Jan20 17 by Daniel Pearson

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

STORIES

by Dan Pearson Medical Examiner publisher

ince this month starts my 27th year of publishing a twicemonthly newspaper in Augusta, I thought I would share a couple of the more unusual episodes encountered over the course of the years. As everyone knows, Chicago is the murder capitol of the U.S. What might surprise you is how the Medical Examiner was involved in one of them. Chicago recorded a staggering 762 murders last year, more than New York and Los Angeles combined. The fiancée of one of those murder victims did a Google search for “medical examiner” and somehow ended up on my doorstep (figuratively speaking). It was the morning of June 14, and her Please see 2 STORIES page 2

JANUARY 20, 2017

This tank was supposed to last all year H ow frustrating is it to resolve to do something good for yourself — to lose weight, let’s say, or exercise more — only to have your plans smoldering in ruins within weeks of beginning the journey? We can all answer that one: very. Unfortunately, studies show that’s exactly what happens to most New Year’s resolutions: within just a few weeks into the shiny new year — sometimes within mere days — inaction (or even cheating) has often set in with a vengeance. The average person is so disappointed and disgusted with himself that he just says, “You know what? Forget the whole thing.” As Cubs fans used to say, “Wait ‘til next year.” Let’s not go there, shall we? Who made the rule that good things have to start on January 1, anyway? As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “The time is always right to do what is right.” One of the realities of trying to establish a new habit is setbacks: you will lose five

pounds and then gain two back; you will start walking three or four days a week, and then suddenly realize you’ve let an entire week go by and haven’t walked once; you will go ten days without smoking and then succumb and bum a cigarette off someone, or even buy a whole pack. While things like that are disappointing, they aren’t the end of the world. We all fell down many times learning to walk, but we got up and kept trying. Gradually, we got better and better at it – but even adults still fall down once in a while. When it happens we just get up, dust ourselves off and keep walking. And that’s the best thing to do when we falter in self-improvement goals: just get up and try again. Speaking of little children, parents know that correction and discipline are never one-and-done propositions. We have to make continuous course corrections for our children. The third or fourth time we have to correct our 3-year-olds we don’t give up on them and unleash them upon an unsuspecting world without restrictions.

Why should we be any different with ourselves? In other words, don’t give up on yourself when you stumble on the way to your goal, whatever it might be. Don’t stop loving yourself enough to care. Kiss the booboo, cry a little if you must, but keep going. Just recently you thought the goal was worth starting. Just because you’ve tripped up doesn’t mean the goal is no longer worth pursuing. (Aside: but it might need some adjusting. Maybe instead of walking an hour every day at 5:00 a.m. you should scale it back to half an hour every other day - just until you get your footing again.) As you march forward, be aware that experts don’t put a lot of stock in “willpower.” What is willpower, anyway? It’s a bit vague. Setting a realistic goal that is measurable takes willpower out of the picture and replaces it with results. Go for it! +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Part I of a 26-part series

using your bed for two things: sleep and sex. Not TV watching (there shouldn’t even be a TV in your bedroom); not web surfing (ditto: keep the bedroom screen-free). Those are the Don’ts. A few Dos: go to bed and get up at about the same time every day of the week. Start to gradually

go into full relaxation mode at least an hour or two before your normal bedtime: read a good book; pray or meditate; take a bath; listen to soothing music. Make your bedroom a haven of peace and quiet, a sanctuary in your home that is dark, quiet and comfortable. Medically, any number of factors can interfere with sleep. Medication taken for something that has nothing to do with sleep might cause wakefulness as a side effect. Pain can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep. Heartburn plagues some people when they are lying down. Chronic stress, depression or anxiety can interfere with sleep. Some people fall asleep promptly and sleep all night, yet are still exhausted in

the morning. The culprit there may be sleep apnea, a dangerous condition marked by numerous breathing disruptions during the night. Aside from fatigue, sleep apnea greatly elevates the risk for high blood pressure, heart attacks or heart failure, and strokes, to say nothing of its negative effects on daily activities like job or school performance and safe driving. In summary, insomnia is a serious health issue, but one that might be entirely self-inflicted. Examine your lifestyle and bedtime habits and see if the simple fi xes listed previously offer help. If they don’t, by all means see your doctor. Better sleep means a better life; it’s that important. +

me he was shot in the head, spine, torso, and shoulder, and his lungs were bleeding. His chances were slim to none, but who knows? Maybe someday there will be a little guy who looks like the dad he never knew growing up on the mean streets of Chicago. On a much lighter note, I often tell people (like potential advertisers) that the Medical

Examiner is everywhere. An experience on Riverwatch Parkway that proved my point surprised even me. It happened about a year and a half ago as I was heading out from downtown on Riverwatch. I probably had only gone a couple hundred yards when I saw someone standing in the middle of the road, and debris was strewn everywhere.

Obviously this guy’s load had fallen off his truck. I pulled over and ran up to help the gentleman move the boxes and their spilled contents off the roadway and onto the shoulder. From there I presumed we would load everything back in his truck. “Is all this going to fit on your truck?” I asked him. It seemed unlikely. “This stuff isn’t mine,” he said. “I came along and found it all across the road. I’m just moving it onto the shoulder. I figure whoever lost it will come back and it’ll all be right here.” Sounded like a plan to me, so we managed to get the roadway cleaned up without getting hit by oncoming traffic and returned to our vehicles. As I walked back to my car something caught my eye in a drainage culvert at the side of the road. It was a then-recent copy of the Medical Examiner, the May 1, 2015 issue. Wow, I thought. We really are everywhere. +

Sleep on it

Oh, if only I could, say millions. For some people insomnia is only an occasional inconvenience; for others it’s an ongoing and seemingly permanent part of their life, night after night, month after month, year after year. There are ways to reclaim your nights. The initial strategy is twofold: look at simple lifestyle changes that might offer better sleep, and look at underlying medical conditions or health problems that might be causing insomnia. In the fi rst category, culprits

might be evening or late night caffeine consumption (a stimulant which hides in lots of places, not just coffee and energy drinks); drinking alcohol before retiring; exercising late in the evening or actively stimulating your brain soon before bed by viewing something that is terrifying, like a gory horror movie, or adrenaline-inducing, like a explosion-filled action movie; avoid naps if they keep you up at night. Simple things like a bedroom that is too hot or too cold can also interfere with sleep. Experts recommend

JANUARY 20, 2017

IS FOR INSOMNIA

2 STORIES… from page 1 question was an unusual one: can a medical examiner or coroner harvest and preserve sperm, specifically, sperm that is viable for purposes of reproduction? Off the top of my uninformed head I said I did not think that was possible. “It hasn’t been 48 hours,” she said. I suggested she call the Cook County Coroner’s office up there - the morgue - but I was pretty sure of two things: 1. they were going to tell her that her fiancé’s sperm was no longer living even minutes after his death, and 2. she would get a runaround and be on hold for hours and maybe never get a truly definitive “no” from someone who actually knew. A brush-off was more likely. Suddenly I heard myself rashly volunteering to call the morgue here (by this time we had established that I was neither a medical professional nor anywhere near Chicago) and ask her question for her. I deliver the

Examiner to the Richmond County morgue twice a month anyway, so I’m not a total stranger there. I thought that might help. Moments later I had the surprising answer from a forensic professional: yes, under certain conditions it would still be possible to harvest active sperm from someone who had been dead for a short while. (She said he had died at 8:55 the previous morning; this was the next day around lunchtime.) The key was whether the body had been kept warm, and that was in her favor: she told me her fiancé was an organ donor, and for that reason his body was being kept under a heated blanket. I don’t know the rest of the story, but I applaud her for one thing: trying to move forward with her life so soon after such a tragedy. They wanted to get married and have a family, and she was trying to make that happen despite the tragic turn of events. She told

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

The

PROFILES IN MEDICINE

Advice Doctor

presented by Queensborough National Bank & Trust Co.

“A genius in medicine”

arlier this week a federal holiday in honor of the great Martin Luther King, Jr. was observed. In a few days, the annual focus on one segment of America’s past — Black History Month — will begin. And yet here is a white man in this segment of Profiles in Medicine. But it isn’t just any white man. He’s actually one of the great unsung pioneers of equal rights. This man, Dr. Henry F. Campbell, and his brother, Dr. Robert Campbell, both members of the faculty of the Medical College of Georgia, opened Jackson Street Hospital expressly for the care of blacks. Its full name was Jackson Street Hospital and Surgical Infi rmary for Negroes. The three story hospital, built entirely with the personal funds of the Campbells and a few other compassionate donors, opened in 1854 at the corner of Jackson (now 8th) and Fenwick Streets. In other words, near the downtown post office and James Brown

Arena. While thought by some historians to be nothing more than a clinic for slaves to get them patched together and back to work in the shortest possible time, the hospital treated slaves and free blacks alike. At a time when black patients could not be treated in “regular” hospitals — that is, whites-only hospitals — the Jackson Street Hospital is said to be America’s first “colored” hospital, although its entire staff was white. It featured a fully-equipped surgical suite and bright and airy rooms reached — for those patients flat on their backs in gurneys

— via a system of ropes and pulleys. Patient rooms featured gaslights, fi replaces, and hot and cold water. As Martin Luther King Jr. said in 1966, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.” The Jackson Street Hospital may not have been the finest hospital in all the land, but it’s nice to know any facility existed for the + skilled and compassionate care of black patients — in this case a very nice facility. Being more than a century ahead of his time was not Dr. Henry Campbell’s only claim to fame. He enjoyed an international reputation in the medical community. He discovered and demonstrated the “excito-secretory system of nerves,” a discovery the American Medical Association considered worthy of a $100 prize awarded to Dr. Campbell at its tenth annual meeting in 1857. The Southern Medical Record in that same year published a lengthy open letter by Dr. Campbell Please see PROFILES page 10

Editor’s note: this is the ninth 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

+ Dear Advice Doctor, My child has always been a bit of a handful, but as he’s grown older I keep expecting him to learn to control his emotions. The other day I told him it was time to stop playing video games and come to the table for dinner. When he ignored me I unplugged the machine. He threw himself on the floor like a 2-year old and screamed. He was still beside himself more than an hour later, hysterically crying. Is this normal for an 8-year old? — Patient Mom (about to become a patient!) Dear Patient Mom, I understand your concern. I think I would be worried too. One patient I treated several years ago had this affl iction, known clinically as “Dissociative Identity Disorder.” It’s a coping mechanism for very stressful situations (like having to stop playing video games, apparently) in which the person literally dissociates himself from something he views as too painful, violent or traumatic to deal with. Some people call it an “out of body experience,” or as you describe it in your son’s case, as being able to be “beside” (or next to) oneself. While the diagnosis is somewhat controversial and rare, many mental health professionals view it as a real condition. Patients often have from two to four separate and distinct personalities that serve separate roles in helping the person cope with various challenges in life, a fact that is reminiscent of The Three Faces of Eve, a noted Hollywood film whose true story is based right here in Augusta. Triggers of various kinds can cause sudden and swift transitions from one “alter” or personality to another. An accurate and official diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder is a complicated and imprecise proposition at best, but the disorder is often accompanied by depression, mood swings, sleep disorders, suicidal tendencies, anxiety attacks and hallucinations, among others. Sometimes these sideline symptoms can be treated more effectively than the central core issue. Best wishes with your son! + 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.

AUGUSTA

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MEDICAL EXAMINER

AUGUSTA’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER

www.AugustaRx.com E. CLIFFORD ECKLES, JR.

DAVID D. BULLINGTON, JR.

W W W.Q N BTR U S T.CO M/PR IVATE- BAN K I N G

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

(706) 860-5455 www.AugustaRx.com • E-mail: graphicadv@knology.net G E O R G I A’ S C O M M U N I T Y B A N K since 1 9 0 2 www.QNBTRUST.com

Opinions expressed by the writers herein are their own and/or their respective institutions. Neither the Augusta Medical Examiner, Pearson Graphic 365 Inc., or its agents or employees take any responsibility for the accuracy of submitted information, which is presented for general informational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised. © 2017 PEARSON GRAPHIC 365 INC.

JANUARY 20, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

#37 IN A SERIES

OLD NEWS

Who is this?

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

ROSACEA: IF I HAD KNOWN SOONER...

his woman accomplished a great deal of good in her lifetime, but it was her death that really got the world’s attention. Edith Cavell was born on December 4, 1865, in a village in Norfolk, England, the oldest of four children born to Rev. Frederick Cavell and his wife, Louisa. As a young woman, Edith was employed as a governess for a family in Brussels, Belgium, from 1890 through 1895. Returning home to England to help care for her ill father, she received training as a nurse at the London Hospital, and in 1907 was recruited by Dr. Antoine Depage, the Belgian royal surgeon and founder and president of the Belgian Red Cross, to be matron of a newly established nursing school in Belgium. Within a year, she was a training nurse for three hospitals and the supervising school nurse for more than two dozen schools. She also launched a nursing journal, L’infirmiére. She was briefly back in Norfolk visiting her widowed mother when World War I broke out. She returned to Brussels to discover her clinic and nursing school had been taken over by the Belgian Red Cross. During the war years she is remembered for treating and saving the lives of soldiers on both sides of the conflict without discrimination. Her maxim was, “I must have no hatred or bitterness for anyone.” After the German occupation of Brussels in late 1914, Cavell began secretly shuttling wounded British soldiers, as well as Belgian and French civilians, out of the country to the neutral Netherlands. They were given false papers and conducted to Cavell’s house (among other places), where they were furnished with enough money to get to the Dutch border. This was soon noticed by the Germans. The hospital was put under surveillance, and soon after (on July 31, 1915) the German Secret Police arrested Phillipe Baucq, a Brussels architect who had been assisting Cavell in her efforts. Cavell herself was also arrested on August 3, accused of treason by harboring Allied soldiers, some of whom had safely made it to England through her efforts. A postcard of thanks from one of them was the only evidence, other than her own confession, presented at her trial. Cavell never hesitated to take responsibility for her actions. She was found guilty under German law and sentenced to death. As further evidence of the deteriorating state of the world that summer, Marie Depage, the wife of the doctor who recruited Cavell, died May 7 when the British ocean liner Lusitania she was a passenger on was torpedoed and sank by a German submarine. Despite a number of diplomatic efforts to intervene in her behalf, Cavell was executed at dawn on October 12, 1915 by a 7-man German fi ring squad and was buried nearby. Her death caused international outrage and was used as an effective propaganda tool against Germany throughout the war, and inspired several plays and films. She was honored by the UK on a commemorative 5-pound coin in 2015. After the war, her remains were returned to England, and she was reinterred in Norwich (Norfolk). +

have dealt with redness on my cheeks since I was a teenager. It is just part of who I am and I live with it. Now that I am more mature, it has gotten worse. My doctor mentioned it to me a couple of times and suggested I see a dermatologist, but I felt spending the money would be serving only my vanity. What I didn’t see was how much worse it had really gotten. I started having an issue with my eyes being red and my vision blurry. When this condition didn’t clear up on its own, I called my eye doctor and he wanted to see me right away. The redness was in fact Rosacea, and it had moved into my eyes. I had no idea this was possible. I left the doctor’s office with a prescription eye wash to use every day forever more,

antibiotics twice a day for thirty days, and I was ordered to get fish oil - 1000mg and take four a day! Being the compliant patient I am, I did as I was told and if I had known fish oil would have made such a difference in the condition of my skin, I would have started years ago. I knew it was good for other minor afflictions, but it never occurred to me that it might help with the redness or the texture of my complexion. I learned that a mite called Demodex lives on our faces, in our hair and eyelashes. If you happen to suffer from Rosacea, this mite can make things much worse. Rosacea is a chronic, non-contagious, mostly genetic condition that has no known cure. It affects about 14 million people in the U.S. and those affl icted are usually of English,

Irish, Scottish and Welsh descent. My family came to this country from Glasgow, Scotland, so I come by it honestly. Ocular Rosacea can cause blurry vision or the eyes to feel dry and gritty. It can also cause photophobia (light sensitivity), eyelid cysts and broken blood vessels. Rosacea can come and go. It can be triggered by changes in weather, sun exposure, exercise, emotional reaction, alcohol consumption or spicy foods. Treatments include antibacterial washes, antibiotics and topical creams. In some cases, laser, photo and/or pulse light therapies are also used to control the condition. The redness hasn’t completely vanished but it is markedly improved and so has my vision. I continue to use the eye wash and take the fish oil. What I have learned is that even in this day and age of constant flowing information, as medical laymen we don’t even know what we think we know, and things that sound impossible or far-fetched are not necessarily so. Don’t take for granted that nothing is wrong or shrug off nagging worries. If you have a change of any kind going on, assuming it is minor and benign can be a mistake. Give your doctor a call. +

MYTH OF THE MONTH Lick your lips when they’re chapped That might seem like a logical strategy: apply moisture to dry skin. Unfortunately, it is a counter-productive practice. Not only does it not help; it can actually cause chapped lips. Chapped lips are probably a bigger deal up north where cold winds and extreme weather are the norm this time of year. However, we get enough cold weather here to make our heaters turn on too, drying out indoor air. Winter air is also notoriously dry outside. It’s the perfect recipe for chapped lips. It is also the perfectly natural thing to lick our lips in response, and people often do it without

even realizing they are doing it. It doesn’t help. It makes matters worse. One of the best ways to treat chapped lips is exactly what you might expect: applying a lip balm, and refreshing it after eating or drinking. Drinking plenty of water this time of year also helps, and addressing some nutritional deficiencies (like a lack of B-complex vitamins) can also help treat or prevent chapped lips. + — by F. E. Gilliard, MD, Family Medicine 4244 Washington Road, Evans, GA 30809 706-760-7607

JANUARY 20, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

WHAT EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW res? ABOUT GOOD OL’ BOYS

k good eno r skin can ugh cer? son.”

o k

on Williams, The Gentle Giant, played the Imperial Theater a few years ago. There were more gray hairs there than at a Worldwide Poodle dog show. Don’s sculptured beard stood out with the grandeur of the Snows of Kilimanjaro. Many of us shared his seniority. My son took me as my Father’s Day present. We ate quickie burgers before the concert. It was a wild Saturday night for us. We were home by 10:30. The distinctly middle-aged crowd bordered on advanced maturity. Security guards had the easiest night ever. These law abiding citizens clearly relished the family values that Don champions in his lyrics. No cutting in line. No loud talking. No profanity. No drunks. No druggies. No shouting. No gang signs. No pat-downs at the door. When Don sang, they shut up. When Don paused, they applauded. When Don bowed, they gave a standing ovation of reverence. There was reason: Don Williams projected good ol’ boy family values the way a WWII search light put a knowing beam in a troubled sky. Clear. Pointed. Unashamed. Faithful. His deep baritone voice flowed with the smoothness of oil on still water. His manner and persona could still troubled waters in a raging storm. His quiet stillness had the reassurance of a safe island on the Sea of Despair.

Don is real. He knows the secrets of life. Take these lyrics into your soul and be the better for it: I don’t believe in super stars Organic foods & foreign cars I don’t believe the price of gold The certainty of growing old That right is right & left is wrong That north & south can’t get along That east is east & west is west & being first is always best But I believe in love I believe in babies I believe in mom and dad And I believe in you. I believe in love I believe in old folks I believe in children And I believe in you I believe in old folks I believe in babies I believe in mom and dad And I believe in you. — Reverently stolen from Don Williams Or this one: You placed gold On my finger You brought love Like I have never known You gave life To our children And to me … A reason to go on. You’re my bread When I am hungry You are my shelter From troubled winds You are my anchor In life’s ocean But most of all

t s e B You are my best friend. When I need inspiration You are always strong When I am tired and weak I could search The whole world over You would still be All I would ever need — Reverently stolen from Don Williams With such reverence for family values, womanhood, and fidelity, why isn’t Don Williams head of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare? Why don’t they play his songs every day in every school in the nation? It could do no harm. If we lived his lyrics and dedications, would there be rape? Spouse abuse? Domestic violence? Guns in school? Street drugs? Murder? Fights and shootings after concerts? Political scandal? I think not. When I left the Imperial that night, I don’t believe anyone had even dropped a gum wrapper on the floor. And imagine this: nothing in the morning paper about

e n i c i d ME

a shooting or stabbing in the parking lot afterwards. Neither good ol’ boy Don Williams nor my mother would have approved of such dastardly behavior. But is Don Williams really all that, or am I flowering him over because he is good at what he does? Consider this and then you tell me. In 1978, rock icon Eric Clapton (a fan of Williams), was scheduled to play a concert in Nashville. He invited Williams to open the show for him. “Eric contacted me and asked me to open his show in Nashville, which I agreed to do,” Williams said. “Before the show, we got together and I played him “Tulsa Time,” which Danny Flowers had just written. He loved it and we ended up recording the song.” “Tulsa Time” was a major hit for Clapton on the pop charts and Williams’ version topped

the country music charts. And what did Clapton do? Forget about Don Williams? Relish his newfound success and good fortune at Don’s expense? No. He made Don his opening act and made him famous. Decades later, Don was still touring incessantly, finally retiring from the road just last year. I left that concert wondering why our county commissioners and school board was not there to absorb wholesomeness to pass along to our troubled kids and declining society. I confidently prescribe Don Williams’ music and comfortable style as a healing medicine for a troubled mind and a misguided society. Use it frequently. Benefits are monumental. Negative side effects are nonexistent. +

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. F REE T AKE-HO ME CO PY!

DICALEXAMINER

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

The Short White Coat

You can’t see me, but I’m here in this issue.

You’ll have to hunt for me. A hint: my name is Mystery Word. DETAILS, PAGE 12

It’s 2017 and I’m officially in my fourth year of medical school! Throughout my third year of medical school I completed 6-12 weeks of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Surgery, Psychiatry and Family Medicine. The fourth and final year consists of 30 weeks of elective rotations. For some students, medical school is the means to a clear end, for example surgery or pediatrics. I began my studies with the intention of learning about the human body, the manifestation of disease and the way medicine is used to improve its condition, but without knowing which path I’d take after graduation. I believed that the field would choose me as much as I would choose it. I would have to consider every aspect of the profession to ensure its compatibility with the way I want to spend the majority of my time. Most physicians spend the majority of their day at work; therefore, I know it

will need to be a field where I found purpose and innately showed interest. As exciting as it is to know that next year I will be graduating and applying to residency programs, it is important to stay informed and knowledgeable on healthcare policies and how they impact the medical field from a physician’s perspective. To some degree, there is little I can do to influence the direction in which the policies change. Nevertheless, every citizen has the right and responsibility to voice their opinion whether it be by writing to those in the position to make changes or signing petitions. Whether we get involved in small ways or larger ones, it will impact the future direction of the field. Let this be a year of being proactive in shaping the world into the future we want for our families and future generations. It is my hope that we help build a healthcare

A med student’s notebook system that is both efficient and effective. I understand there are many holes in the system and changes that must be made. It is also my hope that as we enter the healthcare system as physicians, we become involved in the further evolution of our chosen fields with a patientcentered approach. In the words of Herbert Spencer, “The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.” + 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

WE’RE BEGGING YOU We’re never too proud to beg. What we’re begging for is Medicine in the First Person stories. With your help, we’d like to make this a feature in every issue of the Medical Examiner. After all, everybody has a story of something health- or medicine-related, and lots of people have many stories. Send your interesting (or even semi-interesting) stories to the Medical Examiner, PO Box 397, Augusta, GA 30903 or e-mail to Dan@AugustaRx.com. Thanks!

“The cause was a mystery for a long time.” “And that’s when I fell.” nearest hospital “He doesn’t remember a thing.” “The was 30 miles away.” “I was a battlefield medic.” “He was just two when he died.”

“OUCH!”

“It was a terrible tragedy.” “She saved “I sure learned my lesson.” “I retired from medicine my life.” “It seemed like a miracle.” seven years ago.” “We had triplets.” “It was my first year “I thought, ‘Well, this is it’.” NOTHING SEEMED of medical school.” “They took me to the hospital by helicopter.” TO HELP, UNTIL. . “It took 48 stitches.”

ambulance crashed.” “Now THAT hurt!” “The “My leg was broken “I’m not supposed to be alive.”

“This was on my third day in Afghanistan.” in three places.” “I lost 23 pounds.” “Turned out it was just indigestion.” “At first I thought it was something I ate.” “The smoke detector woke me up.”

Everybody has a story. Tell us yours. Here’s our “No Rules Rules.” We’ll publish your name and city, or keep you anonymous. Your choice. Length? Up to you. Subject? It can be a monumental medical event or just a stubbed toe. It can make us laugh or make us cry. One thing we’re not interested in, however: please, no tirades against a certain doctor or hospital. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

JANUARY 20, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Southern Girls Eat Clean Mexican Chicken Casserole A One Dish Meal Bursting With Flavor My earliest recollection of any southwestern or Mexican food was when I was in the fourth grade and my mom brought home from the grocery store the newly-marketed Old El Paso Taco Kit. It may sound strange that I was in the fourth grade before I knew what a taco was, but back in the mid-70s here in the South, we did not have Mexican and Taco Bell restaurants on every corner as we do now. In addition, we rarely ate out. My mother cooked a meal every evening and it usually consisted of a meat and 2 vegetables. Nothing nearly as exciting as tacos. I inherited my mom’s taste buds and her love of southwestern flavors and spicy food. My parents had previously lived in El Paso, Texas when my dad was in the Air Force. It was there that my mom grew to love the flavor of Mexican food.This Mexican casserole ticks all the boxes for me when it comes to flavor. The garlic, tomatoes, onion, green chilis and spices make my palate happy. The beans, corn, olives and Mexican Chicken Casserole chicken add protein, fiber and nutrition that many Mexican dishes lack. The corn tortillas 400°F. oven for 20 minutes. • 1 can of organic pinto in this dish add another level After 20 minutes, uncover and beans, rinsed and drained of nutrition. They are made place the cheese on top and • 1 can of organic black from freshly sprouted 100% return to oven for another 5-7 beans, rinsed and drained organic whole kernel corn • 1 1/2 cups of frozen organic minutes until cheese melts - no corn meal or corn flour and casserole starts to bubble. corn (or canned if you prefer) involved - and they are much Remove and allow to cool • 1 small can of sliced black better than empty-calorie slightly. olives processed flour tortillas. Serve immediately and • 3/4 - 1 cup of shredded This one-dish meal is garnish with fresh cilantro grass fed sharp cheddar super easy to prepare ahead and fresh avocado. + cheese of time and freeze. You can • Fresh cilantro and avocado also put this meal together to garnish * This casserole was inspired very quickly on a weeknight, by a recipe I found on www. throw in a green salad and cleancuisineandmore.com It was Instructions: feel good about serving a Heat the oil in a large sauce actually a crock pot meal. This healthy clean meal to your recipe is pretty much the same as pan over medium to high family. The leftovers are the crock pot version except that heat. amazing for lunch the next I changed a couple of ingredients Add chopped onions, bell day too. and made it into a layered pepper and garlic and cook, I hope you’ll give this casserole, which cuts down on stirring often until softened. uniquely Southwestern meal a Approximately 5-7 minutes. the cooking time. try this weekend Pour in the box of chopped Alisa Rhinehart is half of the blog tomatoes, tomato sauce, green southerngirlseatclean.com. She is Ingredients: chilies and stir to mix well a working wife and mother living • 1 Tbsp. of organic coldwith the other vegetables. in Evans, Georgia. pressed extra virgin olive oil Add the cumin, smoked Visit her blog for or grapeseed oil paprika, cayenne and salt to more recipes and • 5 cloves of garlic, crushed taste. Stir well and reduce information on clean • I package of sprouted corn heat to low. eating. tortilla’s (I used Food for Life Allow the tomato mixture brand) to simmer for 15 minutes. • 1 organic sweet yellow While simmering, shred onion, chopped chicken and grate the cheese. • 1 organic green bell pepper, To assemble the casserole, chopped place 1/3 of the tomato • 1 24.6 oz. box of Pomi mixture into the bottom of a 9 chopped tomatoes X 13 casserole dish. Then add • 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce a layer of chicken, 1/3 of the • 1- 4 oz. can of chopped beans, corn and black olives. green chilies Next you will place the corn • 1 tsp. of cumin tortilla layer. You will need to • 1 tsp. of smoked paprika cut one tortilla in half in order • 1/2- 1 tsp. of cayenne to cover all the vegetables as pepper (according to taste) shown in the photo. • Salt to taste (I used Repeat the layers again and approximately 1-2 tsp.) then a third time, but on the • 2 1/2 cups of shredded last layer do not put the corn OVERHEAD DOOR COMPANY organic/pastured chicken (I tortillas on top OF AUGUSTA/AIKEN used a rotisserie chicken from Cover the casserole dish the market deli to save time) with foil and place into a

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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, Main Lobby • 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 850 doctors offices throughout the area for staff and waiting rooms, as well as many nurses stations and waiting rooms of area hospitals.

JANUARY 20, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Pharma cy 4 11 Very little if anything about healthcare is inexpensive, and that includes medicine. Tiny pills can command large prices. Over-the-counter medications may be less expensive, but are they also less effective? Find the answers to lots of your drug store questions in this column written by Augusta pharmacists Chris and Lee Davidson exclusively for the Medical Examiner.

TREATMENT FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES In 2012 there were 29 million people in the United States diagnosed with diabetes. 90 percent of these people were classified as type 2 diabetics, which indicates a deficit in the body’s response to sugar rather than a complete lack of insulin production. This article will look at the latest guidelines for treating this form of diabetes. As always, your doctor is the best source of information for what is best in your individual case. We will only look at the guidelines for the average patient. The initial strategy to this form of diabetes is lifestyle changes to reduce body weight and avoid alcohol. While this is a good start and beneficial to anyone, this is only a first step since diabetes is a progressive disease. As diabetes progresses there will be an increased need for medical treatments to take the burden off of your body to correct the underlying defect. The two major organizations that provide guidance on treating diabetes are the ADA (American Diabetes Association) and the AACE (American Academy of Clinical Endocrinologists) and they are in agreement on the drug of choice for treating type 2 diabetes. This medicine is metformin, and is the first choice if not contraindicated in your specific case. One example of where this drug might not be used is in cases of moderate to severe renal impairment. In severe cases where blood sugars are extremely elevated, insulin may be used as a first line drug. This will be a decision your doctor must make. Over time there will be a need for a second and perhaps a third medicine to help control your blood sugar. Some other oral medicines that can be added to your diabetes regimen include sulfonylureas (glyburide, glipizide, glimepiride), thiazolidinediones (pioglitazone, rosiglitazone), dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (Januvia, Onglyza, Nesina, Tradjenta), sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (Invokana, Farxiga, Jardiance) and other classes of options for your doctor to select. These medicines are available as single ingredient formulations under the names above, and in various combination forms under different names. The

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advantage of combination medicines is that you will have less tablets to keep track of and therefore can be more compliant and achieve better blood sugar control. There are also other injectable medicines other than the various insulins that can be used to lower your blood sugar. These are glucagonlike peptide-1 receptor agonists (Byetta, Victoza, Bydureon, Tanzeum, Trulicity) and the amylin mimetic (Symlin). Your doctor can advise you which of this wide array of options will be the best for you. A number of these medicines are brand name only (and can therefore be very expensive, especially if not covered by your insurance). The good news is that there are more manufacturers offering very good copay assistance cards to reduce out of pocket costs. Keep in mind that Medicare patients are not eligible for a large number of these cards. Diabetics are at increased risk of several complications, so other medicines may be prescribed other than the ones we have listed above. Cardiovascular disease is more likely in diabetics, as are microvascular complications. Controlling high blood pressure will definitely help to prevent both of these complications. Angiotensin receptor blockers and the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors are the preferred antihypertensive medicines to be used in diabetics, since they provide a protective effect for the kidneys. Cholesterol therapy is also recommended for most diabetics, so be expecting a cholesterol medicine to be added to your medicine profile. Blood sugar levels, especially fasting, and a lab test known as the A1C is basic lab work for diabetics and will be performed every three months until target levels are reached. Your doctor will then continue testing your A1C for times a year, or may agree to twice a year testing in some cases. Keep reading future issues for more information of this and other disease treatments. + Written for the Medical Examiner by Augusta pharmacists Chris and Lee Davidson Questions, comments and article suggestions can be sent by email to cjdlpdrph@bellsouth.net

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JANUARY 20, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Ask a Dietitian EAT MORE FOR LESS by Kelly Karpen, RD, LD It’s that time of year again, that time when we feel the weight of our overindulgence over the holidays, and resolve to undo the damage in the new year, preferably in time for swimsuit season. Most of us start off strong: meal planning, waking up early every morning to work out, reducing our portion sizes. But then, somewhere along the way our willpower weakens and those new habits become more difficult to maintain. Often, life gets in the way, so meal planning becomes more of an inconvenience and staying in bed is much more appealing than waking up at 5 a.m. to hit the gym. These lifestyle changes are difficult enough to maintain, especially when combined with increased hunger from decreased portion sizes. Fortunately, there is a simple way to reduce calories while maintaining your normal portion sizes. It is a concept called “Volumetrics,” originally developed by Penn State professor Dr. Barbara Rolls. Dr. Rolls oversees the laboratory that studies human ingestive behavior at Penn State. You may have heard of “The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet-Simple, Science-based Strategies for Losing Weight and Keeping it Off,” the book based on this concept. The focus of this diet is calorie density. Dr. Rolls has found that people feel full because of the amount of food they eat, without regard for calories. If a food has a low calorie density, you are able to eat a larger volume of that food for fewer calories than a food that has a high calorie density. Foods with lower calorie densities tend to be higher in water or air, like air-popped popcorn (hold the butter), fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy and poultry. Think about raisins and grapes. One quarter cup of raisins equals approximately 100 calories, while you could eat a full cup of grapes for the same number of calories. Once the water is removed from the grapes, the volume decreases

and the sugar becomes more concentrated, increasing calorie density. Here are some simple foods swaps that allow you to eat more food, while eating fewer calories. The fi rst bullet for each meal contains more

Here’s how to reduce calories while maintaining your normal portion sizes

calorie dense foods, those with more added fats and sugars, and fewer fruits and vegetables. The second bullet contains foods with a lower calorie density. Breakfast: • A large bagel with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese and a tall soy green tea latte add up to 703 calories • Two scrambled eggs on a bagel thin with a quarter of an avocado, a cup of grapes, a cup of skim milk, and 1 cup of sautéed peppers and onions equals approximately 640 calories Lunch: • A grilled chicken sandwich on ciabatta bread with a half a cup of potato salad and a 16 ounce sweet tea is about 758 calories • A salad with 5 cups of lettuce, 6 ounces of grilled chicken breast, 2 tablespoons of cheese, 1 cup of tomatoes and cucumbers with a whole grain roll and a 6 ounces of low fat yogurt and 16 ounce unsweetened ice tea equals approximately 668 calories. Dinner: • Two cups of fettucine alfredo with a slice of garlic bread and a small Caesar salad is a whopping 1210 calories • Six ounces of grilled salmon with baked sweet potato, a small garden salad with a tablespoon of dressing, a cup of steamed broccoli, a cup of mixed fruit, and a 5 ounce glass of wine equals

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about 827 calories. Snack: • Half a cup of trail mix (granola, nuts, chocolate) is about 346 calories • One light string cheese with half a cup of baby carrots with a quarter cup of hummus, and a cup of strawberries is about 250 calories Notice the difference in the amount of food you can eat for a similar (or lower) number of calories. Choosing the less calorically-dense will help you feel more satisfied at each meal. Maintaining changes in normal routine can be challenging. That is why it is important to focus on small, gradual changes that fit easily into your lifestyle. Here are a few more tips that require minimal effort, but will help reduce calories: • Have your salad on your dinner plate, rather than in a separate bowl. This will take a space on your plate, leaving less room for higher-calorie foods • If you go back for seconds, choose non-starchy vegetables, like salad, broccoli, and carrots fi rst. This will allow you to feel full on fewer calories. • Think twice before purchasing your “trigger foods,” or foods that you tend to overeat. It is easier to say no once at the grocery store, than to constantly say no when the food is in your home. I hope these tips will be helpful in the coming year. Happy 2017 everyone! +

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JANUARY 20, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

PROFILES… from page 3 addressed to a trio of British doctors who claimed the discovery as their own, and the Record appended Campbell’s letter with letters from each of the three London doctors admitting that their “discovery” came two years after Campbell’s. Crisis averted. The Jackson Street Hospital operated until the Civil War, when both brothers were called into medical service to the Confederacy in 1861. Prior to that, Henry was named vice president of the Medical Association of Georgia in 1852 and vice president of the American Medical Association in 1858. In addition to operating the hospital (and serving on the MCG faculty as professor of comparative, surgical and microscopic anatomy), in 1857 Henry co-founded and co-edited (with his brother Robert) the wellrespected Southern Medical and Surgical Journal. While serving as surgeon and on the medical board of examiners for the Army of the Confederacy, Campbell authored a chapter on “Hemorrhage” in the military surgical manual used by the Confederate States Army. After the war, Campbell served as a professor of surgery at the New Orleans School of Medicine, but returned to Augusta in 1868 due to “impaired health.” He evidently recovered enough to be named professor of operative surgery and gynecology at MCG later that year, to become president of the Medical Association of Georgia in 1870, and to become founder and fellow of the American Gynecological Society in 1876. In 1885-86 he served as president of the American Medical Association. Along the way he had also been elected as a member of the Medical Society of Sweden and an honorary fellow of the Imperial Academy of Medicine in St. Petersburg, Russia. Upon his death at age 67 on December 15, 1891, the Southern Medical Record mourned him as “a most eminent and skilled doctor with a world-wide reputation... He was a brilliant genius in medicine and surgery [and was] known by every doctor in this country and was connected with every medical association.” + Voted “BEST BARBER SHOP” in Augusta Magazine many times!

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Kid’s Stuff NOTES FROM A PEDIATRIC RESIDENT by Caroline Colden, M.D., Children’s Hospital of Georgia LET’S TALK ABOUT FEBRILE SEIZURES

ebrile seizures are seizures that occur in association with fever. A febrile seizure is not the same thing as an epileptic seizure, and otherwise healthy children who have isolated febrile seizures are not at any increased risk of developing epilepsy later in life. (It should be noted that epilepsy, by definition, is the occurrence of seizures without associated fever, although fevers can worsen existing epilepsy). So what is a febrile seizure? Most of the time, the child experiencing the seizure will lose consciousness and display rhythmic jerking, shaking, or twitching. The seizures do not last longer than 1-2 minutes most of the time (although it can feel like a lifetime to someone witnessing it), but sometimes they can last longer. It is important to keep the child safe during the seizure by clearing objects that the child could strike, and turning him or her on the side in case of vomiting to prevent aspiration. One should not try to stop or control the convulsions. The child will usually be sleepy after the seizure ends, but after sleep will return to baseline function and mentality. A febrile seizure is NOT expected to cause long term deficit, brain damage, or any sort of neurological problem after it resolves. Daily anti-seizure medicines are not required as part of the treatment plan. A fever in a child is defined as 100.4°F or higher. It is very common for the febrile seizure to occur while temperature is going up or coming back down. Children who have family members that have had febrile seizures are at increased risk of experiencing a febrile seizure. Some children will have a recurrence of febrile seizures 1-2 years after their fi rst one. It is considered to be an atypical febrile seizure if more than 1 seizure occurs in 24 hours, if the seizure lasts longer than 15 minutes, and is accompanied by residual arm or leg weakness for a short time afterwards. If a child has a febrile seizure, it is very important to get medical attention, especially if it’s the fi rst seizure, or a long time has passed since any previous seizure. The most important thing to do when a child has a febrile seizure is to investigate the source of the fever. Most of the time, the source of fever is something mild like a viral infection. But more serious infections such as meningitis (an infection in the brain/nervous system), must be ruled out, although they are rarer. The child should also be monitored for a day or so afterward to make sure no disturbance in functioning has occurred (ie, breathing, heart rate, oxygen saturation, etc). On discharge home, parents will likely be given a prescription for a medication called Diastat, which is administered rectally in the event of another seizure occurring and lasting for a certain amount of time (usually 3-5+ minutes). It’s important to recognize that no daily preventive measures need to be taken for controlling potential recurrent febrile seizures in the future. However, control of fevers with Tylenol and/or Ibuprofen (Motrin) can help in the event of future illness if indicated by the child’s doctor. Overall, the above discussion is just a general overview of febrile seizures. Of course, the treatment plans and long term outcome is unique for each patient, since each patient’s presentation, workup, and individual medical history is unique and depends upon what is decided between parents and their healthcare providers. +

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JANUARY 20, 2017

11 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

The blog spot From the Bookshelf — posted by Matthew Anderson, MD on January 15, 2017

IF YOU THINK FAKE NEWS IS BAD FOR POLITICS, TRY BEING A PHYSICIAN Much of the discussion surrounding the presidential election this year focused on fake news. I could not help thinking during this campaign season that if you think fake news is bad for politics, you should try being a physician. As physicians, we are on the front line in the fight against fake news, especially for primary care doctors like family physicians, internists, and pediatricians who have to deal with volumes of fake news within the limited amount of time they actually have with a patient. Physicians are always trying disprove fake news with patients. We talk about the limited benefits of numerous vitamin supplements in the face of countless publications and marketing efforts that do not have to be evaluated by the FDA. Red yeast rice is not equivalent to statins for preventing heart disease. Gingko biloba will not treat dementia, no matter how organic or pure it is, no matter how many people write about its effectiveness. A website recently touted the 25 beneficial uses of apple cider vinegar. This list included treatments for acne, bad breath, underarm and foot odor, sore throat, to kill bacteria, prevent diabetes, lower cholesterol, improve digestion and remove warts. But wait there’s more! Apple cider vinegar can give you healthier hair, whiter teeth and even bettertasting barbecue sauce. This is in addition to its ability to be a nontoxic cleaner for your kitchen and a weed killer for your garden. This is a list of pure conjecture passed off as facts, and people believe it. The comments section of the article has readers saying “good to know.” Several patients have told me about the health benefits of vanadyl sulfate. They have stopped taking their medications for diabetes because of everything they have read about vanadyl. Each patient’s course plays out the same way: they research for information, completely buy into this natural supplement, stop their medications and then their A1C skyrockets. But “Americas most trusted wellness doctor” says it works and is willing to sell the supplements to you as well. The most egregious and widespread item of fake medical news involves vaccines. From causing autism to inciting sexual behavior, decades of fake medical news about vaccines exist. Many times doctors are seen as complicit in pushing this harm on people. A quick look at Twitter for #vaccines, and the news of vaccination harms is overwhelming. The whole fake news complex plays on the vulnerabilities of those searching for the information in the first place, looking for whatever the media or money-loving, golf-playing doctors won’t tell you. You are being held down or missing out on critical information — information someone else doesn’t want you to know. If you can get this information, everything will be better — your life, your health, your economy, your country. As a physician, I try to be a steward of medical information. I want my patients to seek out good quality medical information on their own. I steer them to reputable websites and gently dismiss information from sources I do not trust. So fake news may have negatively affected the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, but fake news affects every clinic and hospital in America every day. Inaccurate statements presented as facts should always be challenged, and the medical community has a unique and difficult responsibility to engage it. +

“Vaccine news is the #1 fake news item.”

What is a coffee table book? To some, it conjures up thoughts of an oversized volume, fi lled perhaps with images of great art or stunning photography, too big to fit on a bookshelf. For others, a coffee table book is all that, but it’s also a book you don’t want to read once and then consign to the bookcase; it’s a book you want to leave out so when you have even just a few spare moments, you can open it to any page and find something to engage both your mind and your eyes. This book is all that and then some — with one exception: it’s slim, and at 7” x 9” no one will ever call it oversized, but it fits the defi nition for coffee table placement in all other respects. It’s a book that contains too much information to be absorbed in a single reading, packed as it is with fifty pionering profi les of legendary ladies — and a visual feast of delightful and enlightening illustrations. Even the glosssary is illustrated, every last word. The book is arranged

chronologically, beginning with noted Egyptian astronomer, mathematician and philosopher Hypatia of 3rd and 4th century fame and concluding with Maryam Mirzakhani, the brilliant Iranian mathemetician who was born in 1977. As you’ve gathered, these women are not all in the medical field (even though you might expect that from a book reviewed in the Medical Examiner). Several are though, and their presence is a reminder that we need to profi le more women in future installments of “Who is this?” on page 4 of every issue.

One of the underlying themes of this book is how challenging it often was to be a woman scientist down through the centuries, right up to and including our day. Hidden Figures, the movie in theaters now, tells yet another chapter in the lengthy saga of prejudice and discrimination faced by so many gifted people, just because they happen to be women. Girl power, it turns out, is more than just a catch phrase; it was and is the twoword survival strategy for strong women from ancient times down to our day. This book would be an inspiring gift for any young girl who loves science and learning, but it’s hard to imagine boys not liking it too. Both may have to hunt for the book: instead of being on the coffee table where it belongs, mom and dad will surely be reading it from cover to cover too. +

Women in Science — 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky; 128 pages, published in July 2016 by Ten Speed Press.

Research News Hyperactive parents allergy For the record, there is no officially recognized allergy to hyperactive parents. But a Science Codex article earlier this month made this statement: “Ironically, there are more peanut allergies because hyperactive parents have read too many stories about peanut allergies and are convinced their child will go into anaphylactic shock if someone in the back of the airplane eats one.” The article acknowledges that anaphylaxis is real, but also that someone has “a better chance of being murdered on Thanksgiving than dying from anaphylaxis,” even with a peanut allergy. To counter the skyrocketing peanut allergy “epidemic in recent years,” the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has developed LEAP: Learning Early About Peanut Allergy. Rather than going hyperactive and completely avoiding

peanuts, LEAP is a road map for reducing and preventing peanut allergy by gradually introducing peanut-containing foods in infants as young as 4 to 6 months old. Allergy and sensitivity risk can be reduced by controlled exposure. Ask your family doctor or allergist for more information about LEAP. Red hot chili pepper news A University of Vermont study released on January 13 says if you like hot and spicy food, you might live longer. Researchers found that consumption of hot red chili peppers is associated with a 13 percent reduction in mortality, mainly from lower deaths from heart disease and stroke. Scientists believe capsaicin plays a role in preventing obesity and improving coronary circulation. Tanning bed risks A 14-year Norwegian study

that followed 141,000 women who were tanning bed users found an increased risk of melanoma, calling it “the most dangerous type of skin cancer with the strongest increase in incidence in the last decade.” Even worse, incidence rates are at historically high levels, even though the World Health Organization classified UVemitting tanning devices as “carcinogenic to humans” in 2009. Women who had 30 or more tanning sessions were found to have a 32 percent higher risk of melanoma compared to someone who had never used a tanning bed. In addition, women who started using tanning beds before age 30 were on average 2 years younger at melanoma diagnosis than never-users. The study, released January 12, concludes that sunbed use increases melanoma rates by increasing the number of patients and decreasing the age at diagnosis. +

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JANUARY 20, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

THE EXAMiNERS +

So the circus is folding its tent forever.

Yes, and it upsets me.

by Dan Pearson

The uncertain fate of all the tigers and elephants?

No, I’m sure they’ll find good homes.

No, it’s all those unemployed clowns I’m worried about.

No more trapeze show?

EXAMINER CROSSWORD

PUZZLE ACROSS 1. Bacon partner 5. Nearby ville? 9. Like a tachy heartbeat 14. Type of ball 15. Requirement 16. Musical study piece 17. Fixed, as a habit 19. Tone of many 19th century photographs 20. Sticky pine gunk 21. Well-known bacteria 23. Electrically charged atom 24. Downtown street that crosses the river 26. Grownups 28. Abroad 31. “I’ll ______!” 32. Zilch 33. Part of a foot 37. Small metal spikes 41. Cleveland nine, casually 44. All about... her 45. # of faces of 44-A 46. Common mall anchor 47. ______ team 49. Cereal grass 50. Clemson conf. 52. Antelopes 55. Bull of great fame 58. Major nerve 60. Kill Bill star 61. Augusta’s “The _______” 63. Musical composition 67. Russian country house 69. Reconciliation 71. Leading 72. Wife of a rajah 73. Common medical prefix 74. Late people “make” this 75. Paradise 76. Sign type

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

VISIT WWW.AUGUSTARX.COM

Click on “READER CONTESTS”

QUOTATION PUZZLE

58 61

49 53

I O H L E S A R T I T I W N S I E ’ C E S A D N A N T N E N T R H I T T I O I B

19 21

The Mystery Word for this issue: NECTTOS

DOWN 1. Islamic chieftain 2. Mr. Sarazen 3. Jokes 4. Friction 5. Black bird 6. Stephen Vincent ______ 7. Nearby Island 8. Root of the taro 9. Medical school graduate practicing under supervision 10. Consumed 11. Student 12. Fool; moron 13. _______ list 18. Indigo dye 22. Biopsy destination 25. Fed. med. agency 27. Beehive State 28. Formicary residents 29. Not something to play with 30. Hip bones 34. Field official. in brief 35. Stroke abbreviation

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

36. 2013 sci-fi flick 38. Anemia preventer 39. Heavy metal 40. Hardens 42. 12 Years a Slave producer (to friends) 43. Janet Jackson hit of 1990 48. Encountered 51. Nursing assistant (abbrev.) 53. Liberty partner 54. Shrewdness; good judgment 55. One of the 12 tribes of Israel 56. City in Nebraska 57. Speed contests 58. Group of eight 59. Call 62. Noxious weed 64. Basic unit of heredity 65. Untie; loosen 66. English public school 68. Covering for the head 70. Reznor group, for short Solution p. 14

H G G E N N

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.

1 6

5 9 3 1 4 5 8 2 4 6 9

X A M I N E R

8 7 7 6 1

6 5

8 9

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.

W 1 2 3 4 1

1 D 3

’ 4

1 1 2 3 4 L 1 2 3 4 1 2 3

S 1

2 1 2 3 Y A 1 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1

F 1 2 3 4

1.DFBTHAAASSYWIWIWI 2.OAAAAOOHUNIE 3.DLLSSRRREAD 4.FRKPNNN 5.TR 6.I 7.S 8.E 9.D

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

JANUARY 20, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

13 +

THE BEST MEDICINE ha... ha...

was on a first date. As they walked past a pizzeria, his date remarked, “Mmm, that smells so good!” He turned to her and said, “We can walk past it again if you’d like.” Moe: Do you know what kind of exercise lazy people do? Joe: Diddly-squats?

ittle Johnny’s parents were worried. Their son didn’t seem too bright, but lately he had been showing signs of finally using his brain. “Mommy, I found a $10 bill at school today!” Johnny announced as soon as he burst in the door after school. “What did you do with it?” asked his mother. “I threw it away because I knew it was fake!” Quickly thinking it probably was indeed play money, Johnny’s mother asked him how he knew the bill was fake. “It had two zeroes instead of one,” Johnny said proudly. Moe: Why are colds such bad bank robbers? Joe: I suppose because they’re so easy to catch.

Moe: You know those emails from Nigerian princes? Joe: Yeah, I get them all the time. Moe: Well here’s a switch: I got one the other day from an Egyptian pharoah. Joe: Really. What was his pitch? Moe: It was a pyramid scheme. A guy with a reputation for being a cheapskate

Moe: You know what makes me mad? 4.2 million people enter this country every year, and they’re unskilled, uneducated...they contribute nothing. They’re often dirty, they smell bad, they’re a burden to millions of hardworking Americans — they don’t even speak English!!! — and the government is doing nothing to stop them. Joe: You really hate babies, don’t you? Moe: Here’s a story about a Chinese kid whose mother went into labor way before her due date. Baby just popped out. Joe: Tell me more. Moe: They named him Sudden Lee. Moe: Why did the tree go to the dentist? Joe: I give up. Why? Moe: To get a root canal. Moe: I used to be a master counterfeiter. Joe: For real? Moe: I’ve got the certificates to prove it. Moe: That was a terrible fire at the thrift store yesterday. Joe: Yes, one person died from secondhand smoke. +

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

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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 The holidays are over until Valentine’s Day and many people have taken down their lights and sent the trees off to be ground up or put into the attic. The Holy Family with the newborn baby in his cradle has been packed back up, along with the shepherds and wise men and angels, cows, sheep, and other cattle. And darkness descends to mix with the dark clouds of rain and fog. Although the days are lengthening by a minute or two a day, a great gloom is taking over many people who need bright light to feel good. For them, I have decided to leave up the lights on my front bushes until the lengthening of days becomes more apparent. When I go out in the morning to bring my paper in, it’s still very dark out and it won’t be light for another two hours. My light display always comforts me as the colors shine against the darkness of earth and sky. I am shining my little chains of lights to be that beam of encouragement and promise so many long for these days. Then, as evening approaches, the lights combat the disappearance of the sun by challenging it to return with its summer brightness. Some people fight against Seasonal Affective Disorder by buying expensive lights for their homes. Some fight it by using therapy and medication. I fight it with a string of brightly lit Christmas lights. I also keep my tree lit and my crèche up until they have both acquired a significant layer of dust, which I can prevent by simply dusting them. People may think I’m weird, but when I went out to bring in my paper this morning and looked down the block at all the homes with their dark exteriors and at mine with brightly twinkling lights, I felt happy. Happy is not an easy feeling to come by when we’ve had days of dreary skies and rain, cold, damp, and depressing rain, and when snow is predicted. The snow is to be combined with hugely falling temperatures, from the mid-seventies at the beginning of the week to the thirties by this weekend. Doctors can only do so much to help us. As patients, we need to pay attention to our bodies and feelings. To combat depression, it is helpful to do things that improve our moods without medication. While the lights work for me, what may work for others may be making a huge pot of delicious soup and eating it with garlic rubbed crusty bread, or sitting and getting lost in travel catalogs to warm places, or filling the tub with warm water and soaking with bath salts that take away some winter-dried skin and leave us feeling smooth and silky. What works varies from person to person which is why it’s so important to listen to our reactions to various experiences. It’s also important to try to catch depression as it begins and before it’s entrenched to the point that making choices is difficult for us. One choice made that increases our happiness often leads to subsequent choices that continue to battle depression. It’s not a cure, but it can ameliorate symptoms and make our lives more comfortable. +

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+ 14

JANUARY 20, 2017

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

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

...very cleverly hidden (in the hair, lower center) in the p. 9 ad for BUTCH PALMER SALON THEE WINNER: DANIELLE COOPER! Want to find your name here next issue? 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 THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ...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. 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

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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.

A monthly series by an Augusta drug treatment professional

ADDICTION: THE SPIRITUAL DISEASE by Ken Wilson Executive Director, Steppingstones to Recovery For years health care providers have written summaries called BioPsychoSocial Summaries of addicts seeking treatment. To even a non-linguist, that coined term is self-explanatory: a 3-fold illness, embodying Biology (the body), Psychology

(emotions and thinking processes), and Sociology (one’s family/friends). The (correct) theory is that addiction must be treated on all 3 levels – like sitting on a 3-legged stool which is much more stable than relying on a 1-legged stool! Addiction

EXAMINER CLASSIFIEDS HOMES, APARTMENTS, ROOMMATES, LAND, ETC. FOR RENT 1827 McDowell St., 1 mi to MCG. 2 bdrm, 1.5 bath, LR, DR, den, kitchen. Tile/hardwood floors. New roof. (706) 738-2331 ROOM FOR RENT with private bathroom and full house privileges. Martinez $600/mo (706) 840-6860 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 CELIA DUNN, DMD 584 Blue Ridge Drive, Evans GA 30809 (706) 650-9700

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 PART-TIME OPPORTUNITY IMMEDIATE OPENING! MATH AND SCIENCE TUTORS NEEDED: Local tutoring company seeking qualified math and science tutors. Flexible hours. Please reply to: info@maeseducationcenter.com STARTING OUT? KICKED OUT? Refrigerator, stove and dryer, $490. Call 706-231-1653

affects all 3 levels and therefore must be addressed on these levels. If the only interventions for “treatment” are physical (maybe detox only), then the likelihood of re-occurrence is probably over 95%. Daily I hear “if I can just get this ‘out of my system’ I’ll be ok.” Drugs are relatively simple to get out of the body...but getting them out of the mind is another story It is often a lifelong journey or battle, depending on many factors such as biological propensity, type of drug or drugs (yep, dealing with polysubstance dependence is harder than dealing with one drug only for most people, most of the time). It’s like going to a medical doctor with only one body organ malfunctioning vs. several organs malfunctioning. Which is more challenging to deal with? If the only aspect of addiction was this physical part, then of course we might rely more on a pharmaceutical solution. News flash: there isn’t one. Yes some drugs, carefully used, can be very helpful in letting the body gradually Please see ADDICTION page 15

THE PUZZLE SOLVED E M I R

G E N E

A N T S

F I R E

J U D A H

O M A H A

G A G S

S T R I F I E L I B A R A R D A C H E A S T

A B B E N E E D A I N E D N E C O I F T H L D A R C H E E V E S F A R C C A N O P P A T C H A A T O D R A N E E D E

R E S L I A D B E N T M E L T I F N E I N

A P I D T U D E E P I A I O N U L T S T A I L S H R E E O A T A N D S C U G U E M E N T E N D O N E O N

SEE PAGE 12

QUOTATION QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION: Page 12: “The best thing one can do when it’s raining is let it rain.” — Longfellow

SUNSET MEMORIAL GARDENS Opening and closing at Sunset Mem. Gardens in Graniteville. Sale: $760 (Value: $1520+) Call 706-736-0596 ANTIQUE maple dinette set with buffet corner cabinet table with pull-out leaves. Four chairs with two captain’s chairs. Excellent condition. $300. Double bed early 1930s with mattress spring coverlet shams $150. Call (706) 860-2170 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) 2953033 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

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

8 5 1 7 4 2 3 9 6

7 2 4 6 9 3 1 8 5

4 9 6 8 7 5 2 3 1

5 3 8 2 1 6 9 7 4

2 1 7 4 3 9 5 6 8

1 4 9 3 6 7 8 5 2

6 8 5 9 2 4 7 1 3

3 7 2 1 5 8 6 4 9

WORDS BY NUMBER

“When I was born I was so surprised I didn’t talk for a year and a half.” — Gracie Allen

JANUARY 20, 2017

15 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

ADDICTION… from page 14 “detox” vs. abruptly stopping using which can cause seizures and death in cases of alcohol or benzodiazepine use. Some use “drug replacement” therapy. Instead of conquering the use of opiates, for instance, from the proverbial “git-go,” some choose to use an opiate replacement that has been infused with another drug to make it unlikely to overdose on, so it’s the lesser of two evils I think. Again, good medicine... for the short term. Detox. But I have seen addicts on such a medicine for 10-12 years — and more! It’s such a tricky drug to prescribe and monitor that a doctor has to have an extra license (more than just a DEA license) to prescribe it. And one of the downfalls of the chemical is allowing the affl icted individual to hold the drug and dispense it to themselves. Oh yeah.

Right. “I think I’ll trade it for something that will make me high because this drug is in high demand since I can pass a drug test while using it!” OK, so much for the 1st leg of the stool...now let’s talk about the Sociological leg of the stool. A bumper-sticker in all treatment programs is: Change Playgrounds, Playmates, and Playthings. Easy to slide off the tongue, not so easy to implement. I used my last drug when I was about 20 years old. Thankfully I didn’t cross the line to physical dependency and withdrawal effects of drug dependence (except for those doggone hangovers), so I bailed out in the drug abuse stage. I tried being the DD a few times...whew that stunk. It was no fun carrying a carload of drunks home. I realized I used to act

like them! That got old real fast. Hanging around with my old hippie friends while I abstained was miserable. So I started hanging around with religious people. I even switched my college major to theology in preparation to becoming a church pastor. That was miserable too. For about a year. Then as my ole brain got better, my taste in friends changed. But it wasn’t warm’n fuzzy from the start, not at all. But I knew I had to do it or keep riding in police cars and sofa-surfing in between. Yep, those friends had to go too. It wasn’t that I was hanging around the wrong crowd. I was the wrong crowd! What about the title of this column this month? Guess we’ll have to wait ‘til next time...Outa space for now. +

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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

I+

M.E.

PSYCHIATRY

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

JANUARY 20, 2017