Get Healthy Late Summer 2016

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HOW TO MANAGE

seasonal depression The best and worst workouts for your joints

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: Natural healing on the rise in NWI

late summer 2016

BACK-TO-SCHOOL

HEALTH

• Independent Living and Assisted Living Apartments • Rehabilitation Center • Memory Support Unit • Fitness Center • Pet Friendly • Live Music • Weekly Happy Hour • Special Outings • Executive Chef Prepared Cuisine ointe for Independent Living Residents • Discounted memberships at Briar Ridge Country Club & Fitness Pointe

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contents

late summer 2016

Health briefs and stats to pique your interest

9the medical report Non-surgical relief for uterine fibroids

10your health

Lice treatments that work, financial literacy and health, advice for aging athletes, infertility help

14on the table

The health benefits of apples

18the fit life

The worst workouts for your spine and joints

on the go 22families Keeping kids healthy this school year

26

sound mind

How to handle seasonal depression

2814 22

feature package Alternative Medicine:

Natural healing on the rise in NWI

32your best friend

Foods and plants that are harmful for pets

2

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MEDITATION PHOTO BY PENNY FRAZIER, PANINI PHOTO BY TONY V. MARTIN, KID PHOTO BY JONATHAN MIANO

notes 4editors’ 6hot topics

ORTHOPEDIC & SPINE CENTER

Healthier

TOGETHER

Better outcomes to reconnect with your life.

• State-of-the-art healing facilities near you. Methodist Hospitals operates two dedicated orthopedic and spine centers in Northwest Indiana at our Midlake and Southlake Campuses.

• Experienced specialists you can trust. Our board-certified surgeons and specially-trained nurse practitioners are experts in all areas of orthopedic and spine care, from trauma and total joint replacement to spine care, podiatry and foot and ankle surgery.

• Advanced treatments delivering world-class results. Our advanced procedures and technologies, combined with physical and occupational therapy, pain management and diet/nutrition counseling, promote faster recoveries and better outcomes.

For more information call 219-738-6670

w w w . M e t h o d i s t H o s p i t a l s . o r g

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Leading the Way to Better Health GET HEALTHY

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editors’ notes

T

VOLUME 11, ISSUE 5 PUBLISHER

There are a lot of perceived divisions within medicine: Western and Eastern, modern and alternative, pharmacological and natural. But those lines are starting to fade.

Hospitals and doctors are increasingly offering services that don’t necessarily fit into the modern medical model: yoga, meditation, acupuncture. And, on the other side, many natural medicine practitioners don’t hesitate to refer their patients to physicians for needed medications and procedures.

“I don’t go against doctors. I work with doctors,” says Rev. Rose Fier, owner of Munster’s Reiki Energetix. “I’m not trying to take their patients away. I’m trying to help their patients have a higher success rate of healing.”

Physicians and alternative medicine practitioners should use all the tools at their disposal to keep their clients well. I’m glad to see that, in Northwest Indiana, this is happening.

-Giles Bruce, Get Healthy Co-Editor

Christopher T. White CO-EDITORS

Giles Bruce Julia Perla Huisman DESIGN DIRECTOR

Mary Garrison DESIGNER

April Burford CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Eve Adams, Christine Bryant, Shannon Rooney, Mark Loehrke, Jennifer Pallay, Carrie Rodovich, Carrie Steinweg, Amanda Wilson

A

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES

Joe Battistoni

As our kids head back to school, it’s our job as parents to help them establish healthy habits and routines that will set them up for success. Of course this means packing healthy lunches and finding ways for them to stay physically active. But the experts in our “Fit Kids” story also point out that our children’s mental health is equally important.

Kids can be hard on themselves, especially when caught up in the culture of comparison both at school and on social media.

We must be aware of this and do what we can to build them up and boost their self-worth. Sometimes it’s something as simple as going for a walk with them. The physical exercise, fresh air, and time with a loved one will help foster a healthy perspective.

-Julia Perla Huisman, Get Healthy Co-Editor

ADVERTISING OPERATIONS MANAGER

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Lisa Tavoletti 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

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HOW TO MANAGE

seasonal depression The best and worst workouts for your joints BACK-TO-SCHOOL

HEALTH

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: Natural healing on the rise in NWI

late summer 2016

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1111 Glendale Blvd, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 219.462.5151

Nick Wawok, director of The Lotus Center, meditates at a natural setting in Valparaiso.

Photo by Penny Frazier.

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COLON CANCER SYMPTOMS • Fatigue is a feeling of exhaustion that does not go away with rest.

• Colon cancer can cause fatigue due to internal blood loss or the cancer cells using the body’s energy.

• Pain that began recently and is severe and longlasting can be a sign of colon cancer.

• Colon cancer often affects bowel habits, which can lead to cramping and bloating.

• Once a colon polyp turns into cancer, the tumor can affect bowel habits, making stool thinner or more frequent.

• Diarrhea or constipation unrelated to another condition can be a symptom of colon cancer.

• Unintentional weight loss is the loss of 10 pounds or more in six months or less without knowing the reason.

• Cancer cells use up a lot of the body’s energy supply, which can cause weight loss.

• Blood in the stool can be noticeable by blood on the toilet paper or in the toilet bowl water.

• Stool could appear very dark or black, signifying the presence of dried blood.

Harsh, Dalal, MD, FACG

Navin Kumar, MD

Rahul Julka, MD

Call Today!

Schedule an Appointment at One of Our Convenient Locations!

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With offices in Merrillville, Highland, Dyer, Winfield, Valparaiso, and Whiting, we are able to schedule patient appointments very quickly to assess your symptoms, recommended a testing/treatment plan or to simply provide digestive wellness screenings and check-ups.

Dr. Harsh Dalal, Dr. Navin Kumar and Dr. Rahul Julka are dedicated to providing the highest quality of compassionate care, placing emphasis on their patients’ comfort, privacy, and health concerns at all times.

COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE Digestive Disease Centers specialize in comprehensive care of all gastrointestinal and liver diseases with an array of testing and treatment services, including: • • • • •

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Call Today! Schedule an Appointment at One of Our Convenient Locations! New Patient Appointments Available 1-2 weeks. nwi.com/gethealthy

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topics

CHRISTINE BRYANT

THERAPY ADJUSTMENT Are parents in the United States overmedicating their children diagnosed with ADHD? The Centers for Disease Control thinks so.

U.S. health officials recently urged parents of preschoolers with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder to try behavior therapy first before trying drugs—and they’re urging insurance companies to help cover these treatments. An estimated 75 percent of young children receive drugs as treatment, and because these drugs can cause numerous side effects, health officials recommend trying behavior therapy first, which can take several months to be effective.

Source: Centers for Disease Control

SICK DAYS

If your children go to day care, they may not get sick as often later in school, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. • Researchers in the Netherlands followed a large group of children over the first six years of their lives. Of those students, 1,344 out of 2,220 children attended day care during the first year of life. Though that increased their risk of having acute gastroenteritis in the first year of their life, children who did not attend day care got sick more often during their second through sixth years of life.

Source: April 2016 study in Pediatrics journal

Coffee Perks

Coffee lovers, rejoice. The World Health Organization announced this summer that regularly drinking coffee could protect against at least two types of cancer.

The announcement is a reversal of the organization’s previous 1991 statement saying that coffee is “possibly carcinogenic.” Since then, a research body has concluded, when consumed regularly, coffee actually lowers rates of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, neurological disorders and several cancers.

Source: WHO

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1-MINUTE EXERCISE PROGRAM?

You heard that right. A new study shows 60 seconds of strenuous exertion is as successful at improving health and fitness as 45 minutes of moderate exercise.

Source: 2015 study by scientists at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, published in PLOS One

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Introducing Northwest Indiana’s Ear, Nose, Throat and Sinus Center Board-certified ENT physicians dedicated to providing individualized care for the relief you need.

SINuS SuffErErS iT’s TimE To gET rEliEf.

Sinus relief:

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• Long-term relief from sinus pain and congestion • Treatment of nasal polyps and tumors • Balloon Sinuplasty • Snoring and sleep apnea

• Ear infections • Hearing loss • Balance disorders • Swimmer’s ear • Fluid in the ear • Perforated eardrum • Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

Advanced Surgery: • Cochlear implants • Congenital and acquired ear abnormalities • Head and neck tumors • Thyroid nodules • Ear and hearing reconstruction

James Turk, D.O.

Michael Keenan, M.D.

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Pediatric Care: • Ear infections • Tonsils and adenoids • Hearing loss • Sinus disease • Snoring and sleep apnea • Swallowing disorders • Breathing problems

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Offices in Valparaiso & Portage • To schedule an appointment, call 219-531-0355.

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LOVE DISCONNECTION

No Contract and $25 Initiation Fee*

Social media is big among children and teens.

However, Snapchatting, tweeting and using other forms of social media may keep young people, particularly boys, from developing key interpersonal skills they need to manage relationships as adults, according to a study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University.

The study showed that overusing social media can prevent adolescents from using skills to manage conflict and assert themselves in romantic relationships because of the lack of seeing facial expressions and other nonverbal cues.

Source: June 21 issue of the Journal of Research on Adolescence

LEARNING TO SHARE

News that is always within reach SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

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Higher Numbers, Same Factors

2.3

The average number of points higher a person’s BMI was in 2006 over a person’s in 1988, even with the same age, amount of exercising and quantities of protein and fat.

Source: Study published in May 2016 Obesity Research & Clinical Practice journal

YEARS

How long it takes children to learn to share and take turns Source: Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science nwi.com/gethealthy

MEDICAL REPORT

A Life Without PainIt’s Possible

Uterine Fibroid Relief

T

Dr. Kevin Keele is a board-certified interventional radiologist with Radiology Imaging Consultants, and is on staff at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey. Keele specializes in minimally invasive, targeted treatments, and is certified by the American Board of Radiology in both diagnostic and interventional radiology.

MIDWEST NEUROLOGY ASSOCIATES

WE SPECIALIZE IN TREATING

NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS The team of professionals at Midwest Neurology Associates is well-known for diagnosing and treating difficult neurological disorders in Lake County.

Our team of experts uses the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic treatments to ensure accurate diagnosis and successful results.

• Long Term Care and Follow - up • Nerve Block Treatments for Chronic Pain Dr. Keele Photo Courtesy of Ingalls Memorial Hospital

hree out of four women in the U.S. have uterine fibroids, non-cancerous tumors of the uterus. If you or someone you know experiences heavy bleeding, prolonged periods, pelvic pain or pressure, frequent urination, constipation and other Dr. Kevin Keele uncomfortable symptoms, you may be one of them.

While fibroids aren’t associated with cancer and don’t increase the risk of getting uterine cancer, they can cause other problems that may interfere with a woman’s quality of life or lead to anemia, infertility, multiple miscarriages and early onset of labor during pregnancy.

Fibroids are composed of smooth muscle cells and other tissue that develop within the wall of the uterus; they may grow as a single tumor or in clusters. A single fibroid can be microscopic in size or eight inches or more across. In many cases, a single uterus can contain many fibroids.

Most range from the size of a large marble to slightly smaller than a baseball.

Many women experience no signs or symptoms, or only mild ones they can live with. Women approaching the menopausal transition may find that their fibroids shrink as their estrogen levels decline. If that’s the case for you, watchful waiting and a yearly pelvic exam may be the best option.

However, about 30 percent of women experience symptoms severe enough to require intervention. If your fibroids are larger, growing rapidly, and/or causing discomfort, you may want to schedule more frequent exams, consider using ultrasounds to monitor their growth, and pursue treatment.

If uterine fibroids are interfering with your quality of life or health, there’s a safe, non-surgical alternative to hysterectomy called uterine fibroid embolization, which relieves the symptoms of fibroids while allowing a patient to avoid surgery such as hysterectomy.

During the embolization, an interventional radiologist uses an X-ray camera called a fluoroscope to guide the delivery of tiny particles to the uterus and fibroids. These particles then block the arteries that provide blood flow to the tumors, causing the fibroids to shrink. The entire procedure takes 60 to 90 minutes, and is performed under local anesthesia.

Benefits include a more rapid recovery and return to normal activities, virtually no blood loss, less pain, and reproductive organs and supporting structures remain intact. Nearly 90 percent of women with fibroids experience dramatic relief of their symptoms following the embolization.

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Call today for an appointment: (219) 836-2096

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Health KIDS’ HEALTH

Head Games very mom dreads finding that note in her child’s school folder informing her that a fellow student has lice. Or perhaps it’s a phone call from the school nurse stating your child won the unlucky lice lottery. Add in the spread of the new strain of “super lice,” which are resistant to most over-thecounter treatments, and the dreaded lice infestation scenario is enough to make every parent’s skin crawl.

Flo Klackle, who owns the recently opened Lice Clinic of America in Crown Point with her husband, Randal, talks about suffering from the imaginary LICE CLINIC scalp itch of OF AMERICA “psychological lice.”

“By the time they 1010 Breuckman Dr contact us, most Crown Point 219.779.2289 of our clients have liceclinicnwi.com spent a minimum of two months The team at Lice Clinic and gone through of America is available several treatments to do screenings at schools or at other unsuccessfully venues where outbreaks battling a lice are likely to occur. infestation,” Klackle says. “Very often, the breaking point is when Mom gets it.”

Klackle says it’s imperative you seek professional help as soon as one person in your household has lice. “In addition to the ‘super lice’ being resistant to overthe-counter or traditional prescription treatments, these products require a great deal of time and commitment,” she says.

Thankfully, parents and kids alike can rest easy at night knowing there are treatment

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options available.

The Lice Clinic of America uses the FDAcleared Air Alle device, which utilizes heated air to kill lice and eggs in a “one-and-done” treatment plan (after the device, you use a professional lice comb to remove dead lice and eggs, followed by a rinse application). “We’ve never had anyone return who still has lice,” Klackle says.

Although it’s prudent to caution your children not to share personal items such as hats and hairbrushes, Klackle reassures anyone who is embarrassed about a lice

ABOVE: The Lice Clinic of America is a new lice treatment center in Crown Point. LEFT: A certified operator at the Lice Clinic of America uses the Air Alle device to treat a patient with lice.

infestation. “Getting lice doesn’t mean you’re dirty,” she says. “It has to do with how lice live.

You can’t get rid of all physical contact.”

“To treat lice, you have to get rid of the shame surrounding it, get it under control, and get the word out,” she adds. As her husband says: “We wanted to get into a business where we felt we could truly help families during a stressful time.”

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LICE CLINIC OF AMERICA

E

AMANDA WILSON

GENERAL HEALTH

BALANCE YOUR LIFE

F

AMANDA LOPEZ

inancial well-being can play a role in affecting your lifestyle and health, which makes it important to know how to manage your finances properly. According to Lauren Trumbo, financial supervisor at St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago, there are several tips to know when it comes to your money: Be proactive. Monitor your finances carefully and scan your records for suspicious activity such as mysterious charges that may be a sign of identity theft.

Keep your credit in check. Run a credit check and repair your bad credit score. For those who are younger, build up your credit for later in life when it comes time to take out a loan.

Manage your money. Keep track of the money you are spending and the charges you are applying to your credit cards. Do not allow yourself to splurge too often, and set aside money for unexpected emergencies that require spending.

Set goals. Create goals for yourself such as how much you can spend per month or how much you would like to save per year. Then be persistent in trying to achieve the goals you set.

Since financial well-being and health go hand-in-hand, there are several ways being financially unstable may impact your health: Stress and anxiety. It’s important to be aware that financial instability causes a lot of stress and anxiety on the mind and body, which can lead to raised blood pressure and an inability to focus during daily activities.

Quality of care. Those who are unable to afford insurance may not be accepted by doctors and may struggle to pay medical bills or to afford medications and treatments.

Mental health and behavior.

The heightened state of distress may cause people to lash out at others in aggressive ways, or withdraw completely and develop depression.

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SENIOR HEALTH

Advice for aging athletes AMANDA LOPEZ

Getting older doesn’t mean having to slow down, it just means being a little more cautious.

Dr. Michael Knesek, orthopedic surgeon with Bone and Joint Specialists in Merrillville, says those who are active will almost always get injured. “However, it is very important for overall cardiovascular and mental wellbeing to stay active and participate in sports and recreational physical activity,” he says.

The most common injuries older athletes experience involve the rotator cuff in the shoulder and meniscus in the knee. These injuries often lead to inflammation from overuse but do not require surgery. Doctors also frequently see overuse tendinopathies in the elbow and worsening of underlying osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, shoulder and elbow that leads to pain and swelling.

According to Knesek, while injuries can’t always be prevented, they can be limited by stretching and slowly easing into more vigorous activity. Additionally, people who return to an activity after resting are more likely to become injured than those who regularly take part in the activity.

Physicians or physical therapists may also be able to show aging athletes strengthening exercises to prevent shoulder and knee injuries.

Activities that are joint protective but still provide cardiovascular exercise include water aerobic therapy, cycling and elliptical training. When these are incorporated into routines of more strenuous exercise such as running, tennis and CrossFit, the joints will remain durable longer.

Aging people’s fitness regimens can include rigorous activities but should also consist of exercises that ease the stress placed on the joints.

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WOMEN’S HEALTH

Wait No More

L

AMANDA WILSON

iving—and waiting—in denial is the biggest mistake made by those who are struggling with infertility, says Dr. Amos Madanes, board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and director of Midwest Fertility Center, with locations in Munster and Valparaiso as well as Chicago and Downer’s Grove.

“Denial that there’s a problem getting pregnant means that people postpone seeking help for too long,” he says.

It’s essential, Madanes emphasizes, that those trying to conceive seek professional help in a timely manner. For those 35 years of age or younger, seek professional fertility assistance if you’ve been trying to conceive for a year, and for those 36 years of age or older, seek help if you’ve been trying to conceive for six months.

Not only is it important to seek prompt fertility assistance, but to get help from a reputable, boardcertified endocrinologist, Madanes advises. “I’ve seen too many women who’ve wasted three or four years MIDWEST either not seeking help, or by relying on gynecologists FERTILITY CENTER or obstetricians who aren’t trained fertility experts,” he says.

Locations in Munster While obstetricians and gynecologists and Valparaiso 800.244.0212 can prescribe fertility pills, Madanes ivf.us cautions that the medications rarely work by themselves and should accompany in-vitro fertilization done by board-certified reproductive specialists. “Everyone at our clinic goes through one month of a full evaluation in which we check everything, including sperm health, and a woman’s hormone levels and Fallopian tubes,” he says. “Treatment plans are developed specifically around any problems found.”

Madanes urges those who are having trouble conceiving not to squander their reproductive years by attributing not getting pregnant to stress or other excuses steeped in denial, and not to go to the wrong people. “The sooner you get care, the easier it will be to get pregnant,” he says. “Don’t give up on going home with a baby.”

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Hip and Knee Replacement

“My advice?

Don’t put it off another day.”

Ready to live life to the fullest? With our advanced hip and knee replacement procedures and friendly, dedicated rehabilitation team, Ingalls can get you back to feeling your best faster than you thought possible.

Your only regret will be not having done it sooner.

Specialists available within 24-48 hours. To schedule an appointment or to register for a FREE joint pain seminar, call 708.915.PAIN (7246) or visit Ingalls.org/Classes.

Move Again. Live Again.

SM

Calumet City • Crestwood • Flossmoor • Harvey • Tinley Park

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Table

apples CARRIE STEINWEG

e’ve all heard the old adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

And there’s much truth to it. A healthy diet that is heavy in fresh fruits, like fiberrich and nutrient-filled apples, can help prevent a number of ailments.

A September 2015 article in Medical News Today named apples as one of the 10 healthiest foods, citing a Florida State University study showing a significant drop in LDL cholesterol levels in older women who consumed apples daily for six months.

“The nutrition you get from this 95-calorie fruit is amazing. Most apples contain 4 grams of soluble fiber, which can help lower cholesterol and make you feel full,” says Terri Sakelaris, a dietitian, nutritionist and certified diabetes educator with

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Community Hospital Diabetes Center and Fitness Pointe in Munster. “Apples contain pectin, which helps lower cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. The antioxidants in the apple are great for reducing inflammation, fighting cancer and helping the body recover after exercise.”

What makes this fruit even more attractive is that it’s one of the least expensive fruits and can be kept fresh much longer than other fruits.

“You get the most fruit off a tree from apples. They bear more fruit than most others,” says Mike Swietlik. His family owns Twin Maple Orchards in Galien, Michigan, where they grow 43 varieties of apples. He says you can also save money (usually 25 to 50 cents a pound) by picking your own.

“Apples are a great storing fruit in general,” says Ryan Richardson, owner of County Line Orchard in Hobart. “They’ve been incorporated more into fast food. Kids can now get apples in a Happy Meal.”

When properly stored in a refrigerator, Richardson says most apples can be kept for weeks, even months. “You might be eating an orchard apple around Christmas or the

first of the year if you store it right,” he says, noting that the late-season apples tend to keep for longer than the early varieties.

Much of the health benefit comes from the skin and Richardson says that as new varieties are introduced, the skin becomes more appetizing. “Twenty years ago, most apples had a thick skin and were not as appealing. As new varieties have evolved, like honeycrisp and snow sweet, they’re trying to tailor to the taste benefits as well and have not just a pretty looking one, but a good tasting one as well.”

He says County Line has just planted a new variety called “evercrisp” that will be available in a couple years. He describes it as a cross between a honeycrisp and Fuji.

Versatility is another trait that apples have going for them, which makes them more apt to be consumed. “You can use them in recipes to add tartness or sweetness and to add crunch,” says Sakelaris.

“You can make applesauce, use them for baking, eating, salads, cooking, or for a glaze,” Swietlik adds. “There’s an endless number of things you can do with apples.”

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APPLE PHOTO BY BETH FLETCHER PHOTOGRAPHY, KATIE SANNITO PHOTO BY TONY V. MARTIN

AMAZING

Katie Sannito (aka The Gourmet Goddess) of Munster makes an apple, prosciutto and fig jam panini.

Apple, prosciutto and fig jam panini Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

8 16 1 1-2 ½ Ÿ

Fig preserves slices hearty crusty bread slices prosciutto Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced, with or without skin cups grated Fontina or Gruyere cheese stick butter, melted cup Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat panini press or grill pan (if using a grill pan, use another pan on top of the sandwiches with something to weigh it down so it presses the sandwiches).

Spread a generous layer of

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fig preserves on bread, end to end. On four of the pieces of bread layer cheese, four slices of prosciutto and apple slices.

Place second piece of bread on top of each sandwich.

With a pastry brush, spread melted butter on top and bottom of sandwiches and sprinkle each side with a little Parmesan cheese.

Place sandwiches in press (you may have to press in two shifts) or on grill pan and cook until golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove from pan and let stand for a few minutes. Cut in half and serve.

Source: Katie Sannito of the Gourmet Goddess in Munster

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Orthopaedic Specialists of Northwest Indiana Offers the highest caliber of specialized Orthopedic care to Northwest Indiana & Chicagoland patients.

O

rthopaedic Specialists of Northwest Indiana (OSNI), the largest fully integrated orthopaedic group in Lake County, has been providing world-class care to the patients of Northwest Indiana and the greater Chicago area for twenty years.

“Our physicians and surgeons have trained at the most prestigious institutions from around the country and have been continuously recognized for their research and patient excellence awards,” said Dr. Dwight Tyndall, the Stanford and Hospital for Special Surgery trained spine care specialist.

“Everything related to the treatment of orthopaedic care is offered in one easily accessible modern state of the art facility,” said Dr. Hecht, who is a University of Chicago trained joint surgeon. He further added, “We, the doctors, felt that we should have a modern and welcoming environment for our patients as well as our staff who do a tremendous job taking care of our patients.” The OSNI office offers easy access to parking as well as all needed diagnostics (X-rays, Open MRI) and physical therapy, all under one roof.

By Bob moulesong, Times Correspondent

From L-R: Jack gelman m.d., Faaps Hand, Wrist and Elbow; dwight tyndall, m.d., Faaos Spine Care, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Disc Regenerative Therapy; sunil dedhia m.d., Faaos Sports Medicine, General Orthopedics, Arthroscopic and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Upper/Lower Extremity, Knee Replacement, Work-Related Injuries/ Conditions; nitin khanna m.d., Faaos Spine Care, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery; arshad a. khan dpm Foot and Ankle Surgery; robert W. coats ii m.d., Faaos Hand and Upper Extremity Conditions; Joseph d. hecht m.d., Faaos Hip and Knee Joint Replacement, General Orthopedics

spinal conditions OSNI offers treatment for many spinal conditions including disc herniations, degenerative disc disease, cervical disc disease, spinal stenosis, spinal compression fractures, and spondylolisthesis.

Surgical procedures are considered only after all conservative treatment options have been exhausted, according to Dr. Tyndall.

“We conduct a thorough examination of the patient to determine the best course of action,” Dr. Khanna said. “This examination includes digital X-rays and an open MRI to assist us in a correct diagnosis.”

Alternative options to surgery include physical therapy; exercise, medication, and manipulation are explored and exhausted before surgery is considered.

Joint replacement OSNI offers minimally invasive hip replacement surgery that can have the patient home the day after surgery.

Our joint specialist, Dr. Hecht, has helped champion new procedures including anterior hip replacement, which results in less tissue trauma as the technique goes between muscle planes during

hip replacement, Dr. Tyndall explained. “The artificial implants used include enhanced polyethylene plastic and metal with ceramic properties as well as permitting porous bone ingrowth rather than bone

orthopaedic specialists oF northWest indiana 730 45th Ave., Munster, IN 46321 • (219) 924-3300 • osni.org

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cement. This leads to longer lasting joint replacements compared to earlier designs.

Specially designed surgical instruments are used to prepare the joint to get the implants in place through very small incisions.” Because the new techniques are minimally invasive, patients can return home sooner, even overnight, and return to normal activities faster than ever before.

Workers compensation Given the complexity of treating the injured worker, OSNI has a dedicated team of work comp professionals to ensure a seamless process throughout the entire plan of care. If surgical intervention is needed after failure of nonsurgical conservative treatment, all efforts are made to restore function in a minimally invasive, tissue sparing approach and to get the injured worker back on their feet.

The team of professionals is well versed in both Indiana and Illinois cases. The OSNI physicians understand that dealing with pain and injuries can negatively affect not only a patient’s performance at work but also a patient’s personal life. Therefore, a team approach involving the physicians, staff, case managers and patients is used to assure timely treatment and return to work.

sports surgery

Dr. Sunil Dedhia, a Northwestern Medical School and Orthopaedic residency graduate, who specializes in sports medicine and is the team doctor for Andrean and Purdue Calumet College, explained that the t. To that end the entire practice is structured to focus on the patients, from their first check-in to their rehab after surgery. He further explained that by focusing on just sports medicine and sports surgery he is able to offer the specialized care that sports related injuries such as ACL tears and shoulder rotator cuff tears require.

To speed patients’ recovery and return to active sports as soon as possible Dr. Dedhia utilizes the latest arthroscopy technology in treating these injuries. innovative diagnostic testing OSNI offers innovative diagnostic testing such as an open MRI and digital X-rays.

“Frequently, pain forces patients to seek medical help,” Dr. Tyndall explained. “Our focus is to make our patients as comfortable as possible and that begins with having state-ofthe-art diagnostic testing right

here in our building so patients don’t need to go to multiple places to get their testing done.”

Since many people have a fear of enclosed places such as a traditional MRI, OSNI offers patients an open MRI machine for their test. “We see many patients who are full figured and have difficulty fitting into a regular MRI. Being able to offer these patients an open MRI is a wonderful opportunity to ease their discomfort.

They are already suffering; we don’t want to add to their discomfort.” Dr. Tyndall said OSNI also offers state-of-theart digital X-rays. “Digital X-rays allow the physician to see the results by the time the patient returns to the examination room,” Dr. Dedhia said. “This allows us to shorten the wait time that is often experienced by patients in more traditional type offices.”

physical/occupational therapy We have a seamless process between physician and therapist,” Dr. Coats said. “Being in close proximity allows our staff to communicate as often as needed to ensure that the patient is receiving the best care possible.” Both Dr. Gelman and Dr. Coats agreed, adding that being able to directly speak to the hand therapists about difficult hand rehab cases helps to speed the patients’ recovery and helps to engage the patients in their rehabilitation.

The physical therapy staff has advanced training in joint mobilization and manipulation as well as orthopaedic nonsurgical and post-surgical care.

Staff members are certified in a variety of rehabilitations including sports, joints, hand, spinal and pain centralization.

OSNI brings the highest caliber of specialized orthopedic care to northwest indiana and chicagoland area.

OSNI physicans have been awarded compassionate doctor,top 10 doctor in the state, doctors of excellence, america top orthopedist, and Best of the region. nitin khanna md, sunil dedhia md, and dwight tyndall md received this honor for the difference they have made in their patients’ lives. dwight tyndall md also earned the 2015 on time doctor award. nwi.com/gethealthy

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Fit Life

Risk Management The worst workouts for your spine and joints

W

JULIA PERLA HUISMAN

e all know that exercise is good for us. But some workout moves can do more harm than good. Bonnie Kleinfelder, personal trainer at Community Hospital Fitness Pointe in Munster, says that when trying a new exercise, “The benefit must always outweigh the risk. That is the golden rule.” She also emphasizes that proper form “is essential in attempting to remain injury-free.” We asked Kleinfelder which exercises cause the most injury, and which moves to do instead.

FOR THE BACK Free squats with barbell behind head Why they’re harmful: “The risk to your cervical spine by placing weight on it is way greater than any benefit you would receive,” Kleinfelder says.

What to do instead: Squat with dumbbells. Kleinfelder recommends holding a dumbbell in each hand while squatting. It provides sufficient resistance without straining your spine.

of their long range of motion.

What to do instead: “Abdominal crunches, when executed in proper form, are much less a risk because of the smaller range of motion,” Kleinfelder says. “(They) also target the abdominal muscles only.”

FOR THE SHOULDERS Lateral shoulder raises on the machine Why they’re harmful: Because most people use too long a range of motion on the lateral shoulder raise machine, “the biggest risk of injury is impinging the rotator cuff muscles,” Kleinfelder says.

What to do instead: Lateral and side shoulder raises with dumbbells. This works the shoulders in a safer way, though proper form is still crucial.

FOR THE HIPS Lunges Why they’re harmful: They’re only harmful when using incorrect form, which is a common problem. “If your knee caves in instead of stacking directly over the toes, you stand the risk of overuse injuries to your quad, IT band and lower hamstring,” Kleinfelder says. This can lead to inflammation of the hip joint.

What to do instead: “Perform hip hikes and hip adduction/abduction exercises to strengthen the hip muscles before you add lunging into your exercise program,” she says.

FOR THE KNEES Squats Why they’re harmful: Again, it’s all about form. “Leaning forward when performing a squat places too much pressure on the knees, eventually causing knee pain,” Kleinfelder says.

What to do instead: Wall ball squats, which force you to push up through the heels instead of the knee joints.

Then, Kleinfelder suggests practicing sitting and standing. “Squatting is simply a function of everyday living—sitting down and standing up,” she says. “Practice sitting and standing in this new way so that it becomes natural.”

Situps Why they’re harmful: The standard situp places too much compression on the spine and fatigues many muscle groups because

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Dr. Jay Platt has served Northwest Indiana for over 20 years with quality oral surgery care. Choosing an oral surgeon is an important decision. Our team is composed of experienced professionals who are dedicated to your care. Dr. Platt attends 100 or more hours of Continuing Education per year and provides many Continuing Education seminars to the surrounding dental community often lecturing himself. Dr. Platt has extensive training and expertise in placing dental implants, preserving and rebuilding the jaw, and treating conditions that affect a person’s face, teeth and mouth structures. Dr. Platt has placed thousands of dental implants over the past 25 years - placing his first one in 1989. We have a state-of-the-art Cone Beam CT Scanner in our office which provides 3D images enabling us to better plan for patient care and treatment. We offer a no-cost consultation and a complimentary CT scan if necessary for patients who are treated by Dr. Platt.

Do You Need to Go to an Implant Center?

You have undoubtedly seen and heard t.v. and radio ads promoting implant centers which are springing up all over the country. Many of them are advertising the convenience of having everything under one roof: the surgeon, the prosthodontist, the dental lab and a CT scan. It is certainly convenient for the patients and the doctors providing treatment to have everything in one location; however, convenience should not be the primary consideration with implant treatment. The most important factors should be the experience of the treating clinicians, especially

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since surgical procedures are involved, so that each patient receives the optimal outcome. Some implant centers claim to be the leaders in implant dentistry and to have more experience than other clinicians. It is implied that because of the volume of implants placed and restored they are more experienced. However, the volume of implants placed in some cases is for all of their centers. The truth is that some of the doctors in these centers are very experienced and some are not any more experienced than their colleagues in the area. Some implant centers have general dentists placing and restoring

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implants who do not have near the training or experience as specialists. It is important to remember that this “advertising” is intended to “sell” the benefits of those particular implant centers, and you should take this into consideration when evaluating your various options.

New Teeth in One Day??

We get many patients asking about the TV commercials and billboards that promise Teeth in A Day®. It is somewhat of a misleading statement. However, Dr. Platt, working with your dentist, can in some cases AFTER planning remove your teeth (if necessary), place implants and attach fixed teeth in one procedure. We are happy to see you to discuss and work with your dentist or refer you to one of our restorative colleagues.

No Need to Change Dentists!

Unlike some “one stop shop” dental implant centers that make you use their dentists; we work with you and your current dentist. We are very fortunate in that in Northwest Indiana and Northeastern Illinois, there are many outstanding restorative clinicians. Dr. Platt works with most of them on a regular basis. We would encourage you to seek treatment from your current dentist whom you have a long standing relationship with. If you do not currently have a dentist, we can refer you to one that we work with frequently.

Please feel free to contact our implant coordinator, Monette, if you have any questions about treatment or to schedule a no-cost consultation.

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Families

FIT

22

KIDS

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How to keep children healthy this school year

A

JENNIFER PALLAY

new school year means a fresh start to keeping kids on the healthy track. Local experts say that even as days grow shorter and schedules busier, parents should make healthy eating, physical activity and a safe environment a priority.

“School, homework and afterschool events create busy schedules where parents and children are stressed for time,” says Danny Gonzalez, health and wellness coordinator at St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart. “There is evidence that cutting corners on nutrition and fitness is leading to epidemic levels of obesity.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, the number of overweight or obese infants and young children (0 to 5 years old) increased to 42 million in 2013 from 32 million globally in 1990. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years, Gonzalez says. Gonzalez, who has collaborated with faculty and staff at the Portage Township YMCA and school system, encourages families to take advantage of programs offered at schools, parks departments and local Ys. Phrosini Samis-Smith, fitness assessment and outreach coordinator at Munster’s Community Hospital Fitness Pointe, says the facility oversees a variety of community outreach programs designed to help youths stay healthy. She encourages parents to think outside the box when it comes to nutrition and exercise.

The Take 5 for Life grant program provides health, physical activity and nutrition information to fifth-grade students and younger. A Teens Membership program allows children 12 to 15 to become members of Fitness Pointe if they work out with their respective parent or guardian.

Fit Trip takes place in spring and allows local elementary schools to come for two hours on a Friday to learn about nutrition, and take part in relays, Zumba and yoga.

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MOVE Samis-Smith says staying healthy doesn’t always translate into sports. “Encourage them to walk around the block, play at the playground or if they have a pet, take them for a walk,” she says.

She recommends making it fun and creative. “Fitness could be raking leaves in the yard and then when completed, the child can jump into the pile of leaves... Try making it an event for the entire family to do. With as many bike trails as there are, this gives a family the opportunity to spend time together and For more information on healthy eating go ride the and staying active, bike trail.” visit choosemyplate.

Gonzalez gov, eatright.org, and kidshealth.org. says when it comes to keeping kids active, participation is key. “All kids are different,” he says. “Some are self-motivated, others need a little encouragement. Kids want to see family and friends engaged (with them). Stay active together. We can all benefit from such physical activities.”

Having too much screen time like texting, video games and social media can consume much of a child’s time that could be spent being physically active.

Try walking, jogging, biking (call the Portage Y for info about Portage on the Move), skating, hiking, swimming, playing catch, kickball, gardening or even joining the local Boy or Girl Scout troops. All are simple, and some free, ways to stay active.

VISIT

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“Many companies make snack sizes of other things, such as chips and cookies, so this will help kids start to recognize that a snack size bag of Oreos is not them eating the whole row in a package,” Samis-Smith says.

Gonzalez says most children should eat from all five food categories: fruit, veggies, grains, lean protein and dairy. His tips include avoiding oversized portions, switching to fat-free or low-fat milk, making sure half the plate displays fruits and veggies, eating whole grains, avoiding solid

fats and added sugar and salt, and drinking water instead of sugared beverages.

Even though school lunches are healthier these days, it doesn’t necessarily mean children are eating all the nutritious food being served to them. Choosemyplate. gov helps children see what healthy eating looks like.

THINK Gonzalez reminds parents that keeping up with their children’s mental health is equally important. “Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in teenagers 15 to 19 years,” he says, listing some causes: “loss of hope, loneliness, lack of confidence, and poor self-esteem or body image.” “‘I feel fat!’ ‘I hate my body!’ ‘Food is the enemy!’ ‘I wish I had a skinny and fit body like him/her!’ Any of this sound familiar? These can lead to eating disorders. Staying physically active has many benefits to mental health. In many ways, we are beginning to understand it all better. I encourage all of us to begin eating smarter and participating in some daily physical activities today.”

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PHOTO BY JONATHAN MIANO

EAT Samis-Smith says children should always start the day with breakfast. Even if they are running late, they can grab yogurt or a breakfast bar. Also, if they are in sports or other activities, pack a snack for them to eat beforehand.

For lunches, parents should note what time their child eats. If students have an early lunch and a long time between meals, pack a lunch that gets them through the afternoon or, if their school allows it, send an afternoon snack.

Hammond’s Lincoln Elementary School students participate in a yoga class led by Fitness Pointe.

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Mind

CHANGING LIGHT, CHANGING SYMPTOMS

I

SHANNON ROONEY

t’s starting to get darker earlier and for people who suffer from depression, the changing light in the fall can add to depressive symptoms.

It’s more than just the blues, say mental health experts.

Signs your depression is worsening due to the change in seasons include: • Lack of energy • Sleeping more and for longer than is customary • Irritability and difficulty getting along with other people • Increased desire for food with lots of carbohydrates • Weight gain • Reduced desire and interest in activities you normally enjoy • Feelings of sadness and hopelessness Fall isn’t the only time of year to be vigilant about exacerbated symptoms, according to Anissa Rivers, a psychologist

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at Merrillville-based Regional Mental Health Center. “Although most people have more difficulty with seasonal depression at the onset of winter, there is also a small percentage of people that become more anxious, irritable, have difficulty with sleeping, less appetite, and have some weight changes in the spring or summertime,” she says.

Various treatments can alleviate symptoms. “Psychotherapy, light therapy and medications are possible treatments depending on the type and severity of the symptoms the person is experiencing,” Rivers says. “Consulting a physician or a mental health professional is the first step.”

If you’re already on medication, an adjustment might be necessary. Professionals can also recommend a variety of treatments, like those already mentioned, as well as spending time outdoors, increased sunlight and exercise, all of which can help ease symptoms. Therapy lights, which are readily available online, mimic sunlight to improve mood and come in a variety of shapes and

sizes from desk lamps to floor lamps.

When someone you care about exhibits depressive symptoms, it’s important to stay supportive and objective. Depression is more than a seasonal funk to power through.

“Withdrawal from others and irritability are two very common symptoms,” River says, “so realizing this is part of a pattern of symptoms instead of interpersonal argument might help decrease the conflict that can sometimes happen when a loved one doesn’t understand what is happening.”

Patience and compassion are your best tools. If possible, Rivers advises, encourage those with symptoms to seek professional help. You can also suggest more sun or additional light in their daily routine—the earlier in the day the better. Taking walks (in- or outdoors), making rooms brighter and spending time outside can really make a difference. “If light and outdoor activities are hard to manage due to circumstances, exercise helps as well and is always better with a friend, so offer to join in!” Rivers adds.

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What to say (and what not to say) to people with depression

When someone we love seems down, it’s natural to want to help. But everyone with depression experiences the disorder in a different way.

It’s hard to know what to say. Here’s how you can offer support: DO let your loved one know they’re not alone. A simple “I’m here for you” can mean a lot.

DON’T encourage a person with depression to “look on the bright side.” Depression is a disorder that affects brain chemicals that dictate mood. While positive thinking may be helpful as part of a long-term, holistic treatment for depression, it’s not always possible for someone at their lowest.

DO offer compassion. Attempting to sympathize using general statements often feels condescending to the depressed person. For example, saying “I know how you feel; I was depressed for a month after I lost my job,” is not helpful. It’s okay to admit you don’t know exactly how your loved one feels. Offer compassion instead with statements like, “I don’t know exactly what you’re going through, but I care about you and I want to help.”

DON’T use “should” statements.

Unless you’re their chosen health professional, e.g. physician, psychologist, or therapist, it’s best not to dole out advice. Telling a person with depression what they “should” do, when they don’t feel it’s possible, may just contribute to feelings of hopelessness and low self-esteem.

DO offer helpful suggestions.

“How about a walk around the block together?” is more supportive than “You should get out of the house more often.”

DO offer to get help. The smallest tasks often seem insurmountable to a person with depression. Offer to help your loved one set up a doctor’s appointment or find a therapist in their area.

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27

R

GILES BRUCE

aquel Williams thought she was just looking for a Mother’s Day present. Turns out she was searching for something else.

The Griffith college student went to buy her mom a gift certificate for Reiki, an alternative healing technique that uses energy to promote stress-reduction and relaxation. Williams got to talking to the Reiki practitioner, the Rev. Rose Fier, and discovered the difference it might make in her own life.

She’s been doing it on a monthly basis ever since.

“It feels like a really good meditation,” says Williams, 25. “It’s like an oil change but by a mechanic you really love and who really cares about you. And while she’s in there, she might fix your A/C and put up an air freshener and a flower on the dashboard.”

Williams is one of the increasing number of Northwest Indiana residents turning to alternative medicine to improve their physical and emotional well-being. That category of medicine includes more mainstream practices like chiropractic, meditation and yoga, as well as lesser-known ones like cranial osteopathy, Rolfing and shiatsu.

With more and more natural healing practitioners opening up shop in the Region,

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they say they don’t want to replace modern medicine but complement it.

“I don’t go against doctors. I work with doctors,” says Fier, owner of Munster-based Reiki Energetix. “I’m not trying to take their patients away. I’m trying to help their patients have a higher success rate of healing.”

Schererville chiropractor Lori Enevoldsen uses a Litmus strip to assess a patient’s acid/ alkaline levels.

with a lot of self-care.”

Sasak and Bishop Bohren are among several local practitioners who are Northwest Indiana natives who lived for a time in progressive bastions, such as Portland, Oregon, and Boulder, Colorado, before moving back to the Region.

A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT

GROWING ACCEPTANCE OF ALTERNATIVES

Even local hospitals and doctor’s offices are getting in on the trend. Methodist Hospitals and Community Healthcare System both offer yoga to cancer patients; Community also provides them with Reiki. Dr. Faleh Atassi, a family physician with the Porter Physician Group, does medical acupuncture. Ingalls Health System has hypnosis, aromatherapy and reflexology at its wellness center in Flossmoor.

Rebecca Sasak, an acupuncturist at Thrive Center for Integration and Healing in Chesterton, doesn’t like the term “alternative” medicine because it implies you have to utilize one kind of medicine or the other. “I prefer integrative,” she says.

For instance, she cares for cancer patients to relieve the symptoms of their treatments. Her partner at Thrive Center, therapist Kelly Bishop Bohren, works with a nurse practitioner if her clients need psychiatric drugs. “I marry East and West,” Bishop Bohren says. “If people are invested in their treatments and do hard work themselves, they can stop taking medications

“I think people are just tired of taking pills,” says Nick Wawok, director of The Lotus Center in Valparaiso. “If you look at Chinese medicine, it’s 10,000 years old. We’re putting so much stock into things we invented in the last 50 to 100 years.”

Wawok practices Rolfing, a sort of deep massage that uses the knuckles and elbows to realign the body’s connective tissue. The Lotus Center also offers Access Bars (releasing stored energy in the brain and body), shiatsu (similar to acupuncture, but with the hands instead of needles) and cranial osteopathy (a manipulation of the skull and top of the spine).

“It’s astonishing: the power of the mind over the body and vice versa,” Wawok says. “You can heal the mind and thereby heal the body, or you can start healing the body and the mind follows suit.”

Like The Lotus Center, many natural health centers in the Region offer a variety of services to treat clients in a holistic fashion.

“We collaborate with each other because

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NICK WAWOK PHOTO BY PENNY FRAZIER, DR. LORI ENEVOLDSEN PHOTO BY TONY V. MARTIN

MEDICINE on the rise IN NWI

Nick Wawok, director of The Lotus Center in Valparaiso, practices meditation and teaches Rolfing.

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FIRST MODERN, THEN ALTERNATIVE

Dr. Chiedu Nchekwube, a Merrillville physician on staff at Methodist Hospitals, started off as a family practice doctor but quickly realized that by prescribing medications with negative side effects he was going against the physician’s mantra of doing no harm.

So he earned a subspecialty in integrated medicine, and now incorporates naturopathy and homeopathy into his practice. He prescribes vitamins, supplements and herbs for a variety of conditions. “I use all modalities to take care of people with as little harm as possible and also empower patients to take care of themselves, to be a teacher of wellness rather than rescue somebody from illness,” he says.

Nchekwube uses natural remedies to treat opioid addiction, breeched pregnancies and hypertension, as well as to just keep people well and feeling like their best selves.

“The medication of the future will be

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Dyer acupuncturist Jason Wilson puts needles into Juliana Rospond, of Crown Point, during a recent treatment.

meditation, exercise, whole food that is nutrient-dense and supplements,” he says.

“Rarely will you need medicine. You will be able to take care of yourself another way.”

“A nation that is sick is vulnerable,” he adds.

“If we keep people well, the hospitals can close, and that’s OK.” Dr. Kalpana Doshi, who practiced anesthesiology for nearly three decades, changed her career path after acupuncture helped relieve her back pain. She now does medical acupuncture in Munster.

“Nowadays people are more open to other matters of treatment before they go for surgery,” she says. “Everybody’s scared of surgery, and the guarantees aren’t there. If something simpler can help, why not do that?”

Doshi, though, argues that with the rise of technology, old methods like acupuncture are even less accepted, as many doctors opt for the latest-and-greatest treatments, regardless of their efficacy.

OLD MEDICINE

As acupuncturist Jason Wilson puts needles into Crown Point esthetician Juliana Rospond’s skin on a recent day in Dyer, she notes that she started acupuncture to relieve the hand and back pain that comes with her job.

“You want to find a sore spot,” Wilson says, bending over to examine her closer.

“That’s the body’s way of telling you where to treat.”

He notes that, because of the internet, people are more informed than ever about all kinds of medicine. He believes natural medicine should be used to keep people well, while Western medicine should be there in case of trauma. “If you break your arm, thank god for the hospital,” he remarks.

Lying on the table, Rospond says she notices the pain relief from the acupuncture instantly.

“Give it a shot,” she recommends. “It’s been around thousands of years, so there must be something to it.”

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JASON WILSON PHOTO BY GILES BRUCE

everything is done here with no medication,” says Pam Kozy, owner and director of Heart in Hand Natural Health Center in Highland.

“It’s all done through tapping and massage and stimulating endorphins in the body through acupuncture points and things like that.”

Jerry Ashmore has been practicing Buddhist meditation since 1978, founding a meditation group at a Hobart church in the early 1990s.

That group, Empty Circle, now has more members than ever. He says meditation has helped him be less stressed, and more mindful and relaxed.

“The word mindfulness itself has gone mainstream,” he notes, adding: “It works. If it didn’t work, it wouldn’t become popular.”

When Andy Wichlinski began teaching yoga in 1979, he was one of about a half-dozen instructors in Northwest Indiana. But the popularity of that and other natural healing practices has grown significantly, owing to the media paying more attention to them and Asian immigrants bringing them to the Region.

He now teaches yoga, tai chi and qigong at Community Hospital Fitness Pointe and the Cancer Resource Centre, both in Munster.

“I think people are fed up with the medical model,” says Lori Enevoldsen, a Schererville chiropractor who also works with essential oils and measures patients’ adrenal fatigue. “I think they’re looking for a change. You can’t keep doing the same things and expecting different results.”

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Best Friend

Careful Consumption Foods and plants that are harmful for pets

M

ilk, garlic, onions and sugar—they’re all household staples commonly found in the kitchen. What many don’t realize, however, is how dangerous—and potentially deadly—they can be to our four-legged friends.

One Munster resident, however, is working to make sure pet owners in Northwest Indiana know just how perilous these common foods and plants can be to cats and dogs.

After losing their beloved Westie, Milou, Tom and Elizabeth Grosser were devastated.

Tom knew he wanted to memorialize Milou by helping strengthen After Tom the bond between other pet Grosser lost his dog Milou, he set owners and their four-legged out to do something loved ones. meaningful in Over the years, while visiting memory of her.

Milou’s veterinarian, the Grossers enjoyed talking to others in the waiting room and found that many were unaware of not only the most common poisonous plants and foods, but the hundreds found right in their own homes.

“They loved them and would do anything for them, but were just blatantly ignorant of the things [their pets] can eat or ingest that would kill them or severely harm them,” Tom Grosser says.

After Milou died, Tom attended a

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Late Summer 2016

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volunteer event and began working with the Independent Cat Society, a nonprofit no-kill cat shelter in Westville. It was through conversations with the group that he decided to further investigate plants and foods that are harmful to pets—and was astonished at the results.

Although many are aware of common harmful plants and foods like poinsettias, chocolate and grapes, there are in fact more than 700 toxic plants and dozens of foods and beverages.

“Mistletoe threw me, as did stems from sweet potatoes or any potato, or stems from tomato plants,” Grosser says.

Other foods on the list: caffeine, chives, garlic, liver, mushrooms, nuts, onions, raw eggs and fish, rhubarb, salty foods and the artificial sweetener Xylitol, among others.

Despite the popularity in giving them to dogs, meat bones are a no-no because they may splinter and lodge within the intestine.

If raw, bones may contain salmonella or E. coli, Grosser says. Even ham and bacon can cause pancreatitis, he says.

While cats are known for enjoying a bowl

of milk, dairy products can cause diarrhea.

“About 30 percent of cats are not lactose intolerant, but the majority are,” Grosser says. Plants like tulips, daffodils, hyacinth and lilies can be dangerous as well, he says.

According to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, more than 100,000 pet poisonings are reported each year.

Grosser has been working with Dr. Kerri Ratsalis, a veterinarian at Ridge Animal Clinic in Lansing, to develop a comprehensive list of poisonous plants and foods so pets belonging to residents in the Region don’t become a part of that statistic.

Grosser’s goal is to distribute the list to veterinarian offices, animal shelters and rescue organizations throughout Northwest Indiana.

“If someone reads this and because of it, one cat or one dog is saved, I will die a very happy person,” Grosser says.

If a pet ingests a potentially harmful substance, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center operates a 24-hour, 365-day poison-related emergency number at 888.426.4435.

FOODS SAFE TO FEED CATS AND DOGS • Apples (without the core) • Asparagus • Bananas • Bell peppers: green, red and yellow • Blueberries • Broccoli florets • Cantaloupe • Carrots • Cauliflower • Celery

• • • • • •

Cucumber Green beans Mangoes Peaches Pears Potato (including sweet potato) • Pumpkin • Spinach • Squash • Strawberries • Watermelon • Zucchini

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MILOU PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM GROSSER

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