Sept7 18

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

AIKEN-AUGUSTAʼS MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED IN 2006

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YOUʼRE TELLING ME TO CHILL?

HOW???

SEE PAGE 3

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

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Who knows what this is?

It’s an iron lung, also known as the mechanical respirator, and it was the last hope of survival for many people who suffered from polio before the introduction of the polio vaccine in the mid-1950s. Before they were phased out in the late 1980s iron lungs literally did the breathing for polio patients when their own respiratory systems failed.

Prior to development of the polio vaccine, the polio virus infected 1,000 children per day worldwide. “Polio,” short for poliomyelitis, devastated the lives of those afflicted because it caused mass paralysis of not only the arms and legs, but also the muscles that facilitated breathing. A patient with polio could literally suffocate to death if their paralysis progressed far enough. Those who survived were usually left permanently disabled with chronic muscle pain and/or paralysis.

The polio vaccine, an inactivated vaccine that has been consistently shown to be effective and safe at protecting against infection with the polio virus, is still routinely offered today.

The introduction of the vaccine has monumentally decreased the incidence of polio, but unfortunately, the virus still exists and in fact is rampant in many parts of the world. It is spread by contaminated food or water, especially in areas where sanitation is lacking, and it can survive in the human GI tract for weeks while it is continually shed through feces into the environment.

There is no cure for polio and there is no treatment beyond supportive care - which is why prevention is so vital - and while the technology of modern medicine and mechanical ventilation has improved since the 1980s, poliomyelitis is still a deadly disease that can wreak havoc in the lives of people of all ages today. Let’s not let this disease make a comeback! The polio vaccine is safe and absolutely necessary! +

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

WHY?

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“Calm down, calm down!”

Calm down? How? The obstacles to taking that advice are immense, but there are strategies that definitely work. We’ll get to those later.

A better initial question is why? What is so important about chilling out?

This general topic ties in with the cover question, “Are you a jerk?” in our previous issue. Not everyone saw the connection between jerk behavior and life, liberty and the pursuit of salubriousness. But as we’re about to explain, being a jerk or responding to someone else’s jerky behavior can be fatal.

If you’d like to experience something truly harrowing, dial up some road rage videos on YouTube. Block out several hours because there are thousands of them, and their level of violence ranges from hand gestures, racial slurs and angry words (sometimes bleeped out, sometimes not) to deliberate collisions, fist fights, legs run over, knives wielded, shots fired, and people lying dead in the streets.

Apparently there are a lot of people out there in the cars around us who, like the lady to the right, are ready to snap at the slightest provocation.

In one case, a violent encounter began when a driver used his windshield spray and mist got on the following car. Countless examples of road rage aren’t on the road at all; they’re parking lot rage. Across the fruited plain, hundreds of people went off to work or to pick up a gallon of milk at the corner store and haven’t come home yet. Some are thoroughly dead, and hundreds more, perhaps thousands, are in prison, all over extremely trivial disagreements.

Yes, these are adults. Under normal circumstances most of them are calm, sane, decent people.

But let someone tailgate them or cut them off in traffic and in case after case something snaps, and the next thing you know, the mild-mannered person of moments before is now shooting at someone or deliberately trying to run over a complete stranger. Despite our misleading graphics, men are far more likely to be involved in extreme road rage. Statistically, men are 3 times more likely than women to get out of their vehicle to that parking confront the other driver, an escalation that rarely ends well. space was Nationwide, more than 1,700 people died in road rage incidents mine! between 2010 and 2014. That means on average someone is killed in a road rage event nearly every day, just in this country alone.

Multiply that number many times over for the number injured and incarcerated during millions of individual incidents. Yes, millions.

The American Automobile Association says 8 out of 10 drivers experience road rage each year.

The vast majority of these events (99.9%?) involve rage over extremely insignificant matters. It’s not a matter of someone else taking the absolute last spot in an entire parking lot, or the one that has a sign “Reserved for [your name here].” Instead it’s the difference between the space right here and the one ten feet away.

That might sound trivial, but one incident caught on security cameras showed a man who thought the infraction of taking “his” spot was serious enough to grab a sledgehammer from his truck and try to destroy the offending car. When another motorist tried to intervene, the man took a Louisville Slugger swing at him with the sledgehammer.

Clearly, the why? question we began with has a compelling answer: it’s important to be calm because being a hothead can get you killed. But millions of cases of road rage suggest it must be quite a challenge to avoid. Not necessarily. We have an antidote. Read it in “How?” on page 15. +

What are electrolytes?

“That’s easy,” you say. “That’s the stuff in my sports drink.”

True. But exactly what is that stuff in your sports drink?

Perhaps you never stopped to give the word enough thought to make the connection before, but electrolytes are substances which conduct electricity.

That is super-important to health and happiness because the human body operates on electricity. The heart zaps itself with a self-generated electrical charge about 100,000 times a day.

The charge is created chemically in the heart’s sinoatrial (SA) node. That’s why one measurement of cardiac performance is by electrocardiogram.

The heart is far from the only place in the body where electricity is crucial. Many processes in the body, particularly in the brain, nervous system, and muscles, require electrical signals for communication. Ions, that is, electrically charged particles, are a key part of this communication process. Those ions come from the electrolytes we consume in our food and drink.

The big names in electrolytes are sodium and potassium, but chloride, calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate also make the list, although there are others. They are essential for the operation of muscles all over the body, particularly the one between our ears. There has to be a “subtle and complex” balance constantly maintained between intracellular and extracellular (fancy words for inside and outside our body’s zillions of cells) environments, a balance made possible only via electrolytes. Their ions can travel into and out of cells via “ion channels.” Without that capability, hydration on a cellular level would be impossible, blood pressure and blood pH would be out of control, muscles would not work, and in extreme cases death would occur.

Electrolytes are normally supplied by our everyday diet, and the body has sophisticated systems that keep electrolytes under tight control. Still, a number of situations can cause their severe depletion, including excessive perspiration, diarrhea, vomiting, starvation, and excessive alcohol consumption.

In such cases prompt rehydration is vital. Electrolyte sources include fruit juices, Pedialyte (for children), sports drinks (not for sick children), many fruits and vegetables, nuts, and milk. +

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

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#74 IN A SERIES

Who is this?

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

by Marcia Ribble

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here will be no surprise reveal to this installment of “Who is this?” By virtue of the two photos, you already know this is a story about the inventor of a device so perfect that has remained virtually unchanged since its introduction almost 90 years ago.

The man behind this ubiquitous device is Charles Brannock, and “fittingly” enough, his invention is called the Brannock Device.

Brannock, who was born in 1903, grew up working at a shoe store in Syracuse, New York, co-owned by his father.

The store was innovative, being one of the fi rst to combine shoes with an array of purses, hats, handbags and other accessories. But there was the ever-present problem of the perfect fit, especially with ladies shoes, where design and fashion often seem to be more important than proper fit (according to one UK survey, more than a third of men and nearly half of women own and wear shoes that are the wrong size).

Brannock had observed this first hand, and wasn’t satisfied with the measuring device of the day. It’s one still seen sometimes to this day: a wooden ruler with a heel-stopping block on one end and a sliding wedge on the other. After tinkering with a number of designs over a two-year period, he perfected the now-familiar device in 1925. It would be hard to find a shoe store anywhere in the world today that doesn’t have several on hand, but there was a time during the Roaring Twenties when ParkBrannock Shoes in Syracuse was the only store in the world using them. Soon enough, Brannock developed a network of salesmen around the country to sell the device to shoe stores, and licensed sales of the Brannock Device around the world. It caught on immediately, and it’s easy to see why. Unlike the stick device just mentioned, the Brannock Device quickly and easily takes three measurements simultaneously: length, width, and the heel-to-ball-of-thefoot arch measurement.

Down through the years Charles Brannock rejected all calls to cheapen the device (by producing a plastic version, for example). Thanks to his invention there’s an old saying, “if the shoe fits, it’s probably because of a Brannock Device.”

Charles Brannock died in 1992 at age 89. +

During the last couple of years, a new way to practice medicine has evolved that increases physician income (or at least cuts their costs) while delivering a different standard of care for patients. It’s a lower standard, but with the same price. By this method, patients are seen by a Physician’s Assistant, not by a doctor. PAs have much less demanding educational requirements than physicians, practice quite independently (without direct physician supervision in many cases), and are paid significantly less than physicians. However, patients are expected to pay as much as they would if they were being attended by actual doctors.

In my opinion, this practice is highly unethical treatment of patients and of PAs, too. I say it’s the equivalent of trying to sell consumers a BMW, at a BMW price, but actually giving them a Ford Taurus. Let me be clear here. A Ford Taurus is a good car with a strong history of excellence, but it is not a BMW. Anyone who took delivery of a Ford Taurus when they had paid for a BMW would rightly be upset by the practice, perhaps even to the point of suing the auto dealer for fraud.

Similarly, patients have every right to feel that the practice of using PAs in lieu of physicians to treat them, while charging them for a physician’s treatment, is fraudulent. But PAs have an equal right to feel that they’ve been cheated if they are delivering care equivalent to a doctor’s, yet are being paid only a fraction of what a doctor is paid. If the PA care is inferior to that provided by the physician but the patient is paying for being seen by an actual physician, again that is fraud.

I understand why the practice of using Patient Assistants has evolved. In many cases the number of physicians has not increased as rapidly as the number of patients, which spreads doctors very thin trying to see too

many patients in a certain amount of time.

Additionally, in many rural areas there is a serious doctor shortage, and a well-trained PA can provide at least some care while referring more serious cases to doctors with highly specialized training.

I am all for educating and employing PAs. Like midwives, they are trained to handle many “normal” issues which do not require the expertise of a physician. In fact, we could use many more PAs to serve medically underserved communities, to moderate medical costs for people who cannot afford the high co-pays and other costs of seeing a licensed physician, to take care of patients when their concerns haven’t become critical and do not require emergency care, etc.

There is a great deal of value PAs can provide to the medical community, but that value should not contribute to the already exorbitant costs of medical care at all levels.

Those of us on limited incomes, regardless of age or infirmity, cannot afford to keep paying more for less, whether it’s the insane costs of medicines, the equally insane costs of hospitalization, or to pay PAs the same as we pay doctors. The next time I schedule an appointment with a doctor I am going to ask: “Will I be scheduled to see the doctor or a PA?” If the answer is that I will be seeing a PA, I will decline and ask to see the doctor instead, since I will be paying to see the doctor, not the PA. As patients, we need to mount a united front against extravagant medical costs without additional benefits. It is the only way those costs will ever decrease. More and more often the medical profession gives the impression that it is more interested in maximizing profits than improving the quality of care. Unless we are willing to pay higher fees for lower services, it is our responsibility to fight back and demand that costs be reasonably affordable for just about everyone. +

IT GROWS BACK THICKER WHICH WILL IT BE? That’s the rumor, anyway, that shaving or waxing makes hair grow back thicker.

Fact or fiction?

Fact: it sure looks that way.

Fact: looks can be deceiving.

Fact: the rumor isn’t true.

Here’s why this is one rumor that just keeps growing back: think of hair not as a cylinder, like a pipe or a pencil, but as it actually is, kind of like a candle that gets more and more narrow as it gets closer to its tip.

That means that when hair is waxed or shaved off,

it naturally grows back from its thicker base. The stubble is rough, coarse, and thick.

But as it continues to grow it will end up just like it was before being cut: a cylinder that tapers more or less to a slender point at its end.

In other words, the 3-day stubble that could scratch soft skin turns into ordinary soft hair as it grows out. True, it might be scratchy for him but it won’t scratch her. +

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

I

Musings of a Distractible Mind

by Augusta physician Rob Lamberts, MD, recovering physician, internet blogger extraordinaire, and TEDx Augusta 2018 speaker.

Reach him via Twitter: @doc_rob or via his website: moredistractible.org

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

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had a patient recently who was a real pain in the ass. Wait. No. He was actually a really nice guy.

He wasn’t a pain in the ass, he had a real pain in the ass. Literally.

I was initially concerned about a pilonidal cyst, given the unfortunate fact that he was previously afflicted with this condition (which I consider to be incontrovertible proof of Satan). But fortunately for him, his pain was literally “in the ass,” and that rules out the evil diagnosis, moving my thoughts to a condition called proctalgia fugax (which is a Latin person’s way of saying: “butt pain that comes and goes”).

I realize this doesn’t sound like good news for my patient, but compared to surgery for a pilonidal cyst, treatment for this is simple (and surprising): nitroglycerin ointment applied to the rectum.

Nitroglycerin, it turns out, relaxes smooth muscles and dilates blood vessels, both of which can improve the symptoms of this condition (as well as pain from other proctological attacks). I’m not sure who had the idea to first try this, or what their inspiration was.

Perhaps they misheard the term Angina Pectoris as Angina Rectalis.

I did my usual search at GoodRx.com (a website everyone should use as often as possible) to see where the drug is cheapest. Kroger won, but their price was $479. According to the literature, the appropriate strength of nitroglycerin for rectal use (cleverly called “Rectiv”) is 0.4%.

The price seemed pretty high for a medication which has long been generic, so I searched for generic nitroglycerin ointment (used for pain due to heart disease) and found it for $35

at Walmart. The only difference between the two that I can tell is that the Walmart version (called NitroBid) is 2%.

There are several possible explanations for this huge price discrepancy: 1. The dilution of nitroglycerin is a dangerous and expensive process, as it is quite explosive.

I found him a proctological savior 2. The cost of coming up with the name “Rectiv” by the marketing department was extremely high. It is far more clever than NitroBid, to be sure.

3. There is a secret ingredient in Rectiv that raises the cost. Perhaps they have to get anal secretions from unicorns.

While these seem reasonable, I suspect a different reason: the company which makes Rectiv has cornered the market on 0.4% nitroglycerin, and so can charge exorbitant amounts.

I’m sure my anally distressed patient would have paid $1000 for relief, but this wasn’t my first ride at the proctalgia rodeo (which has recently been nominated as an Olympic event), and I knew he could use the cheaper but more potent version with the boring name (and which has nothing to do with unicorns) without any problem. He did, and he got immediate relief.

This incident is just one example of the terrible gaming that routinely occurs with drug prices.

There are plenty of others.

Why, for example, do brand name medications continue having such high prices after the medication has gone generic? The reason is, if the generic no longer

available, they get a cash windfall.

For example, Carafate (for stomach ulcers) went generic years ago and so you can get 120 tablets of the generic for $33.

But recently the suspension form became unavailable as a generic, so the once inexpensive suspension now comes with a premium price tag.

Pharmacies join in by pricing one drug much lower than competitors, while going way higher on others. Generic Topamax, for example, is $11 at Publix and $68 at Rite Aid. So should you go to Publix for all of your medications?

Unfortunately, if you get your Topamax with a Lipitor chaser, the generic cholesterol drug costs more than $90 at Publix.

It’s much cheaper at other pharmacies.

You can’t count on any one pharmacy to have the cheapest prices. To get inexpensive medications, you must shop around and be willing to go to multiple pharmacies for multiple medications.

These games dramatically raise the cost of care for millions of Americans. It is legal. But it’s still price-gouging.

Fortunately for my patient, I was able to reunite him with the joys of sitting, and with a little research, to find him his proctological savior at a low cost.

I don’t know what can be done about this kind of thing aside from increasing awareness.

I’m not real confident in any government solution. People just need to be smarter shoppers when it comes to their care. It’s just a shame that people who are dealing with health problems (even if it is just trouble sitting) have to outsmart the very people supposedly trying to help them. +

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 P E R S O N

A lifetime of exercise

s a boy I attended a school where the main sport was rugby football, but being only 5ft 7in tall and weighing 164 lbs, I thought it a good idea to take up running instead.

So at the age of 14 I became a sprinter and did well at the 100-yard sprint, which I did in 9.25 seconds.

Spurred on by this I entered the 220-and 440-meter races where I did equally well. My running career was on its way.

A coach in charge of running decided I would do well in the cross country running team. So, despite rain, snow, ice, fog and sun we tore across the country side. One day after heavy rains the river we normally ran across was overflowing. A rope had been suspended across the river. My turn was fi rst and the coach called me across. Halfway over I could no longer hold on and dropped like a stone into the raging water. I was picked up 100 yards downstream like a drowned rat.

The rest of the team were sent back.

That was the end of my cross country running.

I tried other running sports, relay racing, the hurdles, tag, and finally ended up entering 440- and 880-meter distance racing, although I didn’t feel they were rewarding for the effort I put into them.

As an interim sport I took up squash, similar to the American racquetball. I took to squash like a duck to water and I truly progressed and used to play five times a week.

Squash was the sport I excelled in.

All I could concentrate on was that little green ball flying about at 90 mph.

My fitness had improved so I went back to long distance running, doing half and full marathons. What a challenge, but what training!

The marathon season began in spring which meant training starting directly after Christmas. My fitness program would be a strict protein diet followed by finishing work by six pm and donning running gear. Without

doubt the worse time was the first twenty minutes then adrenalin would kick in and I would power up. I felt at times I could run to the moon. I would intend on going on an eight-mile run and end up doing eighteen. The miles would burn up.

This I did daily increasing my mileage until the marathon day. I had been told never to exceed 21 miles but leave something in reserve.

My fi rst marathon I did not know what to expect. I just wanted to finish under four hours.

The field was sectioned at the starting line by their anticipated finishing times. I started in the 3-1/2 to 4-hour time, and before I knew we were off. Runners in front were slow and those behind came speeding through and often dropped back before the end.

After three miles we all settled down into our groups and paced one

I run. I bike. I play.

I exercise.

and other, each one tagging on to a runner that was a little bit faster.

The crowds roared encouragingly as we sped by, shouting our names for encouragement, which gave us an extra boost.

The last six miles of a marathon are grueling as you realize you have hit the wall. Still you fight on; there is too much to lose. Finally the end is in sight and you are rewarded as the line is crossed. My best time was the London Marathon in 3 hours and 46 minutes.

With all the years of running and playing squash there was a price to be paid. My knees were shot to pieces. I tried wearing support bandages with numerous evil smelling potions. A friend of mine suggested I take up cycling to take the stress off my knee joints. I had always liked cycling and thought it was great exercise, a way of seeing the countryside and meeting new friends.

We used to go off on 60-mile bike rides in rain, sun, sleet, Please see LIFETIME page 10

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.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

GARDENVARIETY

Growing up on a farm in Indiana, the corn capital of ther world, there was an old wives tale that if you sat quietly in a field, you could hear the corn grow. I never proved that right or wrong, but there was one thing for sure, I always looked forward to corn silks turning a little brown, indicating the corn was ripe and was ready to eat. There’s just something special about sweet corn; maybe it’s because we get to eat it with our hands, or that a kid could get expectantly messy when gnawing on an ear, but most definitely to me it was the sweet, creamy taste of a good ear of corn that would bring a smile to my face.

I’ve wanted to try a new way to cook sweet corn, so I thought it might be fun to fire up the grill and give it a try.

Grilling corn with the husks on creates a different flavor all its own and it’s surprisingly simple to do.

After the corn is grilled, it’s time to lather on some flavor. Being a consciously healthy eater, I decided to try a little coconut oil mixed with my BBQ coffee rub. The rub and the corn are a perfect fit together: subtle smoky corn, a hint of nuttiness from the husks and discard. Run corn, and let cool until they can coffee, and the sweet spicy husk and all, under water for safely be handled.

BBQ flavors will make this a few seconds to moisten.

8. Remove the husks and recipe a hit at your next This will help it not burn and silk from each ear of corn. cookout. help keep corn moist.

You can either discard the 3. Place the corn directly on husks completely or fold them Ingredients the grill, cover, and grill for back to use as handles.

• 4 ears of corn on the cob 15 to 20 minutes or until the 9. Use a pastry brush to with husks on husks are charred on all sides, spread Coffee BBQ Seasoning • 2 tablespoons coconut oil turning every few minutes. oil mixture over each ear • 2 teaspoons Coffee BBQ 4. Mix all BBQ seasonings of corn. Place the corn on a Seasoning Mix in a small jar. Place lid on and serving platter, sprinkle fresh shake. lime juice and cilantro and Coffee BBQ Seasoning Mix 5. Put two tablespoons of a little of your favorite bbq • 1/4 cup finely ground coffee coconut oil in a pan. Turn on sauce if you want. + • 1/4 cup brown sugar low heat just until the coconut • 2 tablespoons chili powder oil melts.

by Gina • 1 tablespoon paprika 6. Add 2 teaspoons Coffee Dickson, • 1 tablespoon black pepper BBQ Seasoning Mix (Note: Augusta wife, • 2 tablespoons salt you will have leftover mom and • 1 tablespoon onion powder seasoning mix in your jar to grandmother, • 1 tablespoon garlic powder use again for other recipes colon cancer • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder such as my BBQ Roasted survivor, • 1/2 tablespoon cayenne Chick Peas). Allow seasoning passionate or more and coconut oil to remain on about creating warm for 1 minute then turn a community to help women Directions off heat and allow to set in serve healthy meals to their 1. Heat grill on high until the pan. family. Visit my blog at hot.

7. Remove corn with tongs thelifegivingkitchen.com 2. Pull off any bad corn

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

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ASK DR. KARP

NO NONSENSE

NUTRITION Bo from Waynesboro, Georgia asks, “Can a person be both fit and fat?”

Can you really be fit AND fat? Actually, no. Although it is a great title for a book, the popular idea of being “fit and fat” is largely a myth.

Yes, you can be fitter and fat, but it is unlikely that you are both fit and fat.

Why? Because body weight is an important separate risk factor for chronic diseases such as stroke, diabetes,

heart disease, and high blood pressure. This means that your weight affects your chance of developing these diseases independently from the way other factors, such as your blood cholesterol values and blood sugar levels, affect your risk. So, if you are overweight but have your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar under control, you still need to lose weight and get within a reasonable weight range.

In our culture today, it is getting harder and harder for the average person to figure out if he or she is overweight. Our society is starting to use the overweight person as the norm. This is not good news!

For example, clothing sizes have been increased. Men’s pants marked 40 just a few years ago are now marked 36; today’s women’s size 10 was actually women’s size 14 in 1940. Seats in theaters and on buses are getting wider.

Think about how wide those “in vogue” theater recliners are. When you look around and the majority of your friends and family are overweight, then overweight becomes the norm for you!

How do you determine if you are a reasonable weight for your height? It’s actually pretty easy. Just put

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 “BMI Calculator” into your internet search engine, like Google or Safari. BMI stands for “body mass index,” which is the calculation you need to determine if you are overweight. Using BMI to determine if you are overweight only applies to people who are not “overmuscled,” like weight lifters and bodybuilders. For most of us with normal muscles, the BMI calculator works very well, so use it.

If your BMI is above the healthy range, how do you lose weight? Not by going on a diet, that’s for sure. People who “go on diets” usually do not lose weight, long term.

Instead, they “yo-yo;” they gain the weight back (and maybe even a bit more) after they stop the diet. The way to lose weight is to change your life, not simply go on a diet. That means not only choosing healthier foods, like fruits, veggies, whole grains and eating foods lower in salt, sugar and fat; it also means moving, moving and moving, every day. You need to get into a moving habit. I try to avoid using the word “exercise,” a term which turns a lot of people off. Instead of thinking of exercising, find some movement you love to do and do it every day. Maybe

you like cycling, maybe you like walking, dancing, swimming or using a hulahoop? Whatever it is, do it every day.

What’s the “No-Nonsense Nutrition” advice for today?

If you need to lose weight, do it slowly and steadily. It turns out that the “slowest” loser is the biggest winner.

Be both fit and NOT fat. +

Have a question about food, diet or nutrition? Post or private message your question on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/AskDrKarp) or email your question to askdrkarp@gmail.com If your question is chosen for a column, your name will be changed, to insure your privacy. Warren B. Karp, Ph.D., D.M.D. is Professor Emeritus at Augusta University. He has served as Director of the Nutrition Consult Service at The Dental College of Georgia and is past Vice Chair of the Columbia County Board of Health. You can fi nd out more about Dr. Karp and the download site for the public domain eBook, Nutrition for Smarties, at www.wbkarp.com Dr. Karp obtains no funding for writing his columns, articles or books and has no fi nancial or other interests in any food, book, nutrition product or company. His interest is only in providing freely-available, evidenced-based, scientific nutrition knowledge and education. The information is for educational use only; it is not meant to be used to diagnose, manage or treat any patient or client. Although Dr. Karp is a Professor Emeritus at Augusta

Dr. Karp

University, the views and opinions expressed here are his and his alone and do not reflect the views and opinions of Augusta University or anyone else.

Have you heard?

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

Ask a Dietitian COFFEE AND CANCER

by Cheryl Gullickson, MS, RD, LD Clinical Dietitian, Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center

If you want to buy a cup of coffee, in at least one state in America it may come with a cancer warning label. Should you be concerned?

There are reports of many positive benefits of coffee in the news so why is there a cancer warning? A potentially cancer-causing substance called acrylamide occurs when foods reach very high temperatures and this may include roasted coffee beans. However, coffee contains other potentially beneficial substances called antioxidants. The Food and Drug Administration does not support a warning label for coffee, viewing it as misleading about coffee and its health benefits. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer does not list coffee as a cancer-causing substance. So what does the research really show about the health benefits of coffee?

To break down the facts about coffee and cancer, keep in mind that there are many different types of cancers, many different ways to enjoy a cup of coffee, and numerous ways to investigate coffee consumption and health outcomes. Below is a review of several types

of cancers and the latest information from Up-to-Date about the effects of coffee: * Some research has indicated a lower risk of breast cancer with coffee intake, however, other research has been inconclusive. The quality of research studies examining breast cancer and coffee is low. * Caffeine-containing coffee is associated with increased risk for lung cancer, but decaffeinated coffee and green tea are associated with a decreased risk. However, these results are less significant when the studies account for smokers. * Coffee consumption may decrease the risk of certain gastrointestinal cancers, specifically oropharyngeal cancer and liver cancer. But the evidence about coffee intake and colorectal cancer risk is inconclusive. * Endometrial cancer

COFFEE-INFUSED RECIPE, PAGE 10

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risk has been shown to be decreased in coffee drinkers.

However, other factors, such as smoking and menstrual issues should be considered as contributing to cancer risk. * In multiple studies, there appears to be no association between coffee and tea consumption and ovarian cancer. * There may be a slight increased bladder cancer risk in coffee drinkers.

However, this may be related to increased coffee use among smokers who have increased risk for bladder cancer. * Coffee and green tea are associated with a decreased risk for prostate cancer. The highest intake of coffee was associated with the lowest risk for prostate cancer.

Coffee intake may have beneficial effects on risk for other diseases as well, including diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

So should you ignore the cancer warning label for coffee if you happen to see one? The benefits of drinking coffee definitely seem to outweigh the risks. But keep in mind that a cup of coffee loaded with lots of sugar, creamers, and calories may pose other health risks. +

165

The number of back issues of the Examiner available at issuu.com/medicalexaminer

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COFFEE/COCOA-SPICED PORKLOIN CHOPS The flavors of this rub combine to provide warmth and mellow flavor that easily pairs with rice or potatoes anytime of the year.

Rub: 1 tablespoon Chili powder 1 tablespoon Cocoa powder 1⁄2 teaspoon ground coffee (extra fine) 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt Pork: 4 center cut loin chops Non-stick cooking spray 1⁄2 tsp. canola oil 1 cup onions 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1⁄4 cup water Combine rub ingredients in a large plastic zip-top bag. Add pork to the bag and shake to coat evenly with rub.

Spine HHHHH

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

H H H H H 8/29/2018 We just got back from Arizona. I lost my balance and fell against a cactus. I’m still pulling spines out. + H H H H H 8/29/2018 I go to either the library or the bookstore, sometimes both, almost every day. I’ve been doing this for years because I love to read. Now my doctor tells me that doing this — turning my head sideways to read the spines of books — has permanently altered my spine. So it’s like book spines have curved my spine. Without ever touching it. Weird. But I’d say it’s definitely worth it. +

Donald G. Augusta, GA

H H H H H 8/30/2018 I certainly know better, but the other day I was trying to fix an electrical outlet out in the garage.

A wire must have been loose, because sometimes the outlet works and sometimes it doesn’t. Well, when I took the cover off I accidentally touched a bare wire and let me tell you, it was spine-tingling.

I’m glad it wasn’t any worse. +

Jill H. Aiken, SC

H H H H H 9/01/2018 I’ve been engaged to this guy for the past 8 months or so. Whenever I would bring up the subject of setting a date for the wedding he would always put me off. It was always the wrong time. Then a week ago he went out of town on a business trip. That’s what he told me, anyway. The truth is there was no business trip: he moved to that city. And he broke off the engagement by text. What a spineless piece of trash! +

Andrew B. Ft. Gordon, GA

H H H H H 9/02/2018 OMG! Have you read The Shining? Man, that is one spine-chilling book for sure. +

Walt O. Augusta, GA

H H H H H 9/04/2018 I was just reading the previous review and it reminded me of my current situation. We moved over Labor Day weekend and I pulled my back moving the refrigerator. I called a friend of mine who is a physical therapist and she recommended that I rest up for a day or two, take aspirin to reduce swelling and inflammation, and to put an ice pack on my back for 15 minutes or so out of every hour.

I mean, it’s a different kind of spine chilling, but it’s still spine chilling, right? Hope it works. +

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ONLINE EDITION! IT’S FREE! Just go to www.issuu.com/medicalexaminer and enter your email address.

Place a non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat and add oil. Once hot, add pork and cook 4-6 minutes on each side until nice and brown. Remove to a plate and tent with aluminum foil (cover loosely with foil).

Reduce heat to medium and add onions to the pan and allow o them caramelize (30-60 seconds). Add broth to the pan and stir to get up all the brown bits. Lastly combine cornstarch and water, add to the pan and boil for 1 minute until thick. Add the pork back to the pan, cover and cook until done (2-4 minutes or until 145 degrees is reached on a thermometer). Serve gravy with pork. + Yield: 4 servings Nutrition Breakdown: Calories 200, Fat 8g (2.5g saturated fat); Cholesterol 65mg, Sodium 250mg, Carbohydrate 8g, Fiber 2g, Protein 25g.

Diabetes Exchange Values: 1⁄2 Vegetable, 3 Lean Meats Recipe provided courtesy of University Health Care System’s Eating Well with Kim. For more recipes visit “http://www.facebook.com/eatingwellwithkimb” http://www.facebook.com/eatingwellwithkimb or “http://www.universityhealth. org/ewwk” www.universityhealth.org/ewwk.

LIFETIME… from page 6 whatever! It was always good fun with a call at a local public house at the end!

The years have caught up with me but weather permitting I still ride daily. I am now 72 years of age and a member of the Riverside Y in Augusta GA where I work out six days a week. with the aid of a Go-Pro helmet cameraI have just completed all the cycle routes in the area. Three hours of filming were recorded, over 115 miles with 17 stages, all in one week. Areas include the Greeneway, Brick Ponds Park, Savannah River Walk on both sides of river, the new top section of Greeneway and the new baseball stadium.

Happy cycling all! + — by Peter Giles Augusta, Georgia

MEDICALEXAMINER IS ONLINE visit • issuu.com/medicalexaminer •

TM

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

11 +

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

The blog spot From the Bookshelf — posted by Gomer Blog Team on August 23, 2018

ADVICE FOR NEW FEMALE DOCTORS Tip #1 - Accept that you’ll answer to “nurse” a lot Never touch your hair. It cannot be down, and it cannot look fancy. Optional styles include bun, ponytail, or braid.

“I might as well shave it off!” I hear you thinking it – we’ve all thought it – but it’s wrong. The only thing worse than looking like a woman who’s too hot is looking like you’re not a woman at all.

Woman? Sorry, I meant girl.

Never touch your phone. Male doctors who touch their phones are using them as information gathering and analyzing devices. They are on the cutting edge of technology and medicine. They are basically Steve Jobs in a white coat.

Not you. Girl doctors who touch their phones are texting their boyfriends. Or worse, they’re texting their babysitters. “How’s Amy doing in the NICU? Have they taken her off the ventilator yet?” This is the problem with girl doctors. They are very distracted. They are not committed to the cause.

Do not take a lunch break. They will assume that you are breastfeeding. Don’t have a baby? Doesn’t matter. Maybe you are breastfeeding yourself. On this note, do not take maternity leave. Maternity leave places an unfair burden on those around you. Think of the patients, after all. You’re in the caring profession. Plus, you work at a hospital; just have the baby during your lunch break! (Though, like we said, do not take a lunch break. They will assume you are birthing a baby.)

Names you should learn to answer to: sweetheart, nurse, honey, baby, nurse, miss, nurse, and nurse. Oh, you think as long as you introduce yourself as a doctor it will be OK? Listen. We’ve tried everything. White coats, name tags the size of a road sign, a bright red badge with MD in bold letters... Some glass ceilings are just not made to be broken.

You’re gonna be nurse ’til the day you die, sweetie.

That said: do not wear nursing scrubs. There are scrubs for nurses and scrubs for doctors and this is how the hierarchy stays intact. Scrubs for nurses are made for women and so they fit women’s bodies. Scrubs for doctors are unisex and so they fit men’s bodies.

Don’t worry, though. Even though you are wearing the baggiest cotton pajamas possible, your patients and colleagues will still find your body worthy of their attention and admiration. When they offer up their words of praise about your ass or your boobs while you are fulfilling your professional responsibilities, make sure to be polite in your response. They’re just being nice! Learn to take a compliment. Learn to smile. Didn’t they teach you anything in nursing school?

Wait, what? Medical school? You’re a nurse AND a doctor?!

Never cry. Never look like you’re about to cry. Never look like you just cried. Never appear cold or emotionless. There’s only one emotion for you, and that’s gratitude. You’re lucky to be here, baby. +

Woman?

Sorry, I meant girl.

GomerBlog is a satirical site about healthcare.

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This book might be called a love story, but it’s got to be one of the saddest and most painful and most beautiful love stories ever written.

There is no spoiler alert necessary when I tell you that its author shares the stage in this love story with his wife — and terminal cancer: after all, he breaks the news to us in the fi rst paragraph of the book’s Prologue.

If you’ve read this far and you end up reading this book, you know up front it’s going to be no picnic. This will not be ending well.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t a noteworthy and memorable book. If anyone on earth was better qualified to write this book, it would be hard to imagine. Paul Kalanithi was an aspiring author with a master’s degree in English literature and plans to follow it up with a Ph.D. when he decided to instead pursue medical school. His friend and fellow author Abraham Verghese writes in the book’s Foreword of an essay by Kalanithi which appeared in the magazine Stanford Medicine, “the prose was

unforgettable. Out of his pen he was spinning gold.”

Yes, this doctor could write.

Reading the words of this book review, it’s unfortunate that so many of us can relate to his story. We have had cancer (or have cared for someone who had it). We know the initial denial, the sickening dread, the certainty that comes even before the official diagnosis, that something is seriously amiss.

In Kalanithi’s case, it seems all the more tragic when such a bright future evaporated into thin air. He had won prestigious national awards and was fielding job offers

from major universities. His residency program director told him he would be the top candidate in any position for which he applied. “My journey from medical student to professor of neurosurgery was almost complete [after] ten years of relentless training.”

“At age thirty-six, I had reached the moutaintop.

I could see the Promised Land... I could see myself fi nally becoming the husband I’d promised to be.”

Alas, it was not to be.

The Prologue ends with one of the saddest collection of sentences you’re ever likely to read.

Paul Kalanithi told a friend that everyone would be able to identify with his story because sooner or later we’ll all follow him into death.

Reading such an eloquent reminder that we are not guaranteed tomorrow reminds us not to squander our todays. +

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, M.D; 256 pages, published in January 2016 by Random House.

Research News Non-medical medicine New research at the University of Texas at Austin released late last month proves that old-fashioned letters of gratitude — thankyou notes — are something more of us should do more often.

Working with researchers from The University of Chicago, study participants were asked to send a letter of gratitude to someone who had done something nice for them, and then asked to anticipate the reaction of recipients.

In each set of experiments (there were three), writers overestimated how awkward recipients would feel about the gesture and underestimated how much the letters would be appreciated.

Senders consistently expected negative reactions based on such factors as the imperfectly expressed thank-yous in their letters

and the fear of their gesture being misinterpreted in some unintended way.

In reality, the thank you notes were greatly appreciated. The researchers said writing the notes improved the sense of well-being for senders and recipients alike, a benefit that “comes at little cost, but the benefits are larger than people expect.”

Non-digital news To the surprise of few, researchers at San Diego State University found that just 2 percent of American teens read a newspaper on a regular basis. By contrast, a similar study conducted in 1990 found that one-third of sameaged teens regularly read a newspaper then.

The study also found that teen TV viewing is dropping. In the 1990s survey, 22 percent of 8th graders reported watching five or more hours of TV per day.

In a 2016 of the same group, only 13 percent watched that much television.

One puzzling finding of the survey was that one-third of the teenagers polled had not read a book for pleasure within the past year. The results included reading a book on an electronic device. Compared to past generations who had to travel to a bookstore or library, the result was unexpected, since readers today can click a link and have a book ready to read in seconds.

Antibiotic news In a finding that contradicts the long-held belief that combining more than two drugs to fight bacteria yields diminishing returns, UCLA researchers have identified more than 8,000 new combinations of antibiotics — some of them 4- and 5-drug combos — that they expect will offer much better efficacy than existing antibiotics. +

+ 12

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

THE EXAMiNERS +

by Dan Pearson

Nope. They asked me to come up with a You aren’t doing marketing work for catchy new slogan What was it?

Mathnasium any more? - and then they didn’t like it.

“Mathnasium: No jock strap required.”

I guess you just can’t please some people. I know, right?

PUZZLE

ACROSS 1. Woman who challenged Augusta National male-only membership 5. Not Tesla fuel 8. Georgia county named for the 11th US president 12. Soothing plant 13. One of the Marx brothers 15. Canal name 16. CSRA winter rarity 17. Extraterrestrial 18. Record 19. Hindered 21. Among 23. Partridge follower 24. Quick!!!

25. Withdraw 28. Former riverfront restaurant in Augusta 32. “Obamacare” acronym 33. al-Qaeda founder 36. Tag 37. Sweet wine 39. Word that follows silver and black 41. Rebecca of the WNBA 42. Pertaining to the ileum 44. Perfect 46. Permit 47. Talk about 49. In 2018 she replaced Vargas on ABC’s 20/20 51. Large wading bird 52. By way of 53. Disheveled 56. Blood _______ 61. Legal group 62. Nostrils 64. Table at Sonic?

65. Silkwood star 66. Modify 67. Troll; monster

ME

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 1

2

3

4

5

12

13

16

17

19

21

38

34

40

44

31

’

41

45

48

54

30

36

49

51

53

46

50

52

55

56

Click on “READER CONTESTS”

QUOTATIONPUZZLE 29

35

39

43

47

11

24

33

42

10

22

28

32

9

18

27

37

8

15

20

26

7

14

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25

6

57

63

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H L E T P R N A C A U D R E

L L C W

H T D O U S S T O E O Y C I N P A H F R R G E I A

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2018 All rights reserved

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2018 All rights reserved. Built in part with software from www.crauswords.com

68. Sharp 69. Put down 70. Poverty DOWN 1. Wallop 2. Forearm bone 3. Chamber 4. Doll with a topknot 5. Crossword puzzles are made on one 6. Big monkey 7. Beethoven composed a famous one 8. Minor epileptic attack 9. Toward the mouth (in med) 10. They can be cyanotic 11. Baby guinea fowl 13. Type of racing (in Aiken) 14. Malt beverage 20. Prefix meaning “within” 22. Augusta ______ 24. Flood; rash; flurry; cluster 25. Tachy (in cardiology)

26. Intestinal bacteria 27. Worries; concerns 29. African plague 30. Medieval fiddle 31. Laziness 34. Wrong; awry 35. It can precede day or night 38. Uncommunicative 40. Gather in 43. Westernmost island of the West Indies 45. Clark’s girlfriend 48. Corps at Ft. Gordon 50. Road from Washington Rd. to Furys Ferry 53. ____-and-pinion 54. Continuous dull pain 55. Exultation 56. Talk to God 57. Sen. colleague 58. Exhort 59. Uncommon 60. Blue-____; cross-____; etc.

63. Dental org.

Solution p. 14

— Lily Tomlin

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.

E X A M I N E R

4

1

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3 1

1

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2018 All rights reserved. Built with software from www.crauswords.com

S 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 keypad letters to convert numbers into words suggested by the definitions provided. Sample: 742 (body part) = RIB. Solution on page 14.

1. 742 (bone) ___

6. 7828 (medical abbrev.) ____

2. 8562 (bone) ____

7. 7546 (body part) ____

3. 84242 (bone) _____

8. 7468 (medical procedure) ____

4. 33687 (bone) _____

9. 8378 (medical procedure) ____

5. 77463 (bones) _____

10. 358 (diagnosis) ___

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2018 All rights reserved

TEXT

THE MYSTERY WORD The Mystery Word for this issue: REMUNST

© 2018 Daniel Pearson All rights reserved.

EXAMINER CROSSWORD

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

13 +

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

THEBESTMEDICINE

The

Advice Doctor

The man said, “Every time you weren’t looking I stepped outside the circle!”

ha... ha...

©

Moe: What do you call a dog that makes no sound at all?

Joe: Not even a growl or a whimper?

Moe: Nothing. Give up?

Joe: Sure, ok, yeah.

Moe: A mala-mute!

Joe: Oh. I was thinking hush puppy, but never mind.

A

man just got a new car and was driving it home from the dealer when he accidentally cut off a truck driver. The truck driver angrily pulled around the guy, cut in front of him and forced him to pull over.

The driver got out of his truck and came back toward the new car and pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket. He drew a circle on the side of the road in front of the car and told the guy, “Stand in that circle and DON’T MOVE!” He then went to the guy’s car and used a big knife to cut up its leather seats.

When he turned around, the guy in the circle had a slight grin on his face, so the truck driver said, “You think that’s funny? Watch this!”

He got a baseball bat from his truck and broke every window in the new car. When he turned toward the guy he still had a smirk on his face.

This makes the truck driver really mad. He gets his knife back out and slices all 4 tires. Now the guy is laughing.

The truck driver really loses it. He gets a can of gas from his truck, pours it on the new car and sets it on fire.

He turns around and the man is laughing so hard he is about to fall down.

“What’s so funny?” the truck driver roared.

Moe: What did one dog say to another dog?

Joe: I give. What?

Moe: “I’m sick of being anthropomorphized for comedic purposes.”

Moe: How do you say “S’up dawg?” in Japanese?

Joe: Tell me.

Moe: Konichihuahua.

Moe: I can’t believe your high school English teacher started a relationship with you.

Joe: We’re definitely in love.

Moe: That is so inappropriate.

Joe: That’s exactly what the judge said. But as soon as she gets out of jail I’m going to get down on one knee and pop the question.

Moe: Dude, everyone knows you can’t end a sentence with a proposition.

Moe: Did you know that for centuries the third letter of our alphabet didn’t exist?

Joe: Sure. I’ve always heard people say, “Long time, no C.” +

Why subscribe to theMEDICALEXAMINER? What do you mean?

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

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

Dear Advice Doctor, I’ve been trying to help my nephew for years, but I think I’m ready to throw in the towel. His own parents gave up on him years ago, but I thought I could help him finally get his life on track. Now that he’s been arrested for the third time, I believe I’m finally ready to wash my hands of this failed reclamation project. Do you think that’s the right decision, or should I keep going to bat for him?

— Failed Do-Gooder

Dear Failed, I have no doubt that you’ve made the correct decision, and what is more, science is on your side.

In fact, the CDC has an entire page on their website entitled, “Show Me the Science - Why Wash Your Hands?” It has some eye-opening facts.

Keeping hands clean is one of the simplest, yet most important and effective things a person can do to stay healthy and stop the spread of germs.

As gross as it sounds, feces (in other words, poop) is one of the major sources of commonly spread germs that make people sick. I can hear you now: “I don’t get feces on my hands, thank you very much.”

Are you sure about that? To be absolutely certain would mean that you know for a fact that nothing you’ve touched recently - in a public place like a theater, at a store, anywhere - wasn’t also touched by someone else who failed to wash their hands properly. Again, you may be thinking, “Who gets feces on their hands in the fi rst place?”

For starters, as a popular children’s book notes, “Everybody Poops.” There’s a lot of potential for trouble there. Some people have babies, and numerous times every day they change diapers. Sometimes, says the CDC, people handle raw meat that, unbeknownst to them, has invisible amounts of animal feces on it. It doesn’t take much to cause trouble.

The CDC cites this sobering statistic: “A single gram of human feces — which is about the weight of a paper clip — can contain one trillion germs.”

Yowza, as we say in the medical profession.

So rest assured, you’re doing the right thing. In fact, you’re helping prevent not only yourself, but potentially countless others from getting sick. Keep up the good work! + 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 the Examiner.

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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!

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

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The Celebrated TEXT ME MYSTERY WORD CONTEST SEVEN SIMPLE RULES: 1. Unscramble and find the designated word hidden within one of the ads in this issue. 2. Visit the Reader Contests page at www.AugustaRx.com. 3. Tell us what you found and where you found it. 4. If you’re right and you’re the one we pick at random, you win. (Winners within the past six months are ineligible.) 5. Prizes awarded to winners may vary from issue to issue. Limited sizes are available for shirt prize. 6. A photo ID may be required to claim some prizes. 7. Other entrants may win a lesser prize at the sole discretion of the publisher.

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THE WINNER: SARAH ROLLINS 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!

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...cleverly hidden on the football in p. 8 ad for WILD WING CAFE

...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!

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

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QUOTATION QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION “Reality is a crutch for people who can’t handle drugs.”

READ EVERY ISSUE ONLINE

— Lily Tomlin

The new scrambled Mystery Word is found on page 12

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DO YOU HAVE THIS CARD?

HOW?

Obviously the image above contains great advice. And after reading our “Why?” story on page 3, surely everyone realizes the potentially life-and-death importance of staying calm when driving.

The real question, however, is how do you do it? When people all around you are driving like jerks, recklessly passing you, tailgating, hogging the left lane, cutting you off, speeding, pulling out in front of you, and most importantly, taking the parking spaces you had intended to use, how are you supposed to stay calm in the midst of all that?

It might take some effort, especially at first, but it’s very doable through a combination of attitude adjustment and mechanical changes.

Let’s tackle a simple mechanical change first.

Move your center rearview mirror so you can’t see traffic behind you. This can be done in one of three ways: • adjust the mirror slightly so you can still use it with only a minor head movement, but unless you make that slight move you won’t be distracted by even the closest tailgater.

• fl ip the lever to put the mirror on night vision; you can still see cars behind you when you look directly in the mirror but you won’t see them otherwise.

• move the mirror so you can’t use it at all. This is not unsafe. Dump trucks, big rig trucks and lots of other vehicles have only the left- and right-hand side mirrors.

It’s amazing how effective this single tactic can be in reducing stress and aggravation. What you don’t see can’t bother you and trigger road rage.

As that mechanical change begins to take effect, work also on attitude. View every drive as an opportunity to relax. It’s not a race. Your goal is not to beat other drivers.

They’re total strangers. You can race down the highway and be sitting at a red light when the slowpoke you passed a mile back comes puttering up and calmly stops next to you.

Racing gains seconds, sometimes less. And why get angry over things we can’t control? We have no control over other drivers. We don’t even know who they are. Let them go and enjoy the serenity of your trip.

When it comes to attitude, remember that guy who cut you off a couple weeks ago? And the tailgater on the way to work that one day last month? Remember the person who took the parking space you had eyeballed last Christmas at the mall?

No? That should tell you something. These highway infractions will be forgotten tomorrow. They are not worth fighting or dying for or going to jail over.

So yes, by all means chill. Especially behind the wheel.

You know why. You know how. Now just do it. +

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+ 16

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

IT’S A QUESTION OF CARE How can I help someone cope with the loss of their spouse?

We have to remember that when you have been married for a very long time, your life is completely blended with the other person’s. You often fi nish each other’s sentences, and though that may sound cliché, it’s true. You know the other person’s routine like the back of your hand. So when your spouse dies, there is a definite void. For many people, they need outside support to help them through, particularly during the fi rst year.

The best way to help a friend or loved one who has recently lost a long-standing spouse is to regularly contact him or her. This might be in person, in the form of a phone call once a week, periodic emails, or a card once a month for the fi rst six to nine months, so this person knows that you have not forgotten about him or her.

Also, inviting them to outings and social events can be a positive way to encourage them to begin to make a life on their own again. Sometimes they feel odd because they think they’re the third or fifth wheel if it’s couples doing something together. Reassure them that they are not, and you love their presence just as much as if they were still in a couple situation.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

You might invite him or her on a weekend getaway to a place they’ve never been before, as again, they are beginning to forge a new path without their spouse. They may need some help in how to find that path or direction and to open those new doors.

If the spouse who is left does not drive, then offering rides to/from the grocery store, the doctor, church, or to see their family members, and to other social functions or obligations is most appreciated and helpful.

Keep in mind that the first year after someone has died is usually the most difficult due to the annual markers of holidays, birthdays and special occasions that must pass.

Acknowledging those days and saying something about it to the person can be very reassuring. Do not act like the person never died; do not gloss over it. Say something simple like you’re thinking of them and their loved one today. +

by Amy Hane, a licensed Master Social Worker in South Carolina and Georgia, an Advanced Professional Aging Life Care Manager and also a Certified Advanced Social Work Case Manager.

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY +

ALLERGY

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

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