healthy living summer 2010

ON THE MOVEWalk or run your way to health

Summer 2010

RX FOR LIFE

Travelers could need vacation vaccinations

FOOD FOR THOUGHTWell-oiled: Tips for reducing the fat from frying

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By Diane WagnerStaff [email protected]

When vacationing abroad this year, make sure you don’t bring home a case of yellow fever as a souvenir.

The disease is epidemic in some sub-Saharan African countries and tropical South America, and a vaccination is required before travelers may enter those countries.

Currently, a yellow fever shot is the only one required for in-ternational travel, but depend-ing on where you’re going, there are others considered to be a smart preventative move. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recom-mends you ensure your routine vaccinations are up to date.

The best way to prepare is to sit down with your family physician and discuss your trip, including the specific dis-eases you could be exposed to in foreign climes.

“People should do that well in advance of their departure

date,” said Floyd Medical Cen-ter spokesman Bill Fortenber-ry. “Some common vaccines are readily available, or easily obtained. Others have to be special-ordered and could re-quire a specially trained physi-cian to administer.”

Dr. John Hostetler at the Harbin Clinic is the only local physician specializing in trav-el and tropical medicine. Cli-ents are seen by appointment only and the suggested lead-time is four to six weeks be-fore the trip.

RX For Life

Travelers could need vacation

vaccinationsAlso, make sure health care insurance covers

medical care, evacuation when traveling abroad

Continued on next page

File, Ryan Smith / RN-T

USEFUL WEB LINKS

Centers for Disease Control for international health concerns — www.cdc.gov

Health policy comparison website — squaremouth.com

U.S. State Department — travel.state.gov

H1N1 vaccinations are still available at the Floyd County Health Department. Call to make an appointment.

2 SUNDAY, May 30, 2010 • Rome News-Tribune

The travel clinic offers a range of services — including an interview to address indi-vidual needs such as pregnancy, allergies or high-altitude climbing, and information on how to avoid diseases common to your destination.

If you don’t have a primary care physi-cian, Redmond Regional Medical Center’s West Rome Family Care Center on Shorter Avenue usually can take walk-ins, spokes-woman Lisa Brown said.

“Just make sure you go in plenty of time. Some medicines, like malaria pills, need a couple doses before they get going in your system,” she said. “And keep your doc-tor apprised of your itinerary, especially if it’s some place like Africa where there may be a lot of health threats.”

The CDC lists potential health threats by country on its website at www.cdc.gov and the U.S. State Department, at travel.state.gov, also provides a host of other alerts and tips for vacationers abroad.

Because of the prevalence of the H1N1 swine flu virus in the United States, some foreign countries, including China and Japan, are screening arriving travel-ers for symptoms. Avian influenza (H5N1 bird flu) and seasonal flu also are con-cerns in many European countries.

Diseases rare in the U.S. but common in some other — mostly developing — coun-tries include polio, meningitis, measles, mosquito-borne illnesses and rabies.

Some health care policies do not cov-er overseas treatments and many will not pay for medical evacuations, which could cost thousands of dollars.

The State Department recommends you check with your provider — and buy trip coverage if necessary. A policy comparison at the website square-mouth.com shows temporary emergency medical policies avail-able for as little as $30.

RX FOR LIFE: From previous page

sxc.hu Rome News-Tribune • SUNDAY, May 30, 2010 3

By Daniel BellStaff [email protected]

Jake was a bright and talk-ative 7-year-old with curly red hair and matching freckles. He was interested in all things creepy-crawly and could list favorite types of beetles al-phabetically.

The problem was, some-times, maybe after counting off the rainbow scarab but be-fore listing the six-spotted green tiger beetle, Jake would stop, dropping his hands by his side, seemingly forgetting what it was he was doing. This happened enough that his parents, Anita and Chuck, started to notice.

Also, Jake wasn’t doing so well in school. Despite his al-most limitless energy, Jake never seemed to finish his homework on time, some-times forgetting he had homework at all. In class, his attention drifted and he sometimes didn’t finish as-signments or tests.

After a battery of doctor vis-

its and tests, Jake was eventu-ally diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, described by medical profes-sionals as a problem with inat-tentiveness, over-activity, im-pulsivity, or a combination beyond the range of normal child development.

Jake isn’t the real name of the Rome-area boy, now 12, and his parents aren’t really called Anita and Chuck. But their story is very real and in-creasingly common.

The three words that com-prised the name of the disor-der each have a long list of symptoms, but the most com-mon signs parents should look for are frequent inatten-tiveness, trouble organizing and/or following directions, forgetfulness, difficultly sit-ting still or playing quietly, ex-cessive energy, excessive talk-ing, and difficultly taking turns or waiting in lines.

“Jake being our first child, we were the typical paranoid parents,” explained Anita. “We

Nurturing Children.Strengthening Family.Supporting Health and Well-being.It all begins with community. The Rome Floyd County YMCA has been part of the heart and soul of NW GA for over 110 years. The YMCA is a constant, focused on the important things in life: children, family, community and personal well-being.

Join the Y community today. From programs that promote personal well-being to child care to family strengthening activities, your membership goes a long way to make a difference.

Financial assistance—made possible by private and public support, as well as YMCA members—opens the YMCA to those in need. Speak with our membership staff to learn more.

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810 E. 2nd Ave. Rome, GA 30161 706-232-2468 www.ymcarome.orgContinued on next page

sxc.hu

One child’s ADHD journey

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had read everything when he was a baby about every illness or disorder he might experi-ence. The point is, we recog-nized the signs of ADHD soon-er than he was actually diag-nosed, but we chalked it up to our paranoia and figured he was just being an active child.”

But then Jake’s grades con-tinued to decline, and his teachers became worried. His first-grade teacher told Chuck and Anita they should have Jake checked out because he was too smart a kid to being having this much trouble. So they did.

Even doctors will admit, too often children are incorrectly diagnosed with ADHD, so Jake’s parents sought three opinions, and three times they were told Jake did in-deed have ADHD.

Treatment options include a long list of therapies, medi-cations, even herbs and chiro-practic manipulation. Jake’s doctor recommended the first two, and so far he’s been do-ing just fine living with the chronic condition.

“It was hard at first, putting him on Adderall, but between that and the work with his therapist, we saw a difference quickly,” said Chuck. “He was the same kid, but he was more interested in school, and his grades improved.”

Jake’s family is pleased with his diagnosis and treatment, but the drugs given to chil-dren with ADHD do have risks. Anita and Chuck said that while their situation is fairly typical of the stories they’ve heard from other parents, they said the best thing to do is seek multiple opinions and to find a doctor and therapist that you and your child trusts.

“It was hard at first, putting him on Adderall, but between that and the work with his therapist, we saw a difference quickly. He was the same kid, but he was more interested in school, and his grades improved.”

KIDS: From previous page

Rome News-Tribune • SUNDAY, May 30, 2010 5

By John BaileyStaff [email protected]

You may not be out of the cold yet.If a loved one gets a bug and you feel like

you’re home free, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the viruses that most frequently cause colds can live on surfaces for nearly two days.

Remember if you have a cold, you’re likely spreading germs all over your home and pass-ing it on to family members through sneezing and even just touching.

Germs take that 48 hours of filth and reside in the most inconspicuous of places. Some of the common areas we can contract a cold or pick up a bug include refrigerator doors, tele-phones, bathroom faucets, doorknobs, salt and pepper shakers.

Remem-ber the last time you were really sick and laid around all day chan-nel surfing? Don’t forget the remote control either.

It’s important to remember to wash your hands and be aware of what you touch — es-pecially in public places.

The CDC recommends after applying soap to scrub your hands for 15 to 20 seconds, also coincidentally the length of the happy birth-day song.

HEALTHY HOME

Germs lurk all through

the house ...From tooth

brushes

... to remote controls



Another step to take is to disin-fect surfaces such as vanity tops, kitchen counters and bathroom sinks with a disinfecting wipe or spray.

Not to create undue paranoia, but remember that trash bin full of Kleenexes?

Even out of cold season the bathroom is a hotbed of mold, mildew and muck just waiting to germ up anyone’s personal space.

Cleaning around toilets and sinks with a disinfect-ing cleaner at least once a week should take care of most issues, but keep an eye on showers and tubs — especially shower curtains.

Notice a little black or brown-ish residue on your shower curtain?

It could well be a mold that can lead to re-spiratory in-flammations or even infec-t i o n . E v e n items we use to clean our-selves contain germs, espe-c i a l l y a f t e r long use.

Toothbrush-es for instance can contain Staphylococ-c u s a u r e u s bacteria.

While Staph bacteria usually lives on the hu-man skin, it can also cause a serious infection.

And wash your throw rug regularly. Germs growing on an un-washed throw rug can cause ath-

lete’s foot or other skin infec-tions.

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HOME: From previous page

The CDC recommends after applying soap to

scrub your hands for 15 to 20 seconds.

Clean around toilets and

sinks with a disinfectant at

least once a week.

Wash throw rugs

to avoid athlete’s

foot.


By Doug Walker Associate [email protected]

America is once again fighting the Battle of the Bulge. This time, the battlefront is located in small towns and large cities all across the United States and not in the forests of the Ardennes in Eu-rope.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions across the United States, from adults to children, the enemy makes no distinction. Not only has America become a nation of fast-foodaholics, but also in large part, we have forsaken even the simplest of exercise in our in-creasingly rapid-pace lifestyles.

There are compelling reasons to break away from the computer screen, the office desk and your car and set out on foot. A study by the American Podiatric Medical Asso-ciation reported that every minute spent walking could increase your life expectancy by 2 minutes.

Another study claims that for every 10 minutes spent during a commute in a vehicle, that’s 10 percent less time that an individ-ual is likely to spend involved in community activities.

Sam Echols, a partner in Rome-based Advance Rehabilitation who is a physical therapist and board certified orthopedic clinical specialist, said there’s one exercise that consistently helps back pain and that’s walking.

“The advantage of walking over running is its impact. Impact be-

comes an issue for the joints, the knees, hips and ankles, particu-larly as we age,” Echols said.

The only weapons needed in this battle of the bulge are a good pair of walking shoes, shorts, a T-shirt and maybe a bicycle. These are all that is needed to get a leg, or two, up on the opponent. Whether you’re a walker, runner or biker, the importance of good shoes cannot be over-emphasized.

An online publication — www.treehugger.com — has given Rome a walkability score of 82, landing Rome in the “very walk-able” category.

Rome and Floyd County leaders have spent considerable energy working on a trail system not only in the downtown Rome commu-nity, but also in a bid to connect to the Pinhoti Trail, which ties the Talladega National Forest in North-east Alabama to the Chattahooch-ee National Forest.

Public officials have also eyed the Silver Comet Trail which cross-es neighboring Polk County con-necting Anniston, Ala., to Smyrna, Ga.

ON THE MOVE

Walk your way to health

Ryan Smith / Rome News-Tribune

Paths such as Viking Trail, where Berry College students Emily Baker (from left), Ashlyn Veal, Nicole Gonzalez and Katie Franklin are walking, have helped Rome to earn a walkability score of 82 from www.treehugger.com.Continued on page 12

DID YOU KNOW?Every minute spent walking could

increase your life expectancy by 2 minutes.

— American Podiatric Medical Association



Paths such as Viking Trail, where Berry College students Emily Baker (from left), Ashlyn Veal, Nicole Gonzalez and Katie Franklin are walking, have helped Rome to earn a walkability score of 82 from www.treehugger.com.


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By Jeff Gable

Staff Writer

While many Americans seem to enjoy cooking in oil, Southerners in particular seem to have an affinity for fried foods. Whether it’s a fried chicken meal after church on Sunday or a side of fried okra at a backyard barbecue, there seems to be no end to the possibilities of fried foods — which has grown in recent years to even include such county fair rarities as fried Oreos and fried ice cream.

But it doesn’t take a medical expert to know that too much of any one thing, especially fried food, is not conducive to good health. While certain

kinds of oils and fats are found naturally in foods and are im-portant to a balanced diet, too much of certain kinds of oils can lead to health prob-lems.

Local dieticians say that consuming too much fat can lead to weight gain and other health issues, but that there are ways to include some healthy fats and oils in a diet.

“A high-fat diet increases the risks of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer,” said Gwen Kos-sick, a licensed dietician and the director of nutrition ser-vices at Floyd Medical Cen-ter.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Well-oiled

Tips for reducing the

fat from frying



“Fat in the body is used mainly for hormones and pro-tection of vital organs. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 to 30 percent of total calo-ries per day should come from fat. So the body doesn’t need much fat, and if we consume more that what’s needed, it is stored as excess.”

Experts say the amount of fats found naturally in some foods is compounded when it’s fried.

“Frying adds lots of fats to foods, and there is a ‘double whammy’ effect when foods like beef or pork — that al-ready have saturated fat in them — have fat then added by deep frying,” said Kathy Patrick, a personal and enter-tainment chef who specializes in fresh produce and herbs. “The bottom line is that deep frying food is a poor choice for your health because it tends to add fat to the food, which increases the calories you are taking in.”

While many different foods can be cooked in oil, even healthy ones can take on add-ed fat and calories from deep frying.

“Cooking with oil adds fat to anything,” said Tiffany Gokey, chief clinical dietician at Red-mond Regional Medical Cen-ter. “For example, a whole fried green tomato has ap-proximately 19 grams of fat and a little over 10 grams of those fat grams are saturated fat, which is the bad fat. But a regular (raw) green tomato has zero grams of fat.”

While people may cut down on the amount of fried foods they eat, there will always be a craving for some deep fried delicacies. As a result, if some-one is going to cook a food in oil, there are some choices that are better than others.

The American Heart Asso-ciation says that saturated fats are less-healthy fats and tend to increase cholesterol levels, while monounsaturated fats are less damaging — and there are also many fats found in foods that are beneficial.

“Nonsaturated fats, specifi-cally polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, are good fats,” Patrick said. “These fats generally come from un-refined vegetable sources and oily fish. Some examples are extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, flax oil, soy oil and walnut oil. And some foods that have natural good fats in them are salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines.”

Gokey agreed that choosing healthier cooking oils — or even alternative methods of preparing food — are better for your overall health.

“Using monounsaturated fats (for cooking) would be a great step in the right direc-tion,” Gokey said. “Or you could lightly sauté the foods in canola oil or a vegetable oil. But when you cook some-thing, baking, broiling, steam-ing or grilling foods are healthier alternatives.”

Gokey added that olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil are healthier for everyday cook-ing, and that pan-frying is a better choice than deep-fry-ing.

Patrick agreed and encour-aged consumers to experi-ment and use different meth-ods and recipes so they don’t have to rely on dunking food in a deep fryer.

“In general, deep-frying is just not a good way to cook food, but if you must deep fry, there are a few tips to make the food ‘less unhealthy,’ ” Pat-rick said. “Use a deep fryer with a heating element im-mersed rather than outside the fryer — this lets the oil stay at a more consistent tem-perature. And make sure the temperature is hot enough; 375 degrees is needed to sear the outside of the food quick-ly so that less oil is absorbed in the food.

“And yes, the kind of oil used in frying definitely matters,” she added. “Shortening or lard have really bad health im-pacts, whereas things like canola oil is better. And re-member, using a tiny bit of canola oil in a fry pan to cook food is a much better choice than using enough oil to fill a deep fryer.”

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FOOD: From previous page

Vegetable oil is one of the most commonly used of all the oils. Vegetable oil is a blend of several oils, such as corn, soybean, palm and sunflower. Canola oil has been said to be one of the most healthy of the cooking oils because of its low saturated fat content and high mono unsaturated fat. It is commonly used in frying but only with medium frying temperatures, about 450 degrees F. Corn oil is relatively low on both saturated and mono unsaturated fats. It is popular in margarine and used in both frying and baking. It should only be used when frying at medium temperatures. Sunflower oil is low in saturated fat and high in Vitamin E. Many food manufacturers are recognizing the health benefits of sunflower oil and are using it as the preferred oil in such snack foods as potato chips. It can be used at home to fry, cook and in salad dressings. Olive oil comes in different varieties: extra virgin, virgin, extra light and refined. Extra virgin olive oil is the most common of those used. There are many uses for all varieties, such as stir-frying, cooking, sauteing and as an ingredient in recipes. Olive Oil is also frequently used in salad oils. It is the most healthy of all the oils as it is high in mono unsaturated fat, which has been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease. Peanut oil is a good oil to use when frying in high temperatures. It is a common oil during the Thanksgiving holiday, as many people use it in turkey fryers to fry their turkeys, but it can be used anytime when frying.

Types of Cooking Oils


Let’s look at a few of Greater Rome’s best places to walk, run or bike:

Rome-Floyd Heritage Trail System: This is the official designation of the downtown Rome trail network.

Richard Garland, executive director of the Rome/Floyd Parks and Recreation Author-ity, said that the official start-ing point for the entire down-town system has been set at the Town Green entrance to the Chief John Ross Pedestri-an Footbridge.

“From there, it just kind of spiders out,” Garland said.

The trail through Ridge Ferry Park out toward Chieftains Mu-seum can easily break down into segments. From the Rome-Floyd County Library to the rail-road tracks is approximately three-quarters of a mile. From the Ferry Shoals parking lot out to the Veterans Memorial High-way bridge is also right at three-quarters of a mile.

A recent grant funded by Bike!Walk!Northwest Georgia has put markers every tenth of a mile along the trail so it’s easy to start just about any-where and keep up with how far you’ve walked.

The trail around State Mu-tual Stadium is approximately 1.3 miles. Shade is still a few years away, but the Rome Braves have pledged to plant a tree along the trail for every home run that is hit by a Brave at State Mutual Stadium.

The trail that tops the levees along the Oostanaula and Coosa rivers is currently being impacted by the work to de-velop a new entrance to the Heritage Park area in line with West Fifth Street. Once it is completed, the walk along the top of the levee from be-hind the old Marine armory to the confluence of the rivers and along the Oostanaula Riv-er to a trailhead at West 13th Street is a little over 1¾ miles.

Finally, the Silver Creek trail that crosses the Etowah River from the intersection of East Fourth Street and East First Avenue using the Bob Moore Footbridge and out to Silver Street is a little shy of three-quarters of a mile.

Rome-Floyd Community Parks: Most of the commu-nity parks across Rome and Floyd County have well-marked trails that are popular and easily accessed.

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OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

MOVE: From page 8




Shag Williams Park in Shannon has just been reno-vated thanks to a 2006 special purpose, local option sales tax. The trail is approximately half a mile in circumference, using the road through the parking park for a short por-tion of the walk. With the ex-ception of the walk through the parking lot, the trail is well shaded.

Richard Wolfe Park in Lin-dale has a figure eight-trail on the west side of the Wolfe Center, which is approximate-ly six-tenths of a mile in length. A section of sidewalk adjacent to the rec center is included in this measure-ment.

Horace Anthony Park in Garden Lakes has a fitness trail that is about a mile and a quarter long. It meanders from the main building out through a wooded area and loops around the new soccer complex.

Etowah Park on the Kings-ton Highway has a trail that meanders around the recre-ation complex for approxi-mately a third of a mile. It how-ever does not provide much protection from the sun.

Lock & Dam Park along the Coosa River also offers several natural dirt trails, with several stunning vistas of the Coosa River along the way. The park trail system includes about a mile and half of walkways.

Simms Mountain Trail in northwestern Floyd County is an official link on the Pinhoti Trail network. It extends for a distance of approximately 4 miles from a trailhead off Huf-faker Road to the Chattooga County line near Highway 100. The trail then runs north to Lyerly for a distance of about 13 miles. One review of the trail at www.TrailLink.com called it the Shenandoah Val-ley of Georgia.

Berry College: The sprawl-ing Berry College campus has long been a favorite for bicy-clists and walkers alike. The Viking Trail is a paved trail that extends a distance of 3.4 miles from the Ladd Center on the

main campus to the mountain campus.

Berry College has more than 40 miles of designated run-ning, hiking and biking trails. You can access a map of the Berry network at http://www.berry.edu/recreation/Trails/HikingRunning.pdf.

Others: One of the more popular trails in the west Rome area is the 1.2 mile loop around Lake Conasauga in Garden Lakes. The paved trail around the lake is a great walk for bird lovers with geese, ducks and great blue herons in abundance. You do how-ever need to watch where you’re walking to avoid duck droppings.

The Arrowhead Interpre-tive Trail is located just south of the Department of Natural Resources complex off Floyd Springs Road The trail is well-marked and winds through the woods and management ponds for about two miles.

The Rocky Mountain Pub-lic Fishing Area off the Big Texas Valley Road northwest of Rome has four marked trails.

“Some of them are easy, some of them you have to be a billy goat,” said Zack Hardy with the DNR.

The Pocket Recreation Area in the northern neck of Floyd County has a 2.3-mile loop trail which includes a lengthy section where natural ferns flank both sides of the trail. It’s an easy walk or run, as is a shorter half-mile nature trail off the campground.

On days when the weather is incredibly hot, or wet, Mount Berry Square mall has a three-quarter mile tile marked “trail” inside the shop-ping center that draws a lot of activity regardless of the weather.

Whether you walk, run or ride, winning the modern-day battle of the bulge and stay-ing healthy involves getting troops into motion.

MOVE: From previous pageON THE COVER

Berry College student Kevin Dressner runs down Viking Trail.


AGINGW E L LAN EYE ON EYE CAREGET TESTED FOR MACULAR DEGENERATION, CATARACTS

VISIT AN OPTOMETRIST AFTER ANY CHANGES IN VISION

VISION CORRECTION OPTIONS RANGE FROMTRANSITION LENSES TO BIFOCAL CONTACTS

LASIK EYE SURGERY IS ANOTHER OPTION GROWING IN POPULARITY


By Kevin MyrickStaff [email protected]

Of all five senses, the eyes might be the most important to take care of as the body ages.

Eyes provide everything from tears of joy and sorrow to the ability to read, write and see amazing natural won-ders. That is, until vision starts getting fuzzy.

Dr. Jeffrey Kozlowski, an op-tometrist with Harbin Clinic, said vision problems typically begin in patients who are in their 30s and 40s, if they’d not already developed in earlier years.

“When looking at someone in that age group, the first thing we find is a change in the vision prescription,” he said. “Losing the ability to fo-cus, which means one might need to use bifocal or reading glasses, is the most prevalent condition at that age.”

This age range is when op-tometrists will typically begin looking for signs of glaucoma, a disease that puts high amounts of pressure on the optic nerve.

“It’s like putting a clamp on the optic nerve,” he said. “At first you lose peripheral vision slowly. If it goes untreated you can go blind, but that happens over a long period of time.”

Kozlowski said as vision pa-tients age, they also require tests for macular degenera-tion, a retinal disease that causes the loss of the ability to see fine details, as well as cataracts, a clouding of the crystalline lens.

He said the best way to catch such vision problems

and diseases is to keep an eye on the eyes by making regular visits to the optome-trist.

“Any change in vision where they happen to see thing go blurry, flashes of light, spots in the vision, shade coming up and down over vision, wavy or distorted lines, miss-ing spots in vision are reasons to go see an optometrist,” he said.

Kozlowski suggests regular visits — at least yearly — for patients who are already us-ing prescription glasses or contacts.

He said a good way to test vision is to “cup one eye at a time once a month to make sure patients are seeing things as they should be.”

For children, Kozlowski said catching vision problems ear-ly is the best way to help eye development. He said typi-cally the best time to catch vision problems is before 5 or 6 years of age, since the eye fully develops between the ages of 8 and 9.

“We’re trying to get kids be-fore vision problems have a chance to fully form,” he said.

A number of options are available for adults now be-sides straight-up Billy Holly black plastic frames. Every-thing from transition lenses that darken in higher light conditions to bifocal contacts are available.

But what has become one of the more popular forms of vision correction in the past decade as been Lasik eye sur-gery. Kozlowski said Harbin Clinic is one of many that pro-vides the service, and there are some requirements from patients.

“The biggest determining

factor is that your corneas have to be thick enough to withstand surgery,” he said. “The laser actually reshapes your eye, so the cornea has to be thick enough to withstand that reshaping.”

He said that “there’s people we turn away every day” from the procedure because of that specific physical condition.

Other requirements include a stable vision prescription. Unfortunately for patients over the age of 40, Kozlowski said that it does not help the need for reading glasses.

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healthy living summer 2010

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