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Archives for April 2014

This Weekend: Charleston Dragon Boat Festival

April 30, 2014 by

Join us this Saturday, May 3rd as we proudly sponsor the Paddles & Pearls team in the 7th annual Charleston Dragon Boat Festival!

Since 2003, the Charleston Dragon Boat Festival has taken over the waters of the Ashley River with friendly competition, fabulous decorations and costumes, and a strong spirit of community to raise awareness for cancer survivors. It is definitely an event unlike any other! If you haven’t experienced the Dragon Boat Festival yet, we highly recommend you attend this one. Whether participating on a team or just watching from the sidelines, it’s a great time for amateur paddlers to push their strength and team building to the next level. The spirit of togetherness is almost palpable when the Festival is finished.

For an inside look at the Festival, check out this video:

For more info, visit the festival’s website, where you will find directions, times, and FAQs. Pack a picnic or bring grill items! Keep your fingers crossed for good weather, and come join the fun!

Filed Under: All Things Charleston Tagged With: , , , ,

Nutritional Supplements at Every Age

April 28, 2014 by

supplementsAlthough we all strive to eat a healthy, wholesome diet, we may not always take in all the nutrients we need on a consistent basis. Supplementing our diets with necessary fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals is okay, and we encourage it. Dietary needs change as we age, so we’ve included recommendations for supplementation for all ages.

Everyone should be taking a high-quality multivitamin and mineral supplement and fish or krill oil (Omega-3 fatty acids) at minimum.

Young adulthood: Your 20s and 30s

You absorb nutrients easily from the diet, so merely eating a healthy diet will go a long way toward keeping you healthy. Females need more iron (30 mg daily) in the diet during the childbearing years, and most multivitamin and mineral supplements will provide that.

Be sure to get plenty of calcium (at least 1,000 mg), magnesium, and potassium to prevent issues later in life. Take calcium and vitamin D supplements if you don’t eat or drink at least 24 ounces of low-fat milk or yogurt every day or don’t get the recommended calcium and vitamin D from other foods besides dairy.

Folic acid is an important B vitamin for women who are or plan to become pregnant. Get an extra 400 mg a day.

Middle adulthood: Your 40s and 50s

In your 40s, your ability to absorb nutrients begins to go down, so stepping up your vitamin and mineral intake is a good idea. This can be accomplished by going up a level in strength in your supplements, taking a higher-quality supplement, or taking an extra dose occasionally (check with your doctor before you do any of these).

According to WebMD, “Nutrient needs change with advancing age for several reasons: the body absorbs less, it requires more, or it needs less of certain nutrients. For example, after menopause, women need less iron — 8 mg daily – compared to 18 mg daily during childbearing years — but they require more calcium.

As estrogen production decreases during menopause, more bone is broken down than constructed. In addition, the body absorbs less calcium than it did earlier in life.

After age 51, women should consume 1,200 mg of calcium daily (males need 1,000 mg). Vitamin D needs go up with age, too. After age 71, you should get 800 IU daily. Unless you drink 64 ounces of milk each day, you need a vitamin D supplement.

It’s harder to absorb naturally occurring vitamin B12 after age 50 because your body is less able to grab the vitamin B12 from foods and absorb it. The body easily absorbs synthetic B12, however, which is why experts recommend it as the primary B12 source for people over 50. Foods fortified with vitamin B12, such as breakfast cereals and other grains, or a multivitamin can help you meet your vitamin B12 needs.”

Late adulthood: Your 60s and beyond

After age 60, your body continues to absorb fewer nutrients, and it’s important to work with a doctor or a nutritionist to ensure you’re getting everything you need. You may wish to supplement with dietary shakes, especially if you find yourself eating less. Continue taking all your current supplements and eating as healthy as you can.

For all ages, water is vital to good nutrient absorption and hydration. Drink at least eight glasses, or for a more accurate gauge of your needs, take your weight and divide in half to determine the number of ounces to drink each day.

Filed Under: Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , ,

Mastectomies and Expanders: Your Questions Answered

April 25, 2014 by

Ask the DoctorThis week, Dr. Richard Kline of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your questions.

Q: Both my mother and my aunt have been diagnosed with breast cancer. If I were to get a mastectomy, would it be covered by insurance in the state of Pennsylvania?

A: The situation with “high risk” patients and prophylactic mastectomy seems to be evolving. If you are tested and found to have the BRCA gene, most or all insurers seem to be covering mastectomy and reconstruction. Even if you do not have the BRCA gene, but have a strong family history such that your medical oncologist recommends mastectomy, your insurer may well cover it. There may be other laws specific to this in the state of Pennsylvania of which I am not aware, but possibly Gail, our office manager and insurance specialist, can help you more.

Q: I had breast cancer in my right breast, and received a double mastectomy in November. They placed expanders in both. I didn’t have any trouble on the left side. However, six surgeries later, I opted to have my right-side expander removed. It feels better. However, I am now scared to undergo reconstruction due to this past trouble with my right expander. I still have the expander in my left breast. Any advice for me? Is it common to have trouble with expanders?

A: Sorry you are having trouble.

Unfortunately, trouble with expanders is pretty common. It’s more likely if you were radiated on the “problem” side, but it also happens with some regularity even if you aren’t radiated.

Fortunately, previous trouble with expander or implant-based reconstruction does not adversely affect your ability to have natural breast reconstruction using your own tissue. Many of our patients come with stories very similar to your own, some already having had over 10 surgeries, and almost all have subsequently achieved satisfactory, natural-feeling reconstructions without the use of implants.

I think there is an excellent chance that we can help you. If you wish, we can have our nurse Chris or P.A. Kim call you to discuss the specifics of your situation in more detail.

Dr. Richard Kline

Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction

Have a question about breast reconstruction or post-surgical care you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask us!

Filed Under: Ask the Doctor Tagged With: , , ,

5 Spas of Charleston to Visit Now

April 23, 2014 by

Who doesn’t love a nice pampering spa day? We’ve tried several spas in Charleston, and here are our top picks along with a snippet from their websites so you can get a feel for each one and its people. 

 

Urban Nirvana Day Spa 

In every culture, and in every age, doors have done more than facilitate our physical coming and going. They have also served as powerful symbols of protection and as valuable touchstones for all who seek a deeper sense of themselves and their world.

Doors extend a greeting to all who open themselves up to hear it: Come in, they say, come into a new place, to a new awareness, to a new you.

Urban Nirvana’s team is committed to providing expert, professional spa and salon services. Every team member is trained to listen to the guest, first and foremost. From the first phone call or visit to the end of a reinvigorating session, Urban Nirvana’s team of massage therapists, skin care therapists and client services personnel are focused on exceptional service, quality products and responsive treatments.

 

Simply Your Spa  

As you enter the spa, take a deep breath and begin to relax. Let us pamper you as we take care of the most important thing in your life…simply… you.

Our professional staff will exceed your expectations in customer service, experiences provided and professional knowledge. Whether you visit us one time for a special occasion, or receive frequent services for health and wellness, we will treat you like you deserve to be treated. We encourage you to stay as long as you like and relax in our spa lounge, sip on herbal tea and just take time for…you.

 

Moedim Day Spa

At Moedim Day Spa, we believe there’s a natural state of wellness and energy that we were all born to have and maintain. However, the way we think, eat, and live in this civilization can often be in direct conflict with optimum mental, physical, and spiritual health. There is a way to return to yourself well and more powerful than ever before.

Moedim Day Spa was created to be an oasis from the pace and stressors of your busy life – a place for your mind, body and spirit to rest, be healed and rejuvenated. Your mind is calmed and your energy replenished through a combination of modern and ancient techniques. Through the power of touch, herbal remedies, and naturally designed products, we miraculously see client after client be transformed closer to their natural state and return to themselves healed and energized.

 

Stella Nova

We invite you to unlock your senses, body, and spirit with any of our indulgent spa services. We offer a variety of treatments, but whichever you choose, all of our services are designed to rejuvenate, refresh, and relax.

Explore our spa services in each category and mix and match services to provide your perfect spa getaway, or feel free to choose from our spa packages. Whether your service is 15 minutes or as long as you choose, any visit to a Stella Nova spa will send you for a walk in the clouds.

 

Seeking Indigo

Our intention is to create an ever-evolving creative environment where transformation takes place for each individual that enters Seeking Indigo… A doorway to infinite possibility.

We provide a comprehensive holistic platform to support mind, body and spirit evolution through the products, services, and workshops that we offer.

Our mission is to spark and aid one’s awakening! Welcome to our world of wonder – a true playground for the soul. May all your dreams come true! Enjoy!

 

Which Charleston spa is your favorite? Let us know!

Filed Under: All Things Charleston Tagged With: ,

Join Us At the Komen Survivor Celebration!

April 22, 2014 by

pink directWe are so proud to sponsor the 2014 Survivor Celebration for Susan B. Komen Lowcountry. Please join us on Sunday, April 27 from 3-5 pm for food, fellowship and fun. We will share our stories, as well as honor those we have lost in the battle against cancer.

Check-in time is between 2-3 pm. For more details, visit the website. See you there!

Filed Under: All Things Charleston

Tram Reconstruction and Recurring Cancer in Breasts–How Should I Proceed?

April 18, 2014 by

This week, Dr. James Craigie of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your questions.

Ask the DoctorQ: I had a mastectomy on my left breast with the tram–which partially failed–then Latisimis Dorsi surgery. I now have breast cancer in my right breast. What is the likelihood of decent symmetry and matching both breast shapes during this procedure?

A: I’m sorry to hear about your new diagnosis. In our practice, we have treated quite a few people referred to us with similar situations. We do not perform tram reconstruction but instead use the skin and fat of the lower tummy without taking the tummy muscle. If we have a patient that later develops a second breast cancer we would use skin and fat from either the upper buttock or the back of the upper thigh below the buttock. This can create a very good match for the tummy fat or a tram reconstruction. I would be glad to give you a more detailed answer with more specific information about your situation, let me know. I do think you most likely have good options without needing to give up any other important muscles. For more specific answers I will need to have my staff contact you for more details about your medical history.

Dr. James Craigie

Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction

Have a question about breast reconstruction or post-surgical care you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask us!

Filed Under: Ask the Doctor Tagged With: , , ,

Is It Possible to Have My Current Implants Enlarged?

April 18, 2014 by

IFThis week, Dr. Richard Kline of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your questions.

Q: I had a breast augmentation surgery last year in August. I did NOT get a bad surgery, but I can tell the doctor didn’t listen to my wishes about size. Is it possible to have the implants I have now enlarged? Or would I have to have the surgery all over again with new implants? Thanks for your time!

A: If you have saline implants, it may be possible to enlarge them by putting more saline in, but it will void your implant warranty. Also, the more saline that is put in an implant, the firmer it gets, which is not how most people want breasts to feel.
If you have silicone gel implants, they cannot be enlarged, and new ones must be purchased to go larger.
Keep in mind that the larger you go with implants, the less natural your breasts will look. We talk to our augmentation patients extensively before surgery to try and determine what they want in their final result, but we also try to educate them about the relationship between size and naturalness.

Good luck, and thanks for your question!

Q: Hi! I had a breast reduction procedure when I was fourteen. I am 23 years old, and when my nipples get cold, I get a sharp pain in them and it hurts. What does this mean, and should I be concerned?

A: We don’t actually treat breast problems, we just reconstruct breasts that are damage or missing, so I’m not the best person to answer your question.The best person to consult with would be a general surgeon specializing in breast surgery. I’m not sure they’ll be able to help, but it’s worth a try.

Dr. Richard Kline

Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction

Have a question about breast reconstruction or post-surgical care you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask us!

Filed Under: Ask the Doctor Tagged With: , , ,

Unusual Facts about Charleston

April 16, 2014 by

We love living here in Charleston, partly because the history of the city is so fascinating. For example, did you know that Charleston has survived the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War as well as pirates and hurricanes? All three wars had battles that took place in or near Charleston, and the city has survived to tell the tale.  

Read on for more fascinating, unusual, and fun facts about Charleston and South Carolina.

  The Isle of Palms is thought to be at least 25,000 years old and first inhabited by the Seewee Indians.

  • Four men from Charleston signed the Declaration of Independence: Thomas Heyward Jr., Thomas Lynch Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge.
  • Charleston is known as “The Holy City” because of the number of churches.
  • South Carolina was the eighth state to join and the first state to secede from the U.S. It had to print its own stamps and money because it couldn’t participate in the federal postal system.
  • In 1736, the Dock Street Theater was America’s first. In 1773, the Charleston Museum, America’s first, opened.
  • The first golf game in the U.S. took place in Charleston.
  • The city’s baseball team, the Charleston Riverdogs, is partly owned by actor Bill Murray.
  • The Arthur J. Ravenel Jr. Bridge is North America’s longest cable bridge and connects Charleston with Mount Pleasant.
  • Charleston, which became a city in 1783, is about halfway between Washington, D.C. and Miami, Florida.
  • Citadel Cadets on Morris Island fired the first shot of the Civil War.
  • Some buildings in downtown Charleston have metal circles about the size of a plate on the exterior. They are the ends of earthquake rods, which were added to buildings after the Charleston earthquake of 1886.
  • South Carolina has two state mottoes: ‘Dum Spiro Spero’ (‘While I breathe I hope’) and ‘Animis Opibusque Parati (‘Ready in Soul and Resource’).
  • The Port of Charleston is the largest on the southeast Atlantic coast. Close to 10 million tons of cargo go through the port every year.
  • The first significant victory in the American Revolution was the Battle of Fort Sullivan.
  • Charleston’s first female newspaper publisher and editor was Elizabeth Timothy.
  • Sweetgrass basket making has taken place in the Mount Pleasant community for more than 300 years.
  • Historic Charleston homes and buildings have decks that face south or west to ensure a breeze in the summer, as air conditioning didn’t exist then.
  • On Nov. 2, 1954, Strom Thurmond became the first U.S. senator elected by write-in vote. Thurmond received 139,106 votes to Edgar Brown’s 80,956 votes.
  • When slaves were sold at the Old Exchange Building, they had to wear tags with their assigned number and skills.

Do you have a little-known fact about Charleston to share below?

Filed Under: All Things Charleston Tagged With: ,

How Exercise Keeps You Young

April 14, 2014 by

We’ve all heard that exercise keeps us young, but that’s often not enough to get us to start moving. We’ll look at one study that says yes, it’s true, and we’ll talk about reasons to exercise and how it keeps us from aging prematurely.

The study shows how exercise keeps us young at a cellular level and comes from WebMD:  

Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC

Dec. 1, 2009 — People who exercise regularly tend to stay healthier as they age, and now new research may explain why at a cellular level. Compared to people who did not exercise, elite runners in the study had cells that looked much younger under a microscope. 

Specifically, investigators measured the length of telomeres — the DNA on either end of thread-like chromosomes. Just as the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces keep the laces from fraying, telomeres protect the chromosomes that carry genes during cell division. Each time a cell divides, telomeres get shorter. When telomeres get too short, cells can no longer divide and they die.

Researchers now believe telomere shortening is critical to aging, making people more vulnerable to diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. “Telomeres can be thought of as a biological clock,” lead researcher Ulrich Laufs, MD, of Homburg, Germany’s Saarland University tells WebMD. “If they are shorter than a critical length, the process of programmed cell death starts.”

…In the human studies, middle-aged professional athletes who ran about 50 miles a week and had done so for many years had longer telomeres than healthy, age-matched non-athletes who did not exercise regularly. Not surprisingly, the athletes also had slower resting heart rates, lower blood pressures, and less body fat.

The study appears in the December 15 issue of the American Heart Association journal Circulation.  “This is the first time it has been shown at the molecular level that exercising has an antiaging effect on the cardiovascular system,” Laufs says.

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Besides keeping telomeres long, what other anti-aging benefits does exercise have?

  •  When we exercise, we work our muscles, which keeps them healthy and prevents shrinkage and atrophy that commonly happens as we age. Muscles also help us burn more fat as we age, so it helps us keep our weight down.
  • Exercise promotes better sleep, which helps our bodies repair and rejuvenate.
  • Weight-bearing workouts increase bone mass, which prevents osteoporosis and falling in older people. One of the leading causes of nursing home admittance and death in the elderly is broken bones from falls, specifically broken hips.
  • Daily exercise helps prevent diabetes, which can cause blindness, neuropathy, limb amputation, and death.
  • Exercise improves circulation, giving us younger looking skin, lower blood pressure, less pain, and more energy.

What anti-aging effects have you noticed from exercise? Tell us below or on our Facebook page.

 

Filed Under: Health and Wellness Tagged With: ,

What Should I Do About My Post-Surgery Scar Neuromas?

April 11, 2014 by

1416012_gerber_daisy_isolatedThis week, Dr. Richard Kline of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your questions.

Q: I have scar neuromas as a result of breast reduction surgery. I have been told it is not recommended to have a surgery to excise the neuromas by my pain specialist and breast surgeon. Would it make a big difference if a surgeon who specialized in peripheral nerve surgery did this type of surgery? Thanks for your help.

A: The problems with operating for pain in this situation are potentially several-fold. Firstly, it’s hard to know with certainty that a neuroma is the culprit, although a well-defined area of touch-tenderness is certainly suggestive. Secondly, the neuromas are often too small to be readily seen, so it’s hard to know if you’ve actually gotten it out. Finally, you could end up with another neuroma from the “hopefully corrective” surgery as easily as you got the first one.

I would definitely try for a few months with injections, etc. with your pain specialist. However, if that fails and your symptoms are bad enough, I don’t think it would be unreasonable to try excising the area one time, and seeing what happened.

 

Dr. Richard Kline

Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction

Have a question about breast reconstruction or post-surgical care you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask us!

Filed Under: Ask the Doctor Tagged With: , ,
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