The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 76, No. 37, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 14, 1997 Page: 35 of 79
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THE BAYTOWN SUN
Baytown doctor helps patients overcome obesity
Overcooked chicken is robbed of nutrition
New device to help epileptics
Give the Gift of a Beautiful Smile
Get a JUMP on your New Year's resolution!!!
*No money down
and$99. per month
ORTHODONTIC
SWOAUST
Holiday poisonings
all too common
HOUSTON—Grandma's purse
may be the most dangerous
threat to children during the holi-
days.
"Accidental poisonings are the
main holiday-related emergency
we see," said Dr. Marcus J. Han-
fling, director of the Pediatric
Injury Center at Baylor College of
Medicine in Houston. “In all the
hubbub of family visits, medica-
tions often are left out or within
easy reach of children."
If you have small children, Han-
fling said, ask the relatives you
visit to put all medications, toxic
cleaning supplies and other
potential hazards well out of reach
of young ones. This is especially
true if you're visiting a household
that does not normally have chil-
dren in it.
DR.
GOH
easily be discovered tn time to prevent seri-
ous damage. In such instances, the drug
would be changed or modified.
Follow your doctor’s suggestions with
respect to diet and appropriate follow-up.
To give you more information, 1 am
sending you a copy of my Health Report
“Understanding Cholesterol.” Other readers
who would like a copy should send $2 plus
a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope to
P.O. Box 2017, Murray Hill Station, New
York, NY 10156. Be sure to mention the
Introducing the Align Patient
Payment Plan
individuals.
One patient, a middip-aged
man who experienced two grand
mal seizures a month, had taken
more than 10 prescription drugs
and had been evaluated for
Tips for women
during the holidays
HOUSTON—Remembering that
“less is more’ can help put the
“Happy” in “Happy Holidays."
“There is so much pressure,
especially on women, during the
holiday season. When added to
job and family responsibilities, the
holidays can become daunting,”
said Dr. Nancy Warren, a psy-
chologist at Baylor College of
Medicine in Houston.
“Remember that less is more:
more relaxed, more enjoyable,
more intimate, more time with the
.family,” Warren-said ..
To nelp'make the holidays less
hectic, Warren recommends:
• Alternating yearsfor favorite
holiday projects, such as party-
giving one year and doing extra
baking the next.
• Relaxing about decorating: Is
it a home or a showpiece?
• Involving the family in shop-
ping, decorating and baking.
• Shopping by catalog or giv-
ing gift certificates.
• Using frozen pies or slice-
and-bake cookies.
device may offer some patients
with epilepsy.
Recently, the vagus nerve
stimulator, a matchbook-size
device implanted in the chest,
was approved for use against
seizure activity. The device is
intended for patients who have
had limited success taking med-
ications. Before this treatment
option, many of these individu-
als might have had to undergo
brain surgery.
■ The device sends anti-epilep-
tic electrical impulses over a
Stomach-stapling technique
offers alternative to drugs
By JEORGE ZARAZUA
The Baytown Sun
DEAR DR. GOTT: 1 pressure-cook my
chicken until it is very tender. Then I chew
the soft bones, which dissolve easily. Is
there any harm in this practice?
DEAR READER: Eating chicken bones
is associated with only one complication:
Unchewed, indigestible fragments of bone
could, in theory, perforate the intestinal lin-
ing and cause infection or bleeding. If you
are cooking your chicken to the point
where the bones are soft, this complication
should not be a problem.
Nonetheless, this is a whale ’of a lot of
cooking. Such overcooking could, in my
opinion, rob the chicken of nutritional ele-
ments. As you know, excessive cooking
will destroy vitamins and minerals, as well
as alter protein and other substances, ren-
dering the chicken less nutritious. If you
want to cook your chicken to Oblivion, fine;
1107 E.James. Baytown, ’
(Just minutes from the Hartman Bridge)
_______niat"4-B RACES" ......-
(281) 427 2217
'With approved credit
again. Physicians set or reset the pitch. Moreover, it remains
24-hour impulse timing and fre- effective over time, unlike long-
quency by using an external term drug therapy for many
programmer to suit each
patient’s individual needs.
After having a stimulator
implanted in the chest wall (a
procedure requiring at most an
overnight hospital stay), many
patients experience fewer and surgery,
less severe seizures and need In the 18 months since he had
less daily medication. The
device does not have the side
effects — from fatigue to
impaired thinking — of many
Carlos Gonzalez, individual thera-
py, group therapy, family evalua-
tion and therapy when needed,
and referral for nutritional coun-
seling.
Its overall treatment objective is
to establish trust and rapport in
order to successfully address the
issue of the patient’s .distorted . ..
however, you might better choose to follow
more traditional preparation times, enjoy
firmer chicken, and discard the bones.
DEAR DR. GOTT: I’m a 56-year-old
woman with no physical problems except
for a total cholesterol of276 and an LDL
of 183. My doctor put me on a low-choles-
terol diet. He said that if my levels don’t of the drugs usually outweigh this relatively --------——--------------
improve, I should take prescription medi- trivial complication. Moreover, your doctor Dr. Gott is a nationally syndicated
cine that could damage my liver. I’m not will monitor your cholesterol and LDL lev- columnist.
Preparing for winter exercise
Winter creates special health risks for those who exercise, but with
a few precautions, nearly everyone can maintain or improve fitness
training during the colder months.
The risks of exercising in the cold include not only frostbite and
hypothermia, but also musculoskeletal and cardiovascular problems.
Those who rarefy exercise, or who suffer from cardiovascular or pul-
monary disease, should have a physical exam and discuss with then-
physician an exercise regimen drey can safely perform. People may
want to begin with walking or another low-intensity aerobic regi-
men. Regardless of your fitness level, however, everyone should
take extra precaution with winter exercise. It is easy to underesti-
mate the effect of the cold on the body. Wmd and temperature can
combine to create dangerous conditions in minutes, if not seconds.
Dress appropriately and in layers. The layers nearest your skin
should be made of materials that quickly wick off sweat and mois-
ture while providing insulation. A polypropylene layer closest to the
skin followed by a wool second layer works well for this purpose.
Layers of cotton do not. On the outside, wear something that keeps „
you dry from rain and protects from wind, such as a windbreaker.
HEALTH
notes ana news
Overeating program added
to Baylor Psychiatry Clinic
HOUSTON — Treating Program at Baylor College of
anorexia, bulimia and problems Medicine.
with overeating is the focus of a The program, open to patients
new Eating Disorders Program at age 18 and older, offers a medica-
Baylor College of Medicine’s Psy- ■ tion clinic supervised by Dr. Juan
chiatry Clinic.
“There was such a large
response to the psychiatry depart-
ment’s eating disorders screening
and community presentation this
summer, that we realized the need
for a formal eating disorders pro-
gram,” said Jana Rosenbaum, a
licensed clinical social worker and
director of the Eating Disorders body image.
a vagus nerve stimulator
implanted, he has been seizure-
free and enjoys a 30 percent
reduction in his medications.
What the heart pacemaker did wire to stimulate the vagus anti-epileptic drugs. Each time,
more than 20 years ago for peo- nerve, which is responsible for however, an electrical impulse is
pie with heart rhythm problems transmitting messages from the transmitted, it may cause, a per-
is what a new biotechnological brain to the body and back son’s voice to change in tone or
Season for giving
includes motorists
HOUSTON — Drivers in Hous-
ton who buckle up this holiday
season may get a T-shirt or a gift
certificate — from a traffic officer.
The Positive Reinforcement
Program, initiated by the Houston
Police Department, and the Vehi-
cle Injury Program at Baylor Col-
lege of Medicine rewards random
motorists for complying with safe-
ty-belt and car-safety-seat use.
The selected drivers receive gifts
from the officers who stop them to
recognize their positive behavior.
The VIP program, a component
of the Pediatric Injury Center at
Baylor and the Harris County Hos-
pital District, seeks to lower death
and injury due to lack of proper
safety restraints.
“Drivers are curious why they
are pulled over, but most think it's
a very positive event and enjoy
the recognition as well as the gift,”
said John Leggio, HPD
spokesman.
Some eye drops
may cause harm
HOUSTON — Over-the-counter
eye drops designed to reduce
redness can actually cause more
serious problems.
Researchers at the Cullen Eye
Institute at Houston's Baylor Col-
lege of Medicine found that these
nonprescription drops can pro-
duce conjunctivitis symptoms,
such as redness, syvelling and
itching. •
“Some people experienced a
rebound effect, where their eyes
became increasingly red," said
Dr. Douglas Koch, an ophthalmol-
ogist whd co-authored the study.
"The other problems we found
were allergic reactions in the eyes
and eyelids and swelling of the
eyelids.”
Artificial tears, without medica-
tions to reduce redness, are safe
alternatives, Koch said.
Sunday, December 14.1997 3-E
treat obesity, especially after concerns that the
popular medications fenfluramine (sold as
Pondimin) and its chemical cousin dexfenflu-
ramine(sold as Redux) could cause heart and
neurological damage.
The FDA’s recall of fen-phen was prompted by
studies showing that 30 percent of 291 people
taking Redux or Pondimin with phentermine
developed heart-valve abnormalities.
The FDA asked American Home Products
Corp,, the maker of Redux and Pondimin, to
take the drugs off the market. It agreed.
Ilahi said stomach stapling has very few side
years,” Ilahi said.
He said the surgical procedure is especially rec-
ommended for obese people ages 20 to 60.
The stomach-stapling procedure also reduces Phoio by johnflwiand
the chances of a patient getting diabetes, a heart Dr. Aslam Ilahi is the only doctor in Baytown specializing in gas-
disease, arthritis or cancer due to their obesity, trio surgery. The surgery, also known as stomach stapling, is a
Ilahi said. procedure done on obese patients to help them lose weight.
Since federal officials have banned the
weight-loss drug combination known as fen-
phen, Americans suffering from severe obesity
and the doctors who treat them have been
searching for alternative treatments.
Meet Dr. Aslam Ilahi.
Ilahi says he already has the perfect treatment
for morbidly obese people — those who are 100
pounds over their ideal weight.
Ilahi is the only doctor in Baytown who pro-
vides gastric surgery, or stomach stapling, to effects. ’
help people lose weight. “It’s safe and effective with a very low compli- :
“Basically, it’s restricting the amount a person cation rate,” he said.
can eat,” he said. The procedure, which is covered by health
Gastroplasty, commonly referred to as stom- insurance, requires ah average of a three-day
ach stapling, is a surgical procedure where the hospital stay.
doctor creates a small pouch in the stomach just “We’ve done over 200 procedures over five
below the esophagus with the help of four rows
of staples — effectively limiting the intake of
food.
The procedure triggers nerves in the stomach,
telling a person he or she is full after eating a
small portion of food,
Ilahi touts stomach stapling as the best way to
too enthusiastic about this risk. els—as well as your liver function —by
DEAR READER: It seems to me that ordering periodic blood tests while you are
your doctor has advocated a prudent being treated.
approach to your high cholesterol and LDL Therefore, any liver inflammation could
levels. Currently, most experts recommend
that the total cholesterol be kept below
about 220 milligrams per deciliter and the
LDLs (low-density lipoproteins, or “bad”
cholesterol) be stabilized below 120 mil-
ligrams per deciliter.
If you’re strict aboutyourdiet,, your lev-
els should drop into the normal range.
However, if they do not, prescription medi-
cine is the next step.
While it’s true that mpst cholesterol-low-
ering drugs can cause liver inflammation in
a small percentage of patients, the benefits title.
* 30 classes a week
\ • All fitness levels
/ •) • Complimentary child care
. J • Fitness evaluations
* Personal training
* Corporate fitness programs
2137 Bay Plaza • 422-5772
Dr. Robert P. Buck
is a Board Certified Orthodontist
and has been in practice for more
lhanJ..7^ars,.Bels.cximmatedux..
providing quality care and beautiful
smiles through affordable family :
orthodontics.
Call to schedule a free initial examination..
Read toy
packaging when
choosing gifts
HOUSTON—Children tradition-
ally receive toys during the holi-
day season, and parents should
be careful that the toys are appro-
priate for the age of the children.
Toy packages specify which
ages are appropriate for the toy
inside. When buying toys for chil-
dren, know the youngsters’ ages
and make appropriate matches,
saidDr. Marcus J. Hanfling, direc-
tor of the Pediatric Injury Center at
Houston’s Baylor College of Medi-
cme. ' ~~ — —
Also, before allowing a child to
play with any toy, check for any
broken pieces that could swal-
lowed, and check for sharp edges
that could cause injuries, Hanfling
said.
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Dobbs, Gary. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 76, No. 37, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 14, 1997, newspaper, December 14, 1997; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1176501/m1/35/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.