Thursday, April 29, 2010

Want to Help the Environment? Go Green With Your Eating and Feel Better, Too

As we think about ways that we can be greener (recycle, recycle, recycle) why not take a look at what we put in our mouths. There are easy ways that we can be greener for the environment through our food intake, while at the same time making ourselves healthier.

First, buy locally. Visit your local green market or farmer’s stand weekly. Why not help keep our local farmers in business while at the same time saving ourselves money? Buying locally usually costs less and enables you to get the freshest of the fresh. Some farm stands even let you pick your own – can’t do better than that. It also saves the environment by reducing the amount of miles it takes to reach you (1,500 miles on average). Buying locally also uses less packaging, processing, refrigeration and marketing. It’s a big bang for your buck!

Second, avoid food struggles. If you have to hack away to open the package, chances are it’s not good for you. Think about eating whole foods – fresh fruits and vegetables (organic if possible), beans and legumes, oats, brown rice, sprouted breads, meats and proteins that have not been fed or raised with hormones. Focus on healthy fats such as avocados, olive oil, seeds and nuts, and cold-water fish such as Alaskan salmon.

Third, ditch those water bottles and buy yourself a BPA-free bottle. Water is an essential component to our health but all those water bottles in our wasteland do not do our environment any good. Consider a water filtration system either in your home or one you keep in the refrigerator.

Lastly, eat less meat. Believe it or not, this can be the single greenest move you can make. The production of meat requires large amounts of land, water, grain, hormones and antibiotics that pollute our soil, air and water. Just think, one pound of beef has a water footprint of 3,750 gallons while a pound of tomatoes uses 22 gallons of water. A substantial difference!

So think about ways that you can be greener. If everyone does something it can have a big impact on our environment.

--Beth St.Louis, MS, RD, LDN
Program Dietitian
Martin Memorial Center for Health and Healing

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Ten New Members Join the Martin Memorial Boards of Directors

Ten new members began tenures with the Martin Memorial Health Systems and Martin Memorial Medical Center boards of directors in April.

Of those new members, three were recently named to the Martin Memorial Health Systems Board of Directors, which has oversight over the entire health system, including Martin Memorial Medical Center and the Martin Memorial Foundation. They include:

• John Fedorek, CPA and principal in the accounting firm Hill, Barth and King in Stuart.
• John Loewenberg, former executive with companies including Mutual Life Insurance Company, Aetna, Pfizer Medical Systems and IBM.
• John Ziegler, attorney and former president of the National Hockey League who has served as chairman of the Martin Memorial Foundation. He was also selected as secretary for the Martin Memorial Health Systems Board of Directors.

The Martin Memorial Medical Center Board of Directors, which has oversight over all entities that fall under the domain of the Medical Center (including both hospitals), recently elected eight members to its boards. They include:

• Evan Collins, MD, who specializes in obstetrics-gynecology and is on the Medical Staff of Martin Memorial.
• Peter Dayton, MD, who specializes in obstetrics-gynecology and is on the Medical Staff of Martin Memorial.
• J. Michael Evans, former executive with utilities companies including Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and Consolidated Edison Company of New York, where he served as president and COO.
• Joseph Gage, MD, president and partner of Stuart Cardiology Group and a cardiologist on the Medical Staff of Martin Memorial.
• Shelley Guerard, former executive with Verizon who recently began her tenure as president of the Martin Memorial Auxiliary.
• Pamela Houghten, director of education and outreach for Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies.
• James Mondello, former president, COO and regional executive vice president with Barnett Banks.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Martin Memorial Hosting Lecture About Innovative Surgery to Relieve Knee Pain

Martin Memorial Health Systems is hosting a free orthopedic lecture about MAKOplasty, an innovative partial knee replacement procedure available exclusively at Martin Memorial Health Systems in Stuart.

The lecture takes place on Tuesday, April 27 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Homewood Suites by Hilton, located at 2455 Metrocentre Blvd., West Palm Beach. Registration can be made by calling 1-866-361-HOPE (4673).

Scott Desman, MD, an orthopedic surgeon on staff at Martin Memorial, will lead the lecture. He will talk about how MAKOplasty, using interactive robotic arm technology, enables the surgeon to precisely resurface only the arthritic portion of a knee – while preserving healthy tissue and bone – and optimally positioning the partial knee implant.

Patients experiencing any of the following symptoms may be a MAKOplasty candidate:

• Knee pain with activity, usually on the inner knee, under the kneecap or the outer knee.
• Start-up knee pain or stiffness when activities are initiated from a sitting position.
• Failure to respond to non-surgical treatments or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Lehach Begins Tenure as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Martin Memorial

George Lehach, president of Northern Trust Bank in Martin County, began his tenure in April as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Martin Memorial Health Systems. Lehach has served as a member of the Martin Memorial Board of Directors since 1997, including three years as vice chairman.

Lehach is a past president and board member of Hibiscus Children’s Center and Foundation. He has also served on the boards of the Lyric Theatre, Atlantic Classical Orchestra and the Martin County Council for the Arts.

“Martin Memorial is an invaluable resource for residents of Martin and St. Lucie counties and this is an exciting opportunity to help continue its long history of providing quality care to the community,” Lehach said. “This organization has seen tremendous accomplishments in recent years, and I believe we will not only maintain that level of excellence, but build upon it.”

Lehach takes over from George H. Rittersbach Jr., MD, who served three years as chairman. Dr. Rittersbach, who was the first physician to chair the board of directors, oversaw a period of growth and change during his tenure. That included the transition from the health system’s long-time president and chief executive officer, Richmond M. Harman, to its current president and CEO, Mark E. Robitaille.

During Dr. Rittersbach’s three years as chairman, Martin Memorial also continued to expand its health care services in St. Lucie County. The health system received its certificate of need to build a new hospital in Tradition from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, opened a freestanding emergency center at its facility in St. Lucie West, and added a diagnostic imaging center with state-of-the-art CT and MRI scanners in east Port St. Lucie.

The health system was also named as one of the 100 Top Hospitals in the country for the fifth time by Thompson Reuters in March 2010, and earned recognition as a national Employer of Choice in 2009 – one of only 16 health care organizations to achieve that mark.

“Dr. Rittersbach has left an indelible mark on this health system,” Robitaille said. “We thank him for his leadership and commitment to helping provide access to quality health care in our community.”

Friday, April 16, 2010

Martin Memorial Offering Free Classes to Help People Quit Using Tobacco

Martin Memorial Health Systems will be holding free classes as part of a new program aimed at helping people quit using tobacco.

The classes are six weeks each and are taught by health care professionals certified in tobacco cessation. They provide nicotine replacement therapy, as well as smoking cessation techniques and the support needed to help kick the tobacco habit.

The program is open to Treasure Coast residents, including Martin Memorial patients and associates, as well as their family members. The free program – which is a collaboration with the Florida Department of Health – offers on-going support as well as group sessions, and has a proven record of success.

Everyone who completes a six-week class will receive a free pass for seven sessions to any of Martin Memorial’s six health and fitness centers conveniently located throughout the Treasure Coast.

Three separate classes will be available at three locations in Martin and St. Lucie counties:

• Wednesday, April 21, Noon to 1 p.m., Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center, 501 E. Osceola St., Stuart
• Tuesday, April 27, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Martin Memorial Hospital South conference room, 2100 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart
• Thursday, April 29, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Martin Memorial at St. Lucie West break room, 1095 N.W. St. Lucie West Blvd., Port St. Lucie

Those seeking more information or who want to sign up for the program can call the Martin Memorial Center for Health and Healing at (772) 223-2890, or e-mail quitnow@mmhs-fla.org.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Your Mom Was Right: Good Posture is Important (and Exercise Can Help)

Your Mother was right! Good posture counts.

How many times as a child did you hear your mother say to you “sit up straight,” or “don’t slouch?” I can tell you that my mom quite often chanted those words to me. I remember when we tried to balance a book on top of our head as part of a Miss Manners class and we were being taught about proper posture and “walking like a lady.”

A number of years have passed and now many of us are looking in the mirror and we see those slouching shoulders. Along with the visible signs of poor posture, many people suffer from pain in their back, neck and shoulder. In some cases, these problems can be corrected by practicing good posture techniques and exercises.

What is the definition of good posture? This is how The Cleveland Clinic defines it: “Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright against gravity while standing, sitting or laying down. Good posture involves training the body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments.”

The Web site lifetoolsforwomen.com states that when you are lying flat on your back there are 24 pounds of pressure exerted on the spine. Standing erect, the pressure increases to 100 pounds. When you are sitting bent forward in the slouched position, almost twice the amount of pressure (190 pounds) bears down on the spine. That’s a great amount of pressure on the spine. Could this be one of the reasons many of us have back pain? What can be done to lessen the damage?

Part of the answer is practicing “good posture.” What does good posture look like? The Life Tools for Women site says, “If you were to drop a plumb line from the ceiling along the gravity axis, it should bisect you perfectly. Turn sideways and ask someone to look at your posture. Ideally your ear should line up with your shoulder bone, which lines up with your hipbone, which lines up with your anklebone. From the front view, your heard should be straight, and not tilted or turned to one side. Shoulders should be even and hips even.” There are very few people with perfect posture, but posture can be corrected with exercise.

Yes, once again, exercise is the key. Regular exercise such as walking, swimming or bicycling will help the body stay conditioned. Strengthening the body’s core through Pilates, yoga and resistance training will further help to condition the muscles and help prevent injury.

To learn more about posture and exercise, join us at Martin Memorial Hospital South Health and Fitness on Thursday, April 22 from 1-1:30PM for a free interactive lecture.

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

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

“Dodge for the Cure” to Raise Money for Martin Memorial Inpatient Oncology Unit

The third-annual Tom Vadas Memorial “Dodge for the Cure” will once again give rusty dodgeball warriors a chance to practice their skills – all in the name of a good cause.

The tournament will be held Saturday, May 8 in the Jensen Beach High School gymnasium. The youth division will kick things off at 3 p.m. and the adult division (ninth grade on up) beginning at 6 p.m.

The registration fee for the youth division (fifth to eighth grade) is $100 per team, while registration for the adult division (ninth grade to all adults) is $35 per player. Each team includes six to eight players. This year there are also two separate adult categories: the Bonzai Division is for those who choose to be more competitive; the Average Joe division is for those a little less competitive.

The tournament was created by Sandy Vadas in memory of her husband, Tom Vadas, who fought Hodgkin’s lymphoma for 16 years before passing away in 2007. Tom spent most of the last year of his life in the cancer unit at Martin Memorial, and he wanted to create a place where patients and their families could feel upbeat and motivated to continue their fight against cancer each day.

“For many cancer patients and their families, the unit becomes a home away from home as they battle the disease,” Sandy Vadas said. “The goal of the tournament is to raise money to purchase amenities that can help make their stays as comfortable as possible.”

In its first two years the event has raised more than $28,000. In its first two years the event has raised more than $28,000. Those funds have helped pay for renovations and refurbishment of a room at the oncology unit where patients’ families can relax. Customized whiteboards were also purchased for patient rooms that help nursing staff better communicate the course of care with patients and their families.

For more information or to register, visit dodgeforthecure.blogspot.com or call Kathy Green at (772) 215-7463. General admission tickets are also available for $3.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Looking for a Physician in Martin or St. Lucie Counties? Call 1-800-DOCTORS

Finding a physician at Martin Memorial Health Systems has recently become much easier.

Martin Memorial is now utilizing the nationally recognized 1-800-DOCTORS number as its new consumer physician referral number. This number will make it easier for anyone looking for a quality doctor in Martin and St. Lucie counties – even if they live in another region or a different state. Visitors to the area can call 1-800-DOCTORS from wherever they live to find a physician before coming to the Treasure Coast. And family members of seasonal residents can seek a doctor for loved ones who may need medical care, even though they may be far away.

“We believe having this easy to remember phone number will benefit many residents in our community,” said Miguel Coty, vice president and chief marketing communications officer for Martin Memorial. “We have a seasonal population with individuals who may not be familiar with health care providers in the area. And people’s health care needs are always changing so by utilizing 1-800-DOCTORS, they can access valuable information quickly, easily and effectively.”

By dialing 1-800-DOCTORS callers are connected to a live representative who provides them with information about physicians available in their immediate area. That includes primary care physicians as well as specialists. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer questions and connect callers to a physician’s office to make an appointment.

The program is free and confidential for callers, who receive information about physicians who match their preferences and needs based on a recommendation from a local hospital most familiar with the doctor’s qualifications and credentials.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Want to Improve Your Health? Put Down That Salt Shaker and Watch Your Sodium

Salt is everywhere - in that can of soup, deli sandwich, restaurant meal and even in that handful of roasted nuts. In fact, most people don’t even realize they are eating it and think that just because they don’t add it up, it’s not there.

But surprise, surprise it’s there and we need to reduce it because our sodium intake has skyrocketed. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that if Americans reduced their sodium intake by a half a teaspoon a day (1,200 milligrams) our nation could save a whopping $10 to 24 billion in health care costs per year. Pretty astounding!

But what’s more is how this amounts to our health per year. It’s predicted that it would reduce the number of new cases of coronary heart disease by 60,000 to 120,000; 32,000 to 66,000 strokes; and 54,000 to 99,000 heart attacks, totaling a reduced number of deaths by 44,000 to 92,000 per year.

This is a very big bang for our buck that really doesn’t require much work, just some help from our restaurants and food industry. With 75 to 80 percent of our salt intake coming from processed foods, we need to put our foot down and learn from other countries such as the United Kingdom who have collaborated with the food industry and put regulations on salt content.

In fact, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City recently did this and called on local chain restaurants and food producers to reduce the sodium in their foods by 25 percent over the next five years. Hopefully, other cities and states will follow his actions.

But until then you can do your part to reduce your blood pressure. Read labels, search for nutrition facts online, cook at home using whole foods, reduce your intake of processed foods and dine out less. Know that the Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services currently recommended 2,300 mgs of sodium per day and 1,500 mgs for those who already have high blood pressure, middle aged and older adults, and African Americans. I urge you to count your intake: You might be surprised what you find(hint just 3 slices of deli ham has 700 mgs of sodium)!

--Beth St.Louis, MS, RD, LDN
Program Dietitian
Martin Memorial Center for Health and Healing