Southern Illinois Health & Life April 2010

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April 2010

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

health&life T h e g o o d

l i v i n g

m a g a z i n e

f r o m

S O U T H E R N

I L L I N O I S

H E A LT H C A R E

WHAT YOUR CHILD’S YAWN MAY MEAN

Scar-free surgery?

‘CRAZY’ CURES THAT WORK!

New cancer treatments— close to home BANISH HEADACHE PAIN

our + Take WELLNESS QUIZ

What do gall bladder surgery patients want most?

Less pain.

Little scar.

The new SILS procedure at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale allows doctors to do just that. Using the latest technology, doctors can remove the gall bladder leaving little or no trace of an incision and ultimately less pain.

The SILS procedure uses a single 20 millimeter incision at the belly button.

Compare that to traditional laparoscopic surgery which uses three to four small incisions.

SILS. Major surgery. Less pain. Little scar.

To find a physician performing SILS call

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Contents

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SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

health&life

April 2010

Features 4 Heart health /

Cardiology: state of the science · Dramatic strides have been made

13 Better care /

against the nation’s no. 1 killer.

8 Clinical update /

‘Hearty’ honors

How a cardiac care program became one of the nation’s “top 100” two years in a row

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The latest in cancer care

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Scar-free surgery?

Clinical trials now bring leading-edge treatments to the people of southern Illinois.

Departments Welcome letter

3 Eyes have it /

4 eye nuisances and how to treat them · Learn what to do when these

common conditions strike.

’Crazy’ cures that work · These 5 remedies may sound peculiar, but they’re doctor-approved.

16 Children’s health /

Sleepy kids?

Getting enough shut-eye is vital for your youngster.

If there’s a problem, a sleep center may be useful.

18 Healthy living /

The great wellness quiz · How savvy are you about avoiding illness

and feeling good? Answer 25 questions to find out.

22 Nature’s hot baths

At four springs in different states from coast to coast, you can soak your way to serenity.

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For gallbladder operations, a new single-incision approach means less pain and minimal scarring.

26 Escapes /

Hospital-based doctors

A fast-growing specialty brings intimate, round-theclock care to inpatients.

10 ways to beat headaches · Medications

can help, but so can key changes in your routine.

24 In bloom /

Backyard bounty: vegetable gardens · How to reap the rewards

of a hearty, wholesome harvest

30 Glorious food /

How sweet it is

Pure and natural, honey is one sweetener that has stood the test of time.

32 Your comfort zone /

Head-to-toe

Things you can do—all over—to feel better COVER IMAGE : MASTERFILE

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SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

health&life THE GOOD LIVING MAGAZINE from SOUTHERN ILLINOIS HEALTHCARE SIH STAFF president and chief executive officer REX P. BUDDE

corporate director of marketing and communication CHERYL BENN

communications coordinator ROSSLIND RICE

Southern Illinois Healthcare 1239 East Main Carbondale, IL 62901 (618) 457-5200 SIH Call Center Physician referrals, information on classes and hospital services: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

1-866-SIH-2468 (1-866-744-2468)

WAINSCOT STAFF editor in chief RITA GUARNA

art director SARAH LECKIE

senior editor TIMOTHY KELLEY

managing editor JENNIFER CENICOLA

assistant editor KRISTIN COLELLA

editorial intern DIANE SZULECKI

Southern Illinois Health & Life is published by Wainscot Media, 110 Summit Avenue, Montvale, NJ 07645, in association with Southern Illinois Healthcare. This is Volume 2, Issue 1. © 2010 by Southern Illinois Healthcare.

All rights reserved.

Material contained herein is intended for informational purposes only. If you have medical concerns, seek the guidance of a healthcare professional.

Memorial Hospital of Carbondale St. Joseph Memorial Hospital Herrin Hospital Center for Medical Arts Miners Memorial Health Center

Welcome LETTER

Advances to celebrate I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS SECOND edition of Southern Illinois Health & Life, a good living magazine brought to you by Southern Illinois Healthcare. On behalf of our organization, thank you for the positive and thoughtful feedback so many of you gave us about our premiere issue last fall.

As spring rolls into southern Illinois, we celebrate yet another milestone for Memorial Hospital of Carbondale’s Prairie Heart Institute, recognized as one of America’s top heart hospitals for the second consecutive year. I would be remiss if I did not publicly thank our community-hospital partners for their role in this success. Because of the Prairie STAT Heart program and our collaboration with Harrisburg Medical Center, Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado, Franklin Hospital in Benton, Marshall Browning Hospital in DuQuoin, Pinckneyville Community Hospital, Union County Hospital in Anna, the Marion VA Medical Center and our own St. Joseph Memorial and Herrin Hospitals, we are saving lives and performing lifesaving angioplasties in less time than it takes in many larger, urban facilities.

Another important outreach for us is the launch of cancer clinical trials. For the first time ever, SIH has established a clinical research office that enables physicians and their patients to take part in these trials at no cost to them.

At SIH, we define success in terms of how we can maximize the quality of the services we provide and the satisfaction of our patients, all the while discovering new, more efficient ways to deliver that care. As this magazine demonstrates, we are committed to providing compassionate and firstclass care to you and your family. Let me know what you think. I am always glad to hear from you.

Sincerely, REX P. BUDDE President and Chief Executive Officer Southern Illinois Healthcare, Carbondale, Illinois

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Eye Care

4 eye nuisances and how to treat them LEARN WHAT TO DO WHEN THESE COMMON CONDITIONS STRIKE

YOUR EYES CAN DEVELOP PROBLEMS THAT aren’t strictly about vision. Most of these aren’t medically grave, but they do cause discomfort. Here are four: THE PROBLEM: STYES A stye, also called a hordeolum, is a painful, pus-filled red lump on the edge of your eyelid, usually caused by a bacterial infection in an eyelash. A stye can take a so-so day and really put it on the skids, especially if you were set to have your picture taken.

WHAT TO DO: Apply a warm, clean compress to the area four times a day for 10-minute periods. Try not to touch the stye; you could spread the infection. The stye should be gone in three or four days.

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THE PROBLEM: PINKEYE Pinkeye is a layman’s term for conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the eye.

Viral conjunctivitis is marked by a watery discharge, while the discharge in bacterial conjunctivitis is a thick yellow-green. These infectious forms of conjunctivitis are highly contagious and can be spread even if there is no direct contact—for instance, if someone who has recently touched his eye handles a doorknob and you touch it a moment later. Unlike the infectious kinds, allergic conjunctivitis usually affects both eyes, and it’s typified by intense itching as well as tearing, redness and sometimes swollen eyelids.

WHAT TO DO: To avoid catching viral or bacterial conjunctivitis, keep your distance from infected persons and wash your hands often. Viral conjunctivitis must run its course, but symptoms may be relieved with cool compresses and artificial tears. Prescription antibiotic eye drops may knock out bacterial conjunctivitis, while allergic conjunctivitis often responds to antihistamine eye drops.

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THE PROBLEM: BLEPHARITIS Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid that is often caused by overproduction of oils by glands there. It can make the lid crusty and red, and you may feel as if you have something in your eye.

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WHAT TO DO: Dabbing with scrub pads, available over the counter, may be helpful for this condition— Ocusoft is one brand. Also, the antibiotic doxycycline has been shown to provide some relief—but it can increase sensitivity to the sun, and children should not use it because of possible tooth damage.

THE PROBLEM: DRY OR WEEPY EYES Driedout and overmoistened eyes are actually two sides of the same coin. We all produce two types of tears: One keeps the eye moist regularly; another is held in reserve and triggered when you weep or have something in your eye. If the eye senses it’s too dry, it can trigger a flow of reserve tears.

WHAT TO DO: Some people find relief with over-thecounter artificial teardrops a few times a day; others need prescription cyclosporin drops twice daily or punctal plugs, small silicone sponges that are implanted in the eyelids in an office procedure. The plugs are effective and easily removed, but can become dislodged. ■

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Heart Health

CARDIOLOGY: state of the science DRAMATIC STRIDES HAVE BEEN MADE AGAINST THE NATION’S NO. 1 KILLER

ALAMY

by Maria Lissandrello

WHEN IT COMES TO HEART DISEASE, EVEN VIGILANT medical care isn’t always enough. We were reminded of that in 2008 with the sudden death of Tim Russert, the 58-year-old host of TV’s Meet the Press. Though he’d exercised regularly and controlled his cholesterol and blood pressure with medications, he became one of the more than 400,000 Americans who die of heart attacks each year.

Yet for the more than 80 million people who suffer from this illness in the U.S., there’s good news too. Heart-disease deaths have been cut in half since the 1980s, says The New England Journal of Medicine.

The American Heart Association reports that the death rate from the disease declined 36.4 percent from 1996 to 2006. And with new, significant breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, that downward trend is likely to continue.

One of the most startling recent discoveries comes from a decidedly humble source: vitamin D. After 20 years of studying the vitamin’s effect on cardiovascular health, University The adult human heart of Michigan pharmacologist Robert U. Simpson pumps out about 5 quarts found that it can prevent heart muscle cells from of blood every minute. growing bigger and enlarging the heart. Because an enlarged heart means greater risk of heart failure, the discovery has major implications.

Until now, medications have merely been able to “improve the quality of life for patients with heart failure, ruling out any hope of cure or reversal,” says Simpson. But his findings, published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, suggest that taking vitamin D may halt the progress of heart disease and that maintaining adequate D levels may even prevent heart failure. Researchers from the Medical University of Graz in Austria published similar findings in 2008 in the

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Take charge— TODAY! It’s never too late to boost your heart health. Cardiologist C. Noel Bairey Merz, M.D., director of the CedarsSinai Women’s Heart Center in Los Angeles, recommends these strategies: STAY ACTIVE. Regular physical activity boosts your circulation and over time helps your heart pump more blood with less effort. In fact, a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that regular exercise cuts the risk of coronary heart disease even in overweight and obese women.

EAT UP. Emphasizing legumes, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can significantly reduce your heart risk. For tips and recipes, log on to www.deliciousdecisions.org.

KICK THE BUTTS. Your lungs aren’t the only organs at risk if you light up—your heart suffers, too. Smoking raises blood pressure, lowers levels of HDL (good) cholesterol and makes blood more likely to clot.

WAIST NOT. Carrying excess weight, especially around the waist, increases your risk of both heart disease and diabetes. Ideally, a woman’s waist should measure less than 35 inches, a man’s less than 40. Not sure you’re ready to embark on a strict overall weight-loss regime? Log on to www.caloriecontrol.org to learn quickly how many calories you’re consuming in a particular food—and how many you can burn with a simple exercise.

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LEANNE PEDERSON

Archives of Internal Medicine.

“Low vitamin D levels appear to be an independent risk factor for heart disease,” says Robert J. Marshall, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine in the cardiology division at Georgetown University. Thus, a deficiency of D may soon be added to the list of preventable cardiac risk factors. Currently, as many as 36 percent of Americans are deficient in D, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Cardiologists have also been abuzz about a study confirming the benefits of drug-eluting stents. Baremetal stents, tiny metal mesh devices that are inserted into blocked arteries to prop them open, have helped

millions avoid more-invasive bypass surgery. The problem? Many patients experience restenosis (a renarrowing of the artery), which requires further intervention.

In recent years, however, doctors have been using drugeluting stents—those coated with drugs that are slowly released into the artery—to prevent restenosis. But until the results of a University of Ontario study appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2007, their safety and effectiveness were unproven.

Now we know that patients who receive drug-eluting stents have a significantly lower risk of restenosis, heart attack and death than do those who receive baremetal stents.

Noting these findings, Son Le, M.D., an interventional cardiologist with Prairie Cardiovascular in Carbondale, says he and his colleagues rely on stents much more often than more-invasive procedures—and the result is better outcomes and lower risk.

As is the case in many fields of medicine, the study of stem cells is offering exciting possibilities for heart patients. Indeed, stem-cell researchers have moved tantalizingly close to replacing destroyed heart cells—those irrevocably damaged when blood flow to the heart is disrupted in a heart attack—with healthy new cells.

In a remarkable first, researchers in the Netherlands succeeded in growing new heart-muscle cells from stem cells derived from adult human hearts, tissue that’s routinely discarded during open-heart surgery.

The lab-grown cells contract rhythmically, respond to electrical stimuli and react to adrenaline just like original heart cells. What’s more, they can be grown in great numbers, notes researcher Pieter Doevendans, M.D. Not only may these cells someday be used to repair heart damage, they also offer the hope of dramatically speeding research, because they allow drugs and treatments to be tested on “real” heart tissue.

Another plus: This is the first time adult stem cells, not embryonic stem cells, have yielded heart tissue, thus bypassing any ethical controversy. And because new heart cells can be grown from a patient’s own tissue, there is no danger of rejection by the immune system.

Finally, many are excited about a diagnostic breakthrough that may help doctors better identify women at risk for a cardiac event. This task is often challenging because one in five females who suffer a heart attack doesn’t have the usual risk factors, such as high blood

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Heart Health

pressure and high cholesterol. But researchers recently discovered that many of these women do have high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for inflammation. In response, doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston designed the Reynolds Risk Score, a diagnostic tool that accounts for CRP as well as a woman’s genetic risk.

These investigators reported on how well the score predicted cardiovascular events for a group of more than 24,000 women they’d followed for at least eight years. The result? The test reclassified 30 to 45 percent of women previously deemed “intermediaterisk” into higher- or lower-risk categories. These new assessments much more accurately reflected the actual cardiac events that went on to occur. For the science of cardiology, it was yet another exciting advance.

ON THE HORIZON EXPERTS ARE ABUZZ ABOUT THESE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN CARDIAC CARE:

A HEART-DISEASE VACCINE? After studying more than 1,000 subjects for 12 years, scientists at the Karolin-

ska Institutet in Sweden found a clear link between low levels of a naturally occurring antibody called anti-PC and an increased risk of atherosclerosis, or hardening and thickening of the arteries. Anti-PC appears to keep blood vessels healthy by attacking LDL cholesterol, the “bad” type that builds up on artery walls. Study leader Johan Frostegard says his team is working on an anti-PC vaccine that could prevent atherosclerosis from developing in the first place.

NEW, TEMPORARY HEARTS. Keeping the sickest heart patients alive while they await a transplant has long been challenging. Now scientists at the University of Minnesota have successfully created a beating heart from a dead rat’s heart. In a process analogous to gutting a house, they literally washed the organ until only its outer structure remained, then reinjected it with heart cells from baby rats. To “train” the cells to beat, they installed a pacemaker. The team is replicating the experiment using a pig heart, which is closer in size to a human heart. Eventually, the technique may be used to generate new hearts for people like the 50,000 Americans who die each year awaiting a heart transplant. ■

What you don’t know can hurt you Misconceptions about cardiovascular illness can endanger you even if your intentions are good, says Son Le, M.D., an interventional cardiologist with Prairie Cardiovascular. Here are five heart-disease myths, busted: ”I’ve smoked my whole life—quitting now won’t help.”

benefit if you break up that chunk of time into 10- or even

Not only is it never too late to quit, but the minute you

five-minute sessions. And you needn’t necessarily work up a

stop, your body begins to reverse the damage to your

heavy sweat. Moderate activity, the kind that makes you

heart, lungs and other organs. After one year, the excess

feel just slightly out of breath, will do the trick.

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risk of heart disease caused by smoking is cut in half, and after 15 years that risk returns to a nonsmoker’s level.

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”I’m trim and active, so I’m safe.” It’s good to be slim, but it’s no guaranteed protection against heart dis-

“My blood pressure has come down, so I can stop tak-

ease. You still need to get your blood pressure and lipid

ing my pills.” In most cases medication works to con-

levels checked once a year for a more comprehensive view

trol blood pressure only as long as you’re taking it, so talk with your doctor before changing your regimen. Some— but not all—patients who have been exercising and eating heart-healthy foods may be able to take a lower dose or even come off their medications.

of your cardiovascular health.

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”Heart attacks are invariably painful and sudden.“ Doctors say most heart attacks actually creep up on

you, causing slight chest pressure or discomfort that comes and goes. Sometimes shortness of breath, with or without

“I’d need to do a half hour of continuous vigorous

pain, is a sign. And women in particular are prone to unex-

exercise daily to do my heart any real good.” Though

plained nausea, vomiting and indigestion. Other symptoms

30 minutes of activity most days of the week is recom-

include lightheadedness, cold sweats and pain that radi-

mended to help your heart, studies show that you can also

ates to the back, arm and jaw.

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Clinical Update

‘Hearty‘ honors HOW A CARDIAC CARE PROGRAM BECAME ONE OF THE NATION’S ‘TOP 100’ TWO YEARS IN A ROW

VINCE ASHLEY ADMITS HE’S A TOUGH critic. The 58-year-old former nurse and paramedic has seen his share of emergency treatment. When he had his own heart attack last October, the CEO of Harrisburg Medical Center—a Prairie STAT Heart partner of Memorial Hospital of Carbondale—knew just what he wanted.

“It was like somebody hit me in the chest with a sledgehammer, so I knew right away what was going on,” says Ashley, who was visiting in central Illinois, watching his grandson play football, when he was stricken.

He had directions for emergency personnel.

“I told them right away I wanted to go wherever they have Prairie Heart doctors,” recalls Ashley, now fully recovered.

Physicians with Prairie Cardiovascular are part of SIH’s well-respected team of cardiac specialists, which also includes Southern Illinois University (SIU) cardiothoracic surgeons. Heart care based at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale’s Prairie Heart Institute—which features three state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization labs and a staff of nearly 50—recently received its second straight designation by the publisher and information firm Thomson Reuters as one of the country’s “top 100” heart hospitals.

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In medical circles, the designation is akin to winning an Oscar. Only five Illinois hospitals were recognized in 2009—MHC, one in Springfield and three in Chicagoland. Nationally, nearly 1,000 hospitals were reviewed by such criteria as mortality rates following most heart procedures, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications and costs.

MHC’s recognition as a “top 100” cardiac hospital in 2008 was impressive; to receive the designation for two consecutive years is rare. “This truly is the honor we’re all most proud of here at Memorial,” says Bart Millstead, MHC’s administrator. “It’s a testament to everyone who helps provide our communities with this level of cardiac health care—from the physicians to our nurses, front-line employees and community hospital STAT Heart partners such as Harrisburg Medical Center.”

“The quality of life in the community is much, much higher now because of the quality of cardiac care that is available right here in southern Illinois,” he adds.

It is that high level of care that caught Tony Capuano’s eye when he was asked recently to join MHC’s leadership team. “I am fortunate to come to a program that has the level of commitment and dedication to a service line that exist here,” says Capuano, the system’s

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FROM FAR LEFT: Interventional cardiologists Varadendra Panchamukhi, M.D., Son Le, M.D., and Raed Al-Dallow, M.D.; Kenneth Saum, M.D., director of cardiothoracic surgery, assisted by nurse Angela Krelo; Cesar Coello, M.D., and nurse Amber Yeager.

director of cardiovascular services.

On a recent Monday morning, Capuano witnessed a beehive of activity within MHC’s three cath labs. Four physicians split a total of 19 scheduled interventional procedures, with other staff working side-byside in 10-hour shifts. Only one emergency case required an adjustment by one of the cardiologists, Raed Al-Dallow, M.D. His colleague Cesar Coello, M.D., however, oversaw the most procedures on this busy day, handling eight patients in a schedule that ran from about 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“The cath labs are normally quite busy; it’s definitely a high-traffic area,” says Dr. Al-Dallow, who moved to SIH from Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center three years ago. MHC and its cath labs are handling very high procedural volumes, comparable to most university hospitals. “That tells you how busy our socalled ‘little’ hospital is,” adds the doctor with pride. “To have this type of facility right here in southern Illinois is important to patients, their families and friends.”

On this busy day for lab personnel, the first procedure was done on a 75-year-old woman with a blockage in one artery. As Al-Dallow began to snake a catheter up through her leg, one nurse monitored her vitals and another nurse assisted the doctor, while a monitor person charted the case step by step on the computer and an X-ray technologist ran the X-ray machine.

Go back in time just a decade, to 2000, and there were no full-service cardiac catheterization labs in southern Illinois at all. Patients had to drive for hours to St. Louis, Springfield or points farther south, not only

for open-heart surgery, but for basic interventional procedures as well.

But today at MHC, notes Dr. Coello, “the volume of cases is large, and the outcomes are very, very good.”

One person repeatedly pointed to as a linchpin to MHC’s success in achieving high-quality heart care is Pam Shadowens, cardiac services coordinator and an 18-year SIH veteran. A former ER nurse, she oversees the hospital’s STAT Heart program, in which speed and teamwork save lives.

It is a program that now involves nine community hospitals throughout the region, including Vince Ashley’s facility in Harrisburg. “Herrin Hospital was the first to pilot the program,” notes Shadowens, adding that it was from Herrin’s facility that the cardiac team set the record for an emergency heart case. It was 50 minutes from when the heart-attack patient entered Herrin’s ER to the successful unblocking of that patient’s arteries at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, 15 miles away.

When it comes to our hearts, says Shadowens, time is muscle. Each passing minute without intervention increases the risk of damage to the heart and future problems. So the goal for SIH’s team from “door to balloon”—from when a patient presents him- or herself to the time the blockage is removed—is 90 minutes. That’s also a national standard.

Since the Prairie Heart Institute was started in February 2001, SIH has also performed more than 1,500 open-heart surgeries. Many were done by Kenneth Saum, M.D., director of cardiothoracic surgery at Memorial and a member of SIU Healthcare.

“The amount of planning and coordination required for this program to do as well as it has is significant, and it’s a credit to the teamwork that exists,” says Dr. Saum. “Everyone from the operating room staff to the intensive care staff to the cardiologists plays a vital role. You don’t find many small community hospitals providing the level of services we provide here.”

It depends on planning and teamwork, says Dr. Al-Dallow. “The key is to first have a structure and a checklist in place to guarantee you don’t miss anything.

What we have here truly is a well-oiled machine.” ■ S O U T H E R N I L L I N O I S H E A LT H & L I F E

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Clinical Update

The latest in cancer care CLINICAL TRIALS NOW BRING LEADING-EDGE TREATMENTS TO SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

IF YOU’VE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, you want the best possible treatment—and because medical knowledge is always advancing, that often means the newest treatments. In many cases, you can receive such treatments by participating in clinical trials.

Clinical trials are an important part of cancer research. They involve a multi-stage process for moving new treatments from the laboratory to the doctor’s office. A clinical trial is the final step in proving the effectiveness of a medication or procedure before it may become the standard of treatment for future patients.

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ABOVE: Peter Graham, M.D., Premier Oncology Care

trials (versus only 3 percent of adults with the disease).

The fact that more than 70 percent of children with cancer now survive five years after diagnosis (by 2000 figures) makes it reasonable to infer that the trials are providing crucial help—but there’s no age boundary to the benefit they provide.

Trials offer high-quality cancer care, giving participants the opportunity to receive brandnew treatments that may help them now and broaden the treatment options for others with the same diagnosis later. Tested as part of the trials, those options may include new drugs, different surgical approaches

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or new radiation therapy treatments.

Started in 1983 by the National Cancer Institute, CCOPs “I’ve had a few family members diagnosed with are designed specifically to allow smaller hospitals and cancer, so I know firsthand the impact it can have on community physicians to participate in a multitude of families,” says Tonica Anderson, a research nurse who trials throughout the U.S. will oversee the start of Southern Illinois Healthcare’s Dr. Graham says the new clinical trials initiative participation in cancer clinical trials. “To know that SIH is a key step in expanding treatment options for SIH can help find a new treatment for cancer—that our patients. “For any cancer program, it is important that patients can benefit directly from the program and not clinical trials are available so that patients have access to have to leave the area to participate—is an incredible leading-edge research, and that it can occur right here at feeling. I can’t tell you how excited I am that we are home for them,” he explains. going to be doing this.”

“We had excellent services here already,” he adds.

Anderson’s primary responsibility is to ensure “But now everyone can view what’s here as a comprethat proper procedures are followed, trials are conducted hensive cancer care program.” correctly and data from each are properly managed and Drs. Graham, Kao, Rao and their patients will reported for overall review. have access to Phase 3 trials, which in the case of medPeople tend to have many ications are conducted when a misconceptions about clinical new drug has shown promise “Clinical trials give trials. For example, Anderson during initial phases. Phases 1 patients access to stresses that they are not merely a and 2 tend to focus on how best “last resort” for patients. A patient to give a patient a new drug, the newest research, diagnosed with an early stage of what side effects it has and how making ours a breast cancer, for example, may effective it is against the cancer. decide to participate in a particucomprehensive cancer Because of the greater number lar trial because she and her docof unknowns involved, fewer care program.” tors believe it’s her best course patients participate in these earof treatment. lier trials. Hundreds to thou—Peter Graham, M.D. The decision to participate sands of patients are likely to be in a particular trial is voluntary; it involved in a particular Phase 3 is ultimately up to the patient and is part of an overall trial, some living right here in southern Illinois. treatment plan developed in consultation with doctors.

Under ordinary circumstances, doctors in private “Often a treatment plan may begin with a clinical practice are often unable to participate in clinical trials trial,” says Anderson. because of the time-intensive—and expensive—data Not all standard treatments of cancer care work management they require. “SIH is giving these physithe same for every person. That’s one of the reasons the cians the opportunity to bring clinical trials to our region program is important—by advancing the development at no cost to them or to their patients,” says Jennifer L. of new treatments, the trials give a doctor and patient Badiu, SIH’s administrative director of cancer care sermore treatments to choose from. vices and breast care.

“Patients not only are looking for the best care for Enabling local doctors to participate in such a themselves, they also want to feel that they’re giving project is important because it means patients don’t need back, and that they can help others who will face the difto travel great distances to receive advanced treatment, ficult diagnosis of cancer,” says Peter Graham, M.D., of Badiu notes.

Premier Oncology Care in Carbondale.

“Having the support of family and friends is Dr. Graham, George Kao, M.D., and Sujatha paramount in one’s fight against cancer,” she explains.

Rao, M.D., are the only oncologists in the region who “We’re dedicated to providing a full spectrum of cancer have been accepted into the Community Clinical care so that no one has to leave the area for cancer treatOncology Program (CCOP) that serves central Illinois ment that can be appropriately given at the communityfrom a base at Decatur Memorial Hospital in Decatur. hospital level.” ■ S O U T H E R N I L L I N O I S H E A LT H & L I F E

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Clinical Update

Scar-free SURGERY? FOR GALLBLADDER OPERATIONS, A NEW SINGLE-INCISION APPROACH MEANS LESS PAIN AND MINIMAL SCARRING

Who is a candidate for the SILS procedure?

Generally, people who can undergo laparoscopic proceFrederick Dressen, D.O., general surgeon, Center for Medical Arts

dures are also candidates for the new SILS (single-incision

IT’S COMMONPLACE TODAY FOR SURGERY TO be done laparoscopically—that is, with four small incisions through which surgeons insert a tiny camera, light source and instruments to do their work. This “minimally invasive” approach has been shown to result in less pain and a quicker recovery than traditional open surgery. But now a doctor at the Center for Medical Arts in Carbondale is taking laparoscopic surgery one step further. Applying the latest technique, Frederick Dressen, D.O., is performing operations with just one incision in a procedure dubbed “SILS” for “single-incision laparoscopic surgery.”

The SILS technique uses just one incision in the belly button, making it possible for an operation to leave no visible scar at all. By reducing the four 1⁄2-inch or smaller incisions associated with traditional laparoscopic surgery to just one incision, the SILS procedure may reduce complications, including wound pain, that might accompany those additional sites of entry.

With SILS, Dr. Dressen says the medical community has achieved an important milestone. “It’s exciting when we can offer patients a surgical experience that

Benefits of single-incision surgery • less scarring • less pain • quicker recovery

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laparoscopic surgery) approach can minimize some to gallbladder or other of the discomfort trasurgery. Criteria may include: ditionally associated • must have had no prior with surgery,” he says. surgery of this kind “In a nutshell, that’s • surgery must be elective what the SILS proce(non-emergency) dure is all about.”

Although Dr. Dressen has used SILS mainly for gallbladder removal, it can also be employed in a wide variety of operations, including bariatric, urologic and gynecologic procedures (such as hysterectomies).

“This surgical method uses a single incision for cosmetic reasons,” adds Dr. Dressen. “We are thrilled to be at the forefront of a new kind of surgery that continues to transform the minimally invasive arena, resulting in even better experiences for patients.”

In addition to the outward benefits for the patient, fewer incisions mean less pain in recovery. “Patient care is our highest priority,” says the doctor. “Procedures like SILS are instrumental in helping us fulfill our goal of offering patients the latest advancements in medicine.”

If you need to undergo an operation, ask your doctor if you are a candidate for laparoscopic surgery, including the SILS technique. ■

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Better Care

Hospital-based doctors A FAST-GROWING SPECIALTY BRINGS INTIMATE, ROUND-THE-CLOCK CARE TO INPATIENTS

CLINT CONNOR, M.D., Varatha knows all about the demands on a primary care physician, having Muthulingam, once been in private practice M.D., and Clint himself. “In the office you’re Connor, M.D., busy, seeing patients, waiting for hospitalists at lab results,” says Dr. Connor.

Herrin Hospital “You can’t physically be at the hospital to treat another of your patients right away.”

But these days, in his role as a hospitalist at Herrin Hospital, Dr. Connor provides a service that in effect gives patients the best of two worlds: attentive inpatient care and the insight of Following medical their own personal physician.

More and more doctors are school, hospitalists using hospitalists like Dr. Connor typically undergo —physicians who specialize in residency training the practice of inpatient hospital in general internal medicine—to take care of their medicine, general patients when they visit emer- pediatrics or family gency rooms or are admitted to practice, but may the hospital. A hospitalist plays a also receive training vital role, communicating closely in other medical with the patient’s primary care disciplines. physician and overseeing his or her care during a hospitalization.

At SIH facilities, hospitalists work for seven consecutive days. They can admit patients without a primary care doctor and assist with medical management of specialty patients, such as those in acute rehabilitation. This schedule also gives hospitalists the time to focus on those patients who are admitted for extended stays while working hand in hand with their regular doctors. The result is more intimate hospital care.

“While the patient is in the hospital, I do spend more time in the room with him or her now than I did with patients in my practice,” says Dr. Connor.

“However, when you’re in the office you have more of a rapport with patients after years of taking care of them,

Harshit Shah,M.D., hospitalist at Memorial Hospital

so it’s a different type of relationship.”

“For the patient, the good thing about hospitalist care is being seen right away,” says Harshit Shah, M.D., a hospitalist at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. “We are available to talk to the relatives whenever they want because we are here.”

Benefits such as these have prompted a positive response from patients to hospitalist treatment. “I’ve been doing this for four or five years, and hospitalist medicine is now a separate discipline,” says Dr. Shah.

“First of all, you have someone who is focusing only on you. I can focus on all the small things, as well as the bigger picture. And the hospitalist system can help get patients discharged more quickly.” ■ S O U T H E R N I L L I N O I S H E A LT H & L I F E

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Better Care

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.

Southern Illinois 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 UTIs 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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Clinical Update

Sleepy kids?

GETTING ENOUGH GOOD-QUALITY SLUMBER IS CRITICAL FOR YOUR YOUNGSTER. IF THERE’S A PROBLEM, A SLEEP CENTER CAN HELP

HOW MUCH SLEEP EACH OF US NEEDS FOR a strong body and an alert mind has, for decades, been the subject of mild debate. And while it’s commonly believed that everyone should have a minimum of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, the reality, according to one of southern Illinois’ top sleep experts, is that the amount may vary from 5 to 91⁄2 hours and depends on each individual’s own makeup.

Terry M. Brown, D.O., medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital, says his personal magic number is 9 hours. “It does come down to what each person’s needs are, so the amount of sleep we should have depends,” he says.

“Generally speaking, most children will require 8 or 9 hours of good sleep,” says Dr. Brown, adding that 16

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toddlers should have two additional short naps of 30 to 60 minutes each day.

“Sleep is like thirst,” says the doctor. “The longer you go without it, the faster you’ll go to sleep and the longer you’ll sleep when given a chance. As much as possible, kids need to be kept to a schedule that provides them with regular periods of good sleep.”

Dr. Brown heads the region’s only accredited sleep disorders center, with a facility in Marion as well as six beds in the St. Joseph’s location. Increasing awareness of the issues connected with good sleep, especially for younger people, is one of the reasons why the field of child sleep medicine is growing, he says. “Addressing any sleep disorders at an early age allows patients to get into a routine that works well for them, and to develop good

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habits that give their bodies the • mouth breathing A child who sleep they need.”

• enlarged tonsils and adenoids in the daytime While the bulk of the • excessive daytime sleepiness roughly 4,500 sleep studies conA tonsillectomy typically is tired or grouchy, ducted by the center in the past will eliminate blockage of a child’s has headaches or two years have been on adults, the airways enough to remedy the sitnumber of children benefiting uation for some young patients, can’t concentrate from the center’s services has says Dr. Terry Brown. “In most may be experiencing recently doubled. cases, if the tonsils are large a sleep disorder.

Referrals to the center enough to block the airway, come from otolaryngologists (ear, removing them will be curative. If nose and throat specialists), child psychiatrists and psythe problem is something more substantial, such as a chologists, and family medicine physicians. Karla shortened jaw, more invasive surgery may be beneficial, Brown, M.D., a pediatric otolaryngologist who is not but that’s an extreme measure.” related to Dr. Terry Brown, advises parents to watch for To treat apnea, sleep specialists may also recomtelltale signs that kids aren’t getting quality sleep. mend continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treat“It’s not good if a child is too restless in bed,” she ment. CPAP is a long-term therapy in which a device says. “If children are listless during the day, if they’re gently directs air into the nostrils as the person sleeps. It grouchy, if they experience headaches or have difficulty requires frequent clinician assessment for proper use concentrating—all of these are signs to watch for that and effectiveness, and getting used to CPAP treatment often indicate trouble obtaining quality sleep.” And she can take much patience, but studies have shown it can adds: “It’s not normal for a child to snore.” be very helpful when it is used properly.

Dr. Terry Brown concurs. “The consensus is that If children with sleep apnea are properly diagsnoring in children always deserves further investigation nosed, says Dr. Terry Brown, their long-term prognosis and possibly a sleep study,” he says. is good; most children experience significant relief when He says his team is seeing more and more cases of the right treatment is administered. ■ children with one of the most common sleep disorders: obstructive sleep apnea. It’s increasingly being recogIF YOUR CHILD ISN’T nized as a cause of youngsters’ daytime attention and SLEEPING WELL . . . behavioral problems.

Doctors say that sleep disorders can be the “We see a lot of kids with obstructive sleep apnea,” surprising cause of a number of children’s agrees Dr. Karla Brown. “And in recent years it’s been problems, from poor school performance to increasingly recognized as a problem that affects hyperactivity. If you suspect that sleep troubles younger children.” may be affecting your child, help is available One likely reason, says Dr. Terry Brown, is the at the St. Joseph Memorial Hospital Sleep current epidemic of child obesity, because “excessive fat Disorders Center in Murphysboro and Marion. in the neck can intrude onto the airway.”

The center is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. That means that it “There are cases of children having been diagadheres to the highest guidelines to help nosed with ADHD [attention-deficit hyperactivity disensure quality patient care, and that the order] when really they had obstructive sleep apnea,” he medical director is a board-certified sleep notes. “And when the apnea is treated, the child is no medicine physician. The designation allows longer as hyperactive during the day.” the center to diagnose and treat more than Apnea is a little more difficult to diagnose in chil80 different types of sleep disorders, including dren than in adults, in part because most children do not disorders in children as young as age 2. typically snore, while many—but not all—adults with To request an appointment, please call apnea do. The key symptoms of apnea in children are: 1-888-38-SLEEP (1-888-387-5337).

• failure to grow (weight loss or poor weight gain) S O U T H E R N I L L I N O I S H E A LT H & L I F E

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Healthy Living

The

GREAT WELLNESS QUIZ You keep tabs on your blood pressure, BMI, LDLs and HDLs. You slather sunscreen, shun tobacco and nibble salmon and broccoli. But are you missing out on other, lesser-known wellness behaviors because you’re not fully up to speed? See how well you know your facts by taking our quiz, then turn the page to read the answers. What you learn could add years to your life and life to your years!

1

Your boss is giving a—what else?—boring presentation. Which of the following will help you recall the info more easily?

4

The symptoms of stroke are usually similar in men and women.

True

False

a. doodling 5 Besides avoiding common triggers like pollen and pet dander, people with asthma should steer clear of:

b. making eye contact with her c. pressing your pulse points

a. dryer lint

d. all of the above

b. deodorizing room sprays 2 Which of the following is associated with a greater risk of osteoporosis?

c. aspirin d. soy milk

a. hot flashes and night sweats during menopause 6 Drinking a glass a day of which beverage may help keep your arteries clear?

b. drinking more than three cans of cola a day c. depression

a. skim milk

d. all of the above

b. tonic water c. orange juice

3

d. peach nectar

True 18

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False

CORBIS

A pill containing a tiny video camera can now scan the colon for abnormal growths.

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15 7 Trying to ward off type 2 diabetes? This can help:

Stuck in front of a computer all day? Eyes feel strained and dry? You can give them a break by:

a. looking away from the monitor every 20 minutes or so to focus on an object 20 feet away

a. using a “whitening” toothpaste b. sleeping on a firm mattress c. getting 10 minutes a day of sunshine

b. blinking frequently

d. eating breakfast every day

c. alternating computer tasks with computer-free tasks

8 Which of the following may increase your risk of glaucoma?

d. all of the above

a. thyroid disorders b. high blood pressure c. diabetes d. all of the above 9 The incidence of cancer deaths could be cut by more than _____ percent if people would stop smoking, achieve a healthy weight, follow a nutritious diet and get regular physical activity.

a. 30

b. 45

c. 60

d. 80

16 Which of the following can cause sperm to die?

a. vaginal lubricants b. the vagina’s natural secretions c. a hot shower immediately after intercourse d. a. and b.

10 Adult smokers who quit the habit can expect to live as many as ____ years longer than those who continue to smoke.

a. 3

b. 5

c. 10

d. 20

e. all of the above 17 If you’re looking to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, avoid eating ______ for breakfast:

a. low-fat yogurt 11 The use of indoor tanning booths increases the risk of

skin melanoma by ___ percent when tanning begins before age 30, a new study found. a. 10

b. 25

c. 50

d. 75

Consuming meat-free sources of protein can help lower blood pressure.

12

True

False

13 Mid-afternoon snack attack: Which of these choices

will satisfy your hunger for just 100 calories? a. 2 cups of raspberries

b. cornflakes c. canned pineapple d. oatmeal 18 Adding extra laughter to your day may raise your levels of “good” cholesterol.

True

False

19 Cubital tunnel syndrome—which can lead to numbness or weakness in the hand as well tingling in the pinky and ring finger—is caused by:

b. half of a mini bagel with 1 ounce smoked salmon

a. sitting in an enclosed space, such as a cubicle, for more than three hours

c. 5 Nilla wafers

b. playing excessively with a Rubik’s cube

d. 45 steamed edamame pods

c. using a laptop in bed

e. 1⁄2 cup low-fat cottage cheese with 5 strawberries

d. extended cell-phone conversations

SHUTTERSTOCK

f. any of the above 14 Migraine sufferers have a lower risk of breast cancer.

20 There’s nothing you can do to slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration.

True

True

False

False

continued

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Healthy Living ANSWERS 21 Which of the following sexually transmitted diseases can cause arthritis?

a. HIV b. HPV

1. a. doodling. Researchers at England’s University of Plymouth found that doodlers were able to recall 29 percent more data than nondoodlers. Researchers suspect the squiggling forces you to use just enough cognitive energy to keep your mind from wandering off.

c. chlamydia

2. d. all of the above. A study in the journal Menopause

d. genital herpes

found lower bone density among women with hot flashes and night sweats, while researchers at Tufts University linked a three-can-plus-a-day caffeinated soda habit to a 4 percent decrease in bone density. And studies at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University and elsewhere found a connection between depression and osteoporosis, though a cause is yet to be established.

22 Balancing your checkbook, filing your taxes or just fig-

uring out how much that shirt on sale will really cost you will be easier after you eat: a. salmon

3. True. It’s called the PillCam Colon capsule endoscope, and a study in The New England Journal of Medicine found

b. chocolate c. spinach

it to be effective—but not as effective as a colonoscopy (recommended for all adults starting at age 50).

d. mango 23 Whether you just stubbed your toe or got stung by a

bee, this can help lessen the pain instantly: a. doing a squat b. holding your nose c. closing your eyes d. saying your favorite four-letter word 24 Healthier—and happier—relationship tip: To help ensure your partner really hears what you’re saying, try:

a. writing it down

4. False. A research team at the University of Michigan found that women are more likely than men to experience nontraditional symptoms of stroke, such as confusion, disorientation and loss of consciousness. Traditional stroke symptoms include numbness or paralysis on one side of the body, speech difficulty, vision and coordination problems, sudden and/or unexplained headache or dizziness.

5. c. aspirin. Doctors suspect aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen, may trigger an immune response that narrows the airways. A safer way to ease pain: acetaminophen.

6. c. orange juice. Research in France found that hes-

b. using your hands when you talk c. speaking into his/her right ear d. asking after you’ve made love

peridin, an antioxidant in OJ, improves the function of the arterial lining, helping to fight plaque buildup. What’s more, it lowers diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number).

7. d. eating breakfast every day. Harvard researchers reported that starting the day with a healthy breakfast not only cuts the risk of developing insulin resistance by 35 to 50 percent, it also prevents obesity.

8. d. all of the above. The good news? All three conditions

25 Coffee raises your risk of breast cancer.

True False

can be treated, which, in turn, helps prevent glaucoma.

9. c. 60. According to the American Cancer Society, about 169,000 cancer deaths a year are the direct result of tobacco use, while an additional 186,000 result from obesity, poor nutrition and lack of exercise. In all, 562,340 cancer deaths were forecast for last year.

10. c. 10. Smokers who quit by age 30 added the most years to their life expectancy, according to a report by the American Cancer Society, but even those who waited until age 60 to kick the habit could still expect to gain 3 years. was higher than doctors previously believed the risk to be.

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11. d. 75. This figure, published in The Lancet Oncology,

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And that’s not all: The researchers also found a link between sun beds and melanoma of the eye.

12. True. Beans, soy products and whole grains are excellent sources of glutamic acid, a protein proven to reduce blood pressure. These protein sources are also rich in magnesium and potassium, which regulate blood pressure.

13. f. all of the above. Enjoying healthy snacks has been shown to increase satiety, control daily calorie intake, boost energy, regulate insulin levels and improve overall nutrition.

14. True. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer

ter a day saw a 26 percent increase in levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, plus significant decreases in stress hormones and inflammatory chemicals linked to heart disease.

19. d. extended cell-phone conversations. Keeping your elbow flexed during marathon chats compresses the ulnar nerve, leading to the syndrome.

20. False. Mounting evidence suggests that supplementing with vitamins A, C and E, as well as zinc and copper, can slow degeneration by as much as 25 percent. And an Irish study found that the supplements may even improve vision!

Research Center in Seattle discovered that a history of migraines decreases breast-cancer risk by 26 percent. The doctors suspect migraine sufferers have lower levels of estrogen, a hormone that has been linked to the condition.

21. c. chlamydia. Within two to four weeks of exposure to

15. d. all of the above. Computer-induced eyestrain can

rich in flavonols, chemicals that increase blood flow to the brain. Researchers at Northumbria University think that’s why study subjects who drank hot cocoa were able to count backward in increments of seven more quickly and efficiently than subjects not given the chocolaty beverage.

lead to burning or itching eyes, blurred vision and headaches and can make you feel tired. Constantly focusing on the screen is one culprit; that’s why looking away every so often is helpful. And people’s tendency to blink less when sitting at the computer contributes to eye dryness.

16. d. a. (vaginal lubricants) and b. (the vagina’s natural secretions). Studies have shown that most lubricants, including water-based varieties, are toxic to sperm. And believe it or not, the vagina’s acidic secretions normally kill sperm—except during ovulation, when secretions become more alkaline so sperm can survive.

17. b. cornflakes. This breakfast favorite is a high-glycemic carbohydrate, which means it causes blood sugar levels to rise. The problem? Elevated glucose levels set the stage for atherosclerosis and heart disease, according to a study from Israel’s Chaim Sheba Medical Center. On the other hand, low-glycemic carbs, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, help keep blood sugar levels steady and can help control weight by boosting satiety.

18. True. Loma Linda University researchers recently found that people with diabetes who added 30 minutes of laugh-

chlamydia, the bacteria can travel to the joints via the bloodstream, causing reactive arthritis.

22. b. chocolate. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is

23. d. saying your favorite four-letter word. In a study at Keele University in England, subjects instructed to swear were able to keep their hand submerged in ice water significantly longer than those told to utter words describing a table. Researchers say swearing triggers the fight-or-flight response, which raises our ability to withstand pain.

24. c. speaking into his/her right ear. Scientists in Pescara, Italy, have found that verbal data entering the right ear receives preferential treatment. They speculate that it’s because sound that enters the right ear is processed by the left side of the brain, which is the seat of language.

25. False. Harvard’s Women’s Health Study found no elevated risk for breast cancer among women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day—and researchers followed the subjects for 10 years. Other studies suggest coffee can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and Parkinson’s disease, and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.

What’s your wellness IQ? SCORE:18–25 Surgeon General. Someone’s been keeping up with the medical news—good for you! Knowing the latest recommendations on keeping a healthy lifestyle empowers you to make important choices for wellness. Of course, you should always talk to your doctor before heeding a health tip you heard on the 6 o’clock news. Still, adopting good habits now may very well put you on the road to longevity.

SCORE: 9–17 Major Knowledge. You’ve kept tabs on the key health-related developments, but often let the minutia fly under your radar. Frankly, we can’t say we blame you—taking to heart every wellness study published could drive a person batty. Our advice: Stay abreast of major trends and landmark developments to help keep you on the path to lifelong health.

SCORE: 0–8 Captain Obvious. With any luck, you make healthy decisions without even knowing it. But having solid health awareness is too important a task to neglect. One way to start: Take a moment to scan the health headlines whenever you go online. Whatever your home page—CNN, MSN, Yahoo—you’ll find the latest info with a click. And to bone up on the basics, try a reputable site like www.mayoclinic.com or www.webmd.com. ■

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Healthy Living

10 ways to beat headaches MEDICATIONS CAN HELP, BUT SO CAN KEY CHANGES IN YOUR ROUTINE

2

IN THE MIDDLE AGES, THE ARAB SURGEON Ease muscle tension. Soreness and tension can and medical writer Albucasis recommended one of two be caused by sitting in the same position for an treatments for severe headaches: applying a hot iron to extended period—even if you don’t feel particularly the site of the pain or inserting a piece of garlic into an uncomfortable. If you spend a large part of your day seated incision on the temple. Thankfully, today’s treatments at a computer, for example, schedule a five-minute break at are a lot easier to take—and a great deal more effective. least once every 40 minutes: Take a brief walk or give stiff A doctor may recommend a prescription medicamuscles a mini-workout by tensing and relaxing different tion to treat migraines, and a number of over-themuscle groups. And remember to maintain good posture. counter remedies are available to relieve occasional Avoid foods that trigger headaches. If headache pain. But if you’re having frequent headaches, you’ve noticed that eating chocolate frequently leaves you should make an effort to find and address their you with a pounding head, blame it on tyramine, an underlying cause. Try these suggestions: organic substance linked to headReduce stress. Do you aches. If you think you may be When to call the doctor tend to keep your anger bottyramine-sensitive, stay away “Not all headaches require medical attentled up? No wonder you’re feelfrom aged cheeses, vinegar, organ tion,” says the National Institute of ing stressed—and headachy. If meats, sour cream, soy sauce, Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “but some confronting the source of your yogurt and yeast extracts—they types of headaches are signals of more serious anger is out of the question, try also contain the substance. Two disorders.” Contact your physician, advises venting your feelings by writing a other nutritional culprits to avoid the NINDS, if you begin having frequent letter. Make it as vehement as are nitrites (preservatives found headaches that interfere with your routine, or you like. You won’t be mailing it; in smoked fish, bologna, pepperif a particular headache: the idea is to express your emooni, bacon, hot dogs, corned beef, • is sudden and severe tions. Exercise, massage, meditapastrami and canned ham and • is accompanied by confusion tion and biofeedback are other sausages), and monosodium glu• is accompanied by fever or eye or ear pain proven ways to manage stress. tamate, or MSG (a flavor

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• is different from any you’ve APRIL 2010

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POLKA DOT IMAGES; SHUTTERSTOCK

• follows a blow to the head

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HEADACHE RELIEF • AMERICAN HEADACHE SOCIETY COMMITTEE FOR HEADACHE EDUCATION

19 Mantua Road

with blood-sugar levels, driving enhancer included in dry-roasted Mt. Royal, NJ 08061 856-423-0043; www.achenet.org them down and causing blood vesnuts, potato chips, Chinese food, • NATIONAL HEADACHE FOUNDATION sels to dilate or expand—a natural processed or frozen foods, prepared 820 N. Orleans, Suite 217 setup for a headache. In fact, soups and sauces, diet foods, salad Chicago, IL 60610-3132 researchers have found that not eatdressings and mayonnaise).

1-888-643-5552; www.headaches.org ing for five hours or more can even Drink plenty of water. It’s trigger a migraine. the simplest strategy for keeping headaches at bay, Avoid overusing pain relievers. Ironically, since dehydration is a common culprit. To supply your too much reliance on pain relievers can cause more body with all the water it needs to function properly, distress than relief, triggering chronic headaches doctors drink several glasses of water a day. And if you’re exerrefer to as analgesic-rebound headaches. Several studies cising on a hot afternoon, traveling by air, fighting a bout have shown that giving up pain medication can help freof diarrhea or running a fever, you’d do well to boost quent headache sufferers get back on an even keel— your intake. although they may have to survive two weeks of daily Avoid alcohol. Alcohol inflicts a double whammy headaches first. when it comes to a pounding head: Besides causing Get a good night’s sleep. Too little—or too dehydration, many alcoholic beverages, particularly red much—sleep can trigger a common, everyday wine and brandy, contain tyramine. headache, or even bring on a migraine. That’s why bedTake a coffee break. Too much caffeine can time routines are not just for babies. Try establishing a give you a headache, but so can going without it if nighttime ritual by going to sleep and waking up at your body’s used to getting its daily ration. (That’s why about the same time each day. It’s not a bad idea to take some people get early-morning headaches before their a warm bath beforehand or drink a cup of herbal tea to first cup of coffee.) Try eliminating it from your diet, or help you unwind. cutting back significantly, even if that means enduring Take care of your eyes. Few activities are withdrawal headaches for a few days. Enjoy a cup of as relaxing as reading—unless you’re doing it in cocoa (less than half as much caffeine as brewed coffee) semidarkness or for hours on end. In that case, you’re or, better yet, decaffeinated coffee. making yourself vulnerable to eyestrain, a leading cause Don’t go hungry. Letting more than five hours of headache. Use common sense when it comes to lightgo by between meals or snacks wreaks havoc ing conditions, take frequent breaks if you’re on a long drive or reading for an extended period, and if you wear Try keeping a headache diary glasses or contacts, get regular eye exams to make sure If your headaches become a chronic problem, it may help your prescription is up-to-date. ■

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to gather some information about them. For a couple of weeks, try keeping a written record, answering the questions below about each headache. Then show your report to your physician; it may offer clues to what’s triggering your pain—and how to stop it.

1. Did you eat anything shortly before the headache’s onset?

2. Did any symptoms precede the headache?

3. Where did the pain begin?

4. Did the pain come on slowly or suddenly?

5. Describe the pain. Is it throbbing?

6. Are you experiencing nausea or vomiting?

7. Were you under any special stress before the headache occurred?

8. At what time of day did the headache begin?

S O U T H E R N I L L I N O I S H E A LT H & L I F E

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In BLOOM

Backyard bounty HOW TO REAP THE REWARDS OF A HEARTY VEGETABLE HARVEST THE NEXT TIME YOUR NEIGHBOR KINDLY OFFERS a few homegrown tomatoes, pay close attention to the accompanying look of pride. To those who’ve experienced one, the emotional reward of a successful harvest is difficult to overstate.

Our starter’s guide will have even the horticulturally challenged seeing green, and soon you too will be able to offer the fruits of your labor to loved ones far and near. Raising vegetables requires some tender loving care, but what could possibly compare with cooking a meal straight from your very own plot of land? So dust off that trowel, roll up those sleeves and get digging! With the help of these tips, you’ll soon be inspiring tomato envy of your own.

PLOT YOUR PATCH. Like real estate, a well-plotted garden depends on location. Be sure to plant your vegetables where they will be sure to receive lots of sunlight. A good rule is to plant outside of the “drip line” of your surrounding trees (that is, the area where rain runs off the branches), since the roots may extend that far. Also be sure to choose a spot with good drainage.

Fungus and root rot can develop if the plants are situated where large amounts of water tend to collect.

And plan to start small. A 10-foot by 10-foot garden is fine if you’re just a beginner. Keeping weeds at bay, especially for first-timers, can be a struggle.

WORK THE DIRT. After you’ve chosen a location, the next step is preparing the soil. You can pick up a pH test kit at most nurseries, then modify the soil accordingly (most vegetables prosper in slightly acidic soil—a pH 24

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R I G H T, kale, rhubarb and other vegetables peacefully coexist with a scattering of flowers in this pretty plot.

OPPOSITE: DENNIS GOTTLIEB/FOODPIX; TOP: JANET SEATON/GARDEN PICTURE LIBRARY; BOTTOM: SHEILA JOLLEY/GARDEN PICTURE LIBRARY

of 6.2 to 6.8). Lime is generally used to raise the pH, whereas sulfur is used to lower it. If you’re planting for the first time and don’t know the pH of your soil, garden experts recommend a complete fertilizer— 10-10-10, for example (10 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphate, 10 percent potash). Be careful to avoid one with a high nitrogen content, as it could inadvertently encourage leaf—not fruit—growth.

Once your plants are in the ground, water once or twice per week, taking care to soak deeply so the roots move down further in the soil—thus increasing their drought tolerance.

PICK YOUR PRODUCE. Choosing crops is largely a matter of personal preference; most people simply grow what they like to eat. Still, you’ll need to do your homework before planting.

If you’re growing tomatoes and bell peppers, for example, it’s advisable to start them from seedlings rather than seeds. Both take a long time to mature, and it can be a struggle to get them to flower by the end of the season. Also, do your research on proper planting times (see “Sow What?”, below).

While lettuce can go in the ground in March, it’s too early for some other vegetables. On average, according to the Illinois state climatologist’s office, the last frost date for our section of the state is around the second week of April; if your crop is susceptible to the cold, it’s safest to wait until after that time.

You will most likely have to budget at least a few hours a week to maintain a healthy garden, depending on its size. But when autumn arrives and you’re nibbling on a homegrown garden salad or making marinara with your own lovingly grown tomatoes, the hours you’ve invested in your vegetable garden will only enhance your feeling of sweet satisfaction. ■

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE. Once your plants are in the ground, you’ll have to be vigilant in order to make sure nothing is amiss. To ensure a bountiful harvest, you’ll need to watch for disease and keep weeds in check. Should you see Sow what? signs that critters have Below are some of the veggies you might grow invaded your plants, be and their respective needs. careful using pesticides, Hours of Best time Spacing Spacing particularly once fruit has sunlight to plant (between rows) (between plants) appeared. If you must spray, read the label careSpinach 4–5 April or 4” 18” September fully to see how long it takes the chemical to Carrots 5–6 March–May 3” 15” break down before fruit Onions 5–6 March or April 4” 15” can be eaten.

Tomatoes

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May or June

24”

36”

36”

30”

(from seedlings)

Cucumbers

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May or June

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ESCAPES

Nature’s hot baths

4 GLORIOUS SPRINGS WHERE YOU CAN SOAK YOUR WAY TO SERENITY

Healing waters—they’re a phenomenon often described in myths and lore, but do they really exist? Many believe the mineral-rich natural hot springs that dot America’s landscape, with water bubbling up from deep below the earth’s surface, are a cure-all. And it’s a safe

bet the four dazzling destinations described here, which range from coast to coast, will provide therapeutic relaxation and rejuvenation, thanks to their arrays of luxury pools, soothing spas and other amenities. Read on for all you’ll need to know to take the most memorable bath of your life.

Calistoga, California ocated at the northern end of lush Napa Valley, this charming area attracts families and couples alike with its numerous spas and spa-hotels featuring pools and baths filled with mineral-rich water piped from local hot springs.

Water temperature: Because water straight from the springs is often too scorching for humans (some reaches 350 degrees), most spas and resorts cool water to a more comfortable 92 to 104 degrees.

Fee: Spa fees vary; popular treatments include the private mineral bath at Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort ($65 for 60 minutes; 1-800-404-4772, www.romanspahot springs.com), and the mineral whirlpool bath with a 30minute massage at Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Springs Resort ($117; 707-942-4102, www.drwilkinson.com).

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Other attractions: This is Napa, silly. Oenophiles can

savor sips at some 700 wineries, including Merryvale Vineyards in St. Helena (707-963-7777, www.merry vale.com), which offers two-hour wine-tasting seminars on weekends ($25 per person); and V. Sattui (707-9637774, www.vsattui.com), also in St. Helena, which gives tastings and tours in its castle-like stone winery building and features 2.5 acres of shaded picnic grounds, where guests can enjoy food and wine purchased from the vineyard’s European-style marketplace. For a family-friendly activity visit the Old Faithful Geyser of California in Calistoga (707-942-6463, www.oldfaithfulgeyser.com), which sprays 60 to 100 feet of scalding water into the air every 30 minutes ($10 for adults; $7 for seniors; $3 for children 6 to 12; free for children under 6).

CORBIS

combine at the Solage Calistoga resort (1-866-942-7442, www.solagecalistoga.com), which features 89 environmentally friendly studios and suites, a 20,000-square-foot spa offering baths in natural geothermal mineral waters and 22 open acres surrounded by the Mayacamas and Palisades mountain ranges ($475 to $875 per night).

with fresh, locally farmed ingredients, head to JoLe in Calistoga (707-942-5938, www.jolerestaurant.com), where you can feast on watermelon and feta salad, Alaskan halibut in tomato mint jam, roasted duck breast with corn and chipotle pancakes—and more. Don’t forget to order a glass or bottle from the sweeping wine list, which offers regional and international selections.

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Warm Springs and Hot Springs, Virginia hese two historic towns nestled in the Allegheny Mountains of Bath County once welcomed Thomas Jefferson, who visited their hot springs in 1818 in hopes of healing his recurrent rheumatism. Modern-day visitors can bathe in spring water at the European-style spa of The Homestead resort (1-866-354-4653, www.thehome stead.com) in Hot Springs, which offers 36 treatment rooms and a magnificent indoor pool; and Jefferson Pools in Warm Springs, which has two covered soaking pools (clothing optional between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.).

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Water temperature: The water at Jefferson Pools is

kept at 98 degrees—the spring’s natural temperature— while the pool at The Homestead spa is cooled to about 89 to 92 degrees.

Fee: $17 per person per day for Jefferson Pools; the pool

at The Homestead spa is free for guests and open to visitors who book spa treatments, such as the 15- to 20minute herbal-infused bath ($58).

Where to stay: In addition to its world-class spa, the

breathtaking Homestead resort offers 483 impeccably

adorned guest rooms and suites—each complete with LCD TVs, plush robes and plump feather pillows—plus three championship golf courses, a downhill ski area and a 48-stable equestrian center and show ring. To experience it all, book the Unlimited Activities Package ($275 and up per night), which includes room accommodations, limitless carriage rides, golf, fly-fishing, kayaking and more.

Where to eat: For a taste of fine country fare with a

side of history, take in a meal at the Waterwheel Restaurant (540-839-2231, www.gristmillsquare.com), located in a century-old mill building at the Inn at Gristmill Square in Warm Springs. Selections include fresh local trout, roast duckling and tournedos au poivre.

Other attractions: With more than 170,000 acres of the George Washington National Forest set in Bath County, back-to-nature opportunities abound, from boating, waterskiing and fishing on Lake Moomaw to hiking and biking on some 120 trail miles. Afterwards, relax with a chamber music concert at the Garth Newel Music Center in Warm Springs (540-839-5018, www.garthnewel.org).

COURTESY OF THE HOMESTEAD RESORT

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Ouray, Colorado ituated 7,792 feet above sea level amid the rugged peaks of the Rockies, this quaint mountain community in southwestern Colorado is home to numerous hot springs that travelers can enjoy at both private hotels and lodges and the city-operated Ouray Hot Springs Pool, a large public swimming pool featuring three different soaking sections.

two-bedroom, two-bath suite with kitchen.

Water temperature: The area’s natural hot springs are about 150 degrees, though pools available for soaking and swimming range from 88 to 114 degrees.

Other attractions: Coloradans love the outdoors, so make like the locals and hike through Box Canyon Waterfall and Park, which features a 285-foot waterfall plummeting into a narrow, quartzite canyon. Visit the Ouray County Historical Society Museum (970-3254576, www.ouraycountyhistoricalsociety.org)—hailed by the Smithsonian Institution as the “best little museum in the West”—which features exhibits focusing on mining, ranching and railroading in the area’s Wild West days.

(Don’t miss the 1882 piano from The Gold Belt Theatre with its telltale bullet hole.) Admission is $5; $3.50 for seniors 60 and over and $1 for children under 12. Or catch a chauffeured mule-and-buggy ride through town (970708-4946; www.ouraymule.com). Run by Tim Saunders and his wife, Lezah, the 45-minute tours depart hourly 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $15; $5 for children under 12.

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Fee (public pool): $10 for adults; $8 for seniors and students; $5 for children ages 3 to 6; free for children 2 and under Where to stay: Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs

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New York strip steak with three spicy shrimp; $26.95) to lamb chops in brown cognac sauce ($23.95), the casual but beloved Outlaw Restaurant (970-325-4366, www.out lawrestaurant.com) offers fine tastes in a rustic, Westerninspired setting.

COURTESY OF BOX CANYON

(1-800-327-5080, www.boxcanyonouray.ccom) offers rejuvenating springs first used by the Ute Native American tribe. Outdoor tubs, situated on a multilevel redwood deck, offer 360 degrees of stunning mountain views yearround, and the 103- to 108-degree water lacks the sulfurous odor that marks some hot springs. Distinctive rooms feature pine tongue-in-groove paneling; in the low season (October 13 to December 13 and April 1 to May 15) they range from $75 for a small room to $190 for a

Where to eat: From the 12-ounce “scorpion steak” (a

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Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas or more than 200 years people have flocked to this sanctuary in central Arkansas to experience its 47 hot springs, which contain high levels of silica, calcium and other minerals. Today visitors can drink the spring water in various hot water “jug fountains” located throughout the park (you can even fill bottles to take home), or soak in the water at two bathhouses located in the park on Central Avenue, which pipe cooled-down water from the springs.

Buckstaff bathhouse (501-623-2308, www.buckstaff baths.com) offers traditional baths of yore, while the Quapaw Baths & Spa (501-609-9822, www.quapaw baths.com) bathhouse provides a contemporary spa experience with four soaking pools and a variety of massages and body polishes.

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Water temperature: Water straight from the spring

is 143 degrees, while baths are generally kept at 98 to 100 degrees.

Fee: It’s free to enter the park; one-hour traditional

baths at Buckstaff cost $24 per person; aromatherapy baths at Quapaw Baths & Spa cost $35 per person and $45 per couple.

Where to stay: Located in the city of Hot Springs’

historic downtown, the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa (1-800-643-1502, www.arlingtonhotel.com) provides the ambience and hospitality of a grand old Southern hotel with modern-day conveniences, including a full-service spa. Room rates range from $79 to $89 for a standard room to $495 for a historic suite.

COURTESY OF QUAPAW BATHS AND SPAS

Where to eat: For elegant Mediterranean- and

French-inspired cuisine, dine at Chef Paul’s (501-5204187, www.chefpaulsfinedining.com) in Hot Springs.

Menu highlights include cranberry chicken ballontine, veal tenderloin with foie gras and baked orange roughy.

Other attractions: If all that soaking has you longing to stretch your legs, take a leisurely stroll through the Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs (1-800-366-

4664, garvangardens.com), which offer 2.5 miles of nature trails through 40 landscaped acres. The botanical gardens feature camellias, magnolias, azaleas, roses, chrysanthemums and more. ■

Spring on 3 MORE LUXURY SPA-HOTELS WHERE YOU CAN REALLY GET INTO HOT WATER • An idyllic mountain retreat, Glenwood Hot Springs resort in Glenwood Springs, Colorado (1-800-537-7946, www.hotspringspool.com) features the largest hot springs pool in the world— its 405-foot by 100-foot, 92-degree main pool— fed by the “Yampah” hot spring. (Rooms start at $139 per night.)

• The hot springs at Two Bunch Palms Resort & Spa in Desert Hot Springs, California (1-800-4724334, www.twobunchpalms.com) are thought to stabilize moods due to their high content of lithium. Test that theory by dipping in the resort’s grotto-style pool or booking a “water therapy” spa treatment. (Rooms start at $185 per night.)

• A national historic landmark dating back to 1778, The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia (1-800-453-4858, www.green brier.com) contains a sulphur water spring on its grounds. Enjoy the liquid’s reputed healing powers during a luxe treatment at the resort’s 40,000square-foot spa. (Rooms start at $379 per night.)

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by Jennifer Math

Glorious Food

How sweet it is PURE AND NATURAL, HONEY IS ONE SWEETENER THAT’S STOOD THE TEST OF TIME

direct sunlight—honey can stay fresh for decades. Note, however, that it is not appropriate for babies under 1 year old, as it can carry spores harmful to their undeveloped immune systems.

A favorite of such notables as Cleopatra and Winnie the Pooh, honey has long been celebrated in literature, religion and folk tales. Legend even has it that Cupid dipped his arrows in the gooey substance before targeting unsuspecting lovers. With its sweet reputation and infinite shelf life, honey will surely stick around for years to come. ■

Honey oat biscotti MAKES 36 SERVINGS 1

⁄2 cup butter or margarine

3

⁄4 cup honey

2 1 2 3 1

eggs teaspoon vanilla cups flour teaspoons ground cinnamon teaspoon baking powder 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 2 cups rolled oats 1 ⁄2 cup chopped nuts

• Cream butter; beat in honey, eggs and vanilla.

• Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well.

Stir into butter mixture.

• Stir in oats and nuts. On a greased baking sheet, shape dough into 2 loaves, each approximately 10 inches long and 3 inches wide.

• Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes; move to cutting board.

• Cut each log into 1⁄2 -inch strips and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 300

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degrees for an additional 25 to 30 minutes or until strips are crisp throughout. Cool thoroughly.

RECIPE SOURCE: WWW.HONEY.COM; IMAGES, TOP: JAMES CARRIER PHOTOGRAPHY/STOCKFOODS; BOTTOM: INGRAM PUBLISHING/ALAMY

THINK BACK TO THE DAYS BEFORE SWEET’N Low and Splenda—a time when the words “aspartame” and “saccharin” had not yet arrived in our lexicon. It was a golden era when we sweetened our morning tea not with chemical concoctions, but with a truly splendid sweetener that predates the written word: honey.

We can thank the hardworking honeybee for this treat—so hardworking, in fact, that the insects must tap some 2 million flowers to make just one pound of honey.

Indeed, most worker bees produce only one-twelfth of a teaspoon in their lifetime. We do not take their labors for granted, however, and have developed myriad uses for their creation—from medicinal mixtures to beauty treatments to furniture polishes and energy boosters.

But honey is most often heralded for its role in any number of delectable edibles. And with good reason: With twice the sweetness of sugar and the ability to add moistness, honey is an ideal sweetener for baking. Just note that when swapping honey for sugar in recipes, you should reduce the amount called for by one-third to one-half, decrease quantity of liquid required by one-fifth and lower the baking temperature by 25 degrees.

In the U.S., bees produce more than 300 kinds of honey, originating from flowers such as sage, buckwheat and orange blossoms. Depending on the floral source, the honey’s color and flavor will vary, with the taste getting stronger as the hue deepens. (Antioxidants, too, are more plentiful in the darker varieties.)

If it is stored properly—in a cool place away from

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Your Comfort Zone

HEAD-TO-TOE Things you can do—all over—to feel better Sinuses

Head

More than 30 million Americans suffer from stuffiness in these eight walnut-sized cavities. For relief, inhale the scent of eucalyptus, which eases sinus pressure.

Headaches are the most common neurological ailment in the U.S., but few know that perfume, storms, ponytails and hunger can bring on throbbing. The remedies?

Avoid strong scents if you’re sensitive, take ibuprofen when there’s a barometric pressure change, loosen hair and eat regularly.

Heart Go ahead—have that daily cup of coffee. In a recent study, long-term drinkers of one to three cups a day had a lower risk of dying from heart disease.

(But stick to one cup; other research links increased caffeine consumption with weight gain.)

Lungs If you have asthma, try yoga. Its deepbreathing exercises have been shown to strengthen lungs and improve their capacity.

Lower back Need another reason to stop smoking?

Doctors say the habit reduces blood flow to the spine, which causes discs to degenerate and can lead to chronic lower back pain.

Ankle

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Stomach Tummy on the fritz?

Try ginger. Several studies confirm the root’s effectiveness in reducing nausea and vomiting. Sprinkle powdered ginger in tea, suck on a ginger candy or swallow it in capsule form.

Knee Lose a little weight for your knees’ sake.

Twenty percent of severely overweight people in their 40s and 50s will develop knee arthritis. The good news? For each pound of weight sufferers lose, they relieve 4 pounds of pressure from their knees, studies say.

ROBIN G. LONDON 2008

Nearly 25,000 people sprain an ankle every day, and some of these injuries result from wearing the wrong shoe size. To find the perfect fit, shop for shoes at the end of the day when your feet are at their largest, and get feet remeasured every few years.

Elbow If you spend hours at the computer, you could be at risk for “mouse elbow,” a repetitive stress injury caused by ergonomically unsound desk setups. Avoid it by keeping your mouse directly adjacent to your keyboard to minimize movement.

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