Features
Take the First-Ever Reader's Choice Survey!
Mar 2010
Vote for your favorites in more than 30 categories, from health care providers to fitness centers to local running events. The Health Journal will run a series of profiles on selected winners in our summer 2010 issues.
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When Studies Collide
Mar 2010Making Sense of Cancer Screening Guidelines
Vivian Vitullo had no reason to be worried when she went for a mammogram at age 40. The Suffolk resident had gone through a scare two years earlier after discovering two lumps in her breasts, but tests had shown no signs of cancer. Without a family history or risk factors for the disease, Vitullo scheduled a mammogram simply because the American Cancer Society recommends annual screenings starting at age 40.
Even after a radiologist saw troubling deposits of calcium in her right breast, Vitullo wasn’t too concerned. But several tests later, she got a diagnosis that shocked her: ductal carcinoma in sit Read More...
Healing Haiti
Mar 2010Two ER doctors reflect on their mission trip to earthquake-stricken Haiti, from the joy of saving three lives to their concerns for the country’s future.
Emergency room doctors Dave Cash of Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center and Charles Graffeo of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital have served together on many a relief mission, from hurricanes and other natural disasters to terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Their most recent journey, however—a week in quake-stricken Port Au Prince, Haiti—was an unexpected assignment that turned out to be the experience of a lifetime.
As emergency room physicians, Drs. David Cash and Charlie Graffeo are Read More...
Second Opinions May Prevent Regrets
Mar 2010A friend’s misfortune provides a valuable lesson.
My friend Eric was catheterized for no good reason. That’s what sold me on second opinions. We were both in our mid-30s when we were diagnosed with kidney stones. With Eric living in Norfolk and me in Chesapeake, we went to our respective city hospitals in a similar state of extreme pain. But Eric had to further endure both the insertion of a catheter through his urethra, and finally its painful withdrawal, while I slept peacefully under a morphine drip as my kidney stones were sonically broken up by a lithotripsy machine. So was Eric’s epic discomfort the fault of the hospital, or his own?
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CDR’s Annual Fundraiser Helps Families Like These
Mar 2010Three local families share what Child Development Resources means to them;
show your support for CDR at this month’s Bid ’n’ Buy Auction on March 14.
Some describe Williamsburg’s Child Development Resources (CDR) as a hidden treasure. But for the families serviced by CDR, it is more than a treasure; it is a blessing, an answer to a prayer, and some even say a “Godsend.” Though its main facility is tucked away in Norge, its services reach far and wide into the entire Greater Williamsburg community.
CDR provides early intervention services for children with developmental delays and for those at risk of delays due to factors ranging fr Read More...
You Want Me to Put What Under My Tongue?
Mar 2010
Sublingual immunotherapy: An alternative to allergy shots
There is growing evidence to support a startling new treatment for allergies.
Several U.S. studies are finding that putting particles of grass and other allergens under the tongue is a safe and effective treatment for certain allergies—not to mention a lot less painful than shots.
An allergy is an abnormal reaction to an ordinarily harmless substance called an allergen. Allergens are simply small proteins that trigger an allergic response when absorbed into the bodies of certain allergic people. Following an exposure, these individuals may experience symptoms such as a runny nose, w Read More...
Premature Skin Aging: More Than a Wrinkle in Time
Mar 2010Premature skin aging is not normal, and it doesn’t have to happen to you. Preventing the signs of aging is possible, and treatments are available to help erase the damage that’s been done.
There are two types of aging: intrinsic and extrinsic. The genes we inherit cause intrinsic (internal) aging, also known as the natural aging process. I’ll focus on extrinsic (external) aging, because it is here that we can make a big difference by avoiding one of the main risk factors—sun exposure.
Treating the Damage
Treatments for signs of premature skin aging range from topical products to laser procedures, with many options in between. The right interv Read More...
So, You Want to be a Vegetarian?
Mar 2010Local dieticians offer their advice for cutting the meat.
To many people, the word “vegetarian” essentially translates to “healthy.” But as with all types of diets, a good vegetarian plan requires work—especially when a person first makes the switch—and a focus on including a wide range of nutritious options, experts say.
Put another way, vegetarians can be very unhealthy, and even very overweight, says Lynn Earle, a registered dietician in Virginia Beach.
“You can be a vegetarian and be on a steady diet of chips and Oreos,” says Earle, whose specialties include helping clients create healthy plant-based meal plans. “ Read More...
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