Your Health Connection - Fall 2010/Winter 2011

12 YOUR Health Connection FALL 2010/WINTER 2011HealthConnectionYOUR

your source for healthy living

Cancer Treatment • Counseling • Dermatology • Gastroenterology • Healthcare • Medical Career • Podiatry • Senior Living

INSIDE THIS ISSUEAnkle & Foot Centers of Georgia ...10

Benton House ................................9

Fleur de Lis Counseling ..................4

Lifeboat Medical Associates ...........6

MedaPhase Inc. .............................5

Radiation Oncology Services ........12

University of West Georgia .........3, 8

West Georgia GastroenterologyAssociates, P.C. ............................11

West Georgia Technical College ......7

A publication of The Times-Herald■ Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy■ Image Guided Radiation Therapy■ Partial Breast Radiation■ Stereotactic Radiation Therapy■ Prostate Seed Implants■ High Dose Rate Brachytherapy■ Gamma Knife

Accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) in radiation therapy since 1995.

At ROS-Newnan, we recognize that the word cancer has different meanings depending on one’s perspective. We deliver quality cancer care at all levels throughout a patient’s ROS-Newnan experience. In addition, we provide technology and expertise in an environment of compassionate care. It is through the efforts of many that the fear associated with cancer can be replaced with understanding, acceptance and hope.ROS-Newnan extends a heartfelt thank you for the support of the communities we serve.

The Newnan center has expanded to include two linear accelerators. Dr. Rao, Dr. Santiago and the ROS-Newnan team provide state-of-the-art technology to include:

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in Cancer TreatmentYears ago, the Radiation Oncology Services – Newnan (ROS) physicians developed a unique clinical program still in active use today: New Patient Tumor Conference (NPTC). NPTC provides a weekly forum for treatment planning and peer review. All new ROS-Newnan patients have the benefi t of this built in second opinion. During NPTC, the treating physician presents new cases to our team of eleven ROS physicians for their input and approval of the treatment plan. Through a collaborative effort, NPTC ensures that all patients receive treatment consistent with both ROS and national standards.

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2 YOUR Health Connection YOUR Health Connection 11

A yearly dose is recommended for virtually everyone except babies younger than 6 months.

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How can I control food portions when

eating out?

Research shows that the more of-ten a person eats out, the more body fat he or she has – plain and simple.

Preparing more meals at home and less of eating out or getting take-out foods is one way to com-bat the problem of gaining those extra pounds.

When you must eat away from home, try these tips to help control portions...

■ Share your meal, order a half-portion or order an appetizer as a main meal. Examples of healthier appetizers include tuna or chicken salad, minestrone soup, and toma-to or corn salsas.

■ Take at least half of your meal home. Ask for a portion of your meal to be boxed up when it is served so you will not be tempted

to eat more than you need.

■ Stop eating when you begin to feel full. Focus on enjoying the set-ting and your friends or family for the rest of the meal.

■ Avoid large beverages such as “supersize” sugar-sweetened soft drinks. They have a large number of calories. Instead, try drinking water with a slice of lemon. If you want to drink soda, choose a calo-rie-free beverage or a small sugar-sweetened soft drink.

■ When traveling, pack a small cooler of foods that are hard to find on the road, such as fresh fruit, sliced raw vegetables and fat-free or low-fat yogurt. Also pack a few bottles of water instead of sugar-sweetened soda or juice.

– National Institutes of Health

U.S. smoking rate still stuck at 1 in 5 adults

U.S. smoking rates continue to hold steady, at about one in five adults lighting up regularly, frus-trated health officials reported this summer.

About 21 percent of U.S. adults were smokers in 2009, about the same percentage as the year be-fore, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The smoking rate — which fell dramatically since the 1960s — has basically been flat since about 2004.

Teen smoking, at nearly 20 percent, has not been improving lately, either.

Health officials believe they’ve lost momentum because of cuts to anti-tobacco campaigns and shrewd marketing by cigarette companies.

The new report suggests that more than 46 million American

adults still smoke cigarettes.“It’s tragic,” said CDC direc-

tor Dr. Thomas Frieden, who calls smoking the No. 1 prevent-able cause of death in the United States. He estimates that smoking kills 1,000 Americans a day.

Some experts were particularly disheartened by a CDC finding in a second report that nearly all children who live with a smoker — 98 percent — have measurable tobacco toxins in their body.

– The Associated Press

Tips below focus on half portions, avoiding supersize soft drinks, and

eating fresh fruit, vegetables.

It's flu-shot season already, and for the first time health authorities are urging nearly everyone to

get vaccinated. There is even a new high-dose ver-sion for people 65-or-older.

What a difference a year makes: Crowds lined up for hours for scarce shots during last fall's swine flu pandemic, when infections peaked well before enough vaccine could be produced. This year, a record vaccine supply is expected — an all-in-one inoculation that now promises protection against that swine flu strain plus two other kinds of influenza.

Shipments began so early that drugstores were offering vaccinations amid their back-to-school sales.

But without last year's scare factor, the question is how many people will heed the new policy for near-universal vaccination. No more stopping to check if you're on a high-risk list: A yearly dose is recommended for virtually everyone except babies younger than 6 months — the shot isn't approved for tots that young — and people with severe al-lergies to the eggs used to brew it.

"Influenza is serious, and anyone, including healthy people, can get the flu and spread the flu," said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Flu vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and those around you."

The CDC was moving toward that policy even before last year's pandemic brought home an ines-capable fact: The flu virus doesn't just kill grand-parents and babies and people with weak lungs or hearts, although they're particularly vulner-able. It also can kill healthy pregnant women and 30-somethings. And 5-year-olds.

"We were discussing how we were going to go get his Star Wars Halloween costume after he got out of the hospital ... and all of a sudden his eyes lost their focus," said Serese Marotta of Dayton, Ohio, describing for reporters how her son Jo-seph, 5, died of swine flu last October before vac-cine was available in her community. She urged families to make vaccination a priority.

Here are some questions and answers about flu:Q: I got vaccinated against both seasonal and that so-called H1N1 flu last year, so why do I need vaccine this year?

A: It protects against a different strain of the H3N2 influenza family that has cropped up, as well as last year’s swine flu, part of the H1N1 family, and a Type B strain. Every year a different flu vaccine is brewed to match the constantly

changing flu strains that circle the globe.

Q: Will I need just one shot?

A: Most people will, but any children under 9 getting their first-ever flu vaccine will need two, a month apart, to prime their immune systems.

Q: What if my child’s first-ever vaccine was last year and she got one dose of seasonal and one dose of swine flu vaccine?

A: She wasn’t primed enough and needs her two doses this year, said Dr. Michael Brady of Na-tionwide Children’s Hospital, who co-authored the American Academy of Pediatrics flu vaccina-tion guidelines.

Q: Who’s at high risk from flu?

A: Young children, anyone 50 or older, anyone with chronic medical conditions such as asthma or heart disease, pregnant women. Also, health workers and caregivers of infants can infect the vulnerable unless vaccinated.

Q: Why should I bother since fewer people than usual died last year?

A: Last year’s U.S. toll: about 12,000 deaths, 60 million illnesses and 265,000 hospitalizations. New CDC statistics recently suggest flu strain mortality varies widely, from 3,000 in an excep-tionally mild year to 49,000 in a recent really bad one — and it’s impossible to predict how bad each year will be.


Time to get your flu shot, but just one this year

Smoking is the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the United States.


Emergency room visits for school-age athletes with concussions has skyrocketed in recent

years, suggesting the intensity of kids’ sports has increased along with awareness of head injuries.

The findings in a study of national data don’t necessarily mean that concussions are on the rise. However, many children aren’t taken for medical treatment, so the numbers are likely only a snap-shot of a much bigger problem, doctors say.

“It definitely is a disturbing trend,” said lead author Dr. Lisa Bakhos, an ER physician in Nep-tune, N.J.

The study examined concussions in organized youth sports involving ages 8 to 19. ER visits for 14- to 19-year-olds more than tripled, from about 7,000 in 1997 to nearly 22,000 in 2007. Among ages 8 to 13, visits doubled, from 3,800 to almost 8,000.

While awareness has increased, many parents, coaches and players still don’t understand how serious concussions can be, Bakhos said. Many often seem less concerned with the injury than with how soon kids can return to sports.

“They want to know if they can play tomor-row, and you’re just like, ‘No!’” she said. “It’s not

just as simple as get up, shake it off and you’ll be fine.

“If they’re not treated properly, with rest, then they can have long-term problems,” Bakhos said. Those include learning difficulties, memory problems and chronic headaches.

The study appears in Pediatrics along with a report about sports-related concussions from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ sports medicine council.

A concussion means the brain has been jostled. Symptoms aren’t always obvious. There usually is no loss of consciousness. And a concussion doesn’t show up on an imaging scan unless there is bruising or bleeding.

Symptoms can include headache, nausea, diz-ziness and trouble concentrating, and may last about a week. Sometimes it can take months to recover.

Potential concussions should not be “toughed out,” say the authors of the Pediatrics report. Af-fected athletes should always be examined by a doctor or someone else with medical expertise.


ER visits for concussions soar among kid athletes

Tired, achy feet don’t have to be part

of your dayStanding on your feet all day can take a toll on your body, causing foot discomfort that can really im-pact your day-to-day life.

Whether it’s long days at work or hours spent running errands around town, you’re constantly putting pressure on your feet, caus-ing them to be tired and achy. As feet are the foundation of the body, it’s important to ensure you’re tak-ing the right steps to keep your feet comfortable.

The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association. While this is consid-ered healthy activity, maintaining foot comfort can be a challenge for some.

“Fifty percent of adults suffer from tired, achy feet, especially if they have jobs that keep them on their feet all day,” says Dr. Leslie

Campbell, a podiatrist and con-sultant for Dr. Scholl’s. “Many aren’t getting the relief they need, but there are simple ways to help relieve foot discomfort to keep you on your feet longer.”

– ARAContent

While awareness has increased, many parents, coaches and players still don’t understand how serious concussions can be.

KEEPING LIFE IN MOTION

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The American Podiatric Medical Association offers these basic tips to help you treat your feet right:

■ Make sure your shoes fit. Try purchasing new shoes later in the day as that’s when feet tend to be at their largest.

■ It’s important to alternate footwear — never wear the same pair of shoes every day.

■ Bathe your feet every day in lukewarm water with mild, moisturizing soap.

http://www.newnan.westga.edu


Should men be tested for prostate cancer?

Some questions and answers:

Q: What’s the advice?A: The bottom line is the same: Routine screening isn’t recommended for most men. Before any testing is done, doctors should discuss the pros and cons of screening and treatment. For the fi rst time, the guidelines give “talking points” for that discussion.

Q. When should men have this talk?A. Starting at age 50 for men at average risk; at 45 for those at higher risk, including African-Americans and men with a close relative with prostate cancer before 65; and at 40 for those with more relatives with prostate cancer before 65.

Q: What’s wrong with screening

for prostate cancer?A: It’s usually done with a blood test and a physical exam. Neither is perfect and there’s little proof that early detection saves lives. The tests can lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of slow-growing tumors that might not have caused any problems.The blood test measures a substance called prostate specifi c antigen, or PSA. It’s made by normal and cancer cells in the prostate, a walnut-sized gland just below the bladder. But PSA levels can be high for many reasons, including a benign enlarged prostate or infections, and a biopsy is needed to confi rm a tumor.Even if cancer is found, there’s no agreement on the best treatment approach - “watchful waiting,” surgery, hormone therapy or

radiation. The treatments canlead to impotence and incontinence.

Q: What if my doctor doesn’t have time to answer all my questions?A: The cancer society is suggesting that doctors use “patient decision aids” - brochures, videos and Web sites - that explain the pros and cons of screening and help men make the right choice for them.

Q: OK, I’ve considered all the trade-offs. What if I want to be tested?A: Screening should include a PSA blood test, the cancer society says. In a change to its guidelines, the group says a digital rectal exam is now optional rather than a standard part of any screening.

Q: My church is sponsoring a mobile

testing program, should I go?A: The new guidelines raise concerns about community screening programs. The cancer society says those programs should provide information about the risks and benefi ts of screening, and adequate follow-up care for men with abnormal results. Otherwise, men shouldn’t participate.

Q: It’s all too confusing. What if I can’t decide whether to get screened?A: You can let your doctor decide, factoring in the your health and values.


The American Cancer Society revised its guidelines for prostate cancer screening this year. The advocacy group is one of many organizations that make such recommendations.

Depression high among youth victims of school

cyber bullyingUnlike traditional forms of bul-lying, youths who are the targets of cyber bullying at school are at greater risk for depression than are the youths who bully them, ac-cording to a survey conducted by researchers at the National Insti-tutes of Health.

Traditional forms of bullying involve physical violence, verbal taunts, or social exclusion. Cyber bullying, or electronic aggression, involves aggressive behaviors com-municated over a computer or a cell phone.

“Notably, cyber victims reported higher depression than cyber bul-lies or bully-victims, which was not found in any other form of bully-ing,” the study authors wrote in the Journal of Adolescent Health. “…unlike traditional bullying which usually involves a face-to-face con-frontation, cyber victims may not

see or identify their harasser; as such, cyber victims may be more likely to feel isolated, dehuman-ized or helpless at the time of the attack.”

The analysis was of 6th through 10th grade students.

Being bullied interferes with scholastic achievement, develop-ment of social skills, and general feelings of well being, explained Dr. Ronald J.Iannotti of NIH, the study’s senior author. In a study published last year, the prevalence of bullying is high, with 20.8 per-cent of U.S. adolescents in school having been bullied physically at least once in the last two months, 53.6 percent having been bullied verbally, and 51.4 percent bullied socially (excluded or ostracized), and 13.6 percent having been bul-lied electronically.


More than skin: Preventing the unseen

signs of aging

However, despite the wisdom that comes with getting

older, we often overlook the less visible signs of age, like everyday activities becoming more diffi cult, which can have a more signifi cant impact our lives than a few gray hairs.

Muscle loss can occur as young as age 40, causing weakness or lack of energy that may force people to give up or cut back on activities they once enjoyed - from golfi ng to gardening to keeping up with their children or grandchildren. But the good news, according to muscle health experts, is that muscle loss can not only be prevented but even reversed, allowing people to stay active and vibrant.

“Getting older is a fact of life, so we should take action now to protect our muscles so we can stay healthy as we age,” says Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine for adults over age 40. “Strong mus-cles help people continue doing the things they love. Taking steps today to protect and strengthen our muscles can keep us active and independent, leading to a greater quality of life down the road.”

Dr. Wright offers her expert tips on how to take charge of your muscle health:

■ Get a move on: Even if you’re completely new to exercising, daily activity is important and there’s no better time to get active than right now. Start out with the basics, like taking daily walks around your neighborhood. Once that becomes a habit, switch up your routine with other light activities. Daily exercise can also reduce the risks for diabetes, breast cancer, heart conditions and even depression.

■ Take the muscle test: Test your-self and see just how strong you are. There are many simple, at-home tests you can do to measure the strength of your muscles. For

instance, do as many pushups as possible until exhaustion to test your upper body strength. For av-erage 40-somethings, men should be able to complete 21 to 28 push-ups and women should complete 18 to 24 modifi ed pushups.

■ Feed your muscles: Regular ac-tivity is only one ingredient in a recipe for better muscle health. Make sure you’re eating a bal-anced diet that includes protein, fi ber and brightly colored fruits and vegetables. And there’s some-

thing new to help rebuild muscle strength: new Ensure ® Muscle Health, specially designed to help rebuild muscle and strength natu-rally lost over time. ■ Use it or lose it: The old adage is true. Muscles can deteriorate with time if you don’t use them regu-larly, leaving you feeling weak. But there is good news: Studies show that muscle atrophy from inactiv-ity is reversible no matter your age, so the more you use your muscles, the stronger they’ll be.

While the aging process can’t be stopped, muscle loss can be prevented or even reversed with exercise and proper nutrition. Ev-eryone, from weekend walkers to after-work athletes, can take sim-ple steps now to build and main-tain strong, healthy muscles and continue doing the activities they enjoy for years to come.

– ARAContent

From wrinkle cream to hair dye and everything in between, some people go to great lengths to disguise the signs of aging.

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“Getting older is a fact of life, so we should take action now to protect our muscles so we can stay healthy as we age,” says Dr. Vonda Wright.

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Could your kitchen at home pass a restaurant inspection?

Can home cooking be hazardous to you and your family?

New research suggests that at least one in seven home kitchens would flunk the kind

of health inspection commonly administered to restaurants.

The small study from California’s Los Ange-les County found that only 61 percent of home kitchens would get an A or B if put through the rigors of a restaurant inspection. At least 14 per-cent would fail — not even getting a C.

I would say if they got below a C, I’m not sure I would like them to invite me to dinner,” said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

In comparison, nearly all Los Angeles County restaurants — 98 percent — get A or B scores each year.

The recently-released study is believed to be one of the first to offer a sizable assessment of food safety in private homes. But the researchers admit the way it was done is hardly perfect.

The results are based not on actual inspections, but on an Internet quiz taken by about 13,000 adults.

So it’s hard to use it to compare the conditions in home kitchens to those in restaurants, which involve trained inspectors giving objective assess-ments of dirt, pests, and food storage and han-

dling practices.What’s more, experts don’t believe the study is

representative of all households, because people who are more interested and conscientious about food safety are more likely to take the quiz.

“You’ll miss a big population who don’t have home computers or just really don’t care” about the cleanliness of their kitchens, said Martin Bucknavage, a food safety specialist with Penn State University’s Department of Food Science.

A more comprehensive look would probably find that an even smaller percentage of home kitchens would do well in a restaurant inspection, he suggested.

An estimated 87 million cases of food-borne ill-ness occur in the United States each year, includ-ing 371,000 hospitalizations and 5,700 deaths, according to an Associated Press calculation that uses a CDC formula and recent population esti-mates.

Many outbreaks that receive publicity are centered on people who got sick after eating at a restaurant, catered celebration or large social gathering. In this summer’s outbreak linked to salmonella in eggs, several illnesses were first iden-tified in clusters among restaurant patrons.

But experts believe the bulk of food poison-

ings are unreported illnesses from food prepared at home.


School ofNursingfrom

THANK YOU! NEWNANHOSPITAL

MedaPhase, Inc. was founded by Dr. Mark Ling to research new treatments for skin disease. Dr. Ling is former Director of Dermatology Clinical Research at Emory University. He trained at Harvard and Duke

and is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Dermatology. MedaPhase is in Newnan and serves

the southern Atlanta region.

Dr. Mark Ling is conducting a research study

testing an investigational topical medication

for plaque-type psoriasis. If you are 12 years

of age or older and have moderate psoriasis

you may be eligible. Study medication,

study-related office visits, and all study-

related treatments are available to qualified

participants at no cost. Compensation for

time and travel may be available.

Do you have Psoriasis?

Is A Toenail Fungus Infection preventing you from wearing sandals?

Toenail fungus infection (“onychomycosis”) is an extremely common infection of the nails by fungus. The infection is stubborn, difficult to treat, and results in unsightly and often painful toenails. Treatments are often slow, time-consuming and far from 100% effective.

If you have this difficult to treat condition and are between the ages of 18-70 you may be eligible to participate in a research study conducted by Dr. Mark Ling, testing a topical investigational medication for the treatment of toenail fungus infection. All study visits and study medication are provided at no cost to you and qualified participants may be eligible for compensation for time and travel.

If interested, please contact the research staff at 770-252-6900 for more information.

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I’m too old to have acne!In reality, acne is increasingly

common in adult women. Many continue to break out into their 20’s, 30’s or beyond. Treatment is often less effective than desired.

Dr. Mark Ling is conducting a research study testing an investigational topical medication. If you are a female beetween the ages of 18-40 with facial acne you may

qualify for this study. All office visits and study medication are provided at no charge and participants may be eligible for reimbursement for time and travel of up to $100.00.

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Doctors have long known that medical bills are higher for the

obese, but that's only a portion of the real-life costs.

George Washington University researchers added in things like em-ployee sick days, lost productivity, even the need for extra gasoline — and found the annual cost of being obese is $4,879 for a woman and $2,646 for a man.

That's far more than the cost of being merely overweight — $524 for women and $432 for men, con-cluded the report recently released, which analyzed previously published studies to come up with a total.

Why the difference between the sexes? Studies suggest larger wom-en earn less than skinnier women, while wages don't differ when men pack on the pounds. That was a big surprise, said study co-author and health policy professor Christine Ferguson.

Researchers had expected every-

body's wages to suffer with obe-sity, but "this indicates you're not that disad-vantaged as a guy, from a wage p e r s p e c t i v e , " said Ferguson, who plans to study why.

Then consid-er that obesity is linked to earlier death. While that's not something people usually con-sider a pocketbook issue, the report did average in the economic value of lost life. That brought women's an-nual obesity costs up to $8,365, and men's to $6,518.

The report was financed by one of the manufacturers of gastric band-ing, a type of obesity surgery.

The numbers are in line with other research and aren't surprising,

said Dr. Kevin Schulman, a professor of medicine and health econo-mist at Duke University who wasn't involved in the new re-port.

Two-thirds of Ameri-cans are either overweight or

obese, and child-hood obesity has tripled in the past three decades. Nearly 18 percent of adolescents now are obese, facing a future of diabetes, heart disease and other ailments.

Looking at the price tag may help policymakers weigh the value of spending to prevent and fight obe-sity, said Schulman, pointing to fac-tors like dietary changes over the past 30 years and physical environments

that discourage physical activity."We're paying a very high price

as a society for obesity, and why don't we think about it as a prob-lem of enormous magnitude to our economy?" he asks. "We're creating obesity and we need to do a man-on-the-moon effort to solve this be-fore those poor kids in elementary school become diabetic middle-aged people."

A major study published last year found medical spending averages $1,400 more a year for the obese than normal-weight people. The most recent report added mostly work-related costs — things like sick days and disability claims - related to those health problems.

It also included a quirky find-ing, a study that calculated nearly 1 billion additional gallons of gaso-line are used every year because of increases in car passengers' weight since 1960.


Report: Obesity hurts your wallet and your healthObesity puts a drag on the wallet as well as health, especially for women.

Sleeping in on Saturday after a few weeks of too little shuteye may feel refreshing, but it can give a false sense of security.

New research shows chronic sleep loss cannot be cured that eas-ily. Scientists teased apart the ef-fects of short- and long-term sleep loss and found that the chronically sleep-deprived may function nor-mally soon after waking up, but experience steadily slower reaction times as the day wears on, even if they had tried to catch up the pre-vious night.

Concerns are at work with im-portant safety implications in an increasingly busy society, not just for shift-workers but for the rough-ly one in six Americans who regu-larly get six hours or less of sleep a night.

“We know that staying awake

24 hours in a row impairs perfor-mance to a level comparable to a blood-alcohol content beyond the legal limit to drive,” said lead researcher Dr. Daniel Cohen of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

But when the chronically sleep-deprived pull an all-nighter, “the deterioration is increased tenfold,” Cohen said.

The National Institutes of Health says adults need seven hours to nine hours of sleep for good health. Regularly getting too little increases the risk of health problems, including memory im-pairment and a weakened immune system. More immediately, too little sleep affects reaction times; sleepiness is to blame for car crash-es and other accidents.


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for lost sleep

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Doctors have long known that medical bills are higher for the

obese, but that's only a portion of the real-life costs.

George Washington University researchers added in things like em-ployee sick days, lost productivity, even the need for extra gasoline — and found the annual cost of being obese is $4,879 for a woman and $2,646 for a man.

That's far more than the cost of being merely overweight — $524 for women and $432 for men, con-cluded the report recently released, which analyzed previously published studies to come up with a total.

Why the difference between the sexes? Studies suggest larger wom-en earn less than skinnier women, while wages don't differ when men pack on the pounds. That was a big surprise, said study co-author and health policy professor Christine Ferguson.

Researchers had expected every-

body's wages to suffer with obe-sity, but "this indicates you're not that disad-vantaged as a guy, from a wage p e r s p e c t i v e , " said Ferguson, who plans to study why.

Then consid-er that obesity is linked to earlier death. While that's not something people usually con-sider a pocketbook issue, the report did average in the economic value of lost life. That brought women's an-nual obesity costs up to $8,365, and men's to $6,518.

The report was financed by one of the manufacturers of gastric band-ing, a type of obesity surgery.

The numbers are in line with other research and aren't surprising,

said Dr. Kevin Schulman, a professor of medicine and health econo-mist at Duke University who wasn't involved in the new re-port.

Two-thirds of Ameri-cans are either overweight or

obese, and child-hood obesity has tripled in the past three decades. Nearly 18 percent of adolescents now are obese, facing a future of diabetes, heart disease and other ailments.

Looking at the price tag may help policymakers weigh the value of spending to prevent and fight obe-sity, said Schulman, pointing to fac-tors like dietary changes over the past 30 years and physical environments

that discourage physical activity."We're paying a very high price

as a society for obesity, and why don't we think about it as a prob-lem of enormous magnitude to our economy?" he asks. "We're creating obesity and we need to do a man-on-the-moon effort to solve this be-fore those poor kids in elementary school become diabetic middle-aged people."

A major study published last year found medical spending averages $1,400 more a year for the obese than normal-weight people. The most recent report added mostly work-related costs — things like sick days and disability claims - related to those health problems.

It also included a quirky find-ing, a study that calculated nearly 1 billion additional gallons of gaso-line are used every year because of increases in car passengers' weight since 1960.


Report: Obesity hurts your wallet and your healthObesity puts a drag on the wallet as well as health, especially for women.

Sleeping in on Saturday after a few weeks of too little shuteye may feel refreshing, but it can give a false sense of security.

New research shows chronic sleep loss cannot be cured that eas-ily. Scientists teased apart the ef-fects of short- and long-term sleep loss and found that the chronically sleep-deprived may function nor-mally soon after waking up, but experience steadily slower reaction times as the day wears on, even if they had tried to catch up the pre-vious night.

Concerns are at work with im-portant safety implications in an increasingly busy society, not just for shift-workers but for the rough-ly one in six Americans who regu-larly get six hours or less of sleep a night.

“We know that staying awake

24 hours in a row impairs perfor-mance to a level comparable to a blood-alcohol content beyond the legal limit to drive,” said lead researcher Dr. Daniel Cohen of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

But when the chronically sleep-deprived pull an all-nighter, “the deterioration is increased tenfold,” Cohen said.

The National Institutes of Health says adults need seven hours to nine hours of sleep for good health. Regularly getting too little increases the risk of health problems, including memory im-pairment and a weakened immune system. More immediately, too little sleep affects reaction times; sleepiness is to blame for car crash-es and other accidents.


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Could your kitchen at home pass a restaurant inspection?

Can home cooking be hazardous to you and your family?

New research suggests that at least one in seven home kitchens would flunk the kind

of health inspection commonly administered to restaurants.

The small study from California’s Los Ange-les County found that only 61 percent of home kitchens would get an A or B if put through the rigors of a restaurant inspection. At least 14 per-cent would fail — not even getting a C.

I would say if they got below a C, I’m not sure I would like them to invite me to dinner,” said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

In comparison, nearly all Los Angeles County restaurants — 98 percent — get A or B scores each year.

The recently-released study is believed to be one of the first to offer a sizable assessment of food safety in private homes. But the researchers admit the way it was done is hardly perfect.

The results are based not on actual inspections, but on an Internet quiz taken by about 13,000 adults.

So it’s hard to use it to compare the conditions in home kitchens to those in restaurants, which involve trained inspectors giving objective assess-ments of dirt, pests, and food storage and han-

dling practices.What’s more, experts don’t believe the study is

representative of all households, because people who are more interested and conscientious about food safety are more likely to take the quiz.

“You’ll miss a big population who don’t have home computers or just really don’t care” about the cleanliness of their kitchens, said Martin Bucknavage, a food safety specialist with Penn State University’s Department of Food Science.

A more comprehensive look would probably find that an even smaller percentage of home kitchens would do well in a restaurant inspection, he suggested.

An estimated 87 million cases of food-borne ill-ness occur in the United States each year, includ-ing 371,000 hospitalizations and 5,700 deaths, according to an Associated Press calculation that uses a CDC formula and recent population esti-mates.

Many outbreaks that receive publicity are centered on people who got sick after eating at a restaurant, catered celebration or large social gathering. In this summer’s outbreak linked to salmonella in eggs, several illnesses were first iden-tified in clusters among restaurant patrons.

But experts believe the bulk of food poison-

ings are unreported illnesses from food prepared at home.


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Should men be tested for prostate cancer?

Some questions and answers:

Q: What’s the advice?A: The bottom line is the same: Routine screening isn’t recommended for most men. Before any testing is done, doctors should discuss the pros and cons of screening and treatment. For the fi rst time, the guidelines give “talking points” for that discussion.

Q. When should men have this talk?A. Starting at age 50 for men at average risk; at 45 for those at higher risk, including African-Americans and men with a close relative with prostate cancer before 65; and at 40 for those with more relatives with prostate cancer before 65.

Q: What’s wrong with screening

for prostate cancer?A: It’s usually done with a blood test and a physical exam. Neither is perfect and there’s little proof that early detection saves lives. The tests can lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of slow-growing tumors that might not have caused any problems.The blood test measures a substance called prostate specifi c antigen, or PSA. It’s made by normal and cancer cells in the prostate, a walnut-sized gland just below the bladder. But PSA levels can be high for many reasons, including a benign enlarged prostate or infections, and a biopsy is needed to confi rm a tumor.Even if cancer is found, there’s no agreement on the best treatment approach - “watchful waiting,” surgery, hormone therapy or

radiation. The treatments canlead to impotence and incontinence.

Q: What if my doctor doesn’t have time to answer all my questions?A: The cancer society is suggesting that doctors use “patient decision aids” - brochures, videos and Web sites - that explain the pros and cons of screening and help men make the right choice for them.

Q: OK, I’ve considered all the trade-offs. What if I want to be tested?A: Screening should include a PSA blood test, the cancer society says. In a change to its guidelines, the group says a digital rectal exam is now optional rather than a standard part of any screening.

Q: My church is sponsoring a mobile

testing program, should I go?A: The new guidelines raise concerns about community screening programs. The cancer society says those programs should provide information about the risks and benefi ts of screening, and adequate follow-up care for men with abnormal results. Otherwise, men shouldn’t participate.

Q: It’s all too confusing. What if I can’t decide whether to get screened?A: You can let your doctor decide, factoring in the your health and values.


The American Cancer Society revised its guidelines for prostate cancer screening this year. The advocacy group is one of many organizations that make such recommendations.

Depression high among youth victims of school

cyber bullyingUnlike traditional forms of bul-lying, youths who are the targets of cyber bullying at school are at greater risk for depression than are the youths who bully them, ac-cording to a survey conducted by researchers at the National Insti-tutes of Health.

Traditional forms of bullying involve physical violence, verbal taunts, or social exclusion. Cyber bullying, or electronic aggression, involves aggressive behaviors com-municated over a computer or a cell phone.

“Notably, cyber victims reported higher depression than cyber bul-lies or bully-victims, which was not found in any other form of bully-ing,” the study authors wrote in the Journal of Adolescent Health. “…unlike traditional bullying which usually involves a face-to-face con-frontation, cyber victims may not

see or identify their harasser; as such, cyber victims may be more likely to feel isolated, dehuman-ized or helpless at the time of the attack.”

The analysis was of 6th through 10th grade students.

Being bullied interferes with scholastic achievement, develop-ment of social skills, and general feelings of well being, explained Dr. Ronald J.Iannotti of NIH, the study’s senior author. In a study published last year, the prevalence of bullying is high, with 20.8 per-cent of U.S. adolescents in school having been bullied physically at least once in the last two months, 53.6 percent having been bullied verbally, and 51.4 percent bullied socially (excluded or ostracized), and 13.6 percent having been bul-lied electronically.


More than skin: Preventing the unseen

signs of aging

However, despite the wisdom that comes with getting

older, we often overlook the less visible signs of age, like everyday activities becoming more diffi cult, which can have a more signifi cant impact our lives than a few gray hairs.

Muscle loss can occur as young as age 40, causing weakness or lack of energy that may force people to give up or cut back on activities they once enjoyed - from golfi ng to gardening to keeping up with their children or grandchildren. But the good news, according to muscle health experts, is that muscle loss can not only be prevented but even reversed, allowing people to stay active and vibrant.

“Getting older is a fact of life, so we should take action now to protect our muscles so we can stay healthy as we age,” says Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine for adults over age 40. “Strong mus-cles help people continue doing the things they love. Taking steps today to protect and strengthen our muscles can keep us active and independent, leading to a greater quality of life down the road.”

Dr. Wright offers her expert tips on how to take charge of your muscle health:

■ Get a move on: Even if you’re completely new to exercising, daily activity is important and there’s no better time to get active than right now. Start out with the basics, like taking daily walks around your neighborhood. Once that becomes a habit, switch up your routine with other light activities. Daily exercise can also reduce the risks for diabetes, breast cancer, heart conditions and even depression.

■ Take the muscle test: Test your-self and see just how strong you are. There are many simple, at-home tests you can do to measure the strength of your muscles. For

instance, do as many pushups as possible until exhaustion to test your upper body strength. For av-erage 40-somethings, men should be able to complete 21 to 28 push-ups and women should complete 18 to 24 modifi ed pushups.

■ Feed your muscles: Regular ac-tivity is only one ingredient in a recipe for better muscle health. Make sure you’re eating a bal-anced diet that includes protein, fi ber and brightly colored fruits and vegetables. And there’s some-

thing new to help rebuild muscle strength: new Ensure ® Muscle Health, specially designed to help rebuild muscle and strength natu-rally lost over time. ■ Use it or lose it: The old adage is true. Muscles can deteriorate with time if you don’t use them regu-larly, leaving you feeling weak. But there is good news: Studies show that muscle atrophy from inactiv-ity is reversible no matter your age, so the more you use your muscles, the stronger they’ll be.

While the aging process can’t be stopped, muscle loss can be prevented or even reversed with exercise and proper nutrition. Ev-eryone, from weekend walkers to after-work athletes, can take sim-ple steps now to build and main-tain strong, healthy muscles and continue doing the activities they enjoy for years to come.

– ARAContent

From wrinkle cream to hair dye and everything in between, some people go to great lengths to disguise the signs of aging.

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Emergency room visits for school-age athletes with concussions has skyrocketed in recent

years, suggesting the intensity of kids’ sports has increased along with awareness of head injuries.

The findings in a study of national data don’t necessarily mean that concussions are on the rise. However, many children aren’t taken for medical treatment, so the numbers are likely only a snap-shot of a much bigger problem, doctors say.

“It definitely is a disturbing trend,” said lead author Dr. Lisa Bakhos, an ER physician in Nep-tune, N.J.

The study examined concussions in organized youth sports involving ages 8 to 19. ER visits for 14- to 19-year-olds more than tripled, from about 7,000 in 1997 to nearly 22,000 in 2007. Among ages 8 to 13, visits doubled, from 3,800 to almost 8,000.

While awareness has increased, many parents, coaches and players still don’t understand how serious concussions can be, Bakhos said. Many often seem less concerned with the injury than with how soon kids can return to sports.

“They want to know if they can play tomor-row, and you’re just like, ‘No!’” she said. “It’s not

just as simple as get up, shake it off and you’ll be fine.

“If they’re not treated properly, with rest, then they can have long-term problems,” Bakhos said. Those include learning difficulties, memory problems and chronic headaches.

The study appears in Pediatrics along with a report about sports-related concussions from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ sports medicine council.

A concussion means the brain has been jostled. Symptoms aren’t always obvious. There usually is no loss of consciousness. And a concussion doesn’t show up on an imaging scan unless there is bruising or bleeding.

Symptoms can include headache, nausea, diz-ziness and trouble concentrating, and may last about a week. Sometimes it can take months to recover.

Potential concussions should not be “toughed out,” say the authors of the Pediatrics report. Af-fected athletes should always be examined by a doctor or someone else with medical expertise.


ER visits for concussions soar among kid athletes

Tired, achy feet don’t have to be part

of your dayStanding on your feet all day can take a toll on your body, causing foot discomfort that can really im-pact your day-to-day life.

Whether it’s long days at work or hours spent running errands around town, you’re constantly putting pressure on your feet, caus-ing them to be tired and achy. As feet are the foundation of the body, it’s important to ensure you’re tak-ing the right steps to keep your feet comfortable.

The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association. While this is consid-ered healthy activity, maintaining foot comfort can be a challenge for some.

“Fifty percent of adults suffer from tired, achy feet, especially if they have jobs that keep them on their feet all day,” says Dr. Leslie

Campbell, a podiatrist and con-sultant for Dr. Scholl’s. “Many aren’t getting the relief they need, but there are simple ways to help relieve foot discomfort to keep you on your feet longer.”

– ARAContent

While awareness has increased, many parents, coaches and players still don’t understand how serious concussions can be.

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The American Podiatric Medical Association offers these basic tips to help you treat your feet right:

■ Make sure your shoes fit. Try purchasing new shoes later in the day as that’s when feet tend to be at their largest.

■ It’s important to alternate footwear — never wear the same pair of shoes every day.

■ Bathe your feet every day in lukewarm water with mild, moisturizing soap.


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How can I control food portions when

eating out?

Research shows that the more of-ten a person eats out, the more body fat he or she has – plain and simple.

Preparing more meals at home and less of eating out or getting take-out foods is one way to com-bat the problem of gaining those extra pounds.

When you must eat away from home, try these tips to help control portions...

■ Share your meal, order a half-portion or order an appetizer as a main meal. Examples of healthier appetizers include tuna or chicken salad, minestrone soup, and toma-to or corn salsas.

■ Take at least half of your meal home. Ask for a portion of your meal to be boxed up when it is served so you will not be tempted

to eat more than you need.

■ Stop eating when you begin to feel full. Focus on enjoying the set-ting and your friends or family for the rest of the meal.

■ Avoid large beverages such as “supersize” sugar-sweetened soft drinks. They have a large number of calories. Instead, try drinking water with a slice of lemon. If you want to drink soda, choose a calo-rie-free beverage or a small sugar-sweetened soft drink.

■ When traveling, pack a small cooler of foods that are hard to find on the road, such as fresh fruit, sliced raw vegetables and fat-free or low-fat yogurt. Also pack a few bottles of water instead of sugar-sweetened soda or juice.


U.S. smoking rate still stuck at 1 in 5 adults

U.S. smoking rates continue to hold steady, at about one in five adults lighting up regularly, frus-trated health officials reported this summer.

About 21 percent of U.S. adults were smokers in 2009, about the same percentage as the year be-fore, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The smoking rate — which fell dramatically since the 1960s — has basically been flat since about 2004.

Teen smoking, at nearly 20 percent, has not been improving lately, either.

Health officials believe they’ve lost momentum because of cuts to anti-tobacco campaigns and shrewd marketing by cigarette companies.

The new report suggests that more than 46 million American

adults still smoke cigarettes.“It’s tragic,” said CDC direc-

tor Dr. Thomas Frieden, who calls smoking the No. 1 prevent-able cause of death in the United States. He estimates that smoking kills 1,000 Americans a day.

Some experts were particularly disheartened by a CDC finding in a second report that nearly all children who live with a smoker — 98 percent — have measurable tobacco toxins in their body.


Tips below focus on half portions, avoiding supersize soft drinks, and

eating fresh fruit, vegetables.

It's flu-shot season already, and for the first time health authorities are urging nearly everyone to

get vaccinated. There is even a new high-dose ver-sion for people 65-or-older.

What a difference a year makes: Crowds lined up for hours for scarce shots during last fall's swine flu pandemic, when infections peaked well before enough vaccine could be produced. This year, a record vaccine supply is expected — an all-in-one inoculation that now promises protection against that swine flu strain plus two other kinds of influenza.

Shipments began so early that drugstores were offering vaccinations amid their back-to-school sales.

But without last year's scare factor, the question is how many people will heed the new policy for near-universal vaccination. No more stopping to check if you're on a high-risk list: A yearly dose is recommended for virtually everyone except babies younger than 6 months — the shot isn't approved for tots that young — and people with severe al-lergies to the eggs used to brew it.

"Influenza is serious, and anyone, including healthy people, can get the flu and spread the flu," said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Flu vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and those around you."

The CDC was moving toward that policy even before last year's pandemic brought home an ines-capable fact: The flu virus doesn't just kill grand-parents and babies and people with weak lungs or hearts, although they're particularly vulner-able. It also can kill healthy pregnant women and 30-somethings. And 5-year-olds.

"We were discussing how we were going to go get his Star Wars Halloween costume after he got out of the hospital ... and all of a sudden his eyes lost their focus," said Serese Marotta of Dayton, Ohio, describing for reporters how her son Jo-seph, 5, died of swine flu last October before vac-cine was available in her community. She urged families to make vaccination a priority.

Here are some questions and answers about flu:Q: I got vaccinated against both seasonal and that so-called H1N1 flu last year, so why do I need vaccine this year?

A: It protects against a different strain of the H3N2 influenza family that has cropped up, as well as last year’s swine flu, part of the H1N1 family, and a Type B strain. Every year a different flu vaccine is brewed to match the constantly

changing flu strains that circle the globe.

Q: Will I need just one shot?

A: Most people will, but any children under 9 getting their first-ever flu vaccine will need two, a month apart, to prime their immune systems.

Q: What if my child’s first-ever vaccine was last year and she got one dose of seasonal and one dose of swine flu vaccine?

A: She wasn’t primed enough and needs her two doses this year, said Dr. Michael Brady of Na-tionwide Children’s Hospital, who co-authored the American Academy of Pediatrics flu vaccina-tion guidelines.

Q: Who’s at high risk from flu?

A: Young children, anyone 50 or older, anyone with chronic medical conditions such as asthma or heart disease, pregnant women. Also, health workers and caregivers of infants can infect the vulnerable unless vaccinated.

Q: Why should I bother since fewer people than usual died last year?

A: Last year’s U.S. toll: about 12,000 deaths, 60 million illnesses and 265,000 hospitalizations. New CDC statistics recently suggest flu strain mortality varies widely, from 3,000 in an excep-tionally mild year to 49,000 in a recent really bad one — and it’s impossible to predict how bad each year will be.


Time to get your flu shot, but just one this year

Smoking is the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the United States.

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12 YOUR Health Connection FALL 2010/WINTER 2011HealthConnectionYOUR

your source for healthy living

Cancer Treatment • Counseling • Dermatology • Gastroenterology • Healthcare • Medical Career • Podiatry • Senior Living

INSIDE THIS ISSUEAnkle & Foot Centers of Georgia ...10

Benton House ................................9

Fleur de Lis Counseling ..................4

Lifeboat Medical Associates ...........6

MedaPhase Inc. .............................5

Radiation Oncology Services ........12

University of West Georgia .........3, 8

West Georgia GastroenterologyAssociates, P.C. ............................11

West Georgia Technical College ......7

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The Newnan center has expanded to include two linear accelerators. Dr. Rao, Dr. Santiago and the ROS-Newnan team provide state-of-the-art technology to include:

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Your Health Connection - Fall 2010/Winter 2011

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