Get Healthy

A Publication of The Times

women’s health

the truth behind mood swings, breast cancer myths, and, finally, a workout that targets women’s trouble spots

ALSO

Self-Defense Made Easy Thyroid Threats The Healthy Pumpkin November/December 2009 nwi.com/gethealthy

your life.better.

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november/december 2009

18

women’s wellness

Mood swings, obesity and disease are common among women. But it’s time for a change.

It all starts here.

what’s new Local Health News

survivor spotlight HEALTHY PRODUCTS

By Sarah Tompkins

By Casandra Riddle

SEEING THE HEART IN 3-D

SMOKE BE GONE Smoke has a tendency to linger long after its welcome, if it was even welcome in the first place. Whether you’ve got lingering smoke from a campfire, fireplace or tobacco, you can nix the odor from your home, hair, clothes or car with GoneSmoke. Available in a variety of sizes—including two separate travel sizes—it’s a nearly dry aerosol that’s safe to use on most fabrics, including silk. Find it at gonesmoke.com.

NO SPONGE LEFT INSIDE

ALLERGY APP Eating out is difficult if you or a family member (or a friend) has serious food allergies. If you’ve got an iPhone, finding suitable allergy-free menu options is much easier, thanks to Allergy Free Passport and their iPhone Apps.You can quickly select from any combination of ten common food allergens, including gluten, dairy, soy and peanuts, and the app will present menu items safe for your diet—and a list of questions to ensure you’re totally safe. Nab it for $8.99 in the iTunes App Store.

SHELF LIFE Can you freeze raw eggs? Is that Chinese takeout still good? What about the milk that’s a few days past the sell-by date? When you’ve got food for thought, consult stilltasty.com. It’s a great (free!) guide to shelf life that answers your food storage questions and offers tips on how to properly store food to ensure you’re getting the most out of what you’ve got on hand. So go ahead and freeze those eggs (for up to a year!) and chuck that wonton soup if it’s been in the fridge more than four days—and stick it in the freezer next time.

FILLING THE HOLES

GUMMIES FOR ADULTS If you’re jealous of the Flintstones Gummies vitamins available for kids, you’re clearly not alone. One A Day recently rolled out VitaCraves: multivitamin gummies for adults. Available in both fruit and sour flavors, they’re ideal for people who still can’t quite manage gulping down the traditional vitamins—or for those keenly in touch with their inner child. Find them for under $7 at Walgreen’s, CVS, Target or Walmart.

the body shop

W BEATING THE ODDS

How a small child fought the worst

There was a time Gavin Matusak’s family wasn’t sure he’d survive the day, much less be able to travel to Florida for a Disney vacation. • But then, the little guy has beaten some incredible odds.

ith the support of family, doctors and a new technology at the Cardiac Critical Care Unit at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Matusak was healthy enough to make the trip. And with a gift in June from the Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors of Northwest Indiana, under the auspices of its “Make a Dream” program, the cost of the vacation was covered.

Matusak, who turned 3 on July 8, was born with a combination of four related heart defects that commonly occur together, called Tetralogy of Fallot. He also has pulmonary atresia, where his pulmonary valve was completely obstructed.

He had his first surgery at 8 weeks old, and since then has had five surgeries, including two open heart procedures which put a cow jugular in as his pulmonary artery before that was removed and tissue from a cadaver was inserted, which is scheduled to last four years.

“Not having surgery for four years, it’s like we hit the jackpot,” says Matusak’s mother, Melissa Matusak, who with her husband Rick has also been caring for Matusak’s brothers who are 1 and 7 years old. “It’s definitely been a roller coaster ride . . . trying to shuffle it all, we’re trying to be supermom and superdad.”

But all superheroes need a little help, and for the Matusaks, that came in the form of Dr. Jason Kane and the INVOS System, a noninvasive technology that monitors vital organs for receiving adequate oxygen. He learned about the system as a trainee and brought it with him to Children’s Memorial in 2006 where he began to use it on Matusak.

It was met with skepticism that was noticed by Matusak’s mother. For her,

however, the device that attaches to the body like a sticker was a “comfort blanket.”

“What she was seeing was the hospital’s learning curve,” Kane says.

“Over time it’s caught on.”

Kane says the technology is now a standard practice for heart surgery patients and in select intensive care patients. Kane says the technology has become such an important part of the hospital’s practice that if he had a child who would benefit from the technology and a hospital didn’t have it, “I would look elsewhere.”

Matusak’s mother calls Kane the family’s guardian angel, because without him, Gavin wouldn’t have been able to take the trip to Disney World, which he did in July.

Melissa Matusak says the trip started out with a minor scare, an ear infection, but it was quickly treated, and Matusak and his brothers spent the rest of their Florida vacation visiting with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger and racing from one attraction to the next. At the Wide World of Sports, Matusak was able to throw out the first pitch for a tournament where the Indiana Rebels were playing. The team “adopted” Matusak during their season, filling his room with Elmo balloons and cards each time he had been in the hospital. “He loved the fireworks and the airplane ride,” Melissa says. “From start to finish [the trip] was exciting for him.”

Since the trip, Matusak is beginning to be weaned from some of his medicines. For example, with one drug, he has gone from taking it four times a day to only twice a day.

“It’s not easy trying to give a toddler medicine,” his mother says. “He’s doing good. We’re doing good.”

“If you ask him, ‘Where’s your booboo?’ he’ll show you his chest,” she says. “But he wants to be a typical toddler and stay out of the hospital.”

Understanding Your Sinuses Fall weather is typically associated with allergies, and as we head into winter, we start worrying about cold and flu season.

For people who suffer from chronic sinus infections and sinus pain, allergies and colds can escalate their symptoms and increase the amount of school and work they have to miss.

Historically, sinusitis patients were limited to two treatment options: medical therapy such as antibiotics and topical nasal steroids, or conventional sinus surgery such as Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS).

WHEN IS SURGERY INVOLVED?

The Swine Flu Controversy The symptoms of H1N1, more commonly called swine flu, are similar to any other flu: fever, sore throat, cough, headache, fatigue, body chills and aches, vomiting and diarrhea.

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on your mind

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Health, Marriage and Divorce Across the board, married adults are better off in nearly every measure of health.

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hey’re generally healthier than those who are single, divorced, widowed or are living with a partner, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control.

And that’s not all. Married couples also enjoy an increase in emotional and financial health. More benefits include lower mortality rates, less depression, anxiety and suicide, lower rates of chronic illness, fewer problems with drinking and substance abuse and much higher health self-ratings.

So, what happens after a marriage ends, whether in divorce or the death of a spouse?

Linda Waite, a sociologist at the University of Chicago, says that marital loss is a powerful force in damaging health. Waite recently authored a study looking at the association between a decline in health and the end of a marriage and found that divorced or widowed adults have 20 percent more chronic health conditions— such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease—than married couples.

Remarrying helps, but there remains an increase of 12 percent in chronic conditions as compared to continuously married adults.

But the news isn’t all bad. Though almost half of all marriages end in divorce, the per capita divorce rate—despite much ado to the contrary—is actually falling. In fact, the divorce rate has dropped to 3.5 per 1,000 adults since its peak in 1981 at 5.3 per 1,000.

However, the study does not suggest that you should stay in a bad marriage simply for the health benefits. Marriages that involve a dangerous environment—domestic violence, child abuse or an active drug or alcohol situation—are dangerous to your health in other ways.

Linda Culver, a staff therapist at New Leaf Resources, says, “Your safety—and the safety of your children—is critical.” Additionally, “prolonged or chronic despair, as an alternative to divorce, also has significant health risks.”

Rather, if your marriage ends, you should be especially attentive to your health and stress levels. Waite and Culver both recommend counseling—before and after marital loss—as an important option, since anything you can do to build a strong marriage is much like treating and preventing future illness. And after the marriage ends, there is often an overwhelming feeling of failure, loss and confusion.

“There is a recovery saying: ‘Our secrets make us sick,’” Culver says. “When we share the awful things that happened or all the confused feelings, the burden is lightened.”

WHAT ARE SINUSES?

WHAT IS SINUSITIS?

food & fitness

Running the Ridge Into the mystic chill of an autumn morn, runners from all over the Midwest descend on the deserted dunes of Lake Michigan’s southeastern shore. It is a pilgrimage of sorts, a spiritual experience that distance runners refer to as “running the ridge.” The ridge itself is the highlight of a 7-mile trek located amongst hills and wooden canopied paths of Indiana’s National Lakeshore.

The Ridge is but one chapter in a long-storied love affair between region runners and the majestic awe of Dune Country. Indiana has a great legacy of distance running. This is Hal Higdon country, the father of the modern marathon, a legend in the running community who has inspired many region athletes to take to the sand and solitude of the dunes. It’s also home to Al Mussman and Brian Rotz who, in the early ’80s, created the Zoy Run, which grew to such popularity in the mid ’90s that the Indiana Department of Conservation cancelled the event for fear of environmental damage. Although the original Zoy no longer exists, a number of other trail races, such as the Bride of Zoy and Zoy Relapse, have sprung up in its place.

Misty Chandos, running coach,

accomplished Ultra marathoner, and manager of Fleet Feet in Schererville, says, “Dune running is essential to anyone training for marathons or Ultra races . . . The combination of versatile terrain, elevation changes, and breathtaking scenery make for the perfect environment to meditate, commune with nature, and transform the average runner into an elite athlete. It’s how I know when I’m really in shape or not—the ridge lets you know.”

Josh Powers, Crown Point native and avid distance runner, adds, “I run the dunes every weekend. It’s a rite of passage for any distance runner in these parts.

Although it’s a half-hour drive just to get to the ridge from where I live . . . the hills of sand slipping under foot will shred you unlike anything else.”

With marathon season in full swing, there are sure to be many taking to the dunes for their training. Throughout the year, the XYZ trail series hosts a number of events, including the upcoming Zoy Relapse, a 12K in Warren Dunes on November 22.

Pumpkin Power

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A WEIGHTY ISSUE

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green life

Here’s to Your Health!

Thyroid Disorder

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and the environment

Most people don’t even realize they have a thyroid gland until they have a problem with it. Symptoms of thyroid disorders may include weight gain, depression, thinning hair, tremors, cold sensitivity and insomnia.These are signs that something in the butterfly-shaped gland just below the Adam’s apple in the neck isn’t right.

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ome 1 in 13 people have a thyroid disorder in the U.S., and the large majority of these people are women. And each year, 20,699 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer. As researchers investigate these disorders they find many answers, including some that may be environmental.

Dr. Venkatesh Segu, of Endocrinologist Specialists of Indiana in Munster, says thyroid disorders are typically found in women and run in families, but environmental factors are considered as more studies are performed.

“Genetics is a big factor, and women tend to be more commonly affected than men,” Segu says.

“Many are autoimmune disorders and there are certain kinds of thyroid nodular disorders short of cancer we see in families. So family history is one of the significant contributing factors.

And there is always talk of industrial pollution and how it can affect body orders and systems.

In the Chicago area in the past there were a lot of x-ray treatments used for certain things, like acne treatment and even measuring foot size for shoes. It is a definite history we ask, especially childhood exposure. It contributes to a variety of cancers over time—that is the prevailing talk.”

That talk, published in Hormone and Metabolic Research this past June, reveals research done by the Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. Researchers found that “Autoimmune thyroid disorders [AITDs] are the result of a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors, the former account for about 70 to 80 percent of liability to develop AITDs. However, at least 20 to 30 percent is contributed by environmental factors, which include certainly smoking (at least for Graves’ disease and orbitopathy), probably stress, iodine and selenium intake, several drugs, irradiation, pollutants, viral and bacterial infections, allergy, pregnancy, and post-partum.” According to the Mayo Clinic, radiation treatments to the head and neck in childhood have been linked to thyroid disorders such as thyroid nodules.

Understanding your family history, as well as your own history, will better enable doctors to properly diagnose thyroid disorders. Be prepared to talk about any thyroid conditions in your family, including undiagnosed symptoms, as well as recollections of any dental or other x-ray treatments as a child.

ask the expert MARYLYN ROSENCRANZ, M.D.

Busting Breast Cancer Myths

Dr. Marylyn Rosencranz practices at the Indiana Breast Center, located within Diagnostic Specialties, in Crown Point. Graduating from Chicago Osteopathic in 1981, Rosencranz started out in general radiology, eventually specializing in mammography. The Indiana Breast Center focuses on diagnosis, using the latest technologies to perform routine screenings, biopsies and tumor evaluations.

Q: Why does breast cancer seem more prevalent now than, say, 20 years ago?

A couple of theories: there’s a question of pollution. There’s a question of hormones in food.You have hormones being placed in chickens and other meat. Last is that it is not necessarily occurrence, but that we are finding breast cancer better. Film screen mammography came into being in the 1970s, and that’s when we were able to start seeing things before a woman felt something. In the ’50s and ’60s, a woman would come in with a mass, and we would biopsy it, but we weren’t doing screenings. What is a little scarier is that we’re seeing younger and younger people with it. It’s not unheard of to diagnose somebody who’s in their twenties. We used to think of it as a disease more in 50 and above.

Q: What can be done to prevent breast cancer? Lifestyle is huge when it comes to breast cancer. It is a known fact that exercise helps with any kind of cancer, and eating wisely, avoiding eating a lot of meat. If women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are overweight, and they lose weight, they have a much better chance of not having a recurrence than if they are overweight and maintain the extra pounds.

So, being thin is significant. Genetics accounts for 10 percent of cases. For that 10 percent, it is significant for their families, so it is important to find those people. Screening is important. The

more [women] come in for screening, on an annual basis, the more we become familiar with their breast pattern, and the earliest we can find their breast cancers.

Q: Are there different kinds of breast cancer? There are twenty different types.

The most common type is infiltrating ductal.

The cancer is in the duct that carries the milk from the sac that produces it to the nipple.

Infiltrating lobular is actually in the sac where milk is produced. All cancers are graded, so even a lobular cancer can have a low grade, meaning it’s slow-growing, and it can have a high grade, meaning it’s fast-growing. An infiltrating ductal cancer can have a low grade, or a high grade, so you have all these variations.

Q: With so many types, is treatment streamlined for the specific type?

Treatment is streamlined to the person. If you line up four people, they all can have ductal cancer, but one has a low grade, and one has a high grade. Maybe somebody with a low grade has a large lesion, and somebody who has a high grade has a small lesion. The person with the high grade small lesion is going to do better than the person with the low grade that is big.

You have to put everything together.You have to [establish] what type of tumor they have, what size it is, whether it’s anyplace else in the body, and what else is happening in the person’s life.

You have to put all that together and determine what’s best for that person.

Q: What are the newest and best diagnostic techniques? One of the best techniques, and the latest, is breast MRI [magnetic resonance imaging]. We do MRI on any woman diagnosed with breast cancer to determine the extent of disease, if there’s any other cancer in her breast, or if there’s any cancer in the opposite breast.

We do it for women receiving chemotherapy to see if there is a response. And, we will do it in high-risk screenings. So, anybody who has that genetic history will get annual MRIs. One of the very newest things is breast tomosynthesis, which is a mammogram, but instead of taking one full image, you take multiple slices through the breast, using digital mammogram.

Q. What misconceptions do women have about breast cancer and testing? One, women think if it’s not in their family, then they’re not going to get it. That’s definitely a myth. Two, a lot of women believe if they feel a lump, and the mammogram doesn’t see it, that it’s not important. And that’s a huge myth. If you feel a lump, you need to tell the facility, and they will go out of their way to evaluate that area.

Also, I believe women think all mammography facilities are created equal. A facility where there are dedicated mammographers, where that’s all they do, will have the best care.

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what’s new

survivor spotlight

the body shop

on your mind

food & fitness

the green life

ask the expert

The latest in local health care, and high-tech healthy products

Six surgeries didn’t stop this 3-year-old boy from visiting the greatest place on earth

The swine flu vaccine controversy, and understanding your sinuses

How divorce can affect your health, and a lesson in self-defense

Running the Ridge, a new weight loss program, and the power of pumpkins

How pollution might impact thyroid disorder, and the benefit of organic wines and beers

Questions you’ve never asked about breast cancer

4 letter from the editor 2

Self-Defense 101

GET HEALTHY | nwitimes.com/gethealthy

|

6 health care advisory council

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letter from the editor volume 4 | issue 6

For the past year, I was on top of my game when it came to my health. I was exercising regularly, eating well, losing weight, feeling energetic . . . doing all the things I was supposed to do and feeling all the ways I was supposed to feel.

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hat all changed a couple of months ago, when my healthy habits came to a complete halt. I went from going to the gym three to four times a week, to not going AT ALL. I started oversleeping, eating fast food and squeezing into my jeans again. The reason? Life got busy. That’s all.

But busyness is the culprit for the unhealthiness in most women’s lives. So often we’re told that we shouldn’t use the I’m-too-busy excuse when it comes to our health.

But women— especially women with a job, a husband and a couple of kids—know that there simply is not enough time in the day to perform her daily household duties, let alone to exercise, prepare slowcooked meals, and get eight hours of sleep.

What I’m learning is to institute healthy habits one at a time, so that I’m not making the lofty goal of a complete overhaul. I’ve changed the way I make to-do lists, for instance. Instead of compiling a list of everything that needs to be done, I write down just one project I want

to accomplish that day. Once I’m finished with that project, I cross it off (because that’s sooo satisfying) and write down the next project. That saves me from the disappointment of having half of my list unchecked. Also, we women are masters of multitasking, so use that to your advantage. For example, I do bicep curls with hand weights while brushing my teeth.

The problem is, sometimes the results of healthy living aren’t drastic enough to stay motivated. But the benefits lie in the ugliness of the alternative—like obesity or heart disease.

We get to the bottom of both of those two conditions in our “Women’s Wellness” feature on page 18. We also dish about mood swings and those trouble spots (outer thighs, triceps . . . ugh) that never seem to look sculpted no matter how much you avoid ice cream. (You can go to our website, nwitimes.com/gethealthy, for simple exercises on how to target those areas.)

Another important skill for women to know?

Self-defense. On page 14, personal safety expert Robert Siciliano offers tips on how to defend oneself if the need arises. Plus, find out why you should go organic when shopping for wine or beer (page 26), and learn the health benefits of pumpkin (page 24).

Also, because I read health news—and attempt to practice it—on a daily basis, I’ve started a new blog, to keep you informed and give you health tips throughout your week. You can read the blog at my.nwi.com/anappleaday. And you can find even more local health stories every day at nwitimes.com/gethealthy.

I hope this issue is a reminder of how important it is to stay on track with your exercise and nutrition regimen. No matter how busy life gets.

Julia Perla Managing Editor

Publisher — BILL MASTERSON, JR. Associate Publisher/Editor — PAT COLANDER Managing Editor — JULIA PERLA Art Director — JOE DURK Designers — APRIL BURFORD, MATT HUSS Asst. Managing Editor — KATHRYN MACNEIL Contributing Editors HEATHER AUGUSTYN, SHARON BIGGS WALLER, ASHLEY BOYER, JULI DOSHAN, Rob Earnshaw, LU ANN FRANKLIN, Terri Gordon, seth “tower” hurd, STEVEN LONGENECKER, BONNIE MCGRATH, CASANDRA RIDDLE, ERIKA ROSE, SARAH TOMPKINS Contributing Photographer Robert Wray Niche Publication Sales Account Executives LESLIE BRYAN, MIKE CANE, ANDREA WALCZAK Advertising Managers DEB ANSELM, CHRIS LORETTO, FRANK PEREA, JEFFREY PRECOURT Production Manager TOM KACIUS Advertising Designers RYAN BERRY, KATHY CAMPBELL, JEFF FOGG, Mark Fortney, JAYME JULIAN, david mosele, JACKIE Murawski, JEFF OLEJNIK, CHRISTINA SOMERS, KATHLEEN STEIN Published by Lee Enterprises The Times of Northwest Indiana Niche Productions Division 601 W 45th Ave, Munster, Indiana 46321 219.933.3200 2080 N Main St Crown Point, Indiana 46307 219.662.5300 1111 Glendale Blvd Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 219.462.5151 Copyright, Reprints and Permissions: You must have permission before reproducing material from Get Healthy magazine.

Get Healthy magazine is published six times each year

by Lee Enterprises, The Times of Northwest Indiana, Niche Division, 601 W 45th Ave, Munster, IN 46321.

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Notes on the shape of health care to come:

As affordable reality edges out the drama, A new day in a new era is coming up

D

espite the depth and the scope of the questions that have been buzzing around health care in our country for months, I can scarcely find anyone who truly believes that there will not be some fundamental changes in the way our system functions. Nor can I find anyone who is convinced we are in a perfect situation. I have come to the conclusion that the truth of this issue is impossible to see because an objective point of view in matters of life and death is simply out of the question. Add that to another axiom from Senator Evan Bayh himself: “No one can ever accurately predict how a piece of legislation is going to turn out.” He told me this in reference to an Omnibus bill that passed right before Thanksgiving five years ago, but I am sure it is just as true today.

But there has never been a more appropriate time for our leadership in providing health care to have a discussion as part of our ongoing program of bringing business and government together to get the issues out on the table and get the opinions of those who know these matters inside and out. Who live with them every day in ways the end user cannot. We are Get Healthy, and all of The Times’ niche products are committed to giving you a window into their world. In addition to our weekly e-newsletter products for our magazines, we will be initiating public discussions that you can participate in just by logging on to our sites at a prearranged time. Keep watching this magazine, our nwi.com/ gethealthy website and the pages of The Times for information about multimedia products and interactive events. Our job is to facilitate learning and teaching and that information flows both ways. Feedback and revision are the most productive way forward.

Next time we will report on the board and our Northwest Indiana hospital leadership summit meeting in October.

Pat Colander Associate Publisher and Editor

Northwest Indiana health care Advisory council

GET HEALTHY | nwitimes.com/gethealthy

Adrian May Hospice of the Calumet Area

John Gorski Community Healthcare System

Debbie Banik, COO Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute

Donald Fesko Community Hospital

Tom Keilman BP

Lou Molina Community Hospital

John Doherty Doherty Therapeutic and Sports Medicine

Mary Ann Shachlett Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana JoAnn Birdzell St. Catherine Hospital Janice Ryba St. Mary Medical Center Gene Diamond Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc. David Ruskowski Saint Anthony Medical Center Daniel Netluch, M.D. Saint Anthony Medical Center Carol Schuster, CNO Saint Anthony Medical Center Thomas Gryzbek St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers Jim Lipinski St. Margaret Mercy Health Centers James Callaghan Saint Anthony Memorial Hospital Trish Webber, R.N., MBA Saint Anthony Memorial Hospital Jonathan Nalli Porter Hospital Ian McFadden Methodist Hospitals Denise Dillard Methodist Hospitals Fred McNulty LaPorte Regional Health System Mike Haley LaPorte Regional Health System Lilly Veljovic, CEO Pinnacle Hospital Beverly DeLao Hammond Clinic Rob Jensen Hammond Clinic C.D. Egnatz Lake County Medical Society John King, M.D. Crown Point Anton Thompkins, M.D. Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute

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Willis Glaros Employer Benefits Systems

Dr. Alex Stemer Medical Specialists Center of Indiana Paul Chase AARP Dr. Pat Bankston Indiana University School of Medicine Northwest College of Health and Human Services, Indiana University Northwest Phillip A. Newbolt Memorial Health System State Representative Charlie Brown State Senator Ed Charbonneau State Senator Earline Rogers ______________

marketing and community relations Mylinda Cane Community Healthcare System Angela Moore St. Catherine Hospital Kelly Credit Porter Hospital Mary Fetsch St. Mary Medical Center Marie Forszt Community Hospital Joe Dejanovic Saint Anthony Medical Center Ellen Sharpe Saint Anthony Memorial Hospital Maria Ramos St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers Stacey Kellogg LaPorte Regional Health System Sister M. Aline Schultz Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc.

TAKE CONTROL OF PAIN.

PAIN MANAGEMENT Dr Heather Nath is Board Certified by both the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Pain Medicine. Dr Nath has over 15 years of experience in her field and came to Lakeshore Bone and Joint Institute following training and years of practice at Rush Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Orthopedic p Surgery g y Michael C. Leland, MD Bruce J. Thoma, MD Paul J. Gruszka, MD Thomas H. Kay, MD David J. Musgrave, MD Anthony C. Levenda, MD

Dr Nath has dedicated her career to the comprehensive evaluation and treatment of patients who suffer from pain. This involves finding the right solution, for each patient’s unique situation, that will restore them back to their highest level of function.

Spine Surgery Anton A. Thompkins, MD Nick Nenadovich, MD Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery Aaron G. Anderson, MD Rebecca B. Anderson, MD

For an appointment with Dr. Nath, or any of Lakeshore Bone & Joint’s Orthopedic physicians, please call (219) 921-1444 or for more information on each of Lakeshore Bone & Joint’s physicians, visit our website at www.LBJI.com

Pain Management Heather A. Nath, MD Podiatry Marc S. Brull, DPM Rachel L. Stern, DPM Rheumatology Karen Kovalow-St. John, MD

Heather A. Nath , MD

Musculoskeletal Behavioral Medicine Steven M. Kalisch, PhD

Board Certified Anesthesiologist and Pain Management Specialist

Main: 219.921.1444 – Lake Co: 219.769.8411 CHESTERTON • CROWN POINT • HOBART • LAPORTE • MICHIGAN CITY • PORTAGE • VALPARAISO

what’s new Local Health News

By Sarah Tompkins

HEALTHY PRODUCTS

SEEING THE HEART IN 3-D

SMOKE BE GONE Smoke has a tendency to linger long after its welcome, if it was even welcome in the first place. Whether you’ve got lingering smoke from a campfire, fireplace or tobacco, you can nix the odor from your home, hair, clothes or car with GoneSmoke. Available in a variety of sizes—including two separate travel sizes—it’s a nearly dry aerosol that’s safe to use on most fabrics, including silk. Find it at gonesmoke.com.

Porter Health System is offering a new technology that creates 3-D images of the heart that is used for diagnosing cardiac conditions. Porter is the only facility in Northwest Indiana to offer the 3-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography (3-D TEE). The procedure is done by inserting a small tube into a patient’s mouth or esophagus. At the end of the tube, a probe the size of a pinky finger emits high-frequency sound to create a real-time image of the heart. Doctors can use this image to track the pathway of blood and view the heart chambers, valves and blood vessels.

“It’s a whole different view of the heart,” says Dr. Akram Kholoki, the first cardiologist to perform the procedure in Northwest Indiana. “[The doctor] can see the heart on the inside in the exact same way as he would in the operating room.”

The minimally invasive procedure is less expensive than an MRI, hospital officials say, and the first procedure in August prevented a patient from having unnecessary surgery for a condition that was able to be treated with medication.

NO SPONGE LEFT INSIDE

St. Mary Medical Center is now using a new FDAapproved radio-frequency detection system for tracking and locating surgical sponges. It is the first hospital in Northwest Indiana to use the RF Surgical Detection System, which scans and signals an alert if it detects any unaccounted surgical sponge left inside the body during surgery. Across the country, about one out of every 1,000 abdominal operations has an incident where a sponge is retained in the patient, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

“This new system provides an added layer of security to our already stringent patient safety practices,” says Glenn Carlos, MD, chairman of surgery at St. Mary Medical Center. “The new technology adds very little time or effort to the surgical process, and it will be used in addition to traditional tracking methods. It also offers great peace of mind to patients and their families.”

The RF Surgical Detection System uses a scanning wand that is connected to a console, and small detection tags are embedded in the surgical gauzes and sponges. If a sponge were left inside a patient’s body, the wand would pass over the patient prior to the closing procedure and an audible and visual alarm would signal the presence of a sponge or gauze.

FILLING THE HOLES

St. Margaret Mercy’s Dyer campus, one of the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services hospitals, is now repairing holes between patients’ heart chambers with a minimally invasive outpatient procedure. In the past, such procedures were only done in the Chicago area through open-heart surgery.

“Costs are less, patient recovery time is less, patient comfort is better,” says Dr. Ravi Garg, a local cardiologist who performs the procedures. “Really this has pretty much replaced surgical closure for these types of defects.”

The repair requires no incisions and is done intravenously. During the 40-minute procedure, an umbrellalike device is embedded into the heart chamber wall to close the hole.

“They’re collapsible devices, so they go through the catheter we thread up and then they open up like an umbrella,” Garg says. “They sit on both sides of the holes.”

If the defect, or hole, is not treated, oxygenated blood could flow through the hole for repeated oxygenation. This would cause extra work for the heart, which could enlarge over time causing stroke, migraines or high pressure in the lungs.

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GET HEALTHY | nwitimes.com/gethealthy

By Casandra Riddle

ALLERGY APP Eating out is difficult if you or a family member (or a friend) has serious food allergies. If you’ve got an iPhone, finding suitable allergy-free menu options is much easier, thanks to Allergy Free Passport and their iPhone Apps.You can quickly select from any combination of ten common food allergens, including gluten, dairy, soy and peanuts, and the app will present menu items safe for your diet—and a list of questions to ensure you’re totally safe. Nab it for $8.99 in the iTunes App Store.

SHELF LIFE Can you freeze raw eggs? Is that Chinese takeout still good? What about the milk that’s a few days past the sell-by date? When you’ve got food for thought, consult stilltasty.com. It’s a great (free!) guide to shelf life that answers your food storage questions and offers tips on how to properly store food to ensure you’re getting the most out of what you’ve got on hand. So go ahead and freeze those eggs (for up to a year!) and chuck that wonton soup if it’s been in the fridge more than four days—and stick it in the freezer next time.

GUMMIES FOR ADULTS If you’re jealous of the Flintstones Gummies vitamins available for kids, you’re clearly not alone. One A Day recently rolled out VitaCraves: multivitamin gummies for adults. Available in both fruit and sour flavors, they’re ideal for people who still can’t quite manage gulping down the traditional vitamins—or for those keenly in touch with their inner child. Find them for under $7 at Walgreen’s, CVS, Target or Walmart.

For the best flavor and value, go for whole spices

By Jim Romanoff, for the Associated Press

When fat is cut from recipes, flavor can follow.

That’s when spices become the key to making lighter foods taste great. And if you want to get the most out of your spices, it’s best to follow a few simple tips.

W

henever possible, buy whole spices, says Raghavan Iyer, author of 660 Curries. Spices get their flavor from the oils inside.

Once the spices are ground, the oils lose potency, which means freshly ground peppercorns pack more flavor than pepper purchased already ground.

Whole spices also are a better value.

Stored in airtight, glass containers away from heat, says Iyer, whole spices will stay fresh for at least a year. Ground spices last for only a few months.

Buy spices from the bulk section of a natural food store so that you can

CHICKPEAS IN COCONUT SAUCE MAKES 8 SERVINGS.

5 2

teaspoons sesame oil or canola oil tablespoons yellow split peas, picked over for stones 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 2 to 4 dried Thai or cayenne chilies, stems removed 2 cups water 1 teaspoon tamarind paste or concentrate 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds 3 cups canned or cooked chickpeas, drained 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt or sea salt 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut, reconstituted

buy only what you need for a short period. That helps ensure your supply is always fresh. Prices for bulk also tend to be lower than for packaged.

For grinding whole spices, a mortar and pestle are nice, but an inexpensive electric coffee grinder is faster and more convenient.

Iyer’s recipe for curried chickpeas in coconut sauce gets a fiery burst of flavor from a freshly ground blend of pan-roasted chilies and coriander seeds.

The curry, which can be served as a side or main course, is traditionally prepared in India as an offering to the goddess of learning during the Hindu celebration of lights called Diwali.

In a medium saucepan over mediumhigh, heat the oil. Add the split peas, coriander seeds and chilies. Cook, stirring constantly, until the split peas and coriander seeds are reddish brown and the chilies have blackened slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, skim off the spices and transfer them to a plate to cool for about 5 minutes. Do not discard the oil. Once the spices are cool, put them in a spice grinder and grind until the texture resembles that of finely ground black pepper. In a medium bowl, combine the water and tamarind paste. Whisk to dissolve the tamarind.

Return the saucepan to medium-high heat. When the oil is warmed, add the mustard seeds. Cover the pan and cook until the seeds have stopped popping (similar to popcorn), about 30 seconds. Stir in the chickpeas, salt and turmeric. Stir to coat the chickpeas evenly with the spices. Pour in the tamarind water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas absorb the flavors, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the ground spices, coconut and cilantro.

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tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 170 calories; 63 calories from fat; 7 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 5 g fiber; 907 mg sodium. Source: Adapted from Raghavan Iyer’s 660 Curries, Workman Publishing, 2008

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nov/dec 2009 | GET HEALTHY

9

survivor spotlight

W beating the odds

How a small child fought the worst

There was a time Gavin Matusak’s family wasn’t sure he’d survive the day, much less be able to travel to Florida for a Disney vacation. • But then, the little guy has beaten some incredible odds.

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GET HEALTHY | nwitimes.com/gethealthy

ith the support of family, doctors and a new technology at the Cardiac Critical Care Unit at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Matusak was healthy enough to make the trip. And with a gift in June from the Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors of Northwest Indiana, under the auspices of its “Make a Dream” program, the cost of the vacation was covered.

Matusak, who turned 3 on July 8, was born with a combination of four related heart defects that commonly occur together, called Tetralogy of Fallot. He also has pulmonary atresia, where his pulmonary valve was completely obstructed.

He had his first surgery at 8 weeks old, and since then has had five surgeries, including two open heart procedures which put a cow jugular in as his pulmonary artery before that was removed and tissue from a cadaver was inserted, which is scheduled to last four years.

“Not having surgery for four years, it’s like we hit the jackpot,” says Matusak’s mother, Melissa Matusak, who with her husband Rick has also been caring for Matusak’s brothers who are 1 and 7 years old. “It’s definitely been a roller coaster ride . . . trying to shuffle it all, we’re trying to be supermom and superdad.”

But all superheroes need a little help, and for the Matusaks, that came in the form of Dr. Jason Kane and the INVOS System, a noninvasive technology that monitors vital organs for receiving adequate oxygen. He learned about the system as a trainee and brought it with him to Children’s Memorial in 2006 where he began to use it on Matusak.

It was met with skepticism that was noticed by Matusak’s mother. For her,

however, the device that attaches to the body like a sticker was a “comfort blanket.”

“What she was seeing was the hospital’s learning curve,” Kane says.

“Over time it’s caught on.”

Kane says the technology is now a standard practice for heart surgery patients and in select intensive care patients. Kane says the technology has become such an important part of the hospital’s practice that if he had a child who would benefit from the technology and a hospital didn’t have it, “I would look elsewhere.”

Matusak’s mother calls Kane the family’s guardian angel, because without him, Gavin wouldn’t have been able to take the trip to Disney World, which he did in July.

Melissa Matusak says the trip started out with a minor scare, an ear infection, but it was quickly treated, and Matusak and his brothers spent the rest of their Florida vacation visiting with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger and racing from one attraction to the next. At the Wide World of Sports, Matusak was able to throw out the first pitch for a tournament where the Indiana Rebels were playing. The team “adopted” Matusak during their season, filling his room with Elmo balloons and cards each time he had been in the hospital. “He loved the fireworks and the airplane ride,” Melissa says. “From start to finish [the trip] was exciting for him.”

Since the trip, Matusak is beginning to be weaned from some of his medicines. For example, with one drug, he has gone from taking it four times a day to only twice a day.

“It’s not easy trying to give a toddler medicine,” his mother says. “He’s doing good. We’re doing good.”

“If you ask him, ‘Where’s your booboo?’ he’ll show you his chest,” she says. “But he wants to be a typical toddler and stay out of the hospital.”

— Kathleen Quilligan

Don’t just conceal it. Let us heal it.

Please join Dr. Lewyckyj and Dr. Taglia in welcoming

OPTICAL SHOP

located at each clinic

Nandini Menon, M.D. to the LTF practice.

Dr. Menon is now accepting new patients at each of the LTF clinic locations.

OPHTHALMOLOGISTS Myron I. Lewyckyj, M.D. Daniel P. Taglia, M.D. Nandini Menon, M.D. Larry H. Wolff, M.D.

Valparaiso Main Office, 1620 Country Club Road Suit D, Valparaiso, IN 46383 219.462.0309 • 1.800.393.8257

Crown Point Medical Arts Center, 297 West Franciscan Lane Suite 101, Crown Point, IN 46307 219.662.0999 • 1.800.258.7794 OPTOMETRISTS Richard W. Ireland, O.D. Colin N. Jack, O.D. Sarah A. Tsagris, O.D. Nikole T. Paganis, O.D.

Bandages take care of most simple cuts and scrapes. But for more serious wounds that won’t heal in 30 days, you need the Porter Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center. Our combination of nationally accredited care, expertise and technology means we can heal almost any wound - even those that won’t respond to conventional treatment.

For more information, call 219.477.5242.

Covered by most insurances.

Munster Franciscan Physicians Hospital, 701 Superior Ave Suit A, Munster, IN 46321 219.934.0150 • 1.800.964.8892

Taking the fear out of wisdom teeth removal

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I never had my wisdom teeth removed because I didn’t have a problem. But the day I woke up in pain, I wished I’d had them taken out.

Northwest Oral Surgeons were wonderful, comforting and painless.

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Dr. Paul Wolf

Call us today for your complimentary consultation.

Dr. Sherif O. Mekhail

SCHERERVILLE OFFICE MUNSTER OFFICE 601A U.S. Highway 30 (219) 322-0501

548 Ridge Road, Suite G (219) 836-0004

www.northwestoralsurgeons.com

Dr. Joseph Lovasko

the body shop

Understanding Your Sinuses Fall weather is typically associated with allergies, and as we head into winter, we start worrying about cold and flu season.

For people who suffer from chronic sinus infections and sinus pain, allergies and colds can escalate their symptoms and increase the amount of school and work they have to miss.

Historically, sinusitis patients were limited to two treatment options: medical therapy such as antibiotics and topical nasal steroids, or conventional sinus surgery such as Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS).

Since 1985, the surgical treatment for sinusitis has evolved with small steps. Recently, technology has advanced and a new, less invasive tool has been introduced and provides another option for surgeons and their patients: Balloon Sinuplasty. Cleared by the FDA in 2005, it has been used in more than 80,000 procedures by over 5,200 physicians without known complications.

It has brought relief to thousands of patients who have suffered from sinus disease for years without the pain and risks of traditional sinus surgery.

What are sinuses?

Sinuses are air spaces in the bones of the face and skull, which develop after birth. These sinuses are lined by a membrane that produces mucous. The mucous is constantly moved towards the natural sinus opening by tiny hairs called cilia, then into the nose.

What is sinusitis?

Sinusitis is divided into two categories, acute and chronic. Acute sinusitis, which is usually caused by a virus, is characterized by symptoms such as difficulty breathing through the nose, runny nose, cough, fever, facial pain, headache, post nasal drip and/or cough.

These symptoms resolve in up to 4 weeks.

The other category, chronic sinusitis, has many of the same symptoms, but they are present for more than three months. Usually a CT scan or a small telescope in the nose is used to make the diagnosis. Other disease processes such as allergies can have similar symptoms, so confirmation is usually required before undertaking a course of powerful medications that can have severe 12

GET HEALTHY | nwitimes.com/gethealthy

side effects. Multiple medications are used to help relieve chronic sinusitis including antibiotics, nasal washes, nose sprays and sometimes oral steroids.

When is surgery involved?

If medications are unsuccessful at clearing up chronic sinusitis, surgery is the last resort. Traditionally, this has been done with instruments that are placed into the nose with guidance of a telescope. There are no external incisions. These instruments cut tissue and bone to help open the sinuses and help the body restore its own function.

With the advent of Balloon Sinuplasty, we have a new, powerful but gentle tool in our armamentarium.

This allows the physician to dilate the natural openings of the sinuses to restore normal sinus drainage without removing or damaging tissue. A very soft, flexible wire is introduced into the sinus, a deflated balloon is passed over the wire, and the balloon is then inflated to dilate the sinus opening without damaging the sinus lining.

Often, the sinus is then washed with a solution of antibiotics or salt water to flush out any residual infection. Studies have shown Balloon Sinuplasty to be just as effective as traditional sinus surgery, but with less pain and a lower chance of a complication.

Sinuplasty may be used alone or in conjunction with traditional sinus surgery, depending on the particular needs of the patient. For those who are candidates, this new and exciting procedure results in less pain and allows for a quicker recovery than traditional surgery. —Dr. Shridhar Ventrapragada Dr. Shridhar Ventrapragada is an otolaryngologist at Northwest Indiana ENT & Sinus Center, 8840 Calumet Avenue, Suite 204, Munster, Indiana.

The Swine Flu Controversy The symptoms of H1N1, more commonly called swine flu, are similar to any other flu: fever, sore throat, cough, headache, fatigue, body chills and aches, vomiting and diarrhea.

B

ut getting a shot can greatly reduce your chances of experiencing any of those—by as much as 75 percent—so why is there so much resistance to the vaccine? “The benefits of the shot far outweigh the risk of the shot,” says Dr. Alexander Stemer, an infectious disease specialist at Medical Specialists Centers of Indiana.

Concerns about the shot remain, however.

On the other side are people thinking about the unfortunate 1976 vaccine—a shot that led to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a paralyzing neuromuscular disorder. But according to the American Academy of Neurology, the 2009 H1N1 vaccine does not create an increased risk for GBS. Another oft-mentioned myth from those deciding against the shot is that the vaccine can itself cause the flu. “Put that concern aside,” Stemer says. The only reactions to expect are the same mild reactions of vaccines over the past 20 years.

So far, pediatrician Dr. Marc Connery of the Child Life Center in Merrillville has yet to see any cases of H1N1, but emphasizes the importance for children to receive the vaccine because they experience the highest infection rates.

So what to do if you think you have H1N1?

“If the symptoms are trivial, nothing,” Stemer says. “Stay home, get rest, drink fluids and take antihistamines and Tylenol or Advil for achiness and a low-grade temperature.”

However, there are two scenarios where you should definitely see your physician: First, if you have a cough and fever of more than 103 degrees, as well as shortness of breath. And second, if there is a second spike of fever and cough after initial improvement—it could be a sign of post-influenza pneumonia. —Steven Longenecker

Wisdom Teeth?

Should I have my wisdom teeth removed?

When should I have them removed?

These are a few questions that are commonly asked in our office. We would like to have the opportunity to see you for a consultation to determine if you will benefit from wisdom tooth removal. Dr. Platt has been serving Northwest Indiana for 18 years with quality oral surgery care in Wisdom Teeth Removal, Dental Implants, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Extractions, General and IV Sedations.

Patient financing available

We welcome new patients Monday - Thursday: 8 am - 5 pm Friday: 7 am - 2 pm Dr. Jay Platt and his staff work closely with you and your dentist to ensure your treatment exceeds your expectations.

Choosing an oral surgeon is an important decision. Our team is composed of experienced professionals who are dedicated to your care. We are looking forward to fulfilling your dental needs in the future.

322 Indianapolis Blvd., Suite 100 (Behind Steak N’ Shake) Schererville, IN

219•864•1133 www.jplattdds.com

on your mind

N

Self-Defense 101 No one wants to be a crime victim, but there will always be criminals in society. Robert Siciliano, a personal safety expert and author of The Safety Minute:01—How to Be Safe in the Streets, at Home and Abroad So You Can Save Your Life, says it’s our job to make sure we are not chosen as the next victim. “The ‘it can’t happen to me’ syndrome is dangerous,” he says. “You let your guard down and lose awareness of your security.”

Siciliano says no matter the situation, be conscious of everything in a 50- to 100-foot range. Look for any red flags: things out of place, a window open, a door ajar, someone loitering or paying unwanted attention to you. Walk with shoulders back, chin up, looking around you. “This says you’re strong,” Siciliano says.

“Walking

14

GET HEALTHY | nwitimes.com/gethealthy

slumped or looking down spells weakness.

When running with headphones, leave one ear so you can hear your environment. Park close to the building in a well lit area. Use the buddy system when you return. Ask a manager or guard to walk you. Or walk with a group of people. Don’t load yourself with bags. You’ll need your hands free if someone approaches you. Use a cart to carry your belongings or get help.”

Trust your intuition. Siciliano says every victim he’s ever spoken to says there was something not quite right, but they didn’t pay attention. “If your intuition is jumping, the hairs on your neck stand up, these are signs of potential danger. You might not see anything, but they don’t have to be there.

Don’t ignore that feeling.”

If you do become a victim, Siciliano says never fight over material things. “There’s nothing I own that is worth fighting over,” he says. “If someone wants something, throw it in one direction and run in the other.”

If you can’t run, use verbal defense.

Scream loudly, using control words like “no” and “stop.” Or use profanities. “These are offensive, and when you are offensive you’re pushing people away,” Siciliano says.

“You’ll also have facial features that will make you look stronger.”

You might have to get physical.

“That’s daunting,” Siciliano says.

“But think, if your child or loved one was attacked, you’d be able to get violent. You have that same ability to protect yourself.” The most vulnerable points of the human body are the eyes (poke with your fingers hard); the throat (punch to the side or the middle with an elbow or knee); and the groin (slap, grab, twist or pull, then run away).

Siciliano says personal security devices, such as pepper spray, stun guns and handguns are fine, but they can be used against you, so be trained in how to use them. —Sharon Biggs Waller

Health, Marriage and Divorce Across the board, married adults are better off in nearly every measure of health.

T

hey’re generally healthier than those who are single, divorced, widowed or are living with a partner, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control.

And that’s not all. Married couples also enjoy an increase in emotional and financial health. More benefits include lower mortality rates, less depression, anxiety and suicide, lower rates of chronic illness, fewer problems with drinking and substance abuse and much higher health self-ratings.

So, what happens after a marriage ends, whether in divorce or the death of a spouse?

Linda Waite, a sociologist at the University of Chicago, says that marital loss is a powerful force in damaging health. Waite recently authored a study looking at the association between a decline in health and the end of a marriage and found that divorced or widowed adults have 20 percent more chronic health conditions— such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease—than married couples.

Remarrying helps, but there remains an increase of 12 percent in chronic conditions as compared to continuously married adults.

But the news isn’t all bad. Though almost half of all marriages end in divorce, the per capita divorce rate—despite much ado to the contrary—is actually falling. In fact, the divorce rate has dropped to 3.5 per 1,000 adults since its peak in 1981 at 5.3 per 1,000.

However, the study does not suggest that you should stay in a bad marriage simply for the health benefits. Marriages that involve a dangerous environment—domestic violence, child abuse or an active drug or alcohol situation—are dangerous to your health in other ways.

Linda Culver, a staff therapist at New Leaf Resources, says, “Your safety—and the safety of your children—is critical.” Additionally, “prolonged or chronic despair, as an alternative to divorce, also has significant health risks.”

Rather, if your marriage ends, you should be especially attentive to your health and stress levels. Waite and Culver both recommend counseling—before and after marital loss—as an important option, since anything you can do to build a strong marriage is much like treating and preventing future illness. And after the marriage ends, there is often an overwhelming feeling of failure, loss and confusion.

“There is a recovery saying: ‘Our secrets make us sick,’” Culver says. “When we share the awful things that happened or all the confused feelings, the burden is lightened.” —Steven Longenecker

AS SEEN IN

Cheryl Short M.D., FACOG

L. Jennifer Murphy M.D., FACOG

Crystal Strickland M.D., FACOG

Chrys Davis MSN, FNP

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well-being events

Because dates and times are subject to change, please call ahead to confirm all event details. If you would like to submit a health-related event to be considered for listing in the Get Healthy calendar of events, please send the information at least 6-8 weeks in advance to kmacneil@nwitimes.com.

c o m p i l e d by J U L I D O S H A N

FITNESS ONGOING Hydro Power, Mon 8:309:30am, Duneland Health & Wellness Institute, 810 Michael Dr, Chesterton. 219.983.9832. dhwi. org. This cardio-filled aqua class is guaranteed to get the blood flowing in the morning with strength training moves woven in throughout the workout.

OCT 27 Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment and Care, 6-8pm, Rush Hospital, Armour Academic Center, Room 994, 600 S Paulina St, Chicago. 888.352.7874. rush.edu. A rheumatologist and orthopedic surgeon specializing in the hand, wrist and elbow will present a unique approach to rheumatoid arthritis. Registration is required.

NUTRITION OCT 26 Fall Flavors, 6:30-8pm, 2028 Elm Rd, Homewood. 708.798.9171. cancersupportcenter. org. Chef Clare Reter will present versatile recipes that feature autumn fruits and vegetables, some of which will be available for attendees to sample.

NOV 17 Prevention and Treatment of Stroke, 5-8pm, Rush Hospital, Armour Academic Center, Room 994, 600 S Paulina St, Chicago.

888.352.7874. rush.edu. Personal screenings will precede four different talks on a first come, first served basis. The talks, led by endovascular and stroke neurologists, will focus on the prevention, warning signs and treatment options of stroke. Registration is required.

OCT 27 Enjoy the Holidays and Keep Your Diabetes in Control, 6-7:30pm,Tony Bettenhausen Recreation Center, 8125 W 171st St, Tinley Park. 708.915.8530. ingallshealthsystem.org.

With the holidays fast approaching, this class will offer tips to people with diabetes on a better way to give insulin, fine tune carbohydrate counting, the proper treatment of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, as well as a few healthy holiday recipes and ideas.

OCT 21, NOV 2 Core off the Floor, 1011am, Community Hospital Fitness Pointe, 9950 Calumet Ave, Munster. 219.836.3477. comhs. org. This interesting session teaches the basics of CORE training in a way that prevents participants from doing endless crunches on the floor. All demonstrations are interactive so anyone older than 62 or those with medical issues should bring a physician’s release to be allowed to join in.

SUPPORT GROUPS

OCT 29 Demystify the Food Label, 11amnoon, Community Hospital Fitness Pointe, 9950 Calumet Ave, Munster. 219.836.3477. comhs.org.

Participants will learn how to read food labels and choose the best foods with personal health priorities in mind at this free seminar.

OCT 21 T’ai Chi Chih, 7pm, Central Library, 1919 W 81st Ave, Merrillville. 219.769.3541. lakeco.lib.in.us. Although commonly mistaken for a martial art, all the movements of T’ai Chi Chih are slow and gentle, which makes it accessible to anyone. Instructor Peter Gregory will explain the methods of the moving meditation.

Registration is required.

CLASSES/SEMINARS

ONGOING Lupus Support Group, 6:30pm, fourth Mon of every month, St. Mary Medical Center, 1500 S Lake Park Ave, Hobart.

800.948.8806. lupus.org. The Indiana Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America is sponsoring a monthly support group at St. Mary’s Hospital. This free group is open to the public and is designed to encourage patients and share skills for coping with lupus and associated autoimmune and connective tissue diseases.

ONGOING C.H.O.I.C.E.S. Natural Birth & Parenting Network, 7pm, first Wed of the month, Hebron Community Center, 611 N Main St, Hebron. 219.996.5188. indianabirthchoices. com. This free community program brings together midwives, doulas, childbirth educators, chiropractors, breastfeeding consultants and new and expecting parents. No need to preregister. Nov 4: “The Power of Raw Food.”

ONGOING Pain Management Group Therapy, 9-10:30am, second and fourth Tue of every month, St. Catherine Hospital, 4321 Fir St, East Chicago. 219.392.7722. comhs.org. This group meets at St. Catherine Hospital Daybreak Health Services and provides an opportunity to learn how to cope with chronic pain while interacting with others who struggle with it as well.

OCT 21 Allergies, Asthma and Chronic Sinus Problems in Children and Adults, 6-8pm, Rush Hospital, Armour Academic Center, Rooms 976 and 994, 600 S Paulina St, Chicago.

888.352.7874. rush.edu. Physicians from Rush Hospital will present the symptoms and treatment of sinus disease, as well as the interrelated problems of allergies and asthma.

Two sessions will be offered, with one focusing on children and the other on adults.

NOV 9 Grieving through the Holidays, 6:30-7:30pm, 2028 Elm Rd, Homewood.

708.798.9171. cancersupportcenter.org. Focusing on ways to create a special place for those who are grieving, this evening of learning, discussion and fellowship will provide the assistance needed to enjoy the activity and celebration of the holiday season.

ONGOING Well Walker’s Club, call for dates and times, East Chicago: Salvation Army, 513 W Chicago Ave. 219.398.2939. Also, Roberto Clemente Center, 3616 Elm St. 219.391.8485.

Highland:Wicker Park Social Center, 2125 Ridge Rd. 219.932.2530.Whiting:Whiting Community Center, 1938 Clark St. 219.659.0860. comhs. org. Membership is free for adults 18 years and older. Members receive free pedometers.

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ONGOING Gilda’s Club, 11am-2pm, every Wed, Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine, 5758 S Maryland Ave, Chicago. 773.702.9900. uchospitals.edu. The Gilda’s Club mission is to create a welcome community of free support for everyone living with cancer. This chapter provides support as well as lectures, workshops and social events.

DEC 10 The Fiber Facts, 6:30-7:30pm, 19250 Everett Ln, Mokena. 708.478.3529. cancersupportcenter.org. Fiber can fight against and treat many diseases as well as certain types of cancers. This discussion will teach guests more about fiber’s disease-fighting role and how to incorporate more fiber into a healthy diet.

SCREENINGS OCT 21 Clinical Breast Exams, 10am-noon, New Carlisle. 574.654.7779; 4-6pm,Westville.

219.785.7021; 5-8pm, LaPorte. 219.326.2480. laportehealth.org. These free clinical breast exams will be performed by trained professionals and will be offered in three locations during the day.

Pre-registration is required.

NOV 6 Bone Density Screening, 8-10am, Valparaiso Family YMCA, 1201 Cumberland Crossing Dr,Valparaiso. 219.462.4185. valpoymca. org. No appointment is necessary for this free screening that will check for the risk of osteoporosis. Attendees should wear shoes and socks that can be removed easily.

SPECIAL EVENTS NOV 6 Rush Generations Health Fair, 10am-2pm, Searle Conference Center, Rush Professional Building, 5th Floor, 1725 W Harrison St, Chicago. 888.352.7874. rush.edu. Health experts will offer a variety of services and screenings at this free health fair, which will feature a wealth

of information and educational resources geared toward older adults and family caregivers.

NOV 7 Diabetes Fair, 8am-noon, St. Catherine Hospital Professional Office Building Conference Room, 4321 Fir St, East Chicago. 219.836.3477. comhs.org. Those at risk for diabetes, living with diabetes or anyone just interested in healthy living is invited to learn about diabetes-related products, services and information at this free health fair.

NOV 14 Walk Down Memory Lane, 6pm, Horseshoe Casino, 777 Casino Center Dr, Hammond. 317.575.9620. alz.org/indiana. An evening of music and dancing will evoke thoughts of vintage Vegas at this benefit for the Alzheimer’s Association. Guests are invited to enjoy cocktails, dinner and a performance

by Regis Philbin while participating in a silent auction.

NOV 15 2nd Annual Knock-’Em-Down Bowl-a-Thon, 1:30-4:30pm,Thunder Bowl, 18700 S Old LaGrange Rd, Mokena.

708.798.9171. cancersupportcenter.org. This popular event returns for a second year. Teams of six will compete in bowling matches as well as fundraising for the Cancer Support Center.

DEC 12 Holiday at the Pops, doors open at 6pm, LaPorte Civic Auditorium, 1001 Ridge St, LaPorte. 219.326.1234. laportehealth.org. The 15th annual Christmas Pops concert will feature the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra, Emerson Concert Choir, Trinity Community Children’s Choir as well as individual performances by Hoosier Stars Lauren Mazur and Jerry Sorensen among others. Proceeds will benefit the LaPorte Hospital Foundation and its ability to offer free health screenings for the community, health care scholarships and medical equipment.

WALKS/RUNS DEC 13 Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis, 8am registration, Purdue University Calumet, FRC Building, 2300 173rd St, Hammond. 312.372.2080. hammondjinglebellrun.kintera.org. A 5K course will greet runners and walkers young and old at this special holiday event. Participants can tie jingle bells to their shoelaces, wear festive costumes and join in the Arthritis Foundation’s mission to prevent, control and cure arthritis in the true spirit of giving. This year’s race will honor 14-year-old twins Brandie and Brianna Lorenzen, who have been living with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis for most of their lives.

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You’re busy. You’re tired. You have to worry about a million other things before your own health. But neglecting your well-being is starting to take a toll. You’ve become moody.

Overweight. And who knows what else is going on inside of you. You may think it’s a phase but it might not be.

It’s time you start paying attention.

Mood in Motion

Mood swings in women can be caused by a range of things—from serious mental illness to temporary situations that make one happy or sad.

“The term ‘mood swings’ is used somewhat loosely,” says Jaswinder Singh, PhD, HSSP, a licensed clinical psychologist and licensed mental health therapist at Mid-American Psychological and Counseling Services in Merrillville.

Singh explains that life’s situations—single motherhood, financial struggle, trying to balance career and home life—can bring on mood swings that are not psychiatrically based but rather resulting from stress. Stress that, if not addressed by adequate support and help, can ultimately lead to psychiatric illness.

The most serious “mood swing” is seen in women who are bipolar (it used to be called manic-depression), in which days or weeks are spent in a very depressed state, followed by a period of extreme happiness. The change is not rapid or in short spurts, Singh says. And bipolar disorder, a serious psychiatric illness, can be genetically based.

Other mood swings in women have to do with hormones and biochemical changes at different times in a woman’s life, such as the premenstrual cycle, postpartum depression after the birth of a child, and menopause.

Oftentimes, family members notice rapid changes in mood due to these situations and find it difficult to interact with the woman, Singh explains. “Sometimes I hear from someone that the woman is ‘a different person’ just before a menstrual period,” says Singh, who explains that some women may take medication ten days before a period to ward off severe mood swings.

Young women also have mood swings due to biological and psychological changes, and Singh warns that oftentimes it is during this period that schizophrenia manifests itself. Anger and defiance demonstrated in mood swings in young women often have environmental and genetic factors (a genetic predisposition 18

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Pelvic Pain Reliever Catherine Patterson [not her real name], from Valparaiso, suffered for many years with pelvic pain. As a child it was difficult for her to ride a bike or wear jeans. Later in life, sex was painful for her and led to the breakup of her first marriage. Twenty years later, she was finally diagnosed with vestibulitis, a condition that causes pain and burning at the entrance to the vagina and urethra.

Patterson is not an unusual case. It may take a woman many years and several doctors before she receives a proper diagnosis. Undiagnosed and untreated pelvic pain takes a physical and emotional toll on women and their partners.

“There are two kinds of pelvic pain: acute and chronic,” says Lovera Wolf Miller, MD, co-director of Woodland Abdominal Pelvic Pain Group in Michigan City. “Acute is a symptom of a disease, and chronic is a disease itself. Any pain [that lasts] over three months is classified as chronic.”

Pelvic pain encompasses many conditions, including interstitial cystitis (inflammatory condition of the bladder wall), fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and dyspareunia (painful intercourse). Women can have several problems at once.

A formalized fellowship that’s relatively new and open to urologists and gynecologists is urogynecology.

“A urogynecologist focuses on female pelvic health,” says William Kobak, MD, from the Kobak Center for Women’s

Health in Valparaiso. “The problem with the pelvis is that surgeons, gynecologists and urologists look at different things but don’t put them all together,” he says. “A urogynecologist looks at how urinary, rectal and gynecological problems all interrelate.

Treatments are not all that complicated when you put the big picture together. The common thread is the pelvic floor, which is the structure that brings the nerves and blood supply to the bladder, vagina and rectum.

This structure is located back-to-back and side-to-side of the pelvis. Like any large organ system it can have a number of things that can go wrong.”

As a gynecologist, Dr. Miller rules out problems such as hormones and infections. “If the pain is hormonal, I can treat it by taking the cycle away, such as with a NuvaRing or with cycle control pills.”

Dr. Kobak says once disease is ruled out, what’s left is pain syndrome. “We try to employ modalities before drugs or surgery, such as physical therapy, to improve the patient’s quality of life.”

to bipolar disorder, for instance) that play a role, he says.

Elderly women with mood swings may be in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, or they may be in a living situation that makes them very lonely, Singh says.

Willie Perry, telephone counselor and coordinator of the crisis line at the Crisis Center in Gary, counsels many women with mood swings (from those living with bipolar disorder to others in environmental situations described by Singh). Perry says that feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and despair from life’s challenges (not being able to help the

Tracey Campbell, PT, MPT, is a physical therapist at Dynamic Rehabilitation Services in Valparaiso who specializes in pelvic floor therapy. “I see a lot of patients that have pelvic pain as a result of having children or chronic bladder and yeast infections,” Campbell says. “The body has a protection phase where it develops a holding pattern. If that holding pattern continues, it can lead to tight muscles that cause pain. I can’t heal things like hormonal imbalances and infections, but I can help with the muscular problems associated with them.”

In physical therapy, the goal is to lengthen and relax the pelvic muscles.

Treatment may include internal therapy, which is very gentle and similar to massage; electrical stimulation (ES), which is used to reeducate the muscles after injury, disuse or prolonged spasm; and biofeedback, a learning technique that helps a person gain control of their natural body functions.

Dr. Miller says if you are experiencing pelvic pain, be very upfront with your doctor. “We can diagnose a good 70 percent by getting a good history. We want to know about your cycle, activities that cause the problem, what relieves it. What is the pain like?

Stabbing, pressure, numbness?”

Patterson has since remarried and has a 2-year-old daughter. “I can’t say that things are perfect,” she says. “But they are much better. And I have confidence in knowing what to do if the pain comes back.” —Sharon Biggs Waller

family, be understood or be accepted) typically bring a change in mood. But oftentimes, it can be helped with some time and attention.

“I ask whether the woman has had her hormones checked, been checked out by a doctor for something serious and whether she is on medication,” Perry says. “But I have found that really, so many just need someone to listen to them, someone who cares how they feel, someone to help them do research into what they are feeling.

“And 95 percent of the people I talk to end our call by saying, ‘Thank you; you have helped me.’”

Target Those Trouble Spots

W

hen it comes to women and fitness, it seems there is always that one stubborn body part that we lament upon, the one that makes us cringe when we look in the mirror, the one that despite our best efforts, it seems, just refuses to budge.

June Puzon, a trainer at Fitness Pointe in Munster, says the most heavily complained-about areas among her clients tend to be the abs, glutes, outer thighs (a.k.a. “saddlebags”), triceps (the “friendly” muscle that keeps waving long after you’ve said hello) and, ugh, back fat.

Puzon’s picks for the best overall strengthening exercises for the common trouble spots are the plank and bicycle for abs, squats and bridge for the butt/hips, kickbacks for triceps and abduction for outer thighs. As for back fat, she says, cardio is the best bet.

In general, Puzon suggests working up to about 16 to 20 repetitions of each exercise. When that becomes easy, add more sets or hold some weight. Don’t forget to give the muscles you’ve worked a day of rest, as that is when the rebuilding of a stronger muscle takes place.

Some additional tips for success, Puzon says, are to concentrate on feeling the muscle you want to target, breathe throughout the exercise and just when you think you can’t possibly do another one, dig deep and eke out one or two more. “When you think you can’t do any more, that’s when you’ve got to push yourself through,” she says.

Alas, much to our dismay, Puzon confirms it: there’s no such thing as spot reduction. “If your goal is to keep changing your body,” she says, “then you have to change up your workout, I’d say, every three to six weeks.” —Erika Rose

GET HEALTHY ONLINE: For a description of strengthening exercises you can do at home, go to nwitimes.com/ gethealthy.

—Bonnie McGrath nov/dec 2009

19

Obesity and Heart Disease Increased levels of obesity and increased levels of heart disease: is there a connection? While it may seem a natural connection to make, it is more complex than a simple concept of weight-goes-up/ heart-gets-stressed. According to cardiologists, there is a little more to the cause and effect.

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There has been an increase in obesity from 25 to 33 percent over the last few decades, according to Dr. Sandhya Donepudi, MD, FACC, an interventional cardiologist at St. Margaret Mercy hospital in Hammond. A full third of us are officially obese. And it appears that health factors accompanying such obesity are responsible for the heart disease rates that are also rising.

Metabolic syndrome seems to be the culprit that leads overweight people to heart disease. And there are many components to this syndrome, which consists of a group of health factors and symptoms, according to Donepudi.

Excess fat in the belly area, a sign of metabolic syndrome, is one such clue connecting obesity to ultimate heart disease, Donepudi says. One way to tell is to measure one’s waist. If the inches around are more than 40 for men and 35 for women, there is cause for concern. If the body mass index— measured by a person’s weight in kilograms divided by his or her height in meters—goes beyond a certain level, that too may signify that metabolic syndrome is present, and thus that heart disease may be a threat.

In addition to the level of belly fat in the body, elevated blood pressure (greater than 130/85) and abnormal lipids (fats)—such as high “bad” cholesterol and low “good” cholesterol— are also signs, as is elevated glucose (sugar) in the system due to one’s cells not responding properly to insulin (the bodily substance that breaks down carbohydrates, starches and sugars in the body). These factors are symptoms of metabolic syndrome and can also lead to heart disease. How? They inhibit clotting “busters” in the body—such as the kind of clots and

inflammation that lead to strokes, heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms, Donepudi explains.

There are fairly uncomplicated things that can be done to fight metabolic syndrome (and obesity), says Lori Turco, RN, BSN, who is charge nurse for cardiac rehabilitation at the same hospital. “Weight loss through dieting—by eating the right foods—as well as portion control is important,” Turco says. “And exercising moderately five to seven times per week for 30 to 60 minutes helps,” she adds. ”Walking, biking is fine. But you must be able to carry on a conversation comfortably and not experience any pain,” she advises.

“A brisk walk is the goal,” Donepudi says. “Conditioning slowly by building up to a regular exercise program and increasing what you are doing every two weeks is the best.”

Additionally, managing blood pressure and high cholesterol (by using medications if necessary) is essential, according to Turco. “There’s no trick. It takes commitment and dedication and accepting responsibility.

Seeing a doctor and just taking a pill won’t fix the problem alone,” Turco says.

Donepudi adds that no more than 30 percent of a person’s calories should come from fat and that in losing weight, no more than a 400calorie deficit (taking in less than you use up per day) should be tried by an individual—“unless there is a severe situation,” she says. —Bonnie McGrath

Baby Boomers in our community might be happy to know that minis are back in style. We’re not talking about fashion. Minis are short for minimally-invasive hip replacement surgeries that are all the rage for those who are faced with having the procedure.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, about 30 million people in the United States suffer from osteoarthritis, which causes deterioration of the cartilage in joints, eventually leaving bone to rub against bone. Hip replacements are standard when a person can no longer stand the pain.

Today’s medical community is brimming with less-invasive surgery options. Because of new materials and surgical approaches, those who endure joint pain in the hips might not have to wait as long as they once thought for surgical relief.

And, the less invasive options for surgery make for quicker recovery times.

In the past, many pain-sufferers chose to wait until the last possible moment before having surgery, both because the recovery time was longer, and because the materials used to

Dr. Joseph D. Hecht, MD

make the artificial joints had only about a 10-year lifespan.

But newer materials for prosthetic hip joints are showing great promise in increased longevity of total hip replacements.

“Any two pieces that rub together will generate little particles.

In the human body, those particles are just the right size to cause bone to dissolve,” said Louis Gluek, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon on staff at Community Hospital in Munster. “In total hip replacements, we’re looking for something that generates the least amount of particles because lower friction means a longer lifespan for the hip joint.”

The material that Gluek and his partners at Orthopaedic Specialists of Northwest Indiana use is called Oxinium - a metal hip joint specially coated with ceramic, giving the strength of metal with less chance of cracking, and the reduced particle generation of ceramic for less chance of bone deterioration.

In addition, Gluek’s minimally-invasive surgery technique (a three inch incision) also makes for a faster recovery time.

The patient not only has less scarring, but the front approach he and his partners use helps keep the hip more stable.

Dr. Hecht & Dr. Gluek both specialize in hip and knee replacement surgery including Mini-Incision hip, knee and joint replacement surgery (MIS). They perform these surgeries at Saint Margaret Mercy in Dyer & Hammond, Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster and Community Hospital in Munster.

Dr. Louis A. Gluek, MD

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A Special Place for a Special Time We know the birth of a baby is a special time for the whole family and we offer accommodations that provide both privacy and the comforts of home for this very personal experience.

At the Family Birthing Center, one of the region’s most experienced medical teams focuses on what matters most, the health and well-being of every mother and every baby.

• Private birthing and postpartum suites • One of the area’s most advanced Neonatal Intensive Care units • Over 2,400 babies are born each year at Community Hospital, making it one of the leading facilities in the state for newborn care For tours of the Family Birthing Center, please call --. Visit our all new private rooms through a virtual tour at www.comhs.org.

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The main benefit of minimally invasive surgery is our ability to preserve muscle and soft tissue that in turn dramatically reduce post-operative pain and symptoms for our patients. It has allowed us to reduce patient recovery periods from multiple days to overnight stays in the hospital, and in some cases even allows us to perform outpatient procedures.

While minimally invasive spine surgery has been around for many years, the technologies involved have continued to evolve rapidly. Currently, the use and success of minimally invasive techniques vary depending upon the type of spine procedure being performed. These surgeries utilize muscle-splitting or muscle-sparing approaches that have virtually eliminated postoperative pain for our patients, thereby reducing the need for pain medication. In addition, most patients are now able to leave the hospital within hours of their procedure with minimal symptoms.

In the case of lumbar fusion, however, the use of minimally invasive techniques is still evolving, and has made exciting progress with the arrival of the XLIF (Extreme lateral interbody fusion) technology. Until recently spine fusion involved placing pedicle screws and rods/plates. While successful in many cases, this was associated with issues related to positioning

Dr. Nitin Khanna, MD

strumentation and long operating room time. Newer of the instrumentation gies introduced over the past five years, which have technologies allowed uss to place the screws through a minimally invasive approach,, have unfortunately continued to present issues related to accuracy and long surgical times.

With the arrival of the XLIF technology, however, we have seen ant improvement in the use of minimally invasive a significant es for lumbar fusion. fusion It allows us to perform the techniques procedure with the patient lying on their side. We make a 1.52.5 inch incision using a muscle-splitting approach. The disc space is then prepared, the fusion device is inserted, followed by the placement of the lateral plate. This surgery can usually be performed in an hour with minimal blood loss, and allows us to send patients home the same day or the day after surgery. We have used this technology for patients suffering from complex spine problems including infection, tumor, spondylolisthesis and scoliosis.

In summary, minimally invasive techniques deliver significant patient benefits, and represent a big step forward in the world of spine surgery. The emergence of newer technologies such as XLIF, allows us to use minimally invasive approaches for a broad array of spine procedures.

Dr. Khanna & Dr. Tyndall have a dedicated spine practice, and extensive experience with minimally invasive techniques as well as the XLIF approach.

They perform these surgeries at Saint Margaret Mercy in Dyer & Hammond, Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster, Saint Anthony in Crown Point and Community Hospital in Munster.

Dr. Dwight S. Tyndall, MD

>> www.osni.org <<

730 45th Street. â&#x20AC;˘ Munster 219-924-3300

food & fitness

Running the Ridge Into the mystic chill of an autumn morn, runners from all over the Midwest descend on the deserted dunes of Lake Michigan’s southeastern shore. It is a pilgrimage of sorts, a spiritual experience that distance runners refer to as “running the ridge.” The ridge itself is the highlight of a 7-mile trek located amongst hills and wooden canopied paths of Indiana’s National Lakeshore.

The Ridge is but one chapter in a long-storied love affair between region runners and the majestic awe of Dune Country. Indiana has a great legacy of distance running. This is Hal Higdon country, the father of the modern marathon, a legend in the running community who has inspired many region athletes to take to the sand and solitude of the dunes. It’s also home to Al Mussman and Brian Rotz who, in the early ’80s, created the Zoy Run, which grew to such popularity in the mid ’90s that the Indiana Department of Conservation cancelled the event for fear of environmental damage. Although the original Zoy no longer exists, a number of other trail races, such as the Bride of Zoy and Zoy Relapse, have sprung up in its place.

Misty Chandos, running coach,

accomplished Ultra marathoner, and manager of Fleet Feet in Schererville, says, “Dune running is essential to anyone training for marathons or Ultra races . . . The combination of versatile terrain, elevation changes, and breathtaking scenery make for the perfect environment to meditate, commune with nature, and transform the average runner into an elite athlete. It’s how I know when I’m really in shape or not—the ridge lets you know.”

Josh Powers, Crown Point native and avid distance runner, adds, “I run the dunes every weekend. It’s a rite of passage for any distance runner in these parts.

Although it’s a half-hour drive just to get to the ridge from where I live . . . the hills of sand slipping under foot will shred you unlike anything else.”

With marathon season in full swing, there are sure to be many taking to the dunes for their training. Throughout the year, the XYZ trail series hosts a number of events, including the upcoming Zoy Relapse, a 12K in Warren Dunes on November 22. —Tyler Lennox Bush

For more info on the trail runs: XYZ trail series Al Mussman / 219.928.8599 Fleet Feet Schererville Misty Chandos / 219.864.1000

a weighty issue

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dynamic team of specialists designs comprehensive besity is an epidemic in America,” says programs tailored to the needs of every client.

Lorri Field, registered nurse and cofounder Some clients may be candidates for Lap-Band, or of Healthy 4 Life, a new program helping to the more invasive gastric bypass surgery. All clients shape the lives of Northwest Indiana residents that sufare given a path to a healthier and happier life through fer from the harrowing effects of the disease. Approxirealistic goal setting, emotional support and motivation, mately 27.5 percent of Indiana’s population is obese, nutritional education, and fitness integration. ranking it 11th overall among all states.

Healthy 4 Life teaches clients how to make conscious “Due to fast food intake, environmental conditions, decisions that will lead to lifelong weight manageand cultural habits of Indiana, the state has a challenge ment. Once integrated into the program, ahead of itself in the war against obesity,” clients will begin to enjoy food, enjoy life adds Christine Stanish, culinary specialmore fully, and gain great insight about ist and administrative director for the proHealthy 4 Life themselves through the process. —Tyler gram. At Healthy 4 Life, located at Meth219.765.1100 odist Hospital in Merrillville, Indiana, a Lennox Bush healthyme4life.com

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Pumpkin Power

A

s the autumn landscape turns to brown, and the sky to gray, orange orbs begin to dot the patches of farmland across the barren wasteland of fall. Although we have fond memories of jack-o’-lanterns, pumpkin pies and munching on seeds in the Octobers of our youth, we may often overlook the nutritional value of the pumpkin. In fact, these beautiful bulbs of blazing orange pack a punch when it comes to health.

The fleshy part of the pumpkin, called the meat, can be cooked down for soups, pies and other baked goods and is loaded with carotenoids. Together with lutein and zeaxanthin, the meat makes up a powerful blend of antioxidants that neutralize free radicals, aid in preventing cataracts, and reduce the risk of macular degeneration in the eye.

The seed of the pumpkin is sweet and nutty and can be baked and dried to be enjoyed all year long. Pumpkin seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids (which are crucial for brain function and development), iron, protein, fiber for bowel health, and tryptophan, a common replacement for antidepressants as it’s converted to serotonin in the brain. —Tyler Lennox Bush Strongbow Pumpkin Pie Executive Chef: Dave Hemdal 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons flour 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice ½ teaspoon salt 1 can (15 ounces) packed pumpkin 1 egg 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk 1 9-inch deep-dish frozen pie shell, unbaked Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir in pumpkin. Blend in egg and evaporated milk. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted 2 inches from edge comes out clean.

Cool completely.

Refrigerate leftovers.

T U M M Y

T U C K

Chicago’s “absolute leading surgeon” -Dr. Phil

BEFORE

AFTER

Go herre fo f r de deta taailils

www.cosmedicclinic.com This procedure removes excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen and tightens the abdominal muscles.

This reduces a protruding abdomen.

Consultation will involve a thorough discussion of the risks and benefits of the procedure as well as an exam, which will aid in Dr. Platis informing you how he will perform your procedure.

Dr. Platis

210 East 86th Place | Merrillville, IN 46410 | P: 219-795-1255 58 East Walton | Chicago, IL 60611 | P: 312-377-3333 www.cosmedicclinic.com

Dr. Platis has also been featured on: 20/20. NBC5 Chicago, WBBM Fox News Chicago and WGN

green life

Here’s to Your Health!

Thyroid Disorder and the environment

Most people don’t even realize they have a thyroid gland until they have a problem with it. Symptoms of thyroid disorders may include weight gain, depression, thinning hair, tremors, cold sensitivity and insomnia.These are signs that something in the butterfly-shaped gland just below the Adam’s apple in the neck isn’t right.

S

ome 1 in 13 people have a thyroid disorder in the U.S., and the large majority of these people are women. And each year, 20,699 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer. As researchers investigate these disorders they find many answers, including some that may be environmental.

Dr. Venkatesh Segu, of Endocrinologist Specialists of Indiana in Munster, says thyroid disorders are typically found in women and run in families, but environmental factors are considered as more studies are performed.

“Genetics is a big factor, and women tend to be more commonly affected than men,” Segu says.

“Many are autoimmune disorders and there are certain kinds of thyroid nodular disorders short of cancer we see in families. So family history is one of the significant contributing factors.

And there is always talk of industrial pollution and how it can affect body orders and systems.

In the Chicago area in the past there were a lot of x-ray treatments used for certain things, like acne treatment and even measuring foot size for shoes. It is a definite history we ask, especially childhood exposure. It contributes to a variety of cancers over time—that is the prevailing talk.”

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That talk, published in Hormone and Metabolic Research this past June, reveals research done by the Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. Researchers found that “Autoimmune thyroid disorders [AITDs] are the result of a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors, the former account for about 70 to 80 percent of liability to develop AITDs. However, at least 20 to 30 percent is contributed by environmental factors, which include certainly smoking (at least for Graves’ disease and orbitopathy), probably stress, iodine and selenium intake, several drugs, irradiation, pollutants, viral and bacterial infections, allergy, pregnancy, and post-partum.” According to the Mayo Clinic, radiation treatments to the head and neck in childhood have been linked to thyroid disorders such as thyroid nodules.

Understanding your family history, as well as your own history, will better enable doctors to properly diagnose thyroid disorders. Be prepared to talk about any thyroid conditions in your family, including undiagnosed symptoms, as well as recollections of any dental or other x-ray treatments as a child. –Heather Augustyn

I

n 1986, Cesar Chavez, founder and leader of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), organized a boycott of grapes, citing that the pesticides found on the grapes poisoned some 300,000 workers each year, which led to severe birth defects and cancer. The documentary produced by the UFW, The Wrath of Grapes, detailed the insidious destructive trail left by these pesticides that were used to produce more and more yield from crops.

Although legislation may make for safer grapes 23 years later, pesticides are still used in abundance, causing many growers to abandon the use of pesticides altogether for a much healthier, and tastier, product. We all know that pesticides are not good for human consumption, and they’re also bad for the earth, seeping into groundwater from agricultural runoff. But the additives in wine—specifically sulfites, which are put into wine to extend its shelf life—are also bad for the body.

Many people experience difficulty breathing, abdominal pain or headaches from sulfites—so it may not be that extra glass of vino after all!

Organic wines and beers are made without pesticides but may contain sulfites, so be aware of what you’re toasting to. Biodynamic wines and beers have even stricter requirements and consider not only what is in the glass, but also the process, including the quality of the soil that grows the grapes, hops, barley, malt, and the biodiversity of the land surrounding the farm.

Natural plants, such as dandelion flowers and bark from trees, are used to create humus in the soil for a tasty and healthy yield.

But make sure to check the label on your organic wine or beer. According to the Organic Consumers Association, organic claims can be misleading. “For a wine to be labeled ‘Organic’ and bear the USDA organic seal, it must be made from organically grown grapes and give information about who the certifying agency is. A wine in this category cannot have any added sulfites. It may have naturally occurring sulfites, but the total sulfite level must be less than 20 parts per million.” For biodynamic beverages, look for a label bearing the Demeter seal, the organization that certifies biodynamic products.

Choosing an organic or biodynamic wine or beer may be better for your health, and is a tasty way to enjoy life. So cheers! –Heather Augustyn

Breathe Easy with the care and attention of NW Indiana ENT & Sinus Center.

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ask the expert marylyn rosencranz, m.d.

Busting Breast Cancer Myths

Dr. Marylyn Rosencranz practices at the Indiana Breast Center, located within Diagnostic Specialties, in Crown Point. Graduating from Chicago Osteopathic in 1981, Rosencranz started out in general radiology, eventually specializing in mammography. The Indiana Breast Center focuses on diagnosis, using the latest technologies to perform routine screenings, biopsies and tumor evaluations.

Q: What can be done to prevent breast cancer? Lifestyle is huge when it comes to breast cancer. It is a known fact that exercise helps with any kind of cancer, and eating wisely, avoiding eating a lot of meat. If women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are overweight, and they lose weight, they have a much better chance of not having a recurrence than if they are overweight and maintain the extra pounds.

So, being thin is significant. Genetics accounts for 10 percent of cases. For that 10 percent, it is significant for their families, so it is important to find those people. Screening is important. The

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more [women] come in for screening, on an annual basis, the more we become familiar with their breast pattern, and the earliest we can find their breast cancers.

Q: Are there different kinds of breast cancer? There are twenty different types.

The most common type is infiltrating ductal.

The cancer is in the duct that carries the milk from the sac that produces it to the nipple.

Infiltrating lobular is actually in the sac where milk is produced. All cancers are graded, so even a lobular cancer can have a low grade, meaning it’s slow-growing, and it can have a high grade, meaning it’s fast-growing. An infiltrating ductal cancer can have a low grade, or a high grade, so you have all these variations.

Q: W ith so many types, is treatment streamlined for the specific type?

Treatment is streamlined to the person. If you line up four people, they all can have ductal cancer, but one has a low grade, and one has a high grade. Maybe somebody with a low grade has a large lesion, and somebody who has a high grade has a small lesion. The person with the high grade small lesion is going to do better than the person with the low grade that is big.

You have to put everything together.You have to [establish] what type of tumor they have, what size it is, whether it’s anyplace else in the body, and what else is happening in the person’s life.

You have to put all that together and determine what’s best for that person.

Q: W hat are the newest and best diagnostic techniques? One of the best techniques, and the latest, is breast MRI [magnetic resonance imaging]. We do MRI on any woman diagnosed with breast cancer to determine the extent of disease, if there’s any other cancer in her breast, or if there’s any cancer in the opposite breast.

We do it for women receiving chemotherapy to see if there is a response. And, we will do it in high-risk screenings. So, anybody who has that genetic history will get annual MRIs. One of the very newest things is breast tomosynthesis, which is a mammogram, but instead of taking one full image, you take multiple slices through the breast, using digital mammogram.

Q. What misconceptions do women have about breast cancer and testing? One, women think if it’s not in their family, then they’re not going to get it. That’s definitely a myth. Two, a lot of women believe if they feel a lump, and the mammogram doesn’t see it, that it’s not important. And that’s a huge myth. If you feel a lump, you need to tell the facility, and they will go out of their way to evaluate that area.

Also, I believe women think all mammography facilities are created equal. A facility where there are dedicated mammographers, where that’s all they do, will have the best care. —Terri Gordon

photo by JOHN J. WATKINS

Q: Why does breast cancer seem more prevalent now than, say, 20 years ago?

A couple of theories: there’s a question of pollution. There’s a question of hormones in food.You have hormones being placed in chickens and other meat. Last is that it is not necessarily occurrence, but that we are finding breast cancer better. Film screen mammography came into being in the 1970s, and that’s when we were able to start seeing things before a woman felt something. In the ’50s and ’60s, a woman would come in with a mass, and we would biopsy it, but we weren’t doing screenings. What is a little scarier is that we’re seeing younger and younger people with it. It’s not unheard of to diagnose somebody who’s in their twenties. We used to think of it as a disease more in 50 and above.

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