MESSENGER POST MEDIA

health
2019

magazine

Advertising supplement for the WEEK OF JANUARY 20, 2019

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Exercise
CAUTION
FREEPIK.COM
FIVE TIPS FOR AVOIDING WORKOUT INJURIES
BY MELISSA ERICKSON | MORE CONTENT NOW
Staying active is key to good health. Don’t let common sprains and
strains get in the way of your workout. “While names sound the same,
these are two very different injuries. A sprain affects ligaments, while
a strain affects tendons and/or muscles,” said Dr. Frank Benedetto, a
doctor of physical therapy and founder of ProVere Health, with four
locations in New Jersey. “Ligaments connect one bone to another
bone. For example, the most famous ligament in popular media, the
ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), connects the femur (thigh bone) to
the tibia (the shin bone). Tendons connect a muscle to a bone. The well
known Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel bone.”
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Other expert tips for avoiding workout injuries:
Focus on hamstrings
While many sports tend to have a particular injury related to
it — think “tennis elbow” — hamstring injuries are perhaps
the most common across all sports, said Dr. Pablo Costa, an
associate professor in the department of kinesiology at California State
University, Fullerton.
Hamstrings deserve special attention. By strengthening the hamstrings
you’re not only preventing injuries to those muscles, you’re helping
protect your knees, Costa said. Hamstring curls and knee flexion
exercises — in which you slowly straighten and bend your knee from
a seated position — are particularly beneficial for strengthening the
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hamstrings, he said.
Go slow and low
When exercising start slowly, with a few repetitions or low
mileage, and make sure any progression or increase follows
the same principles, said Dr. Jerome T. Nichols, sports medicine
physician at Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic and clinical preceptor at
Virginia Tech School of Medicine.
“Trying to progress too quickly doesn’t allow enough time for your
muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones to adapt to the new stresses.
Also, moving too quickly through strength training exercises
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compromises form and risks injury,” Nichols said.
Listen to your body
“One of the worst phrases ever coined was ‘no pain, no gain,’”
said Nichols. “Aches and pains in muscles are normal to some
degree with any change in activity. Pain that gets progressively
worse or is isolated to a bone or joint, however, may be a sign of
something more serious developing. As you get more experienced
exercising you’ll learn to recognize what kinds of pain are worrisome
and which aren’t. Until or unless you have that experience, you should
back off if your exercise routine is causing you significant discomfort
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and consider having (the painful area) checked by a physician.”
Hydrate
“Adequate consumption of water can help reduce tendon
strains,” said Dr. Bruce Pinker, associate with the American
College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. It is recommended adults
drink eight to 10 glasses of water per day at 8 ounces per glass, Pinker
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said.
Rest when needed
“The human body operates on a very simple formula:
Stress plus rest equals growth,” Benedetto said. “In order to
encourage adoption of this mindset, I like to redefine what I
mean by ‘rest’ to the avid exercisers I work with. Rest can mean strength
training, yoga, Pilates, cycling and any number of things that just aren’t
replicating the same ‘stress’ that the client typically puts on the body.”
 HEALTH MAGAZINE 2019 • PAGE 4 • WEEK OF JANUARY 20, 2019
TALK
QUESTIONS PHYSICIANS WISH PATIENTS WOULD ASK
BY MELISSA ERICKSON | MORE CONTENT NOW
For the best health, it’s imperative that people take an active role
in their own medical care. Both patients and doctors are busy.
Miscommunication can occur. People often forget what their doctors
tell them or don’t share vital information. In an effort to understand
what would be helpful to doctors, a group of physicians was asked
what questions or comments they wish their patients would ask. Here
are their answers:
“Ask me if there is anything I can do to improve my health, such as,
what can I do to be proactive and avoid diabetes or hypertension,
or even, is there any work I can do to get off a medication? I can
help you be proactive with your health so that we can prevent
illnesses from occurring.
“Don’t be afraid to ask about your numbers — blood pressure,
cholesterol, blood sugar and body-mass index. My favorite
question is, can you help me quit smoking? We have many ‘tools’
in our toolbox to assist with smoking cessation that are successful,
and research shows that two methods are better than one.
“Also, it’s OK to clarify information so that you understand the
health concern, new medication or procedure.
“It’s so important for patients to come to their appointment well-
prepared, ready to talk about their family history — including any
new family illnesses or conditions since your last visit. Patients
should also come with a list of all of their medications, including
their over-the-counter medicines, supplements, vitamins, herbals,
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and so on.” — Deborah S.
Plate, osteopathic medicine, Cleveland Clinic Akron General Center
for Family Medicine, Akron, OH
“The one thing that I wish everyone would ask me, if they aren’t
sure, is how to contact me if a medication doesn’t work out for
them (too expensive, side effects, concerns that they didn’t think
of) or if they have further questions, or if they decide not to do
a test or procedure we discussed. Our conversation shouldn’t
necessarily stop at the end of the visit, and if something isn’t
right for them, I want to know about it before another year has
passed. Our health-care system has a very easy-to-use interface
for patients to see their medical chart online and to email me. If
DOC
they aren’t computer-savvy, my nurse is always happy to take their
phone call and pass on questions or concerns from patients to me.
If I don’t know about an issue, I can’t help solve it.” — Dr. Joanne
Gaul, family medicine, Altru Health System, Grand Forks, ND
“My response would be that any questions are welcomed.
Particularly those that seek to clarify information regarding
proposed treatments that I have already discussed with the
patient. That type of question indicates to me that the patient
has been engaged in our conversation. The one comment from
a patient that I really enjoy hearing is a synopsis of directions that
have been given to them regarding proposed treatment plans.
This is fairly rare, but when it occurs it lets me know exactly how
much of the information discussed has been accurately received
and understood by the patient.” — Dr. Colin Butterfield, internal
medicine physician at OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center in Alton, IL
“The National Patient Safety Foundation provides a useful
framework called Ask Me 3 to encourage patients and families
to take a more proactive role in their health care. The framework
consists of these questions: What is my (or my child’s) main
problem?; What do I need to do?; Why is it important for me (or
my child) to do this? I would encourage patients and/or their
families to ask their doctors these questions as it facilitates
clear communication. These questions also allow patients and
families to be proactive in gaining a better understanding for
recommendations and instructions given to them by their doctors.”
— Dr. Ndidi Unaka, associate program director for the Pediatric
Residency Training Program and medical director, Continuing Medical
Education, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
“My ideal patient would ask me the following series of questions
and be willing to seriously consider the answers: What can I
do personally to live a healthier, more active lifestyle?; What
supplements do I really need and what can I stop taking?; How can
I improve my work-life balance and take some of the stress out of
my life?” — Dr. Karen M. Hamad, board certified internal medicine/
pediatrics, First Physicians Group/Sarasota (Florida) Memorial Health
Care System
 HEALTH MAGAZINE 2019 • PAGE 5 • WEEK OF JANUARY 20, 2019
Does
MENTAL
ILLNESS
RUN IN FAMILIES?
BY MELISSA ERICKSON | MORE CONTENT NOW
A new horror movie out this summer called “Hereditary” carries the
message that mental illness runs in families. While the film is filled
with scary and imaginary aspects, it may make people wonder, can
mental illness be inherited?
Written and directed by Ari Aster, the supernatural, R-rated film
stars Toni Collette, a woman who is trying to move forward from
the death of her mother, who suffered from dissociative identity
disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder). Her
brother suffered from schizophrenia and killed himself when he
was a teenager, and her children are showing signs of disturbing
behaviors.
“The question of whether or not mental illness runs in families
is an important one,” said mental health therapist Matt Smith of
Charlotte Counseling and Wellness in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“As a therapist, I always ask my clients if they know of other
family members who have struggled with mental illness. Anytime
someone shares with me that they have a close relative with a
known mental illness, I use this as an opportunity to talk about
our genetic predisposition to mental health challenges and to
reinforce the idea that mental illness is not the individual’s fault.”
“Having a mental illness run in your family does not guarantee
you will get it,” said Dr. Bryan Bruno, medical director at Mid City
TMS, a New York-based medical center focused on treating anxiety
and depression. “Although having specific genes might make you
more likely to have a mental illness, it is not a guarantee. It is a
combination of your genetic makeup and your environment that
can cause a mental illness.”
Genetics and environment
“Some mental illness is hereditary, most notably schizophrenia and
manic depressive illness (also called bipolar). However, what this
means is that the ‘predisposition’ to these psychoses is hereditary.
Whether the illness manifests itself depends upon whether the
person suffers any environmental trauma that puts stress on their
psyche,” said Beverly Hills psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman, author
of the relationship books “Bad Boys” and “Bad Girls.”
“For example, if someone has inherited genes for a psychosis but
grows up in a very loving environment and has a stable life, their
mental illness may not be triggered. But, if someone has inherited
genes for a psychosis and they suffer traumas such as childhood
abuse, or use marijuana or alcohol, their mental illness could well
be triggered,” Lieberman said.
“Mental illness is no different from physical illness in that it strikes
its victims very much against their will,” said licensed clinical social
worker Raffi Bilek, Baltimore Therapy Center. “Nobody chooses to
have bipolar disorder any more than they choose to have a brain
tumor.”
The stigma of having a mental illness is both unfair and unfounded.
“People with mental illnesses are people like anyone else and
deserve medical care and social support, just as does anyone who
has cancer, ALS or any other physical disease,” Bilek said. “Realistic
portrayals of mental illness in the media are helpful in bringing this
truth to the public consciousness and getting people to talk about
mental illness, which ultimately will lead to more awareness and
better care for those in need.”
Seek professional help
​​
People who think they may have a mental illness shouldn’t try to
self-diagnose.
“They should seek out a mental health professional, ideally one
with a doctoral degree, and they should get a second opinion
because the accuracy of mental illness diagnoses between different
clinicians is not as high as it should be given all the knowledge
we have about diagnosis,” said psychiatrist and social scientist Dr.
Omar Sultan Haque, faculty member at Harvard Medical School.
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THE IMPORTANCE
OF A FAMILY

HEALTH
HISTORY
BY MELISSA ERICKSON | MORE CONTENT NOW

Sharing a family member’s characteristics, such as your but are not as directly inherited,” Brill said.
grandmother’s hair color or your father’s nose, means you may The more details a doctor knows about a patient’s personal history,
also share an increased risk of developing their health issues and the less chance there is of unnecessarily duplicating testing, Brill said.
diseases. That’s why it’s important to know your own personal
health history. “The medical field’s conversion to electronic medical records and
expanding the interaction between those medical records has
“There are many factors in play when we are looking in someone’s definitely helped this process,” he said.
health, including their lifestyle, job, environment, etc. One of those
factors is their family history and their own personal history,” said Some of the most common disorders a family history may shed light
Dr. David Brill, Cleveland Clinic family medicine physician. on include high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and diabetes.
Family history helps the physician look for clues about a patient’s “These diseases can lead to other common chronic illness such as
health. heart disease. Autoimmune diseases such as arthritis are also quite
familial,” Brill said. Other diseases may be more inheritable directly
“Obviously some inheritable diseases are watched more closely but thankfully are much rarer, he said.
than others. Huntington’s (disease), for example, is very inheritable
and physicians watch for it. Other common diagnoses such as The easiest way to obtain your family medical history is simply by
diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia can give us soft clues talking with relatives, but that can be tricky, Brill said.
“Very often our adult parents or grandparents do not want to share
their health history. Explaining to them that it would help in your
care might get them to open up. Share that, basically, you would
like to know what medical problems they have. The more you find
out, the better,” Brill said.
It’s also good to know if some of their chronic illnesses are secondary
to smoking or excessive drinking.
“The bottom line is you need a complete and accurate description
of your parents’ overall health and what their contribution to it was,”
Brill said.
The next step is sharing the information learned with your primary
care physician at a physical or chronic appointment, Brill said.
“I believe the physician should actually be asking the questions even
before it is offered up by the patient. It should definitely be regularly
updated and again asked by the physician at regular appointments
at least once a year after the age of 40,” Brill said.
The goal is preventative.
“In other words, suggestions on how to avoid the problems that their
forebears have, what they should do about it and what they can do
to at least mitigate the problem,” Brill said. “Eighty percent of what
most physicians see in patients chronically are lifestyle diseases that
can be markedly mitigated by their offspring with lifestyle changes.”
While personal health history helps your primary care physician solve
your occasional medical puzzle, it is also only one small piece.
“The impact of your family history is not written in stone. We can alter
our own personal medical history to a great degree, much more than
our genes can, at least in the majority of cases,” Brill said.
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