Sample Articles: June-August 2004

My legs are swollen, what's up with that?

Nick Morrison MD, Beth Randall RN, MN

Several different things can cause swelling. For instance, when valves in the veins in your legs don't close properly, pressure builds up in them. This can force fluid to leak out of the veins into the surrounding tissue. This valve malfunction is known as venous insufficiency, or venous reflux. This can be treated with minimally invasive procedures in the office.

Another cause of swelling is called lymphadema. The lymphatic system is somewhat similar to your venous system, in that there is flow of lymph fluid back to the center of your body. If that system is impaired, fluid and proteins can leak into the surrounding tissue, causing swelling and discomfort similar to venous swelling.

Lymphadema can be primary: where, we don't know the cause. It can also be secondary, which is caused by anything that changes the lymphatic return. Common causes include trauma from surgery performed close to lymph nodes or vessels, removal of lymph nodes due to cancer surgery, radiation, infections, or other traumas.

Lymphadema shouldn’t be mistaken for venous swelling. However, untreated venous insufficiency can progress into a combined venous and lymph disorder. The National Lymphadema Network is a great resource for information about lymphadema.

Their website is www.lymphnet.org.

Our Morrison Vein Institute works closely with lymphadema specialists in our area to provide the best course of treatment plans possible for the patient.

For more information on the content of this article, to get a second opinion or to get answers to vein questions, please call, Beth Randall, R.N., M.N. at:
(866) GRT LEGS, (480) 860-6455
or visit www.morrisonvein.com
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Do You Suspect A Hearing Loss?

Gabrielle Sadowsky, M.S., CCC-A

Do friends and family complain that they have to repeat themselves? Do they seem to mumble? Do loud sounds bother you? If so, you might have a hearing loss.

There are three practitioners who work with people who have a hearing loss: the Audiologist, the ENT Physician, and the Hearing Aid Specialist.

When you talk to your family physician about your hearing, ask for a referral directly to an audiologist before purchasing new hearing aids. You should have a diagnostic hearing evaluation by an Audiologist. Why? Because Audiologists are the only practitioners with university training to provide diagnostic hearing tests.

Most insurances, including Medicare Part B, cover (or partially cover) diagnostic hearing evaluations. Many physicians refer directly to an ENT, who specializes in treating diseases of the ear. However, only 5 to 10% of the people have a medically treatable hearing loss. So, for most people, the visit to the ENT is unnecessary, when they could have been referred directly to an audiologist to provide diagnostic tests.

Hearing aid dispensers provide FREE HEARING TESTS, which are not diagnostic, but are used to sell hearing aids. The hearing aid dispenser does not have formal training to provide diagnostic tests and can not bill your insurance.

When an audiologist finds a hearing loss that is medically treatable, the patient is referred back to the family or ENT physician for treatment.

For more information about our services or to get our FREE NEWSLETTER, call DESERT SOUNDS AUDIOLOGY,
(480) 497-3285,
1134 E. University Dr. Ste. 103, Mesa AZ 85203.

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Cultural Health Initiatives Committee Focuses On Eliminating Valley Health Disparities

Nancy Keane
Communications & Media Director
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

The American Heart Association has taken another step in helping to eliminate health disparities that affect minority populations and the medically underserved.

Through the formation of the Cultural Health Initiatives Committee, the American Heart Association is striving to enhance minority-population outreach efforts throughout the Phoenix-metropolitan area. “While significant gains are being made with minority health concerns, the American Heart Association realizes that there’s still a lot of work ahead.

The Cultural Health Initiatives Committee will establish priorities to reach “emerging majority” populations throughout Phoenix, and establish ‘best practices’ to reach out and impact these communities. The result will be a reduction in cardiovascular disease and death and disability from heart attack and stroke,” says Mary Lee Hyatt, regional vice president, Health Initiatives at the American Heart Association.

Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America, and this applies to minorities as well. Although there is a lot of attention directed toward cancer, alcoholism, AIDS and homicide, it’s heart disease that kills most frequently, followed by stroke as the #3 killer.

“ The interplay of cultural, economic, individual, and societal factors in general, especially within racial and ethnic minority communities, requires comprehensive and innovative interventions,” says Dr. Paul Underwood, chairman of the Cultural Health Initiatives. “These interventions must include a greater emphasis on the education of minority populations when it comes to risk factors, healthy lifestyles, and the importance of medical treatment.”

The Aetna Foundation is backing the American Heart Association by funding cardiovascular and stroke education programs for Hispanics and African Americans across the valley. This initiative provides blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, CPR classes, and healthy cooking classes to underserved populations. Throughout the valley, the American Heart Association has billboards in Spanish aimed at raising awareness when it comes to heart attack-warning signs. There are many other initiatives underway across the valley.

The Cultural Health Initiatives Committee is comprised of 20-members, reflecting various health and service professions located in the Phoenix-metro area. The committee co-chairs are Dr. Paul Underwood, a valley cardiologist and Marilyn Perez, the Director of the Cardiac Service Line at Chandler Regional Hospital. The board meets once a month at the American Heart Association’s Tempe office.

For more information call the American Heart Association at 602-414-5353.

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Camp Helps Kids Understand Life with Cancer

The American Cancer Society

Sitting at a picnic table in the shade, Bobby Mackey, 14, reflects on his life over the past two years and what has brought him to Arizona Camp Sunrise in Payson.

He is just one of the young campers whose life has been touched by cancer.

Bobby was diagnosed with Primitive Neuro Ectodermal cancer of the abdomen (PNET) on April 9, 2001, when he was just 12 years old. A few days before, he’d been out riding his bike and had a minor accident. Three days later, he was in so much pain he could hardly walk. After doctors visits, tests, and exploratory surgery, it was determined that that the bike accident had ruptured a tumor in his abdomen. At that point, Bobby was diagnosed with cancer and began nearly a year of treatment sessions, including chemotherapy and radiation.

Arizona Camp Sunrise is the American Cancer Society’s weeklong resident camp for children who have or have had cancer. Campers enjoy a variety of activities – everything from horseback riding and fishing to Jell-O Wars and outdoor cooking classes. The camp helps children by surrounding them with a support network of their peers who understand what it’s like to be a kid with cancer.

Bobby is attending Arizona Camp Sunrise for the second year. One of his most memorable experiences at the camp was horseback riding, because he had never been on a horse before. He also enjoys spending time with the other kids, especially his friend Josh Hausman, age10. The two became friends when they were receiving treatment and shared a hospital room. After sharing their experiences with cancer, it is evident that the two share a special bond. They live in different parts of the Valley and don’t see each other much, so the camp allows them to spend time together and enjoy their friendship.

While kids like Bobby and Josh enjoy the support and friendships at Camp Sunrise, there’s also a weeklong Sidekicks camp for siblings of cancer patients and survivors. Bobby says his cancer was hard on his younger brother and sister. But he adds that the Sidekicks camp helped them a lot. “It helped them to better understand what was going on because they were around other kids dealing with the same things.”

Bobby’s mother, Patty, says the remarkable thing she has noticed about Bobby is that he is a natural in helping other kids cope with cancer. He takes the initiative to talk to them and really makes an impact. “You can get through anything if you put your mind to it,” he tells other kids facing the disease. He also shares how important it is to have faith. “The doctors can do what they want, but it’s really in God’s hands and He’s the one who’s going to get you through it.”

Bobby will start High School in August. Like other boys his age, he likes to ride his bike, build forts and spend time with his friends. This 14 year-old cancer survivor with brown curly hair, a heart-warming smile and wisdom beyond his years, dreams about his future while sitting at the very same picnic table. He hopes to join the Air Force one day.

For more information about the American Cancer Society’s Arizona Camp Sunrise and Sidekicks, call Tina Gifford at 1-800-865-1582, For all other cancer information call:
1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.