New Studies Revealed

The 20th of March welcomes the first day of Spring. And with it, a time for new beginnings, more sunshine and blooming flowers.

This month, we are excited to announce our office is moving to a better location in the Atkins-Kent building. We also highlight a study that reveals how mammograms reduce the number of mastectomies. We have a guest writer, Dr. Adam Perlman, who discusses Interactive Medicine and its applications. In our Healthy Living Section, we reveal the power of exercise in controlling diabetes. Our "Meet the Staff" section highlights Annette Giaimo, technician and receptionist with The Rubino OB/GYN Group. And don't forget to read this month's medical "I didn't know that!"

If there is topic you would like covered in our newsletter, please e-mail us at newsletter@rubinoobgyn.com.

As always, we will continue to provide topics that are current, informative and important to your good health.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Rubino, MD and Staff

The Rubino Group Moves to a New Suite

We are excited to announce The Rubino OB/GYN Group is moving the West Orange office from the 4th floor (Suite 410) to the 1st floor (Suite 101) in April.

The new office space is the biggest, best suite in the building, conveniently located across from the coffee shop. The space allows the practice to provide a more comfortable, spacious and full-service offering to our patients. Look for more details as the move gets closer!

Study Reveals Mammograms Reduce Mastectomies

A recent study reports that annual mammograms reduce mastectomies in women age 40 to 50 years old.

This retrospective study, conducted of 459 women in London who had a mammogram 1 year or less prior to a breast cancer diagnosis, had a mastectomy rate less than half that of women whom either had a mammogram more than a year prior to diagnosis and women who never had a mammogram prior to breast cancer diagnosis.

Dr Nicholas Perry reported the findings recently in Chicago at a radiology conference. He concluded, the shorter the interval between mammograms at the time of breast cancer diagnosis correlated to an earlier stage and more likely conservative treatment with lumpectomy compared to mastectomy in women 40-50 years old.

It is important to continue to get your annual mammogram and even more frequently if there is a history of breast cancer in your family.

Interactive Medicine

by Adam Perlman, MD, MPH, FACP

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A relatively new term in health care is Integrative Medicine. People often ask, "What is Integrative Medicine?" and "What does an Integrative Medicine physician do?" Unlike alternative medicine, which could be described as medical therapies outside of the conventional medicine realm, Integrative Medicine in fact is more of an approach to the care of patients. That approach includes incorporating the best of alternative or complementary therapies with the best of conventional medicine in order to merge them into a holistic, humanistic model of care. Practitioners of integrative medicine partner with patients and try to create a healing environment where issues of mind, body and spirit are considered.

Patients who seek an integrative model of care are often looking for a greater sense of control over their health and well being. Most are not looking to abandon conventional medical treatments, but want to consider options beyond those that are typically offered in a conventional medical setting. Often, a patient may seek out an Integrative Physician to maximize her health or prevent disease. However, many patients find relief with an Integrative Medical approach for more difficult-to-treat conditions. Those conditions include such things as chronic pain from fibromyalgia, arthritis or other causes, PMS, menopausal syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, support during treatment for cancer and even weight management.

In general, an Integrative Medical approach involves consideration of five main areas: conventional medicine, nutrition including dietary supplements, exercise, emotional/stress management and spirituality. Treatments such as medications and physical therapy are often utilized, but other modalities such as acupuncture, massage therapy, mind-body medicine and dietary supplements are also considered when there is evidence to suggest they may be helpful. Patients are encouraged to look beyond the specific complaint that has brought them into the office and to consider strategies to develop a healthier overall lifestyle. This integrative approach often leads to improvement in symptoms, to improved quality of life and sense of well being when a purely conventional approach has failed.

Dr. Perlman practices at Integrative Health and Wellness in Livingston, NJ. Contact information: www.dradamperlman.com or 973-322-7007.

Healthy Living:

Pumping Up Pumps Down Glucose

New guidelines for the American College of Sports Medicine and the ADA emphasizes a combination of aerobic exercise with anaerobic strength training (weight lifting) 2-3 days per week, or at least 150 minutes, for Type 2 diabetes patients.

The combined exercise regimen reduces long term glucose levels in diabetic patients than just exercise alone. The findings come from over 300 studies in the past 10 years evaluating the relationship between exercise and metabolism.

The recommendation is to spread out moderate-to-vigorous exercise three days per week, with no more than two consecutive days of rest. "Most people with type 2 diabetes do not have sufficient aerobic capacity to undertake sustained vigorous activity for a weekly duration and they may also have orthopedic or other health limitations."

Strength training may be an even more important component in diabetes management. Strength training, or anaerobic exercise, tends to really challenge the body. It requires peforming exercises in short intervals of 1-2 minutes, when lactic acid begins to builds up, causing muscle fatigue and requiring a rest period. Repetitive exercise to fatigue helps muscles get stronger.

Aerobic exercise burns less calories per minute and uses more oxygen, so it allows for longer sustained periods of activity, such as jogging. The two combined offer improved overall health and a boost in the quality of life. And, in combination with the proper diet, have helped manage diabetes in patients.

Meet the Staff

This month we highlight Annette Giaimo, Medical Technician and Receptionist with The Rubino OB/GYN annette Group.

Annette joined the medical profession in 1976, as a medical laboratory technician student at St. Barnabas Medical Center. Upon graduation, she was employed in the Dept. of Pathology at St. Barnabas, where she also obtained her ASCP and HEW licenses.

In 1981, Annette married her husband Gus, and this year they will celebrate their 30^th anniversary. They are proud parents of two boys. After the birth of her sons, Annettee sought a job with family friendly hours and began working for Dr. John Comerci, OB/GYN. Annette took a break from the medical field to help a family business in the Italian food industry.

After a number of years, Annette felt the medical field was calling her again and began working for The Rubino OB/GYN Group. Annette feels it is very rewarding working with the patients and the great staff of employees.

Annette enjoys traveling with her family to Italy, where her husband and family were born. They also love to travel to Brazil to visit cousins and enjoy Carnival time. She truly enjoys weekends of Italian cooking with family and friends. Annette is also chairperson for CFNJ - Robert P. Giaimo Memorial Fund and also the director of the Robert P. Giaimo 5K Memorial run held each October... a true labor of LOVE.

Her Option Cryoablation Thank You Program

If you have a friend or family member that is suffering from heavy, painful periods and is a candidate for Her Option Cryoablation, they can simply make an appointment with The Rubino OB/GYN Group for a consultation to see if the procedure is right for them.

As a thank you being an ambassador for good health, The Rubino Group is offering a $100 gift card* to anyone referring someone for the procedure.

*The procedure must be completed and performed by The Rubino OB/GYN Group prior to receiving the gift card. The referral should use the person's name (that referred them) when booking the procedure to ensure gift card is issued.

Office Announcements

Enterprising Patients

If you would like to add your business or service to the website,

please e-mail us at network@rubinoobgyn.com.

Pretty Pushers Disposable Labor Gowns

Soft, cotten, disposable labor gowns are available in our offices. For more information visit the products page on our website.

ContourMD - 10% Discount

Click here to start shopping. Use code AFF10 during checkout.

Personal Health Records Online

You can now access your personal health records through Relay Health, a secure, online health information portal, right on nav bar of our website.

Save Time with Online Appointments, Consultations &Personal Health Records

To schedule online appointments, consultations or view your personal health records at your convenience, just visit the home page of www.rubinoobgyn.com. You can also call 973-736-1100 now to schedule an appointment at any of our three locations.

"Important Announcements" on Our Website

You can find important new developments and time-sensitive announcements (such as office closings) right on the upper right hand portion of our home page.