http://www.buffalonews.com Latest stories from The Buffalo News en-us Fri, 24 May 2013 17:08:05 -0400 Fri, 24 May 2013 17:08:05 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/REFRESH/130529497/1063
Sweet person. Great personality. Everyone loved him. Good father. The go-to guy when it came to his patients. Always saw them, worked them in even when his day was too full. His medical judgment was exceptional, his work ethic over-the-top.

He was adored by so many of his patients. But he had a blind spot – his own health. He let that fall between the cracks by substituting his own judgment for those of others. He didn’t pay attention when attention must be paid.

Was this denial? Maybe.

I think it was death by hubris.

This ancient Greek concept of hubris is best embodied by Achilles. The greatest warrior of all time, Achilles thought that nothing could stop him and then the enemy discovered his weak spot – his heel. They struck, he died.

Hubris is often thought of as haughtiness, arrogance. For some it is. But for others, it’s just an overconfident pride and overestimation of one’s own ability.

Most with hubris are extremely knowledgeable and competent. They have extreme pride in what they can do, and that shows in their work. But as the proverb goes, “Pride goes before a fall.”

One famous case of death by hubris was Jim Fixx, father of aerobic running. He took Ken Cooper’s concept of running for optimal health and pushed it into national prominence. Jim was 52 when he dropped dead. He ignored the fact that his dad died of a heart attack at 43. He ignored his “minimal” chest pains because he was a runner and runners know their bodies.

He ignored his family and friends’ suggestions that he see someone because he “didn’t look good.” Jim’s autopsy showed 95 percent blockage in the left main stem artery – a blockage we aptly call “the widow maker.”

Then we have that other famous case, a death-defying case – Bill Clinton. He epitomized hubris. Intelligent, confident, the ultimate go-to guy, that over-the-top energy. Extreme pride in what he thought and did. But he too ignored things. He knew better than others.

Lucky for him, the gods gave him a second chance – chest pain he couldn’t ignore. Nearly took his life. He escaped death by hubris by the skin of his teeth.

My spin: If you have overconfident pride, if you know you’re “right” most of the time and stick to your guns, then you might just suffer from hubris.

I have the cure. When your friends, family or colleagues say, “Hey, you need help,” don’t block them out. Call your doctor or even 911.

You might just keep that arrow from striking your Achilles’ heel.



Dr. Zorba Paster is a family physician, university professor, author and broadcast journalist. He also hosts a popular radio call-in program at 3 p.m. Saturdays on WBFO-FM 88.7. ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 16:54:28 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130518/REFRESH/130519150/1063
Q: I see my doctor every year for an annual physical examination. I recently heard that people who have annual physicals don’t really live any longer. Should I still go?

A: It is worth doing, but not for the reasons you might expect. A recent analysis of past research found that annual exams do not reduce deaths from cancer or heart disease, which are the leading causes of death. On the other hand, many of the studies that were reviewed date back to a time when fewer preventive services were available, which might explain why people benefited less.

But even if routine check-ups don’t promise a longer life, there are other important benefits. Office visits help you establish a relationship with your primary care provider. They allow your doctor to understand how you prefer to approach your health issues, which is important when choosing the best treatment for you.

In addition, an established and trusting relationship is essential when you are faced with a major health problem. An annual exam also establishes your “baseline” health and physical status. Although medical studies are unlikely to demonstrate how this helps, most physicians will confirm that having a baseline helps them diagnose a new condition if it arises.

But there are some things you can skip if you are feeling healthy and your primary care provider does not identify any concerns. Yearly blood tests and electrocardiograms don’t appear necessary in healthy adults. Routine X-rays and stress tests should also be avoided.

Our advice is to take advantage of those regular visits as an opportunity to engage your health-care provider and take an inventory of your current health status. ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 17:39:46 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130518/REFRESH/130519152/1063
Harvard Health Blog

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s revelation that he’d secretly undergone weight-loss surgery should not have been a big surprise. Christie has been publicly, and privately, struggling with his weight for years and fits the profile of a good candidate for this kind of operation.

Although weight-loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, should only be considered a last resort when diet and exercise don’t work, it can do some amazing things. Among people who are severely overweight, it can yield a 25 percent to 35 percent weight loss within two years.

In many people who undergo the surgery, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and the disruptive and potentially harmful snoring pattern known as sleep apnea disappear. It can also improve a number of other health problems, ranging from arthritis and heartburn to infertility and incontinence.

GOOD CANDIDATES

In general, weight-loss surgery is appropriate for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher, as well as for those with a BMI of 35 to 39.9 and a severe, treatment-resistant medical condition such as diabetes, heart disease or sleep apnea.

Much of the speculation about Christie’s surgery was whether he did it for political reasons or concerns about his health. But there shouldn’t be any speculation about whether he was a good candidate for the procedure. While the governor never made public his exact weight, the estimate is more than 300 pounds. At just under 6 feet tall, that gives him a body mass index of at least 41. Christie also acknowledged trying to lose weight many times, using different programs. He had some initial success, but like most obese people, regained all the lost pounds and more.

Even if Christie’s claims of otherwise being in good health are correct, he was at high risk of developing problems directly related to his weight. I believe his choice was a good one for his health.

TYPES OF SURGERY

Christie underwent laparoscopic gastric banding, also known as lap banding. There are also two other types of weight-loss surgery.

Gastric banding is done laparoscopically, meaning through small holes made in the abdomen. The surgeon wraps an adjustable silicone band about two inches in diameter around the upper part of the stomach. This creates a small pouch with a narrow opening that empties into the rest of the stomach. The small size of the upper stomach makes a person feel full much sooner than before.

Depending on the person’s rate of desired weight loss and how he or she feels, the band can be easily tightened or loosened as needed by injecting or withdrawing sterile salt water saline through a port implanted just under the skin. Compared with gastric bypass, the surgery is simpler and has a lower risk of complications immediately following the operation.

Gastric bypass, also known as the Roux-en-Y procedure, shrinks the size of the stomach by more than 90 percent. This makes a person feel full after eating very small amounts of food. In addition, the body absorbs fewer calories because food bypasses most of the stomach and upper small intestine.

The operation is done through an incision made in the abdomen or laparoscopically. The surgeon converts the upper part of the stomach into a small pouch about the size of an egg. The small intestine is then cut. One end is connected to the stomach pouch and the other is reattached to the small intestine, creating a Y shape. This allows food to bypass most of the stomach and the upper part of the small intestine, although both continue to produce the gastric juices, enzymes and other secretions needed for digestion. These drain into the intestine and mix with food at the crook of the Y. Gastric bypass surgery is not reversible.

The gastric sleeve technique transforms the stomach into a small, narrow tube by removing the curved side of the organ. This creates a small pouch using the side of the stomach rather than the bottom. One advantage is that no rearrangement of the intestines is needed. The vertical pouch this procedure creates is less prone to stretching compared to the pouch left by a gastric bypass. Like gastric bypass, gastric sleeve surgery is not reversible.

AFTER SURGERY

For the first few months after surgery, appetite is usually turned down. Eating too quickly or too much overfills the stomach pouch. That can cause vomiting or pain in the chest and upper abdomen. After a high-carbohydrate meal, a person who’s had gastric bypass surgery may suffer from “dumping syndrome,” a reaction that causes flushing, sweating, severe fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and intestinal gas.

To prevent nutritional deficits, it’s a good idea to take vitamins (especially vitamins B12 and D) and minerals (especially calcium and iron).

If you’re considering weight-loss surgery, realize that you must commit to a life-long change in the way you eat. Surgery without lifestyle change will either make you miserable or not result in successful weight reduction. Likely both. ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 17:39:34 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130518/REFRESH/130519154/1063
Dry eyes are one of the most common eye ailments among the general population. They can cause many symptoms that are annoying to people and often go untreated because the symptoms can give a mixed message to many.

Some of the more common complaints consist of itching, burning, watery and blurry vision. The eye needs a healthy and hydrated cornea to produce clear vision.

If the eye doctor suspects dry eye, he or she may perform a five-minute office procedure, called a Schrimer’s test, which will measure the tear flow. There are also some easy ways to test for dry eye in the office. When doing an initial history on the patient, the doctor may ask if the patient has dry mouth, as well.

There are many ways to treat dry eye, starting with a simple moisturizing tear that can be purchased over the counter and instilled several times a day. Tears come in many degrees of thickness, depending on how severe the dryness. They range from a watery tear drop to a thicker gel drop. Ointments tend to blur the vision and are used during the day. In more extreme cases, a physician may prescribe Restasis (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion), which will restore the balance of the tear film and help the body produce a better quality tear. Restasis is not meant to replace an over-the-counter artificial tear but in most cases to be used in addition to tears.

Dry eyes, in addition to causing blurry vision, can make the eye more susceptible to infections and an eye that is constantly dry can cause permanent damage to the cornea, as well.

Dry eyes are not to be taken lightly; if you have irritated, red, watery, burning eyes that are bothersome, don’t delay in getting them addressed. It may save your vision.



Judith Whitehead, of East Amherst, is a certified ophthalmic technician. ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 17:38:54 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130518/REFRESH/130519157/1063
The classes, open to the general public and BAC members, are designed to promote health and wellness downtown.

Yoga classes will run from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays from June 24 through Aug. 29. On evenings it rains, classes will move nearby into the Downtown BAC at 69 Delaware Ave.

The BAC also has plans to put up a donation box to benefit Women & Children’s Hospital.The Mental Health Association in Niagara County is promoting May is Mental Health Month by posting a daily wellness tip on Facebook and Twitter in keeping with the theme, “Pathways to Wellness.”

One in five Americans has a mental health condition and they are treatable, says Cheryl Blacklock, executive director of the MHA in Niagara County. “The … initiative helps remind us all that we can make a difference in our own mental health,” she said. Those interested in the daily tips can visit mhanc.com and link to MHA’s Facebook and Twitter feeds. For a printout of the daily tips for those without computer access, call 433-3780 during weekday business hours.NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont. – Hotel Yoga and Fitness Inc. is hosting another season of Vineyard Yoga at Jackson-Triggs.

Treat yourself to a day of yoga, food, wine pairings and a tour of one the top wineries in the region.

The agenda: 11 a.m. – A yoga class, for all levels, in the open air amphitheater near the vineyard; 12:30 p.m. – Three-course meal with wine pairings (meals can be modified according to allergies and sensitivities). A private tour of the winery also is planned. The sessions take place on Sundays (May 26, June 30, July 21, Aug. 25 and Sept. 15). Cost is $50; reserve by email at alana@hotelyoga.ca or call (647) 998-9942.The American Diabetes Association, Western New York Chapter, has named Vincent Harrer of Lockport its Youth Ambassador for the 2013 Tour de Cure, a bicycle ride and fundraiser which takes place June 8 along Lake Ontario.

Vincent, a fourth-grader at DeSales Catholic School, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 7 years old. An avid athlete, who is a member of the DeSales swim team, also plays soccer and lacrosse. Vincent rode six miles in last year’s tour, raising nearly $3,000. He also rode in the 2011 Tour. The race starts at Niagara County Community College in Sanborn. To register or for more information, visit diabetes.org/buffalotour. ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 17:38:08 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130515/CITYANDREGION/130519454/1063
They know that Cravey wants to have both of her breasts removed too.

“I can’t control cancer, but I can control what I do with my own body,” said Cravey, 35, of Eden, who is the mother of a 3-year-old daughter.

After watching her 44-year-old mother die of breast cancer when Cravey was in her teens, she already has decided to have the radical surgery even though she does not have cancer. At least, not yet.

“It’s crazy to say out loud,” she said. “Even to tell my dad that, it sounds radical to him.”

The swirl of publicity following Jolie’s revelation that she had the radical surgery as a precaution is likely to prompt other women to be tested to determine whether they carry the BRCA gene and consider having the surgery, according to doctors at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Jolie explained Tuesday in a New York Times article that she decided to be tested knowing her mother died of ovarian cancer. No doubt, her story will prompt many women to consider their family history, said Dr. Helen Cappuccino, a cancer surgeon at the hospital.

The genetic testing can be expensive, costing from several hundred dollars to as much as $4,000, although under the Affordable Care Act, new insurance plans are required to cover the tests.

The surgery is extensive and while it dramatically reduces the risk of cancer, it is no guarantee.

“These are not decisions you should make on your own. You need to talk to a genetic counselor,” said Cappuccino, an assistant professor of surgery at the University at Buffalo.

Roswell Park does about 50 to 100 preventive surgeries a year for women at increased risk for cancer because of family history or cancer in one breast, she said.

On average, fewer than 10 of these women had the surgery because of the BRCA gene Jolie has.

Its presence indicates a 60 to 87 percent increased risk of breast cancer, Cappuccino said. Risk drops to 5 percent or less when breasts are removed. That is enough to make the procedure irresistible to some.

In the last two years since Dr. Nicoleta Voian has directed genetic counseling and testing at Roswell Park, interest in testing has gone up slightly. About 10 new patients come in each week.

“The awareness about hereditary cancer syndrome is increasing,” she said.

The American Cancer Society estimates that this year, about 300,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. About 5 to 10 percent of all cases of the disease are thought to be hereditary, and the most common cause is the inherited mutation in the BRCA 1 and 2 genes, according to the society.

While the cancer society reports that new health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act are required to cover the costs of counseling and testing for breast cancer risk as the law takes effect, Dana Saylor is feeling impatient.

Saylor, a self-employed artist and historical researcher whose aunt and grandmother both died of breast cancer, can’t afford genetic testing.

“I do have to accept this reality that I may have this risk factor and there’s not a lot I can do about,” she said. “I try to live as well as I can and be as healthy as I can, and I don’t know if that will affect it, but I can always hope.”

Saylor, 34, posted Jolie’s story Tuesday morning on Facebook in an effort to continue the public conversation.

“It made me happy that someone high profile was talking about it and had the actual mastectomy,” said Saylor. “I’ve thought to myself what if I did get that genetic test what would I do?” she said. “I would almost definitely go through the same procedure.”

For Robin Lally, an assistant professor at the UB School of Nursing, testing and what to do with results is a complicated question. It shouldn’t be rushed.

“There isn’t a particular right answer to whether you have a bilateral mastectomy or not. It’s not the only answer,” said Lally, who has studied what women do with the information. “It shouldn’t be a rapidly made decision, made out of fear. Or because some celebrity does it.”

Rose Ann Ross had the test two years ago, a decade after surviving a bout with breast cancer. She had part of her left breast removed and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Her test came back positive for BRCA 2, but she has decided to hold off on surgery for now.

“It’s a hard decision to make,” said the 61-year-old Town of Tonawanda woman. Ross feels that having the radical surgery won’t guarantee she’ll never get cancer. She gets regular checkups with doctors who screen her for a variety of cancers, and if they do spot anything of concern, she said, “I certainly would do it.”

Cravey, an events planner for the American Cancer Society, has not had the genetic test but has made up her mind to have her breasts surgically removed. She feels having the genetic test will help justify – to the health insurance company and her father – what she feels certain she has to do.

She has been thinking of her daughter, Coral. Cravey wants to be around for things her own mother missed. For her, living without breasts is not a sacrifice.

“The sacrifice to me is not to be there when my daughter graduates from high school,” she said. “I’m completely confident in the person that I am, with or without a chest. To me, knowledge is power.”

Now she just wants to find a good doctor. She wants someone who will know how to cut away every last bit of tissue. “You’ve got to do your due diligence to make sure you get every single piece,” she said.Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy puts the spotlight on a tough medical choice

The surgery

Preventive double mastectomy, in which the skin covering the breasts is preserved and fillers are inserted to keep the skin elastic for reconstruction.

Why have the operation?

Jolie inherited a faulty version of the BRCA 1 gene. Doctors told her she had an 87 percent chance of getting breast cancer. She said the surgery reduced her risk to below 5 percent.

What is the risk factor?

Only a small percentage of women inherit BRCA, but women who have are about five times more likely than the average woman to get breast cancer.

SCREENING for BRCA

A genetic blood test can detect BRCA. The test can cost several thousand dollars, but 95% of patients have insurance that covers it. The average out-of-pocket cost is $100.

email: mkearns@buffnews.com ]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 09:38:54 -0400 Michelle Kearns
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Three new plans will go on sale in July in Western New York, bringing with them a significant shift in the way many patients here receive care as well as how doctors and hospitals provide it.

The new plans emphasize care coordination, disease management and wellness, performance measurement, and payment methods that reward physicians to control costs.

“It’s about the reinvigoration of primary care, a focus on coordination and communication and payment reform,” said Dr. Michael Cropp, chief executive officer of Independent Health.

For years, people have picked their health insurance based largely on which plan offered the broadest choices of doctors and hospitals.

Now, insurers, hospitals and doctors – historically antagonistic and separate groups – are banding together to offer health plans aimed at steering consumers toward insurance coverage with limited choices.

The lower-cost plans reflect a recognition that the health care system must reform itself as pressure builds to control skyrocketing expenses and improve quality.

The narrow networks resemble the controversial cost-cutting restrictions HMOs tried in the 1990s that consumers and doctors rejected.

But experts say there are big differences today, including an attempt to focus on quality and place an emphasis on primary care.

Also, the new plans give participants the choice to spend more for access to additional doctors and hospitals.

“You have choices about the care you want and how much you want to spend,” said Dee Bellanti, director of provider support at BlueCross BlueShield.

The new plans also differ from the past by putting physicians in charge of key decisions, said Dr. Thomas Rosenthal, chief medical officer of the Optimum Physician Alliance.

“It’s about providing the right care at the right place at the right time,” said Rosenthal, who is helping the effort by BlueCross BlueShield.

The new health plans incorporate “tiers” of coverage in which patients pay the lowest out-of-pocket costs, like deductibles and office visit co-payments, if they use a select group of doctors and hospitals.

But patients can choose to pay higher fees if they want to get care from any other medical providers.

Independent Health is rolling out two plans:

• Choice Plus is aimed at businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The plan comes from a partnership with the Catholic Health System, which includes Mercy, Kenmore Mercy and Sisters hospitals, as well as Catholic Medical Partners, the organization that represents the 900 physicians affiliated with Catholic Health.

• Prime Access is also aimed at employers with 50 or fewer workers, resulting from a partnership with the Primary Connection, a group of 180 primary care doctors, including all those in the Buffalo Medical Group. Members of Prime Access pay higher fees if they decline to fill out a health care appraisal with their main physician aimed at encouraging more communication between them.

BlueCross BlueShield is readying one product:

• Align is a health plan that comes from a partnership with the Kaleida Health hospital system and a recently formed group of 500 physicians called the Optimum Physician Alliance. The insurance plan is geared to businesses with fewer than 50 employees but will be offered to all companies.

Like the other plans, Align gives patients a choice: pay one set of fees to get care from Kaleida Health, the Optimum doctors and a select group of other facilities, such as Roswell Park Cancer Institute, or pay higher fees to seek treatment from any other doctor participating with BlueCross BlueShield.

Univera Healthcare is working on similar coverage but has yet to announce it.

The BlueCross BlueShield plan is expected to come with a premium 6 percent to 10 percent lower than current prices, while Independent Health estimates savings of 4 percent to 6 percent for its coverage, officials said.

Rosenthal said doctors must take the lead in moving toward a new model of care.

Primary care physicians include family physicians, internists, pediatricians and geriatricians. They usually are the first doctors patients turn to for regular checkups and sick visits.

Rosenthal, Cropp and others say the current health system needs to better coordinate the care of seriously ill patients, reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and trips to the emergency room, avoid duplicative tests, manage chronic diseases and prod patients to take a more active role in treatment decisions.

“We’ve been working with medical practices that we have identified as performing at a high level. They are getting things right,” Cropp said. “We want to expand the capacity of those practices and transfer their way of working to others.”



email: hdavis@buffnews.com ]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 15:24:33 -0400 Henry Davis
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“Horses act as a mirror, providing direct, observable feedback about the interplay of our behavior in relationship with others,” said Scholze, a Daemen College graduate. “In this way, horses can motivate clients to engage in healthy behaviors.”

Equine-assisted therapy is an experiential approach, she said, delivering for clients what they bring to the session. Clients learn about themselves through their participation.

Sessions may include standard activities with horses such as grooming, or activities similar in nature to ropes-course work. Learning with the horses can also include games, journaling and art.

Such therapy is an alternative for veterans dealing with trauma-related issues, Scholze said.

Spruce Meadow Farm, at 10333 Keller Road in Clarence, will host a “Horses for Heroes” program on Friday, offering veterans past and present, law enforcement officers, firefighters and other first responders and their families a day of relaxation, horseback rides, music, food and other activities, free of charge. For more information, call 560-0845.

“The horse is the buffer, which allows individuals who are participating in the therapy activities to work through the animal, and not have to bare their soul while sitting in a therapist’s office,” Scholze said. “The horse’s response to the client can provide valuable insight into the client’s behavior, emotions and approach. By understanding how her behavior affects her horse, a client can begin to see how her behavior affects others.” ]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 17:45:58 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130511/REFRESH/130519879/1063
Randall Thompson at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and colleagues analyzed CAT scans of 137 mummies from ancient Egypt, Peru, Utah and the Aleutian Islands in the north Pacific Ocean. The mummies represent human populations dating from 3,000 B.C. to the 20th century.

A significant cross-section of mummies, from all cultures and time frames, had calcified plaque in artery walls – most frequently the aorta but also in the neck’s carotid artery – hinting at atherosclerosis, a major cause of heart attacks.As thin as a human hair and with a resolution four times that of similar devices, the world’s slimmest endoscope could soon visualize the parts other scopes cannot reach.

Endoscopes are used to look inside the body, and usually consist of a bundle of fibers that transmit light and images. Joseph Kahn at Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., and colleagues have created one out of just a single optical fiber. Usually, single fibers scramble the light signal, so the team developed an algorithm to reconstruct images.

Currently, the prototype can show objects 2.5 micrometers in size – a third of the diameter of a red blood cell – but the team believes it will be able to improve the resolution to 0.3 micrometers.

The endoscope could be used to observe brain activity in minute detail or to detect cancer cells, according to Optics Express.

“Just as the telecoms industry has devised ways to squeeze more information content through optical fibers, this team has done the same for medical endoscopy,” said Stephen Boppart of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.In today’s busy world, it can be difficult for many families to find time to relax and reconnect with one another. Having a child with autism can make that even more difficult, yet in many ways even more essential.

The “One Piece at a Time Retreat,” Aug. 23-25, at Dunkirk Camp & Conference Center, is designed to bring such families closer.

The weekend retreat is for children up to age 12 who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. Parents will have the opportunity to learn some strategies and activities that will help them better understand their child and work with them when they return home. Staff will take care of the cooking and activities. Cost is $100 for adults and $50 for children; to register, visit dunkirkcc.com.

– News staff and wire services ]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 17:43:47 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130511/REFRESH/130519901/1063
News STAFF Reporter

Fitness guru Denise Austin was in Williamsville this week, signing copies of her new book, “Side Effect: Skinny,” and unveiling a new line of Forever Fit fitness equipment being sold at Rite Aid stores.

The 56-year-old fitness instructor has had two long-running television exercise programs and has released more than 30 exercise DVDs. Here, she shares her methods.

So, you have ties to Buffalo?

Yes, well, my mom was born and raised in Lockport so I have tons of cousins here. My mom’s sister is here. I had dinner with them last night. They’re all from Lockport and everyone’s still there.

What does it mean to eat right?

It’s just about eating smart. It’s about eating the right foods like fruits and vegetables and good whole grains, lean protein.

But I’m a true believer in having a good diet most of the time, like 80 percent of the time, and then having your treats, too. So that’s what my new book is all about. You eat really well for at least Monday through Friday but then you can splurge a little bit on the weekends. Because that’s what you look forward to. And that’s how I’ve been eating my whole life.

There have been so many workout fads. Which workout do you like best?

I like the mixing and matching of different workouts.

In the course of a week, why not mix up the cardio? Maybe one day you’ll go walking and one day you’ll go kickboxing. And then mix up your toning, too. Some days do Pilates, yoga, light weights.

That’s how I have kept my body in shape all these years and without injury, thank God. I really have done a little of everything. I think it keeps you motivated.

How do you get rid of belly fat?

Honestly, it’s a three-pronged attack. You gotta do three things to really get it. So, you’ve gotta do cardio to burn fat for the whole body. Then you gotta eat right, because less calories is how you’re gonna lose weight. Then you gotta zero in on the muscle there to really tone and target it so you really firm it up. It really makes a difference.

How do you lose the last stubborn 10 pounds?

Walk. Walk everywhere. Get out there. Get a pedometer. It’s a piece of equipment that can give you a challenge. You can say, ‘Gosh, I only did 5,000 steps today,’ and you’re supposed to do 10,000 a day. It’s beautiful out. And honestly, walking is the best kind of fitness. Couple it with some weights and you’re on your way.

What about people who say they have no time to work out?

Oh, I’ll tell them! I exercise even at the office. I have Pilates bands that I use in my office and I stretch and tone my arms while I’m at the desk. I use a balance ball to sit on in my office. A minute here and a minute there. Toning can be stretched out throughout the day but not cardio, you have to do 20 minutes straight. That’s why walking is so good.

What about parents who want to get their kids more fit?

Just actually encourage them by showing them that you are doing it, too. What I like to do with my two kids is I get out there and do stuff with them. You know, like play in the backyard, play tennis and go on bike rides together. Really do it as a family. It encourages them.

Fast food is everywhere. What do you tell parents who want their kids to eat better?

As long as they’re getting some fruits and veggies in there, that’s the key. Make sure they’re getting at least five fruits and vegetables every day.



email schristmann@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 15:58:04 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130510/REFRESH/130519874/1063
You’d think Andrea Alessi would have a leg up on other mothers when it comes to bouncing back into shape after having a baby.

After all, her husband, Derek, is one of the most respected health and fitness experts in Western New York.

But 11 months after the couple’s third child was born, she still sounds like a lot of other moms about to celebrate the latest Mother’s Day with a new addition to the family.

“All I’ve been hearing is, ‘How do I get my pre-baby body back?,’ ” Derek Alessi said this week.

It’s good that lots of hugs, kisses and coos come with motherhood. How else could moms get through the shifting hormones, weight challenges and loss of sleep? The new duties, time demands and well-meaning advisers?

“It’s a big change. It’s exciting, but it’s change, and things won’t be exactly the same as they were,” said Dr. Anne Curtis, chairwoman of the Department of Medicine at the University at Buffalo. “Life will be different, but it will be good different, and you’ve just got to make the right adjustments.”

How can new moms balance health, nutrition, fitness and family responsibilities?

1. Have the right perspective. “In the early stages, you feel like there’s so many things you should be doing better,” said Jo Freudenheim, mother of two and chairwoman of the UB Department of Social and Preventive Medicine. “It can be a very stressful time,” and there is a learning curve. See this as a time to grow as a person, as well as a mom, and don’t set a standard of perfection. Depression can be a part of postpartum life, and can have a lot to do with hormonal changes, Freudenheim said. Don’t be afraid to seek professional help for a time if you need it.

2. Ease into better shape. “When you are pregnant, there’s that whole maternal, mom feeling,” Curtis said. “Then you give birth and you just look overweight.”

Curtis, a cardiologist, is an empty nester now, with three adult children, but remembers having to stop her 3-mile runs late in each of her pregnancies – and how hard it was getting back into shape. Andrea Alessi thought a third child would be easier, too, but said she discovered you have to ease into better fitness. “The danger,” said Curtis, “is not ever getting back into a routine.” She started by jogging a few times a week for a few minutes, then walking, gradually jogging more and walking less, then running more and jogging less. “I didn’t have overblown expectations in terms of what I was going to do,” she said.

3. Take care of yourself. “New parents are always enormously sleep-deprived,” Freudenheim said. “Whatever you can do to make sleep a priority is good.”

Andrea Alessi was on a rigid schedule when her first child was born four and a half years ago. “It all fell to pieces, and I was a wreck,” she recalled. “You get used to a certain routine and I had to let it go. The laundry will get done. We will eat, even if we order out. The house will get clean. It’s not going to be a disaster forever.”

Expect to visit the pediatrician often after a new child is born but also to visit your obstetrician at least once, Curtis said. If you are obese, the chances of high blood pressure and diabetes rise, so it’s important to try to return to a better weight. Breast exams, Pap smears, blood-pressure checks and cholesterol screenings are all important.

4. Eat and drink healthy. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins is important whether you’ve just had a baby or not, Freudenheim said. Drink alcohol rarely, in small quantities, because it can be passed to a child in breast milk. And smoking, both before and after pregnancy, is harmful to mother and child. New moms need to stay well-hydrated because it will help return to pre-pregnancy metoblism, Derek Alessi said.

5. Relationships will change. As a mom, you’re not going to be as available to your friends, at least not as often or in the same way. “Women need the time to figure out the right balance, because having a baby does change things,” Curtis said. “What was very helpful to me” added Freudenheim, “is there were a lot of other moms in my workplace, so we would trade a lot of information.” For all moms, a relatively new support group can be found at meetup.com/Buffalo-Mothers-Group.



email: refresh@buffnews.com

On the Web: See a key pointer for moms who adopt a child today in the new Refresh Buffalo blog at buffalonews.com

Related: How you can support new moms; Derek Alessi talks more about fitness and nutrition for new moms, Page 10 ]]> Sat, 11 May 2013 15:28:50 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130510/REFRESH/130519892/1063
New moms don’t go from being who they were to a being a mom only.

“You want to add that on to who you are,” said Dr. Anne Curtis, chairwoman of the Department of Medicine at the University at Buffalo.

“But women also want to think they can do it all, especially a brand-new mom,” Curtis added. “You want to be Super Mom. I think it can be a danger when you say, ‘Nobody else can do it as well as I can.’”

New moms need to remember that they’re going to need help from dads, as well as family and friends.

Here are some things folks can think about giving you on Mother’s Day and beyond:

• “I remember thinking I didn’t need any gifts,” said Jo Freudenheim, chairwoman of the UB Department of Social and Preventive Medicine. “I just wanted my husband to give me a day off or somebody to give me an hour. I had a friend who baby-sat for my first daughter when my daughter was about 4 or 6 weeks old for few hours, and my husband and I went to a movie. It was really wonderful.”

• Dads have a key role, including helping moms grab sleep. Once a mom gets six hours every day, that’s good, Curtis said, but that can take a couple of months. Moms should be able to expect dad to take a feeding shift, even if it means her pumping breast milk for a bottle. Dad also can help change diapers and prepare meals.

• Another important dad role: “Making sure mom knows that she still is beautiful: ‘You’re not just mom but the woman I married; you’re still attractive and I want to be with you.’ Reinforce that part,” Curtis said.

• Other family members need to remember this: “The mother has less time for doing things,” Curtis said, “and probably would appreciate that [help] a whole lot more than everybody saying, ‘It’s my turn to hold the baby.’ The important thing is mom’s there to bond with the baby. What I think family and friends can do that’s most helpful is the other stuff: bring over a casserole, pick up groceries, clean.”

• Employers need to be flexible. The early weeks after delivery are important to take off, if moms can, “partly because your body’s recovering,” Curtis said, “and partly because if you have a baby who doesn’t let you sleep, how are you supposed to be able to work like that?” The Family and Medical Leave Act requires employers to give you 12 weeks of unpaid time, and some companies allow a mix of paid vacation and sick time. Employers should understand that new moms will need time off for pediatric visits and may be sleep-deprived for the first few months. They also may need time, and a quiet space, to pump breast milk. New moms also may ask to ease back into work part time. ]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 16:03:19 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130508/CITYANDREGION/130509293/1063
But a Buffalo News analysis found a wide disparity in what hospitals throughout Western New York charge for these and the other most common medical problems.

The findings are based on a review of data released by the office that oversees the Medicare program, offering the public a first look into the cost of health care in this country.

“The price of health care services is complicated and opaque. This information only shows how crazy it is,” said Dr. David Goodman, director of the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, who added, “We should know what we’re paying for health care.”

The Buffalo region’s hospitals as a group rank near the bottom in the average charge for the five most frequently diagnosed health problems, including joint-replacement surgery and treatment of sepsis and similar blood infections.

Out of the 306 regions of the country, this region ranked 298th in the average charge for the treatment of heart failure, 301st in the charge for treating sepsis and 305th in the charge for joint replacement.

The $23,300 average charge for joint-replacement surgery at Buffalo-area hospitals is less than half the $52,062 national average charge for the procedure and less than one-quarter of the San Jose regional average charge of $111,891.

In this area, however, the charge for joint-replacement surgery ranged from $37,230 at Kaleida Health’s hospitals to $14,788 at Medina Memorial Hospital. And the charge to care for heart failure and shock ranged from $28,856 at Kenmore Mercy Hospital to $9,075 at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital in Springville.

“There should be a relationship between the actual charge for the service and the reimbursement the hospital receives,” said Jim Dunlop, chief financial officer for the Catholic Health System.

The reasons for the disparity in what hospitals charge for the same procedure are complicated, and the charges don’t reflect what Medicare, private health plans or patients pay for this care.

Still, the release of this data is an attempt to bring more transparency to the issue of how much we pay for health care – a crucial initial step in the ongoing campaign to rein in costs.

“Secrecy invites mischief,” said Bruce Boissonnault, CEO of the Niagara Health Quality Coalition.

The data from 2011 covers more than 3,000 medical centers across the country, including 14 hospitals and one hospital group – Kaleida – in this area. Kaleida’s data was drawn from Buffalo General, the former Millard Fillmore Gates Circle, Millard Fillmore Suburban and DeGraff Memorial hospitals.

The data reveals how often each hospital performed any of the 100 most common inpatient services, the average charge to treat each problem and how much Medicare – the federal health-insurance program for the elderly – reimbursed the hospital for each procedure.

These are facility charges and do not include fees paid to surgeons, anesthesiologists and other doctors who cared for the patient.

“This is the opening bid in the hospital’s attempt to get as much money as possible out of you,” Chapin White, of the nonprofit Center for Studying Health System Change, told the Associated Press.

A Buffalo News examination of the Medicare data found:

• Among the 14 conditions treated most frequently at area medical centers, the Kaleida hospitals charged the highest, or second-highest, average rate to Medicare for nine of the procedures.

• Erie County Medical Center charged the highest average rate for seven of the procedures.

• Medina Memorial Hospital charged the lowest rate for nine of the 14 procedures and the second-lowest rate for two other procedures.

Similar disparities exist among hospitals across the country, and health care professionals say there is little explanation for the wide-ranging charges.

“It’s completely opaque,” said Kristina M. Young, an instructor in the University at Buffalo’s Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, who studies health care delivery.

“In the health care market, the seller is in control of all of the information,” she added.

Experts and hospital administrators say the variation in charges can be driven by differences in the length of stay in the hospitals, whether a patient stayed in an intensive care unit, the medications prescribed or the brand of artificial hip inserted during the surgery.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into charges,” said Mike Sammarco, ECMC’s chief financial officer, who noted the extra cost of operating a regional trauma center.

The different charges also reflect each hospital’s overhead and any markup applied on top of the actual cost for the procedure.

“Many of the patients that are cared for in the Kaleida Health system are very complex,” Michael P. Hughes, a Kaleida Health spokesman, said in an email.

“In addition, the mission of our teaching program does contribute to higher cost of service as we work to educate and train the physicians needed now and into the future,”

The Medicare data also serves as a barometer of health care costs among different regions of the country, and the analysis by The News shows that hospital charges in this region are among the lowest in the United States.

Experts in the delivery of health care warn that the varying charges don’t reflect differences in quality of care and that patients shouldn’t assume that a hip-replacement surgery that carries a charge of $35,000 will lead to better outcomes than the same procedure that carries a $15,000 charge.

“There is no correlation with quality,” said Dr. Thomas Foels, Independent Health’s chief medical officer.

And these charges don’t relate to what Medicare reimburses the hospitals for these procedures.

For example, Kaleida’s hospitals charge $37,230 to replace a joint but receive just $16,040 from Medicare in reimbursement.

At the other end, Medina Memorial charges $14,788 and receives $13,269 in reimbursement.

Medicare has a standard reimbursement rate for each procedure, based on a number of factors that can include whether a hospital carries the additional expense of being a teaching hospital.

Health insurance plans such as BlueCross BlueShield, Independent Health and Univera Healthcare negotiate their own reimbursement rates with hospitals and hospital networks.

Patients who have good health insurance typically don’t see the hospital charges, or even the reimbursement rates. The patients who are most vulnerable to paying the full charge are the uninsured and underinsured.

But hospital administrators here say they take pains to limit the fees passed along to those who don’t have health insurance.

United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, for example, automatically reduces its procedure charges by 50 percent for the uninsured, and the hospital further reduces fees for those who qualify.

“We know our charges are higher, that’s why we discount our self-pay patients,” said Gregory Horr, United Memorial’s comptroller.



Cost disparities

Major joint replacement

or reattachment of lower extremity

Average Rank /Region charge

1. San Jose, Calif.: $111,891

2. San Mateo County, Calif: $109,466

3. Alameda County, Calif: $101,933

U.S. average $52,062

304. Baltimore:$24,134

305. Buffalo: $23,300

306. Takoma Park, Md. $22,978



Same procedure, different bill

National survey finds wide variation in charges among hospitals

Septicemia or severe sepsis

Rank Region Average charge

1. Santa Cruz, Calif. $154,303

2. Contra Costa County, Calf. $124,596

3. New Brunswick, N.J. $106,575

4. San Mateo County, Calif. $106,292

5. Modesto, Calif. $100,616

U.S. Average $45,935

300. Baltimore $20,796

301. Buffalo $20,726

302. Winchester, Va. $18,911

303. Rochester $18,484

304. Altoona, Pa. $18,396

305. St. Joseph, Mich. $17,159

306. Appleton, Wis. $16,683



Major joint replacement or reattachment of lower extremity

Average Hospital City Cases charge

Kaleida Health Buffalo 479 $37,230

United Memorial Medical Center Batavia 46 $31,655

Erie County Medical Center Buffalo 83 $27,731

Olean General Hospital Olean 49 $27,564

Mount St. Mary’s Hospital And Health Center Lewiston 61 $24,491

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Niagara Falls 14 $23,266

Sisters Hospital Buffalo 138 $22,643

Kenmore Mercy Hospital Tonawanda 204 $20,987

Mercy Hospital Buffalo 53 $20,775

TLC Health Network Gowanda 31 $17,756

Brooks Memorial Hospital Dunkirk 47 $17,027

Eastern Niagara Hospital Lockport 18 $16,991

Medina Memorial Hospital Medina 13 $14,788

Source: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services email: swatson@buffnews.com ]]> Thu, 9 May 2013 06:26:27 -0400 Stephen Watson
]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130507/CITYANDREGION/130509397/1063
Six hospitals here received C grades, and one got a B in the Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety Score. Half of the hospitals in this region that were graded this year did one letter grade worse than in last year’s report card from the group.

Kaleida Health’s hospitals – Buffalo General, Millard Fillmore, Millard Fillmore Suburban and DeGraff Memorial – received D grades. But it’s difficult to draw conclusions.

Kaleida Health was graded as one entity, but the same grade was applied to all the facilities as if they all performed the same on every measure. In addition, the hospital on Gates Circle was permanently closed last year and its staff transferred to facilities on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in a long-planned move to consolidate services.

The hospitals and their Leapfrog grades are:

•Kenmore Mercy: B

•Brooks Memorial, Dunkirk: C

•Mercy: C

•Sisters: C

•Olean General: C

•Erie County Medical Center: C

•Mount St. Mary’s, Lewiston: C

•United Memorial, Batavia: D

•Buffalo General: D

•Millard Fillmore: D

•Millard Fillmore Suburban: D

•DeGraff Memorial, North Tonawanda: D

•Medina Memorial: D

The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit national patient safety organization based in Washington, D.C., creates its grades by examining hospitals on 26 measures such as rates of bedsores, hospital-acquired infections, intensive-care unit staffing and adherence to hand hygiene.

In this report card, the group graded more than 2,500 general hospitals nationwide, including about half of the facilities in Western New York. The scores are available online at hospitalsafetyscore.org .

“We found incremental progress, but hospitals have a long way to go,” said Leah Binder, president and chief executive officer of the group.

The preliminary information released Tuesday did not make it clear which issues led to Kaleida Health’s D grade, but one area in which it rates worse than the national average is in deaths from serious treatable complications after surgery, according to federal data.

Michael P. Hughes, vice president and chief marketing officer for Kaleida Health, said Kaleida does not participate in the Leapfrog database, “so our quality of care is not accurately reflected in this report.”

Hughes listed several other quality awards won by Kaleida, including the Society of Thoracic Surgery’s top rating in heart surgery, and similar awards from the American Heart Association, the Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care and the Consumer Choice Award from the National Research Corporation.

“Our services and hospitals win national quality awards every year,” Hughes said. “While we recognize that we have had challenges in the past, we continue to improve our clinical outcomes. Kaleida Health is the area’s provider of choice when it comes to numerous services, including cardiac care, stroke, vascular, pediatrics, orthopedics and more.”

Of the 2,514 general hospitals issued a grade in the Leapfrog Group report, 780 earned an A, 638 earned a B, 932 earned a C, 148 earned a D, and 16 earned an F.

Leapfrog bases the grades on data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which posts publicly available measures on hospitals at its Hospital Compare website at www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare. It also surveys those hospitals that voluntarily agree to participate and relies on information from an American Hospital Association survey. The report card excludes some facilities, such as mental health facilities, Veterans Affairs hospitals and free-standing children’s hospitals, said Missy Danforth, senior director of hospital ratings at the group.

Most of the data comes from 2012, officials said.

About half of the safety score is based on how well a hospital does on errors, accidents and injuries to patients that can be measured, including having foreign objects left in bodies after surgery, deaths from serious treatable complications after surgery and collapsed lungs due to medical treatment.

The other half of the score is based on how well hospitals follow procedures to prevent problems, such as using computerized systems to order medications, or whether the hospital’s administration is structured in a way to foster a culture that focuses on patient safety.

Several of the criticisms of the Leapfrog grading method are that it relies on voluntary sources of data and it mixes issues that can be quantifiably measured with those that may not necessarily result in a better grade.

“We have serious concerns about the grades,” said Melissa Mansfield, spokeswoman for the Healthcare Association of New York, which represents many hospitals in the state. “It’s an incomplete snapshot, and many hospitals have made improvements since they were surveyed.”

Nonetheless, experts in quality measurement say the report card is useful.

“The Leapfrog Group’s role, like our role, is to provide consumers with information about quality and hospitals with information they can use to make improvements,” said Bruce Boissonnault, president of the Niagara Health Quality Coalition, which also publishes an annual hospital report card.



email: hdavis@buffnews.com ]]> Wed, 8 May 2013 16:13:42 -0400 Henry Davis
]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130507/CITYANDREGION/130509388/1063
Philip L. Haberstro, the longtime director of the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo & Western New York, sat down with The Buffalo News’ Brian Meyer to talk about efforts to promote healthy lifestyles. Here is a summary of the interview, which is part of the weekly “In Focus” series.

Meyer: Your mantra at the institute is “creating healthy communities.” Yet we’re seeing Americans grow more obese than ever before. We’re seeing some studies [point to] troubling trends. Do you ever feel like maybe you’re in the wrong business?

Haberstro: Not really, because while we recognize ... that physical inactivity has become an issue, if you remember years back ... I was very involved with the anti-tobacco movement. You can go back all the way to 1964, and at that time, one in two adults in America were smokers. Today, it’s one in five. So we have changed the culture in America in that direction, and I anticipate we’re going to be able to do the same thing [with fitness]. ...

Meyer: I alluded to some studies. There was one published last November in Men’s Health. It put Buffalo near the bottom as it related to heart health ...

Haberstro: There’s some evidence, certainly, that we’re not as healthy as a community. But as you know, you’re sitting with a guy who is a member of the Buffalo All America City Committee. And we have proven in the past that when we come together as a community, we can address these issues. A lot of good things are happening. If you just take a ride (or walk) in South Buffalo, or even here in downtown, you’re beginning to see more bike lanes. ... We are making some of those environmental changes that will allow us to be more physically active. ... The number of farmers’ markets ... We’re getting people to be more conscious about eating better. ... It doesn’t happen overnight. We didn’t get overweight and inactive overnight. And some of those factors go beyond us. They’re societal factors.

When I speak to the public and I ask them, “Did you walk to school when you were a child?” Most adults did. Today it’s different. So we’ve come up with antidotes. We’ve got the Walk Our Children to School Day, which is in the month of May. We work with the City of Buffalo on the district wellness policy. [It’s] very important that we get the young people out of the schools and into a healthy lifestyle. Another place where there has been good success in Buffalo and Western New York is workplace health promotion. We’ll be over with the healthiest employers initiative at the convention center in the middle of the month ...

Meyer: Let’s talk about legislating wellness. A big controversy in New York City – a plan that would basically raise the legal age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21. Good or bad idea?

Haberstro: There’s two sides to that coin, as you know, in all of these things. I mean if a young person is [old] enough to go to war for our nation, it’s always the classic argument you hear. On the other side of the fence, we don’t want to be in a society that promulgates ill health. So [it’s] a balance between personal responsibility and societal elements, and a lot of times the societal piece comes through public policy. ]]> Wed, 8 May 2013 06:19:48 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130504/REFRESH/130509681/1063
“We started researching these varieties several years ago when our staff started receiving inquiries from mothers-to-be asking if we had certain vegetables that were better suited for use as baby food,” said George Ball, chairman of W. Atlee Burpee & Co. “We will be offering high-yielding varieties of relatively bland tasting but uniquely soft-fruited vegetables such as peas, squash, carrots and broccoli, with no trade-off in nutritional value.

Burpee also has developed several varieties of kale and other vegetables that are high in lutein and zeaxanthin, after receiving queries from home gardeners asking for recommendations on what to grow for people with age-related macular degeneration. Varieties available for the season can be found online at www.burpee.com.The 21st annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara County Charity Golf Tournament will be held May 20 at Brookfield Country Club in Clarence. Kevin Sylvester, radio host for the Buffalo Sabres broadcast team, will serve as honorary chairman.

Registration starts at 10 a.m.; the format is four-person scramble with a shotgun start at 11. The evening features both silent and live auctions, followed by an awards banquet. Cost is $225 and includes a gift bag, coffee, lunch, golf cart, greens fee, beverages on the course, reception, awards banquet, door prize and banquet favor. For more information or to register, call 285-6680 or visit bbbsniagaracounty.org.Our breath may be unique, just like our fingerprints. Compounds in exhaled air produce a molecular signature or “breathprint,” one that could be used to monitor disease or track how we respond to medication.

Renato Zenobi at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and his colleagues, using mass spectrometry, identified minuscule amounts of metabolites in the breath that remained “constant and clear” for people studied several times a day over nine days. Early results from another study by the team show breathprints can be used to diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

— News staff and wire services ]]> Fri, 3 May 2013 18:14:57 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130503/REFRESH/130509689/1063
But when it comes to balanced eating, “Dr. Kelly,” as she liked to be called, preaches – and practices – in a similar way as her professional peers.

Q. What are the staples of your balanced diet?

A. One of the things I take out of my diet, or keep on a very limited basis, are grains. A lot of the grains now are genetically modified, not a whole lot nutrient dense in value. I focus more on whole foods such as the fruits and the vegetables, protein – meat, fish, dairy.

Q. What are your favorite whole foods?

A. Dark green, leafy vegetables. Love my salads. For dressings, I use olive oil strictly from Prima Oliva. They’re in Hamburg. They come straight from Italy and they’re cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. They’re all infused, as well.

Q. Anything within the salad that you really enjoy?

A. I’ll throw in cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms. I balance it out with either crumbled blue cheese, feta cheese, kalamata olives and maybe some crushed walnuts.

Q. When you have aches and pains, do you add anything to your diet to address them?

A. I really don’t because of the diet that I do maintain. But if I do have something, or an injury, I’m not going to allow myself to have anything that has wheat or flour in it or anything that is inflammatory. All the foods that I choose are anti-inflammatory, so the things I’d choose would be cayenne pepper, boswellia [an Indian spice], watermelon, parsley for a diuretic.

Q. Food you can’t resist?

A. I’ve been eating this way for close to 15 years, so I’ve conditioned myself to the point where I know how food affects me, so I choose a food based on how I want to feel, not on how it tastes. You know, most people are eating sweets because they know it would taste so good, but I look at it as I don’t want to feel awful after I eat it and suffer those health consequences. I’d rather eat food that’s going to be invigorating and give me my vibrant health and my energy, keep me alert and help me to eat well and function well.

Q. What are some of the foods you eat to make you feel good?

A. For example, for my breakfast [today], I took a quarter-cup of pecans, a quarter-cup of almonds, some Saigon cinnamon, put ‘em in the Bullet, ground ‘em up, take some frozen berries, a little bit of vanilla, a little bit of milk and put them together after the berries were all warmed up and that was my cereal. It was a well-balanced protein, fat, low-carb-meal.

– Scott Scanlon ]]> Fri, 3 May 2013 23:49:28 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130503/REFRESH/130509680/1063
Tribune Media Services

Dear Mayo Clinic: What causes Achilles tendinitis? Are there things I can do at home to help it heal more quickly?

A: Although Achilles tendinitis is often associated with an increase in sports activity, any increase in stress on the tendon can trigger symptoms. Most of the time it can be treated with relatively simple, at-home care under your doctor’s supervision. Tailoring your treatment to the cause of the problem is important in treating an Achilles tendon problem.

Your Achilles tendon is a large, tough band of tissue connecting the muscles in the back of your lower leg to your heel bone. It’s used anytime you walk, run, jump or push up on your toes.

Achilles tendinitis typically isn’t related to a specific injury. Instead, it results from repetitive stress to the tendon, usually in conjunction with an increase in activity or a repeated activity that’s more intense than the body is prepared to handle.

Early on, Achilles tendinitis may feel like a mild ache or pain at the back of the heel or an inch or two higher up the Achilles tendon. There may be more tenderness and stiffness after inactivity – such as in the morning – and the pain may be sharper after an aggravating activity.

If you feel a snap or the sensation you’ve been hit or shot in the Achilles tendon, it’s more likely an Achilles tendon rupture.

If you have Achilles tendon pain, be sure to first talk with your doctor to rule out other problems. If you’re diagnosed with tendinitis in its early stages, the following self-care measures may resolve the problem:



1. Activity modification – Avoid exercise or activity that strains or irritates the tendon, such as running, jumping or prolonged hill walking. Turn to nonaggravating, low-impact exercises, such as swimming, bicycling and resistance training.



2. Ice massage – This can help decrease pain or swelling. Freeze water in a small paper cup and peel away the rim to expose the ice. Rub the exposed ice on the tendon for about five to 10 minutes three to five times a day, including after exercise.



3. Pain-relieving medications – Nonprescription pain relievers can help with pain or discomfort. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) may help reduce inflammation, but they haven’t been shown to lead to quicker healing than other options such as acetaminophen (Tylenol).

4. Light stretching and strengthening – Once the irritation starts to diminish, calf stretching and toe raises can be gradually implemented in a way that doesn’t irritate the tendon.



5. Footwear adjustments – Worn-out or inappropriate shoes can be a contributing factor to Achilles tendinitis. Getting better shoes may help. If heel lifts are used, they should be used only temporarily, as they may cause shortening of the Achilles tendon.

Achilles tendon problems can get worse if not treated, and sometimes the pain persists despite appropriate self-care. After the initial inflammatory phase (tendinitis), the tendon may undergo changes (tendinosis) instead of healing. Over weeks or months, the tendon may develop microtears and swelling, frequently resulting in a tender, visible nodule where the tendon is thickened. Weakened tendon tissues are at increased risk of partial tearing or complete rupture.

Self-treatment strategies can be helpful, but they may not be enough to promote healing. A special type of strengthening called eccentric strength training can help reverse Achilles degeneration. Eccentric strengthening of the Achilles involves doing a toe raise with a very slow letdown back to the ground. Perform this exercise in consultation with your doctor and under the guidance of a physical therapist. It’s important to make sure you’re doing the exercise correctly and not causing harm. ]]> Fri, 3 May 2013 23:43:51 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130503/REFRESH/130509682/1063
One Special Place is Hospice Buffalo’s first dedicated unit within a long-term care facility and the only such unit in Erie County.

“Hospice Buffalo and Delaware Nursing and Rehabilitation Center share a common vision of two organizations corroboratively providing a more comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of individuals and families,” Delaware administrator Randy Gerlach said in a news release. “One Special Place offers a setting for individuals who choose a path other than aggressive treatment for their end of life care. Together with Hospice Buffalo, we want to empower individuals to make decisions regarding their course of treatment as it relates to their terminal illness. One Special Place allows these individuals to achieve the highest functional level within their terminal diagnosis consistent with their wishes.”

The new wing on the third floor consists of private and semiprivate rooms uniquely designed to reflect a nurturing, homelike environment for both patients and their families to enjoy.

Hospice Buffalo provides medical care and emotional and spiritual support to individuals with serious illness and their families throughout Erie County. More than 700 patients are cared for in homes, hospitals, inpatient units, assisted living and long-term care facilities.

Delaware Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is a 200-bed skilled nursing facility. ]]> Fri, 3 May 2013 23:43:14 -0400 http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130503/REFRESH/130509683/1063
Daily projects will be led by local artists and art educators. The summer camp curriculum includes bookmaking, letterpress printing, screenprinting, paper crafts and more. Campers will have the opportunity to work with the center’s collection of antique and vintage letterpress equipment, learn to make their own books, and have fun experimenting with hands-on book-arts themed projects.

This camp is tailored for children ages 8 to 12 and is $150 per child for members of the center and $200 per child for nonmembers. Register at www.wnybookarts.org/events.An artificial ovary could make hormone replacement therapy a thing of the past.

Women with damaged ovaries or who are post-menopausal don’t produce sex hormones, which can lead to osteoporosis. Daily HRT helps but can have side effects.

Emmanuel Opara, at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C., and colleagues placed two types of hormone-producing cells from rat ovaries inside an algal capsule, then exposed it to chemicals from the pituitary gland that stimulate hormone production. The cells made sex hormones in the same proportions as healthy ovaries.

The hormone capsule would react more dynamically than HRT with fewer side effects, the team says.

— News staff and wire services ]]> Fri, 3 May 2013 23:43:06 -0400