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Doctor's Corner:
Swine Flu
Spring is here, the weather is wonderful, it's getting hotter....and flu season is upon us! Yes....it appears that our good fortune in having a mild flu season this year is being met with unexpected flu from another quarter....swine flu. Swine flu is a 'hot topic' of conversation right now, and rightfully so. It appears that this source of flu virus has developed into an infectious disease that can transmit from human-to-human contact. Given the current number of cases in Mexico, the US, and Canada, and the apparent transmission patterns, we will be seeing this virus for the Spring and Summer Seasons, and likely into the later months this year. Fortunately, this swine flu, a variant of the normal influenza virus, does not appear to be particularly dangerous. In comparison to the 'bird flu', which clearly is lethal in a high percentage of instances, the swine flu does not appear to be as toxic. It responds to Tamiflu (and also the inhaled form of influenza treatment....Relenza), whereas the bird flu is not as responsive to the treatment medications. At this point in time there is no need for panic, nor is there a need for each of us to have our own "stockpile" of Tamiflu pills for the coming pandemic. Rather, we need to be reasonable and rational in our approach. This consists of preventive measures and a reasonable response. Our office is prepared to deal with any cases of suspected flu, so if you have concerns if you develop a feverish illness, you may with to call or e-mail us. Most colds with fever are not swine flu....so do not worry. That said, symptoms of particular concern include:
Fever over 102 degrees by thermometer
Fever along with severe muscle aching If you have the above symptoms, you should not be out in public at this time, but should remain home from work and school (this is the best preventive strategy). Welcome Spring. Stay healthy and do not fret about swine flu, but feel free to contact us if you need. Back to Top
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| Vol 4 / Issue 2 |
April / 2009 |
Back to Top Spring is Here! |
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Spring
When daisies pied, and violets blue,
And lady-smocks all silver-white,
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men, for thus sings he:
'Cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo!' O word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear.
When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,
And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks,
When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
And maidens bleach their summer smocks,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men, for thus sings he:
'Cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo!' O word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear.
- William Shakespeare
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| Your Fate is in your Fingers....... |
| Neurotic? Blame your digits.
Palm readers fail to predict your future? Check out your fingers instead of your palms.
Finger length is tied to personality traits, athletic ability, mental aptitude and even predisposition to certain diseases, research says.
Is your ring finger longer than your index finger?
Then you have a "masculinized" ratio, scientists say. That means you are more likely to exhibit characteristics including aggressiveness and insensitivity, and to be good at sports and math.
Index finger longer than your ring finger?
Then you have a "feminized" pattern that relates to high neuroticism, the tendency to worry or complain and better verbal skills.
Your digits also may warn against disease.
People with masculinized finger ratios are more prone to autism and osteoarthritis. Those with feminized ratios are at greater risk for breast cancer and eating disorders.
"Pre-birth exposure to testosterone" affects finger length as well as "our behavior as adults," says British researcher John Manning.
Worried?
No need to run off to the doctor quite yet. Manning says his finger findings indicate general trends: "very few things are true predictors."
- Reyhanah Fathieh, USA Weekend Back to Top |
| Insurance Companices Offer to Stop Charging Sick People More.... |
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The health insurance industry offered recently for the first time to curb its controversial practice of charging higher premiums for  people with a history of medical problems. The offer from America's Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a potentially significant shift in the debate over reforming the nation's health care system to rein in costs and cover an estimated 48 million uninsured people. It was contained in a letter to key senators.
In the letter, the two insurance industry groups said their members are willing to "phase out the practice of varying premiums based on health status in the individual market" if all Americans are required to get coverage.
"The offer here is to transition away from risk rating, which is one of the things that makes life difficult for real people," said health economist Len Nichols of the New America Foundation public policy center. "They have never in their history offered to give up risk rating."
Insurers are trying to head off the creation of a government insurance plan that would compete with them, something that liberals and many Democrats are pressing for. To try to win political support, the industry has already made a number of concessions. Last year, for example, insurers offered to end the practice of denying coverage to sick people. They also said they would support a national goal of restraining cost increases.
The latest offer goes beyond that.
Insurance companies now charge very high premiums to people who are trying to purchase coverage as individuals and have a history of medical problems, such as diabetes or skin cancer. Even if such a person is offered coverage, that individual is often unable to afford the high premiums. About 7 percent of Americans buy their coverage as individuals, while more than 60 percent have job-based insurance.
"This changes everything," said Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, the leading trade group. "When you have everyone in the system, and you can bring (financial) assistance to working families, then you can move away from health status rating."
The companies left themselves several outs, however. The letter said they would still charge different premiums based on such factors as age, place of residence, family size and benefits package.
And importantly, the industry did not extend to small businesses their offer to stop charging the sick higher premiums. Small employers who offer coverage can see their premiums zoom up from one year to the next, even if just one worker or family member gets seriously ill. Ignagni said the industry is working on separate proposals for that problem.
"We are in the process of talking with small business folks across the country," she said. "We are well on the way to proposing a series of strategies that could be implemented for them."
Stay tuned, there will be more!
- AZ Republic, 3/2009
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| LESSEN YOUR STRESS! |
 10 important tactics to fight the blues......
Don't let the recession blues ruin your outlook on life. These tips can help you "decompress:
Exercise
Developing an exercise program not only benefits you physically and emotionally, but it also instills a sense of discipline.
Control spending
Make it a game, see how much you can save in a day, a week, a month. Record the savings and review them periodically to see your progress.
Organize you life
Planning your daily and weekly schedule can be empowering.
Put people first
Charities always can use help, and by providing your time, you'll help yourself, too.
Relax
Even if your day is busy, you need time to unwind.
Eat nutritiously
Focus on variety, and minimize foods that are high in calories, fats, and sodium, including many fast foods.
Sleep
If sleep disturbance is a symptom of your stress, talk to your doctor about how to correct it.
Simplify
We collect "stuff" that just becomes clutter. Organize a yard sale to pick up extra cash on things you no longer need. Show yourself you are in charge of your life. What you don't sell, you can give to charity.
-HealthSmart, by Tedd Mitchell
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TOP DOC 2009 |
Dr. Lakin Named TOP DOC 2009
Dr. Lakin is named TOP DOC again for 2009. It is an honor to work for a physician so respected by his peers.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Lakin once again.
Job well done!
- His proud staff
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| 5 Things You Don't Know About Hand Washing...... |
 1. Not everyone does it! Although 92% of people claim they always wash after using a public restroom, in a study, American Society of Microbiology researchers observed only 77% actually doing so.
2. Peer pressure helps! A study of 100 college women in Maryland showed that when students were alone in the loo, 45% "forgot" to wash, vs 9% when another student was present.
3. There's a right way! Only 15% of people do it well enough to remove germs, says Allison Janse, co-author of The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu. Use warm water, and lather plenty of soap onto the fingers, fingernails, and palms. Most important, wash for at least 15 seconds (hum silently Happy Birthday twice).
4. Don't forget to wash rings too. Water can get trapped in jewelry, creating a welcoming home for bacteria, says Frederic Saldmann, author of Wash Your Hands!
5. Dry thoroughly. Paper towels remove germs better than air dryers do. And dry carefully between fingers and under nails. Germs live longer in a damp environment, and Saldmann says, "Wet hands transmit 500 times more germs than dry hands.
- Samantha Lee, USA Weekend
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| NCAA Basketball Tournament, Lakin Style |
And the winner is!
Our friend, Lou!
University of North Carolina may have won the games, but our friend, Lou, won the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Lakin Style.
Coming in with 72 points, Lou topped all of our scores. Elena came in second, and Dr. Lakin pulled up the bottom with 54 points. He voted for ASU! A true ASU Alumini......
Congratulations Lou, we didn't know you were such a college basketball fan!
Dr. Lakin in disbelief, "ASU really lost!"
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| Join Our Office Support Groups! |
Diabetic Support Group with Elena
Our office diabetic support group has started and if you would like more information, healthy tips, or healthy open discussion, come join our office group.
The next meeting will be soon, so call now to reserve your place!
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Healthy Eating Support Group with Marilyn
Marilyn has some great ideas to help you eat healthy and hearty!
Join our group.
Email Marilyn for more information.
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| Smart or Crazy? |
 "I'm crazy about my breadbox on wheels called a Smart car. My "normal" car is a SUV, but I have definitely downsized recently,...... downsized to a Smart car.
It really turns heads wherever I go. I tell everyone, including Dr. Lakin, if you want to make an entrance, drive this car.
Here are just some of the reasons for my madness......"
Small is Beautiful?
The Smart care isn't new - only new to most of the USA. The original idea hearkens back to the 1970's, but took off after Nicolas Hayek, who founded the Swatch wristwatch line, announced in 1989 that he wanted to bring a newfangled small car to market. The Smart name comes from combining the S from Swatch, the M from Mercedes and ART.
The car was already becoming a cultural icon, making an appearance both in the best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code and in the movie version starring Tom Hanks.
For owners who tire of their car's color, it's easy to change in a couple of hours. The body is swathed in plastic panels that can be switched out by a dealer or a skilled individual.
Safe?
To try to underscore Smarts' safety to visiting reporters, tests were done, smashing the rear of the car in a 50-mph demonstration. There was no intrusion into the passenger compartment. They also showed videos of front-crash tests and a mannequin-filled Smart car roll over and over like someone kicking an empty soda can. One of the tests involved hitting an S-class Mercedes, which weighs more than twice as much. The point was always the same: the safety cage surrounding the passenger always held up.
Popular?
If the car seems unconventional, so is the way it's being sold. No need to advertise, there are over 30,000 online reservations in the bank. Smart car officials won't say how many cars they expect to deliver in the first six months, only that they'll meet the demand, which so far has amounted to eight out of every 10 reservation holders saying they still want to buy one.
At Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco, where the upstairs portion of the showroom has become a splashy Smart car studio, the only Smart cars available are for demonstration purposes.
The target customer can not be defined by age or income, but by attitude and lifestyle.
That attitude: Quirky? Eccentric?
Naw, just call them downsizers......
- USA TODAY Back to Top |
| Movie Reviews with Barb A. |
Forget it! *
Rent the Video * *
Entertaining * * *
Great * * * *
A Must See * * * * *
* * * * TWO LOVERS.....I really enjoyed this movie. In fact, I didn't want it to end. Joaquin Phoenix is certainly not my favorite actor. Actually I think he is rather strange. However in this film he is stunning. He was certainly believable as a mixed up young man in love with two entirely different women. It was a great study in relationships.
* WENDY AND LUCY.....This film received four stars from the Arizona Republic. I find that strange. Wendy goes across the screen from right to left and from left to right the entire duration of the movie looking for her dog Lucy. She has left her dysfunctional home and wanders all over in her junky car. When she loses Lucy, she starts the left to right, right to left walkathon. There is nothing to be learned from this movie. The dog is cute though.
* * * HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU....."Entertaining" is the correct word for this film. You don't have to be a brain surgeon or take notes. It just moves along and is entirely predictable. I especially enjoyed Jennifer Goodwin. She is a breath of fresh air and carried the whole film. Her hair is great. I want it!
MY MOVIE REVIEW IS MINIMAL THIS TIME. I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. I WILL DO BETTER NEXT TIME. (IT IS A RECESSION YOU KNOW) I HAD A FAMILY REUNION FOR 14 AT MY HOUSE AND ALL THEY WANTED TO DO WAS "GO TO THE MALL" AFTER THEY LEFT I WENT TO CALIFORNIA TO RECOVER. I'M BACK IN THE SWING NOW AND READY FOR HARKINS.
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| Vinegar Nightcap....... |
 Try this bedtime tonic: two tablespoons of vinegar with a late-night snack.
Doing that may help reduce fasting blood glucose levels the following morning, notably in people with type 2 diabetes, says research at Arizona State University.
This study used apple cider vinegar, but expert Jennie Brand-Miller at the University of Sydney says it works with any vinegar (balsamic, red wine, white wine, even lemon or lime juice) and in non-diabetics. Acidity, she says, seems to "put the brakes on stomach emptying," slowing the digestion of carbs.
Perhaps this explains why vinegar may dampen appetite, she adds.
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| 6 Myths That Won't Die..... |
Science now says the following examples of familiar food lore are more myth than fact.
#1. All tea is the same. Bottled and instant teas are very low in antioxidants, reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In order to get disease-fighting amounts of tea's potent antioxidant, EGCG, you must drink brewed green tea or take an EGCG supplement.
#2. Bagels are health food. Just the opposite. Most bagels are made from processed white flour, are low in fiber and have a high glycemic index, causing them to spike blood sugar and tying them to weight gain and problems such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Better bread: whole grain or sourdough.
#3. Raw is more nutritious. In fact, cooking vegetables often releases nutrients, such as beta carotene. And flash-freezing fruits and vegetables quickly after harvest retains nutrients, while shipping and storing fresh produce drains nutrients. Surprisingly, canned tomato sauce and paste have more lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, than fresh tomatoes.
#4. Coffee and caffeine are harmful. Moderate amounts are safe and often beneficial, Harvard research says. Coffee may cut the risk of type 2 diabetes, gallstones, colon cancer, liver damage and Parkinson's disease; it also may boost cognitive function. But, in some, coffee can increase headaches, anxiety and heart problems, so follow your doctor's advice.
#5. Use No-fat salad dressing. Without fat, your body can't absorb needed nutrients in toppings such as tomatoes and carrots. Douse salad with a little extra-virgin olive oil or add cheese, nuts or avocado.
#6. Eggs are dangerous. Studies show that egg yolks do not significantly raise blood cholesterol, and they're packed with choline, which is vital for brain development.
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| Want More Muscle? Eat a Banana! |
You may think eating lots of protein gives you more muscle mass -- but you should try potassium-packed fruits and vegetables instead, says a new USDA study at Tufts University of older Americans.
Typically, muscle mass declines after age 50. But seniors who ate lots of high-potassium foods were apt to have 3.6 more pounds of lean tissue mass than those who had half as much potassium.
Here's the science: Researchers believe potassium counters the effects of foods, such as meat and cereal grains, that create "acidic residues" in the body, promoting muscle wasting. Vegetables and fruits, including citrus, paradoxically become alkaline in the body, helping neutralize the acidity.
Good sources: Potassium is high in bananas, dried apricots, cantaloupe, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, pumpkin, legumes, avocado, orange juice and tomato products.
- USA Weekend
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| Lean Lemony Veal and Baby Artichokes |
A Spring Time Favorite!
· Ingredience:
8 (about 12 ounces total) baby
artichokes,
or 2 medium artichokes (see note)
· Salt
· 1 pound(s) veal cutlets
· 1 lemon
· 2 teaspoon(s) olive oil
· 1/4 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
· 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
· 1 cup(s) chicken broth
· 1 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon(s) minced fresh taragon leaves
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Directions
1. Trim baby artichoke: Bend back green outer leaves and snap them off at base until remaining leaves are half green (at the top) and half yellow (at the bottom). Trim stem ends and cut across top of each artichoke at point where yellow meets green (about 1/2 inch from top).
2. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat 1/2 inch salted water to boiling over medium-high heat. Add artichokes; reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, 12 minutes or until artichokes are fork-tender. Drain artichokes in colander; cool until easy to handle. Cut each baby artichoke lengthwise into quarters. Do not discard center portion.
3. Meanwhile, if veal cutlets are large, cut each crosswise in half. If necessary, with meat mallet, pound cutlets to even 1/8-inch thickness. From lemon, grate 2 teaspoons peel and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice.
4. In same skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add half of cutlets; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and cook 2 minutes or until they just lose their pink color throughout, turning over once. Transfer cutlets to platter and keep warm. Repeat with remaining cutlets, 1 teaspoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper (reduce heat to medium if cutlets are browning too quickly).
5. To same skillet, add shallots and 1/2 cup water, and cook over medium heat 1 minute. In cup, mix broth and flour. Increase heat to medium-high; add broth mixture and lemon peel, and boil 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Add artichokes, tarragon, and lemon juice, and cook 1 minute to heat through, stirring gently.
6. To serve, spoon artichokes with sauce over veal on platter.
Tips & Techniques
If using medium artichokes, with serrated knife, cut 1 inch straight across top of each artichoke. Cut off stem; peel. Pull dark outer leaves from artichoke bottom. With kitchen shears, trim thorny tips of remaining leaves. Cut artichoke lengthwise into sixths. Scrape out choke, removing center petals and fuzzy center portion; discard. Repeat with remaining artichoke. Rinse artichokes well. Cook as in step 2.
- Good Housekeeping
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| Your Moment Of Zen..... |
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1. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire.
2. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
3. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be
promoted.
4. No one is listening until you make a mistake.
5. Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.
6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
7. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a
warning to others.
8. It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities
without your help.
9. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of
car payments.
10. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their
shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
11. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
12. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat & drink beer all day.
13. If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
14. Don't squat with your spurs on.
15. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
16. Some days you are the bug, some days you are the windshield.
17. Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
18. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
19. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
20. Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side & a dark side, and
it holds the universe together.
21. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
22. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your mouth is moving.
23. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it
24. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
25. We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then things get worse.
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| Lunch with Dr. Lakin Contest! |
 And the winners are.....
The winners of our "lunch with Dr. Lakin contest are Marlene and Jules!
Marlene and Jules dined with Dr. Lakin at Chompies, Thursday, April 23. A good time was had by all.
Congratulations Marlene & Jules!
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| "May the spring bring you health and Happiness!" |
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Sincerely yours,
Douglas Lakin & staff
Paradise Valley Medical Clinic PC
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