issue 163 october 2017 myrtle beach, south carolina 29577 · 2020. 2. 13. · north myrtle beach...
TRANSCRIPT
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Issue 163 October 2017
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 29577
“It’s great to be alive – and to help others!”
President: Dan Dallaire (704) 796-0628
Pres. Emeritus: Roger Brewster (843) 281-9808
Vice President: Ruth Keilen (843) 685-3378
Hospital Liaison: Jamie Herman (843) 692-1885
Secretary: Sunday Reiser (843) 685-7680
Treasurer: Bob May (843) 742-5085
Sunshine Committee: Angela Pride (803) 341-2811
Visiting Captain: Dennis Tummino (843) 236-7369
Greeter: Bob Kilby (864) 542- 4487
Speaker Scheduler: Allen Migliaccio (843) 390-4272
Newsletter Editor: Mary Lou O’Brien (843) 742-5085
Inspiring hope and improving
the quality of life for heart
patients and their families
through ongoing peer-to-peer
support
*If you have information
of interest to our members for our
next newsletter, you can call me at
(843) 742-5085 or email me at
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Dear Mended Hearts members:
Fall is here. The days are getting cooler and the colors are changing. The
beauty is in front of us if we just take a moment to stop and look around. What a
beautiful time to take a walk.
The AHA Heart Walk will be held October 21st. Our email reaches over
1,000 people. Can you imagine if each person donated just $2! Let’s all chip in and
support our chapter. If you can’t donate then volunteer or maybe walk.
Below is a link to our donation page. I set our goal at $450 but would love to
surpass it. Let’s stand up and be counted by supporting this great cause.
Here is the link:
http://www2.heart.org/site/TR?fr_id=2434&pg=team&team_id=253133&s_hasSec
ureSession=true
“Kindness is …anything that lifts another person” - C. Neil Strait
Our next MH meeting is Monday, October 11th at 11:30AM. Our speaker is
Michelle Bessett from AHA to talk to us about the heart walk. See you then!
Dan Dallaire, President
Mended Hearts Chapter 117
Myrtle Beach, SC
Monthly Visits GSMC
September:
Patients: 64 Families: 29
Days Missed: 0
a.m.
Mended Hearts Meetings
for October and November
Mon. October 9, 2017
Mon. November 13, 2017
11:30 a.m. at Mercy Care east on 82nd, R. on Nigels, L. on Devon Ct.
Our President’s Letter for October 2017
Mended Hearts Member Birthdays
November
11/5 – Marsha Zub
11/9 - Diane Mabe
11/11 - Bob Holland
11/12 Rich Nelson
11/15 - Sam Mastandrea
11/19 – Sunday Reiser
October
10/03 - Mary Lou O’Brien
10/4 - Ken Kushen
10/17 - Mary Lou Bates
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South Strand/Georgetown Satellite of Mended
Hearts Chapter 117
will hold its monthly meetings at 12 noon on the
fourth Tuesday of the month at Tidelands Health
Waccamaw Hospital, Murrells Inlet (1st floor
classroom). For more information contact Ruth
Keilen at (843) 685-3378 or by email at
Contact Information for your Mended Hearts
Mid-Atlantic RD and ARD:
Gerald H. Kemp, Jr.
Assistant Regional Director, Mid-Atlantic Region
215 Oakwood Ave., York, SC 29745
Tel: (803) 684-9512
Bill Carter
Regional Director, Mid-Atlantic Region
2222 Cardigan Drive, Aiken, SC 29803
Tel: (803) 270-2496
The Horry County Literacy Council
welcomes its new Director, Angel Parry and
Program Coordinator, Erin Ortiz. The Council has
been hard at work creating a new web site. As
always, students remain on the waiting list for a
volunteer to assist them with their reading, writing
or math skills. Low literacy costs the nation $1
billion to $2 billion just in the area of health and
safety issues. Please consider volunteering to help
improve literacy in Horry County. 843-839-1695 or
literacyhc@gmail for info.
Don’t forget to Save-the-Date for the 2017
Waccamaw Heart & Stroke Walk!
To sign up to walk, click on this link:
http://www2.heart.org/site/TR?fr_id=2434&pg=team&team_i
d=253133&s_hasSecureSession=true
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Festival Starts at 8:30am I Walk Starts
at 10:00am I Activities thru 1:00pm
North Myrtle Beach Park &
Sports Complex
FREE PARKING!!
MICHELLE BESSETT
Director of Development - Waccamaw Heart & Stroke Walk
1113 44th Avenue N Suite 200I Myrtle Beach SC 29577
[email protected] I www.heart.org
P 843-282-2903 I F 843-626-2856
My dad is why
SAVE THE DATES:
October 21, 2017 – Waccamaw Heart & Stroke Walk
(November 1-5, 2017 – AHA Beach Ride)
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Hospitals Miss a Golden Opportunity to
Help Heart Patients Quit Smoking
After a heart event is a prime time to encourage
medication to help smokers quit.
Many hospitals miss a
golden opportunity to
help patients quit
smoking, based on a
recent study that found
40% of U.S. hospitals
fail to offer smoking
cessation medication to
patients with heart
disease.
Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, this
study included nearly 37,000 smokers hospitalized
for heart disease—the majority of which were
hospitalized for heart attack. The goal was to see
how many patients received smoking cessation
treatment during their stay, as patients may be more
motivated to make lifestyle changes after a heart
event.
Overall, only 23% of patients received at
least one smoking cessation treatment during their
visit. The average age of participants was 58 and
nearly 70% were male.
The most common smoking cessation
medication used was the nicotine patch, while
additional treatments included nicotine gum,
nicotine lozenge and inhalers. Patients were
significantly more likely to receive smoking
cessation therapy if they had other health issues
such as lung disease, depression or alcohol abuse.
Researchers found that the biggest factor
that influenced treatment, however, was the
hospital. The highest performing hospital started
64% of patients on smoking cessation treatment,
while more than 40% of hospitals administered
treatment to less than 20% of eligible patients.
An analysis of past data also showed that
from 2004 to 2011, initiation of smoking cessation
treatment increased by 6% among U.S. hospitals,
although progress slowed toward the end of this
period.
The take-home message, according to
authors, is that most hospitals are missing an
important opportunity to help patients quit smoking.
For patients with heart disease, quitting
smoking is one of the best ways to reduce risk for
heart events, along with healthy lifestyle changes.
Patients may be more willing to quit smoking
during their hospital visit after a life-threatening
heart event.
Findings also show that some hospitals are
doing better than others at starting heart patients on
smoking cessation treatment. Authors hope findings
will push doctors and hospital leaders to take a
closer look at their performance and take steps to
increase the use of smoking cessation treatment.
Questions for You to Consider
Are the health effects of smoking irreversible?
Absolutely not. Smokers experience many
benefits by quitting, some of which begin just
minutes after stopping smoking. Twenty minutes
after quitting, blood pressure and heart rate will
drop, and the benefits continue to improve over
time. One year after quitting, risk of heart disease
will be half that of a smoker; within years, risk
for stroke, heart disease and other health
conditions can equal that of a non-smoker.
What smoking cessation aids exist to help
smokers quit?
A variety of tools exist to help smokers quit.
Aside from quitting cold turkey without the use
of aids, adults can be prescribed smoking
cessation drugs that help to fight nicotine
withdrawal and tobacco cravings. There are also
various types of nicotine replacement therapy,
including patches, inhalers, lozenges, gum and
nasal spray that can help wean smokers off of
cigarettes. Find this CardioSmart article and more cardiologist-reviewed
news, patient tools, and videos at www.CardioSmart.org.
Does Knowing Heart Disease Risk
Change Bad Habits?
A vacationer hearing about rain in the
forecast might alter his plans. A traveler hearing
about a plane crash might even take the bus. But,
will a person who hears they are at risk for heart
disease change his or her lifestyle?
Surprisingly, no.
A 2016 report in the British Medical
Journal analyzed 18 studies and found that even
when people were shown genetic tests indicating
increased risk factors for heart disease, they weren't
likely to change their diet, exercise more, or quit
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smoking. This finding flies in the face of simple
logic saying that a person would want to act in a
way that keeps them alive longer.
Genetic testing, according to The National
Institute of Health, has become much more popular
and affordable lately with companies like 23andMe
and Sure Genomics offering personal testing for
anywhere from $100 to $2,000. These tests can
uncover inherited disorders and genetic risk factors
that would leave a person predisposed to developing
a heart problem. Researchers speculated that testing
might lead to informed patients taking prevention
into their own hands, but it seems this theory was
not correct.
On one hopeful note, knowing their
genetic predisposition to disease didn't inspire
healthy behavior, but it also didn't inspire new risky
behaviors either. Testing didn't make people more
or less depressed or anxious.
Experts at the U.S. Preventive Services
Task Force concluded that knowledge of risk
factors coupled with behavioral counseling seems to
help people take action. A program that has
multiple sessions with patients over several months
can help with setting goals to lose the weight and
get healthy. Pages: October Issue
Celiac Disease Awareness Month:
What's All the Fuss About Gluten?
It's nearly impossible to go to a restaurant
or a supermarket now and not be bombarded with
labels touting "gluten free" ingredients and recipes.
Today people are acutely aware of an
allergy to a protein in wheat, barley and rye. This
allergy is called celiac disease.
With all of the sudden attention to this
disease, it almost seems like a recent discovery.
But, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation, it
has been acknowledged for nearly 2,000 years.
It was ancient Greece, in fact, where a
physician first noticed patients that presented with
diarrhea and malabsorption. They used the term
"coeliac," from the Greek word for abdominal, to
describe the condition and the modern name
evolved from there. Much later, during the food
supply shortages of World War II, European doctors
noticed that fewer children were dying from this
disease as wheat became a rare commodity. This
link started the decades-long research of wheat,
gluten, and celiac disease.
The Mayo Clinic explains that when those
with celiac disease eat gluten, it creates an immune
reaction in the small intestine. With continued
exposure, this response will damage the lining of
the intestine and affect the way the body digests
food and absorbs nutrients from it. Side effects
from this malabsorption can include chronic
diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, and more. At this
time, there is no reliable cure for this disease but
abstaining from gluten entirely can prevent nearly
all of the complications from the disease.
Despite the widespread coverage of celiac
disease recently, Stefano Guandalini, a doctor at the
University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, points
out that gluten has been around since wheat was
cultivated over 10,000 years ago and has remained
largely unchanged over the years. It is estimated
that about 1 percent of the population has celiac
disease and many of those people are currently
undiagnosed. More alarming is that celiac disease
does seem to be becoming more common as only
about .2 percent of the population were estimated to
have it in the 1950s. Although many people
probably don't have to worry about this affliction,
greater awareness of any illness is always helpful
with prevention and finding a cure.*
Pages: October Issue
Air Pollution Quickly Puts Added
Stress on the Body
Breathing in polluted air for just a short period
of time can have immediate health consequences.
Breathing in polluted
air for just a short
period of time puts
added stress on the
body, based on a
Chinese study that
studied the short-term
health effects of fine
particulate matter.
wheat barley rye
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Fine particulate matter is tiny particles in the
air that can be inhaled and go deep into the lungs. It
is one of the most dangerous types of air pollution
that has been linked to increased risk for high blood
pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
In a recent study published in the American
Heart Association journal Circulation, researchers
explored the driving force behind these adverse
health effects. Findings suggest that even days of
exposure to fine particulate matter triggers stress
hormones, changes in metabolism and
inflammation.
Conducted in 2015, this study included 55
young, healthy students living in college dorms at
the Fudan University in Shanghai, China. The study
used air purifiers to manipulate air quality in the
dorms and test the short-term impact of air pollution
on key markers of health.
On two separate occasions, participants had
both a real and fake air purifier in their dorm rooms
for nine days. The real air purifier helped remove
fine particulate matter from the air, while the sham
device had no impact on air quality. During these
periods, researchers tracked blood pressure and took
blood samples to assess changes in stress hormones,
metabolism, and inflammation.
Overall, the real air purifiers cut exposure to
fine particulate matter in half when compared to the
fake devices. After analysis, researchers found that
greater exposure to fine particulate matter was
associated with changes in metabolism and an
increase in stress hormones. Researchers also note
that greater exposure to air pollution increased
blood pressure, blood sugar and markers of
inflammation—all of which can increase
cardiovascular risk.
According to authors, findings demonstrate
a possible way by which air pollution leads to
increased cardiovascular risk. Evidence suggests
that fine particulate matter triggers stress hormones,
which over time may increase risk for high blood
pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
However, findings also suggest that air
purifiers effectively reduce exposure to air pollution
at home, which could potentially minimize health
effects down the road. With future research, experts
hope to better understand the health effects of fine
particulate matter and continue to identify strategies
for minimizing exposure.
Questions for You to Consider
How can I reduce inflammation?
Although some drugs might help reduce
inflammation, reducing risk factors that cause
inflammation is important, like quitting smoking,
reducing blood pressure and lowering cholesterol.
How is inflammation linked to heart health?
Inflammation is the body’s response to injury or
infection. Although it’s not proven that
inflammation actually causes heart disease,
research shows that many heart disease patients
have heightened markers of inflammation. It’s
possible that inflammation may be a sign of heart
disease or a response to it, and further research is
needed to better understand the role of
inflammation on cardiovascular risk. Find this CardioSmart article and more cardiologist-reviewed
news, patient tools, and videos at www.CardioSmart.org.
The Other Side of the Opioid Crisis:
People in Pain
Opiods in prescription painkillers have
ruined lives, families, and even decimated entire
communities.
According to the American Society of
Addiction Medicine, 100 million people are in
chronic pain and 2 million of them had an addiction
to opioids in 2015. More than 20,000 deaths
associated with prescription pill overdoses occurred
in that same year.
With more people suffering from the
effects of this epidemic, drug authorities have
cracked down on prescribers and users.
The problem with taking away opioids,
however, is that it leaves real people in real pain.
Injuries, accidents, and chronic health
conditions can all leave people with debilitating
pain, and sometimes opioids are the only thing that
can provide relief. But, with relief, comes the real
danger. Tolerance to the medications builds up,
breathing becomes increasingly depressed at higher
doses, and movement is impaired. It doesn't take
long before a real person in real pain is at risk for
overdose.
Some solutions are on the horizon,
however.
James Zadina of the Tulane School of
Medicine, has been working for two decades to
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develop a painkiller with the power of opiates
without the addiction. Traditional painkillers work
by binding to mu receptors in between nerve cells.
The painkillers flip a switch, making nerves unable
to send pain signals to the brain. The problem with
this approach is that in addition to blocking pain,
the drugs also activate other cells, called glia. These
cells can actually cause the body to feel more pain
after the drug wears off. This leads to an increase in
drug tolerance and a higher likelihood of overdose
over time.
Zadina's research is centered around
finding a synthetic version of a chemical already
present in the human body that helps to mitigate
pain - endomorphin. This compound, related to the
endorphins that make people feel better during
exercise, doesn't activate the glia cells like opioids
do. It is likely that they would provide many of the
benefits that traditional painkillers have without
many of the side effects.
In a 2016 report in the journal
Neuropharmacology, Zadina's team reported
success in tests on rats. Human trials will be next
but the process could take years.
Pages: October Issue
Knee Replacements Not For Everyone
In older adults, cartilage in the knee joint
can wear away, causing pain and limited movement.
A new study shows that, for the most
serious cases of arthritis, knee replacement did
improve quality of life.
However, for most people the
improvements were minimal.
The study published in The BMJ observed
the results of 7,400 middle-age and older adults
who had arthritis of the knee or were at high risk for
the condition.
If your knee pain is not severe, you might
be able to get some relief and postpone knee
problems by strengthening the muscles of the thigh.
Losing weight also helps. Each additional
pound adds four pounds of pressure on the joints.
Less weight equals less pressure and happier knees.
But avoid high-impact jogging, aerobics, or
jumping while you lose the weight.
According to the Harvard Health Letter,
people with good range of motion in the knee have
fewer pain symptoms. It's important to be able to
straighten out the knee. Try sitting on a bed with a
pillow under the ankle. Then use your leg muscles
to gently move your knee down and straight.
Osteoarthritis symptoms often get worse
by standing on a hard surface for long periods or
squatting (as an example, while gardening). Sitting
on a low stool is better than squatting.
You can also wear cushioned shoes or gel
inserts. Pages: October Issue
Be a Good Neighbor on Halloween
Many people enjoy
handing out candy to
their little visitors on
Halloween. To make
sure your visiting
trick-or-treaters stay
safe in your yard:
* Clear away lawn equipment and any
clutter from the yard, walkways, and steps so kids
don't trip over them.
* If you have lighted jack-o'-lanterns,
position them far enough away from where kids will
stand so their costumes won't catch on fire. Better
yet, use glow sticks instead of candles.
* Make sure paper or fabric decorations
can't blow into the flame of a jack-o'-lantern.
* Keep all of your outside lights on during
the evening.
* If you are driving during trick-or-treat
time, watch for kids.
Before sending your children on their
rounds, make sure they eat so they won't be tempted
to dig into their goodie bags before you can
examine them.
Check
to make sure no
parts of their
costumes drag on
the ground. Kids
could step on
them, trip, and
fall.
If they are wearing masks, be sure they
have a good field of vision. Face paint is better.
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Tell them to walk, not run, stay on
sidewalks, and cross streets only at intersections,
not between parked cars.
Advise kids to approach only those houses
with outside lights burning. Never go inside a
house. They should wait at the door for their treat.
Young children should be accompanied by
an adult. Older kids should travel with a group of
friends.
Pages: October Issue
THE SPOON:
A lesson on how consultants can make an
organization… Very Impressive!
Last week, we took some friends to a new
restaurant, “Steve’s Place”, and noticed that the
waiter who took our order carried a spoon in his
shirt pocket. It seemed a little strange.
When the busboy brought our water and
utensils, I observed that he also had a spoon in his
shirt pocket. Then I looked around and saw that all
the staff had spoons in their pockets.
When the waiter came back to serve our
soup I inquired, “Why the spoon?”
“Well”, he explained, “the restaurant's
owner hired PWC Consulting to revamp all of our
processes. After several months’ analysis, they
concluded that the spoon was the most frequently
dropped utensil. It represents a drop frequency of
approximately 3 spoons per table per hour. If our
personnel are better prepared, we can reduce the
number of trips back to the kitchen and save 15
man-hours per shift.”
As luck would have it, I dropped my spoon
and he replaced it with his spare. “I'll get another
spoon next time I go to the kitchen instead of
making an extra trip to get it right now.”
I was impressed. I also noticed that there
was a string hanging out of the waiter's fly. Looking
around, I saw that all of the waiters had the same
string hanging from their flies. So, before he walked
off, I asked the waiter, “Excuse me, but can you tell
me why you have that string right there?”
“Oh, certainly!” Then he lowered his voice.
“Not everyone is so observant. That consulting
firm I mentioned also learned that we can save time
in the restroom. By tying this string to the end of
our you-know-what, we can pull it out without
touching it and eliminate the need to wash our
hands; shortening the time spent in the restroom by
76.39%.”
I asked quietly, “After you get it out, how do
you put it back?”
“Well,” he whispered, “I don't know about
the others, but I use the spoon.”
THE BOSS WONDERED…
The boss wondered why one of his most
valued employees was absent but had not phoned in
sick. So, he dialed the employee’s home phone
number and was greeted with a child’s whisper.
‘Hello?’
‘Is your daddy home?’
The small voice whispered, ‘Yes, he’s out in
the garden.’
‘May I talk with him?’
The child whispered, ‘No.’
So, the boss asked, ‘Well, is your mommy
there?’
‘Yes, she’s out in the garden, too.’
The boss asked, ‘May I talk with her?’
Again the ‘No’.
Hoping there was somebody with whom he
could leave a message, the boss asked, ‘Is anybody
else there?’
‘Yes,’ whispered the child, ‘a policeman.’
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his
employee's home, the boss asked, ‘May I speak
with the policeman?’
‘No, He's busy.’ whispered the child.
‘Busy doing what?’
‘Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the
police dog men.’
Growing more worried as he heard a loud
noise in the background, the boss asked, ‘What is
that noise?’
‘It's a helicopter.’ answered the whispering
voice.
‘What is going on there?’ demanded the
boss, now truly apprehensive.
‘The search team just landed a helicopter.’
‘A search team?’ said the boss.
‘What are they searching for?’
Still whispering, the young voice replied
with a muffled giggle…. ‘ME!’