Wny igh no4 feb15

in good February 2015 • Issue 4

Make A Wish

Make-A-Wish Western New York makes significant impact on lives. Just ask Ethan

Weight Loss 5 mistakes you should avoid

SURVIVOR

Meet cancer survivor Amanda Velarde

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Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

HOW HIGH RESOLUTIONS IS YOUR Why we keep making them year after year? Experts explain BLOOD how we to make resolutions that we can achieve PRESSURE? Also: What your doctor

Local experts discuss ways to you to do in 2015 bring it down wants Page 13

Coconut Oil Supports Good Health Consumers using it as moisturizers, mouth wash and acne control

GOLDEN YEARS Men ranging in age from 50 to nearly 90 faithfully participate in basketball games Page 20 in Hamburg

Meet Your Doctor

Alternative Treatments for Psoriasis

Gluten-free pizza

A discussion about bleeding, clotting disorders with the new pediatric medical director at Hemophilia Center of Western New York, Shilpa Jain.

Local experts weigh in Page 10

Restaurant review inside

See Smart Bites on page 11

Move Over, Chicken: It’s Pork Time!

page 16

Valentine’s Day: Love the One Who Matters Most: YOU! February 2015 •

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44 Million People Still Smoke in the U.S.

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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5 Mistakes You Should Avoid Bad strategy No. 1: I’ll lose weight at the gym.

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Working out is good for your health and can help to maintain your weight.

But exercise alone is not very effective in shedding pounds. To lose weight, you will need to eat fewer calories.

Bad Strategy No. 2: I’ll have to dramatically change my diet.

A radical change is not necessary.

A more effective strategy is to simply cut back a few hundred calories a day.

When going to a restaurant, for example, eat an apple before dinner to dull your appetite, then skip the bread before the main dish arrives. Eat smaller portions and ask for a to-go container.

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Bad Strategy No. 3: Weight-loss supplements will make it easier.

Supplements burn more muscle than fat. And when you stop taking them, you will gain back more fat than muscle, making you worse off than if you had never taken them in the first place.

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • Februaryt 2015

Bad Strategy No. 4: I want to be like the Biggest Loser and shed pounds quickly.

A more realistic — and healthy — strategy is to try to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. If you cut back 500 calories a day (such as a bagel and cream cheese), you will lose a pound a week. If you cut back just 250 calories a day (one candy bar) you will lose 2 pounds a month. This will provide the slow-andsteady type of weight loss that will be long-lasting.

Bad Strategy No. 5: I give up. I’ll never get down to a normal weight, so why even try?

Do not despair if you do not get down to a trim, normal weight (defined as a body mass index of between 18.5 and 24.9). If you are overweight or obese, losing 10 percent of your body weight will improve your appearance and have significant health benefits, such as lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of diabetes. Even losing as little as 5 pounds will be good for your joints.

Source: Physician Aaron Michelfelder, Loyola University Health System.

Check this issue of In Good Health — WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper online at

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New Daily Aspirin Study: Many Don’t Really Need It

I

f you’re taking aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke, there’s a chance you may not need to be popping the little white pills after all.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and several other health institutions studied records of 69,000 people taking daily aspirin for primary prevention of heart attack and stroke.

They concluded that more than one in 10 of them didn’t need to be taking the over-the-counter drug because their risk of developing heart disease was too low to warrant a daily aspirin regimen, according to the study published

in January in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Aspirin risks can include stroke caused by burst blood vessels and gastrointestinal bleeding, both of which can be fatal, cardiologists say. But the researchers in this study did not look at aspirin-related complications — such as gastrointestinal bleeding or ischemia — in people taking it inappropriately.

“People have a tendency to think that aspirin is a benign drug, which it is not,” said Daniel Simon, chief of cardiovascular medicine at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Hospital Infection Rates Falling About 1 in every 25 U.S. patients develops an infection while in the hospital, agency says

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ates of many types of hospital-acquired infections are on the decline, but more work is needed to protect patients, according to a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

“Hospitals have made real progress to reduce some types of health care-associated infections — it can be done,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said.

The study used national data to track outcomes at more than 14,500 health care centers across the United States. The researchers found a 46 percent drop in “central line-associated”

bloodstream infections between 2008 and 2013. This type of infection occurs when a tube placed in a large vein is either not put in correctly or not kept clean, the CDC explained.

During that same time, there was a 19 percent decrease in surgical site infections among patients who underwent the 10 types of surgery tracked in the report. These infections occur when germs get into the surgical wound site.

Between 2011 and 2013, there was an 8 percent drop in multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, and a 10 percent fall in C.

Attention Medicare Part D Members

People should take daily aspirin for heart disease prevention only if they have a more than 6 percent risk of developing heart disease over the next 10 years, according to the American Heart Association. This new study deemed anyone taking daily aspirin with a lower risk to be using the drug “inappropriately.”

Simon said people can use online tools, such as the Framingham Risk Score, to determine their risk, or ask their doctors. Questions generally include age, gender, smoking status and family history.

The Journal of the American College of Cardiology study did not include people who had already had a heart attack, stroke or anything else that would warrant aspirin for prevention of a second cardiovascular problem. They also did have information on

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difficile infections. Both of these infections have prompted concern because some strains have grown resistant to many antibiotics. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections rose 6 percent since 2009, but initial data from 2014 suggests that these infections have also started to decrease.

The CDC also noted that on any given day, about one in 25 hospital patients in the United States has at least one infection acquired while in the hospital, which highlights the need for continued efforts to improve infection control in U.S. hospitals.

According to Frieden, “the key is for every hospital to have rigorous infection-control programs to protect patients and health care workers, and for health care facilities and others to work together to reduce the many types of infections that haven’t decreased enough.”

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 3

CALENDAR of

HEALTH EVENTS

June 26, 27

Ride For Roswell Turns 20th with New Features, International Route

STDs: Young Women Face the Most Serious Consequences “Undiagnosed STDs cause 24,000 women to become infertile each year,” says CDC

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

S

exually transmitted diseases (STDs) continue to spread among US teens. The Centers for Disease Control’s surveillance data shows that the rates of reported Chlamydia and gonorrhea cases are highest in Americans between the ages of 15 and 24.

“Both young men and young women are heavily affected by STDs, but young women face the most serious long-term health consequences,” the CDC states. “It is estimated that undiagnosed STDs cause 24,000 women to become infertile each year.”

The national statistics on STD prevalence bear out among local teens.

A 2013 survey of Buffalo-area students indicated that one-fifth of them have had four or more sexual partners — about one-third did not use a condom during the last time they had sex.

About 85 percent of Chlamydia cases are in people who are teens to 24 years.

Jenna Weintraub, sexuality educator with Planned Parenthood of Erie County, said that one half of sexually active young people will contract an STD by the time they’re 25.

“A lot of people don’t think of long-term problems,” Weintraub said.

“They think of them as all treatable or curable.”

Although she thinks that the rising statistics may indicate more young people are getting tested, she also feels that there’s something being lost between their education in school and what they’re actually doing. “Fewer are getting information on how to use condoms or negotiating on how to use them. Sex ed needs to go a step further.”

Physician Gale R. Burstein, commissioner of health with the Erie County Department of Health, said that among teens, she continues to see more increases in Chlamydia.

“We are always seeing Chlamydia Page 4

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going up,” she said.

Like Weintraub, she said that the statistics may be skewed because more young people are seeking testing; however, she added that there may also be more instances of disease, too.

Locally, she has observed decreases in gonorrhea, and that may be in part to the health department’s efforts to contact people who test positive and make sure they’re treated. Department personnel also contact all the client’s sexual partners for the past 60 days.

The Erie County Health Department also contacts people who have syphilis and HIV, since state funding enables the manpower for the outreach effort.

“If all parties are treated, it hopefully will not spread,” Commissioner Burstein said. “We try to be active about screening annual for Chlamydia because it’s usually asymptomatic.”

Burstein has observed an increase among syphilis among men who have sex with men. She said healthcare providers need to ask more questions about their patients’ sexual behavior.

“They not only should ask if they’re sexually active, but if they’re having sex with men, women or both and the type of sex their having, oral, anal or vaginal,” Burstein said.

New York does not impose an age of consent for sexual disease testing.

Since parental consent isn’t required, teens can receive testing. Billing for co-pays may reveal the nature of their visit, however, without violating patient privacy laws.

Any person who engages in non-monogamous, sexual relationships or in a monogamous relationship with someone who has had other sexual partners, should be tested for STDs. Although many STDs exhibit no symptoms, any itching, burning, genital discharge, swelling or pain should receive prompt medical attention.

The Ride For Roswell, Western New York’s largest single-day fundraising event, will celebrate its 20th anniversary. To mark this milestone, the event’s organizers have announced two of the most significant additions in the event’s history — a second start line and a new 44-mile route that crosses the border to Niagara Falls, Canada.

Nearly 1,000 riders will depart from the new second start line Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) in downtown Buffalo. Two routes — including the route to Canada — will utilize the RPCI start line while the nine other routes will start at the University at Buffalo. Traditionally, all of the routes start and finish at UB’s North Campus in Amherst.

The new Canada route will take riders over the Peace Bridge and along the Niagara Parkway to the brink of Niagara Falls, before returning to the United States over the Rainbow Bridge and finishing at UB. The route, which was limited to 500 riders, reached its safety capacity in the first week of availability due to tremendous interest.

Each of other routes, which range in distance from 3 miles to 102 miles, are open for registration.

“The Ride For Roswell has been a signature event in our community for 20 years, and we’re always looking for ways to enhance it,” said Bryan Sidorowicz, event’s director. “The Roswell Park start line gives us a meaningful connection to the patients and the research happening within the Institute. And cycling across the border into Canada is truly unprecedented for an event like ours — the route will be spectacular.”

The Ride For Roswell 2015 will take place June 26 and 27. In 2014, more than 10,000 riders and volunteers

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • Februaryt 2015

participated in the event and raised over $4.4 million. Throughout its history, it has raised over $29 million for cutting-edge cancer research and compassionate, innovative patient-care programs at Roswell Park.

Feb. 11, 25

Improving driving skills in Amherst Improve your driving skills by signing up and attending an AARP Smart Driver Class at the Amherst Center for Senior Services.

The class will be held on the following days: • From 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11. Includes 40-minute break for lunch; • From 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25. Includes 40-minute break for lunch.

The classes fill up quickly and are open to all seniors, aged 55 and over, regardless of township. The fee is $25, and $20 for those who are AARP members. The instructor is provided

by AARP. If you plan on signing up for class, you may wish to check with your insurance company to see if you will be given a discount on your liability/collision auto insurance policy when you furnish them with certificate of course completion.

Register for the class in person at Amherst Center for Senior Services, by mail using a registration form found online at the Town of Amherst website: www.amherst.ny.us, by clicking on the Senior Services Department and then selecting the Winter 2015 Course Catalog link in the center column. The registration forms are also available at the front desk of the Amherst Center for Senior Services.

The Amherst Center for Senior Services is located at 370 John James Audubon Parkway in Amherst, behind the Audubon Library.

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Send emails to “editor@BuffaloHealthNews.com”

Serving Western New York in good A monthly newspaper published by

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Local News, Inc. Distribution: 35,000 copies. To request home delivery ($15 per year), call 716-332-0640

In Good Health is published 12 times a year by Local News, Inc. © 2015 by Local News, Inc. All rights reserved.

3380 Sheridan Dr., # 251 – P.O. Box 550, Amherst NY 14226 Phone: 716-332-0640 • Fax: 716-332-0779 • Email: editor@buffalohealthnews.com Editor & Publisher: Wagner Dotto • Associate Publisher: Jamie Sandidge • Associate Editor: Lou Sorendo • Writers: Deborah J. Sergeant, Jim Miller, Gwenn Voelckers, Anne Palumbo, Chris Motola, George W. Chapman, Ernst Lamothe Jr., Catherine Miller, Jenna Schifferle, Daniel Meyer, Jennifer McDougall • Advertising: Donna Kimbrell, Marsha Preston • Layout & Design: Chris Crocker • Officer Manager: Alice Davis No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher. The information in this publication is intended to complement—not to take the place of—the recommendations of your health provider. Consult your physician before making major changes in your lifestyle or health care regimen.

In Good Health is Printed Locally at Buffalo NewsPress

Your Blood Type May Put You at Risk for Heart Disease

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eople whose blood type is A, B or AB have an increased risk of heart disease and shorter life spans than people who have type O blood, according to a new study.

But that doesn’t mean people with blood types other than O should be overly concerned, because heart disease risk and life span are influenced by multiple factors, including exercise and overall health, experts said.

In the study, researchers followed about 50,000 middle-age and elderly people in northeastern Iran for an average of seven years. They found that people with non-O blood types were

9 percent more likely to die during the study for any health-related reason, and 15 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease, compared with people with blood type O. “It was very interesting to me to find out that people with certain blood groups — non-O blood groups — have a higher risk of dying of certain diseases,” said the study’s lead investigator, Arash Etemadi, an epidemiologist at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

The researchers also examined whether people’s blood type may be linked with their risk of gastric cancer, which has a relatively high incidence

rate among the people living in northeastern Iran. They found that people with non-O blood types had a 55 percent increased risk of gastric cancer compared with people with type O blood, according to the study, published online Jan. 14 in the journal BMC Medicine.

The association between blood type and people’s disease risk and life span held even when the researchers

accounted for other factors, including age, sex, smoking, socioeconomic status and ethnicity.

U.S. Painkiller Abuse ‘Epidemic’ May Be Declining But some people have switched to heroin

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he U.S. “epidemic” of prescription-painkiller abuse may be starting to reverse course, a new study suggests.

Experts said the findings, published Jan. 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine, are welcome news.

The decline suggests that recent laws and prescribing guidelines aimed at preventing painkiller abuse are work-

ing to some degree.

But researchers also found a disturbing trend: Heroin abuse and overdoses are on the rise, and that may be one reason prescription-drug abuse is down.

“Some people are switching from painkillers to heroin,” said Adam Bisaga, an addiction psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute in

New York City.

While the dip in painkiller abuse is good news, more “global efforts” — including better access to addiction treatment— are needed, said Bisaga, who was not involved in the study.

“You can’t get rid of addiction just by decreasing the supply of painkillers,” he said.

Prescription narcotic painkillers

include drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin. In the 1990s, U.S. doctors started prescribing the medications much more often, because of concerns that patients with severe pain were not being adequately helped.

U.S. sales of narcotic painkillers rose 300 percent between 1999 and 2008, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Healthcare in a Minute

By George W. Chapman

family policy is now over $16,000.

That’s $1,333 a month, which for most Americans, is a healthy mortgage payment. Out-of-pocket expenses — premium contribution, deductibles, coinsurance — now account for almost 10 percent of median household income.

Ten years ago it was just over 5 percent.

The changing ACA landscape Many factors impacting execution of Affordable Care Act

A

ffordable Care Act-ObamaCare.

Now that the GOP controls both houses in Congress, it is further emboldened to repeal at least some aspects of the ACA. There have been over 50 attempts to repeal so far.

Realizing President Obama will clearly continue to veto any repeal of the entire law, the GOP plans to hack away at parts of the law like the employer mandate and the medical device tax.

The GOP is also hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will declare federal subsidies unconstitutional. The states would then have to step up and pay 100 percent for ObamaCare, which many believe would be its undoing. In the meantime, early signs indicate that enrollment will hit more than 9 million.

That includes 6.7 million returning enrollees. Small businesses under 50 employees do not have to offer health insurance.

Consequently, many are dropping employer-sponsored insurance and are encouraging their employees to shop for care on the exchanges, many of which would qualify for a subsidized/ cheaper premium.

While some larger employers like Sears and Walgreens have opted for private health exchanges, most large employers are taking a wait-and-see approach and continue to provide employer-sponsored insurance.

About 3 percent of all large employers opt to send their employees to an exchange for their insurance. The House just passed a bill raising the definition of “full time” from the current 30 hours to 40 hours. Most likely this bill, even if passed by the Senate, would be vetoed.

Many predict the tactic will backfire as more people would be dropped by their employer and seek government-provided insurance which would increase the deficit.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates if the full-time definition was raised to 40 hours, 1 million people would lose their employer insurance by having their hours cut to just below 40. They would end up on taxpayer-supported healthcare, increasing the deficit by $46 billion over the next 10 years.

Medical debt. According to the Consumer Financial Bureau, 43 million of us have unpaid medical debts averaging $1,766. Fifty-two percent of the debt referred to collection agencies is healthcare-related.

Healthcare-related debt is one of the major causes of personal bankruptcy. Some nonprofit hospitals are suing patients or garnisheeing their wages via a for-profit subsidiary. Nonprofit hospitals are tax-exempt primarily

because of their charitable mission.

Smoking costs. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 480,000 of us die from illnesses caused by smoking every year. About 18 percent of Americans still smoke, which is actually a historic low. The CDC has calculated that 9 percent of all healthcare expenses (about $170 billion annually) are the result of smoking. Many advocate higher premiums for smokers.

Medically uninsured rate down. According to Gallup, the percentage of Americans without health insurance is 12.9 percent. It was 17.1 percent a year ago.

This is due to a combination of the ACA (Medicaid expansion and commercial coverage through private exchanges) and an improving economy. Massachusetts remains the only state that mandates individual coverage. Only 1.5 percent of that state’s residents are uninsured. The Obama administration is said to be amenable to considering conditions on Medicaid enrollment like job requirements, plan premiums or wellness screenings.

Premiums. The Commonwealth Fund reported health insurance premiums have increased 73 percent over the last 10 years. The national average for a

February 2015 •

Telemedicine at school. More studies are beginning to show the effectiveness of telemedicine. Consequently, insurers are gradually acknowledging the effectiveness, clinically and financially, by paying for telemedicine services when provided.

While consumer demand remains far ahead of what most providers are willing to offer right now, forward-thinking health systems are forging ahead with innovative programs.

The world- renowned Mayo Clinic has recently struck a telemedicine deal with the Austin Public Schools of Minnesota. Instead of taking children out of the classroom and working parents out of their offices, the two partners are developing telemedicine protocols for quick and effective consults for common, low-level complaints such as coughs, colds, respiratory infections and minor skin conditions through videoconferencing.

GEORGE W. CHAPMAN is a health consultant who operates GW Chapman Consulting in Upstate New York.

To reach him, email gwc@gwchapmanconsulting.com.

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 5

Theatre Alliance of Buffalo Launches 2015 Applause for Hope Program Collaborative fundraiser has raised $17,000 for RPCI

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he Theatre Alliance of Buffalo (TAB) has launched its 2015 Applause for Hope program, a collaborative fundraising initiative that supports both Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and TAB. From mid-January to midMarch, a majority of TAB member theaters will be collecting post-performance donations.

This year marks the third year of Applause for Hope, which, to date, has raised $17,000 for RPCI. “We’re pleased to support the community that has been so supportive of our theaters,” TAB president David Bondrow said.

A portion of the funds raised

by Applause for Hope in 2015 will support the creation of a pediatric hematology oncology outpatient center at RPCI. The new and expanded center will provide care for infants, children and young adults in a bright and airy setting overlooking Kaminski Park. The center will be designed for the special needs of children who are dealing with life-threatening or debilitating chronic illnesses, and the location will also allow for easy access to radiation therapy, chemo infusion and gamma knife services. The project is a joint partnership with the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital.

Patrons can visit any of the following theaters to make a donation: Brazen-Faced Varlets, Buffalo ComedySportz, Buffalo Laboratory Theatre, Buffalo United Artists, Irish Classical Theatre Company, Jewish Repertory Theatre of Western New York, Kaleidoscope Theatre Productions, The Kavinoky Theatre, Lancaster Opera House, MusicalFare Theatre, New Phoenix Theatre, O’Connell & Company, Productions, Paul Robeson Theatre, Red Thread Theatre, Road Less Traveled Productions, Shakespeare in Delaware Park, Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Subversive Theatre Collective, Theatre of Youth, Torn Space Theater and Ujima Company.

For a complete list of shows, performance dates, times and ticket information, please visit the TAB website:www.theatreallianceofbuffalo.com.

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Meet

Your Doctor

By Chris Motola

Shilpa Jain, M.D. A discussion about bleeding, clotting disorders with the new pediatric medical director at Hemophilia Center of Western New York Q: What’s your role at the Hemophilia Center of Western New York?

A: I’m the pediatric medical director here. My responsibilities are both clinical and administrative, so I’ll see patients with bleeding and clotting disorders as well as perform administrative duties like looking at new protocols, new studies and research opportunities. That’s what I do.

Q: Are bleeding and clotting disorders typically genetic? If you have one, will it usually present when you’re a child?

A: Yes, most bleeding disorders are congenital, especially hemophilia. You’re born with a genetic defect, which leads you to form fewer clotting factors, which gives you an increased propensity to bleed. However, the manifestations may not be apparent until late childhood or even adolescence.

Sometimes patients will only notice that they have a bleeding disorder when they have a hemostatic challenge.

That can mean a surgery or when a female starts to menstruate. So sometimes the milder cases don’t manifest until later in life.

Q: How does the clotting system work?

A: So your body has to maintain a balance between bleeding and clotting. The primary components are the platelets, which come into contact with an injured vessel and are the first to form the clot. And then you have other clotting factors that come together and form larger, secondary clots. So a clotting disorder could be a deficiency and dysfunction of the platelets or any of the other clotting factors.

ting factors that you can give a patient or you can give fresh plasma, which has a lot of clotting factors in it.

Q: Are these patients at risk from a common wound?

A: There’s a range of severity of the disease. If you have a severe deficiency like hemophilia A and B, those patients tend to present at birth — like when a boy is being circumcised — it can present with very heavy bleeding. These kind of disorders generally only present in males because they’re carried on the x chromosome. If a girl inherits the deficiency on one of her x chromosomes, then they’re called carriers. Those patients may have variable presentations, or they may have no symptoms at all. That’s one area of research we’re interested in: figuring out why some carriers bleed more than others. If the levels are not that severe, you can present with excessive bleeding after cuts, surgery, or menstruation.

You might have nosebleeds or spontaneous bruising. So it just depends on the severity.

Q: How much of your practice is clinical versus administrative now?

A: I’d say it’s around 50/50, but it’s not set in stone. It shifts as needed.

Q: What can you do for these patients?

A: It depends on where the problem is. If you have somebody with dysfunctional platelets, the treatments range from giving a platelet transfusion, to IV pumps.

Again, it depends on what kind of clotting factor deficiency you have. We now have available clotting factor concentrates for some clot-

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • Februaryt 2015

Q: What kinds of cases do you see most often?

A: We see both bleeding and clotting disorders.

A lot of our patients have hemophilia. We do have some patients with rare co-

The Hemophilia Center of Western New York (HCWNY) is a nonprofit, New York state licensed diagnostic and treatment center offering a variety of specialized diagnostic and health maintenance services for persons with bleeding and clotting disorders, as well as Gaucher disease, that require lifelong medical management. agulation factors that are not either hemophilia A or B. Q: Having begun your medical education in India, what are some of the differences between the two countries in terms of medicine?

A: I did my medical schooling in India, but I didn’t do my residency there. So I didn’t get a lot of practical clinical experience there. But from the patients I did see, there did seem to be a lot more manifestations of severe diseases. Nowadays in India, you can do everything there that you can do here in terms of testing and management, but there are differences between their public setup and our private one. We do have more resources here.

Q: You also have a background in hematologic oncology. What kinds of blood cancers do you tend to see in children?

A: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common in children. It’s basically when your bone marrow and the stem cells of the bone marrow become mutated and become malignant.

When that happens, the bone marrow is replaced by the malignant stem cells, which leads to irregular blood cell production. Irregular white blood cells are prone to infection. When your red cells are low, you might be anemic.

And when your platelets are low, you can present with bleeding and bruising symptoms. In addition, the marrow becomes packed with these stem cells that can expand and even break bones.

Sometimes the stem cells can cross the blood-brain barrier and you can have neurological symptoms like headache, meningitis or, rarely, paralysis.

Q: How is that treated?

A: The first-line treatment is chemotherapy. Nowadays we have the ability to look at the genetics of these malignant stem cells and stratify patients according to the risk factors and prognosis. So there are factors that predict an excellent prognosis and ones that predict a very poor one.

The first group is usually treated with chemotherapy. The second group will be treated with chemotherapy to put them into remission and then they’ll get a bone marrow transplant directly after that.

Lifeline Position: Pediatric medical director at Hemophilia Center of Western New York Former positions: Division of pediatric hematology-oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC (2011-2014), Hometown: New Delhi, India Education: Delhi University; John Hopkins University Affiliations: Women’s and Children Hospital of Buffalo, Roswell Park Organization: American Society of Hematology; American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology; American Society of Clinical Oncology Family: Husband Hobbies: Reading, travelling Favorite season in Western New York: “I haven’t seen spring or summer yet, but I’m looking forward to them.”

44 Million People Still Smoke in the U.S. Despite successful CDC campaign urging people to quit, 44 million people still addicted to smoking

By Ernst Lamothe Jr

T

he power of watching someone else make a mistake can be powerful. When you sit at home and see a commercial of a woman talking from a voice box through a hole in her throat as she covers it up with a scarf before going out, it affects you. Or you see someone describing losing his foot, fingers and other body parts to Buerger’s disease, a disorder linked to smoking.

Well, seeing is believing, when you see others go down a road you want to avoid.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say their marketing efforts to get people to kick the smoking habit are paying off. The first federally funded national mass media anti-smoking campaign — Tips From Former Smokers — launched in 2012, cost roughly $48 million. The 12-week campaign was responsible for an estimated 100,000 smokers quitting permanently. It also motivated more than 1.6 million to at least attempt to quit. In addition, smoking has decreased 4 percent each year for the past few years.

“The campaign has worked because people can relate to those in the commercials talking about their everyday expeHyland riences and how smoking affects their day-to-day lives,” said physician Andrew Hyland, chairman of the department of health behavior at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

“We all know that smoking is bad for you and it can cause cancer, but there has never really been a campaign from people who are former smokers talking about how smoking really made them feel. The personal stories really resonated with people.”

Even with the Tips from Former Smokers campaign and the fact that smoking overall is going down, there is still more than 44 million people smoking, said Hyland.

Whenever people decide to curb their smoking, there are always new products that arrive. Over the last few years, that product has been the e-cigarette, which is a battery-powered vaporizer that has a similar feel to tobacco smoking. Electronic cigarettes do not contain tobacco, although they do use nicotine from tobacco plants.

“The problem is that e-cigarettes are so new that it is difficult to find strong evidence on potential benefits,” said Hyland. “It could be a benefit if someone is using it as a transition away from smoking. But the problem is that people could be using it as a crutch and keep using the e-cigarettes.”

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States, killing about 480,000 Americans each year. For every person who dies this year, there are more than 30 Americans who continue to live with a smoking-related disease, according to the CDC. “There is no part of the body and no organ that is unharmed by tobacco and cigarette smoking,” added Hyland.

“When you have something that has a number of carcinogens and carbon monoxide along with an addictive substance that keeps you coming back for

more, that is dangerous combination to put in your body. There are no health advantages in life that you get from smoking.”

The Tips from Former Smokers, campaign spent $480 per smoker who quit and $393 per year of life saved. A commonly accepted threshold for cost-effectiveness of a public health intervention is $50,000 per year of life saved. The results of the study were published this month in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

“There was a lot of money funded for this national campaign. You have to spend that money to get the campaign in front of the largest amount of people so the message comes through,” said Hyland. “When you combined that with media stories addressing this number one cause of preventable death in the U.S., that is how real change happens.”

Health officials said people are dealing with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema, which destroys the lungs over time.

There are so many destructive things that people continue to do to themselves including smoking and things that lead to diabetes.

Smokers can get help quitting by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW. The quitline provides free counseling and information about the smoking cessation program, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Helpful tips on how to quit are also available on the website at www. smokefree.gov.

“There is no question the Tips campaign is a ‘best buy’ for public health because it saves lives and saves money,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, in a news release. “Smoking-related disease costs this nation more than $289 billion a year. The campaign is one of the most cost-effective of all health interventions.”

Do you or does anyone you know have any of the following symptoms? n Easy bruising n Frequent or prolonged nosebleeds n Prolonged or heavy menstrual bleeding n Prolonged bleeding following surgery, dental work, childbirth, or injury If so, you should know that these symptoms occur in a common bleeding disorder called von Willebrand disease (VWD). Learn the facts about VWD. Call the Hemophilia Treatment Center of WNY at (716)896-2470 ext, 4012 to get more information.

Comprehensive treatment of all bleeding and clotting disorders.

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716-896-2470 • wwwhemophiliawny.com February 2015 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 7

Live Alone & Thrive

By Gwenn Voelckers

Practical tips, advice and hope for those who live alone

Valentine’s Day: Love the One Who Matters Most: YOU!

A

s I’ve shared with you in the past, my divorce and reluctant return to singlehood was a real blow to my self-esteem and identity.

My confidence took a nosedive, and I struggled with self-doubt and feelings of worthlessness for too long.

When I finally “came to,” I realized I needed to shift my thinking before I could move on with my life. After all, I concluded, if I didn’t feel I deserved a good life or love, why should the universe feel any differently? I knew I needed to hold myself in higher regard if I were going to create a better life, make new friends, and perhaps fall in love again.

A change of heart was definitely in order.

But where to begin? How was I going to rebuild my sense of self-worth in the face of all my negative thinking?

How was I going to love myself again amidst all this rubble?

It happened one small step at a time. Slowly, steadily and with intention, I decided to focus on my positive features instead of my faults. I decided to be kinder and gentler to myself and to be more deliberate in my thoughts and actions.

It took some time, but eventually

I began to like, and ultimately love myself again. My confidence and happiness returned and life got better.

Much better.

If you are struggling to love yourself, as I did after my divorce, you may find the tips below helpful. These are the things I did to reclaim and rekindle my love for myself: I stopped beating myself up. I was taking ownership for any and everything that went wrong in my world: I didn’t do that right, I could have done this better, I should have said that, if only I’d chosen this . . . and on and on. It was never-ending. It was doing me no good.

So I put a stop to it.

When I started going down that useless thought path, I would deliberately shift my thinking to something more constructive.

Constantly finding fault with myself was a hard habit to break, but with practice I was giving myself more pats on the back than punches in the stomach.

KIDS Corner

I became grounded spiritually. This means different things to different people. For me, it meant two things: searching for a deeper sense of self and nurturing a stronger connection with something bigger than myself. Greater inner peace and security emerged, and the feelings were both liberating and profound.

I found myself becoming less fearful and less self-centered, which unlocked my heart. I became a more compassionate and loving person, not only toward others, but importantly, toward myself.

I learned to forgive myself. People say it all the time: “Give yourself a break; we all make mistakes.” So why did I think that applied to everyone but me? Why was I choosing to obsess over my misdeeds, and to live with so much angst and apprehension.

Sound familiar? I needed help to make progress here. I talked with a therapist about my past missteps and learned how to trust in my own goodness. When that began to happen, my

substance, usually alcohol.

For Keyes and her colleagues pulled data on 16- to 25-year-olds from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a federal database of fatal crashes. They focused on California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Washington and West Virginia, because each of these states tests at least 85 percent of its fatal car crash victims for

Half of Teen, Young Adult Car Crash Deaths Involve Pot or Alcohol

H

alf of the teen and young adult drivers who die in car crashes are under the influence of either pot, alcohol or both, suggests a new study done in states where toxicology screening for accident victims is routine.

What’s more, the increasing legalization and availability of marijuana does not seem likely to push alcohol use aside, the researchers said. The crash victims in the study who were over age 21 (and of legal drinking age) were more likely than younger victims to have used both marijuana and alcohol prior to their crash.

“Given the rapid changes currently underway in marijuana availability and permissibility in the U.S., understanding the effects of drug control policies on substance use behavior and adverse Page 8

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health outcomes, such as fatal motor vehicle crashes, has never been more important,” study researcher Katherine Keyes, of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said in a statement.

Under the Influence

Car crashes are the leading cause of death of 18- to 25-year-olds in the U.S., and driving under the influence is a major cause of accidents. Not every state conducts routine toxicology tests on car crash victims right after the accident, but those that do have come up with alarming results. For example, a 2012 study in the journal Addiction found that 57.3 percent of the drivers in this age group who died were on some kind of mind-altering

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • Februaryt 2015

world opened up and I could again see possibilities.

I created my own positive feedback.

My “self love” project needed all the reinforcement it could get. I started to dress and behave in ways that invited healthy, positive attention — attention that boosted my ego and helped me feel good about myself. I spruced up my wardrobe, put a smile on my face (even when I didn’t feel like it), looked people in the eye, and listened more intently.

When I took these deliberate steps, the universe returned the favor and I got what I needed — affirmation, engagement with others and a compliment or two along the way.

I learned to love and accept myself.

At the end of the day, when I look at my reflection in the mirror, I now see someone I love. Not a perfect person, but someone I’ve grown to admire and accept, flaws and all. Is my work done? Not by a long shot. I am a work in progress and, like my garden, I need constant tending to grow, change and become more bountiful.

Nurturing and loving myself has been the key to living a fulfilling life on my own.

What do you see when you look in the mirror? If you don’t adore the person staring back at you, ask yourself “What can I do today to demonstrate my love?” Then do it. And do it again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next . . .

Gwenn Voelckers is the founder and facilitator of Live Alone and Thrive, empowerment workshops for women held throughout the year in Mendon, New York. For information about her upcoming workshops or to invite Gwenn to speak, call 585-6247887 or email: gvoelckers@rochester.rr.com.

drugs and alcohol within an hour of the accident.

The researchers found that half (50.3 percent) of the young drivers who died were drunk or high at the time of their fatal crashes, the researchers found. In total, 36.8 percent tested positive for alcohol alone, while 5.9 percent tested positive for marijuana alone and 7.6 percent had been using both.

Complementary Medicine Mangosteen: Tropical Fruit Offers Many Benefits

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

M

angosteen represents a tropical super fruit, packed with numerous healthful properties.

Sectioned like an orange, sized like a tangerine, and covered with a purple rind, the tangy, sweet fruit contains almond-sized seeds.

Mangosteen primarily grows in Southeast Asia. In recent years, growers have begun growing mangosteen trees in Columbia, Puerto Rico and India.

Mangosteen trees thrive in climates where the temperature stays above 75 degrees Fahrenheit year round and the relative humidity stays around 80 percent. Prolonged freezing temperatures have been known to kill even mature, well-established trees, making the United States inhospitable to mangosteen cultivation.

Despite its healthfulness and exotic flavor, don’t count on finding it at your local grocery store. It’s a fruit that’s next to impossible to export from where it’s grown because it easily bruises and spoils while shipping.

Its delicate nature doesn’t mean you’ll never enjoy mangosteen’s health

benefits. Some specialty markets in larger cities carry it. Check Asian markets when you’re traveling and you could find mangosteens for sale.

Locally, health foods stores and the natural health aisles of mainstream stores sell products containing magosteen, including canned mangosteen, though the fruit’s flavor is compromised through the canning process.

Mangosteen juice also offers the nutrients and taste of the tropical treat.

Feel-Rite Fresh Markets in the Buffalo area carry pure mangosteen juice and mangosteen juice blended with other juice in glass bottles.

“It is high in antioxidants so it gets rid of toxins in the body,” said Stephanie Moses, store manager.

Mangosteen is high in magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin C. Some natural skin care manufacturers use mangosteen as an ingredient, though it’s not proven that its antioxidant properties are absorbed through the skin. Its distinctive scent alone makes mangosteen an unusual and attractive ingredient in skin care products.

Ashley Ohl, manager at Renew Bath and Body in Buffalo, said the mangosteen salt scrub and mangosteen lotion her store carries attracted her attention because of its unusual featured ingredient. She had never heard of mangosteen before.

“They use the peel and fruit’s oil for moisturizing,” she said. “The package said that it is anti-aging vitamins and contains antioxidants and that it brightens the skin.

“A lot of people like the smell.

People see it and don’t know what a mangosteen is. It smells delicious.”

While it sounds like mangosteen is a panacea, don’t consider it a cureall. Instead, integrate it into a healthful diet. Eating more of any type of whole fruit or vegetable helps add more nutrients to your diet, whether it’s a “super fruit” or just a “regular” one.

Consult with your doctor before making any changes to your diet.

Mangosteen has not been approved by the FDA to treat or prevent any health conditions.

Stretching to Your (Healthiest) Limits

By Catherine Miller

W

hether you are an elite athlete or daily walker, a patient in rehab or someone who suffers from a chronic muscular-related medical condition, active isolated stretching (AIS) can increase your flexibility, muscle strength and blood circulation and get you on your way to optimal physical health.

Not your average manner of stretching, AIS is an increasingly popular stretching technique that improves your range of motion, increases the strength and length of the muscle and unlocks your body’s full potential.

While AIS relieves the tension and soreness of muscles caused by injury or exercise, this form of stretching goes beyond the basics to enhance your general well-being.

Known to aid everything from pulled hamstrings and sciatica to headaches and post-surgical weakness, AIS can enhance sports performance, strengthen injured muscles and reduce risk of future muscle strain and tears.

In addition AIS increases your circulation while decreasing toxins in the body.

Simply speaking active isolated stretching is brief, repetitive, precise stretching of isolated muscles meant to bring the muscle to its peak performance. By minimizing the time each stretch is held, while simultaneously increasing the angle of the stretch of an isolated muscle and continuing the

advancement of oxygen to the region, the AIS method dramatically improves your body’s overall operation without resultant pain.

“Each stretch is only held for approximately two seconds, and the angle of the stretch is increased”, explains chiropractor Timothy Lukasik of Lukasik Chiropractic in Lancaster.

“A traditional longer time period of stretching causes your body to activate the myotatic reflex, also called the stretch reflex. This reflex attempts to prevent your muscle from overstretching and depletes oxygen from the muscle — and this is what we avoid with AIS.” While the body’s natural stretch reflex mechanism may be helpful in day-to-day situations, active isolated stretching techniques are used to increase the range of motion and lengthen the muscle, strengthen corresponding muscles, and instill lasting changes in the body. Elite athletes, people in rehabilitation scenarios and those with various muscular-related medical conditions utilize safely performed overstretching methods of AIS to increase their body’s range of motion, flexibility and performance.

Lukasik and Justin Ordon, a licensed massage therapist and certified strength training specialist with Therapeutic Massage and Bodyworks of WNY were trained in the active isolated stretching method by the developer of the method, Aaron Mattes. Working

together at their combined offices located at 4917 William St. in Lancaster, Lukasik and Ordon bring their combined decades of experience with active isolated stretching technique to patients undergoing rehab, athletes seeking to maximize their performance and patients with muscular conditions, and have done so with remarkable results.

“I have used active isolated stretching to improve the physical abilities of a four year old cerebral palsy patient, high school basketball players, professional football players and senior citizens that have had difficulty walking.

The results are remarkable,” stated Ordon, who adds that he uses AIS with his family members on a regular basis, “We are born flexible. This stretching technique can help us become more flexible and retain that flexibility as we age.”

Optimal flexibility and physical performance can be hindered by abnormal posturing, muscle imbalance, adolescent growth spurts, aging, medical and physical conditions. The AIS method has been used by chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, personal trainers and other professionals that seek to improve the physical abilities of their patients, clients, and athletes.

Major sports teams have been known to incorporate the use of AIS to optimize their performance on the field. Marathon runners are known to

February 2015 •

Chiropractor Timothy Lukasik of Lancaster uses Active Isolated Stretching to improve the physical performance of his patients.

The technique can increase flexibility, muscle strength and blood circulation in patients. utilize AIS methods to improve their running times. While athletes may have been the first group to see the widespread benefits of AIS, the advantages are becoming widely popular.

“We’ve had patients that tell us that they have treated for years for medical conditions such as plantar fasciitis with limited relief,” said Lukaski, “And after two visits of treatment with active isolated stretching, their foot pain is gone.”

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 9

Complementary Medicine Alternative Treatments for Psoriasis

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

A

bout 3 percent of the world’s population has psoriasis.

That’s a pretty small percent, but if you’re among them, the itching, pain and redness typifying many psoriasis flare-ups can affect many aspects of life.

Though the condition isn’t contagious, friends and family may fear “catching” it if they mistake it for other skin problems. Psoriasis often presents white, flaky skin and it can cause skin to crack open, inviting infection.

Medication may provide relief for psoriasis, but it does not completely work for some patients. Fortunately, these patients have more options, such as alternative health treatments and lifestyle modification.

“The problem with the medications is they can be pretty severe in decreasing the immune system and leaving people open to other diseases,” said Linda Ann Taylor, board certified nurse practitioner and owner of Natural Harmony Holistic Health Center in Williamsville.

Physicians often recommend that people with moderate to severe psoriasis take systemic drugs.

“People have to decide if the discomfort of psoriasis is worth the side effects,” Taylor said. “People come to me and sometimes they say they want to quit taking their prescriptions. They can’t just drop them, but if you build the body up, you might be able to wean them off some or all of their prescriptions.”

She often suggests trying supplements, but since supplements aren’t FDA-controlled, Taylor recommends taking only high quality brands. Taking a general, dietary supplement can help build up the body’s natural defenses, especially vitamin D. The body generates vitamin D through adequate sun exposure, which is impossible during half the year in the Northeast.

When alternative methods help, patients and health care providers may not know why they worked. For example, many patients experience relief while on vacation. But it’s not clear if their psoriasis clears because of sun exposure, salt water, lower stress, higher or lower humidity, different foods or a combination of some or all of these factors. But that doesn’t mean that providers shy from suggestions unrelated to prescriptions.

“I always incorporate alternative medicine in my practice,” said Melissa Mele-Delgado, a doctorate-prepared nurse practitioner in dermatology with Neiman Dermatology and Hair Transplantation in Buffalo. “Most don’t interact with medication.”

Some of these strategies include taking turmeric tablets, ingesting and topically applying organic unrefined coconut oil, bathing in Epsom salts and applying tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, aloe vera or capsaicin cream.

“There’s no scientific evidence,” Mele-Delgado said. “But these things seem to work.”

Turmeric, often used as a seasoning, is said to have anti-inflammatory properties, as does coconut oil. Epsom salts and apple cider vinegar help remove dead skin flakes and reduce itching for many patients. Aloe vera soothes dry Page 10

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skin and capsaicin may help block nerve endings to tame itchy skin.

She has also observed success in helping patients with psoriasis by having them eliminate gluten from their diet for a few weeks as a test.

For those with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, gluten can trigger a host of symptoms and worsen conditions such as psoriasis.

Using only alternative health strategies may not offer enough relief from psoriasis for some patients, even while using topical creams.

“In our area, we only have less than a handful of dermatologists who treat patients with psoriasis aggressively,” Mele-Delgado said.

She added that since about 30 percent of patients with autoimmune diseases also have psoriasis, there’s a relationship between the two. Rheumatologists, who treat autoimmune diseases, don’t treat psoriasis since it’s a skin disease.

“Dermatologists don’t want to treat with systemic treatments, which help psoriasis,” Mele-Delgado said.

“You need to have a very progressive provider. Most providers, unfortunately, especially dermatologists, don’t have the comfort level with the newer drugs out there to treat more severe forms of psoriasis.

“Regardless, holistic treatments improve the integrity of the skin and can decrease the number or severity of flare-ups.”

Safety should be the patient’s top

All About Psoriasis There are five types of psoriasis.

The most common form, plaque psoriasis, appears as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells. Psoriasis can occur on any part of the body and is associated with other serious health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and depression.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that causes raised, red, scaly patches to appear on the skin.

Types of Psoriasis

Psoriasis appears in a variety of forms with distinct characteristics.

Typically, an individual has only one type of psoriasis at a time. concern when considering alternative treatments.

It’s also important to keep doctor

Specific Locations

Psoriasis can show up anywhere—on the eyelids, ears, mouth and lips, skin folds, hands and feet, and nails. The skin at each of these sites is different and requires different treatments.

Severity

Psoriasis can be mild, moderate or severe. Your treatment options may depend on the severity of your psoriasis.

Triggers

Researchers believe that for a person to develop psoriasis, the individual must have a combination of the genes that cause psoriasis and be exposed to specific external factors known as “triggers.”

From the National Psoriasis Association (www.psoriasis.org): appointments, take any medicine that’s prescribed, and ask about different medication available.

Coconut Oil Supports Good Health Consumers using it as moisturizers, mouth wash and to reduce acne

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

C

oconut oil has become a popular health food and topical. As a healthful, saturated fat, it is high in calories like any fat or oil, but it also boasts many healthful properties, such as anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal. Ingested in moderation, it may offer health benefits.

Christine Brogan Huber, wellness consultant with Lori’s Natural Foods Center in Rochester, said some clients

take it for overall health because it’s a fatty acid. A number of articles recently investigated it for brain health and protection against dementia.

“There’s great information coming out on it for people who’ve had a stroke or traumatic brain injury. There are some good conclusions, but the jury is still out on it,” Brogan Huber said.

Others rinse out their mouths with coconut oil, followed by water, because it helps eliminate bacteria and plaque in the mouth.

“It’s the original Listerine, only it’s not acidic,” Brogan Huber said.

Cindy Fiege, certified herbalist and owner of Harmony Health Store, LLC in Rochester, uses it for oral health.

“I had a big abscess on the side of my tooth,” she said. “It was giving me a lot of trouble. Every morning, I took a teaspoon of it and swished it in my mouth and rinsed it after. The abscess went down. I told my dentist later at a cleaning and he was amazed.”

Fiege said she knows people who use coconut oil as a natural skin clarifier to pull excess oil from the skin and reduce acne.

Elizabeth A. Arthur, dermatologist with Helendale Dermatology & Medical, said that coconut oil a good,

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • Februaryt 2015

natural moisturizer.

“Most make-up and moisturizers are chemicals,” Arthur said. “Coconut oil is good especially for someone with sensitive and highly irritated skin.”

Some parents prefer using coconut oil for diaper cream instead of chemical-laced preparations and as a natural nursing cream. For topical use, any type of coconut oil works. For consuming, most people find that extra-virgin, unrefined coconut oil tastes the best.

Though coconut oil may provide many benefits, don’t go overboard.

“People get on ticks and fall victim to the fad, whether is acai berries or coconut oil,” Arthur said. “Remember, do everything in moderation. Try to eat more from what nature gives us, versus manufactured foods. If Mother Nature gave it to us, it’s far better than what came out of a box.”

It’s also important to discuss any change of diet or topical application with your doctor prior to use to avoid a contraindication with any medication, treatments or health conditions.

Coconut oil has not been FDA approved for use in treating or preventing any health conditions.

For more coconut oil uses, visit http://wellnessmama.com/5734/101uses-for-coconut-oil.

SmartBites

thiamine (helps convert food to energy), niacin (good for nerves, digestion and skin), vitamin B12 (essential for red blood cell production and overall energy) and selenium (a powerful antioxidant).

By Anne Palumbo

The skinny on healthy eating

Helpful tips

Move Over, Chicken: It’s Pork Time!

Select lean cuts of pork — tenderloin, loin chops, and boneless loin roast—if you’re looking for healthy pork options.

Bacon, pork cutlets, spareribs and shoulder roast are all higher in saturated fat and calories. Just a few years ago, the USDA lowered its safe cooking temperature of pork to 145 degrees, from the longtime standard of 160 (trichinosis, a type of parasite sometimes found in undercooked meat, can’t survive above 145 degrees).

The easiest way to tell when pork is done is to use a meat thermometer.

E

ver since the medical community revealed links between heart attacks and foods high in saturated fat — such as red meat — I have made a concerted effort to consume less of this particular protein, especially the fattier cuts.

In its place, I initially substituted beans, fish and the only white meat I could think of: chicken. But then, recalling a brilliant ad campaign that positioned pork as “the other white meat,” I looked into pork, the leaner cuts touted in the ads. I am now a bona fide pork-a-holic.

Although technically a red meat, pork (select cuts) has many of the health advantages of lean, white meat: it’s low in fat and calories, it’s super high in protein, and it’s chockfull of B vitamins.

On the fat and calorie front, an average 3-ounce serving of pork loin has only 3 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, and 122 calories, which is on par with a similar serving of skinless chicken breast. A 3-ounce rib eye steak, on the other hand, has 18 grams of total fat, 9 grams of saturated fat and 230 calories.

According to the American Heart Association, the average adult should

not consume more than about 15 grams of saturated fat a day. As many know, foods that are high in saturated fats raise our total blood cholesterol and unhealthy LDL cholesterol levels — levels that, over time, contribute to clogged arteries and an increased risk of heart disease or stroke.

On the protein front, pork is a prodigious source, serving up around 22 grams per 3-ounce serving. A nutrient we need to build up, keep up and replace tissues in our body, protein also makes up the enzymes that power many chemical reactions and the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in our blood. Put another way: We’d be limp noodles without this mighty nutrient.

In addition to all that good protein, pork is also an excellent source of

Pork Tenderloin Studded with Rosemary and Garlic Adapted from “Cooking Light” Serves 4 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (or, 2 teaspoons dried, crushed) 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Canola oil Preheat oven to 475°. Combine

the rosemary and garlic. Make several 1/2-inch-deep slits in pork; place about half of rosemary mixture in slits. Rub pork with remaining rosemary mixture; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pork on a rimmed baking sheet lightly coated with canola oil. Insert a meat thermometer into thickest portion of pork.

Bake at 475° for 20 minutes or until the thermometer registers 145° (slightly pink) or desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Note: If using fresh rosemary, strip leaves by running your fingertips along the stem in the opposite direction from which the leaves grow.

Anne Palumbo is a lifestyle columnist, food guru, and seasoned cook, who has perfected the art of preparing nutritious, calorie-conscious dishes.

She is hungry for your questions and comments about SmartBites, so be in touch with Anne at avpalumbo@aol.com.

Restaurant Review Pi Craft Gluten-free crust served at this innovative restaurant comes from a local company, Rich’s

By Jenna Schifferle

T

ucked away in the plaza next to the New York State Thruway entrance on Niagara Falls Boulevard, an innovative restaurant called Pi Craft does business.

Its mission is “to bring healthy, good conscious, real food” to Buffalo.

All of the ingredients are fresh and homemade, including their chicken and meatballs, and gluten-free options are available.

The brick entranceway hints at the restaurant’s cozy interior and, inside, the wood furnishing enhances the effect, while the high ceiling opens up the small space. A counter lines the back wall, and food is served straight down the line, much like at a Chipotle or a Subway. Behind the counter, a banner of brown tiles reads: “Hand Crafted.” On the left-hand side, various quotations and sentiments about food compose a mural for customers to read.

Among the sentiments, one stands out: “Stress does not exist in the presence of pizza.”

When I walked in and saw this, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Three customers stand in front of me, but the staff quickly passes the line along. The menu hangs high above the serving area, wooden to match the décor. Items on the menu consist of artisan pizzas, sandwiches and salads, as well as kid-sized portions.

Pizza options include everything from classic cheese to Mexican to chipotle and more, or you can build your own.

Sauces, cheeses and toppings are listed on the glass divider in front of the food, which is convenient.

Much to my dismay, there is also a sign that informs customers that while there are gluten-free options, there is no promise cross-contamination with gluten products will not occur. When I reach the front of the line, I ask the server about this, and he informs me they do everything they can to prevent it. I nod, and order a No. 4 — chipotle-style pizza with gluten-free crust and no mushrooms.

The server peels off his gloves and goes into the back to grab the gluten-free crust. Before he starts making the pizza, he puts on a new pair and explains to me that some changes are in store for Pi Craft. In a few months, he says, there will be a whole gluten-free section, separate from the main line.

I’m just a few months too early.

Masterful creation

He begins to adorn my pizza with barbecue sauce and oil, cheese, banana peppers, chicken and caramelized onions. Then he runs it through an

oven on a conveyor belt that cooks the pizza in less than five minutes. A woman cashes me out, and I order a fountion drink. My bill comes to $13.32, more expensive than the $8 listed on the menu.

When I ask about it, the server informs me the gluten-free options are more expensive. Then, she smiles, and starts to walk away, before backtracking and asking if I want my receipt. I nod, and she has to call her co-worker over to void out and resubmit the order. The order has already been completed, and she forgot to print my receipt.

I grab myself a fountain drink and see that all Johnnie Ryan products, are made locally in Buffalo. Being a Buffalo native, I am thrilled about this, and pour myself a Buffalo favorite — loganberry. Johnnie Ryan is made with 100 percent cane sugar, as opposed to aspartame or high-fructose corn syrup.

Yes, there is a lot of sugar, but at the very least, it is natural sugar.

Unfortunately, no nutrition facts are available on the pizza options, and I cannot find them online. As I am eating, though, the district manager, Jason Singer, approaches me to see how I like my pizza, which impresses me because this seems to be a dying custom.

I smile because the pizza is delicious and worth every penny spent, but I have to ask him about the calories.

He estimates that each slice of pizza

February 2015 •

has roughly 100, and says that all menu options have 800 or fewer calories.

In a few months, the menu will have the calorie count of each item, Singer says. He is working with a nutritionist to make this happen.

I also learn the gluten-free crust comes from a local company, Rich’s, and am impressed by the emphasis on local goods.

Overall, I would give Pi Craft four out of 5 stars. The food exceeds expectations and the environment is incredibly comfortable. The food is reasonable, though gluten options are a bit pricey. Service is acceptable, and the manager is very friendly.

The only drawback is that the plaza is a bit hard to access because of the main highway and inconvenient entrance. Regardless, I would encourage everyone to give it a shot.

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 11

Wishes Come True

Make-A-Wish Western New York makes significant impact on lives

By Jenna Schifferle

L

ife has never been easy for 6-yearold Ethan.

Since he was born, he always struggled to breathe normally, his lungs fighting for oxygen. Weather changes agitate his breathing, sending him into episodes that can land him in the hospital for weeks on end.

He has been in the intensive care unit at least 36 times in his six years of life, and he has been on a ventilator on six separate occasions. In May 2012, he underwent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a process where an artificial lung emits oxygen into the bloodstream until the lungs are strong enough to function.

Twice, Nichole and Brad Pennell, Ethan’s parents, have been told by doctors that their son wouldn’t make it through the night.

But Ethan is a fighter.

“He’s probably the strongest little boy I’ve ever known. He’s very strong willed,” Brad said.

Now, Ethan and his parents travel more than two hours every other week from their home in Salamanca to the Cleveland Clinic. There, Ethan receives interleukin infusions, which help stabilize his condition. It is believed that Ethan has cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome, an auto-inflammatory disorder, though it has not yet been officially diagnosed.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that you just can’t think too far in advance,” Nichole said. “You have to kind of live day by day, week by week, and not think too far into the future.”

Other than his bi-weekly trips, Ethan doesn’t leave the house very often because his immune system is so weak. Instead, he finds entertainment in books, movies and games, especially the ones that involve skeletons, black cats and pumpkins. During the Halloween season, Ethan’s family decorates the house with hand-painted tombstones and ghosts, but Ethan celebrates all year long.

“Ethan loves Halloween. He is 365 days a year Halloween,” Nichole said.

Without a doubt, Ethan’s favorite Halloween movie is “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which he watches over and over, quoting every line. He always admired Jack Skellington, the movie’s protagonist, and wished that one day he could meet Skellington in person.

Brought to tears

Recently, Ethan’s wish came true with a trip that brought him to tears.

Along with his parents and two sisters, Molly and Lauren, Ethan was flown to Disney World during the Halloween season to meet his hero in real life, thanks to Make-A-Wish Western New

York.

As a wish child, Ethan and his family stayed at the Give Kids the World Village, a 70-acre resort for kids with life-threatening illnesses, where they got to meet other families who shared their struggle.

For Ethan, it was a week filled with trick or treating with his favorite characters, talking with Jack Skellington, and going on favorite rides: The Haunted Mansion, Pinocchio and Peter Pan. For Nichole and Brad, it was an opportunity to put their troubles on the back burner and create unforgettable memories together.

“Between everything, our lives are a little hectic. And just being able to spend a whole week as a family, together, was a huge highlight for me,” Nichole said.

Ethan’s story is just one of the more than 150 wishes that Make-AWish Western New York grants every year. Since it opened in 1992, the local chapter has been responsible for making more than 2,500 wishes come true in 17 counties of Western New York from Buffalo to Jamestown, Rochester to Corning/Elmira and all areas in between.

Children and teens between the ages of 2 and 18 are referred to the foundation, and the moment the request comes in, the staff and volunteers work with the wish child to bring their dreams to life.

Director of Program Services Cheryl Unger has worked with MakeA-Wish Western New York for 14 years. She witnessed more than 1,000 different wishes during her time with the organization, and never stops being inspired by each and every one. In addition to being in charge of medical outreach, daily activities and wishes, Unger volunteers as a wish granter in her spare time so she can work directly with wish children and see their dreams come true.

On a mission

“It’s such a pure mission. We just really want to bring hope, strength and joy to every wish child and family at a tough time in their lives,” Unger said.

The office in Snyder is adorned with framed photographs of wish children capturing the moment dreams were realized. The wishes varied from a simple wish for a blacktop surface to play basketball on to a wish to be famous for a week.

All the children in the pictures have smiles stretching across their faces that show how truly happy they are in those moments. Manager of Media Relations and Marketing Kate Glaser said those moments are why she got involved with Make-Wish Western New

Make-A-Wish Western New York grants 150 wishes every year. Since it opened in 1992, the local chapter has been responsible for making more than 2,500 wishes come true in 17 counties of Western New York from Buffalo to Jamestown, Rochester to Corning/ Elmira and all areas in between.

Page 12

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Ethan’s wish recently came true with a trip that brought him to tears. Along with his parents and two sisters, Molly and Lauren, Ethan was flown to Disney World during the Halloween season. He visited his favorite character, Jack Skellington, protagonist of the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Wish child Mariana wanted to have a book published. With the help of Make-A-Wish Western New York and a 97Rock Radiothon hosted by Larry Norton, her wish was granted. Her book deals with her struggle with a bacterial infection that has led to multiple brain and heart surgeries.

York in the first place.

In September, both Glaser and Unger played a role in making the 2,500th wish come true. Wish child Mariana wanted to have a book published. With the help of Make-A-Wish Western New York and a 97Rock Radiothon hosted

by Larry Norton, her wish was granted.

Mariana’s book deals with her struggle with a bacterial infection that has led to multiple brain and heart surgeries. It’s about to be published this spring.

Children like Mariana are able to see their dreams come true because of the more than 350 volunteers involved

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • Februaryt 2015

with Make-A-Wish Western New York.

They rely on volunteers as the backbone of the organization, Glaser said.

As wish granters, volunteers get to work directly with wish children and serve as the liaison between the family and the office. Anyone can volunteer to help with the mission and change lives, and Make-A-Wish Western New York is always looking for more people.

“Doctors really heal bodies; MakeA-Wish heals souls,” Glaser said.

If you know of a child who is struggling with a life-threatening illness, help make their wish come true.

Refer them at 888-869-9474 or online at wny.wish.org.

Controlling Blood Pressure

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

A

bout 78 million U.S. adults have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, according to the American Heart Association. Many of them don’t realize they have hypertension until it’s detected during a medical exam or until they experience a health crisis. Of those with high blood pressure, about half do not follow their doctor’s orders regarding medication and lifestyle changes.

In Good Health interviewed several experts who presented suggestions to keep blood pressure in check.

• “Exercise is important. The more in shape you are, the lower your blood pressure will be. We promote weight loss.

• “Eat a low-sodium diet. Avoid processed foods like cold cuts, potato chips and pretzels.

• “Be compliant with the medication as needed. There are thin people who exercise who still need blood pressure pills since there’s a genetic component.”

Judy Joy-Pardi, cardiologist with Suburban Cardiology in Buffalo • “Whatever the person’s schedule allows them to do to help them exercise is better than nothing.

• “I like to break up sessions for someone new to exercise. Every time you do some exercise, you’re reducing the blood pressure and anxiety post-workout and raising endorphins, the body’s natural pain-relieving chemical.

• “Working out three times per day also raises awareness on not feeding

Why Bother Keeping Your Blood Pressure Low? Why is controlling blood pressure important? Cardiologist Judy Joy-Pardi with Suburban Cardiology in Buffalo said, “They call high blood pressure the ‘silent killer’ because even though you feel well, you could be damaging blood vessels. It’s a leading cause of stroke and heart disease.” their body something that’s bad for them.

• “For people with high blood pressure, if you can keep your blood sugars a little lower, it helps. A lot of the glucose in the blood sugar binds to things in your blood. Eat a clean diet.”

Giovanni Preziuso, owner Fierce Fitness in Buffalo • “Stress can raise blood pressure. Stress hormones increase blood pressure. They constrict blood vessels, making the blood pressure go up.

Chronic stress that happens again and again cause damage that can be hard to reverse. Get rid of these: anger, worry, fear and stress. They’re like poison.

• “Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, stay in an environment you love.

• “Use breathing techniques.

Breathe into the nose as deep as you can and out of your mouth. You relax the whole body. Doing it 15 to 20 times helps. If you’re stressed, have a three- to five-minute walk to melt away stress.”

Az Tahir, MD, practicing internal and holistic medicine in Rochester.

• “I’ve helped many people get off blood pressure medication through exercise. Blood pressure is the pressure put on arteries and veins. They’re elastic. You want to strengthen them and not stress it.

• “Physical and emotional stress make blood pressure go up. The body reacts the same way. It’s another reason when it comes to blood pressure because exercise is a good stress reliever.

It helps you physically and emotionally. The more durable your body is the more you can handle the stress.

• “Perform anaerobic training like with weights. You can take a little break and go on to the next exercise.

• “Aerobic exercise keeps your heart rate elevated, like going for a brisk walk. They both strengthen the cardiovascular system, which helps you deal with blood pressure better.

• “Don’t add salt to anything. If you avoid salt for about three weeks, you start to taste the natural flavor of things.

• “Avoid sugar, flour-based carbs and starches, which cause inflammation in the system. That also causes blood pressure to be more sensitive and cause it to go up.

• “Focus on vegetables, fruits and

salads. Those are the good carbs.

• “Saturated fats also clog up the system, which clogs arteries and the arteries are compromised which causes blood pressure to go up.

• “Drink a lot of water. When your body is fully hydrated, it improves all organ functions. Divide your body weight in half and drink that in ounces. Drink that in water, not liquid. The more active you are, the more you need. Your body functions so much better when you’re hydrated. “ Bob Alessi, owner of Alessi Personal Training in Buffalo • “Eat high-fiber, very low-glycemic-index carbohydrates like spinach, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. They release glucose slowly and prevent swift raises in blood pressure.

• Protein raises blood glucose slowly as opposed to a refined carb.”

Julian Bermingham, certified strength and conditioning specialist with Absolute Fitness in Hamburg

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Page 13

Golden Years Elder Abuse: 1,500 Reported Cases Annually in Erie County Local representatives build awareness, seek solutions

By Daniel Meyer

S

enior citizens living in Western New York have become more visible, active and independent than ever before, with many living longer and enjoying life due to better health.

But as the population of older residents grows in our region, so do the hidden problems of elder abuse, exploitation and neglect.

Erie County has 1,500 reported cases of elder abuse per year, with the upward trend in the number of incidents a growing concern, especially when compared to other counties in New York state that are about the same size as Erie.

To help address threats to vulnerable residents, the Erie County Legislature has joined forces with various entities that specialize in protecting seniors to help address elder abuse through the use of outreach presentations and other special events.

Made possible through a collaboration that includes local legislators, the Council on Elder Abuse, Crisis Services

and Erie County Protective Services for Adults, elder abuse presentations will be held this year to help educate abuse victims.

They will also provide useful information to other seniors in the hopes of avoiding future abuse, exploitation, neglect and other negative actions designed to take advantage of senior citizens.

“We have made a concentrated effort in battling elder abuse and we were extremely pleased to partner with experts who have years of experience and have an incredible passion for assisting those in need,” said Erie County Legislator Lynne Dixon (I-Hamburg).

“I believe that by working together and pooling our resources, we as a community can help identify potential signs of abuse and provide help to vulnerable residents and those in need to help stop ongoing elder abuse and prevent it from happening in the future.”

Elder abuse presentations were held last year at various locations

What is Elder Abuse?

Elder abuse can take many forms. The most common types of elder abuse are: • Physical Abuse — Non-accidental use of force that results in bodily injury, pain or impairment including but not limited to being hit, kicked, slapped, pushed, burned, cut, bruised or physically restrained.

• Sexual Abuse — Non-consensual sexual contact of any kind, including inappropriate touching, molestation or forced sexual relations.

• Emotional/Psychological Abuse — Willful infliction of mental or emotional anguish by threat, humiliation, intimidation, threatening or other

abusive conduct.

• Financial Exploitation — Financial abuse spans a broad spectrum of conduct, including taking money or property, forging an older person’s signature, getting an older person to sign a deed, will, or power of attorney through deception, coercion, or undue influence, using the older person’s property or possessions without permission and making charges against victims’ credit cards without their authorization.

Where To Go For Help • Elder abuse is a serious problem that requires immediate attention.

If you suspect that you yourself or another senior citizen who lives in Erie County is being abused either physically, sexually, emotionally or psychologically or has been financially exploited, please call Erie County Adult Protection Services at 716 858-6877 or visit www2.erie.gov/socialservices/ index.php?q=adult-protection for more information.

• If you suspect you or a senior citizen you know are the victim of a specific type of fraud, please call your local police department. Any information that you can immediately provide Page 14

•

to a detective or another law enforcement officer can be vital in catching the con artist and preventing others from being victimized.

• For assistance on identifying elder abuse from officers with the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, call 716858-7999 or go online and visit www2. erie.gov/sheriff/index.php?q=elderabuse for more information.

• For immediate assistance related to domestic violence issues, call Crisis Services at 716-834-3131 or go online and visit http://crisisservices.org/content/index.php/24-hour-hotline/ for more information.

Source: Erie County Sheriff’s Office

Erie County Legislator Joseph Lorigo (C-West Seneca) held an elder abuse outreach event last year in West Seneca and plans to host additional presentations later this year. “Our plans for this year and beyond are to hold more outreach events, seminars and special presentations that will provide the appropriate forums for an elder abuse victim to obtain information and identify the appropriate agency who may be able to provide him or her assistance,” he says. throughout the county, with information obtained and shared at those sessions helping legislators plan additional outreach opportunities for 2015.

Building awareness

“Our plans for this year and beyond are to hold more outreach events, seminars and special presentations that will provide the appropriate forums for an elder abuse victim to obtain information and identify the appropriate agency who may be able to provide him or her assistance,” said Erie County Legislator Joseph Lorigo (C-West Seneca). “It is important that we provide these outreach services because we have an obligation to protect our seniors.”

Elder abuse can take place in different forms, including physical, emotional, sexual and the growing problem of financial abuse, something that greatly concerns many local elected officials, including Dixon and Lorigo.

“One of the biggest forms of abuse is financial, especially scams,” said Lorigo. “We are hearing more about seniors being taken advantage of by strangers off the street posing as someone who wants to provide a service.

Neighbors, caretakers, friends and even family members are also ripping off seniors. Some of these scam artists will stop at nothing to rip someone off.

Sadly, many of their victims are unsuspecting seniors.”

One of the direct benefits from hosting elder abuse outreach presentations is providing face-to-face interaction for victims with experts who can analyze information, give advice and provide contact information for follow-up correspondence.

“We want our elderly citizens to be

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • Februaryt 2015

aware that there are people who care about them and are willing to assist them,” said Dixon. “We have seen at each one of these outreach events people approach the representatives we have on hand from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and Legal Services for the Elderly, Disabled or Disadvantaged of WNY and other organizations with questions and some real horror stories of how they have been taken advantage of or scammed.

“Giving them a chance to speak to someone and explain what happened to them is something that has proven to be very beneficial for the victims.”

Dates, times and locations for the 2015 elder abuse outreach events will be announced later this year and will be held at no charge to anyone interested in learning more about ways to prevent elder abuse from occurring to themselves or someone they know.

“We want all seniors who have become victims of elder abuse to know they are not alone and there are some tremendous people who we will make available to help you,” said Lorigo.

“We are here to help anyone and everyone who needs assistance.”

“By identifying the various forms of abuse that threaten our senior citizens on a daily basis, we feel strongly that we are providing valuable assistance to seniors,” said Dixon. “A high percentage of the county’s population is over 60 years of age. We have to continue to make efforts to do anything that makes people who may be vulnerable, especially the growing problem of financial exploitation, better educated and better prepared to not become the next victim of elder abuse.”

to 100 days of skilled nursing or rehabilitation care immediately following a three-day inpatient hospital stay.

Personal care: The cost of hiring help for bathing, toileting and dressing are not covered unless you are homebound and are also receiving skilled nursing care. Housekeeping services, such as shopping, meal preparation and cleaning, are not covered either unless you are receiving hospice care.

By Jim Miller

What Medicare Doesn’t Cover Dear Savvy Senior, I’m about to sign up for Medicare Part A and B and would like to find out what they don’t cover so I can avoid any unexpected costs down the road.

Almost 65 Dear Almost, While Medicare covers a wide array of health care services, it certainly doesn’t cover everything. If you need or want certain services that aren’t covered, you’ll have to pay for them yourself unless you have other insurance or you’re

in a Medicare Advantage health plan, which may cover some of these services.

Here’s a rundown of what original Medicare generally does not cover.

Alternative medicine: This includes acupuncture or chiropractic services (except to fix subluxation of the spine), and other types of alternative or complementary care.

Cosmetic surgery: Elective cosmetic procedures are not covered, however, certain surgeries may be if necessary to fix a malformation. For example, breast prostheses are covered if you had a mastectomy due to breast cancer.

Long-term care: This includes nursing home care, the costs of assisted living facilities and adult day care.

Medicare does, however, help pay up

Dental and vision care: Routine dental and vision care: Medicare will not cover routine dental checkups, cleanings, fillings or dentures. Nor do they cover routine vision care like eye exams, eye refractions, contact lenses or eyeglasses — except when following cataract surgery.

Hearing: Routine hearing exams and hearing aids are not covered either, although some hearing implants to treat a severe hearing loss may be covered.

Foot care: Medicare does not cover most routine foot care, like the cutting or removing of corns and calluses, nor does it pay for most orthopedic shoes or other foot supports (orthotics).

Medicare will, however, cover foot injuries or diseases like hammertoes, bunion deformities and heel spurs, along with foot exams and treatments if you have diabetes-related nerve damage.

Non-emergency services: Medicare does not pay for copies of X-rays or most non-emergency transportation including ambulette services.

Overseas coverage: In most cases, health care you receive outside of the United States is not covered.

The best way to find out if Medicare covers what you need is to talk to your doctor or other health care provider. Or visit medicare.gov/coverage and type in your test, item or service, to get a breakdown of what is and isn’t covered.

Also keep in mind that even if Medicare covers a service or item, they don’t usually pay 100 percent of the cost. Unless you have supplemental insurance, you’ll have to pay monthly premiums as well as annual deductibles and copayments. Most preventive services, however, are covered by original Medicare with no copays or deductibles.

For more information on what original Medicare does and doesn’t cover, see the “Medicare and You” 2015 booklet that you should receive in the mail a few months before you turn 65, or you can see it online at medicare. gov/pubs/pdf/10050.pdf.

You can also get help over the phone by calling Medicare at 800633-4227, or contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), who provides free one-on-one Medicare counseling in person or over the phone. To find a local SHIP counselor visit shiptalk.org, or call the eldercare locator at 800-677-1116. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you’ll need to contact your plan administrator for details.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Getting Around When You No Longer Drive

By Jim Miller

A

lternative transportation services vary widely by community, so what’s available to your mom will depend on where she lives.

Here’s what you should know.

Transportation Options

For starters it’s important to know that while most urban areas offer seniors a variety of transportation services, the options may be few to none for those living in the suburbs, small towns and rural areas. Alternative transportation is an essential link in helping seniors who no longer drive get to their doctor’s appointments, stores, social activities and more.

Depending on where your mom lives, here’s a rundown of possible solutions that can help her get around, along with some resources to help you locate them.

Family and friends: This is by far the most often used and favorite option among seniors. So make a list of all possible candidates your mom can call on, along with their availability and contact information.

Local transportation programs: These are usually sponsored by nonprofit organizations that serve seniors. These

services may charge a nominal fee or accept donations and often operate with the help of volunteer drivers.

Also check out the Independent Transportation Network (itnamerica. org), which is a national nonprofit that has 27 affiliate transportation programs in 23 states. With this program, seniors pay membership dues and fees based on mileage. And, most programs will let your mom donate her car in return for credits toward future rides.

Demand response services: Often referred to as “dial-a-ride” or “elderly and disabled transportation service,” these are typically government-funded programs that provide door-to-door transportation services by appointment and usually charge a small fee or donation on a per ride basis. Many use vans and offer accessible services for riders with special needs.

Taxi or car service: These private services offer flexible scheduling but can be expensive. However, they’re cheaper than owning a car. Some taxi/car services may be willing to set up accounts that allow other family members to pay for services and some may offer senior discounts. Be sure to ask.

Another option to look into is ride-sharing services, which connects people with cars, with people who need rides. Uber (uber.com), Lyft (lyft. com) and Sidecar (side.cr) are three of the largest companies offering services in dozens of cities across the U.S. Private program services: Some hospitals, health clinics, senior centers, adult day centers, malls or other businesses may offer transportation for program participants or customers. And some nonmedical home-care agencies that bill themselves as providing companionship and running errands or doing chores may also provide transportation.

Mass transit: Public transportation (buses, trains, subways, etc.) where available, can also be an affordable option and may offer senior reduced rates.

Hire someone: If your mom lives in an area where there are limited or no transportation services available, another option to consider is to pay someone in the community to drive her. Consider hiring a neighbor, retiree, high school or college student who has

February 2015 •

a flexible schedule and wouldn’t mind making a few extra bucks.

Where to Look

To find out what transportation services are available in your mom’s community, contact the Rides in Sight national toll-free call center at 855-6074337 (or see ridesinsight.org), and the Eldercare Locator (800-677-1116), which will direct you to her area agency on aging for assistance.

Also contact local senior centers, places of worship and retirement communities for other possible options.

And check with her state department of transportation at www.fhwa.dot. gov/webstate.htm, and the American Public Transportation Association at publictransportation.org.

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 15

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Golden Years

FDA Approves Blood Test That Gauges Heart Attack Risk

T

he U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December approved a new blood test that can help determine a person’s future odds for heart attack and other heart troubles.

The test is designed for people with no history of heart disease, and it appears to be especially useful for women, and black women in particular, the agency said.

“A cardiac test that helps better predict future coronary heart disease risk in women, and especially black women, may help health care professionals identify these patients before they experience a serious [heart disease] event, like a heart attack,” Alberto Gutierrez, director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in an agency news release.

The test tracks the activity of a specific biological signal of vascular inflammation, called Lp-PLA2. Vascular inflammation is strongly associated with the buildup of artery-clogging plaques in blood vessels, the FDA explained. As plaque accumulates, arteries narrow and the chances of a serious cardiovascular event increase.

“Patients with test results that show Lp-PLA2 activity greater than the level of 225 nanomoles per minute Page 16

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per milliliter are at increased risk for a [heart disease] event,” the FDA said.

The FDA said its approval of the new blood test comes from data compiled in a study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Almost 4,600 people aged 45 to 92 with no prior history of heart disease took part in the study, and were followed for an average of just over five years.

In subgroup analyses, the test seemed especially sensitive for black women, because they experienced a “higher jump” in the rate of heart attack and other heart disease events when their blood levels of Lp-PLA2 exceeded a certain level.

“As a result, the test’s labeling contains separate performance data for black women, black men, white women and white men,” the FDA said.

The test is manufactured by San Francisco-based diaDexus, Inc. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease remains the leading killer of Americans, and coronary heart disease is the most common form of the illness, killing over 385,000 people each year.

“Almost two-thirds of women and half of men who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms,” the FDA noted.

F

Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve

ebruary is the month when we celebrate love and friendship. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has also declared February as American Heart Month to bring awareness to the leading cause of death for both women and men in the United States: heart disease.

We encourage you to wear red all month to promote cardiovascular disease prevention.

Just as the heart is vital to our emotional and physical well-being, Social Security disability benefits are often a vital lifeline for people who are unable to work due to severe disabilities — whether heart-related or not.

There are numerous ways to protect our hearts, including eating well, exercising and not smoking. We get checkups and make sure to keep our cholesterol down.

However, sometimes these measures aren’t enough. In fact, disability will affect one in four of today’s 20 year-olds before reaching retirement age. The Social Security disability program excels in providing financial help to people when they need it most — help they earned by paying Social Security taxes on their earnings or as dependents of someone who paid Social Security taxes.

Social Security pays benefits to covered people who can’t work and

Q&A

Q: I heard that Social Security benefits increased at the beginning of the year. What is the average Social Security retirement payment that a person receives each month?

A: You are right — Social Security benefits increased this year. In 2015, nearly 64 million Americans who receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) began receiving a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase of 1.7 percent to their monthly benefit payments. The average monthly Social Security benefit for a retired worker in 2015 is $1,328 (up from $1,306 in 2014). The average monthly Social Security benefit for a disabled worker in 2015 is $1,165 (up from $1,146 in 2014). As a reminder, eligibility for retirement benefits still requires 40 credits (usually about 10 years of work). The Social Security Act details how the COLA is calculated. You can read more about the COLA at www. socialsecurity.gov/cola.

Q: I recently got married. How can I update my insurance under the Affordable Care Act? A: You can do so before the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period ends Feb. 15. You and your spouse

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • Februaryt 2015

whose medical condition meets the strict definition of disability under the Social Security Act. A person is considered disabled under this definition if he or she cannot work due to a severe medical condition that has lasted or is expected to last at least one year or result in death. The person’s medical condition must prevent him or her from doing work that he or she did in the past, and it must prevent the person from adjusting to other work based on their age, education and experience.

You can find all the information you need about eligibility and benefits available to you by reading our publication, Disability Benefits, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.

If you are disabled, and think you are eligible to receive disability benefits, you will need to complete an application for Social Security benefits. It’s easy to apply online at www. socialsecurity.gov/disability.

We also invite you to visit our Faces and Facts of Disability website to watch and read stories about people who have truly benefited from Social Security’s disability program and to get the facts about this very important program. Helping people is at the heart of what we do. You can learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.

During American Heart Month, go ahead and wear your heart on your sleeve. Go red, and go to www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.

can shop for a new healthcare plan any time before Feb. 15. Be sure to update your information, including your new name, address or anything that might have changed. Healthcare.gov is your hub for everything involving affordable healthcare. To start shopping for a plan that best suits you, visit the website at www.healthcare.gov.

Q: My child lost his Social Security card. How can I get a replacement?

A: You can replace your child’s Social Security card at no cost to you if it is lost or stolen. You are limited to three replacement cards in a year and 10 during a lifetime. Legal name changes and other exceptions don’t count toward these limits. Also, you may not be affected by these limits if you can prove you need the card to prevent a significant hardship.

The documents you will need to provide will differ depending on whether your child is a citizen of the United States or foreign-born citizen.

To get a new card, you will need to provide original documents that prove citizenship. No photocopies or digital replications are accepted. You will have to provide proof of your identity as well using a U.S. driver’s license, a state-issued non-driver identification card, or a U.S. passport.

H ealth News Pierce DeGraff and Millard Suburban’s new CMO Physician David Pierce has been named the vice president and chief medical officer (CMO) for Millard Fillmore Suburban (MFSH) and DeGraff Memorial Hospitals (DMH).

Pierce was most recently quality and patient safety medical officer and an attending emergency medicine physician at MFSH. “Physician leadership is imperative if we are going to change culture, improve quality, safety, and service to the patients that we serve,” said David Hughes, a physician who serves as the executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaleida Health.

“Dr. Pierce is an Pierce outstanding leader and will serve as direct, on-site medical administration to facilitate our patient experience and quality of care initiatives.”

A resident of East Amherst, Pierce received his Bachelor of Science in biology from the SUNY Fredonia, began his medical training at the University of Guadalajara and finished at New York Medical College, and completed his residency at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB).

He is board certified in emergency medicine.

Pierce, who will continue to practice clinically in the emergency department at MFSH, also holds positions as medical education coordinator and attending physician in emergency medicine for FDR Medical Services, P.C., adjunct teaching faculty Harvard Medical School/Harvard Business School, and assistant professor of clinical emergency medicine at UB. Pierce was the recipient of the Dean’s Award at UB for extraordinary service to the university and received distinction as Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP) in 2009. He was also winner of the National Final Clinical Pathologic Case at the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) conference in 2007.

Kaleida receives ‘Revenue Cycle Award’ Healthcare Business Insights, a national healthcare organization that provides hospitals and health systems with insights and analysis in the finance field, named Kaleida Health one of six national 2014 “Revenue Cycle Award” winners.

The award is designed to recognize hospitals for their revenue cycle achievements. Revenue cycle management is the process that manages the patient’s financial experience in areas such as pre-arrival, registration, coding, medical records, clinical docu-

mentation, corporate utilization, billing and collections, revenue integrity and customer service.

Kaleida Health was one of two hospitals recognized specifically for performance improvement and the organization’s significant advancements over the past year. According to Healthcare Business Insights, what stood out about Kaleida Health was its overall revenue cycle performance, when compared with all other surveyed hospitals and health systems nationwide.

This includes Kaleida Health’s net days in accounts receivable, (which is in the top third of organizations), bad debt (1.2 percent, top decile performance), point of service collections (1.5 percent top quartile performance), and cost to collect (2.6 percent, which is in the top third of organizations).

Darlene Phillips appointed OR, PACU nurse manager Registered nurse Darlene Phillips has been appointed nurse manager of the operating room and post anesthesia care unit (PACU) at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. She will also oversee central sterile processing.

In this role, Phillips will be responsible for the day to day activities of the robust surgical services department with focus on patient safety, quality and operational performance in the Phillips operating room, PACU and support services.

“Darlene brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the position of nurse manager,” said Suzanne Pieszak, director of perioperative services at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. “She has been an intricate part of the Oishei Children’s Hospital design team and will be a great leader as we transition to the new building.”

Phillips began her career at Women & Children’s Hospital 26 years ago in the medical records department prior to becoming a surgical technologist in the operating room. After receiving her RN degree from Trocaire College in 2003, she served as staff registered nurse in the OR and was promoted to unit supervisor in 2012.

New physician joins UBMD Internal Medicine Physician Saman Bahram Chubinet has recently joined UBMD Internal Medicine.

He is a gastroenterologist and will be working at ECMC with inpatients and outpatients two days per week, assisting with procedures following the retirement of physician Michael Sitrin, Chubineh received his medical degree from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn. His internship in internal medicine was completed at St.

Buffalo General Has New Director of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Physician Armen Kirakosyan has been appointed medical director of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery at Buffalo General Medical Center.

Kirakosyan is an OB-GYN at General Physician, PC, certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American College of Surgeons, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. His special interests include advanced laparoscopy, single port laparoscopic surgery, robotic surgery, pelvic organ prolapse and urogynecology. He currently holds the position of clinical assistant professor, OB-GYN department at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

“We are thrilled to Kirakosyan revitalize gynecologic services to Buffalo General Medical Center,” said Jeffrey Holt, vice president, Kaleida Health, chief operating officer, surgical services of Advanced Orthopedic & Spine Center at Buffalo General Medical Center, and chief operating officer of the Gates Vascular Institute. “Dr. Kirakosyan’s comprehensive and diverse experience in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and urogynecology will be a tremendous resource to our patients and the community.”

As medical director, Kirakosyan will work closely with clinical and administrative leadership at Buffalo General and Women & Children’s Hospital to develop a comprehensive minimally invasive gynecology program. He will also create quality

Vincent’s Medical Center in Manhattan and his residency at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset.

He completed his fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Connecticut in Farmington, Conn., and worked as a hospitalist at Catholic Health Systems’ Mercy Hospital of Buffalo and at Eastern Niagara Health Systems’ Hospital, Lockport.

Chubinet is board-certified in both internal medicine and gastroenterology.

ECMC immunodeficiency services earns national recognition Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) Corporation recently announced that its immunodeficiency services department recently received formal certification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) designating the service as a

February 2015 •

metrics and performance targets, programmatic infrastructure and collaboration with other specialties, and will recruit additional minimally invasive surgeons to ultimately build a center for minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.

Kirakosyan graduated from Crimean Medical University in Ukraine. He completed his OB-GYN residency and worked at Central Regional Clinical Hospital of Simferopol in Ukraine.

Upon moving to the United States, he obtained ECFMG certification and completed OB-GYN residency at Synergy Medical Education Alliance (Michigan State University) in Saginaw, Michigan.

Before coming to Buffalo, Kirakosyan worked several years at McLaren OB-GYN Associates in Flint, Michigan, where he was one of the leading Minimally Invasive Gynecologic surgeons and held clinical assistant professor position at Michigan State University OB-GYN department.

A fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Kirakosyan is also a member of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, American Urogynecologic Society, International Academy of Pelvic Surgery, American Medical Association, and the New York State Medical Society to just name a few. The Consumers Research Council of America named him one of America’s Top Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

patient center medical home (PCMH) — level 3 on achievement of recognition for systematic use of patient-centered, coordinated care management processes.

The patient-centered medical home model of care provides primary care that emphasizes care coordination and communication to transform primary care into “what patients want it to be.”

Medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs, and can improve the patient and provider experience of care.

“This certification confirms that ECMC immunodeficiency services has the tools, systems and resources provided by qualified and skilled staff members to deliver the care patients expect and prefer,” stated Richard C. Cleland, president, chief operating officer and interim chief executive officer, ECMC Corporation.

The patient-centered medical home program reflects the input of the American College of Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and Amer-

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Page 17

H ealth News ican Osteopathic Association (AOA) and others in extension of the physician practice connections program.

Fellows at Women & Children’s get neonatal awards Fellows in the neonatology department at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo were granted the only two American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) neonatal resuscitation program (NRP) young investigator awards for 2014.

The awards, which are granted once a year, are designed to support basic science, clinical or epidemiological research Vali pertaining to the broad area of neonatal resuscitation.

Physician Payam Vali will evaluate the benefits of continuous chest compressions during sustained inflation in preterm lambs with asphyxia arrest.

Sustained inflation is a new technique to improve oxygen Rawat delivery by opening a fluid-filled fetal lung and has the potential to change the current standard of care in delivery room resuscitation of newborns.

Physycian Munmun Rawat will study optimal oxygen saturation range following resuscitation in severe asphyxia. This study evaluates oxidative stress at various saturation levels during and after resuscitation.

Both physicians are mentored by Satyan Lakshminrusimha, a physician who serves as chief of the division of neonatology at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo along with physicians and scientists at the Center for Developmental Biology of the Lung at the University at Buffalo.

Want to share some news from your organization?

Email items with high resolution photos to editor@BuffaloHealthNews.com Page 18

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Health Professions Nursing Offers Wide Variety of Job Options

By Jennifer McDougall

L

uAnn Starzynski was a nurse educator working with a physician group, but when the group dissolved, she found herself looking for a new job.

“I decided to be a substitute nurse while I figured out what to do,” Starzynski, a Hamburg resident, said.

However, she soon realized that she had already found her new career.

“Once I realized how much health education could take place in a school, I was hooked,” Starzynski said.

Looking back on her career transition — from a nurse educator to school nurse — Starzynski says, “I am such a champion of nursing because there are so many things you can do.”

She brings that enthusiasm for her profession to her job as a school nurse at a local Catholic high school. “The student’s job is to be in the classroom, and my job is to keep the students healthy so they can do their best there.”

She explains that something as simple as timing medication incorrectly may keep a student from performing to the best of his or her ability. “When we correct that issue, it’s like a light bulb for the student. Things like that make a positive impact for kids in their daily lives,” Starzynski explains.

Like Starzynski, Marie Zanghi also appreciates the opportunity to help patients in ways that make a difference in their lives. Zanghi is the charge nurse of the orthopedic observation unit at Erie County Medical Center. Her unit also cares for patients who are waiting to be cleared for discharge.

“My patients come in sick or needing something, but then they get to go home, and I get to help them get to that point. I like helping patients, and I enjoy interacting with them,” she explains.

Many nursing students expect that they will spend their careers working in hospitals. In fact, that was Molly Grabar’s dream. The West Seneca resident says she never thought she’d work in home care or in a medical office, but after working in home care for over a decade, she currently works in an oncology office.

She explains that each job a nurse has provides valuable experience.

“What I learned in home care has helped me in the medical office, especially when I’m setting up home care for the people we take care of,” she

says.

Grabar enjoyed the one-on-one aspect of working in home care, and she appreciates the personal nature of the medical office where she currently works. “It’s a small office, so it’s really a family setting. I love caring for patients. It’s hard when they go through a rough time, but the best is when they go through their treatments without any side effects,” Grabar said.

Like Grabar, Susan O’Neill Lauber currently works in a medical office in Snyder. Lauber previously worked in a hospital, and she likes caring for patients over time in her current position.

“We see patients on a regular basis, so there’s a continuity of care, not like in a hospital where you see a patient once and may never see them again,” she explains.

Lauber also finds that her current setting offers additional flexibility. “When I worked in a hospital, I worked nights. Now, I work longer hours, but they’re better hours for my family. All of the nurses in the office understand that everyone has issues that come up, so we help each other.

We work together well, and we get along very well,” Lauber says.

Michelle Kelly Burke of Buffalo appreciates the flexibility of her job, too.

As a telephonic case manager for UnitedHealth Care, Burke has the option of working from home. Burke’s calls are monitored, and she earned the right to work from home based on her performance. She appreciates the freedom of it. Although Burke has the option to

IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • Februaryt 2015

work from home on a full-time basis, she often goes into the office.

Burke calls people who have just been discharged from the hospital. “I go over every discharge instruction and every medication. I educate them about issues related to their care, like increasing fluids or adding fiber to the diet. The goal is to reduce the need for them to be readmitted,” Burke explains.

Like Grabar, Burke thinks previous nursing jobs are helpful in building experience. “The people who excel in this are the people who have more than five years of experience on a floor in a hospital. You need a good, sound clinical background, and good computer skills are important, too,” she says.

Mary Jo Alessio of Buffalo works as a travel nurse, and her assignments are based on her current level of experience. This means that she will be assigned to work in a field of nursing in which she has current experience.

As a travel nurse, she typically works on 13-week contracts. The contracts are arranged through an agency with various hospitals that have staffing needs.

Alessio likes being a travel nurse.

“I like the variety, meeting different people, and learning,” she explains.

Alessio gained varied experience before becoming a travel nurse.

She worked in certified community nursing with a home care agency, in licensed pediatric high-tech home care as a private duty nurse for pediatric patients, and as a psychiatric nurse in an inpatient unit.

Battle Cry

Woman fights, survives breast cancer, which hit when she was 36

By Jenna Schifferle

A

manda Velarde is a lot of things — mother, banker, wife, and friend.

The Snyder native and resident married her husband, Steven, almost 14 years ago, gave birth to two beautiful twin boys, Hayden and Nicolas, seven years ago, and has been a dedicated employee of Bank of America in Williamsville for clo–se to five years.

Years, however, are just numbers.

What Velarde cherishes the most are the little moments in her life: her sons’ laughter, her husband’s unrelenting support and conversations with friends. When she has time to herself, she also cherishes time spent curled up on the couch with a good book, lost in the story’s plot. At age 37, time has taught her never to take these moments for granted.

On Feb. 13, 2013, Velarde took a day off work to celebrate her 36th birthday. With two boys at home, days off are rare, so she decided to use the time to her advantage and go to the doctor’s office for a check-up. A few months before, she had crossed her arms and discovered a lump in her breast. While she was sure it was nothing serious, she wanted to get a professional opinion.

The doctor quickly sent Velarde for a mammogram at Windsong Radiology Group on Robinson Road in Amherst, where another doctor pulled her into a room to see the results that were displayed on a screen. He looked them over, and very carefully broke the news to her: It was breast cancer. To make matters worse, she didn’t have just one lump, but four. The news slapped her across the face. She was in complete disbelief. What did this mean for her, her husband, and for her two boys?

“Of course, you think the worst,” Velarde said, pushing a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear.

She called her husband and told him the news, while tears streamed down her face.

Amidst all of this, one question lingered on Velarde’s mind: Why her?

Breast cancer did not run in her family, so where did it come from? Her doctor would later tell her that the four years of fertility treatments she went through to have her boys likely caused the cancer.

A study conducted by The Journal of the National Cancer Institute found a correlation between woman who utilized fertility treatments and successfully conceived and the incidence of breast cancer. For Velarde, the treatments had been both a blessing and a curse.

Difficult decisions

A week after her diagnosis, biopsies revealed that three of her lumps were cancerous. Each lump grew in a different quadrant of her left breast, so a lumpectomy was out of the question.

They would have to remove her entire breast to get rid of the cancer. But that still left her with a difficult decision to make: Should she remove just one breast, or both?

“I didn’t, God forbid, want it to

Amanda Velarde (center) with her two boys, Nicolas (left) and Hayden (right) at the Great Pumpkin Farm in October. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 36. come back on the right and have to go through this all over again,” she said.

With that in mind, she made the decision to have a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. On April 18, 2013, she underwent surgery.

Then came the recovery period, where she had two sets of drains attached to her and was taped up in a surgical bra.

She could barely move for weeks.

Just when she thought she was out of the woods, the oncologist told her that the cancer had begun to move toward to her lymph nodes. The news meant she would have to endure four rounds of chemotherapy. She would have to get a port put in above her breast to administer the drugs.

This terrified her more than the idea of the chemotherapy itself.

“It looks like you’re sick then,” she said, playing with the fabric on her jacket. “It’s official. You can’t hide it anymore.”

She pulled the collar of her jacket collar back to reveal a thick scar on her

upper chest and another that traveled up to her neck.

“It never healed really good,” she said.

Matters would only get worse when her hair began to fall out shortly after her first round of chemotherapy.

Though Velarde had the support of her family and stylist, who shaved her head, it was difficult when her boys saw her for the first time and stared as if she were a stranger. She started wearing wigs to mask the baldness and pushed through treatment.

A year later, the worst of her battle is behind her, though she still has to go for checkups every few months. Her hair, though now short and wavy, has grown back to once again frame her delicate face. She still struggles to accept her body after treatment and come to terms with her scars, both emotional and physical.

In the wake of her own struggle, Velarde supports breast cancer by participating in local walks for Susan

February 2015 •

G. Komen and the American Cancer Society, as well as the Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A few months ago, she even took part in the local Dirty Girl Mud Run, a 5K run and obstacle course.

According to Susan G. Komen, it is estimated that 40,000 people will have died from breast cancer by the end of 2014. Additionally, an estimated 232,670 new cases will be diagnosed at the end of 2014, 2,360 of which are expected to be in men.

Cheryl Robinson, a supervisor at Windsong Radiology Group, said the typical age to get a first mammogram is around 40 years old. This number can decrease with a family history of breast cancer or the recommendation of a doctor. After that, women should get one every year, she said.

Slowly, Velarde is getting back on her feet, but she encourages other women to be proactive.

“Catch it early,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to take care of it right away.”

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Page 19

For The Love Of The Game Group of men ranging in age from 50 to nearly 90 faithfully participates three times a week in basketball games in Hamburg

By Daniel Meyer

A

s most people age, their participation in competitive team sports usually dwindles due to a variety of factors and they turn to more low-impact activities such as bicycling, walking and swimming.

But a group of men who gather three times a week in a gymnasium in the town of Hamburg firmly believe that the game never gets old no matter how advanced in age they are themselves, playing pickup basketball for the exercise, the camaraderie and the competition.

Using the basketball court inside Hilbert College’s Hafner Recreation Center, anywhere from 10 to 15 men who range in age from 50 to nearly 90 gather every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. to play organized and quite competitive half-court basketball

games.

Their passion to hoop it up is quite evident, with bragging rights and stories to tell their children and grandchildren later that day all on the line.

“I love basketball and I love to exercise,” says Kenneth “Bucky” McClune. “I started playing with these guys at age 69. I am 85 now and I really look forward to playing and seeing these guys a few times a week.”

Every participant has been active their entire life, many of them having played competitive basketball at various levels when they were younger.

“We’re basketball junkies,” says Bob Kothe, a Buffalo resident. “We don’t run as high or jump as high as we used to, but it’s still in our blood.”

And while those competitive juices still flow and motivate them, it is the special bonds the players share with

one another that seem to really drive them to tie their sneakers and hit the court.

“The camaraderie of being with the guys is the best,” says Pete Shadle of Hamburg. “It’s just a great bunch of guys who have a lot of fun and enjoy getting out of the house and doing something athletic.”

For some, a lengthy commute to and from the gym does not deter them from regularly participating, even if a nagging injury or recent surgery may temporarily sideline them.

“You need exercise,” says Sammy Kiser, who makes the drive from Salamanca to Hamburg and back without even giving it a second thought. “It makes you feel better that you can still compete, so yes, I will drive quite a distance for that. It keeps me going, especially in the winter.”

While some players are more skilled offensively and others are clearly defensive-minded, they all can’t deny their love of the sport is what motivates them to keep playing.

“For myself and pretty everyone

else who plays, we do it because we love basketball,” says Jim Henneberg, a retired school teacher and longtime coach at nearby Hamburg High. “Sure, it gets really competitive at times, but for the most part, it’s about seeing each other, telling stories and talking about what’s going on in our lives.”

With the minimum age being 50, each player shows great admiration and respect for Gene “Tank” Mruk, who is the grizzled veteran at what Henneberg calls “87 years young.”

Each player donates $1 each time they play and the group regularly makes a formal contribution to Hilbert College’s athletic department for allowing them to hoop it up at no charge.

“People ask me all the time why the heck am I still playing basketball at my age,” says Rollin Shoemaker, a longtime Hamburg resident. “Competition. Exercise. Friendship. Those three words sum it all up for me and I think every other one of these guys. We’re having fun and enjoying life. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

About 10 to 15 men who range in age from 50 to nearly 90 gather every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. inside Hilbert College’s Hafner Recreation Center to play organized and quite competitive half-court basketball games. Photo: Daniel Meyers Page 20

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Buffalo & WNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • Februaryt 2015