice Doctor about life, love, personal relationships, career, raising children, or any other important topic? Send it to News@AugustaRx.com. Replies will be provided only in Examiner issues.

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The Medical Examiner’s mission: to provide information on topics of health and wellness of interest to general readers, to offer information to assist readers in wisely choosing their healthcare providers, and to serve as a central source of news within every part of the Augusta medical community. Submit editorial content to graphicadv@knology.net Direct editorial and advertising inquiries to: Daniel R. Pearson, Publisher & Editor E-mail: Dan@AugustaRx.com AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER P.O. Box 397, Augusta, GA 30903-0397

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JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

#48 IN A SERIES

OLD NEWS

Who is this?

POINTS OF INTEREST TO FORMER KIDS by Trisha Whisenhunt, Senior Citizens Council

OVARIAN CANCER 101

e discovered Sir Edwin Chadwick while looking at a gallery of images of medical pioneers. His photograph stood out for some reason. Thinking that an article about the inventor of the combover might fit this series, we clicked to discover more. As it turns out, there was a lot to discover. Chadwick was born in England in January, 1800. His mother died so soon after his birth that young Edwin hadn’t even been named yet when she died. His father, James, undertook his upbringing and education, which was fortuitous because he was already tutoring British chemist and physicist John Dalton. His grandfather was a close friend of theologian John Wesley, and young Edwin grew up to be close friends with a number of great minds of the day, the most recognizable of whom was philosopher John Stuart Mill. James Chadwick eventually remarried, and the resulting union produced Edwin’s half brother, Henry, born in 1824. We are digressing from our main story big time, but Henry is sometimes called “The Father of Baseball.” He was a tireless advocate of the then-new game and campaigned for many improvements. It was Henry Chadwick who invented the box score, created batting average and ERA as yardsticks of performance, the “K” symbol to denote a strikeout, and who waged a long and ultimately successful campaign against the rule that a fielder could still record an out by catching a ball on one bounce. But back to Edwin, no slouch himself. He is famous for sanitary reform. Granted, it may not as apple pie as baseball, but it could be easily argued that Edwin’s contributions to the world far exceed Henry’s. After being admitted to the bar in 1930, Edwin was subsequently appointed to a commission charged with investigating the operation of the Poor Law, a combination of government and church initiatives designed to relieve poverty. To his credit, he pursued his commission so enthusiastically that he researched and published a landmark report in 1842, The Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population, at his own expense. The report generated support that grew to a national movement which directly led to passage of England’s Public Health Act of 1848. Given the context of the times, Edwin Chadwick’s interest in the poor has benefitted a few billion people for nearly two centuries. The reforms he spearheaded came at a time when the cumulative effects of the Industrial Revolution were beginning to take their toll on the environment. Tanneries, factories and slaughterhouses could discharge their effluent into rivers, streams and even the gutters of city streets as they wished. The Public Health Act of 1848 placed the protection of the environment under a single governing body in each locality, protected drinking water supplies, mandated the paving and cleaning of streets, the construction of sewers and other public health initiatives that are standard practice today, but were radical innovations in the mid1800s. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Edwin Chadwick. And no, he did not invent the combover. +

varian cancer is the 5th most common cancer among women and causes more deaths than any other type of female reproductive cancer. It is difficult to diagnose early and its symptoms can seem benign and often go unnoticed by most women. While it strikes fewer women than breast cancer, it is deadly. The National Cancer Institute estimates 22,280 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year and 15,500 will die of the disease. For comparison, NCI estimates 226,870 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 39,510 will die. Overall, 1 in 72 will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer during their lifetime. In the U.S. there are 13.4 cases for every 100,000 whites, 11.3 cases per 100,000 for Hispanics, and 98 cases per 100,000 for both Blacks and Asians. The five-year survival rate is 43.7% but it varies greatly with the stage at which it is caught. According to NCI, 91.5% of patients diagnosed before it spreads survive at least 5 years, whereas only

26.9% survive after it spreads to other sites in the body for 5 years. The single greatest risk factor is family history. The risk triples if a woman has a fi rst degree relative (mother, daughter, sister) who has ovarian cancer. Risk tends to run in families with mutated variations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. 15-40% of women with these mutations will be diagnosed with the disease compared with 1.4% of women in the general population. Women who do have these mutations typically are diagnosed before age 50. Symptoms include abdominal pressure, fullness or bloating. They may experience pelvic discomfort or pain. There can be persistent indigestion, gas or nausea. Look for changes in

bladder or bowel habits, such as constipation or frequent urination. A loss of appetite or quickly feeling full is also a common symptom. Increased abdominal girth, clothes fitting tighter around your waist or a persistent lack of energy can also be signs of the disease. Or maybe not. No screening test has yet proven to be effective in detection. Pelvic exams don’t usually catch tumors until they have grown large. Trans-vaginal ultrasound and blood tests that measure the molecule CA-125 have been tried, but often these tests are not accurate enough to consistently find the cancer. While none of this sounds very encouraging, there are steps you can take. If you know you have a family history of this type of cancer, a conversation with your doctor is a must. Ask what you can do and if any testing is appropriate for you. There are no guarantees and we can’t prevent ourselves from ever getting sick, but we owe it to ourselves to get educated on what we may be at risk for and do all we can to keep ourselves healthy. It’s always a good move to minimize the risk of any disease as best we are able. +

MYTH OF THE MONTH I can’t have dessert. I’m a diabetic. The #1 symptom of diabetes might be confusion. Some newly-diagnosed diabetics think they’ll have to give up carbs and desserts and all their favorite “sinful” foods. For every one of those, there is another diabetic who thinks they can eat everything they used to eat before being diagnosed in the same quantities. They’ll just take more insulin. That’ll cover it. They are both wrong. True, adjustments in diet are part of being a diabetic - at least a compliant diabetic. But compliant diabetics eat carbs. They eat many of their favorite foods. They eat dessert. However, they definitely monitor their

consumption of foods that are not diabetic friendly. They read labels and know how many carbs are in their meal. They avoid starchy, sugary carbs. Their dessert might be a cup of yogurt instead of a bowl of ice cream. Or one scoop of ice cream instead of two. Anyone who regularly consumes foods they know to be bad for a diabetic with the thought that they can get their sins forgiven by taking more insulin is cheating himself. And what the person is stealing is his own health. Be a good patient. It pays. + — by F. E. Gilliard, MD, Family Medicine 4244 Washington Road, Evans, GA 30809 706-760-7607

JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

WHAT EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW res? k good eno r skin can ugh cer? son.”

o k

t was the middle of the Great Depression and high paying jobs were as hard to find as a mulatto at a Klan rally. A young upper management player-to-be desperately applied for a new job. A rising business tycoon interviewed the new guy just before noon. In a feel-good exchange, he mentioned one of his favorite restaurants. The new guy had never eaten at that particular restaurant. The future tycoon took the new guy there for lunch. Intermingled with great pleasantries and encouraging conversation, the main course was served. The new guy salted and peppered his food immediately. The tycoon-to-be suppressed a frown and finished the meal with the utmost of manners and pleasantries. To the new guy’s utter amazement and prolonged bewilderment, he never heard from the prospective employer again. The prospective employer? J. C. Penney. Not the store. The man. Why did Penney dump the man he fully intended to hire? The new guy did not taste his food before adding salt and pepper. Therefore, he did not know if the food

ABOUT THE MEDICAL EXPERT IN THE ROOM

needed salt and pepper. If a man makes decisions about his food without using immediately and easily available information, then he should not be allowed to make decisions of importance about anything, much less about money and company management. The same goes for your doctor. If he makes decisions without acquiring all the easily available information, then you do not want him in charge of your well-being. That means, if he sloughs off a thorough history and at least a regional physical, and relied heavily on lab work, then he is not the one for you. He is a technician, not a real doctor. As a great Professor of Clinical Medicine once lectured his interns, “The patient always knows what is wrong with his body. You don’t. He lives in that body every day. You don’t. He knows how it feels. You don’t. He knows what is wrong. You don’t. He knows - because it is the only case he is concerned with. What he does not know is the latest Latin term or the best medical treatment to overcome his particular malady. “You have an authority sitting right there in front of you. Ask him! If you can’t or won’t take a good history, go

E TH

Bes get a job in the kitchen of a greasy spoon restaurant. You won’t have to ask questions there. The waitress will tell you what to cook.” Give your doctor a thoroughly accurate and well thought-out history so your doctor won’t have to salt and pepper his food before he has all the easily obtainable (and free) information necessary. Your well-being depends upon it. I once saw a doctor’s waiting room sign that read, “Don’t exchange symptoms with other patients. It confuses the doctor.” I laughed at the doctor’s sense of humor. Then on second thought, I wondered if maybe the doctor was dead serious. It does confuse the doctor if the patient with a broken hip complains of itching fingernails, burning eyebrows, and a jerking at the nose after midnight on days that contain at least one T. I once had a patient burst into my office. He threatened

ine c i d E tM

my nurse if I did not see him immediately. He was dizzy and wild-eyed. He stumbled about. He demanded immediate attention. He heard scratching in his head. Multiple diagnoses swirled in my head. Was he drunk? Was he crazy and about to trash my office? Was he high on drugs? Should I call the High Sheriff? Instead, I assumed a semi-calm manner and said, “Good morning, sir. What seems to be the trouble?” “There’s a damn bug in my ear! Get him out! NOW!” Never mind that he was the son of a Holiness preacher with religious convictions of his own. That DAMN BUG had to go. Immediately, if not sooner. I took a peek. Sure enough, there was Mr. Bug in all his glory, scratching away at the poor soul’s eardrum. I flushed him out with an ear syringe. Disaster was

averted … by a knowing patient … giving a pointed history … to a doctor … who listened. So the next time you are in your doctor’s office, act like you know what you are doing. Give a clear, well thought-out history, but in the sense of Southern decency, skip the colorful adjectives. That way, your doctor can do his job efficiently. Follow my advice and you will not have to apologize to the doctor, his staff, your mother, and God. All of them have better things to do other than forgive you for thoughtless verbal indiscretions. It will save a lot of time, and you can use that time to help search for the mulatto at the next Klan rally. + Bad Billy Laveau is a formerlyretired MD who wields a pointed sense of humor - and now, tongue depressors too. He speaks and entertains at events for audiences not subject to cardiac arrest secondary to overwhelming laughter and glee. BadBilly@knology.net or 706-306-9397. F REE T AKE-HO ME CO PY!

MEDICAL EXAMINER

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JULY 21, 2017

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JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

PROFILES… from page 3 in the fall of 1958 — that could not the convenience of patients. have been easy — and was promptly Dr. Bowers, still in practice in given a major boost of confidence, Surrey Center, recalls Charlie as “a encouragement and forgiveness from very good dentist, a good partner his classmates: they elected him senior and a good man.” By his accounting, class president. the partnership lasted 20 That is a glowing tribute years, which is not an to the caliber of both everyday occurrence in Charlie and his Baylor any field, and then as now, classmates. By all accounts the majority of dentists are the Forbes family likewise in solo practices. bears no ill will toward the One measure of the inexperienced youth who dual practice’s growth accidentally caused such a and success was their terrible tragedy. development of the Charlie graduated from professional office park Baylor and went on to Charlie during his Baylor that sits at the corner of attend Valdosta State Walton Way Extension days, circa 1958 before transferring to and Skinner Mill Road. Georgia Southern (where he met and Dr. Norwood’s former office in that married Gloria Wilkinson), going small complex is the home of Dr. Fred on from his BS degree there to earn Thielke’s dental practice these days. his D.D.S. degree from Washington’s Charlie sold his practice in 1993 Georgetown University while Gloria as the opening act of his final taught Home Ec at a junior high school transformation from mild-mannered in nearby Arlington, VA, and delivered dentist to Washington congressman. two baby boys. He was elected In selling the practice, says Gloria, he president of the student body in his wanted to send the message that he senior year at Georgetown. was a serious candidate, not someone Next stop after Georgetown: who had a Plan B safety net in place. Vietnam, where “he ended up in a After having the dream of serving MASH unit,” recalls Gloria, referring to in politics for years, what finally a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, the triggered his run? designation for a fully functioning field As former Speaker of the House of hospital operating in a combat area. It Representatives John Boehner told was hairy enough at times that Charlie the entire House during a memorial spent his down time trying to build an service for Charlie in 2007, “I met underground dental clinic — literally. Charlie in October 1994 when he was But he survived the deployment a candidate for Congress for the fi rst unscathed, and was awarded the time. I had dinner with him one night Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze before we went off on a 16-city tour. Stars for his service before being I looked at Charlie and I asked, ‘Why discharged at Fort Gordon in 1969. are you running for Congress’? His years of private practice “He said, ‘That OSHA, that OSHA. began as an employee of Dr. Ronald They did this to me.’ Bowers, but when they saw how well “And for every day that Charlie they worked together they almost Norwood served in this Congress, he immediately became equal partners. was all over OSHA, to have rules and They agreed on then-unusual policies regulations that met the straight-face like evening and weekend hours for test.”

Gloria Norwood recalls that OSHA almost drove her husband out of practice with a laundry list of new rules. “Charlie just could not believe that his own government was making it so difficult to be in business.” Providentially, at the start of his first campaign Charlie met Newt Gingrich in Atlanta, introduced himself and said he was running for Congress. Newt looked at Charlie for a moment and then said, “Dr. Norwood, go back home and buy a boat.” Charlie’s response: “Congressman, I’ll see you in Washington.” That’s exactly what happened, of course, and perhaps impressed by the unlikely Norwood victory in that fi rst election, Gingrich appointed Charlie to several influential committees, one of which had oversight over — guess who? — OSHA. Charlie’s 12 years in Congress (1995 to 2007) were marked by efforts to minimize government intrusion in business and individual’s lives, for healthcare reform initiatives he authored, as well as a strong emphasis on patient advocacy, including his Patients’ Bill of Rights legislation and another that came to be known after his death as the Charlie Norwood Living Kidney Organ Donation Act. Although Charlie died in 2007, he had been diagnosed all the way back in 1998 with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a chronic and ultimately fatal disease where lung function progressively worsens due to scarring of lung tissue. In 2004 he underwent a lung transplant, and as with any organ transplant, immunosuppressive drugs are necessary. They compromise the body’s defense system against both the beneficial transplant as well as hostile foreign invaders, and this may have contributed to Charlie’s diagnosis of liver cancer in December 2006. Just a few weeks later as part of his opening

remarks in the 2007 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush said, “We pray for the recovery and speedy return of Congressman Charlie Norwood.” Alas, we all know how the story ends. But ironically enough, had Charlie stayed in dentistry, an initiative he launched in 1972 would have been quite useful. The Augusta Dental Disaster Society, says dentist and Society member Mike Vernon, is a group of 30 dentists organized by Charlie who agree to staff the office of any dentist in the group at no cost should that dentist be unable to practice for an extended period of time, say 60 to 90 days, due to illness. In the event of death, the members of the group will see the patients of that practice for up to 90 days or until the practice is sold. “Many doctors have insurance that covers a practice interruption,” says Vernon, “but the policy may have a 90-day waiting period. We can step in to help in the meantime. Every one of us in the group will see patients for maybe half a day apiece every other week until the dentist is able to return.” They also chip in financially to help the family. The initiative also protects the dentist’s staff, keeping them working at a time when they might otherwise be laid off temporarily. It’s a great idea that first helped Dr. Charlie Joyner in the early 1970s and is still in place, ready to help whenever needed. Charlie Norwood’s most tangible legacy in Augusta are certainly the two Veteran’s Administration hospitals. That idea came from Charlie’s old House colleague and friend, Nathan Deal, serving these days as Georgia’s governor. Just two people have hospitals named after them locally: Charlie Norwood and Dwight Eisenhower. Pretty exclusive company. +

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JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

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Summer Watermelon & Arugula Salad

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Ahh... watermelon! It just screams summer, doesn’t it? So many childhood memories come to mind when I slice a watermelon. Memories of being at my Grandmother Hester’s house at the lake with all the family there. After spending the day swimming and laying in inner tubes (the older folks got to ski) we would slice a huge watermelon right outside on the table and everyone had a piece, lightly salted of course. The adults sat around in metal lawn chairs and the kids ran around playing as the lighting bugs came out. This is one of my earliest memories... I couldn’t have been more than five years old. Still, very vivid to me was how the watermelon tasted and how it ran down my face onto my shirt. I still love watermelon in the summer time. For the months of July and August I keep at least half a melon in the fridge cut up into chunks so we can easily grab a piece. I try to think of ways to use it in recipes also. This recipe is one I came Watermelon and Arugula Salad up with on my own. I had seen similar recipes on sun-damage to skin. Instructions: Pinterest and thought I’d For more facts on how to 1. Slice a seedless create one myself. The choose a delicious melon, watermelon and cut it into combination is perfect. check out a post I did a while 2-inch chunks. Place it in a The peppery arugula is so back.....”Watermelon....A medium bowl. amazing with the sweet LOVE Triangle.” 2. Add 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 of a watermelon and then the Enjoy the rest of the container of organic arugula salty taste of the feta and summer and.....I hope you’ll to the bowl along with Kalamata olives add another give this fabulous watermelon red onion, feta cheese and level of flavor. salad a try! Kalamata olives. Watermelon has so many 3. In a small bowl whisk health benefits also. Here are Ingredients: together olive oil, red wine a few: • 4 cups of cubed seedless vinegar, honey, salt and • 46 calories per cup. watermelon pepper. • Each serving has 20 percent • 1 container of organic 4. Pour about 1⁄2 of the of your daily vitamin C. arugula dressing over the arugula • 17 percent of your daily • 1⁄4 of a red onion, sliced and watermelon. Toss to coat vitamin A. very thin all ingredients. Add more • Both Vitamin A and C are • 1⁄4 cup of feta cheese, dressing if desired. needed for strong immunity. crumbled 5. Serve immediately. + • Provides potassium, which • 1⁄4 cup of pitted Kalamata helps steady blood pressure. olives Alisa Rhinehart is half of the blog • The pink inside of the • 1⁄4 cup of extra virgin olive southerngirlseatclean.com. She is watermelon is loaded with oil a working wife and mother living lycopene, plant pigment that • 3 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar in Evans, Georgia. is linked to lower rates of • 1 Tbsp. of honey Visit her blog for heart disease and certain • A pinch of sea salt (or Real more recipes and cancers. salt brand) and cracked black information on clean • Lycopene has also been pepper eating. shown to decrease chances of

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OUR NEWSSTANDS Medical locations: • Children’s Hospital of Georgia, Harper Street, Main Lobby • Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Ctr, 15th St., Main Entrance • Dept. of Veterans Affairs Med. Center, Uptown Div., Wrightsboro Rd., main lobby • Doctors Hospital, 3651 Wheeler Rd, ER Lobby Entrance • Eisenhower Hospital, Main Lobby, Fort Gordon • George C. Wilson Drive (by medical center Waffle House and mail boxes) • Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home, main lobby, 15th Street • Augusta U. Hospital, 1120 15th Street, South & West Entrances • Augusta U. Medical Office Building, Harper Street, Main Entrance • Augusta U. Medical Office Building, Harper Street, Parking Deck entrance • Augusta U. Hospital, Emergency Room, Harper Street, Main Entrance • Select Specialty Hospital, Walton Way, Main entrance lobby • Trinity Hospital, Wrightsboro Road, main lobby by elevators • Trinity Hospital Home Health, Daniel Village, main lobby • University Health Federal Credit Union/ University Hospital Human Resources, 1402 Walton Way • University Hospital, 1350 Walton Way, Emergency Room lobby area • University Hospital, 1350 Walton Way, Outside Brown & Radiology/Day Surgery • University Hospital - Columbia County, 465 N. Belair Road, Main Lobby • University Hospital Prompt Care, 3121 Peach Orchard Road, Augusta

Around town: • Barney’s Pharmacy, 2604 Peach Orchard Rd. • Birth Control Source, 1944 Walton Way • GRU Summerville Student Bookstore • Blue Sky Kitchen, 990 Broad Street • Columbia County Library, main branch lobby, Ronald Reagan Drive, Evans • Enterprise Mill (North Tower), 1450 Greene Street, Augusta • Daniel Village Barber Shop, Wrightsboro Road at Ohio Ave. • Family Y (Old Health Central), Broad Street, downtown Augusta • Hartley’s Uniforms, 1010 Druid Park Ave, Augusta • International Uniforms, 1216 Broad Street, Augusta • Marshall Family Y, Belair Rd, Evans • Parks Pharmacy, Georgia Avenue, North Augusta • Southside Family Y, Tobacco Road, Augusta • Surrey Center, Surrey Center Pharmacy, Highland Avenue, Augusta • Top-Notch Car Wash, 512 N. Belair Road, Evans • Wild Wing Cafe, 3035 Washington Road, Augusta

Plus more than 875 doctors offices throughout the area for staff and waiting rooms, as well as many nurses stations and waiting rooms of area hospitals.

JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

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

SOCIETY’S CHANGING ATTITUDES by Ken Wilson Executive Director, Steppingstones to Recovery

he only constant is change! What is is not what used to be! Way back when, and as recently as the beginning of the 19th century, when citizens “nutted up,” one of the “treatments” was literally to bore holes in their skull! To let the evil demons escape! Excavation has found numerous examples of this historical reality. We get the saying “I need that like I need a hole in my head” from that practice. In the Roaring Twenties and in the Depression

era of the 30s, “drunks” as they were called back then, were considered to be just bad people with a bad habit. Religion at the time perpetuated that way of thinking by quoting such New Testament passages as 1 Cor. 6:20 that cites a list of evil types of people who would not inherit the Kingdom of God: (NIV here) the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexual ofenders, thieves, greedy people, and of course the drunkards!

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As a youngster in church I equated drinking alcohol to be as evil as bank robbery! The fi rst recorded statement that I know of suggesting alcoholism to be a biochemical disease was in the early 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, when the early “successories” collectively affi rmed that they had an “allergy” to alcohol. They had hardcore experience in trying to stay sober after multiple drying out attempts in the sanitoriums of the day, knowing the alcohol was out of their body, but not knowing why they couldn’t stop drinking once they (or if they) started back drinking again. Knowledge of the brain back then as to which parts were most affected by alcohol and the metabolic process was in its infancy compared to today. The early people in that self-help program are to be credited with being years beyond their time even though they didn’t know why their theory was correct. In the mid 1950s substance abuse and substance dependence was finally recognized as an illness, albeit a mental illness, and included in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders current at that time (we are now using the 5th update of that book). So only beginning about 60 years ago was alcoholism seen as a disease to be covered by medical insurance. Google this story sometime. It’s fascinating. Still, alcoholism had a long way to go towards being generally accepted as an illness. And it still

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does. “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” is still debated: “Is he an alcoholic because he inherited the tendency to become one, or is he an alcoholic because he drinks too much?” And the truth is: BOTH! He will probably advance into his dependence more rapidly if he has a family history of substance dependence, but one can become just as alcoholic without any family history simply by drinking a lot over a long period of time as well, the same as any other disease such as cancer or diabetes progresses. Certainly there is a behavioral component added to the genetic tendency. For the real scholar out there, Google Virginia Davis, THIQ, 1972 for quite a surprise in research. We ask “Is lung cancer a disease?” Of course! Was it genetic? Maybe. Was it because he smoked too much? Maybe. Well, probably. And we ask again “Is diabetes a disease?” Of course! Was it genetic? Maybe. Was it because of poor dietary choices? Possibly, says medical science nowadays. Either way, they are all diseases. Here comes the clincher: Once treated, is smoking cigarettes a disease? Is eating candy a disease? Is drinking a disease? Of course not. They are choices, even though the choices are influenced by past inclinations. For many, recovery is a regimented lifetime process in support group meetings. Did I say lifetime? Yes, I said lifetime. Why? Later, I promise. +

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JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Ask a Dietitian DELICIOUS GUILT-FREE PIZZA by Kim Beavers, MS, RDN, LD, CDE Recently I took the famous “Green Jacket Salad” to a potluck; it was gone in no time flat! There was left over pizza but the salad was gone…how cool is that? The Salad-pizza pot luck experience is the inspiration behind this recipe. Most people from Augusta or those, like me, who have lived here a while have had or heard about the famous “Green Jacket Salad.” If you have never tried it I urge you to do so. It can be found in the Par-3 TeaTime at the Masters® cookbook, available through the Junior League of Augusta - www. jlaugusta.org - or local gift and book stores. This recipe is light, fresh, and delicious. It is an excellent appetizer to take to a backyard barbeque or a refreshing change on pizza night. You can even make it an “all-pizza night” by having salad pizza, main dish pizza, and dessert pizza.

Salad Pizza This is the perfect summer pizza…light refreshing, yet still pizza 1 whole wheat Boboli crust 2-3 cups tender head lettuce or salad mix with baby greens 1 medium tomato, chopped 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1-1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1-1/2 Tbs. fresh chopped oregano) Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place crust directly on the rack to crisp up the bottom, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the greens and tomatoes with Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Combine oil vinegar, salt and oregano in a small bowl and mix. Toss the salad greens with the dressing. Once the crust is crisp add the salad greens on top and serve. The heat from the crust will slightly warm or wilt the greens. Yield: 4 servings Nutrition Breakdown: Calories 210, Fat 6g (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 440mg, Carbohydrate 31g, Fiber 2g, Potassium 106mg, Phosphorus 10mg. Diabetes Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch, 1 Vegetable, 1 Fat +

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JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Kid’s Stuff

However, for the mothers and babies in whom these contraindications do not exist, here are some reasons why breast-feeding is the best thing ever:

by Caroline Colden, M.D., Children’s Hospital of Georgia

• Breastfeeding is FREE – no purchase of bottles, formula, milk, and sterilizing supplies for cleaning required. And no need for refrigeration.

NOTES FROM A PEDIATRIC RESIDENT

Breastfeeding 101

Lets talk about feeding babies. Breast, bottle, or both? Let’s go with breastfeeding for now. Breastfeeding really is a wonderful thing, and despite it being one of the most healthy, beneficial, and undeniably natural aspects of life, it is not being done as much as it should. While there is absolutely nothing wrong

with formula, and in fact, a number of situations demand formula use due to either mother/family situations or special dietary requirements by baby, there are many bonuses to breastfeeding. ** Please note, there are a couple of situations in which breast-feeding is not recommended – these include HIV, active tuberculosis, and use of chemotherapy in the mother, concurrent use of drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, or other drugs of abuse, and special dietary needs or allergies in the baby. **

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• Breast milk contains the perfect amount of nutrients and calories to help your baby grow. And the production and composition of the breast milk changes with time to accompany your baby’s growing needs. • It helps mom and baby bond – consistent skin-to-skin contact and just spending time with your baby does so much to help a baby feel loved and thrive, and it helps make the mom and baby bond stronger than ever. • It reduces the risk of disease in babies – asthma, diabetes, obesity, infection, and perhaps even cancer are DECREASED in babies who are breast-fed, clinical research shows. • It helps mothers lose weight and return to prepregnancy weight faster. Breast-feeding burns calories!

for breast and ovarian cancers. • Did I mention how FREE breast-feeding is? And how it decreases the risk of disease in BOTH mom and baby? Sorry to belabor this point, but I think they are pretty huge zingers.

• Breastfeeding also stimulates the production of certain hormones (such as Oxytocin) that help the uterus heal after delivery, thus decreasing the risk of post-partum bleeding. These hormones also make mom feel happy, helping to fight “baby blues” that can happen in the fi rst few weeks after delivering, and just helping naturally to boost that feeling of “goodness” on a daily basis. • Breast-feeding also helps act as natural birth control in moms, especially in the first 6 months of the baby’s life and if the baby is exclusively breast-fed. This helps with child spacing and allowing the mother’s body to return to baseline before she gets pregnant again. • Studies also show that woman who breastfeed are themselves at decreased risk

Certainly every woman should discuss with her doctor whether it is safe and recommended for her and her baby to breast-feed. Breastfeeding is not for every mom and baby. But hopefully, for those mothers who were previously on the fence about it, I have perhaps convinced a few to consider breast-feeding as an option. For anyone looking for more information, the above bullet points were taken straight from the following websites: 1. The American Academy of Pediatrics – http://www2.aap. org/breastfeeding/policyOnBr eastfeedingAndUseOfHumanM ilk.html 2. World Health Organization - http://www.who.int/topics/ breastfeeding/en/ 3. HealthyChildren.org - http://www.healthychildren. org/English/ages-stages/ baby/breastfeeding/Pages/ Breastfeeding-as-a-Form-ofContraception.aspx 4. WebMD - http://www. webmd.com/parenting/baby/ nursing-basics?page=3 +

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We’ve just added this shirt to the haul winners of the Mystery Word contest receive — in addition to gift cards from Wild Wing Cafe and Scrubs of Evans.

FIND THE WORD AND ENTER TODAY! Remember: the Mystery Word is always hidden. It is never in plain sight and it’s never in an article. See all the deets on page 14.

JULY 21, 2017

11 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

The blog spot From the Bookshelf — posted by Suneel Dhand, MD, on April 28, 2016 (edited for space)

WHAT WOULD A DREAM DOCTOR LOOK LIKE? The practice of medicine has changed dramatically over the last couple of decades, with many of the changes unfortunately not so good for patients. It’s a well-known feeling among health care professionals that among all the new elements of bureaucracy and information technology requirements, the one person who is often completely forgotten about is the patient. As someone who has worked up and down the east coast in every type of hospital over the last several years, I am witness to that unfortunate truth. With that in mind, I have gotten a real sense of what patients value and desire from their physician. Here is what I suspect those “dream doctor” traits would be, and what a letter from a patient would look like:

Please maintain eye contact

Dear health care organizations and all physicians, Based on my interactions with doctors, here is a list of the things I’d really like mine to be like. I find that most doctors are technically excellent and very competent, and the major issues simply relate to communication. If you are serious about raising the quality of care and improving the health care experience, you may want to take some of these points on board: Speak to me respectfully and take time to listen to me. Empathy and compassion go a long way, and sometimes just a caring ear can count for an awful lot. Sit down and explain everything clearly to me (and my family if they are also present). Give me a chance to ask questions too. Following on from the above, please make sure you are on the same page as any other doctors I’m seeing. It gives me great heart to know you are all talking to each other! When you are with me, please maintain eye contact. I am bothered if you keep turning around to your screen to type furiously on your keyboard and click boxes. I am a real person with a story to tell. Familiarize yourself with my chart and past history before you see me for the first time. Again, this is very heartening and reassuring to me. Be accessible. If I have a question or concern, it’s great to know that I can get in touch with you. I know you are super busy, but even if it’s your office staff or a colleague, it should be relatively straightforward for me to relay a concern. Please make sure that when I leave your care, whether in a hospital or in your office, that my follow-up instructions are clear and unambiguous. I don’t understand technical medical terms. Last time I left the hospital I got a print-out of computer gabble that looked similar to the paper I got after my car was serviced—that meant nothing to me, and I couldn’t understand. Keep in mind that you are seeing me at one of the lowest points in my life. Those few minutes you spend with me are really important, and I’m hanging on every word you say. Smile more and remember that each patient you see is a real person and not just another name on your list! I have a life and just want to feel well again so that I can back to it. Many thanks for the great work you do every day, + Patient Suneel Dhand is an internal medicine surgeon, author and blogger

Very few people alive today experienced the greatest and deadliest pandemic in human history, the 1918 influenza. It’s difficult to imagine a plague sweeeping the globe, infecting half a billion people, killing between 50 million and 100 million people in the space of one short year. Philadelphia alone, one of the worst-hit cities on this side of the Atlantic, had nearly 5,000 deaths in a single week. Unlike previous outbreaks that killed the very young and the very old — the weak — the 1918 pandemic struck people who were young and healthy one day and young and dead the next. It’s a fascinating chapter in human history, and one not so distant in terms of both time as well as the current potential for similar outbreaks (a number of which have erupted within the past ten years, although on vastly smaller scales). The Journal of the American Medical Association made these remarks in its 2004 review of the book: “In his meticulous description of the dire

consequences that resulted when short-term political expediency trumped the health of the public during the 1918 influenza pandemic, Barry reminds his readers that the government response to an epidemic is all too often colored by the politics of the moment. Barry is neither a scientist nor a professional historian, and some of the details he gives on virology and immunology are clearly targeted at a nonmedical audience, but physicians and scientists will find this book engrossing nonetheless. The influenza pandemic of 1918, the worst pandemic in history, killed more

people than died in World War I and more than the tens of millions who have died, to date, in the AIDS pandemic. Barry focuses only on what was occurring in the United States at the time, and he tries to place this unprecedented human disaster both against the background of American history and within the context of the history of medicine.” “[Barry’s] indictment of the public authorities for their dishonesty and deliberate minimization of the damage and dangers is particularly chilling in today’s climate of bioterrorism, in the midst of a war whose damages and dangers have been similarly minimized. Barry makes it all too easy to imagine a similarly devastating epidemic with a similarly inadequate response. I highly recommend this book to all. — Karen Brudney, M.D.” + The Great Influenza; The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry, 564 pages, published by Penguin Books

Research News The perfect excuse As you have already heard — news of this kind travels — an Italian study found that a daily dose of cocoa was an effective means of counteracting some types of cognitive decline. In other words, it boosts brain power. Among the findings for various groups: among the elderly, the flavonols in cocoa improved attention, mental processing, working memory and verbal fluency. Researchers also found that for women, eating cocoa after a night of sleep deprivation — not that that’s ever happened to any mothers — tended to help counteract the effects of no sleep. Moderation is the key, of course. This is not a scientific free pass to chug chocolate by the chunk. Still, when someone asks, “Hey, what are you doing in the kitchen?” now you can reply, “Counteracting some types of cognitive decline.”

New cancer treatment OK’d The FDA is on track to approve a first-of-its-kind use of gene therapy in the fight against cancer. Unlike “traditional” gene therapy, the new approach, called CAR T-cell therapy, does not replace disease-causing genes; instead it reprograms immune cells (T cells) to target and attack malignancies. The procedure could get the full green light as early as September. Drug helps Alzheimer’s Many nuggets of medical good news come with the caveat that “further study is required,” or that the long process of testing and trials means a promising new drug will not reach the market for many years. But researchers at Harvard Medical School have found that a common epilepsy drug can act to normalize brain activity in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

The drug at the center of the study is levetiracetam, commonly known as LEV. Previous studies have shown that low doses of LEV can improve memory in people with mild cognitive and memory impairments. The new double-blind study, using a very small sample (7 patients), involved a preliminary EEG to measure brain activity, followed by administration of either a low dose of LEV, a stronger dose, or a placebo. Afterward, doctors looked at brain patters via a second EEG and administered cognitive tests to measure things like memory, language ability and overall mental function. The results, although preliminary, showed minimal cognitive changes, but definite evidence of improved brain activity patterns. It isn’t a magic bullet for Alzheimer’s patients, but researchers say it marks progress. +

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JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

THE EXAMiNERS +

by Dan Pearson

This Examiner crossword has me stumped. What’s the clue?

“Overworked mail carrier.”

A bunch, obviously. You think you’re real funny, don’t you?

How many letters?

The Mystery Word for this issue: RENNBOW

EXAMINER CROSSWORD

PUZZLE ACROSS 1. _____ someone out 6. Vietnamese New Year 9. Venomous African snake 14. Newest state greetings 15. Major baseball stat 16. Hip bone 17. Cadaver stiffness (in brief) 18. NBC staple 19. Aromatic herb of the daisy family 20. Not true north 23. Relieve 24. One of AU’s previous abbreviations 25. Surpluss 29. Black Sea peninsula 32. Science of rotating bodies 35. 1960 Pulitzer Prize winner 37. Small secluded valley 38. Star Wars’ character’s middle name? 39. Trudge 40. Instant lawn 41. Extensive 45. Public often follows it 47. McQueen role 48. Where the Wild Things ___ 49. Earth’s largest continent 51. Rubella 57. Tom, first-ever secretary of Homeland Security 58. Even (poet.) 59. Like a kid on a sugar high 61. Tree of the birch family 62. Baby doctors 63. Those of wealth and privilege 64. Cemetery real estate 65. A Scotsman’s no 66. “Unleaded” coffee

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A Y E A O Y K U Y S O O W D O B I U D K J O T S R O

47 49

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.

29. Home movie (in the UK) 30. It’s between Broad & Greene 31. Even longer than 28-D 33. Askew 34. Cigarette by-product 36. Tense; irritable 39. Letter in Greek alphabet 41. _________ market 42. Region 43. Capital of W. Samoa 44. Collided 46. Evans has one 49. One-celled protozoa 50. Jane Austen title word 51. Respiratory organ of fish 52. Taro plant 53. Ne on the periodic table 54. He won the Masters in 1988 55. Heroic; impressive 56. Stiff bristle (zoology) 57. At can follow murder 60. Whistle-blower

X A M I N E R

9 7

2 3

8 4 9 7

1 3 6

9 4

1 9 8

4 3

3 2

U D O K U

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

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.

L 1 2 3 4 5

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

1 2 3 1 2

M 1 2 3 4 U 2 3 4 5 6

— Bill Waterson

1.SHALNABIM 2.TREPOOIA 3.DROKOLT 4.PHUDEE 5.SNIA 6.DDN 7.GI 8.N 9.G

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

— Bob Ross (1942 - 1995)

DOWN 1. Up to (or not up to) ____ 2. Jim’s nickname? 3. Exercise method for health and relaxation 4. Hosp. on Harper St. 5. Type of racing involving horses 6. Exams 7. Banks of Chicago 8. Baby powder 9. Cell division 10. Formal term for a call to arms 11. Money-making plant 12. Field on the outskirts of Augusta 13. Grant born in Augusta 21. One of four compass points 22. Drug agent, in brief 25. Breakfast staple 26. “Wood” in Greek 27. Statement of belief 28. Very long period of time

F H Y P U E H U A O B M T A R T Y O P

Solution p. 14

WORDS NUMBER

All Mystery Word finders will be eligible to win by random drawing. We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!

48 51

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

QUOTATION PUZZLE

23 25

THE MYSTERY WORD

JULY 21, 2017

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

THE BEST MEDICINE Moe: Why did Snoop Dog go to the hardward store? Joe: I give. Why? Moe: Fo’ chisels.

Moe: What do you call a can opener that doesn’t work? Joe: This better be the last one. What? Moe: A can’t opener.

Moe: Have you heard of Murphy’s Law? Joe: Sure. Anything that can go wrong will. But have you ever heard of Coles Law? Moe: No, what is it? Joe: It’s thinly sliced raw cabbage mixed with mayonnaise. A salad.

Moe: What are all of these books for? Joe: I want to learn how to build a bookcase. Moe: But this book is about tropical fish. And this one is about Aztec history. Joe: I just picked them at random. Moe: Why??? Joe: I asked the librarian if they had any books on shelves, and she said “all of them.”

recent survey found that six out of seven dwarfs are not happy.

A guy goes to a doctor and tells him, “I’ve been thinking about this a long time. I want to be castrated. This is very important to me, so don’t try to talk me out of it. I don’t want any discussion. Just do it.” The doctor shrugs, says ok, and schedules him for surgery the next day. The next day the guy is laying in the recovery room afterwards with his knees up and an ice pack where the work was done, and he looks over and sees another guy in the exact same recovery position. “Looks like we both got the same procedure.” The other guy nods, “Yeah, although at my age I feel a little silly getting circumcised...” “THAT’S THE WORD!”

Moe: I thought I needed a chiropractor. Joe: But...? Moe: But now I stand corrected. Moe: How did your father die? Joe: He was given a mis-typed blood transfusion. Moe: That is terrible. He was a great guy. Joe: He really was. Even when he knew his time was up, his last words were giving us advice about moving on without him. Moe: That’s amazing. What did he say? Joe: Over and over he said, “Be positive.” +

Why subscribe to the Medical Examiner? Because no one should have to make a trip to the doctor or the hospital just to read Augusta’s Most Salubrious Newspaper.

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE MEDICAL EXAMINER 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

ON THE ROAD TO BETTER HEALTH A PATIENT’S PERSPECTIVE Editor’s note: Augusta writer Marcia Ribble wrote a long-time column in this paper entitled The Patient’s Perspective reincarnated in this new format. Feel free to contact her at marciaribble@hotmail.com Several things cross my mind tonight, the top one being that my grandson, Angelo, is leaving to go to Michigan where most of his family and friends live. I am going to miss him a lot. At the grand young age of 25, he has been working, visiting with aunts uncles, and cousins, and finding Augusta a good place to live, but those don’t replace being with people who have known him since he was born. It works that way for a lot of us who are older, too. I miss being with folks who have known me all my life, who know my secrets and guard them well and tenderly. Seems to me that many older folks like me have a harder time making new friends in new places, so those occasional intimations of impending death hit harder because we don’t have as many events taking up space and time in our lives. I turned 74 this week, and those absentee loved ones create a focus on being alone, especially now with Angelo leaving. Angelo created noise with his coming and going to work and back, to be with folks his own age, and to go out and stare at the sky at night. But sometimes we would just sit and talk together, especially during the NBA finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers and other sporting events. He was surprised to find out that in the days before Title IX, I played basketball. And football. And he knew facts about the players that I didn’t know. It’s funny how comforting it is to hear the microwave ding after heating up a snack, to hear a toilet flush in another part of the house, or to hear rattling plates from emptying out the dishwasher. It’s nice sometimes to eat together, like tonight when Angelo cooked eggs and sausage for us. They were delicious! Perfectly done! And KC loved getting little handouts and licking our plates. She will really miss Angelo, because he lets her snuggle up to him on the sofa, giving her the cuddles she loves. After he leaves tomorrow, KC will remember and miss him. She will sniff that spot on the sofa they claimed as their spot. She will meander around the house trying to find him, then give up and rub her fur on the place he sat to bring him back to her. My two year old great granddaughter, Luna, will miss Angelo, too. She just learned to say, “Good-bye, Angelo,” when he’d leave their home, and wave good-bye to him. Her mom, Yvette, will miss having a fun cousin to hang around with. And I’ll miss him a lot, too! We’ll talk now and then, and his mom, Vicki, will keep me updated on what he’s doing, but it won’t be the same! The house will become a lot quieter. He won’t be waking me up coming in from work to ask if I’d like some breakfast at 3 am. I’ll get more sleep, but I’ll miss being awake eating breakfast with him in the middle of the night. +

ha... ha...

Moe: Why can’t Stevie Wonder see his friends? Joe: I give. Why? Moe: Because he’s married.

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JULY 21, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

THE MYSTERY SOLVED

139

The Mystery Word in our last issue was: OPIOIDS

...cleverly hidden (in the Augusta Market photo) in the p. 7 ad for THE JB WHITES BUILDING THE WINNER: CHRISTIAN COUCH 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!

The Celebrated MYSTERY WORD CONTEST ...wherein we hide (with fiendish cleverness) a simple word. All you have to do is unscramble the word (found on page 12), then find it concealed within one of our ads. Click in to the contest link at www.AugustaRx.com and enter. If we pick you in our random drawing of correct entries, you’ll score our goodie package!

That’s how many back issues of the Medical Examiner are available at

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 of 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.

The new scrambled Mystery Word is found on page 12

SENDING US A CLASSIFIED? USE THE FORM BELOW AND MAIL IT IN, OR GO TO WWW.AUGUSTARX.COM AND PLACE & PAY CONVENIENTLY AND SAFELY ONLINE. THANKS!

Augusta Medical Examiner Classifieds

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In case we need to contact you. These numbers will not appear in the ad.

issuu.com/medicalexaminer You can subscribe to the online edition free!

EXAMINER CLASSIFIEDS HOMES, APARTMENTS, ROOMMATES, LAND, ETC. LAND Land for sale: 14 acres, wooded, beautiful rocky creek flowing through; 45 min from Augusta, walking trails cleared to enjoy while planning future development. Perfect getaway or homesite. Outstanding schools (K-12) 4 mi. away. $49,000 (706) 831-9015 FOR RENT 2000+ sqft warehouse space w/ loading dock, Walton Way Medical District. Available immed. $850.00/mo. incl. utilities. 706-564-1644 ROOM FOR RENT with private bathroom and full house privileges. Martinez $600/mo (706) 840-6860

AD COPY (one word per line; phone numbers MUST include the area code): .25

.50

.75

1.00

1.25

1.50

1.75

2.00

2.25

2.50

2.75

3.00

3.25

3.50

3.75

4.00

4.25

4.50

4.75

5.00

5.25

5.50

5.75

6.00

6.25

6.50

6.75

7.00

7.25

7.50

7.75

8.00

8.25

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8.75

9.00

(Copy this form or continue on additional sheet if more space needed.)

FOR SALE 3 bedroom/2 bath, single garage Townhouse in Martinez. Master/ bath down, 2 upstairs bedrooms share bath, large loft for office, playroom, den; wood-burning fireplace, covered back porch. Freshly painted with new flooring, lighting and ceiling fans. Easy access to Riverwatch Parkway, Washington Rd, I-20, Augusta. 1987 sq.ft. $147,900. 706-836-7001. ROOM FOR RENT 1 room, private bathroom, 2bdrm MH on private lot. Clean quiet neighborhood. Non-smoker. $600 monthly. Must be stable, verifiable references and income. Cable and Internet included. Warrenville, 5 min from Aiken, 20 min to Augusta. (803) 270-2658 POND VIEW! Evans all-brick 2-story

with solar panels. Avg. electric bill $170 in Northwood, 3,400 sqft. Call 1-800401-0257, ext. 0043 24/7 for price and details.

SERVICES PETS Dogs walked, cats sat, in the comfort of your home by retired pharmacist. No kennel noise, fleas, disease, transport cost/time. Avail 7 days/wk in Martinez/ Evans. $15 per visit. References. Call for free interview at your home. Call Buddy for your buddy: (706) 829-1729 HOUSE CLEANING Your house, apartment, rental move-outs. Thorough, dependable. Weekly, or whatever schedule you prefer. References. 706-877-0421 F. E. GILLIARD, MD FAMILY MEDICINE Acute & Chronic Illnesses Occupational Medicine PROMPT APPOINTMENTS (706) 760-7607

MISCELLANEOUS CEMETERY SPACES (2) Sunset Memorial Gardens, Graniteville SC adjacent to lighted military flagstaff, includes granite bench with urn space, installation and inscription. All $4700 ($8600 value). Spaces only: $2700. Call (803) 295-3033 FISHING CLUB wants more grey-haired members. Meet 2nd Thurs of month at Harbor Inn Restaurant, 12 noon. “Adventure Before Dementia” Info: (706) 736-8753

Send this form with payment to:

AUGUSTA MEDICAL EXAMINER, PO BOX 397, AUGUSTA, GA 30903-0397 Total ad cost by number of words as shown above: $ Multiply by number of times ad to run: x Total submitted: $

The Augusta Medical Examiner publishes on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month. Your ad should reach us no later than 7 days prior to our publication date.

We publish on 1st and 3rd Fridays

THE PUZZLE SOLVED P S Y C A L O H R I G O M A G E G G S

X Y L O N

G R I A L P L

H A R N E C E S R O S E N D F O T A A R E R M D G E D E R O T S

T E S E T A S S T A W A R R Y E A N E O N

E R N I E T A R A M E B A

T A L C N A C R I C N E A P S I E A N S E

M I T O S I S

A L A R U M

M I N T

E L P L C H I R I S A S L E H Y P E L I D E C

B A U M S Y H A E O N S

E D G Y

S E R T E A F

SEE PAGE 12

QUOTATION QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION: Page 12: “You do your best work if you do a job that makes you happy.” — Bob “Joy of Painting” Ross

The Sudoku Solution 1 3 5 8 2 6 7 4 9

6 9 7 5 3 4 2 1 8

8 2 4 9 1 7 3 5 6

4 5 2 3 8 9 1 6 7

7 1 3 2 6 5 9 8 4

9 8 6 4 7 1 5 2 3

3 4 9 1 5 8 6 7 2

5 6 8 7 9 2 4 3 1

2 7 1 6 4 3 8 9 5

WORDS BY NUMBER “Nothing helps a bad mood like spreading it around.” — Cartoonist Bill Waterson (Calvin and Hobbs)

JULY 21, 2017

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

The Short White Coat PATIENT CARE REFORM A career in medicine is long. Some will contest that it begins with a medical school acceptance letter. However, I believe it begins when the decision is made to A med student’s notebook follow the path toward a degree. On the road to becoming a physician, some may face more resistance than others. Reminiscing to when I fi rst felt that I would be a medical doctor, it wasn’t solely a career choice. I would label it a vocation- a simple choice that gave me purpose. unbound to politics. From the age of seven, I accompanied my mother

on her hospital rounds. I witnessed dedication, purpose, and passion in a way that I wanted for myself one day. I made the decision to become a physician at a very young age and I thought I was ready to follow the path about a decade later. The problem is, at 17 you don’t fully know what being a physician will entail by the time you’re ready to practice. I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Science from Florida International University in 2012 and our healthcare system has been in what I would term “uninterrupted reform” ever since. From ObamaCare to TrumpCare, and I’m sure another form of care will follow. It seems never-ending. As medical students and soon to be resident physicians, we don’t know what to expect. To make matters worse, there’s a lack of control over the issues that protect our patients. I’ve casually spoken to physicians about healthcare issues, coverage, and reimbursements and the one aspect that appears most troubling is the lack of transparency. How healthcare in the U.S. will be defi ned in 4-7 years is unpredictable. Nevertheless, thousands of eager students are still pursuing a career in medicine. Perhaps that’s because, for many physicians, medicine chooses you. It lies in meeting

with a patient who has an ailment or medical concern and having the knowledge and training to appropriately explore and manage it as more than a case. Seeing each patient as a whole person with worries, questions and concerns are key. Despite the changes that occur in the way healthcare is managed, medicine progresses. The knowledge, skill, science, and art that defines medicine is its own world. However, it would be naïve to believe that the way dollars are allocated within the healthcare system doesn’t directly impact patient care. Regardless of one’s political ideology, it is necessary for everyone in healthcare to maintain a positive and proactive stance that will improve patient care in an efficient and practical manner. Although the political world and aspects of healthcare administration might appear out of the physician’s scope, matters of patient care are not. I understand that U.S. politics and a career in medicine will always be connected. However, medicine remains a choice that I would choose time and time again. + by Jasmine Rivas, a fourth year medical student at University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Feel free to contact her with questions or feedback: jrivas@umhs-sk.net

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY 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

DERMATOLOGY

Georgia Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center 2283 Wrightsboro Rd. (at Johns Road) Augusta 30904 706-733-3373 www.GaDerm.com

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

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

FAMILY MEDICINE

F. E. Gilliard MD, Family Medicine 4244 Washington Road Evans, GA 30809 706-760-7607 Industrial Medicine • Prompt appts. Urgent MD Augusta: 706-922-6300 Grovetown: 706-434-3500 Thomson: 706-595-7825 Primary Care Rates

OPHTHALMOLOGY Roger M. Smith, M.D. 820 St. Sebastian Way Suite 5-A Augusta 30901 706-724-3339

PHARMACY

YOUR LISTING HERE

SENIOR LIVING

Augusta Gardens Senior Living Community 3725 Wheeler Road Augusta 30909 SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY 706-868-6500 www.augustagardenscommunity.com

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

TRANSPORTATION Caring Man in a Van Wheelchair-Stretcher Transports • Serving Augusta Metro 855-342-1566 www.CaringManinaVan.com

VEIN CARE

Medical Center West Pharmacy 465 North Belair Road Evans 30809 Vein Specialists of Augusta Dr. Judson S. Hickey Your Practice 706-854-2424 Periodontist And up to four additional lines of your www.medicalcenterwestpharmacy.com G. Lionel Zumbro, Jr., MD, FACS, RVT, RPVI 501 Blackburn Dr, Martinez 30907 2315-B Central Ave choosing and, if desired, your logo. Floss ‘em 706-854-8340 Augusta 30904 or lose ‘em! Keep your contact information in Parks Pharmacy www.VeinsAugusta.com 706-739-0071 this convenient place seen by tens of 437 Georgia Ave. thousands of patients every month. N. Augusta 29841 Jason H. Lee, DMD Literally! Call (706) 860-5455 for all 803-279-7450 116 Davis Road the details www.parkspharmacy.com Augusta 30907 Medical Weight & Wellness 706-860-4048 Specialists of Augusta THE AUGUSTA Maycie Elchoufi, MD MEDICAL EXAMINER Steven L. Wilson, DMD 108 SRP Drive, Suite B Psych Consultants Family Dentistry Evans 30809 • 706-829-9906 AUGUSTA’S 2820 Hillcreek Dr 4059 Columbia Road MOST SALUBRIOUS YourWeightLossDoctor.com Augusta 30909 Martinez 30907 NEWSPAPER (706) 410-1202 706-863-9445 www.psych-consultants.com

WEIGHT LOSS

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M.E.

PSYCHIATRY

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

JULY 21, 2017