Grow Winter 2011

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Nurturing the health of you and your family

Winter 2011 | Volume 3, Issue 1

New Year. New You.

Team up with these Parker doctors in making 2011 your healthiest year yet. See page 4 to meet the docs and get their advice.

INSIDE

Carpal tunnel cure

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New health tests

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Free cholesterol screening

New surgery eases carpal tunnel syndrome A

Carpal tunnel fiction— and facts: Myth 1: It is caused by repetitive motions, especially computer work.

The cause is unknown, but it tends to run in families.

new surgery that takes just 15 minutes can cure carpal tunnel syndrome—with less than a 5 percent chance of the problem recurring.

The new endoscopic surgery, performed through a tiny incision in the wrist, releases the pinched nerve causing the problem and relieves all symptoms—if it’s done early enough, says In Sok Yi, MD, an orthopaedic hand surgeon who performs this surgery at Parker Adventist Hospital.

Myth 2: Rest will cure it.

Unlike tendonitis, it does not get better with rest.

Myth 3: Surgery is

painful and is likely to not work. New endoscopic surgery takes 15 minutes and results in a lifelong cure for nearly every patient.

Until recently, surgery to relieve carpal tunnel required a large incision through the palm of the hand (left). Surgeons at Parker Hospital now can perform the surgery through a 1/2-inch incision on the wrist.

This new surgery replaces the traditional “open” procedure that requires a large incision in the palm, which makes it more painful and requires a much longer recovery time. Yi performs this surgery at Parker Hospital due to the availability of a special

February

FREE health seminars

Join Parker Adventist Hospital for a series of FREE health seminars throughout winter and spring. All seminars will be held in the Inspiration Room of the NEW Parker Adventist Hospital Conference Center, located on the garden level of the hospital at the west entrance. A light lunch is provided during daytime programs and light snacks during evening programs.

Registration is required by calling 303-777-6877, ext. 1.

Guests are encouraged to park on the west side of the hospital.

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camera needed for the procedure.

“It is one of the most satisfying surgeries available because it works so well,” Yi says. “Patients come in for surgery on Friday and are back to work on Monday.”

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs in up to 2 percent of the population. It is caused when the median nerve is pinched as it passes through the carpal tunnel in the wrist. It causes numbness, and sometimes pain, in the palm, thumb and first two fingers. The pain is often so severe that victims cannot sleep at night.

The cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is not known. Doctors do know, however, that it is not caused by repetitive motions, such as computer work, and that it does run in families.

A person whose parent had the problem has a 60 percent chance of also developing it. It is more common in women, probably because of their smaller bone structure. People who develop it in one hand have a 60 percent chance of developing it in the other.

Putting off treatment can make the situation worse, he says. The longer the nerve is pinched, the more likely it is to cause permanent damage that cannot be reversed— even when the pressure is relieved off the nerve.

“Carpal tunnel is curable if taken care of early,” Yi says. To find a hand, orthopaedic or neurosurgeon specialist, go to parkerhospital.org/doctor.

Weight Loss Surgery Wed, Feb. 16  6:30–8 p.m.

Join Matthew Metz, MD, medical director of bariatrics at Parker Hospital, for a look at the surgical and medical approaches to weight loss.

Learn the options, including gastric bypass and lap band surgeries, and whether you may be a good candidate.

Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy Thurs, Feb. 17  Noon–1:30 p.m.

Compared with traditional surgery, a laparoscopic hysterectomy offers many benefits, including a smaller incision, shorter hospital stay and a quicker return to normal activities. Join OB/GYN Jonathan Franco, MD, to learn about this procedure and if you are a candidate.

Hearts-a-Flutter Common heartbeat problem can cause fatigue

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Free cholesterol test Dr. Christopher Stees

n irregular heartbeat could be the cause of your shortness of breath, your fatigue or your inability to exercise for very long.

Atrial fibrillation—the technical term for an irregular heartbeat that occurs in the atrium, or upper portion, of the heart—occurs in 10 percent of American adults, says Christopher Stees, DO, a cardiologist who specializes in electrophysiology at Parker Adventist Hospital. A person’s risk of developing the problem increases with age.

Heart disease, obesity and sleep apnea along with the use of dietary stimulants, illicit drugs and alcohol also increase a person’s risk.

Sometimes described as a racing heart, this condition can cause the heart to beat upwards of 100 to 175 beats per minute, compared with the normal 60 to 100 beats per minute. It develops when the electrical connection between the lower and upper chambers of the heart becomes overwhelmed, causing the heart to beat too rapidly or irregularly.

While many people may never feel symptoms, others may experience palpitations, shortness of breath, fainting spells or exercise intolerance. “Although the fast heart rates associated with atrial fibrillation are usually not dangerous, it can affect a person’s quality of life,” Stees says.

Atrial fibrillation is most often treated with medications. If medications don’t work or the patient cannot take the medications, it can be treated with a procedure called catheter ablation. During this procedure, the electrophysiologist maps the electrical pathways of the heart and cauterizes the tissue generating the problematic impulses.

Parker Hospital’s cardiac care program specializes in emergency intervention and nonsurgical treatments for cardiovascular disease. It has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines—Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Silver Performance Achievement Award for excellence in cardiac care. Parker Hospital’s emergency room ranks in the 99th percentile for patient satisfaction.

Resolutions for a Healthier You Thurs, Feb. 24  Noon–1:30 p.m.

Hearts-a-Flutter Tue, Feb. 22  6:30–8 p.m.

Heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias ) are problems that affect the electrical system of the heart muscle.

One type of arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, affects millions of Americans. If left untreated, this disorder can lead to congestive heart failure or stroke. Join cardiac electrophysiologist Christopher Stees, DO, and learn more about symptoms and treatments.

A new year gives you the opportunity for a new you. Join internal medicine specialist Shauna Gulley, MD, as she discusses the latest tips on heart health, diet, recommended screenings, supplements and more.

This is your opportunity to get the latest health tips and up-to-date information.

Date: Friday, Feb. 18 Time: 7–10 a.m.

Location: Parker Adventist Hospital Inspiration Room, Garden Level Conference Center at West Entrance Get a complete cholesterol profile, including HDL, LDL and triglyceride levels. Fasting is required.

Screenings are limited to the first 500 to register; reservations are REQUIRED and must be made by Feb. 16. For complete information or to register, call 303-777-6877, ext. 1.

$99 heart scans A coronary artery calcium screen is a scan of your heart that can help doctors look for deadly plaque buildup.

It is recommended for men over 45 and women over 55 who have other risk factors for heart disease, including family history, being overweight or having diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Parker Adventist Hospital is offering this screening for $99 (normally $333) from Feb. 14 through March 18. A physician’s referral is recommended but not required. Results will be sent to your doctor. To schedule your scan, call 303-269-4500.

9395 Crown Crest Blvd., Parker, CO 80138 grow is published four times annually by Parker Adventist Hospital as part of our mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ by caring for the ill and nurturing the health of the people in our community. For comments or to unsubscribe to this publication, please email us at grow@centura.org. grow is produced by Clementine Communications, Denver, Colo.

Executive Editor: Rachel Robinson

Join us in our new conference ce nter located on the garden level at the west entrance for these seminar s!

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New Year.

New You.

Tips to fuel your resolutions

It’s a new year and that means at least half of you have made a resolution—and it’s probably about your health. Cheers to you! We applaud your efforts to grow a healthier life for you and your family.

To help keep you going, we asked four Parker physicians to give you some advice. We also asked them to share their New Year’s resolutions with you.

Here’s what they had to say.

Look behind your mammogram Last year the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force increased the recommended age at which women should start annual mammograms, leaving some women confused and tending to delay this lifesaving test. Most cancer experts, however, continue to recommend that women start annual screenings at age 40—even earlier if they have a family history of this disease.

“Mortality from breast cancer has been cut by as much as 30 percent since we started telling women to get annual mammograms at age 40,” says Christine Rogness, MD, breast surgeon and medical director of the breast program at Parker Adventist Hospital. “This decrease in deaths is directly attributed to using mammography as a screening tool. Given that data, I don’t know how we could recommend otherwise.”

Before making an appointment, take time to decide the best place to be screened, Rogness advises, as you’re likely to return there year after year. Check that the facility is accredited by the American College of Radiology. Then ask who will read your mammogram. Look for a center with radiologists who are on-site, specially trained in reading mammograms and who spend at least half their time reading mammograms.

Christine Rogness, MD Digital mammography is the most Breast Surgeon state-of-the-art screening technology New Year’s Resolution: and is especially good for younger To exercise five times women who have dense breasts. weekly and add weight Because it uses more sensitive imaging, training to her running it requires an even higher level of and cycling. expertise, Rogness says.

The Trio Breast Center at Parker Hospital offers digital mammography read by board-certified breast radiologists. To schedule an appointment, call 303-269-4150.

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A resolution with real results Cut back on restaurant and processed foods Oscar Dominguez, MD and you’ll start to see your blood pressure drop Nephrologist within weeks, according to research by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Lower New Year’s Resolution: blood pressure will reduce your chances of Take up silat, a early onset dementia, stroke, heart disease Malaysian martial arts and kidney failure. How’s that for results? practice.

“A lot of the health problems I see are avoidable,” says Oscar Dominguez, MD, a kidney and hypertension specialist at Parker Adventist Hospital. “A large number of folks end up with hypertension because of lifestyle choices, including obesity, a high-sodium diet, heavy alcohol intake and lack of exercise.”

Excessive salt consumption is one of the leading causes of high blood pressure, and nearly all of that salt comes from restaurant and processed foods, according to the CDC. Consider, for example, that even the relatively healthy-sounding miso soup with noodles from Tokyo Joe’s contains a whopping 2,687 mg of salt or Subway’s foot-long ham sandwich contains 2,400 mg of salt. Then consider that your body needs less than 500 mg of sodium each day to survive—and that the Institutes of Medicine recommends no more than 1,500 mg per day. Currently, the average American over the age of 2 consumes nearly 3,500 mg of salt every day.

“If you’re eating out a lot, there’s no way you can avoid a high-sodium diet,” Dominguez says. “The reality is that food does taste better when it’s highly salted, and our palates become accustomed to that.”

Dominguez does not preach that you should never eat out again. Instead, he recommends shooting for an average consumption of 1,500 mg of salt each day over the course of a week. “A lot of my patients eat very healthy during the week and then go out to dinner on the weekend,” he says.

Photos, including cover shot, by Ellen Jaskol.

Exercise can rev your appetite Could exercise be hurting your efforts to lose weight? Absolutely, says Matthew Metz, MD, a bariatric surgeon and expert in weight loss.

Exercise is essential to good health and to weight loss maintenance. But it can sabotage efforts to lose weight by causing the body to produce certain hormones that increase the appetite. This effect is greater in women than men, Metz says.

Matthew Metz, MD “Exercise doesn’t cause you to gain weight, but it can lead you to eat more,” Bariatric Surgeon says Metz, medical director of The Bariatric & Metabolic Center at Parker Adventist Hospital. “Losing weight is a straightforward math calculation: Your caloric expenditure New Year’s Resolution: has to be greater than your caloric intake.”

To bring lunch to work.

In other words, 30 minutes on the treadmill may burn up 250 calories, but you can “Although we have easily undo that by stopping on your way home to get a flavored latte. Even if you’re healthy options in our aware of calories, you might find that exercise is making it more difficult to stick to your cafeteria, I find myself New Year’s resolution—especially if you’re a woman. making unhealthy Studies have shown that exercise—even moderate walking—causes women’s bodies choices when I’m to produce more acylated ghrelin. This hormone tells the body to consume more calories. really busy.”

This effect is not seen as consistently in men.

“From an evolutionary standpoint, women’s bodies are designed to maintain body fat better,” Metz says. “It takes immense willpower for a woman to lose weight.”

This is not to say that you should not exercise. In fact, repeated studies have shown that in order to maintain weight loss—or even maintain your current weight as you age—exercise is mandatory. Just be aware of the number of calories you’re consuming and be sure those don’t creep up as a result of exercise.

Other tips Metz gives his bariatric patients apply to anyone trying to lose weight: Don’t drink excessive amounts Eat only at a table with no distractions Make lean proteins your first of fluids while eating. and leave the table within 20 minutes. choice and the first thing you eat.

To learn more about weight loss surgery, go to bariatriccenterco.com.

Take the pressure off It’s a blessing and a curse. You become so consumed by a sport that you can’t wait to do it over and over again. You get better and better. You set personal best after personal best.

Derek Johnson, MD Then the injury comes. A torn Orthopaedic Surgeon rotator cuff. A blown knee.

New Year’s Resolution: It’s not fair, but the fact is that the Build a home gym harder you train at a single sport, the to focus on adding more likely you are to hurt yourself— plyometrics to his particularly your joints. Joint injuries running routine to help are most commonly caused by balance his muscles. three culprits: being out-of-shape and overweight; getting old and developing arthritis; or being in shape but failing to train to protect your joints.

It’s that last one that active Coloradans tend to ignore, says Derek Johnson, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon and medical director of the joint replacement program at Parker Adventist Hospital. “When we find a sport, we tend to stick with it and then we develop muscle imbalances that create pressure on the joints.”

To protect your joints from injury, Johnson recommends three tips:  Balance your muscles—If you’re developing strong quadriceps from running or cycling, be sure you’re adding hamstring exercises. Making opposing muscles equally strong prevents undue pressure on a joint, which in this case is the knee.

Talk with these docs and mo at free he re alth seminars . See pages 2 a nd 8.

 Train your stabilizers—We tend to concentrate on developing large muscles for strength and speed, while forgetting about the small muscles. But it’s these small muscles that stabilize the joints while the big muscles tend to pull on the joints. People tend to concentrate on strengthening their abdominal muscles to strengthen their core, for instance, but ignore the tiny muscles that surround the spinal column.  Maintain ideal body weight—Every pound of body weight adds up to six pounds of pressure on your joints, so even five extra pounds results in 30 pounds of pressure if you’re jumping or running.

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Protective Medicine

Updated screening guidelines help guard your health ith new medical studies completed almost daily, health screening recommendations are continually updated, revised, deleted or added.

To stay informed of the latest recommendations, you should schedule an annual exam and talk with your doctor.

Stephanie Kraft, MD, an internal medicine physician at Parker Adventist Hospital who also has a master’s degree in public health, discusses some of the latest news on screenings.

Lung Cancer Screening: While

Customize Your Screening Recommendations Screening guidelines are just that— guidelines. It’s important to develop a customized screening plan for yourself by overlaying your family history on the general guidelines.

If, for instance, your mother had breast cancer at the age of 40, you would need to start getting annual mammograms at age 30, not 40 as suggested for the general population. If you have a family history of early heart attacks, you may benefit from advanced screenings, such as coronary calcium scans, that others your age do not need.

To help track your family history, go online to familyhistory.hhs.gov.

Print out your results and discuss implications with your physician.

there is currently no screening for lung cancer, a promising study by the National Cancer Institute reported late last year that low-dose CT scans detected lung cancers at relatively early stages and reduced deaths from lung cancer by as much as 20 percent. Although the data is still being analyzed, keep a watch for recommendations soon—particularly if you have ever smoked.

Cholesterol: Total cholesterol

under 200 has been the mantra for years, but cholesterol guidelines are expected to get a major revamping this year. Look for recommendations on getting your cholesterol measured with highly sensitive screenings, such as the Berkeley HeartLab or VAP, that break down cholesterol into dozens of various particles. A genetic screening also is available, with ongoing research regarding its use.

Sleep Disorders: The incidence of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, is on the rise. Anyone who feels tired after a good night’s sleep, snores or experiences periods of not breathing while sleeping should discuss a sleep screening with a doctor.

For more information on sleep disorders and to take a free sleep quiz, go to parkerhospital.org/sleep.

Diabetes: One out of every three

Americans with diabetes is walking around undiagnosed. Untreated diabetes causes severe damage to a person’s organs, including kidneys, heart and eyes. Every person should be screened annually beginning at age 45. There is discussion over the best screening for diabetes, but the current standard is the fasting glucose test. That may be changed to hemoglobin A1c, a blood test that can measure glucose without fasting. Parker Hospital offers pre-diabetes and diabetes education classes. To learn more, go to parkerhospital.org/diabetes.

Thyroid: Every person over the age of 65 should be tested, and postpartum women should discuss testing with their physician, particularly if they are feeling depressed or anxious. Vitamin D: While the use of sunscreen helps prevent skin cancer, it also blocks the production of Vitamin D, which is essential for bone health. Vitamin D also plays a key role in regulating moods and energy and is believed to help prevent some cancers. Most doctors have started screening all patients annually.

Vitamin B12: This vitamin, obtained through animal protein, is essential for metabolism, the formation of red blood cells and maintenance of the central nervous system. Anyone over 65 should have this screened at least once.

HIV: As Americans live longer and healthier lives, they

are staying sexually active much later in life. Doctors are now recommending that sexually active adults of any age be screened for sexually transmitted diseases, particularly HIV, which is on the rise in people over 65.

Learn More Parker Adventist Hospital offers a number of free screenings and health programs to help you stay healthy. See page 3 for details on the upcoming FREE cholesterol screening and health programs.

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Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/iofoto

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Older children and adults need vaccine boosters

Answer: At this time of year, pediatricians’ offices are filled with kids suffering from the flu, colds, ear infection and coughs. Unfortunately, we’re seeing the return of a disease we thought was conquered— pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that the incidence of pertussis cases nationwide in the first six months of 2010 had quadrupled over 2009— the highest level of cases in 50 years.

Although we think of pertussis as a childhood disease, it actually is highly contagious and can be contracted by adults as easily as children. In fact, adults and older children are at higher risk because many have lost the immunity of their original vaccines.

The pertussis vaccine is given to infants in five doses between the ages of 2 months and 6 years. The immunity provided by the vaccine generally wears off within 10 years.

So children who are vaccinated by kindergarten

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are no longer safe by the time they hit high school unless they have received a booster shot. The same goes for adults, who should be revaccinated every 10 years. The vaccine is safe for pregnant women and they can get it at any time.

The pertussis vaccine is combined with vaccines for tetanus and diphtheria, which are very good vaccines themselves to keep updated.

Pertussis generally starts off as a cough and runny nose, followed by weeks or even months of severe coughing fits. Because it is often confused with a cold, people who are contagious continue interacting with others and spread the disease.

That is why it is so important that everyone be regularly vaccinated.

Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/Chris Bernard

Q&A

Is whooping cough back?

New parents offered vaccine Beginning Feb. 1, Parker Adventist Hospital will begin offering the pertussis vaccine to new parents who deliver their babies at The BirthPlace. To learn more about The BirthPlace, go online to parkerhospital.org/ birthplace.

Linda Tetor, MD Family Medicine, Parker Adventist Hospital

ASK the experts

If you have a health question, email us at grow@centura.org. If we publish your question, we’ll send you a $25 gift card to a local merchant. Questions can be on any topic and will remain anonymous.

New Doctors The following physicians have recently joined the growing team of experts at Parker Adventist Hospital. For more information on these doctors and to see a complete list of all physicians practicing at Parker Hospital, go online to parkerhospital.org/doctor.

Heidi Renee Aasheim, MD • Anesthesiology Kathleen Marie Adelgais, MD • Pediatrics Benjamin Alderfer, MD • Psychiatry Justin Hubbard Arbuckle, MD • Pediatrics, Ophthalmology John Richard Batiuchok, MD • Psychiatry Nicholas John Behrendt, MD • Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN) Jack Howard Betts, MD • Anesthesiology Asmeen Bhatt, MD • Hospitalist Sandeep Bhatt, MD • Hospitalist Jonathan Edward Blacker, MD • Otolaryngology (ENT) Ryan Andrew Caltagirone, MD • Pediatrics Kevin Patrick Carney, MD • Pediatrics Deborah Chen-Becker, MD • Pediatrics Claudia Lou Clopton, MD • Psychiatry Maureen Ann Cunningham, MD • Pediatrics Aruna Dash, MD • Pathology Bradley James Davis, MD • Neurology Jeffrey Todd Domingue, DPM • Podiatry, Foot and Ankle Surgery Meghan Ann Donnelly, MD • Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN)

Stephanie Dunn, MD • Pediatrics Ronald D Edelman, DPM • Podiatry Anna-Lisa Farmar, MD • Pediatrics Debra Jeanne Faulk, MD • Anesthesiology Julian Hart Fisher, MD • Neurology Mark Shepherd Fitzgerald, MD • Orthopaedic Surgery Jonathan Edward Franco, MD • Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN) Tracy Funk, MD • Pediatrics Crea Lynn Fusco, MD • General Surgery Joel Daniel Gardner, DO • Anesthesiology Raymond E Garrett, MD • Nephrology Mark Douglas Getzoff, MD • Pediatrics Scott Andrew Glasser, MD • Radiology Amanda Elizabeth Greene, MD • Pediatrics Robert James Greenhow, MD • Orthopaedic Surgery Amy Randal Grover, MD • Pediatrics Daniel Richard Hamman, MD • Orthopaedic Surgery Jennifer A Hardy, MD • Pediatrics Michael Aaron Heller, MD • Anesthesiology Gary Robert Hensley, MD • Hospitalist Jessica Leigh Herzog, DPM • Podiatry Windsong Emily Hollis, MD • Psychiatry Lisa Marie Hunsicker, MD • Plastic Surgery

Jessica Melloney Kentish, MD • Anesthesiology Robert Bruce Keyser, MD • Ophthalmology Kaylyn Gresh Krummen, MD • Anesthesiology Jay Adam Kutnick, MD • Psychiatry Erik Earl Lindseth, MD • Pediatrics Bruce Allen Lockwood, MD • Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation David Craig Loucks, MD • Orthopedic Surgery Vijay Maggio, MD • Neurology Judith O Margolis, MD, MPH • Anesthesiology Joseph William Markey, MD • Neurology Sara Powers Merrill, MD • Anesthesiology Donald Michael Merrill, MD • Anesthesiology Irene Monica Minkoff, MD • Hematology/Oncology Arvind Mohanram, MD • Anesthesiology, Pediatric Rupa Narra, MD • Pediatrics Kelly Newgent, MD • Pediatrics Christopher William Nichols, MD • Neurology James Kilty OBrien, MD • Critical Care Cristina Maria Pagett, MD • Hospitalist Sandra Lynn Peterson, MD • Psychiatry Justin Jedidiah Petrolla, MD • Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation David Lee Priebe, MD • Family Medicine

Jonathan Bisram Ramharack, MD • Hospitalist Melissa Gale Reynolds, MD • Pediatrics Michelle Patterson Rhodes, MD • Pediatrics Sharon M Sagel, MD • Pediatrics Stephen Michael Santangelo, MD • Anesthesiology John Joseph Santos, MD • Pediatrics Monali Sarkar, MD • Hospitalist Sara Jane Scherrer, MD • Hospitalist Andrew William Smith, MD • Anesthesiology Steven Howard Spillers, MD • Neurology Kelly Fitzgerald Stees, MD • Anesthesiology, Pediatric Timothy Richard Stidham, MD • Pediatrics Sarah Hinkel Sullivan, MD • Pediatrics Joseph Scott Turner, MD • Hospitalist Clay C Watson, MD • Infectious Diseases Keith Michael Weisz, MD • Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine Jason Charles Wells, MD • Pulmonary/Critical Care Joel E Wilson, MD • Anesthesiology Megan Elizabeth Woodman, MD • Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN) Kristin Truell Woodward, MD • Anesthesiology Adel Kabir Younoszai, MD • Pediatrics, Cardiology Jason Peter Zamkoff, MD • Pediatrics

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March Health Seminars Make an appointment with the experts at Parker Adventist Hospital to become more body-wise. All seminars are FREE but require registration by calling 303-7776877, ext. 1. All seminars will be held in the Inspiration Room at the NEW Parker Adventist Hospital Conference Center, located on the garden level of the hospital at the west entrance.

A light lunch is provided for noon seminars and light snacks for evening programs.

Portercare Adventist Health System

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

Paid

Denver, CO Permit No. 4773

9395 Crown Crest Blvd.

Parker, CO 80138

Joint Replacement Wed, March 9 // 6:30–8 p.m.

Learn about the latest in joint replacement— completely customized joints made just for your body.

Join orthopaedic surgeon Derek Johnson, MD, to discuss these new joints as well as the latest in pain relief techniques.

Weight Loss Surgery Wed, March 16 // 6:30–8 p.m.

Join Matthew Metz, MD, medical director of bariatrics at Parker Hospital, for a look at the surgical and medical approaches to weight loss. Learn the options, including gastric bypass and lap band surgeries, and whether you may be a good candidate.

Colorectal Cancer: From Prevention to Treatment

Preventing and Treating Strokes

Thurs, March 24 // Noon–1:30 p.m.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, yet among the most treatable of all cancers if caught early. Join colon and rectal surgeon John Sun, MD, to learn how to reduce your risk and how a simple but rarely used test can save your life.

Thurs, March 31 // Noon–1:30 p.m.

Did you know that 80 percent of strokes can be prevented? Join neurologist Ravi Shah, MD, to learn stroke prevention, the warning signs of a stroke and treatment. Learn why getting help F.A.S.T. is critical.

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1 in 10 moms feels postpartum depression

Giving birth is a joyful experience, but it can make a new mom feel overwhelmed, stressed and even sad. About three-quarters of women will experience the “baby blues” within the first few days after delivery, but those feelings typically Dr. Susan Lee disappear within four weeks, says Susan Lee, MD, an obstetrician with Parker Adventist Hospital.

Postpartum depression, which affects about 10 percent of new moms, can last much longer—up to a year—and produce more severe symptoms.

Symptoms can include:  Guilt or feelings of worthlessness  Fatigue, lack of interest in normal activities, sleeping too much or too little  Lack of interest—or over-concern—for the baby

“Women produce lots of hormones during pregnancy, including hormones that create euphoria, so when those stop being produced, a woman’s body reacts and can cause depression,” Lee says Postpartum depression is not typically a lifelong condition, Lee says, but it does require treatment, which may include medications and/or counseling.

The BirthPlace at Parker Hospital rates in the top 99th percentile for mom satisfaction!

Learn more, take a virtual tour or schedule an in-person tour at parkerhospital.org/birthplace.

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Centura Health complies with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and no person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination in the provision of any care or service on the grounds of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, sexual preference, ancestry, age, familial status, disability or handicap.

Photo: Woman: ©iStockphoto.com/Robert Kneschke

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