Martin Memorial Hosts Screening Event to Promote Healthy Weight for Adults

An estimated 66 percent of American adults between the ages of 20 and 74 are overweight or obese -- a number that has continued to climb in recent years. Unfortunately, people who are overweight or obese also have higher risks for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

Because of the potential health issues being overweight or obese poses, Martin Memorial will be hosting a health screening event on Saturday, Feb. 27 that is designed to provide information on the importance of maintaining a healthy weight, as well as actions that can help accomplish that goal.

The event will take place from 7 to 11 a.m. at Martin Memorial Medical Center, located at 200 S.E. Hospital Ave. in Stuart. Attendees can browse informational tables and speak directly to experts on weight controls, weight loss and other health-realted issues.

The screening will include:

• Personal BMI calculation
• Blood glucose level test
• Cholesterol test
• Blood pressure check

There will also be a panel discussion from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., featuring nutritionists, a diabetes counselor, staff from the Martin Memorial weight-management program, bariatric surgeons and sleep center clinicians.

Registration is required and can be made by calling 1-866-361-HOPE (4673). The screening event costs $25 and space is limited.

Want to Improve Your “Brain Fitness?” Give It a Mental Workout With These Tips

What does the term “brain fitness” mean? When we talk about “fitness” we are usually referring to anatomy below the neck. But research is revealing the importance of “brain fitness” – stimulating and exercising our brains to slow down the age-related declines in memory, mental speed and decision making that affect most people.

Even more exciting is the research showing that staying mentally “fit” may give us protection against possible diseases that affect our brains. The more information you feed your brain, the more you are developing a cognitive reserve against dementia.

The human brain is a miraculous thing. There is a term called “plasticity” which refers to the brain’s ability to change or reorganize itself. If we are talking about successful aging we may be referring to challenging the brain by learning a new skill. Research has shown that brains grow when learning something novel.

Or we may be talking about brain damage and recovery. The brain compensates for damage by reorganizing or rewiring and forming new connections between intact neurons. However, in order to reconnect, the neurons need to be stimulated through activity. As noted above, the brain is able to adapt and change during normal aging or even after a brain injury.

What are some things we can do to keep our brains fit?

• Eat well. Omega-3 fatty acids (which are found in salmon, kiwi and walnuts), folic acid (spinach, orange juice and yeast), flavonoids (cocoa, green tea, citrus fruits and wine) and antioxidants (broccoli, nuts, berries) are some ideas.
• Exercise your body. If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times! Thirty minutes a day, five times a week appears to be the recommended amount. Some say this is the single most beneficial activity you can do for your brain.
• Learn new activities.The point of having a brain is to learn and adapt to new challenges in the environment. Novel experiences challenge the brain. Learning a new language, playing an instrument, taking a course or learning a new hobby are good activities.
• Laughter. Sounds funny (no pun intended) but when we laugh, we bring oxygen to our brains that “freshens” up our thinking. Tension, on the other hand, inhibits learning.
• Software, high-tech games and Web sites. There is software such as: Mindfit, Posit Science, Brain University and Brain Spa. Nintendo’s Brain Age/WII Big Brain Academy, Mattel’s Radica Brain games are examples of high-tech games. And there are plenty of Web sites: My Brain Trainer, Braingle, Lumosity, Brain Matrix and Mind Machine to name a few.
• Games and puzzles. There are numerous books and games that target brain fitness, such as table puzzles, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, brain teasers, board games and card games.
• Other activities to do. Sing, dance, eat/write/brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand, travel, read, watch less TV, listen to audio tapes, meditate, do yoga, cook a foreign dish and get plenty of sleep. The list goes on and on.

The bottom line is: the brain craves stimulation. Feed it.

--Cindy Irish, MS, CCC/SLP
Lead Speech Pathologist

Health is Wealth In This Economy and Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference

We are all painfully aware of the downturn in the economy and most of us have had to adjust and “tighten our belts.” We live in a world where money is important, but we also know that you cannot put a price tag on good health.

Although there are circumstances beyond our control regarding certain health issues, we still do have the ability to change some things through exercise and diet.

I have had the pleasure and opportunity to help people make lifestyle changes through exercise and diet modifications. For example, Americans consume far too much salt in their diets. Sodium is an important factor in weight gain, high blood pressure and other critical aspects of health.

Sodium in the body “holds on” to water. This water adds weight and puts a strain on the heart, lungs, kidneys and just about every organ. Therefore, sodium intake is something that is controllable and does not cost a thing.

However, it is not always easy. For example, specifying “no salt please” at a restaurant does not guarantee a low sodium content. Just the other day my husband thought he was ordering a healthy meal. I quickly Googled the name of the restaurant chain and discovered his “healthy” meal contained 820 milligrams of sodium. As a point of reference, less than 2,000 milligrams is the maximum recommended daily allowance.

Along with diet modifications, exercise plays a key role in staying healthy. Maintaining and starting an exercise program will not solve every problem but it certainly lowers many health risks. It seems to me that our members must realize this because our enrollment remains strong and the level of activities at our centers remains high. I personally attribute this to the family atmosphere at our centers and our highly qualified staff.

Exercise is a good way of relieving the stress of finding a new job and coping with this economy. So while we cannot necessarily control the economy, we can take control of many aspects of our health through diet and exercise.

--Jane Reynolds
Health and Fitness Technician
Hospital South Health and Fitness

Read All About It: Web Site Provides Info to Help Men Improve Their Health

Father’s Day is still several weeks away, but this April Martin Memorial is partnering with the Palm Beach Post to provide information that can help dads – and all men – lead healthier lifestyles.

Martin Memorial submitted four articles to the Palm Beach Post’s “Ask a Local Doctor” segment on the health page of its Web site. The focus was on men’s health – common illnesses that men face, tips on preventing disease and important screenings for guys of all ages.

Follow this link to read the first article from Jeffery Crick, DO, a family practitioner with Martin Memorial, who discusses important methods of maintaining and improving health. Thanks to the Palm Beach Post for working with us on helping provide information that can help men stay healthy.

Martin Memorial, Moffitt Cancer Center Teaming Up Against Skin Cancer

Martin Memorial is again teaming up with Moffitt Cancer Center to help detect skin cancer with a free screening on Sunday, March 22.

The screenings are available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., prior to the New York Mets spring training game against the Atlanta Braves at Tradition Field, located at 525 N.W. Peacock Blvd. in Port St. Lucie.

The Spring Swing-Moffitt’s Sun Safety Tour — a partnership with Moffitt, the Tampa Bay Rays and Moffitt affiliates such as Martin Memorial — offers free skin cancer screenings at specified spring training venues throughout the month of March.

Dermatologists and staff from Martin Memorial and Moffitt will be looking for early signs of skin cancer while promoting sun safety, skin cancer awareness and education. During the 2008 spring training season, its first year in existence, Spring Swing screened 695 people, identifying 108 suspected cancerous lesions and 264 suspected pre-cancerous lesions.

No reservations are required, but you can find more information about the March 22 screening by calling the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center at (772) 223-5945, ext. 3704.

When It Comes to Prostate Cancer, a Little Information Can Go a Long Way

Martin Memorial is holding two events in February that can help men learn about their risks of prostate cancer. A prostate cancer screening will be held on Thursday, Feb. 19 and an informational forum is taking place on Saturday, Feb. 28.

This year, an estimated 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and 28,000 men will die of the disease.

It is recommended that black males between the ages of 40 and 80 years of age, and white males between the ages of 50 and 80 receive annual screenings for prostate cancer. Men at a higher risk for developing the disease, including those with a close family member diagnosed with prostate cancer, should be tested between the ages 40 of 80.

The screening is by appointment only on Thursday, Feb. 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center, located at 501 E. Osceola Street in Stuart. Only men who have not previously been diagnosed with prostate cancer are eligible.

To schedule an appointment, call (772) 223-5945, ext. 3736.

The prostate cancer forum on Saturday, Feb. 28 will provide the latest prostate cancer research and allow participants to ask questions of a panel of physicians, including developments in the detection and treatment of the disease. The forum will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Willoughby Golf Club, 3001 S.E. Doubleton Drive in Stuart.

To RSVP for the cancer forum, call (866) 361-HOPE (4673).

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Making a Commitment to Healthy Living

OK, so I haven’t blogged in a long time. I have been asked several times to commit, but always find an excuse to postpone it. As with most things in life, you must want it, need it, have to have it, in order to commit to it. IT can be anything, from eating right, balancing a check book, proposing to the one you love or simply remembering to say thank you. As the Cardiovascular Patient Educator of the Frances Langford Heart Center I am committed to educating patients, nurses, our community and most importantly our children.

According to the American Heart Association, the rise in childhood obesity has become an epidemic that is sweeping the nation. This generation is the first in history to be expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Obesity can lead to diabetes, hypertension and/or hyperlipidemia.

Research and time have proven that education can prevent and reduce many disease processes. Our goal is to prevent heart disease through education. Our children need to be active, eat healthy and maintain an ideal body weight. The number of obese, inactive diabetic children is on the rise which can lead to heart disease.

As a parent I find myself allowing my children to eat unhealthy, play hours of video games and not educating them on the need to prevent the above mentioned life threatening disease processes. Like many parents we do this out of convenience. Do we ever take a moment to realize that this convenience may ultimately harm them? I am the parent, as such, I provide nourishment, activity and daily schedules for my children.

What can I do to change this? I have cleaned out my pantry. Good healthy snacks have replaced the “junk” food. Video games and TV are limited to 30 minutes a day. My children are actively involved in sports, spend more time outdoors and are benefiting from leading a healthy lifestyle.

Sure my children were very sad, cranky and upset for several days. Their snack cakes were gone, they couldn’t finish their video game or sit on the couch for hours. Now, they make smart choices, because I am providing only healthy choices. It’s amazing how simple it is to recondition a young one. Our entire family has benefited from this lifestyle change.

As for educating other children, I recently visited Mrs. Sanchez’s fourth grade class at Crystal Lake Elementary. They’re studying anatomy and physiology this semester. I provided the series on the cardiovascular system. As a bonus, I challenged each student to keep their heart strong, eat right, be active, and maintain an ideal body weight.

I am hopeful that these smart, enthusiastic children will go home and encourage their parents to commit to making a lifestyle change in order to prevent heart disease.

--Melissa Zinderman, RN
Cardiovascular Patient Educator
Frances Langford Heart Center

Making an Investment in Your Health

You may have heard this on the news recently, but apparently we’re in something of an economic slowdown. Depending on which talking head pundit you’re listening to, we may already be in a recession.

So as this confluence of bad economic news continues to grow (job losses, high energy costs, housing foreclosures and so on), people are looking for ways to save money. From the government bureaucracies to the mom and pop stores all the way down to you and me, people are going through their budgets to find out where they can cut spending.

Health care is a particularly hot topic in this election year, with an estimated 47 million or so Americans going without insurance. Medicare and Medicaid costs are through the roof, critically impacting federal and state budgets.

All of which made this report from an organization called Trust for America’s Health interesting. The not-for-profit organization’s report suggests that “a small strategic investment in disease prevention could result in significant savings in U.S. health care costs.”

What does that mean? Essentially, the organization believes that spending just $10 on each person in a community-based program that is proven to do things like increase physical activity, improve nutritional habits or stop tobacco use would provide a savings nationally in excess of $16 billion annually within a half-decade.

That, they say, would be a return on investment of $5.60 for every dollar spent.

By educating the public through preventative programs, researchers have seen drops in the rates of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, as well as some forms of cancer and other ailments. Results usually can be seen within two to five years of implementation.

If this plan was put into action tomorrow, Florida would see a tremendous benefit overall – the report indicates this state alone could save $1 billion in potential annual savings. Only California ($1.7 billion) and New York ($1.3 billion) would see more.

The likelihood of getting each person in the country to participate is about as unlikely as a unanimous winner in a presidential election. But it is an interesting premise – and one that doesn’t need a government mandate.

There are plenty of resources offering information on nutrition, fitness activities or quitting smoking (including the Martin Memorial Center for Health and Healing). Think of it as an investment in health care that could save you money down the road.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

The Power of Prevention

According to a survey published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services a few years back, Americans have never felt more vulnerable. We are more fearful of unpredictable, mainly random events such as terrorist attacks, anthrax exposure, West Nile virus, violence and crime and other uncontrollable threats such as a plane crash than we are of largely preventable life-threatening diseases.

The risks of illness or death from chronic disease, however, are far greater. While many Americans are aware of the seriousness of chronic illness, most of us have not changed our lifestyles sufficiently to reduce their risk of death or illness.

The top five chronic diseases – heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes – cause more than two thirds of all deaths each year. This epidemic is not limited to older adults: a third of the years of potential life lost before age 65 are due to chronic disease.

The number of deaths alone fails to convey the full picture of the toll of chronic disease. More than 125 million Americans live with chronic conditions, with millions of cases diagnosed each year. These disabling conditions (such as arthritis, stroke and diabetes) cause major limitations in activity for one of every 10 Americans. And almost everyone is adversely affected by chronic disease in one way or another – through the death of a loved one; a family member’s struggle with lifelong illness, disability or compromised quality of life; or the huge personal and societal financial burden brought on by chronic disease.

We cannot afford to ignore the urgency of chronic disease. Although this epidemic is the most common and costly of all health problems, it is also the most preventable. Access to high-quality and affordable prevention measures (including screening and appropriate follow-up) is essential if we are to saves lives and reduce medical care costs.

Three modifiable health-damaging behaviors – tobacco use, lack of physical activity, and poor eating habits – are responsible for much of our chronic disease. That’s why Martin Memorial has put resources in place to help fight these diseases:

Effective Oct. 1, we will be a smoke-free campus. To assist our patients and Associates, we are conducting more than our typical offering of cessation classes for day and evening availability.

We have comprehensive weight-management and diabetes-education programs.

We have on-site fitness centers.

We will be conducting biometric screenings (blood pressure, glucose, BMI and cholesterol) for our Associates during our benefits open-enrollment period in the summer and fall.

Our health promotion team is working with our cafeteria vendor for healthy menu options.

We have youth weight-management classes.

We conduct resilience workshops.

These are key ingredients for helping to create a healthier, prevention-centric mindset and will provide impact toward a better quality workforce and community.

-- Lani Kee, MS
Manager, Martin Memorial Center for Health and Healing
and Treasure Coast Health and Fitness Center

Youth Obesity Epidemic Slimming Down?

For years there has been considerable concern coming from every corner of the healthcare globe about the unhealthy growth spurt happening to American kids.

Kids were getting fatter and fatter, growing out rather than up. Everything was to blame: parents, television, fast food marketers, school lunches, too many video games and no physical activity.

Experts across the land called it an obesity epidemic and glumly warned that today’s youth would be facing increased health risks as they grew older. Already there were rising numbers of kids being diagnosed with diabetes or even heart disease as a result of the extra pounds.

Finally, there was a bright spot. This week a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was released that indicated the percentage of American children considered overweight or obese had not risen since 2004.

OK, so it’s not like the genie’s been put back in the bottle. Of the 8,000 or so kids studied, 32 percent of them were overweight but not obese, 16 percent qualified as being obese and another 11 percent were considered significantly obese. That’s still a lot of overweight kids.

Hopefully, the message is starting to resonate to parents, school administrators and even the kids themselves. Hopefully, those numbers will begin to eventually come down as people begin to understand the dangers of the dilemma and change their behaviors.

Because this isn’t a problem that is just affecting people right now; it’s a problem that will have lasting effects for years to come.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

The Fit vs. Fat Debate Goes On

Back in the 1970s, when I was an impressionable youth, I remember watching football games with my dad and laughing hysterically when the Miller Lite beer commercials came on.

By now they are the thing of parody, but at the time I used to love it when the former professional athletes like ex-catcher Bob Uecker or old defensive lineman Bubba Smith would argue the merits of the low-calorie beer.

“Tastes great!” one would yell. “Less filling!” yelled the other. Soon, the entire bar was shouting back and forth and really, the winner was the American consumer, because it had a beer that featured both great taste and was less filling. Or so the ads would have you believe.

I thought of all this, randomly, as I read yet another study that tries to provide the authoritative voice on a matter of importance to Americans. And while it doesn’t have a catchy slogan, it goes something like this: “It’s OK to be a little overweight!” claims one group of researchers. “No it isn’t!” rebuts the other.

Monday’s latest volley studied nearly 40,000 women with an average age of 54 for a dozen years. Nearly a thousand of them developed heart disease.

The study concluded that, when compared with women who were at normal weight and physically active, there was a 54 percent higher risk for developing heart disease for active women who were overweight and 87 percent higher for active women considered obese. But for women who were overweight and inactive, the risk for heart disease was 88 percent higher than active, fit women and even higher for obese, inactive women.

Again, this study is far from conclusive. Another will likely come out next week contradicting this one. Still, there are so many benefits to being active and reducing your weight – including prevention of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, some cancers and more – that it’s a good rule of thumb for your overall health.

Now, if only someone would come up with a quirky catch-phrase, every one would be doing it.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Lights! Camera! MDoc TV!

Who says watching TV isn’t good for you?

MDoc TV, a monthly videocast produced by the Martin Memorial Marketing Communications Department, is designed to provide information that can help people improve their health. It can be seen on the health system’s Web site, http://www.mmhs.com/.

The videocast, which debuted on April 22, features a wide range of health issues from physicians and clinical experts. In the inaugural videocast, topics included: Martin Memorial’s collaboration in a study called Total Cancer Care; how a specialized rehabilitation program can get golfers back out on the links; and information from cardiologist Howard Helfman, M.D., on how to prevent heart disease.

“MDoc TV is designed to deliver healthcare news and information in an engaging fashion that is convenient to access,” said Lisa McCluskey, director of marketing communications. “Our goal is to provide a wide range of topics that can help people live healthier lives.”

Since November 2007, Martin Memorial has been providing new ways for people to access healthcare information. That includes this blog as well as Martin Memorial Healthcast, a podcast produced twice a month that can also be accessed at http://www.mmhs.com/.

By offering a variety of communication outlets, Martin Memorial is continuing its role as the leading healthcare provider in the community by helping people prevent disease and staying healthy.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Prevent Stroke with Information at Hand

As if women between the ages of 35-54 didn’t have enough to worry about, now a recent article in Newsweek indicates that the proportion of women between those ages having strokes has nearly tripled in the last decade. That is a very alarming statistic!

OK, so why? What has changed? Are women suddenly different now than they were 10 years ago? My answer is, “I’m not sure” to all three questions. I do know that our lives have changed significantly over the past decade.

Consider these questions based on how things were 10 years ago: Could you put your cell phone (if you had one) in the front pocket of your jeans and have nobody notice? Could you sit at the breakfast table and reply to e-mail from work on your day off so you wouldn't be too busy when you got back? Did you know what trans-fat was? Did you even think that women had strokes at 40 years old? If you are like me, you probably answered no to all of these questions.

Clearly life is different now than it was then. It makes sense that changes in our lives make us a bit different too. Science has done a great job of pointing out that women are having strokes three times as often as they were a decade ago, but science has not really been able to say exactly why.

Until those answers are available, the one way to protect yourself is to maximize your knowledge while minimizing your risk. That includes knowing the signs and symptoms of a stroke:

1) Sudden numbness or weakness, typically on one side of the body
2) Sudden difficulty speaking
3) Sudden headache
4) Sudden blurry vision
5) Sudden dizziness, or difficulty with balance or coordination

(Other tests of a possible stroke include an inability to form a smile or raise both arms above the head.)

Minimize your risk by: quitting smoking (especially if you are on birth control pills); controlling high blood pressure, cholesterol levels and diabetes; lowering your body mass index (BMI) and reducing waist circumferences, both of which have been linked to increased risk.

Many things in life are unavoidable but together we can make some of them preventable.

--John Romano, RN, BSN
Director of Medical Surgical and Neuroscience

Learning to Protect My Colon and Prostate

A few years ago, when I was a young and naïve newspaper reporter, thoughts of my colon or prostate rarely bubbled to the surface of conscious thought.

I suppose I could have identified their locations in an anatomy book, but really it was more of a good guess – like pointing hesitatingly at Bosnia or Turkmenistan on a globe during a geography test. You know the general region, you have an idea of their shape and size, but other than that, your knowledge of them is blessedly miniscule.

Since I began working at Martin Memorial, I’ve learned more about my prostate and colon – and other body parts – than I ever thought I needed to.

I know now that colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. I know that the American Cancer Society says one in six men will get prostate cancer during their lifetime. I know that screening plays a big role in both kinds of cancers – and that the thought of how those screenings usually are performed can make grown men cringe and squirm.

Why do I bring this up? Well, each week we put together a new podcast called Martin Memorial Healthcast. And the past two weeks’ topics have focused on prostate and colon cancer respectively.

I spoke with Dr. Michael Lustgarten, a urologist on staff at Martin Memorial, and Dr. Howard Maunus, a gastroenterologist also on staff at Martin Memorial, to learn more about the diseases.

If there is one thing that stood out in both of these conversations, it’s that screening is critical. Cancer often can be treated or cured, especially if it’s caught early. Last fall, a report came out that suggested the rate of cancer deaths were dropping in the U.S., in part because there was more education and awareness about colon cancer, which was leading to more people being screened for the disease.

But as Dr. Maunus pointed out in this week’s podcast, we can still do a better job. There are still too many people who don’t get checked out for any variety of reasons. That’s why working with your physician to stay on top of your health is so critically important.

Because you never know when learning about those hidden-away body parts might help save your life.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Working Together to Battle Youth Obesity

We all know that obesity is a growing epidemic. Not only adults, but our children are at risk. The co-morbidities associated with obesity are now showing up in what our children are prescribed by their physicians – blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetic medications. It is no longer unusual for a 10 year old to be on a cholesterol-lowering drug or for 13 year old to be diagnosed with Type II diabetes, a rare occurrence 20 years ago. This issue cannot be ignored or we will all pay the cost, both in terms of our healthcare dollars to the quality of future generations.

How did we get here? A combination of food industry practices, media, access and the psychosis of a fast-paced, continuously changing, economically challenging society that calls for everyone to multi-task, work long hours and eat on the run. Food portions have doubled and sometimes tripled in size from 20 years ago. What was once a “normal size” 8-ounce soda is now a 20-ounce soda with over 15 teaspoons of sugar in the drink! We have exchanged the dinner table for the fast food lane – and not just dinner, but for breakfast and lunch as well.

What is being done about this epidemic? Local, state and federal programs are beginning to crop up. The National Institute of Health has recently developed a program called “We Can” which stands for Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition. At Martin Memorial, we are continually exploring what we can do to provide our community with services that address youth obesity. We are partnering with the local public health department, area extension offices, pediatricians and wellness businesses under the “We Can” banner to promote the program at area schools, YMCAs, boys and girls clubs, and Parks and Recreation.

The Martin Memorial Center for Health and Healing developed a 6-week HealthyLIFE Youth Weight Management program which combines physical activity with nutrition education. The program targets overweight youth who are at risk for diabetes, but is open to anyone who wants to participate.

All participants undergo cholesterol screening, a fitness assessment and metabolic rate analysis. Sessions include fitness activities and fun games such as dodgeball. The educational portion includes healthy cooking, reading food labels, portion control and a supermarket tour. The next session begins during spring break on March 31.

This session requires that parents attend every session, as we recognize that it has to be a whole family affair in order to create a healthier environment for the child. Parents will receive all the screenings as well. To find out more about this program, call the center for health and healing at (772) 223-4916.

--Lani Kee, MS
Manager, Martin Memorial Center for Health and Healing

Eat Well for Your Sake – and Your Kids’

Recently I sat in the cardiovascular intensive care unit with a patient who had undergone open-heart surgery. As we reviewed the nutrition therapy recommended for heart health after surgery – low fat/cholesterol/sodium, portion-controlled – he looked at me and said, “Obesity is going to bankrupt our country.”

We proceeded to discuss the dangers of an increasingly overweight American youth (more than 9 million American children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight) and the fact that if we as a nation don’t eat better and exercise more, starting with our youngsters, we will truly break the American healthcare bank.

With that in mind, I read with interest the view of Dr. Vincent Marks of the University of Surrey that our perception of an obesity epidemic, with dire consequences, has been exaggerated. This contradicts what experts have been saying for years.

A number of studies have found that cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in childhood are associated with an increase in CVD as an adult. Given that CVD (including stroke, hypertension and rheumatic heart disease) has been the No. 1 killer in the United States since 1900 (except for 1918 when a worldwide influenza epidemic took first place), that is pretty strong evidence that we have to teach our children how to eat healthfully while they are young and impressionable (and we are paying for their groceries).

Four of six risk factors for CVD (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, Type 2 diabetes) are nutrition related and all (including tobacco use and physical activity) are under our control.

To help you make healthier choices for you and your children (and the future of our nation), the American Heart Association presents the following strategies for individuals over the age of 2:

• Balance dietary calories with physical activity to maintain normal growth.
• Set aside 60 minutes each day for moderate-to-vigorous play or physical activity.
• Eat vegetables and fruits daily and limit juice intake.
• Use vegetable oils and soft margarines low in saturated fat and trans-fatty acids instead of butter or most other animal fats in the diet.
• Eat whole grain breads and cereals rather than refined grain products.
• Reduce intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and foods.
• Consume nonfat or low-fat milk and dairy products daily.
• Eat more fish, especially oily fish, broiled or baked.
• Reduce salt intake, including salt from processed foods.
  
  --Rosemarie Lembo James, RD, CNSD, LD/N
  Clinical Director of Nutrition Services

Getting Older, Gracelessly

Standing in line last Saturday to register for a 5K run, I overheard a mom talking to her daughter.

“You can’t run in the 14-year-old division yet. You’re not 14,” the mom said earnestly.

“But I’m almost 14,” the girl moaned in that “my parents are stupid they’ll never understand me” voice that only teen-agers know how to use.

As I stood there, joints aching in the early-morning chill and waiting for the Advil to kick in, I had to smile at their conversation. It didn’t seem that long ago I was trying to speed up time so I could drive, go to college, start making money (still waiting for that).

Heck, I even fudged my age to get into a 35-and-over basketball league a few years back. Sure I was 34 years old and not that far under the age minimum, but like that 13-year-old girl at the race last week I just wanted to add a little more life experience to my birth certificate.

Funny how things change. This Saturday I turn 37. And while that’s not necessarily old, it’s certainly older. And that increased age seems to bring more physical limitations.

It takes longer to recover from a game of basketball. It gets harder to lose the weight gained during a pizza binge. I actually have checked my blood sugar and cholesterol levels. I’ve gone to a doctor, even when things weren’t wrong.

Working for a healthcare provider has made me more cognizant of what I should be doing to stay healthy. As 40 closes in, I know that all of the choices I made years ago could come back to haunt me – which makes the choices I make today that much more important.

It’s frustrating not to be able to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, without my body contradicting me. It’s distressing to hear joints crack every time I get out of a chair. It’s maddening to still be carrying around 10 (OK, 15) extra pounds that would’ve been lost a decade ago simply with some strenuous exercise.

But it’s all part of getting older. And it’s certainly better than the alternative.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Understanding Heart Disease in Women

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among American women.

An estimated 267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, which kills six times as many women as breast cancer.

I find this statistic to be startling! In fact, I’m sure if you ask many women today they probably would also be in disbelief.

Go Red for Women is the American Heart Association’s nationwide movement to help women improve their heart health and live stronger, longer lives. Martin Memorial is a long-time supporter of the Red Dress Heart Truth campaign. Recently, Martin Memorial hosted its second-annual “Heart of a Woman” program to call attention to the rising incidence of heart disease in women through education. (The committee that put the program together is pictured at left) Heart disease is largely preventable, by living a healthy lifestyle and reducing your risk profile.

The risk factors you can’t control:
· Increasing age
· Gender
· Heredity (family health history) and race
· Previous stroke or heart attack

The risk factors you can control or treat:
· High blood pressure (hypertension) makes the heart work harder than normal, which makes both the heart and arteries more prone to injury. If you have hypertension, you may need to lose weight and be more active. Eat less salt and more fruits and vegetables. Take your medications as prescribed and limit alcohol consumption.
· Smoking is the single worst thing you can do for your arteries and heart. Smoking is a major cause of coronary heart disease among women. Set a quit date and stick to it.
· Lipids (Cholesterol and Triglycerides) have no symptoms, and many people who have it don’t know it. It’s important to find out what your cholesterol and triglyceride levels are, so you can lower them if you need to. Control your lipid levels with weight loss, exercise, wise food choices, and medications if prescribed.
· Inactive Lifestyle increases you’re your chances to develop heart disease. Regular, moderate to vigorous physical activity improves your cardiovascular fitness.
· Excess Weight can raise your blood pressure, cholesterol, and risk of getting diabetes. Adhere to a sensible program of healthy eating and regular physical activity that will help you reach and stay at a healthier weight.
· Diabetes puts you at an even greater risk of cardiovascular disease. If you have diabetes, it is important to have regular medical check-ups. It’s vital to have your blood sugar controlled. Work closely with your healthcare provider to manage your diabetes.
· Stress over a long period of time and a unhealthy response to it, may create health problems in some people. Find healthy ways to handle stress.

Decide today to reduce your risk by making healthy lifestyle changes. Take care of your heart by promising to love your heart.

--Melissa Zinderman
Cardiovascular Patient Educator

The Power of Hand Hygiene

We often underestimate the power of hand hygiene as it relates to preventing illnesses. It is well-documented that the most important measure for preventing the spread of pathogens is effective handwashing.

Improved adherence to hand hygiene has been shown to terminate outbreaks in healthcare facilities, to reduce transmission of antimicrobial resistant organisms and reduce the spread of overall infections. Many commonly seen infections are spread from contaminated hands, such as the flu and food-borne illnesses.

Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. It is best to wash your hands with soap and clean running water for 20 seconds. However, if soap and clean water are not available, use of an alcohol-based product to clean your hands is acceptable. Alcohol-based handrubs significantly reduce the number of germs on skin and are fast acting.

When using an alcohol-based hand rub remember to cover over all surfaces of hands and fingers. Handrubs should also be allowed to dry on your hands and not be wiped off.

When should you wash with soap and water?
· Before and after preparing food. This is especially important when handling any raw meats.
· Before eating food.
· After going to the bathroom.
· After changing diapers or cleaning a child who has gone to the bathroom.
· Before and after tending to someone who is sick.
· After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
· After handling an animal or animal waste.
· After handling garbage.
· Before and after treating a cut or wound.

Remember that the very best way to prevent yourself from getting sick or spreading illnesses to others is through handwashing. For more information about handwashing, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

--Bonnie Hannon
Manager, Martin Memorial Hospital South Infection Control

Rewriting a Family History of Diabetes

The finger prick was quick and relatively painless, the needle darting suddenly from a small lancing device to break the skin on my index finger.

Maureen Daniello, program coordinator for diabetes education at Martin Memorial, let some of the blood dribble onto a test strip that fed into a glucose meter. It was a routine I’d seen my mother do countless times, the daily monitoring of blood sugar levels that many diabetics must perform.

The numbers flashed on the meter as 117 milligrams/deciliter – well below the 160 mg/dl limit since I’d eaten just two hours prior to the test. That meant I’m holding diabetes at bay – at least for now.

I had been listening to Maureen talk about diabetes as we recorded this week’s Martin Memorial Healthcast, along with a friend of mine who is also our podcast guru. It was a sobering conversation for both of us, given our family histories, our penchant for eating stuff we shouldn’t eat, as well as the extra weight hanging around our guts.

All three are major contributors to diabetes – facts we both conveniently ignore. Still, for people like us it’s hard to pretend we’re not at risk given the family histories: my mother is diabetic, her father was, some of my mom’s brothers have it, my father’s mother had it; both of my friend’s parents were also diagnosed with it.

After our talk with Maureen, my friend tested his fasting blood sugar level and recorded a 132 and a 137 – higher than the range of 80-120 recommended. The numbers may also serve as a wakeup call.

Diabetes is a horrible disease that can affect everything from your eyesight to your feet. It is a leading contributor to strokes, heart attacks and kidney disease. And the problem is growing by the day.

According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes – including an estimated 6.2 million people who don’t know they have the disease. Another 54 million Americans are considered pre-diabetic. The total estimated cost of treating diabetes in 2007 was estimated at around $174 billion.

That’s a hefty price to pay for a disease that, in many cases, is entirely preventable. I intend to do whatever it takes to make sure I don’t get added to the list.

-- Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Listen to Maureen Daniello discuss diabetes, including ways you can prevent the disease, by visiting Martin Memorial Healthcast at www.mmhs.com/content/healthcasts.htm