Kiss goodnight June 25, 2009

   I’ve been taking a summer break from some of the health stories I normally feature here. My producer and I are working on a bunch of great stories for late summer and early fall so don’t worry – those health alerts will return!

   I did want to take a minute to answer a question I get asked a lot by viewers and that is – how do you deal with being away from your family at night? The simple answer is I don’t. I don’t deal with it very well, actually, but I’m a great faker. My nine year old daughter has known nothing other than her mother works at night. Her entire life she has watched as I leave at 1:30 in the afternoon and come home long after she’s gone to bed. Family dinners are her and Daddy (and two begging dogs at their feet). My wonderful husband understands this is our life and supports and loves me, despite the odd hours. And so does our little angel.  Me? Well, I’m okay with it most nights. It’s the career path I’ve chosen and I love what I do.  What I miss during the weeknights – the concerts, the recitals, the after dinner walks with the dogs, bathtime, tucking her in – I make up for in my precious weekend time.  We play and shop and talk and play some more and laugh and snuggle and I cram it all in and recharge my batteries (and hopefully hers) so we can get through five more days of not seeing a whole lot of each other.  And don’t tell her, ’cause it’s something I do just for me every night, but I walk softly into her room where she’s kicked off all the covers and pillows and where usually there’s a a dog sharing her space and I stare at that perfect face, and kiss those perfect cheeks, and I thank god I’ve got this patient little person in my life who understands that mommy may not always be there at night, but mommy loves her more than she can ever put into words. 

      That one kiss on the cheek each night – is how I deal.

Oh Happy Day! June 2, 2009

   You may remember our special report that aired several weeks ago where we showed women how to properly do a breast self exam. We got a lot of positive feedback and one e-mail in particular caught our attention. Jodi Green wrote to us saying she had performed a breast self exam after seeing our report and found a lump! We were happy Jodi had done the exam, but like her, were anxious about what that lump might be. We did a follow up story with Jodi where we went with her to get her first mammogram. She was nervous and sweet and chattered a lot but got through it and an ultrasound without much trouble. Then the doctor told her she had found a couple of spots that raised concerned. The tears came, the support system (husband and brother) stepped in with hugs and kisses, and the next step was laid out.  She once again invited us along as she got a biopsy of the lumps.  Almost two weeks later, we waited with Jodi as she clutched her cell phone waiting for a call of the results.  We all jumped when the phone rang and held our breath as Jodi talked to her doctor. Then the best thing happened. A huge smile broke out on Jodi’s face and then we knew it was all going to be okay. This mother of three, devoted wife, sister, and daughter – and now friend of CBS Atlanta – was cancer free.  It was a story I was proud to tell. And one I’ll never forget. Thank you Jodi for reminding me why I got into this business in the first place.  And thank you for sharing your life with us.

Luscious Lips May 19, 2009

   Monday night’s health alert focused on how to get a perfect pouty mouth without having to get injections. It seems like stars who get those injections look odd, don’t they?  Not a very natural looking mouth.  That’s why we decided to explore the world of lip plumping lip glosses. What better place to do that than Sephora.  We had fun with this one and since I have thin lips myself, I was interested in what was out there.  The makeup experts we talked with had some favorites I want to pass along – ‘Too Faced Lip Injection’ and ‘Duwop Lip Venom.’  They also like ‘Cargo’s Blu-Ray High-Def Gloss’, ‘Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips’ (my favorite), and of course ‘Sephora-brand lip plumper.’  All have a bit of a tingly feel when you put them on – I feel like it lets me know it’s working! That’s because they contain ingredients such as menthol, peppermint, ginger, and cinnamon.  And the ladies say don’t be afraid if a label says ‘acid.’  Some of the plumpers use acid to pull moisture into your lips. Keep in mind, lip plumpers basically irrittate your lips – that’s what plumps them up – so if you have a funny reaction, talk to a doctor.  Given the cost of lip injections, up to almost 600 dollars, not to mention the pain, and the sometimes strange look you get if too much is added, the affordable gloss ($14 -$30) is a way to plump it up without paying up.

Slowing Down Aging May 12, 2009

   Tonight’s health alert got a little personal!  I was one of eight women who volunteered to put our faces in this fancy new machine that shows you how old your skin really is.  It looks at sun damage beneath the surface, wrinkles, spots, pore size, acne, and smoothness of your skin. We all showed up fresh faced and ready to hear the results. Oh, did I mention we ranged in age from 20-something to 50-something? That way we could get a good cross section of women at different times in their lives.  Surprisingly one of the 20-something women had the worst sun damage.  And this really was the point of the entire exercise – learning that sun damage is the number one thing that ages you.  Yes, your diet, exercise regime, smoking habits, and genetics play a role – but the one thing that ages you quicker than all of that is too much time in the sun unprotected.  The depressing part is that we can’t go back to when we were kids and slather the sunscreen on ourselves (who worse sunscreen in the 70’s?!) so we have to concentrate on not doing anymore damage to our faces.  Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen is the order of the day.  Also, drink plenty of water, treat yourself to facials every once in a while and if you’re older, talk with your dermatologist about specific treatments that may work for your skin.

It was an interesting exercise to see what’s going on with my skin. I learned my pore size, smoothness, and spots were excellent, the the wrinkles around my eyes were typical, and there wasn’t any acne. Thank goodness, it’s not fair to have wrinkles and acne!  The machine we used was also able to gaze into the future and what our skin might look like if we did nothing to it. I had a few more wrinkles but I wasn’t too terribly shocked. I was given a simple prescription – less sun, more sunscreen, and lots of moisturizer. That I can handle.

Snap-on Teeth May 5, 2009

  This week’s health alert comes to us from the land of the ‘beautiful people’ – California!  Dentists have developed temporary veneers you can pop over your teeth for a new smile. Think vampire teeth for Halloween, but much prettier.  Your dentist takes a mold of your mouth and then designs new tooth shapes to go over your own.  The result is an easier, cheaper type of veneer that you can take off.  Now cheap is a relative term when talking about dental work. The snap-on smile still costs over a thousand dollars but is less expensive than permanent veneers and again, gives you a chance to try out the new look first. You can eat and drink in the teeth but you do need to take them out at night. Honestly, some of the ones featured looked a little cartoonish but if your teeth are in bad shape, it’s a nice alternative.  And they last three to five years depending on how well you take care of them.  You dno’t have to go to California, either. Atlanta Dental Arts and Suwanee Dental Care offer the snap-on smile here.

    

Breast Self-Exam April 29, 2009

  We aired a special health alert this week, followed by a live call-in special to educate women on how to properly do a breast self-exam and then answer any questions they may have about the process.  The response was incredible and I thank everyone who wrote or called in with thoughts and opinions.  Breast self-exam is an important part of overall breast health. Most health care professionals say women should be doing them monthly in addition to a yearly clinical breast exam done by a doctor.  If you’re 40 or older, or have a high risk of breast cancer or a family history of the disease, you should also be getting a mammogram every year.

     The benefit of the breast self exam is that you get to know your breasts and your body. When you are familiar with what your breasts look and feel like every month, you’re more apt to notice any changes that could signal trouble.  Many of us don’t take time to do these simple exams, even though it takes only about five minutes. The key is to cover the entire breast, up and down, and side to side, using your first two or three fingers. Move in a circular motion and don’t forget the tissue around and on your nipples. You should be covering the area near your armpit and in the center of your breasts as well.

   If you notice changes in the appearance, size, or feel of your breasts, talk to your doctor. Now, there is some criticism that breast self exam leads to unnecessary and often painful tests because women find something that isn’t of concern and they want it checked out.  This is where consistency comes in. If you do the breast self exam monthly and at the same time of the month, you are less likely to be alarmed by normal changes to your breasts around the time of your period or from weight gain or loss.

    Breast cancer is the number two killer of women in this country. If taking five minutes a month to check your breasts can help change that, isn’t it worth it?

Sleep Study April 24, 2009

    This week’s health alert is a two parter focusing on sleep disorders and how to treat them.  Not getting enough sleep or not getting the right kind of sleep can lead to serious health problems.  I think one of the big concerns with sleeping issues is people will try to diagnose and medicate themselves without knowing exactly what the problem is.  The most common sleep disorder is called sleep apnea – a disruption in your breathing while you sleep. Every time you stop breathing - even if just for a second – you wake a bit, preventing you from getting the deep sleep you need.  Other things that can keep you from sleeping well; restless leg syndrome – where your legs jerk periodically throughout the night, a poor sleeping environment – such as too much light or noise, habits that keep your body from properly shutting down at night so you can rest – too much caffeine or exercise too close to bedtime, or snoring.

      The best way to diagnose these problems is to undergo a sleep study.  Although I’ve never had much problem sleeping I volunteered for the study at Northside Hospital’s sleep disorder center. It was an interesting night. I was checked into what was really like a nice hotel room, just with a few extra wires! A technician wired up my head, eyes, mouth, arms, legs, and chest so while I was sleeping, someone could monitor my every move. A night vision camera also caputured my moves on tape. It felt like it took forever to go to sleep but the next day I learned I was asleep in 8 minutes. I only slept about 4 and a half hours – which is not enough – and I didn’t get enough of the deep REM (rapid eye movement) sleep I need to feel rested. The good news is I didn’t have any breathing problems and my body remained fairly still all night.  I was told to get more sleep but otherwise there weren’t any problems.

      The average adult should get between 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. You should be getting enough of the deeper stages of sleep to help your body re-charge for the next day. Getting properly diagnosed can help you pinpoint the exact problem and work with a doctor on how to fix it.  Please feel free to contact Northside Hospital’s sleep disorder center for more information.

Recession Face! April 16, 2009

  Monday night we did a health alert about how this recession can actually take a toll on your face.  The stress from worrying about job security, money, etc. can start to physically show up as wrinkles, fine lines, even sagging skin.  Dermatologists we talked with have seen quite a few people who feel as if they’ve aged overnight due to all the stress.

   The way to keep this from happening sounds simple – eliminate the stress, right?  I know that isn’t as easy as it sounds. Doctors suggest meditation, finding tricks that ease your mind, focusing on helping others or on the positive things in your life rather than obsessing about the negative.  It’s also important to continue to take good care of your skin while under a lot of stress.  You need to wear sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher everyday, even if it doesn’t look sunny out.  Make sure to properly wash and moisturize your face every day, too. 

    We all have stress in our lives. The key when it reaches a fever pitch is to never let if show on your face!

Raw Milk April 8, 2009

  This week’s health alert is a two part look at the dangers and benefits of drinking raw milk.  Raw milk is unpastuerized, straight from the cow.  The pastuerization process is used currently to kill any bacteria before the milk is chilled and sent to stores.  Raw milk devotees say that process, which cooks the milk to a very high temperature, kills are the good stuff you drink milk for!  They claim the nutrients, vitamins, and yes, even bacteria in fresh, raw, milk help you stay healthy and ward of disease.  State health experts aren’t sold.  Many fear that without killing off bacteria, milk drinkers will get sick and if their health were already compromised in some way, they could die.  In fact, they feel so strongly about it, raw milk is illegal to sell in Georgia.  As you may have seen from our stories, that doesn’t stop people from getting it, it just makes it a little harder.  You can buy raw milk in some places here but it must be used for your pets.  And that’s the excuse some people use in order to have it for themselves! I tasted it and it tastes like well, milk.  Compared to skim, which is what I drink, it’s much heavier, like whole milk tastes but really you can’t tell a difference. It also looks and smells the same.  Yes, there are risks involved but given the health scares involving salmonella and peanuts and pistachios lately, we’ve learned there’s a risk with everything.  Those who love raw milk say it’s worth it.

Video Game Epilepsy March 24, 2009

   Let me start by saying don’t let the title of this post fool you – video games do not cause epilepsy.  But doctors are noticing that the lights and sounds from some of today’s most popular games can cause epileptic seizures in some children.

   This was once thought to be an urban legend – children seizing while playing a video game with friends.  It has become a reality though.  Experts in pediatric seizures say the change in colors, lights, and sounds you see in all games provokes a neurological response in some kids.  Photosensitive epilepsy can be a one time thing or a regular response to flickering lights.  Using video games as a diagnostic tool can also help doctors see who may be more susceptible to this type of seizure.

    The video game industry is aware.  Most games have warning labels on the box and a warning on the screen when you first turn the game on.  At least one state is considering a law requiring game stores to post a warning as well.

    To reduce your risk, the Epilepsy Foundation recommends playing in a well-lit room, reducing the screen’s brightness, limit your playing time to 30 minutes, and take regular breaks.  You can also use a flicker-free monitor such as an LCD or flat screen, a monitor with a glare guard, or wear non-glare glasses while you play.