Runners getting in shape for Medical Center 10K

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 8/27/2011

When Rodney Rogers has driven into town lately, he has noticed an increase in the number of people running and walking on Cemetery Road.

“One morning I counted 50 people on the side of Cemetery Road,” said Rogers, chairman of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce. “I’m sure that it’s in preparation for the 10K.”

The Medical Center 10K Classic 2011 will be Oct. 15. For a list of race times, entry fees, the route or to register, visit www.themedicalcenter10kclassic.com. Online registration will close at midnight Oct. 12. The Medical Center Health and Fitness Expo, which features national and regional manufacturers and vendors, and the 10K Classic Southern Foods Pre-race Pasta Party will be at 4 p.m. Oct. 14.

“We still hear stories that they are continuing their walking or running or have joined a gym or have run in another race,” said Doris Thomas, race director and vice president of marketing and development at Commonwealth Health Corp., parent company of The Medical Center. “Our hospital is not only focused on taking care of you when you’re sick, but also helping you stay healthy. Staying active will improve your quality of life.”

Tommy Loving, director of the Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force and race co-chairman, said there will be a cash giveaway.

“You don’t have to be in the race. You show up and participate,” he said. “We’ll give $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 to three lucky individuals. It’s a lot of fun.”

Graves-Gilbert Clinic pediatricians are sponsoring the Children’s Classic Race for the second year.

“We want to promote healthy lifestyles in our children,” said Graves-Gilbert pediatrician Dr. Debra Sowell. “We had more than 600 last year, and we’d like to exceed that this year.”

Bowling Green Independent Schools Superintendent Joe Tinius, race co-chairman, said the 10K would be the state championship for the Road Runners Club of America, bringing runners across the state. He remembers a time when there weren’t so many runners in Bowling Green.

“When I first came to Western Kentucky University 39 years ago, there certainly weren’t 50 people running on Cemetery Road and Kereiakes Park. There were just a few of us thought to be complete idiots running around town,” he joked, laughing.

Training for a race is a good way to develop fitness, he added, and those who want to run in the 10K or any of its other races can be ready in time for the event.

“That is enough time to prepare,” he said.

Andrea Norris, community wellness manager at The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center and a coordinator of the event, said people have started signing up for the 10K.

“We already have a great participation from church and corporate groups,” she said. “I hope everyone will join us in the race for everyone.”

— For more information, a complete schedule of events and the route, call 796-2141 or visit www.themedicalcenter10kclassic.com.

Copyright 2011 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Living with food allergies: Local group meets monthly to provide medical information and support

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 8/20/2011

The green wristband featuring a cartoon walnut that Kenny Burton wears on his wrist is not just a fashion accessory.

It’s a lifesaver for the 3-year-old Bowling Green boy. The wristband shows people that Kenny is allergic to tree nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios and pecans.

“He was about 2 when he started showing signs,” said Mary Beth Burton, Kenny’s mother. “He’d say, ‘My tongue feels weird’ or ‘My chest hurts’ or he’d vomit.”

So far, Mary Beth Burton and her husband, Jody, have been able to treat Kenny’s allergic reactions with a diphenhydramine such as Benedryl, but they still worry.

“In the beginning, it was the element of the unknown and how to handle it,” she said. “The biggest stress is when he’s not with us.”

The Burtons attended a recent meeting of the Food Education Allergy Support Team of Kentucky, which includes parents of children with food allergies, individuals with food allergies and community professionals supportive of those affected by food allergies.

“What we do is about protecting the lives and promoting the well-being of those with food allergies. Managing food allergies is all about finding that balance. I do this for my 4-year-old son, Will, who is wonderful and perfect in every way regardless of his severe dairy and nut allergies,” said FEAST President Dawn Fraze. “When someone at a FEAST meeting shares a resource, a tip, an idea or a listening ear, it helps me to help my son. The FEAST support groups and programs not only provide information but also a network of others who understand and want to help each other.”

FEAST meets at 6 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center at Greenwood Mall. This month, the organization had its annual food allergy and emergency training program.

“What we have to be prepared for is accidental ingestion because it’s going to happen at some point,” said Graves-Gilbert Clinic allergist Dr. Diana Cavanah, who is also medical director for FEAST. “It can happen to anybody, no matter how vigilant we are.”

According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, about 11 million Americas suffer from a food allergy. Eight foods account for 90 percent of all reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. It is estimated that between 150 and 200 people die annually from anaphylaxis to food, including children and young adults. There is no cure. The only way to prevent a reaction is through strict avoidance of the allergy-causing food.

For that reason, it is important to recognize the reaction, Cavanah said. Some signs include hives, swelling, vomiting, diarrhea, swelling of the throat or difficulty breathing.

“Not everyone’s reaction will be the same,” she said. “Everyone needs to have an allergy action plan in place.”

Participants received copies of FAAN’s Food Allergy Action Plan, which detailed steps on treating a food allergy, including when to give a shot of epinephrine, for severe symptoms such as shortness of breath and swelling of the throat or tongue, and when to give an antihistamine for mild symptoms such as an itchy mouth or mild nausea. Cavanah said people should make copies of the plan on brightly colored paper and fill out the information as completely as possible.

“Take it anywhere that your child is and you are not, like church, the nursery or school,” she said.

Those with food allergies should be equipped with medication such as a single dose of liquid or fast dissolving antihistamine or an epinephrine shot in case they have a reaction, Cavanah said.

“You do not want to keep (antihistamine) capsules because it takes a little longer to dissolve,” she said. “We recommend having two (epinephrine shots) available.”

When children are small, it’s easier to carry supplies. As they age, however, it’s harder to get them to carry what they need. Cavanah suggested attractive pouches that can fit into cargo shorts or a belt buckle.

“It’s hard, particularly with boys,” she said. “It’s just not cool to carry around an EpiPen.”

It’s vital that people know how to give injections correctly, Cavanah said.

“The most important thing is how you hold it. Put your palm out like that,” she said, placing the EpiPen in her open palm before enclosing it with her thumb and fingers. “Pull the blue (safety) cap straight out. Once the cap is out, it’s ready to fly.”

Next, the person giving the injection should firmly push the orange tip against the outer thigh and hold it for 10 seconds.

“It’ll go right through clothes. The needle is coming out the orange end. Press it until it clicks,” Cavanah said. “The medication does burn and sting. Gently rub (the area) to make sure the medication is absorbed and dispersed.”

The injector should be put in a bag along with any empty antihistamine containers that were used during the attack, Cavanah.

“It’s because (medical personnel) want to see exactly what you gave them,” she said.

Kenny has already learned to help others keep him safe.

“He will tell people, ‘Is that safe? Have you read the label?’ ” Mary Beth Burton said. “We got him (the wristband) because we though he might be more apt to wear it.”

Jody Burton said people don’t always understand the severity of Kenny’s food allergies. The family not only has to look at food, but also products such as lotion and soap to make sure they are free of tree nuts. He compared the nuts that Kenny is allergic to to poison.

“We’ll hear people say, ‘Just scrape it off,’ ” he said. “Why don’t I just go get some poison and put it on your food and tell you to just scrape it off.”

Mary Beth Burton said they want Kenny to be happy and healthy despite his allergies.

“He can do anything any other child can do,” she said.

— For more information, visit the FEAST Kentucky website at www.kyfeast.org.

Copyright 2011 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Living with pain: Fibromyalgia can significantly affect patients’ quality of life

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 8/6/2011

Judy Stevens has a heart for helping patients with fibromyalgia.

“It affects men and women, but is more prevalent in women. Five thousand Americans at any given time have fibromyalgia in the U.S. Most of them are undiagnosed, which means they’re undertreated,” said Stevens, an advanced practice registered nurse, family nurse practitioner and owner of HealthFirst Family Clinic. “Their families don’t believe them and think they’re lazy. Once they have the diagnosis, that validates their condition and their symptoms so that they don’t think they’re crazy or a hypochondriac.”

Fibromyalgia is a chronic neuropathic pain that can be accompanied by other symptoms, such as depression, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome and sleep disturbances, said Dr. Neha Pansuria, a rheumatologist at Graves-Gilbert Clinic.

“It’s distinct from other types of pain,” she said.

Stevens agreed.

“It’s widespread chronic pain all over the body. These patients have a heightened sense of pain,” she said. “Their pain receptors are nonfunctioning. A handshake and pat on the shoulder would be painful for them where it would not be painful for us. Some have a lot of difficulty turning in bed because it’s so painful.”

The other conditions that can accompany fibromyalgia can make life difficult.

“They can have problems with relationships because of their mood or because of fatigue. Even something like preparing a meal is difficult,” Stevens said. “If it goes undiagnosed and untreated, they could lose work, stop doing things enjoyable to them and get depressed. It affects quality of life significantly.”

The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown and there are no specific tests for it, Pansuria said. Instead, medical professionals rule out other conditions before making a diagnosis.

“It’s a diagnosis of exclusions,” she said.

Stevens said there may be associated conditions with the fibromyalgia. For example, a person who has been in an automobile accident or someone who has been a victim of domestic violence may develop it because of injuries and stress.

“There are a myriad of issues involved,” she said. “You have to look at the big picture overall.”

Because fibromyalgia presents itself in different ways in different people, there are a variety of ways to treat the pain and other symptoms.

“Education is important,” Stevens said. “When patients have knowledge of this condition and how it’s affecting them, then they’re empowered to become a partner in health care.”

Treatment may include regular exercise; medication such as Lyrica, Cymbalta or Savella; or daily deep sleep hygiene, Pansuria said.

“Going to bed at a regular time, using calm music or light, some people like to read – that helps put them to sleep,” she said.

Stress can also be a factor, Pansuria said.

“They should avoid stressful situations that can exacerbate their pain response,” she said.

Stevens helps patients with fibromyalgia obtain intermittent leave from their jobs if necessary.

“I work with employers because I want them to remain employed. They could miss as many as one to three days of work at any given time,” she said. “During that time I want their jobs to be protected. That’s another stressor. We know that stress impacts their pain.”

Talking to others in similar situations may also help. Stevens is a facilitator for a new support group for people with fibromyalgia and their family and friends. The group meets from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month at The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center at Greenwood Mall.

“The support group is not only going to target the patient and help them understand the disease process and what they can do to help themselves, but also friends who suspect a friend may have fibromyalgia,” she said. “When families are involved, the patients tend to do better. They respond so favorably it changes their lives.”

Copyright 2011 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Lactation education: New mothers interested in breast-feeding offered supply bags filled with information, goodies

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 7/30/2011

When Nichole McIntosh gave birth to her daughter, Ellyson, on Wednesday, she knew she wanted to breast-feed.

The Bowling Green woman had successfully breast-fed her son, Eli, who is now 5, for about six months.

“He was born four weeks early. He was not as good an eater,” she said as she nursed Ellyson in her room at The Medical Center on Thursday. “I know a lot more this time. I have more information. Breast-feeding is more common now.”

BabyNet – a local group that provides education about preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, breast-feeding and parenting – and Women, Infants and Children, a national supplemental food program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, want to make sure moms such as McIntosh get all the information they need by providing bags with breast-feeding supplies and information.

“Formula companies have historically given out discharge bags with a can of formula,” said Dana Bennett, a registered dietitian and certified lactation consultant at the Allen County Health Department and regional breast-feeding promotion coordinator for the state. “The problem is that even the presence of any kind of artificial nipples undermines breast-feeding success.”

The bags have been helpful to the moms, said Marilyn Thomas, a lactation consultant at The Medical Center, which had a 64 percent breast-feeding initiation rate for June.

“We’ve had some moms who are offered a bag from a formula company and they state that they’re not going to use that,” she said. “This helps them.”

McIntosh said the bag is really nice.

“I like that it has the video,” she said. “There’s a book where you can keep track of feeding times. When you’re up all night long, you forget the last time you fed the baby.”

Bennett said 125 bags have been done in the Barren River Area Development District, mostly at The Medical Center.

“They have been well-received,” she said. “The lactation consultants have been great about encouraging (the nurses) to give the bags.”

The bags – which come in pink, blue and yellow – are given to mothers who are exclusively breast-feeding before they are discharged from the hospital. They contain a coordinating changing pad, swaddle blanket, breast-feeding book, washable breast pads, a breast-feeding log and the video “Breastfeeding: You Can Do It!”

“It’s filled with things we thought would be of value to breast-feeding moms,” Bennett said. “With the DVD, they can see pictures of how the babies latch on.”

The bags also have a card on which mothers can write an evaluation of the bag. Those who fill them out receive a T-shirt for the baby that reads, “I eat at mom’s.” They can also submit evaluations at the BabyNet website, babynetky.net.

“We’re hoping to get some feedback from around the state,” Bennett said.

Bennett has also been supplying reusable, washable canvas bags with the international breast-feeding logo at southcentral Kentucky farmers markets to raise more awareness for World Breastfeeding Week, which starts Monday and continues through Aug. 7. The bags will be handed out to the public at Bowling Green-Warren County Farmers Market, Southern Kentucky Farmers Market and Community Farmers Market Bowling Green on Aug. 6.

“Vendors put the produce in them,” she said.

Various health organizations – including the American Academy of Pediatrics – support breast-feeding. At its website at www.aap.org, the organization recommends exclusively breast-feeding for about the first six months and supports breast-feeding for the first year and beyond as long as mutually desired by mother and child.

Studies have shown that benefits of breast-feeding include reducing the risk of various illnesses, enhancing brain development and developing stronger facial muscles for the baby and, in mothers, reducing the risk for breast and ovarian cancer and helping them get back to their pre-pregnancy weight quicker.

“Formula is much harder for the baby to digest,” Bennett said. “Breast milk is perfectly designed for baby. They only eat until they are full and then they stop.”

Copyright 2011 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Adventures in baby-sitting: Clinic teaches basic care and first aid

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 7/23/2011

Baby Tiffany was having a tough day.

She had already had her diaper changed and been revived with CPR. Now she was being saved from choking.

“Has anyone ever had to deal with a choking infant?” asked Andrea Norris, a registered dietitian and community wellness manager at The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center at Greenwood Mall. “(They can choke on) the smallest things. They can put things in their mouths.”

It’s all in a day’s work for Baby Tiffany, a baby-sized CPR mannequin used at a recent Baby-sitting Clinic at the Health and Wellness Center. The class is designed to teach youths ages 11 to 17 about safety and how to handle emergency situations as well as tips on caring for children of all ages.

“It gives them knowledge on how to be not just a baby sitter, but a good baby sitter,” Norris said. “They learn infant and child CPR, fire safety, first aid, poison control, how to market themselves, bathing, feeding, who to answer the door for and how to answer the phone.”

When Norris asked the participants if they had dealt with a choking infant, a couple of youngsters out of the 22 in the group raised their hands. Norris then gave them first-aid instructions.

“Support her head,” Norris said as she placed her hand under and around Baby Tiffany’s jawline. “Angle her head down on your forearm.”

Norris then used her palm to firmly hit Baby Tiffany five times between her shoulder blades and then, supporting the back of her head, turned her face up and switched her to her other forearm.

“Do five chest compressions using your fingers,” she said, using two fingers to press at the center of Baby Tiffany’s breastbone.

After learning different first-aid techniques, the students formed a line to practice on Baby Tiffany. At one point, they changed her diaper, wiping down to prevent infection and using two fingers in the waistband of the diaper so that they wouldn’t fasten it too tight.

It’s one of several things that 11-year-old Faith McMillin of Franklin found particularly useful.

“I learned what to do in a fire, not to do homework while I’m baby-sitting and to stay close by while they’re sleeping,” she said. “I’ve been baby-sitting my little cousin and I wanted to know what to do if something happened.”

Ashton Brown, 13, of Lexington, was in Bowling Green visiting family and decided to take the class.

“My mom always tells me that I’m good with kids,” she said. “She told me I needed to take a baby-sitting class.”

Ashton also has experience in baby-sitting.

“I did one of those ‘mom’s helper’ things. She had four kids, all under 7,” she said. “I took the older kids. We played outside.”

Ashton said she learned a lot at the Baby-sitting Clinic.

“It’s nice,” she said. “I liked it.”

Copyright 2011 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Herbal incense: Legal but dangerous. Many looking for marijuana alternative are smoking potpourri product, which isn’t made for human consumption

by Deborah Highland, The Daily News, originally published on 7/17/2011

Two hits into an herbal incense packaged as 7H, and Amy, a University of Kentucky sophomore home for the summer here, loses complete awareness that she has a body.

Her eyes close and she sees static, like the kind of static on a television screen when the cable goes out. But this static hurts.

Amy wants the static to go away because the pain is unbearable. At one point she stops breathing because not inhaling clears the static somewhat and makes the pain go away.

Amy is having what some drug users call a “bad trip,” the kind of trip that in Amy’s case ended with an ambulance ride to the emergency room at The Medical Center.

Amy, whose name was changed for this story, agreed to speak anonymously to the Daily News to warn other young people about the dangers of smoking incense.

A clerk at Prince Hookah Lounge, where Amy bought the 7H, says it is one of his best sellers. The clerk points out to a buyer that the $25 product is “potpourri” and is not for human consumption. It sits behind a clear plastic display case along with other incense such as Crazy Monkey.

Prince Hookah Lounge owner Amar Shoraba said his customers were clamoring to get their hands on 7H. As a businessman, he wants to sell what consumers are looking to buy. But he points out that he would not sell 7H for any amount of money if a customer said he was buying the product to smoke it.

“Nobody can smoke that stuff,” Shoraba said. “It’s herbal incense. People are not supposed to smoke it.”

Much like with paint or glue, which are manufactured for specific purposes but sometimes used as inhalants by people looking for a high, many people looking for a cheap, legal alternative to pot are smoking 7H.

Amy, a pre-med student who tried marijuana on a visit to Amsterdam, where the substance is bought, sold and used legally, thought 7H would produce a similar feeling.

She was wrong.

“When my trip started, I closed my eyes, and then all of a sudden everything that had happened before, I had forgotten it all. I forgot that everything existed. I couldn’t remember who I was,” she said.

“It was like I was created in that moment and nothing else had ever happened before. I started seeing white dots like static. That’s all I saw. I wasn’t really aware that I had a body. I tried to look through the static. When I stopped focusing, it started feeling like a sharp pain.”

Amy started making sounds.

“When I made a note, the static would change like I dropped a pebble into a lake,” Amy said.

When Amy’s mother found her making the noise, it was screams. Then she noticed that Amy appeared to have stopped breathing. Amy’s mother called for an ambulance. Amy spent the next several hours in a hospital bed. Her feelings cycled from pain, to confusion to paranoia. She then spent the next several days feeling paranoid and unsure if the things around her were real. Nearly two weeks later, Amy still experiences some fear that if she closes her eyes, the static will return.

Amy is one of several patients to come through the emergency room at The Medical Center after smoking “incense.”

“We’ve had several cases lately, particularly younger individuals, under the influence of some sort of incense or bath salts,” said Dr. Bart Spurlin, director of the emergency department at the hospital. “They’re hallucinating, paranoid, acting erratically. As far as I know, there have not been any deaths at our facility due to it. But I have heard and read about other cases where there have been.”

Spurlin can’t say for certain that his recent emergency room patients were under the influence specifically of 7H unless someone tells him. And because no one knows what exactly is in the incense, it’s difficult to treat patients who react to it after smoking it.

“It’s frustrating on our behalf,” Spurlin said. “It’s not like treating someone under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. In this case, we don’t really know (what the substance is). We have to treat symptoms as they arise and monitor labs and vital signs.

“When we call Poison Control, they will tell us they don’t know either,” Spurlin said.

Mitch Plumlee III, a behavioral health specialist at Park Place Recovery Center, expressed similar concerns with 7H and other incense.

“One of the troubles with these drugs is they are having some strange effects, and we’re not always clear what specific chemicals are in them that are causing these effects. The chemicals vary from brand to brand and obviously, it’s not regulated.

“Nobody knows the long-term side effects because it hasn’t been around,” he said.

The packaging on 7H lists several ingredients that it does not contain – recently banned chemicals found in synthetic marijuana. The packaging refers to the product as “potpourri” and states that it is 100 percent legal in all 50 states. However, the packaging does not say what’s inside or where it is made.

That’s troubling to Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force Director Tommy Loving, who said his agency isn’t sure if 7H is legal because they don’t know what’s in it.

“After receiving complaints about it and hearing of emergency room visits attributed to it, we have purchased the product and sent it to the state police lab for testing,” Loving said. “It’s not clear to us if it’s one of the new designer drugs made illegal by the past legislature.

“We need to be able to say what this product contains, and then once we know that, we would probably proceed one of two routes. One, if it is an illegal substance, then we can make an arrest for the sale of it. If it is not an illegal substance but creates the problems we’re hearing about, then we would work with the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy to have this declared as an illegal substance.”

For Amy, she thought legal meant safe.

“I knew that it was legal, so I figured it would be OK,” Amy said.

While Amy’s medical providers told her she was never near death, her blood pressure and potassium levels dropped after she smoked 7H in a tobacco pipe. For a period of time while she was still under the influence of the incense, she said she was wishing that she didn’t exist while at the same time believing that she was nothing but a thought without a body.

Amy said she will never smoke 7H again, and she has warned her friends about it.

“Just because these substances are legal doesn’t mean that they are safe or nontoxic,” Spurlin said. “I would recommend as a doctor that you not ingest or smoke any substance that is not specifically for human consumption.

“If anyone knows or discovers a friend or relative who has ingested any of these substances or is abusing them, they should seek medical help.”

Copyright 2011 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Hospital staff deserves praise for its actions

The Daily News, originally published on 6/24/2011

The staff at The Medical Center should be commended for its reaction to a situation where an alleged rapist brought a woman into the emergency room and claimed that she had been robbed and beaten.

On Sunday, hospital staff separated the suspect, Darryl A. Galloway, from the victim. According to police, Galloway brought the woman to the emergency room on the condition that she tell medical staff she was robbed and beaten. Instead, the woman wrote a note on her admitting papers that said “get him away from me please.”

Emergency room staff then took the woman to a room and called police.

This was a very alert, brave move by the woman and the quick response by the emergency room staff says a lot about how they handled this intense situation.

Galloway, 34, is charged with two counts of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, attempted first-degree sodomy and fourth-degree assault/domestic violence.

The woman told police that she had gotten into Galloway’s vehicle in the parking lot of an area business. He allegedly began hitting her in the face with his hand before the two could get out of the parking lot. He then grabbed her around the neck as she kicked and screamed, according to police reports.

Galloway then drove to a location near Walmart on Morgantown Road, where he forced the woman to perform sexual acts, according to the police and court records.

He then stopped for gas and was armed with a butcher knife and told the woman he would kill her if she screamed, according to police records.

Galloway then drove the woman to another location, where he forced her to bathe and raped her a second time, according to police reports.

Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Cohron said the emergency room staff has always been helpful in situations such as this and they are an important part in many of their cases.

Of course, Galloway is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but the hospital staff deserves praise for its prompt and level-headed response to the situation.

Copyright 2011 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)