Middlesex Health & Life April 2010

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THE GOOD LIVING MAG AZINE

from SAINT PETER’S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

M I D D L E S E X H E A LT H & LIFE ■

APRIL 2010

MIDDLESEX & health

life

April 2010 / $3.95

Jersey’s top 10 film moments Cruises: The newest, handiest, healthiest SOUTHERN CHIC: Delta’s Restaurant in New Brunswick

HEALTH WATCH ■

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Crazy cures—that work!

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How experts sleuth out genetic disorders

Style guru

Lloyd Boston’s

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Contents

42

20

46 April 2010

34 Faces of Saint Peter’s

Features 12 At home /

Cookin’ good

Two New Jersey kitchen renovations reflect vastly different styles—but yield equally stunning results.

16

Jersey’s top 10 film moments Our panel of movie experts shares its picks.

20 Escapes /

Conversations with Donald R. Polakoff, M.D., orthopedic surgeon, and C.S. Pitchumoni, M.D., chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Nutrition at Saint Peter’s

36 Inside look Battling genetic diseases A growing field of medicine helps people with rare and not-sorare disorders.

Sea the world

Shake up your cruise routine with these three options.

39 Tech savvy Colon surgery, improved Using a single small

24 Spotlight /

Fashion compassion

TV style guru Lloyd Boston has won fame for delivering chic, modern makeovers with nice-guy attitude.

incision makes procedures more minimally invasive than ever.

40 Seasonal health Don’t let motion sickness spoil your journey

Departments

There are several ways to ease that queasy feeling.

42 Up close 4 Welcome letter 6 Editor’s letter 10 Flash

Captured moments around the county

28 Health watch · ‘Crazy’ cures that work · Picture of health

32 The buzz

Voice of empathy This immigrant’s experience gives him a special feeling for others’ spiritual needs.

44 Glorious food This spud’s for you Cheap, versatile and nutritious, the plentiful potato is a wonder food.

46 Middlesex gourmet Down-home delights A chic atmosphere and enticing Southern cuisine happily combine at Delta’s Restaurant in New Brunswick.

Notable events at Saint Peter’s University Hospital

48 Faces of Middlesex Dim sum and then some COVER IMAGE : COURTESY OF LLOYD BOSTON

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SPECIAL EVENTS Rutgers Day Saturday, April 24 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM A day of family fun and entertainment across the New Brunswick and Piscataway campuses of Rutgers University.

Health screenings provided by Saint Peter’s clinical staff.

For more information visit http://rutgersday.rutgers.edu/.

Annual Gala Saturday, May 8 | 6:00 PM – Midnight The Heldrich, 10 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick Annual black-tie fundraising gala hosted by the Saint Peter’s Foundation. Music and entertainment provided

by Red Hot Rhythm. $500/person; various sponsorships available to support Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. For more information call the Saint Peter’s Foundation at 732-745-8542.

Just for the Health of It Saturday, May 15 | Noon – 6:00 PM Buccleuch Park, New Brunswick Annual community health fair co-sponsored by Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, New Brunswick’s Division of Recreation and 9 Ether Entertainment. Live music, healthy foods, games, contests, sporting events and fun for the entire family.

Call Mike or Molly at 732-745-5125 for information.

Third Annual Bike Ride for Amy Sunday, June 6 | 8:00 AM South Brunswick Community Center 124 New Road, Monmouth Junction Founded in memory of Amy Behar, the Amy Foundation funds screening mammograms for women without health insurance. For more information about the Amy Foundation, please visit www.amyfoundation.org.

Saint Peter’s Community Golf Outing Tuesday, June 29 7:00 AM Registration and continental breakfast 8:00 AM Shotgun start Forsgate Country Club, 375 Forsgate Drive, Jamesburg Proceeds to benefit Saint Peter’s Healthcare System.

For information, please call the Saint Peter’s Foundation at 732-745-8542.

SAVE THE DATE: Saint Peter’s Fireworks Night at the Somerset Patriots Friday, July 16 TD Bank Ballpark, Bridgewater For tickets and information call 908-252-0700.

Welcome LETTER

Sharing the wealth AN OLD LATIN PROVERB SAYS “BY LEARNING YOU will teach; by teaching you will learn.” As I think about the people in this issue of Middlesex Health & Life, it occurs to me they have one thing in common: They are all lifelong students, and they are all teachers on many levels.

Dr. Debra-Lynn Day-Salvatore, director of the Institute for Genetic Medicine, knows better than anyone the basis of our health and well-being. If we don’t understand the genetics that underlie our medical conditions, she says, we will be left merely treating symptoms. Dr. Day-Salvatore lectures at home and abroad, and physicians from all over the world seek her advice on difficult diagnoses. She and her staff also spend a great deal of time educating patients about their conditions (Inside Look on page 36).

Faces of Saint Peter’s, pages 34 and 35, features two physicians who also share the wealth of their knowledge. Dr. Donald Polakoff, orthopedic surgeon, was recently recognized by our orthopedic nurses for his focus on education. He knows that by empowering nurses with information, his patients receive better postoperative care. Dr. C.S. Pitchumoni is an internationally renowned expert in gastroenterology and pancreatic disease. He lectures internationally, reads and writes extensively, has served on the editorial boards of many medical journals, and is currently editing his third and fourth books, due to be published this year. He holds faculty positions at various medical colleges and is a great and trusted mentor to his students and residents.

Dr. Sanjiv Patankar, colorectal surgeon, has trained to perfect his skills in a new minimally invasive procedure that reduces discomfort for his patients (Tech Savvy, page 39).

Finally, Tabiri Chukunta, our Up Close profilee, has spent years in thoughtful discovery and education searching for answers to a deeply personal question: How can I serve?

Learning and sharing knowledge is the culture throughout Saint Peter’s. We take seriously our traditions as a teaching hospital, which, I am proud to say, keeps us at the forefront of exceptional patient care.

Sincerely,

AL GLOVER Executive Director Saint Peter’s University Hospital

254 EASTON AVENUE | NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 08901

732.745.8600 | www.saintpetersuh.com

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Editor’s LETTER

Refresh for spring!

THE OUT-OF-DATE JACKET. THE TOO-YOUNGfor-you dress. The used-to-fit pants. Whatever fashion skeletons are hiding in the back of your closet, Lloyd Boston wants you bring them out in the open—and then purge them.

Boston—a New Brunswick native (and Oprah favorite) who hosts Closet Cases, a fashion makeover show on the Fine Living Network—espouses a “less is modern” philosophy that can have you looking chic while saving money. Sound too good to be true? Read all about his strategy—plus his rise to fame, his Middlesex roots and his top style tips for spring—in “Fashion Compassion” on page 24.

We spotlight a different kind of makeover in our At Home story on page 12, where we share the stunning results of two enviable New Jersey kitchen renovations, each with its own distinct style. Prepare to be impressed.

More fun awaits in “Jersey’s Top 10 Film Moments.” We asked a panel of movie experts to choose the Garden State’s cinematic “best of.” We tabulated the results and present them on page 16. Check out their picks—and let us know if your favorite is missing!

Those dreaming of a spring or summer getaway can turn to “Sea the World” on page 20, where we describe three different styles of cruises—all sure to help you rejuvenate.

For a much shorter but still refreshing escape, let us recommend a meal at Delta’s Restaurant in New Brunswick, where creative Southern cuisine mixes with chic environs and—on select days—finger-tapping jazz. Get the lowdown on page 46.

And for a luxurious meal right in your own home, check out the recipe for gnocchi with butter thyme sauce on page 44. You can thank us later.

With the start of spring now upon us, here’s hoping it’s a season of good health and good living, and that you take the time to enjoy all the wonders that Middlesex has to offer.

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APRIL 2010 Middlesex Health & Life Staff

editor in chief RITA GUARNA

art director SARAH LECKIE

senior editor TIMOTHY KELLEY

managing editor JENNIFER CENICOLA

assistant editor KRISTIN COLELLA

editorial interns ARIEL JONES , DIANE SZULECKI

art intern PATRICE HORVATH

executive vice president, publishing director DEBORAH JONES BARROW

regional advertising director DOUGLAS C . BARKER JR . director, internet and new media NIGEL EDELSHAIN

web editor ANNMARIE MARANO

director of production CHRISTINE HAMEL

marketing manager SEAN GALLAGHER

sales & marketing coordinator ELIZABETH MEE

senior art director, agency services KIJOO KIM

director of advertising services THOMAS RAGUSA

circulation director LAUREN MENA

editorial contributions: The editors invite letters, article ideas and other contributions from readers. Please write to Editor, Middlesex Health & Life, 110 Summit Avenue, Montvale, NJ 07645; telephone 201-571-7003; fax 201-782-5319; e-mail editor@wainscotmedia.com. Any manuscript or artwork should be accompanied by a selfaddressed envelope bearing adequate return postage. The magazine is not responsible for the return or loss of submissions. advertising inquiries: Please contact Doug Barker at 201-573-5557 or doug.barker@wainscotmedia.com.

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Whysmart dokids Saint Peter’s Healthcare System president and chief executive officer RONALD C . RAK , J . D .

chief marketing officer PETER CONNOLLY

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director, marketing and media relations MICHELLE LAZZAROTTI

marketing and public relations representative VIRGINIA SCIORRA

Saint Peter’s University Hospital executive director ALFRED GLOVER

president, medical and dental staff SUZETTE JOHNSON , M . D .

Saint Peter’s Health and Management Services Corporation

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executive director STEVEN S . RADIN , ESQ .

254 Easton Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. For more information about Saint Peter’s facilities and services, please visit www.saintpetersuh.com or call 732-745-8600.

SKNJ1011

SAINT PETER’S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

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subscription services: To inquire about a subscription, to change an address or to purchase a back issue or a reprint of an article, please write to Middlesex Health

& Life, Circulation Department, PO Box 1788, Land O Lakes, FL 34639; telephone 813-996-6579; e-mail lauren.mena@wainscotmedia.com.

Middlesex Health & Life is published four times a year

by Wainscot Media, 110 Summit Avenue, Montvale, NJ 07645, in association with Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. This is Volume 4, Issue 1. ©2010 by Wainscot Media LLC. All rights reserved. Subscriptions in U.S.: $14.00 for one year. Single copies: $3.95.

Material contained herein is for informational purposes only. If you have medical concerns, seek the advice of a healthcare professional. Acceptance of advertising by Middlesex Health & Life does not constitute an endorsement of products or services.

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FLASH PARTYGOERS CELEBRATED THE NEW Year for a good cause as the State Theatre of New Jersey hosted its second-annual New Year’s Eve party at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick.

The bash featured dinner, dancing and a live and silent auction, and was highlighted by a fireworks display launched from the hotel’s roof at midnight. At the Mason Gross Art Galleries, also in New Brunswick, meanwhile, the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions held its 2010 gala, with live entertainment, an art sale, food, drinks and more. The not-for-profit center, housed at Rutgers University, was established to help both established and emerging artists create groundbreaking work.

1.

3

2.

4

5

7

6

8

BRODSKY CENTER GALA 2010

1. Diane Garback and Cathy Nicola

5. Nancy and Lila El Naggar

2. Carolyn Horn

6. Sasha Flimlin and Roz Jacobs

3. Karla and Wes Brustad

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4. Sheryl Curtis

7. Tricia Kallet, honoree Audrey Gould and Craig Klosk 8. Clarence Pearson and Frazeal Harris

Think you belong in Flash? Send photos from your gala or charity event to Middlesex Health & Life, att: Flash editor, 110 Summit Avenue, Montvale, NJ 07645; or e-mail editor@wainscotmedia.com. Include your contact information, a short event description and names of all who appear. (Submissions are not guaranteed to appear and must meet the following image specs: 4x6 color prints or 300 dpi jpg, tif or eps files. Prints must be accompanied by an SASE in order to be returned.)

CHRISTOPHER GORE

STATE THEATRE OF NEW JERSEY NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY

FISCAL FITNESS CERTIFIED DIVORCE FINANCIAL ANALYSTTM

HELP! I need somebody!

W elcome to the latest edition of Fiscal Fitness! Whether you’re a Beatles fan or not, I am sure you have heard that song.

Many individuals who have come to me over the last year have been challenged with rebuilding their retirement savings – particularly those who recently retired or lost their jobs. A lot of investors who got out of the markets are now fearful about getting back into the equity markets after the surge from the March lows of 2009. The common question I hear is can I do it? Can I make it through retirement? Is it too late to get back into the market?

Market volatility, inflation, rising healthcare costs and concerns about the future of social security all factor heavily into our retirement income planning. I think most people still underestimate the amount of income required to fund a retirement that could last 20-30 years! For the ladies who read my column, you have even more challenges—greater longevity, statistically lower earnings which mean less social security and pensions, among other things. Recently widowed or divorced?

Not only do you have the same challenges, but you have the emotional rollercoaster to go with it.

The main reason we invest is not to beat an index, but to meet a personal goal like “I want to retire comfortably at 65.” How are you progressing toward your goal? If you haven’t done so yet, now is the time to take

a hard look at your financial picture. If you need help, get it. There are some great financial calculator websites to get you started and organized like www.dinkytown.com. Then meet with a Certified Financial Planner Practitioner™ who has the expertise in the areas you need help with.

Suddenly single? As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™, I meet with individuals who are about to divorce. Many times, the person I meet with may not be as financially savvy as the other spouse and is looking to gain a clear understanding of their financial picture pre and post divorce. While divorce financial planning can be applied to litigated, mediated and collaborative divorce cases, it is most effective when begun early in the process. It is especially productive in cases where there are complicated financial issues, significant assets or an imbalance of knowledge between the divorcing couple.

Principal, Harbor Lights Financial Group, Inc., has been providing comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services for over 15 years. She is a member of the Association of Divorce Financial Planners, Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts and currently serves as an executive board member of the Jersey Shore Collaborative Law Group.

She has been quoted in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine and has been a frequent guest on Good Day New York.

For a private, no-obligation consultation, please call 800-995-HLFG or e-mail debra.fournier@hlfg.com.

Now more than ever is the time to plan for your financial future. Please call if you would like more information about my financial concepts and strategies. N

Debra Fournier Certified Financial Planner® Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™

Debra Fournier is not an attorney and does not provide legal advice. All information is financial in nature and should not be construed or relied upon as legal advice. Individuals seeking legal advice should solicit the counsel of competent legal professionals knowledgeable about the divorce laws in their geographical areas. Securities offered through LPL Financial Member FINRA/SIPC

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Debra Fournier, CFP®, CDFATM

2424 Highway 34 Manasquan, NJ 08736 800-995-HLFG www.hlfg.com http://divorce.hlfg.com debra.fournier@hlfg.com

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COOKIN’ GOOD TWO NEW JERSEY KITCHEN RENOVATIONS REFLECT VASTLY DIFFERENT STYLES— BUT YIELD EQUALLY STUNNING RESULTS

Clean scene How could a house with curb appeal and an open floor plan have a dark, cramped kitchen cut off from other living areas? Interior designers Stuart Schepps and Audrey Leigh Nevins of DSGN Interiordesign Inc. of Cedar Grove may never know, but, like their clients, they appreciated the house’s potential.

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To open up the space, Schepps and Nevins replaced the wall between the kitchen and the rest of the living areas with half-walls of translucent resin. An addition doubled the space to 20 by 22 feet. Best of all, peeling off the plasterboard ceiling provided the opportunity to create a dramatic partial ellipse—19 feet at its apex.

The owners envisioned a clean, modern look.

“But it also had to be colorful,” says the wife. “I wanted

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something the color of water.”

To ensure that the color would not date the kitchen, other materials are relatively neutral, including the cherry island base and the porcelain floor tiles. Even the orange-glazed lava-stone eating bar reads as neutral.

“Combining colors and finishes helps to break up the space and define different areas,” explains kitchen designer Lorena Polon of Snaidero USA of Morristown.

Polon relied on the cabinetry’s horizontal thrust to pull the eye down and keep the room in scale. “Otherwise people say, ‘oh, what a big space,’ instead of, ‘oh, what a great space,’ ” she explains.

Also humanizing the scale are tiny glass mosaic tiles on the arched wall, creating a “jewel-like, sculptural effect,” observes the owner.

—Dorrie Donnelly continued MIDDLESEX

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R u s t i c re f i n e d A 110-acre horse farm in Monmouth County is the setting for a post-and-beam house that mimics the construction of a nearly 200-year-old barn on the property. The home’s centerpiece is a grandly scaled kitchen.

Natural wood dominates: Posts and beams are Douglas fir; tongue-and-groove ceiling planks are spruce. After finalizing the floor plan, the owners turned to designer Jim Dove of Canterbury Design Kitchen Interiors in Morristown, who created a 14

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kitchen that he calls both “elegant and formal, yet also a family space.”

Playing against the rusticity of the construction, maple cabinets received a seven-step paint finish, including sage, cream and ochre hues. After each layer was hand-applied and dried, it was sanded to reveal hints of the underlying color. Notes Dove, “Because of this, each panel has a great deal of depth.”

The focus of the kitchen is a 48-inch–wide Wolf dual-fuel range topped with a wood hood surround,

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complete with carved-wood details. “The backsplash of handmade ceramic tile is almost like an old-fashioned hearth,” adds Dove.

While superb for entertaining, the 20-by-40-foot room could have created a challenge in terms of daily use. Dove’s solution: a work and dining island that embraces nearly every kitchen need, thanks to a secondary sink, dishwasher, Sub-Zero freezer drawers and a dining bar. The maple work side of the island was painted a warm sage, then distressed and glazed; the cherry-

wood dining side has a cayenne-pepper–color stain that was also glazed. The floor continues this tonal effect with antique French limestone in a pale terra-cotta hue.

Although no style restrictions guided him, Dove calls the kitchen an example of “American Country with a slight French influence. It’s elegant, but the feel is comfortable.” ■ –Mervyn Kaufman Reprinted from Great American Kitchens with permission from Sub-Zero/Wolf.

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by Timothy Kelley

Jersey’s TOP 10 film moments OUR PANEL OF MOVIE EXPERTS SHARES ITS PICKS

Every Manhattan street, it seems, has had its star turn on the big screen, and moviegoers know southern California even if they’ve never been near the place. But less-heralded New Jersey, home to the world’s first film production studio (built in 1893 at Thomas Edison’s laboratories in West Orange), is also frequently depicted in the movies. So Middlesex Health & Life asked four cinema aficionados to nominate their favorite Jersey cinema moments to create a “top 10” list that just may start some good arguments:

Our Jersey-film jury Chris Vaglio, co-owner of Grey Sky Films in Rockaway and codirector of the 2006 comedy What’s Your Problem?

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Michael Aaron Rockland, professor of American Studies at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, who teaches a course called “Jerseyana” that examines depictions of the state in popular culture

Mike Sodano, co-owner of the Show Room, an “art house” movie theater in Asbury Park, and co-director of the 2007 documentary Rock and a Heart Place

Howard Libov, associate professor of film in the Film Production Program at The College of Florham, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, and director and cowriter of the 2009 feature film Favorite Son

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explains. “And it shows his manic-ness—he’s so singlefocused he writes on whatever is available.”

JERSEY GIRL, 1992: Not the 2004 Kevin Smith film of the same name, this David Burton Morris movie is about a man (Dylan McDermott) who must choose between two women, one all New York sophistication, the other (Jami Gertz) “representing New Jersey’s inferiority complex vis-à-vis Manhattan,” says Rockland. In a key scene, he comes to see the title character, realizing that though “she may have big hair, she’s no dummy—she’s got her own kind of class.”

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DOGMA, 1999: This

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A BEAUTIFUL MIND, 2001:

This Oscar-winning, Ron Howard-directed biopic about mentally troubled mathematical genius John Forbes Nash Jr., a winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, features key scenes at New Jersey’s preeminent university. “The minute you see the lawns and the ivy-covered buildings you’re immediately transported to Princeton,” says Sodano. Especially memorable, he believes, is the scene where Russell Crowe as Nash writes equations on his dormitory-room window. “It’s a key moment where he finally ‘sees the light’ of the problem he’s trying to solve,” Sodano

is one of two Kevin Smith films on our list. And who could resist a movie in which the late George Carlin plays a Catholic cardinal and singer Alanis Morissette is God? Matt Damon and Ben Affleck portray angels who’ve been cast out of heaven and consigned for centuries to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Their quest for a celestial return leads to a battle between good and evil in front of a church in Red Bank (though actual filming occurred in Pittsburgh)—a scene Vaglio finds “a very funny spoof.”

ALL MOVIE STILLS COURTESY OF THE EVERETTE COLLECTION

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GARDEN STATE, 2004:

Jersey plays the title role here—and, for a change, the ’burbs come off as real while the big city’s phony. Director Zach Braff plays an actor back from Hollywood for his mom’s funeral. In L.A. “he can’t touch anything, he can’t feel anything, he’s just lost,” says Libov. “Then he comes home, and of course he finds himself.” He also finds the headphoneswearing Natalie Portman in what Libov calls a “meet cute” moment in a doctors’ waiting room—a pivotal scene that proves that on one’s home turf, a chance encounter can trigger a reawakening. continued M I D D L E S E X H E A LT H & L I F E

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JERSEY FILMS

6

THE STATION AGENT, 2003:

Living in an abandoned train station in Newfoundland, N.J., a reclusive dwarf meets a hot-dog vendor—and each overcomes his isolation—in this touching comedy-drama by Thomas McCarthy.

“The vendor’s speech is full of ‘dese’ and ‘dat’ and ‘dem’ and ‘dose’—it’s very New Jersey,” says Sodano. And so is the terrain we see, in which old railroad tracks “cut through swaths of wooded areas—places you would never have gone to or discovered before.”

5

EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS, 1983: In

this Martin Davidson flick, a fictional ’60s rock band that won fame in a Somers Point club becomes the subject of a quest by a TV reporter looking to tell its story and investigate the disappearance of its lead singer, the irascible Eddie.

Especially memorable among a number of “really cool” Jersey Shore moments, says Vaglio, is a scene on the boardwalk in which band members start yelling at each other and Eddie’s girlfriend gets kissed by another guy.

It’s emblematic, he says, of the film’s depiction of Eddie as “a misunderstood artist, who’s fighting with everybody throughout the movie.”

4

CLERKS, 1994: This Kevin Smith comedy,

set in a convenience store in the town of Leonardo, is a wry snapshot of young Jerseyites who haven’t reached their potential. Lipov picks a scene in which a young store employee is discussing his circumstances with a friend. “It’s a classic young person’s ‘What am I going to do with my life?’ moment,” he says.

“On the surface they want to say, ‘I’m OK here,’ but underneath that is a great yearning for what lies beyond.” Vaglio, meanwhile, vouches that the film’s setting rings true. “I grew up hanging around convenience stores,” he says. “You hung out there till you got chased away.”

BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, 1999: In this offbeat gem directed by Spike

3

Jonze, a would-be puppeteer working as a file clerk unexpectedly discovers a portal behind a filing cabinet that leads him into the mind of actor John Malkovich, and then through a mysterious vortex. “It’s hysterical,” says Sodano. “Of all the places in the world, who would think they’d be dumped out into a drainage ditch at exit 14B of the New Jersey Turnpike?” Agrees Libov: “That’s a great New Jersey metaphor moment.”

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THE WRESTLER, 2008:

2

In this Oscar-winning Darren Aronofsky film about a broken-down wrestler, Mickey Rourke’s title character walks with his estranged daughter into a cavernous structure that proves to be Asbury Park’s old Casino Hall. “There’s an inside shot with broken windows and light pouring through,” says Libov. “It’s a shell of a building, and it’s a metaphor for their relationship.” Rockland concurs: “That’s a very poignant scene.”

ATLANTIC CITY, 1978:

1

Two jurors’ first choice, this classic Louis Malle crime drama etches a riveting portrait of “a place with two faces,” as Sodano says. “It’s about the yin and yang of old and new.” While Burt Lancaster’s lead character is a smalltime numbers runner being muscled out by the mob, the real star is Atlantic City at its moment of transition from a fading family resort to a new gambling paradise.

In a closing scene featuring a wrecking ball (and recalling the demolition of a grand old hotel, an image with which the film began), “Lancaster and his lady friend are strolling on the Boardwalk,” says Rockland.

“They’re elderly, and in a sense they represent the elderliness of the old, down-at-the-heels Atlantic City. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time, entirely apart from its New Jersey focus.” ■

Now it’s your turn ...

Did we miss your favorite Jersey scene? Let us know: E-mail your pick to editor@wainscotmedia.com— or mail this form to Middlesex Health & Life, 110 Summit Avenue, Montvale, NJ 07645.

The film:

The scene:

Why it’s memorable:

Your name:

Town: E-mail:

M I D D L E S E X H E A LT H & L I F E

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ESCAPES

The 303-foot waterslide aboard the Carnival Dream

Sea the world The ships are inspiring, the destinations idyllic, the rejuvenating setting perfect for a mental “fresh start”—and yet ... after a while, the sumptuous cruises that once left us awed start to seem a bit similar. Want to shake up your serene routine? Here are three options for a seafaring voyage with a twist.

THE NEWEST

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the four-deck–high, 303-foot–long, corkscrew-shaped waterslide—part of a huge WaterWorks Aqua Park. Four “scenic whirlpools” cantilever out over the sea, and the Cloud 9 Spa, at 23,750 square feet, is, we were told, the Carnival fleet’s largest and most elaborate wellness center.

While kid-free sections are common on cruise ships, we liked the fact that Dream’s two-level sanctuary, dubbed “Serenity” and boasting a full bar and two whirlpools, didn’t charge us extra. Onboard trivia games and an art auction offer sun-free diversion, and the comedy club hosts six different comedy shows nightly for four nights of every seven-day cruise.

ANDY NEWMAN/CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES/HO

This is way more exciting than that new-car smell.

Setting sail on a new vessel is a special treat for cruisegoers, and some of the new ships launched in recent months or due to debut in 2010 offer an array of eyepopping attractions.

We can report, for example, that November’s U.S. debut of the 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream (1-800CARNIVAL, www.carnival.com) was great fun. The largest this cruise line has ever built, the ship is encircled by a half-mile, open-air promenade deck with lanai seating, and at night a large circular dance floor’s jumping.

Fun abounds on the two-deck miniature golf course and

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Young ones will delight in Camp Carnival, a 5,000-square-foot fun zone with areas for three different age groups, starting at age 2. Tweens can cut loose in Circle C— a special area for 12- to 14-year-olds with a video jukebox, a DJ, a dance floor and Internet stations. Older teens, meanwhile, can chill out in Club 02—with its soda bar, music-listening stations and a state-of-theart sound and lighting system—then hit the arcade next door or unwind with the special youth spa program.

We enjoyed movies at the outdoor Seaside Theatre with an LED screen and a 70,000-watt sound system (you can watch from poolside, or from the pool itself). And 15-minute outdoor laser shows created dazzling blue, green and red light effects set to the music of Styx, Rush, Van Halen, Boston and Pink Floyd.

“Your Choice Dining” is a new option being rolled out fleetwide. In addition to early and late assigned seating, passengers can opt into “Your Time” open seating from 5:45 to 9:30 p.m. And as for the food on this cruise—the mouthwatering Wasabi sushi bar; the to-die-for muffins at the Ocean Plaza café; the Mongolian Wok ... well, don’t get us started.

Year-round, the Dream departs from Port Canaveral, Florida, alternating between seven-day cruises to the eastern Caribbean (Nassau, St. Thomas,

Fish lovers will find the ship’s sushi buffet a Dream indeed.

St. Maarten, from $509 per person, double occupancy) and the western Caribbean (Cozumel, Mexico; Roatán, Honduras; Belize; Costa Maya, Mexico, from $479).

THE HEALTHIEST “Holistic Holiday at Sea: A Voyage to Well-Being” aboard the Costa Fortuna: Learn about vegetarian eating; get a physician’s perspective on mind-body medicine; gain yoga insights from a renowned master— these are just a small sampling of the impressive 120 classes available on this annual cruise offered by the Miami-based nonprofit A Taste of Health (828-749-

MORE NAUTICAL NEWBIES CELEBRITY’S EQUINOX Debut: August 2009

ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S OASIS OF THE SEAS

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE’S NORWEGIAN EPIC

Passengers: 2,850

Debut: December 2009

Scheduled to debut: July 2010

Claim to fame: special AquaClass rooms offer a variety of spa-like amenities

Passengers: 5,400

Passengers: 4,200

Claim to fame: “The largest cruise ship on Earth,” with seven themed “neighborhoods”

Claims to fame: An “ice bar” in which the bar, walls, tables, stools and life-size sculptures are solid ice; performances by the Blue Man Group in the 685-seat Epic Theater

ANDY NEWMAN/CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES/HO

Departs from: Fort Lauderdale for Caribbean cruises Travels to: the Caribbean in winter, early spring and fall (a 10-night “Ultimate Caribbean Cruise” to St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Barbados, Dominica and St. Maarten starts at $1,199); in summertime, the Mediterranean and Holy Land (1-800-647-2251; www.celebritycruises.com).

Departs from: Fort Lauderdale Travels to: the eastern Caribbean (St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau, starting at $1,049 for a seven-day cruise) and western Caribbean (Labadee, Haiti, and Mexico’s Costa Maya and Cozumel, starting at $919 for a seven-day cruise; 1-877-394-8130, www.royalcaribbean.com).

Departs from: Miami Travels to: the eastern Caribbean (St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau, seven-day cruises starting at $879) and western Caribbean (Mexico’s Costa Maya and Cozumel, and Roatán in Honduras, seven-day cruise starting at $949; 1-866-234-7350, epic.ncl.com).

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ESCAPES

Indulge your mind and body

Health tips abound at a

aboard the Crystal Symphony.

“Holistic Holiday at Sea”

cruise destination is the Caribbean, which accounts for 38% of all itineraries.

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THE HANDIEST Skip the “trip before the trip” with these local ports:

Manhattan Cruise Terminal Hudson River, between West 47th and West 43rd streets (enter at West 55th Street and 12th Avenue) Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Gem, Norwegian

Jewel and Norwegian Dawn: Each of these ships fea-

tures a dozen restaurants and a host of other amenities: Jewel has an underground teens’ club, while Gem boasts a four-lane, mood-lit bowling alley (1-866-234-7350, www.pic.ncl.com).

• 7-Day Bahamas and Florida Round Trip: The Gem departs April 3. The Jewel sails April 24; May 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29; June 5, 12, 19 and 26; and July 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31.

• 7-Day Bermuda Round Trip: The Dawn departs April

Celebrity Cruises’ “Celebrity

11, 18 and 25; May 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30; June 6, 13, 20 and

Life”: No cruise line has a

27; and July 4, 11, 18 and 25.

monopoly on helping you relax and get healthy, but Celebrity (1-800-647-2251, www.celebrity cruises.com) is certainly making it a priority. All of the fleet’s ships feature a new “Celebrity Life” program, which seeks to replicate a spa experience at sea. From personal training to step classes to “stress-buster” seminars to a “Nutritional Plan for the Cruise and Beyond,” wellness options abound. You can 22

also learn about acupuncture and acupressure, treat yourself to facials and other skin-care offerings or unwind with a couples massage. Travelers aboard the new Equinox can enjoy the aromatherapy steam room with heated ceramic loungers and “a pillow menu featuring Swedish Isotonic, body and hypoallergenic pillows.”

Carnival Miracle and Glory: Highlighted by an 11-story Metropolis atrium with a ruby-red glass ceiling, the 963foot, 2,124-passenger Miracle promises a distinctive cruising experience—or go for the 214-foot waterslide on the 953-foot, 2,974-passenger Glory (1-800-CARNIVAL, www.carnival.com).

• 6-Day Bermuda Cruise departs April 15 on the Miracle.

• 8-Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise: The Miracle departs

COURTESY OF CRYSTAL SYMPHONY; COURTESY OF HOLISTIC HOLIDAY AT SEA

9537, www.atasteofhealth.org). Other topics include natural foods and macrobiotic cooking, Zen meditation, massage, Pilates and reflexology. But don’t worry—there’s also time aplenty to dine on organic foods, swim and snorkel in the crystal-clear Caribbean, lounge in saunas and Turkish baths, and take in the elegant furnishings and 5,000 works of art aboard the 890-foot vessel. The ship departs March 2011 from Fort Lauderdale on and docks in St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk.

“Sun and Spirit” on the Crystal Symphony: Stretch your mind and body alike on this weeklong journey, which leaves Los Angeles on December 5, 2010, and docks in Mexico’s sunny Baja Peninsula ports of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta (1-888-722-0021, www.crystalcruises.com). “Guest instructors and speakers focus on yoga, Pilates, tai chi and general fitness on board and ashore,” says the cruise line. Speakers had not been named at press time, but Crystal offers a “Walk on Water” program that uses resistance training to build muscle strength. Other amenities aboard the 922passenger Symphony include comedy and music entertainment and a “comThe puter university at sea.” Bookings most popular start at $2,165.

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April 21 and 29; May 7, 15, 23 and 31; June 8, 16 and 24; July 2, 10, 18 and 26; and August 3, 11, 19 and 27.

• 4-Day Canada/New England Cruise: The

Glory departs June 10 and 24; July 8 and 22; and August 15 and 19.

About 10% of Americans have taken cruises in the past three years.

8 and 22; June 5 and 19; and July 3, 17 and 31.

• 9-Night Bermuda and Bahamas Cruise departs April 15, June 10 and July 8.

• 9-Night Bermuda and Caribbean Cruise departs April 29, May 13 and 27, June 24 and July 22.

• 5-Day Canada/New England Cruise: The Glory departures June 14, 19 and 28; July 3, 12, 17, 26 and 31;

Celebrity Summit: This 965-foot ship features a theater,

and August 9, 14, 23 and 28.

a casino, 24-hour Internet access and other extras—and it

SHUTTERSTOCK; “FAST FACTS” SOURCE: FLORIDA-CARIBBEAN CRUISE ASSOCIATION

travels to points north as well as south (1-800-647-2251, Holland-America’s ms Veendam: This 719-foot, 1,350-

www.celebritycruises.com).

capacity Dutch vessel features the intimate, reservations-

• 7-Night Bermuda Cruise departs April 25; May 9, 23

only Pinnacle Grill as well as The Retreat—“a private,

and 30; June 6, 13 and 27; July 11 and 25; and August 8

resort-style pool experience” (1-877-932-4259, www.holland

and 22.

america.com).

• 7-Night Bermuda and New England Cruise departs

• 7-Day Bermuda Cruise departs April 25; May 2, 9, 16

May 2, May 16 and June 20

and 30; June 6, 13, 20 and 27; July 4, 11, 18 and 25; and

• 7-Night Canada and New England Cruise departs July

August 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29.

4 and 18; and August 1, 15 and 29.

Cape Liberty Cruise Port

Brooklyn Cruise Terminal

Bayonne, exit 14A on New Jersey Turnpike, and accessible

by Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas: This busy 3,114-passenger vessel features an ice-skating rink, rock-climbing wall—and a state-of-the-art oceanographic and atmospheric science lab (1-877-394-8130, www.royalcaribbean.com).

Pier 12 in the Red Hook neighborhood

• 5-Night Bermuda Cruise departs April 10 and 24; May

May 18 and 27; June 23; and July 2, 20 and 29. ■

Caribbean Princess: This vessel features a spa, “movies under the stars” and formal and casual dining options (1-800-PRINCESS, www.princess.com).

• 9-Day Eastern Caribbean Round Trip departs May 9, June 5, June 14 and July 11.

• 9-Day Eastern Caribbean Islander Round Trip departs

Manhattan Cruise Terminal

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Spotlight

by Francesca Moisin

FASHION compassion TV STYLE GURU

LLOYD BOSTON

HAS WON FAME FOR DELIVERING CHIC, MODERN MAKEOVERS WITH NICE-GUY

COURTESY OF LLOYD BOSTON

ATTITUDE

FASHION EXPERT AND NEW BRUNSWICK NATIVE LLOYD BOSTON can still recall the most terrifying day of his TV career: “I made over a local New Jersey woman on The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet,” says the style guru. “We dressed her up from head to toe and she looked amazing, but I didn’t know she wasn’t comfortable walking in high heels.” The result: “She completely wiped out on the floor, in her metallic silver raincoat,” says Boston. “In all my years working with makeovers and models I’d never had someone so much as trip! Luckily she was OK and the crowd applauded her, but my heart went through the basement.”

Still, despite the rare mishap, Boston is the first to admit that fortune has favored him. “I think God has his hand on me,” he says. “I’m so lucky to be doing what I love for a living.”

Since he showed a flair for design as a college kid right here in Middlesex County, he’s become renowned for a “less is modern” fashion philosophy that’s been heartily embraced by celebs and “real” people alike. On the Fine Living Network television show Closet Cases, which he’s hosted since last April, he helps fashion-challenged men and women weed out their closets and assemble smashing combos with the remaining items.

“I love connecting with people and showing them how easy style can be,” he says.

Raised by a devoted single mom, Boston went to Atlanta’s Morehouse College and then Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, where he earned a

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Spotlight

time, Boston wrote a book called Men of Color—“my personal labor of love, about how African-American men have put an indelible stamp on the style world.”

The book got noticed. “It led me to the TV world to promote it, and the TV world put its arms around me and asked me to keep talking about style,” says Boston.

Shows like The View, Today and Extra began turning to him for tips on what was in vogue. Soon he was helping to cover the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes, and he eventually landed on Oprah Winfrey’s sofa as a featured guest—“a dream come true.” Meanwhile, he’s written three more books. Make Over Your Man and Before You Put That On have been big sellers, and an as-yet-untitled work that Boston calls “my ultimate style guide for women” will hit stores this fall.

In 2007, Boston was named the first exclusive “style guru” spokesperson for designer brand Jones New York. In that role he now jets around the country on a quest to bring fashion enlightenment to the masses. “I love women with curves, limited budgets, busy families and jobs,” he says.

“I know I’m making a difference when I can get these women to start looking and feeling like redcarpet celebs.”

Boston insists that f Lloyd a copy o looking sensational reut re You P fo e B ’s quires neither brilliance Boston Enter at . n O nor a bulging bank t a Th sex le d id account, but a savvy selec.m www / m o .c fe tion process. “Your closet dli healthan n should be a smartly curated o t s Bo capsule of your greatest style hits,” he says. “If you know what fits your body best and what colors most complement your face, you can make better fashion choices, save money when shopping and create a lean, effi-

WIN

degree in fine arts. To help pay the bills he got a job in a Benetton branch in New Brunswick. There, he explains, owner Brian Eisner decided to “create his own brand and turned the store into Finale. He let me use my fine-arts skills to design packaging for the store and also do my first line of T-shirts for it—they’re still there.” For Boston, Finale was the start.

He then scored an internship with famed designer Tommy Hilfiger, and for the next 10 years remained by this mentor’s side, eventually advancing to become his company’s vice president of art direction. During this 26

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cient wardrobe that will register to others as chic hours at Menlo Park and Bridgewater Commons,” and modern.” he confesses. And he often dines at Soho on George He admits to occasional frustration with clients in New Brunswick—“a great spot for lunch, brunch he advises one-on-one. “They have my books and or dinner”—or Old Man watched my shows, and Rafferty’s. they say, ‘Lloyd, please help “If you know what fits your “I also love all the me!’ Then the next sensmall, unknown Lebabody and what colors most tence is usually telling me nese restaurants,” he says. complement your face, you what they won’t wear. It’s “There’s great cultural hisalmost like they’re putting tory in Middlesex County, can make better fashion their hands up in surgery and Lebanese food is one of choices and save money.” and telling the doctor, my favorites.”

‘No! Move the scalpel to Nor does this rising the left!’”

TV star fail to check in with his very first mentor. “My Still, Boston is relentlessly positive in his mom, who still lives in New Brunswick, is my No. 1 approach; he has no use for the instruction-by-way-ofsource of inspiration,” says Boston. “I’m an only child humiliation favored on much of today’s reality TV. and she raised me single-handedly, so we have a very “I think there’s value in teaching women rather than close relationship. And she has a style about her that goes critiquing them,” he says. “If I critiqued women on top beyond clothing.” ■ of all the other criticisms and pressures they get LLOYD BOSTON’S TOP every day from TV and TRENDS FOR SPRING magazines, I wouldn’t be • “THE SLOUCHY BOYFRIEND BLAZER able to sleep at night.” is carrying over from fall. Pair it with fitAs it is, he sleeps ted pants—you don’t want to look like soundly—if sparingly. “I’m you’re in a sack from head to toe—or a either going at top speed lean pencil skirt and your favorite sexy or I’m lying on the sofa shoe, whether it be a stiletto or a peepwith ice packs on my eyes; toe pump.” there’s no middle ground,” says Boston, who’s “hap• “OVERSIZED PANTS AND CHINOS are pily partnered” (all he’ll also making their way off the runway. report from the domestic These are fun because they’re roomy and front) with a bicoastal New forgiving. Match them with a basic tank York–L.A. lifestyle. But he top for a fabulous, retro Annie Hall look.” always makes time for vis• “SOFT DENIM is one of my favorite its home. materials for spring. Invest in a cool jump“I’m proud that I suit, amazing dress or comfy pair of shorts was born and raised in made from this material, and you can’t New Brunswick,” he says. go wrong.”

“I still have loads of family FINAL THOUGHT: “Fit is more important in New Jersey, and we’re than fashion. Whether you buy clothes famous for our big barFrom Armani that fit properly or you’re smart enough to becues and blowout holiCollezioni’s see a tailor, the right fit can make classic day celebrations.” When Spring 2010 clothes serve you for decades and give not grilling in the yard, collection your wardrobe an instant boost.”

Boston likes to hit the local malls. “I could spend eight MIDDLESEX

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Health WATCH

by Leslie Pepper

‘CRAZY’

cures that work THESE 5 REMEDIES MAY SOUND PECULIAR, BUT THEY’RE DOCTOR-APPROVED

PSSSST! OVER THE BACK FENCE, YOUR neighbor tells you about an ingenious, easy, drug-free treatment for a common malady, and she swears it’s legit. You nod, but you’re mentally rolling your eyes, thinking for sure her “cure-all” is bunk. Still, every once in a while a silly-sounding cure actually works wonders.

Middlesex Health & Life checked in with Mark A. Moyad, M.D., director of preventive and alternative medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, and he endorsed these five:

1

To remove warts: duct tape

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It’s a call every mother dreads—but if your tyke develops those pesky parasites, try skin cleanser.

A study in Pediatrics found the over-the-counter cleanser Cetaphil to be 96 percent effective in curing head lice. Essentially, says Dr. Moyad, this method suffocates the lice.

What to do: Apply the skin cleanser to the child’s dry hair, comb out the excess, then blow-dry hair, allowing the lotion to dry on the scalp in a shrinkwrap–like layer and leave it on overnight. In the morning, shower out with regular shampoo. Do this once a week for three weeks. (For full details, go to www.

Nuvoforheadlice.com.)

When to see a pro: If after three weeks you’re still finding lice, see your child’s pediatrician.

3

To prevent poison ivy: liquid dish soap What began as a beautiful walk in the woods turned ominous when you ran into a patch of poison ivy. But instead of waiting for the “inevitable” ugly red rash, use plain old dish detergent to avert the itch. In a study published in the International Journal of Dermatology, researchers gathered subjects exposed to poison ivy, then rubbed liquid dish soap on the affected locations for 25 seconds.

They were able to prevent a reaction in almost half of the volunteers and reduced inflammation and blistering in the others by 56 percent. “It’s a no-brainer,” says Dr. Moyad. The

SHUTTERSTOCK

The main current medical treatment for warts is cryotherapy (aka freezing) with liquid nitrogen, which smarts.

According to a study published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, applying duct tape is actually smarter. The study was done on children, and though further research on adults has yet to replicate the findings, Dr. Moyad nevertheless recommends the ducttape method. “It’s darn cheap and simple to do,” he says.

Experts don’t know exactly why the cure is effective, but Dr. Moyad theorizes that it has to do with the tape’s ability to irritate the skin, which stimulates the body’s immune system to attack the wart virus.

What to do: Apply a piece of tape about the size of the wart and leave it on for three to four days (a week if it’s a child’s wart). Then pull it off, wash the area with soap and water and apply a new piece of tape until the wart is gone.

When to see a pro: If the wart is painful, changes color or interferes with your daily routine. Or if the duct tape doesn’t work after six to eight weeks.

2

To treat head lice: skin cleanser

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soap strips the skin of the plant oil that’s responsible for causing the rash.

What to do: Put dish soap on a clean washcloth or rag and apply to the exposed areas as soon as you can.

When to see a pro: If you do develop poison ivy, see your doctors if the rash springs up near sensitive areas such as the eyes or genitals, is very extensive or isn’t improving after several days’ treatment with over-thecounter medicines.

Folk remedies: Worth it or worthless?

Here Mark A. Moyad, M.D., director of preventive and alternative medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, renders his verdict on some oft-recommended treatments: CHICKEN SOUP FOR A COLD The hot liquid thins mucus in the airway and makes it easier to breathe.

4

To treat cold sores: witch hazel

They’re ugly, they’re embarrassing and they show up out of nowhere. What to do about cold sores?

Try witch hazel, which contains anti-inflammatory tannins. “When the cold-sore virus is replicating, you see an exaggerated inflammatory response, so your lips can get quite big,” says Dr. Moyad, who suggests applying witch hazel to reduce the swelling.

What to do: The minute you feel the tingling, start gently dabbing witch hazel on the cold sore with a cotton ball or swab several times a day.

When to see a pro: If you see no improvement after a week, or if you’re getting cold sores more frequently than usual.

SHUTTERSTOCK

5

To prevent blisters: antiperspirant

Blisters form from friction, and moist skin creates more friction than dry.

Keeping the sweat at bay can help avert those aching eruptions. In a study of 667 Army cadets published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, only 21 percent of those who prepped their feet with antiperspirant for three to five days before a long hike developed blisters, compared with almost half of those who’d used a placebo.

What to do: Before any vigorous activity, apply antiperspirant all over the feet (pay close attention to the sides). Note: If you’re using a roll-on product, don’t use the same one you use on your underarms.

When to see a pro: If you do develop blisters, see a doctor if they become blue or black (a sign that pooled blood is present or that the area is getting insufficient oxygen), or if the pain interferes with your daily routine. ■

Plus, the ingredients’ anti-inflammatory properties help ease symptoms.

URINATING ON A JELLYFISH STING Urine can actually cause the nematocysts (little coiled stingers) left behind by the jellyfish to release more venom and worsen the sting.

MILK COMPRESS FOR A SUNBURN The protein in the milk builds a protective film to help ease discomfort.

Always use skim milk, since milk fat impedes natural healing.

DRINKING OUT OF THE FAR SIDE OF THE CUP FOR HICCUPS This awkward trick may help because it increases levels of carbon dioxide in the blood and thus helps the vagus nerve reset itself. But holding your breath accomplishes the same thing.

CRANBERRY JUICE TO PREVENT URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS Although a 2008 Cochrane Review summary of 10 previous studies determined that cranberry products did reduce urinary tract infections by 39 percent in women who experienced them often, Dr. Moyad says its benefits for other folk remain uncertain. And if you’re a frequent sufferer, he adds, you’re better off seeing a doctor than loading up on this high-calorie drink.

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Health WATCH

Picture of

HEALTH HOW DOCTORS FIGHT DISEASE BY EXAMINING THE INNER YOU

donut tipped on its side. An X-ray tube is mounted on a revolving ring inside the “donut,” with X-ray detectors facing it. In a spiral fashion the machine collects a series of “slices,” which the computer puts together.

Saint Peter’s University Hospital offers a 64-slice CT system that minimizes the amount of radiation that is needed, says Steven Schonfeld, M.D., of University Radiology Group and chairman of the hospital’s Department of Radiology. “It lets us do very high-quality studies throughout the body with comparatively smaller radiation doses.”

CT scans help diagnose cancer, among other conditions. And the new machines can be used for CT angiography, a less invasive alternative to catheter angiograms used in evaluating heart patients.

• ULTRASOUND is used in obstetrics, cardiology and urology. Similar to a submarine’s sonar, it’s based on the principle of echolocation, which whales and dolphins use to navigate. As a technician moves a tool called a transducer over the body, high-frequency sound waves are emitted. They bounce off the parts to be imaged and back to the transducer, which sends data into a central computer to create a moving picture visible on a monitor. Today, some ultrasound equipment can be used to create threedimensional images.

• MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)

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uses powerful magnets to create an interior picture that helps doctors diagnose conditions from tumors to tendinitis. It too takes “slice” images, but unlike conventional CTs it can take them of body parts in any direction, not just horizontally. An MRI machine directs a radiofrequency pulse at the tissue to be imaged. This pulse causes protons in hydrogen atoms within the tissue to move in response to changes in magnetic fields, and normal and abnormal tissue react differently. When the protons move, they release excess energy the system’s computer uses to create the image.

MRIs highlight soft body tissues. A breast MRI, for example, captures multiple images of breast tissue. It may be done in circumstances—especially with dense breast tissue, for example—when there’s a need for more information than an ultrasound or mammogram can provide.

At Saint Peter’s, says Dr. Schonfeld, a large percentage of scans are evaluated by fellowship-trained radiologists who specialize in a particular area, such as pediatric radiology or neuroradiology, and therefore bring more specific experience to bear.

“There’s a radiology resident and an attending radiologist available to review cases 24/7,” he says. ■

SHUTTERSTOCK

ONE DAY IN 1895, A GERMAN PHYSICIST NAMED Wilhelm Röntgen was doing experiments with electron beams in a gas discharge tube. While projecting the beams onto a fluorescent screen, he saw a silhouette of the bones of his hand. By accident, he had discovered X-rays—and opened the modern era of medical imaging.

Today, several types of imaging technology help doctors see inside your body to diagnose disease. Here’s a closer look at a few of these: • X-RAYS are beams of electromagnetic energy like visible light rays, but with a different wavelength. They generate a film image in which hard tissue shows up better than soft because it’s made up of larger atoms. A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray exam of the breasts that is used to spot tissue irregularities that may be tumors.

• DEXASCAN, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, combines two beams of very low-dose X-rays to measure bone density and help assess the risk of osteoporosis.

• COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT) scans use a number of X-ray images to assemble a three-dimensional picture of your internal organs. Lying on a platform, you move slowly through a machine that looks like a huge

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF SAINT PETER’S TOP DOCTORS

Meet all of our physicians who were named to New Jersey Monthly’s Top Doctors list 2009.

Top row, left to right: Alexander Abkin: Bariatric Surgery Nicholas Bertha: Bariatric Surgery Robert Caccavale: Thoracic Surgery Penelope Cohen: Dermatology Andrew Covit: Nephrology Bruce Edelman: Otolaryngology Bruno Fang: Oncology & Hematology

Second row, left to right: Arno Fried: Neurosurgery Devin Friedlander: Neurology John Gallucci: Pediatric Surgery David Herman: Infectious Disease Suzanne Kabis: Nephrology Hemant Kesarwala: Allergy & Immunology Ted Louie: Infectious Disease

Third row, left to right: Arie Maman: Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Susan McManus: Breast Surgery Cathleen Mullarkey-DeSapio: Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Ronald Nahass: Infectious Disease Michael Nissenblatt: Oncology & Hematology Jeffrey Rosenbaum: Otolaryngology Steven Sabin: Otolaryngology

Fourth row, left to right: Thomas Schwartzer: Internal Medicine Thangamani Seenivasan: Surgical Oncology Richard Snepar: Infectious Disease Kathleen Toomey: Oncology & Hematology

Treating you better...for life.

254 EASTON AVENUE, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 08901

732.745.8600

Catholic hospital sponsored by the Diocese of Metuchen State-designated children’s hospital and regional perinatal center Affiliate of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Affiliate of Drexel University College of Medicine

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BUZZ

a t S a i n t P e t e r ’s

Up & running The CyberKnife Robotic Stereotactic Radiosurgery System for removing hard-to-reach cancerous tumors is now available at

Quilt of Hope

Saint Peter’s University Hospital. CyberKnife delivers high-

Mark Hiatt, M.D., director of Neonatology,

dose radiation with pinpoint

is shown with the new three-dimensional

accuracy, targeting tumors any-

mural known as the “Quilt of Hope.” The

where in the body, including the

mural is mounted in the lobby that welcomes

prostate, lung, spine, brain, neck,

families to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

liver, pancreas and kidney. The

(NICU) at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University

CyberKnife System also dramat-

Hospital. Families, friends and donors can buy a “square” in honor

ically reduces the number of

of their loved ones or in appreciation of a staff member. Squares

radiosurgical treatment sessions

may be purchased through the Saint Peter’s Foundation for

typically needed.

$500, $250 or $100, and all proceeds benefit the NICU.

O U T O F M A N Y, O N E Our differences can bring us together: Such is the philosophy at Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, which recently received the Corporate Citizen Award from New Jersey’s American Conference on Diversity. Saint Peter’s was recognized for supporting our state’s many cultures, through both outreach programs and in-house celebrations of our richly diverse staff. Hispanic Heritage, featuring employees in native costume, and Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, have been among the diversity celebrations held recently at the hospital.

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THE RAY OF HOPE CANCER PATIENTS HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR. CyberKnife® is the ultimate cancer-fighting weapon at Saint Peter’s University Hospital. It’s called knifeless surgery because it removes tumors with no cutting, stitching or pain. Its revolutionary robotic technology uses pinpoint radiation beams to target hard-to-reach tumors anywhere in the body—including the brain, spine, liver, kidney, neck, pancreas, lung and prostate—preserving the healthy tissue around them. And not in the conventional 30 to 45 treatments—but in as few as one to five!

CyberKnife at Saint Peter’s University Hospital. Treating you better…for life. For details, call toll-free 866-702-2737

or visit saintpetersuh.com

Treating you better...for life.

254 EASTON AVENUE, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 08901 Accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer

Catholic hospital sponsored by the Diocese of Metuchen

732.745.8600

State-designated children’s hospital and regional perinatal center

CyberKnife is a registered trademark of Accuray Incorporated and is used with permission.

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Faces of SAINT PETER’S

Donald R. Polakoff, M.D. No one knows the doctor-nurse relationship better than orthopedic surgeon Donald R. Polakoff, M.D., recent winner of an “APPLE” award honoring that partnership—and no wonder. His wife, Karen, is a registered nurse and medical practice consultant. The pair, Princeton residents, are the parents of Lauren, 27; Robby, 24; and Brandon, 19. Dr. Polakoff, 56, attended Cornell Medical School in New York and did a residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and a fellowship in hip and knee replacement at Harvard. A member of the Saint Peter’s medical staff since 1985, he’s pictured with his surgical team in their super-sterile garb.

Q: OK, we’ll bite. What does APPLE stand for?

“Acknowledging Physician Partners: A Liaison for Excellence.” The award is given by the Institute for Nursing, a charitable affiliate of the New Jersey State Nurses Association. I have put in a lot of effort over the last 15 years working with the Saint Peter’s nursing staff. I hold weekly educational rounds with them. But I had no idea anyone realized what I was doing.

Q: Why is teamwork with the nurses so important to you?

My cases are mostly hip and knee replacements, and the results depend largely on the bedside care patients receive from nurses.

Q: Why did you specialize in hip and knee replacements?

Once I knew I wanted to be a surgeon, I looked for a specialty that had the most impact on quality of life. The results of orthopedic surgery are clear and positive.

Yes, in high school it was wrestling. In college at Cornell I played sprint football, which is varsity intercollegiate football, but with weight limits. In medical school I “survived” rugby.

These days I golf, play tennis and work out.

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BOHM-MARRAZZO PHOTOGRAPHY

Q: Many orthopedic surgeons are—or were—athletes. How about you?

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C. S. Pitchumoni, M.D. Born in India, C.S. Pitchumoni, M.D., is chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Nutrition. He came to the U.S. in 1967 to accept a residency and fellowship at Yale University, then took more gastroenterology training at New York Medical College. At that school he’s now an adjunct professor of medicine and of community and preventive medicine, and he’s also a clinical professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Pitchumoni joined the Saint Peter’s medical staff in 2002. He has published 170 papers and more than 200 abstracts and contributed 74 chapters in 40 textbooks, and he is now working on his third and fourth books.

He and his wife, Prema, live in Somerset and have three grown children, Sheila, Shoba and Suresh (the last a gastroenterologist in Freehold), and three grandchildren.

Q: Why is writing important to you?

It helps me understand what’s happening in my fields. When I write, I acquire precise knowledge, because I have to read a great deal to summarize clearly and understandably.

BOHM-MARRAZZO PHOTOGRAPHY

Q: Who got you started in writing?

I owe everything I have accomplished to my teachers, in particular the late Dr. P.J. Gee Varghese in India and Dr. Martin H. Floch, who is now professor of medicine at Yale. Dr. Floch encouraged me to write when I came to this country. For the last 42 years he has been my mentor. Following in his footsteps, I try to be a good mentor to students, residents and fellows in gastroenterology. An old adage in Sanskrit says, “Knowledge is the greatest wealth—the more you give to others, the more you will possess.”

Q: What do you do in your spare time?

I like to bicycle, read history and politics and spend time with my three granddaughters.

We play like children—it takes me back.

Q: Do you plan to retire?

No. I want to work until my last day. ■

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Inside LOOK

Battling genetic diseases A GROWING FIELD OF MEDICINE HELPS PEOPLE WITH RARE A N D N O T- S O - R A R E D I S O R D E R S THE BABY WAS IN GRAVE DANGER, NO DOUBT about it. Debra-Lynn Day-Salvatore, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Institute for Genetic Medicine at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, remembers the infant she saw 10 years ago as if it were yesterday. He was in a coma and suffering seizures. She and her team diagnosed— and a blood test confirmed—a rare metabolic condition informally called “maple-syrup urine disease” in which the body can’t break down certain amino acids, such as leucine, that are found in most foods. Too much leucine is toxic to the brain—and produces a maple-syrup odor in the urine.

She immediately put the baby on a special amino acid–free formula and intravenous fluids. Within days he came out of the coma and the seizures stopped. His formula was adjusted every week as he grew. “We had to hand-calculate the exact amounts of proteins, fats, calories, amino acids and other nutrients his body could manage,” says Dr. Day-Salvatore.

That little boy was just one of the thousands of people who have been helped at the institute, where each day the doctor and her staff are busily engaged in what she calls the future of medicine.

“The old approach was simply to treat symptoms,” says the doctor, whose Ph.D. is in molecular biology and pharmacogenetics. “We look for causes. Everything in medicine has a genetic component, and a correct diagnosis can help to improve management and treatment.

We look at the big picture and try to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. If you don’t consider the underlying genetics, you will miss the diagnosis.”

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those who suffer from rare defects or diseases—or an unusually high risk of serious illness such as cancer.

Thus the field of genetic medicine focuses on the evaluation, diagnosis, management and treatment of birth defects, chromosome abnormalities, hereditary disorders (including cancer), metabolic diseases and other genetically influenced conditions in patients of all ages.

“It’s a fascinating and rapidly evolving specialty that spans the course of human development,” says Dr. Day-Salvatore.

The institute, launched in January 1992, is designated by the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services as a regional center for newborn screening and genetic services. “Every baby born in New Jersey is screened for 55 metabolic and other conditions that may become symptomatic in infancy or later in life,” the doctor explains. Only about 1 to 2 percent of all tests are positive for these rare diseases. “If the baby tests positive, he or she may be referred here for definitive testing. We then can provide treatment or refer the family to a facility closer to home if necessary.”

Besides Dr. Day-Salvatore, the institute employs two genetic counselors, two genetic nurse specialists and a metabolic nutritionist, along with support staff. It also features a Lysosomal Infusion Center, one of the coun-

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Jennifer Westervelt of Hillsborough studies her genetic pedigree with Debra-Lynn DaySalvatore, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Institute for Genetic Medicine at Saint Peter’s University Hospital. Jennifer, who recently celebrated her 15th birthday, first met Dr. Day-Salvatore as an 18-month-old

BOHM-MARRAZZO PHOTOGRAPHY

diagnosed with a heart condition.

try’s few facilities that treat lysosomal storage diseases.

“They are a class of metabolic disorders, of which more than 45 are known, that involve a missing enzyme that prevents the breakdown of important complex proteins, fats and sugars in the heart, muscle, liver, bones and other organs,” the doctor explains. “There is FDAapproved intravenous enzyme-replacement therapy for several of these conditions that can reverse symptoms and stop the progression of disease.”

Despite the complexity of the diseases she sees,

Dr. Day-Salvatore’s diagnostic approach at the institute is surprisingly simple. “I don’t use a lot of procedures and gadgets,” she says. “It’s actually very basic. I take a thorough medical history and perform a detailed physical examination.” But she looks for things your family doctor may not check.

“We take a three-generation family history, because we can sometimes make a diagnosis from a family pattern of medical problems,” she says. “For instance, a family may have two generations of early-onset breast and MIDDLESEX

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Inside LOOK How 2 key genetic problems are approached GAUCHER’S DISEASE. In this rare inherited disorder, says Debra-Lynn Day-Salvatore, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Institute for Genetic Medicine at Saint Peter’s, a missing enzyme causes too much of a substance called glucosylceramide to build up in the spleen, liver, lungs, bones and sometimes in the brain, affecting these organs’ function.

“I might have a patient referred to me because of an enlarged liver and spleen with no known cause,” she says. First she takes a detailed health history and does a physical exam. “If I suspect Gaucher’s, I’ll also order a blood test, which can confirm the missing enzyme and identify changes in the genetic coding sequence that can tell me how severe a case it’s likely to be and how best to manage and treat it,” she says. “I may order other tests to help determine how active the disease is and whether enzyme replacement therapy can be used. If so, the therapy can halt the disease’s progression and reverse many—but some-

ovarian cancer—that signals the presence of the BRCA 1 gene. Another family may have a history of migraines, diabetes, seizures and retinitis pigmentosa—that’s a metabolic disorder. And in the exam, I look at things like the spacing of the eyes, creases in the hand or body symmetry. Every body part can be measured and assessed.

These signs may form a pattern indicative of a particular genetic disorder.” Specific testing is used to confirm a clinical suspicion or narrow the number of possible diagnoses.

The institute’s goal is to reduce or eliminate preventable medical complications associated with genetic conditions and congenital abnormalities. The phases of this effort, according to Dr. Day-Salvatore, are accurate diagnosis, a lifetime prevention and treatment plan, and cutting-edge therapies including participation in select clinical trials. The institute may serve as a “medical home”—that is, in effect offering primary care—for some patients whose genetic conditions are severe. It also works with a complete range of pediatric and adult specialists.

Genetic counselors educate patients about their risk for inheriting and/or transmitting certain genetic conditions or traits. They also explain issues of privacy (concerns about possible discrimination by employers or insurers, for example) and what screening and testing can accomplish.

For some, rare metabolic disorders limit what foods the body can process; institute professionals give these patients nutritional guidance to make life as normal as possible.

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times not all—symptoms. The genetic test also helps me decide the dose and frequency of enzyme replacement.”

The missing enzyme, made in a lab, is infused through an intravenous drip, usually given in two- to three-hour sessions every two weeks.

HIGH BREAST-CANCER RISK. Here a detailed medical family history examines any cases of breast cancer or other cancers often associated with it, such as pancreatic or thyroid cancer or melanoma, and at what ages they occurred.

These factors give clues as to the likelihood that gene mutation is a possible cause, and if so, which genes to test for, such as the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2. Beyond testing, says the doctor, “we talk about surveillance techniques for the patient and other family members, how to reduce controllable risk factors and how to make treatment decisions in concert with other doctors.” Patients also receive support in dealing with related emotional and family issues.

she reports. “He’s healthy and active and knows what he can eat—it’s basically a modified vegetarian diet with a special formula he drinks three times a day. As long as he is careful with his diet and is treated appropriately during times of illness, he’ll be able to enjoy a normal lifespan.” ■

Scientist turned doctor Debra-Lynn Day-Salvatore, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Institute for Genetic Medicine at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, was a full-time laboratory scientist before she became a physician. Her training has included stints at the Cleveland Clinic, Harvard University, Case Western Reserve University, New York University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Dr. Day-Salvatore faces a challenging array of duties as a geneticist who also specializes in managing pregnant women with rare metabolic disorders—and is a consultant for the hospital’s state-designated Regional Perinatal Center, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. “I’m on call all the time for emergencies,” she says. “It’s not a 9-to-5 lifestyle. And I often have to deliver difficult news to people. It’s not for everyone.”

But the rewards are substantial. “It’s intellectually satisfying,” she says, “to make a challenging diagnosis early enough, with very few clues, to change the outcome and help someone lead a normal, happy, healthy life.”

To learn more about the Institute for Genetic Medicine at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, please call the institute at 732-745-6659.

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Tech SAVVY

Colon surgery, improved USING A SINGLE SMALL INCISION MAKES PROCEDURES MORE MINIMALLY

BOHM-MARRAZZO PHOTOGRAPHY

INVASIVE THAN EVER THE KEY TREND IN SURGERY IN THE PAST two decades has been the use of minimally invasive, laparoscopic procedures. Instead of large incisions, surgeons cut small ports, or openings, through which they insert a camera, light source and instruments to do their work.

The benefits are less pain, quicker recovery, less scarring, reduced risk of wound complications and earlier discharge from the hospital. In the past two years, minimally invasive colorectal surgery has become even more minimal. One Saint Peter’s University Hospital surgeon now performs certain colon operations through a single port, rather than the three to four generally used for laparoscopic procedures.

“This is a big technological advance in laparoscopic surgery,” says Sanjiv Patankar, M.D., chief of Colorectal Surgery at Saint Peter’s, one of only a few hospitals in the country to offer the new procedure, called single-port laparoscopic colon resection. It allows him to surgically remove a segment of the colon through a single incision, less than 2 inches long, that is typically made in the belly button (meaning only a very small scar will be visible).

Single-port resection is made possible by a specially designed tool and surgical technique called the Single Incision Laparoscopic System. “This is a special access device that has a gel diaphragm, through which we insert our instruments and laparoscope to see and record the site, which is magnified on a screen in the operating room,” Dr. Patankar says.

Great skill is required. “The range of movement is restricted because all the instruments go through the single port, so correct positioning of the instruments is more difficult,” he says. It helps if a surgeon has lots of experience with conventional laparoscopic surgery.

Fortunately, Dr. Patankar has done several hundred such procedures. “I felt very comfortable learning these new skill sets for this highly complex procedure,” he reports.

Because the single-port approach is still relatively

Sanjiv Patankar, M.D., and his surgical team in the operating room at Saint Peter’s University Hospital. Dr. Patankar is the first to bring single-port colon resection to our area. The procedure takes minimally invasive surgery to the next level, further reducing discomfort for patients and length of hospital stay.

new, there is no hard data yet on its benefits. But Dr. Patankar believes it will extend the already significant benefits of using laparoscopy, resulting in “even less pain, less risk of wound complications and quicker discharge from the hospital,” he says. “Already my single-port patients have gone home in just two or three days, a day or two sooner than traditional laparoscopy patients.”

The technology takes laparoscopic surgery one step further in achieving better patient outcomes, says Dr. Patankar, and about 40 percent of his surgical patients are candidates for single-port surgery. Because of the anatomic location of the colon, the best candidates are patients who need surgery on the right side to remove, or resect, colon tumors or polyps that cannot be removed during a colonoscopy. “If the tumor is larger than 4 centimeters, it won’t work,” he says. “Also, patients with prior abdominal operations will have scar tissue, so they are not ideal candidates.

“When patients meet the requirements I always offer single-port surgery,” Dr. Patankar says. “There’s no reason not to. There’s no downside to trying it. If for some reason it’s not working out, we can always insert additional ports or even move on to open surgery. The technology is here to stay. It’s a win/win for the patient.” ■ To learn more about minimally invasive colon surgery at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, please call 732-745-8571.

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Seasonal HEALTH

Don’t let motion sickness spoil your journey T H E R E A R E S E V E R A L WAY S T O E A S E T H AT Q U E A S Y F E E L I N G

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JUPITER IMAGES

AS THE WEATHER WARMS UP THIS SPRING, many of us will be planning trips. But that fun experience will be clouded, for some, by motion sickness. One-third of the population is especially susceptible to this malady, easily becoming dizzy, fatigued or nauseated in a moving automobile, ship, train or airplane. The reasons for this susceptibility aren’t fully understood. But fortunately, doctors do have suggestions to minimize your discomfort.

WHY IT HAPPENS Researchers believe motion sickness results in part from mixed messages to the brain that disturb your equilibrium. If you’re reading a book in a moving car, for example, your eyes are fixed on its pages.

They’re telling you that things are stable, while your inner ear, sensitive to the car’s acceleration and its twists and turns on the highway, begs to differ.

WHAT TO DO If you experience motion sickness in a

moving vehicle, try to take a nap or at least close your eyes, suggests Steven Sabin, M.D., an otolaryngologist affiliated with Saint Peter’s University Hospital. “Also, if you’re on a road that’s very curvy, try looking at the horizon instead of the road.”

WHAT TO TAKE There are a variety of over-thecounter and prescription medicines; see what works best for you. Side effects tend to be similar for all of these: dry mouth, drowsiness, blurred vision and, rarely, disorientation, memory troubles and sensitivity to light or eye pain.

Over-the-counter antihistamines: Like cold and allergy remedies, these products block the effects of histamines at receptors in your body. Brand names include Dramamine, Antivert, Bonine, Marezine and Phenergan.

Don’t consume alcohol while on these medications, and avoid driving the first time you take them until you see how drowsy they make you.

Prescription medications: Scopolamine is available by prescription in a skin patch, known as Transderm Scop, that is worn behind the ear and is effective for three days.

You can try the patch for a day or two before traveling to see if it works for you without too many side effects.

Motion sickness can sometimes cause nausea. Dr. Sabin recommends a prescription medicine called ondansetron (trade name Zofran) to relieve the symptoms of nausea in the most extreme cases.

Gingerroot (Zingiber officinale): Enthusiasts swear by this herbal preparation to relieve symptoms of motion sickness, and at least some research seems to support them.

In one study, 80 percent of subjects who took a 500milligram dose two hours before a boat trip were symptomfree. But gingerroot may act to inhibit blood clotting in susceptible individuals, so talk to your doctor before using it if you’re on anticoagulants or aspirin therapy.

Wristband stimulators: Some people have found relief with a special band worn on the underside of the wrist like a sports watch. Available over the counter for about $130 (ReliefBand is one brand), it electrically stimulates an acupuncture pressure point on the underside of your upper wrist; manufacturers say this signals the brain to resume normal stomach rhythms.

Fortunately, motion sickness usually stops when the motion stops. If yours persists—or if it is accompanied by hearing loss or a new onset of tinnitus (ringing in the ear)—see your physician, says Dr. Sabin. “Those could be signs that there’s something more going on in your ear than typical motion sickness.” ■

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by Rebecca Minnich

Voice of empathy THIS IMMIGRANT’S EXPERIENCE GIVES HIM A SPECIAL FEELING FOR OTHERS’ SPIRITUAL NEEDS

BOHM-MARRAZZO PHOTOGRAPHY

THE JOURNEY THAT TOOK TABIRI CHUKUNTA from a small Nigerian village to his present role as director of community outreach for Saint Peter’s Healthcare System has all the makings of a modern Odyssey, and perhaps its key moment was the day he “died.”

As a young soldier in Nigeria’s civil war in the late 1960s, he received a severe gunshot wound in battle.

“The doctors told me I’d died,” recalls Chukunta, now 58.

“I can only describe it as a mystical experience,” says the East Brunswick resident. “Somehow, I floated out of my body and traveled an incredible distance in the wink of an eye. I saw my life from childhood.” It took him years to talk about the experience, which realigned his view of God. “As the son of a minister and a missionary I’d learned faith; that day I experienced the Lord for myself.”

Why, he wondered, had he survived when so many comrades had not? “I was still trying to understand such things when I came to the U.S. in 1973,” he says. “I knew I was meant to be of service. The question was, how?”

In 1981, his wife, Ukwuoma, was in labor in the Saint Peter’s maternity unit, and Chukunta, pacing the halls nervously, ran into an old friend. “He was working as a contract security guard, and he told me the hospital needed more people, and that I should apply. I didn’t realize my entire life was about to change.”

Over the next 16 years, Chukunta worked his way

from parking-lot attendant to security guard to assistant manager of security to director of hospital safety and security. “I fell in love with this place,” he says. “The people here are truly compassionate and open to new ideas.”

In 2006, his enthusiasm caught the attention of a hiring committee, which felt that his background was the perfect preparation for director of community outreach.

“The first year on the job, most of what I did was talk with people in the community,” he recalls. “I knocked on many doors, spoke to civic and religious leaders and attended events at mosques, churches and temples to learn what the various groups were looking for in a hospital.”

Since then, “Tab” has become widely known in the neighborhood for an open smile, an easy laugh and a head full of ideas. He has broken new ground, instituting strong cross-cultural and interfaith programs, resulting in the creation of a multifaith prayer room alongside the hospital chapel. And he’s helped medical staff become involved in healthcare events throughout the area. “If the people don’t come to us, we need to go to them,” he explains.

Chukunta has brought Imams to the hospital to meet with clinical leaders, which led to the serving of halal food (food permissible by Islamic law) for Muslim patients. He’s arranged workshops to help clinicians understand the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ prohibition against blood transfusions. He created a “Unity in Diversity” initiative that led to hospital celebrations of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. And he forged a partnership between the hospital and the Chabad House of Rutgers University.

“By understanding different religions and cultures we can provide better care to all people,” he says. “I am always learning from our patients—they are great teachers.”

He and Ukwuoma, married for 34 years, have five children and two grandchildren. And in 2001 Chukunta began a new kind of service as minister of visitation at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset. In 2007 he became associate minister. He was also on the first team of chaplains to serve the New Brunswick Fire Department. A credentialed disaster response crisis counselor, he recently earned his doctorate in pastoral care and counseling from Drew University Theological School.

“Perhaps I’m realizing now why I am alive today,” says Chukunta. “My struggles have helped me to empathize with others, and to be of help to them.” ■

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Glorious Food

by Diane Szulecki

Gnocchi with butter thyme sauce SERVES 4–6

⁄2 cup unsalted butter

ground black pepper

1

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 large egg, beaten to blend

1 (1-pound) russet potato

1

⁄2 teaspoon salt

1

⁄4 cup all-purpose flour ⁄4 cup shaved Pecorino Romano cheese

1

⁄4 teaspoon freshly

1

• Cook the butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the thyme leaves.

Set aside.

• Pierce the potato all over with a fork. Microwave the potato until tender, turning once, about 12 minutes. Cut the potato in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; discard the skin. Using a fork, mash the potato well. Mash in the salt and pepper. Mix in 3

This spud’s for you

tablespoons of the egg; discard the remaining egg.

Sift the flour over the potato mixture and knead just until blended.

CHEAP, VERSATILE AND NUTRITIOUS, THE PLENTIFUL POTATO IS A WONDER FOOD

(dark skin and flesh)

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piece between your palms and the work surface into a 1⁄2-inch-diameter rope (about 20 inches long). Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough over a wooden paddle with ridges or over the tines of a fork to form grooves in the dough.

• Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water until they rise to the surface, about 1 minute.

Continue cooking until the gnocchi are tender, about 4 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the hot thyme-butter in the skillet. Toss to coat.

• Spoon the gnocchi and butter sauce into shallow bowls. Top with the shaved cheese and serve.

BEST FOR ...

TASTY TIDBIT

mashing, baking, roasting, frying

America’s most popular variety

boiling, roasting, potato salads

High moisture levels make it bad for mashing

boiling, roasting, frying

Basic but versatile

mashing, baking, roasting

Creamy texture and richer flavor make it a good all-purpose potato

steaming, baking

Somewhat rare in the U.S.; less flavorful than other varieties

RECIPE SOURCE: THE FOOD NETWORK, GIADA DE LAURENTIIS; STICKFOOD

THEY’RE THE CULINARY EQUIVALENT OF great jeans, a “humble” pleasure that offers instant comfort, goes with almost everything and on occasion can be dressed up to dazzlingly chic effect. But, like stalwart denim, potatoes get little adulation—despite an impressive history. First known to have grown 12,500 years ago in Chile, the hearty crop became a dependable food for many a culture, from the Incas to Renaissance Italy to 18th-century France. (Marie Antoinette made potatoes couture by wearing their blossoms in her hair.) Today it’s the world’s fourth most prevalent staple crop (behind wheat, corn and rice). And it’s surprisingly nutritious: fat-free, low in calories (about 160 for a medium potato) TYPE and a good source of vitamins C and B6. Its skin, too, contains Russet (brown skin, white flesh) bountiful nutrients such as fiber and iron, so think twice about Red peeling. Whether mashed into a (red skin, white flesh) fluffy heap, baked and garnished with the fixin’s, fried into ... well, White (tan skin, white flesh) fries, or transformed into a luxe creation (see recipe), the spud is a Yukon Gold source of near unanimous enjoy- (tan skin, yellow flesh) ment, beckoning us to indulge. ■ Purple

• Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll each

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Middlesex GOURMET

Page 64

by Amanda Prost

Down-home delights

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STOCKFOOD

a mixture of crawfish, collard greens, fennel and sweet potato. Served in a bamboo steamer with sides of soy sauce and spicy mustard, the dumplings were as much fun as they were tasty.

The Carolina BBQ Platter was an obvious entrée choice, with its sampling of barbecue chicken, fried whiting filets and those oh-so-yummy ribs. The half-rack was topped with a touch of sweet barbecue sauce, and the pork didn’t need more than a dab—after marinating for 24 hours, the ribs were moist and tender on their own. So too was the chicken (given the choice, we opted for the dark meat), which simply fell off the bone. The whiting was a reminder of how good fried fish can be when done right: The batter added the right amount of crispness while letting the flaky filet’s flavor shine.

The whiting made another appearance in our second entrée, served over jambalaya grits. The coarsely ground corn was studded with andouille sausage, peppers and onions, giving the dish all the spice of the traditional rice stew but with a (thankfully) lighter-inthe-stomach result. And that left us enough room to dig LIVE JAZZ MUSIC, LOW LIGHTS, WHITE into the sides—each entrée comes with a choice of two, linens … and baby-back ribs that prompt a furtive fingerand selecting from the enticing options was a feat. A licking? It may not be the usual fine-dining experience, definite on our list: hush puppies. For the uninitiated, but head to Delta’s Restaurant and you’ll find food so think of them as corn meal fritters, with a crunchy outtasty that it would be bad manners not to savor every last side giving way to a warm, fluffy inside. These were bite—no matter how messy. This is Southern cuisine lovely—not greasy in the least and surprisingly airy. We migrated north to New Brunswick, without losing any of chose veggies for the rest: Collard greens, string beans its flavor and flair along the way. and okra stewed in tomatoes were fresh and fuss-free— The tri-level space, with its exposed brick walls, not overcooked or overadorned. makes Delta’s roomy and yet intimate. Seated at a topAfter such a bountiful downfloor table, we were able to survey the home spread, dessert seemed a bit of entire scene while nibbling warm a stretch—but stretch we did, and D e l t a ’s R e s t a u r a n t corn muffins with maple butter and 19 Dennis Street, New Brunswick; 732without any regrets! A generous scanning the menu.

249-1551; www.deltasrestaurant.com slice of red velvet cake was topped It didn’t take us long to be with a thin layer of cream-cheese Hours intrigued by the novelty of fried Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 p.m.– frosting, which allowed the cake’s gator. While gator may sound exotic, midnight; Thursday through Saturday, cocoa undertones to take center 5 p.m.–2 a.m.; Sunday, 1–8 p.m. the actual taste isn’t over-the-top— stage. But the real winner was the think chicken only chewier. The What you should know sweet-potato cheesecake. Still sweet • Entrées range from $18 to $30 meat was battered with a liberal with a slightly savory bite, it hit the • Reservations recommended amount of spices, fried to a golden perfect final notes.

• $5 martinis on Tuesdays crisp and offset with a creamy With our bellies full and • Live music Tuesdays, Fridays rémoulade. A different take in their our napkins dotted with barbecue and Saturdays own right, the Soul Folks Dumpsauce, all we could do was sit back • Major credit cards accepted lings were a delight. Combining the contentedly and let the lively jazz • Private parties accommodated tastes of the South and the Far East, music provide a fitting end to our thin wonton skins were stuffed with vibrant feast. ■

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faces of MIDDLESEX

Dim sum and then some At the Asian Food Fair held at Asian Food Markets in Piscataway, Sophia Kao prepares a steaming pot of shumai dumplings—a dim sum favorite—for area foodies. These were just a few of many delightful bites offered at the event, hosted in celebration of Chinese New Year.

CHRISTOPHER GORE

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