Page 28 – North Central News, November 2012
HEALTHY LIVING TO YOUR HEALTH
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Stay healthy during flu season By Jeffrey Schultz, M.D.
Flu season is upon us. During this busy time of year, no one wants to get sick. Staying informed can help you maintain good health during the fall and winter months when the flu is most prevalent. Influenza is a virus characterized by high fevers, severe headaches, a cough, a sore throat, body aches and chills, among other symptoms. It typically lasts a week, but some people can remain ill from the flu virus for up to two weeks. While there is no guaranteed way to avoid the flu, there are some measures you can take to reduce your chances of contracting the virus. The most important thing you can do is get a flu vaccine each year. Getting the vaccine can prevent you from getting the flu or lessen the severity of the illness if you do catch the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that small children, adults over the age of 60, people who work in health care or other high-risk fields and pregnant women get the vaccine each year. If you don’t fit into any of those categories, it is still wise to get the vaccine to help protect yourself and those around you from the virus. When patients tell me they are concerned about getting immunized, I tell them that for every complication from the flu vaccine, thousands of lives are saved. From my perspective, it is worthwhile for everyone to get vaccinated. Also, proper and frequent hand washing, coughing into your elbow rather than your hands and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth can go a long way in preventing the spread of the flu virus. How to treat the flu If you do contract the flu, there are some things you can do to ease your symptoms. If you see your doctor right away, you can take antiviral medication that may decrease the duration and severity of the flu. It is only effective if you begin taking it within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.
At home, you can help ease the symptoms of the flu by taking ibuprofen (you should avoid aspirin due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a potentially dangerous complication of the flu), drinking plenty of fluids and resting. It’s important to remember that until you are fever-free for 24 hours, you are still contagious. Stay home until you are feeling better. See your doctor right away if you have trouble breathing, have a headache that is so severe that you can’t concentrate, or if you experience signs of dehydration. People with chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease and asthma, need to pay closer attention and contact their doctor at the first sign of complications. Here’s to a healthy fall and winter! Jeffrey Schultz, M.D. is an emergency physician and associate medical director/pre-hospital medical director at John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital. Visit www.JCL.com/northmountain. The information in “To Your Health” is provided by John C. Lincoln Health Network as general information only. For medical advice, please consult your physician.
Health Briefs Environmental toxins that are linked to cancer Banner Good Samaritan’s Esophageal Cancer Support Group offers support for patients, families and community members dealing with this or other types of cancers. The next meeting is scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in Brown Health Sciences Library LL2 at Banner Good Samaritan, 1111 E. McDowell Road. Guest speaker is Marianne Marchese, NMD, Naturopathic Family Care, who will discuss which toxins in the environment may be linked to cancer and how to boost your immune system. Guests can park in the visitor’s parking structure outside of the main lobby, or use the hospital’s free valet service. Dinner will be provided. RSVP to Terry Ratner, RN, MFA, at 602-839-4970 or 602-527-3776.
Boatright specializes in ‘instrument adjusting’ Dr. Rick Boatright, a nationally recognized expert in a form of chiropractic care called “instrument adjusting,” earlier this year bought Desert Rose Chiropractic at 532 E. Maryland Ave.
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North Central News, November 2012 – Page 29 HEALTHY LIVING
Boatright was one of the first chiropractors to achieve an “Advanced Proficiency Rating” in the Activator technique and was an Activator instructor during the 1980s and ’90s. In 2012, he became the fourth doctor in Arizona to achieve full certification in the Impulse technique, a newer chiropractic instrument adjusting technique. “I love instrument adjusting,” says Boatright. “It’s the most specific and complete way of working with the entire skeletal frame that I’ve ever seen. I’m not limited to backs and necks. I can work with every accessible joint in the body. It’s gentle enough for newborn babies and frail, elderly people, but effective enough for strong, healthy athletes, too.” Accompanied by his wife, Linda McBride-Boatright, a clinical laboratory scientist, and Alexis Wilson, a certified chiropractic assistant and Boatright’s laser therapist, Desert Rose offers gentle, effective, instrument adjusting. Free inoffice consultations are available. For more information, call 602-264-6300.
Harris honored by March of Dimes March of Dimes Arizona Chapter recently announced its 2012 Nurse of the Year Awards winners. Among them was Judith Harris from Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Hundreds of nurses throughout Arizona were nominated by their patients, peers and administrators in one or more of 14 different categories. The March of Dimes Nurse of the Year winners were revealed at the Aug. 25 gala at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown. The annual March of Dimes event pulled in more than $126,000, which will go to support future funding for nursing scholarships in Arizona as well as benefit the March of Dimes Arizona Chapter in its pursuit to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
New offerings at Kinesphere Kinesphere Pilates, which recently expanded its studio at 711 E. Missouri Ave., Suite 180, is expanding its holistic movement offerings. Jenny Showlater joins the staff as a certified pilates instructor, personal trainer, and registered Somatic Movement (SM) therapist. Showlater will be available at Kinesphere Mondays and Wednesdays for 30- and 60-minute
private and semi-private sessions, as well as teaching group reformer class and SomaUnwind, a unique, gentle class to help restore inner harmony. Yang-style Tai Chi classes with Master Teacher David Block have been added 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, beginning Nov. 13. Learn the traditional long form of Yang-style Tai Chi Chuan. Block has been teaching and practicing Tai Chi Chuan in the Valley since 1975. Classes are ongoing and suitable for students at all levels of fitness. Cost is $62 a month. Instructor Lisa Thorngren has created Resistance Band Ballet and is offering the first workshop 12:30-2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. Cost of the class is $15 and is open to all with an advanced beginner ballet experience. For more information on these or other classes, visit www.kinesphere-studio.com or call 602-532-3111.
YMCA dental clinic now serving adults The Legacy Foundation ChrisTown YMCA, 5517 N. 17th Ave., recently marked the one-year anniversary of its new on-site medical and dental clinic to serve Valley children in need. One year later, the Chris-Town YMCA clinic has expanded services to assist adults in need. The medical and dental clinic serves children in need of care due to underfunded, school-based clinics around the Valley continuing to shut down due to economic decline. Underinsured and non-insured school children in need of healthcare from as far as Buckeye are being brought to the Legacy Foundation Chris-Town YMCA by parents who have no other option for their children. Over the past school year ending this July, more than 1,900 children were seen at the YMCA clinic. Demand for adult care from these families has prompted the YMCA to offer adult medical care during specific hours every other Wednesday night. This care is available thanks to a partnership with the Phoenix Baptist Hospital Family Medical Center. The three-hour window is often booked solid with as many as 30 adults being seen each time the clinic opens for them. Medical and dental professionals from throughout the Valley continue to volunteer their time to the clinic when needed. For more information about the clinic, call 602-404-9622.