HEALTHY Connections - December 2019

Volume 1, Edition 10

M i l l e n n i u m P h y s i c i a n G r o u p ’s

HEALTHYConnections ConnectingYou to a Healthier Life

December 2019 • Healthy You This Holiday Season

What we have in store in this edition:

'Tis the Season...Stay Healthy and Happy for 2020

Dr. Salerno Says It's Time to Quit Smoking in 2020

New Year’s Resolutions Dr. Brian Taschner is here to help!

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Your Connection to a Healthier Life

For more information about Millennium Physician Group, visit www.MillenniumPhysician.com or call (844) CALL-MPG.

Celebrate New Year's Safely

Chief Medical Officer Alejandro Perez-Trepichio Announces New Respiratory Centers of Excellence

Welcome to Millennium’s Healthy Connections!

In our December edition we focus on making the right New Year’s Resolutions, staying safe on New Year’s and so much more! So cozy up with a warm beverage and enjoy this holiday edition of Millennium’s Healthy Connections.

COPD and Smoking It's Time to Quit Smoking in 2020 Written By: Edward Salerno, M.D.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a severe lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. More than 12 million people have been diagnosed with COPD. It is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and more than 120,000 people die each year from the disease.

COPD becomes severe, it can affect your way of life and the ability to perform basic tasks.

If your provider suspects that you have COPD, he or she may recommend spirometry because it is the only way to diagnose COPD accurately.

Dr. Salerno stressed that x-rays and CAT scans

You might be prescribed daily medication and a rescue medicine. Some patients will use a bronchodilator or an inhaled corticosteroid. Dr. Salerno said, “there is no one size fits all, but the number one thing that they can do to prevent worsening of their COPD is to stop smoking.”

Evidence has shown that if you stop smoking

According to Millennium Pulmonologist Dr. Edward Salerno, COPD is commonly a smoking-related lung disease that leads to airway obstruction, which essentially means that patients have a difficult time breathing. It most often occurs in people aged 40 and over who are current smokers or former smokers.

The disease can also occur in people who have had long term exposure to secondhand smoke, certain chemicals, dust, or fumes that irritate the lungs. COPD is sometimes referred to as emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

Dr. Salerno explained that patients with a history of smoking and signs of shortness of breath, wheezing, cough, or phlegm might have symptoms of COPD. He says that about 20% of smokers will develop COPD. However, “if you take 100 patients that have a history of COPD, over 90 percent of them will have a smoking history.” He added that other factors such as socioeconomic status, environmental exposures, exposure to open flame smoke, or secondhand smoke are risk factors in patients that have not personally smoked. COPD develops slowly and can worsen over time. If

are not the way to diagnose COPD because sometimes the x-ray will look abnormal, but in fact, the lungs are normal when they are tested.

Spirometry is a non-invasive test that measures the health of your lungs by calculating the amount and speed of the air you can blow out of your lungs. The test will help determine the proper treatment.

Treatment depends on several factors, such as the severity of COPD. Take your medicines as prescribed by your healthcare professional.

and you stay off cigarettes after about ten years, your risk of lung loss goes back to that of a nonsmoker. If you are diagnosed with COPD, protect yourself from the flu and pneumonia with immunizations. Keep away from crowds during the flu season. Also, avoid exposure to pollutants and things that can irritate your lungs, including dust, strong fumes, and cigarette smoke. Remember to keep the air clean in your home. If your breathing worsens, call your healthcare provider or go to the hospital.

'Tis the season…for sicknesses and stress.

Stay Happy and Healthy for 2020!

The holidays are here. That can mean fun with friends and family, but it can also mean shopping for groceries, cleaning our homes, digging for recipes, calling up friends and family, organizing our schedules, coordinating visits, finalizing travel plans, rushing around, and… whew!

In all the frenzied preparations, don’t forget about yourself! Read on to learn how you can make it to the new year with both your health and your sanity.

About Germs: Remember, it’s not the cold weather nor the rain that makes us sick, if not that certain viruses, including the flu, thrive in the cooler winter air. Also, people stay indoors

and have closer contact with germs during the holidays. We tend to become exhausted from darker days, less physical activity, and holiday schedules. Don’t let it happen to you!

Hand Washing: This is the best defense against spreading germs. Remember to lather-up and scrub for at least 20 seconds before rinsing and drying with a clean towel. Soap and water are generally better than hand sanitizers, but a sanitizer is better than nothing. Adding hand sanitizer to your buffet table is a great idea!

• Bathroom towels have germs. Put out extra hand towels or use disposable paper towels when you have company.

• Teach kids to keep their hands away from

mouths and noses, so germs can’t directly enter mucous membrane linings.

Vaccinations: Make sure you are up to date on your vaccines. And it’s not too late for your annual flu shot. Protect yourself and those around you. No one wants to spend the holidays sick with the flu or taking care of a sick family member. Some people cannot get vaccines because of chronic illness or other reasons. You certainly don’t want to get them sick.

Watch out for food poisoning: • Use food safety practices, including handwashing, cleaning surfaces, avoiding cross-contamination, adequately cooking food, and properly storing food.

• Cook foods at recommended temperatures.

Try a meat thermometer for safety!

• Refrigerate leftovers.

Your Physical Health: With so much to accomplish in seemingly so little time, it’s easy to forget about ourselves and our routines. But this is a sure-fire way to reduce our immunity, leading to sickness. During the holidays, it’s more important than ever to give yourself the attention you deserve.

Stay hydrated: • Drink plenty of water throughout the day!

• If you are drinking alcohol, try alternating glasses of water between cocktails.

• Limit intake of high-calorie drinks like eggnog, martinis, and margaritas. continued on next page

Did You Know?

Stomach flu, also known as gastrointestinal infection, can be caused by a virus, bacterium, or parasite.

Get a good night’s sleep: • Enough sleep is key to preventing illness and warding off stress.

• Insufficient sleep can alter hormone levels, encouraging weight gain and junk food cravings. YIKES!

Use your time wisely: • Use time off from work to schedule health checkups, vaccinations, and other things to improve or maintain your health.

Make time for exercise: • Stay motivated!

• If you don’t have time for a 30-minute walk, try two 15-minute strolls instead. You can make it more manageable and walk in the morning and then after dinner.

• Exercise can help reduce stress.

Don’t hesitate to seek medical care, if needed: • Call your Millennium physician’s office or visit a Millennium walk-in center if you’re not feeling great. Get help for problems link a sore throat, cough, stomach problems, ear infections, urinary tract infections, rashes, sprains or cuts. Chances are if you wait, the problem could get worse.

make you feel anything from just a little nostalgic to downright lonely. Don’t discount what opening up to a friend or family member can do for you. Reaching out to people in your circle could also help. The holiday season should be a time to connect with others. Try volunteering.

It’s a great way to improve your mood. And seek professional help if you feel stuck.

•

Make time for yourself, your mental and emotional health.

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Don’t put your needs last.

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Take time to relax. Unwind with music, meditation, a walk, a book, a TV show or a hobby.

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Consider reducing holiday stress by outsourcing decorations, cooking, or cleaning.

• Eat mindfully: • Enjoy the holiday flavors, tastes, and textures.

• Don’t go to a party on an empty stomach; Managing Stress: It’s normal to feel some you could overeat. sadness over the holiday, especially if you’ve • • Limit portion sizes. experienced changes recently. A move, a • Avoid processed junk food.

• Eat a diet rich in foods with colorful fruits different job, or a recent death are enough to and veggies. They can boost your immune system. If you are short on time, try to sneak them into a smoothie!

• Try to eat slowly and take a 10-20-minute break before returning for another • Brochitis • Strep Throat helping of food. It takes some time for your brain to • Ear infection • Tuberculosis signal to your stomach that • Sinus infection • Whooping Cough you’re full.

• And don’t quit trying • Gasterointestinal • UTI because you overate at one infection • Gasterointestinal meal. Try a clean slate at the (stomach flu) infection next meal.

BACTERIA

(stomach flu)

BOTH

The holidays do not need to be perfect.

Families change, and traditions can be modified. You can find other ways to enjoy the season. Try to set aside differences and be understanding.

Finally, remember this is the time of year to be thankful for our blessings. Don’t let stress get in the way of your enjoyment.

VIRUS • Common cold • Flu • Sore Throat • Gasterointestinal infection (stomach flu)

New Year's Resolutions? We Can Help Written By: Brian Taschner, M.D.

A new year always brings promise. And for many, this is a great time to set new goals. Although nearly everyone takes on a new year’s resolution as some point, few are successful. But Millennium is here to help! A few of our experts chime in on some of the most common resolutions, including losing weight, exercising and quitting smoking.

Diet The one constant as far as diet goes is controlling the amount of calories you take in in relations to those you burn. Calorie counting apps are great and remember to work with your doctor regarding your caloric intake.

But Millennium Cardiologist Dr. Brian Taschner says "the quality of food we eat is as also an important consideration. People should include more health promoting, disease fighting foods such as fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Make achievable weekly goals such as adding 1-2 fruits and/or veggies and cutting back on processed foods and foods with saturated fats, like meats and cheeses.”

Exercise Dr. Taschner says "to start small with attainable changes to your routine and then build up from there. You’re far more likely to keep it up!

Ideally, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, 5 daysa-week and 20 minutes of resistance training a couple of days is what I like to see my patients accomplish. To make goals achievable, I tell

them to start with 10-15 minutes of exercise daily and build up from there.”

Smoking Cessation “Treatments don’t work unless patients have the desire to quit. It’s that simple,” says Millennium Pulmonologist Dr. Edward Salerno. In his work, he’s had many conversations with his patients about quitting smoking. He says patients who aren’t ready to quit won’t stick with it. “When people ask about quitting, I say don’t ask me to make me happy. I’m not going to waste your time and money, so be honest with yourself. If you’re not ready, I’ll support until you are ready.”

But once they are, healthcare providers like Dr. Salerno are prepared to enact a plan, knowing everybody is different. Some patients have used

nicotine replacements and medications. Others have benefited from hypnosis and others from alternative therapies. Finally, some patients decide to quit, throw away the cigarettes, and stop cold turkey.

Dr. Salerno cautions, “patients need to know that relapses are common. In fact, many will relapse several times before they quit for good.

Just move on, tomorrow is another day. And you can be successful!” *A great source is Tobacco Free Florida.

1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-822-6669).

The organization provides free counseling, personalized quit plans, and nicotine patches, gum and lozenges.

Did You Know?

Medicare covers a low dose CT scan of the chest to screen for lung cancer. Patients qualify if they answer yes to the following criteria: 

Are you between 55-77 years old?



Are you lacking symptoms of lung cancer?



Do you have a history of smoking greater than 30 packs a year?

 Are you a current smoker or has it been less than

15 years since quitting?

Celebrating New Year’s Eve Safely It’s no secret New Year’s Eve is one of the more dangerous nights to be out on the streets.

More people are driving impaired. As a result, more accidents occur. Additionally, some of the activities revelers take part in are particularly dangerous as well! Here’s how to play it safe.

Of course, be careful on the roads. Allow extra time for travel. And drive defensively. There’s no telling what condition other drivers might be in.

Don’t Drink and Drive! If a party involves alcohol, have a designated driver or use a ride-sharing app such as Uber or Lyft. Also, AAA has a program called Tow To Go that will provide a FREE, confidential ride to members and non-members. The program operates on major holidays, including

Thanksgiving, Christmas through New Year’s Eve, and Super Bowl Sunday. The AAA tow truck will bring your vehicle and driver to a home or safe place within 10 miles of their initial location.

Avoid smoking. Some might think a cigar is a good way to ring in the new year.

Nope, don’t do it. It’s unhealthy for smokers and creates secondhand smoke for nonsmokers. Same goes for cigarettes.

Watch children around popular new year’s accessories, like fireworks, candles, pools and alcoholic drinks and deserts. Ensure a safe environment by keeping hazardous items out of reach.

Lucky Foods to Eat on New Year’s Day What to Eat on New Year’s Day According to popular folklore, if these foods are eaten on New Year’s Day they bring promise of good luck throughout the year to come.

Peas or beans symbolize coins or wealth. Choose traditional black-eyed peas, lentils or beans to make a dish seasoned with pork, ham or sausage.

Greens resemble money, specifically folding money. Make dishes using boiled cabbage or sauerkraut, collard greens, kale, chard, mustard greens, turnip greens or other green, leafy vegetables to ensure good fortune for the coming year.

Pork is considered a sign of prosperity in some cultures because pigs continually root forward.

This is probably the reason many Southern New Year’s Day dishes contain pork or ham.

Cornbread symbolizes gold and wealth. Not to mention it is considered an essential compliment to black-eyed peas and greens.

In other cultures, fish, grapes, and pomegranates, as well as ring-shaped cakes or doughnuts with special treats inside symbolize luck.

What NOT to Eat on New Year’s Day Some believe that lobster could cause bad luck in the coming year because it moves in a backward direction and that could mean setbacks in the year ahead.

For the same reason, eating chicken could be bad luck. Chickens scratch backward, plus they are winged so your luck could fly away.

Millennium adding

Written By: Chief Medical Officer Alejandro Perez-Trepichio, M.D.

Respiratory Centers of Excellence in Lee and Collier Counties

When Dr. Usha Chandrahasa opened her Respiratory Center of Excellence in Port Charlotte in the summer of last year, I don’t think anyone could have predicted just how successful it would be. The center has a Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) Chamber and a dedicated respiratory therapist. With the opening of the center, Dr. Chandrahasa, an allergist and clinical immunologist, hoped to more quickly and accurately diagnose patients with respiratory conditions, as such, getting them to feel better sooner.

But what Dr. Chandrahasa is also doing is keeping patients out of the ER and out of the hospital.

Her research shows a 25 percent reduction in ER visits for her patients in the six months after

her Center of Respiratory Excellence opened compared to the six months prior. The hospital admissions show an even greater reduction, with 38 percent fewer patients going to the hospital in the six months after the center opened compared to the six months prior.

This model is proven to work. That’s why I am excited to share with you our plans to open Respiratory Centers of Excellence in both Collier and Lee Counties. Drs. Edward Salerno, Ismael Martin and Raymundo Caparros, who form our Pulmonary Critical Care Group within Physicians Regional Medical Center in Naples, will head the Respiratory Center of Excellence – Naples.

Along with a PFT chamber, they will offer two additional modalities, cardiopulmonary stress

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Your Connection to a Healthier Life Thank you for reading!

To learn more about Millennium Physician Group visit www.MillenniumPhysician.com or call (844) CALL-MPG to schedule an appointment today!

testing and FENO (Fractional Exhalation of Nitric Oxide) assessment.

Drs. George Mestas and Donald McAlpine will head the Respiratory Center of Excellence – Lee, to be located at Metro Parkway South in Fort Myers. This center will also offer PFT testing.

These two facilities are targeted to open within the next two months.

As always, we look forward to highlighting our physicians’ expertise, which undoubtedly leads to better outcomes for our patients. Additionally, Millennium’s goal is to one day bring all the innovations that benefit our patients to all every community we serve.