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Laughter is the Best Medicine: Top Comedy Spots in Charleston

May 9, 2012 by

laughterBecause it lowers stress, boosts the immune system, reduces pain, and improves bonding among individuals, laughter really does have the powerful health benefits we’ve long attributed to it. We at The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction are proud to say that Charleston is home to world-class comedy clubs where you can get your daily dose.

Next time you’re in need of a hearty chuckle, check out one of these laughter hot spots.

Theatre 99

Known as Charleston’s home for improv comedy, Theatre 99 offers affordable live shows most Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. In addition to improv, audiences enjoy sketch and stand-up comedy performances on the theater’s stage. Those who are interested in participating in comedy themselves can take advantage of Theatre 99’s improv classes and workshops.

Plan your next outing here.

Visit: 280 Meeting Street, above The Bicycle Shoppe, Charleston, SC

The Stephen Colbert Childhood Tour

Stephen Colbert, one of Charleston’s most famous and well-loved native sons, soaked up the city’s atmosphere and went on to a wildly successful career in comedy. Diehard fans can make a driving tour of Colbert’s childhood stomping grounds by visiting James Island, where he spent his youth, and East Bay Street in downtown Charleston, where his family moved after the death of his father and two brothers.

Be sure to swing by Episcopal Porter-Gaud school, where Colbert acted in school plays and wrote for the newspaper.

Center Pointe Bar & Grille

Friday nights at Center Pointe mean comedy. Enjoy jokes in a sports-bar atmosphere where you can enjoy food and drinks from a full kitchen and bar menu. Want to create some comedy of your own? Come back on Monday nights for karaoke!

Visit: 4950 Centre Pointe Dr., North Charleston, SC

Palmetto Comedy House

Enjoy a night of stand-up at this comedy hub, located inside the Clarion Suites Hotel. The Palmetto is known for special event shows (including performances for Valentine’s Day and its Divas of Comedy show), so check out the schedule to see what’s coming up.

Visit: 3640-B Dorchester Rd., Charleston, SC

 

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4 Unexpected Places to Find Happiness in Your Everyday Life

May 7, 2012 by

News and entertainment outlets have bombarded us with reports about the benefits of happiness, which include better mental and physical health, longer life, and more fulfilling relationships. So how can you bring a little more joy into your everyday experience? Try some of these strategies, custom designed for busy people in a fast-paced world.

1. Send a snail-mail card.

We’ve all heard the saying that it’s better to give than to receive. That’s because doing something kind for another person (even if it’s only something very small) brings that person happiness—and we’re hardwired to enjoy that feeling. Depending on your recipient, you might send a care package, a box of chocolates, a bouquet of flowers, a hand-written letter, a card, or a meaningful photograph. A five-minute project on your end could bring a day’s worth of happiness (or more!) to the person checking his or her mailbox.

2. Dance to your favorite song.

Even people with insanely busy schedules should have time for a three- to five-minute dance break. The benefits are worth the time: music triggers strong emotional responses, and the endorphins you’ll get from even a short bout of energetic dancing will help recharge a failing battery. For an even bigger bliss boost, enlist a friend to help you bust your move.

3. Let yourself enjoy your food.

Hectic schedules often dictate that we bolt meals while sitting in front of a screen or driving from one event to the next. Even if you have to multi-task during lunch, take a few seconds to experience and enjoy the flavors in your mouth. Studies show that actively practicing gratitude is a great way to boost happiness. As a bonus, slowing down while you eat is an effective way to prevent overeating and associated weight gain.

4. Breathe deeply in a stressful situation.

There’s nothing like a traffic jam or a backup at the grocery store checkout to raise your stress level and zap your happiness. But experts say that we can actually choose how such roadblocks affect us. Next time you’re in a less-than-ideal situation, use the down time to focus on breathing deeply, pulling air into your stomach and exhaling slowly. This strategy helps us relax physically and reminds us that we control our worlds—a big component toward achieving happiness.

 

We’ve all found tricks for bringing more smiles into our chaotic lives—what are your favorite tips for hanging on to the grin-worthy moments in your life? Feel free to share below!

 

 

 

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At What Point During Your Journey Is It Time To See Our Surgical Team?

May 4, 2012 by

time to see a doctorThe below question is answered by Richard M. Kline Jr., M.D., of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction.

At what point in the process should a breast cancer patient see a breast reconstruction surgeon?

Opinions on this vary, but I think the prevailing opinion is the sooner the better.  Ideally, the patient would see the reconstructive surgeon even before plans were finalized for treating her cancer.  This is because many times several options are available to the patient, and she may not fully understand the implications of the various options available to her unless she understands what reconstructive options are available in each setting.

A Little Bit About Our Surgical Team :

Co-directors Dr. Richard M. Kline and Dr. James E. Craigie are certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery. Both surgeons have trained under Dr. Robert J. Allen, a pioneer in breast reconstruction using the DIEP, SIEA, and GAP flaps. Dr. Craigie completed a microsurgical breast reconstruction fellowship dedicated to muscle sparing techniques (directed by Robert J. Allen, M.D.). Dr. Kline completed his residency at LSU while Dr. Allen was developing these techniques.

Our entire surgical team is dedicated to remaining at the forefront of breast reconstruction surgery to provide excellent care and results for each individual patient. Because of this commitment, the practice consistently earns referrals from our patients, as well as from other surgeons throughout the United States.

Knowing the RIGHT Questions to Ask:

When searching for a surgeon to perform your microsurgical breast reconstruction, it’s important to ask him or her the right questions.

Below are a few questions to ask:

  • Are you a microsurgeon? Where and by whom were you trained in this specialty?
  • How many microsurgeries have you performed? And how often do you perform them?
  • What is your success rate?
  • Can you arrange for me to speak with some of your patients who have had the procedure I am seeking? (Candidates should speak with people of similar ages and lifestyles).
  • How long do you anticipate I will be under anesthesia for the procedure?
  • How many board certified physicians will be assisting with the first stage of the procedure? Will there be physicians in training (residents) involved with my surgery
  • Will I have to sign a consent that if a physician is unable to complete the procedure, I will have to consent to a TRAM/Free TRAM?

Do you have a question about breast implants or natural breast reconstruction? Ask our surgical team by clicking HERE.

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Potential Issues to Watch for After DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction

April 27, 2012 by

The below question is answered by Charleston breast surgeon, Dr. Richard M. Kline, Jr. of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction:

What potential issues should I be watching for right after having DIEP flap breast reconstruction?

I am going to split the answer for this into two parts.  First, what you should watch for while you are in the hospital (at which time you will, of course, have lots of help watching for things). Second, what should you watch for when you go home?

When you are in the hospital, we primarily look for changes in the vascular status of the flap.  There are monitors attached to the flap which will within seconds pick up any change in the blood flow to the flap.  If on further evaluation by the nurses, it shows that there is a problem, we will take you back to surgery immediately and attempt to correct the problem.  Fortunately, incidents such as these are rare, but if they do occur.  We have learned that the most important factor is to get to the operating room quickly, in which case we can almost always fix whatever might be wrong.

Thankfully, it is unbelievably rare to have a problem with the blood flow to the flap after going home, although it is not impossible.  Your primary concern should be to follow the specific directions which we have given in terms of positioning and brassiere support.  Most patients still have temperature monitoring strips attach to the flap, and this can serve as useful reassurance to let you know that your flap is fine.  Infections are extremely rare after DIEP flap surgery, but they can occur either at the reconstruction site or at the abdominal donor site.  Wound healing problems are not as rare as infections but may occur.  If you are not radiated, the most likely place to have a wound healing problem is your abdomen.  If you are radiated, it is very common to have a little bit of a wound healing problem where the healthy flap tissue meets the radiated breast skin.  Essentially all wound healing problems can be managed very effectively, so it is not something you need to worry about.

Share this post with friends and family on twitter or facebook. Do you have a question for our surgical team? Submit them here!


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Eat Your Way to a Whiter Smile

April 16, 2012 by

white smileHealth professionals agree that maintaining healthy teeth and gums is an important part of overall health. Why? Firstly, because dental problems (such as tooth decay and gingivitis) have been linked to heart and kidney troubles, and secondly because having healthy teeth boosts a person’s self-image and self esteem.

Plus, a white smile can make a person look as much as 10 years younger, estimate some dentists. Here’s a primer on what you should eat and avoid to keep your pearly whites looking their best.

Food Choices to Keep Your Teeth Strong

The good news is that foods that are good for your teeth are also good for the rest of your body, so you won’t have to rehash your entire diet to help improve your smile. Keep these dos and don’ts in mind as you shop for your next meal.

  • DO choose crunchy fruits and vegetables. Chewing these foods promotes the production of saliva, which helps flush decay-causing bacteria from your mouth. Apples, carrots, celery, and cauliflower are especially potent grime-busters.
  • DO include dairy products in your daily diet. Dairy foods (including milk, yogurt, and cheese) contain lactic acid, which helps protect your teeth from decay. Hard cheeses are especially powerful in the fight against tooth decay, as they polish the teeth.
  • DO try a natural tooth buffer. Orange peels rubbed against the teeth, followed by a water rinse, can help improve whiteness over a period of months.
  • DO brush and floss after meals. Food left in the teeth provides a constant source of energy for smile-damaging bacteria. Brushing or flossing the food away will keep bacteria from flourishing.
  • DON’T consume foods that could stain your clothes. The same dyes can discolor your teeth over time. To stain inducers include coffee, tea, blueberries, soy sauce, and red wine. If you consume these foods, be sure to rinse and brush your teeth to minimize the damage.
  • DON’T use tobacco products, which stain.
  • DON’T consume refined sugars. Soda, candy, and other foods that contain refined sugar are especially hard on your teeth, as they provide a ready source of energy to decay-inducing bacteria. Even foods with natural sugars (including fruit) feed bacteria, and should be rinsed from teeth shortly after consumption.
  • DON’T consume very hot or very cold foods. The temperature fluctuations cause tooth enamel to expand and contract, which allows stains to penetrate.

Whether you’re adopting healthy habits as part of your breast cancer recovery or simply hoping to improve your overall wellness, taking care of your teeth should be a top priority

 

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Stop Smoking: How to Avoid Weight Gain Once You Quit

April 9, 2012 by

stop smokingNo matter which type of breast surgery you may need, we always recommend that you quit smoking to help speed healing. Many smokers, especially women, fear gaining weight when they quit. While some former smokers do gain a little weight, it is typically no more than a few pounds, and even this gain can largely be avoided with a little planning.

Know that you will be hungrier at first.

According to the Mayo Clinic, smoking reduces your appetite and may increase your metabolism, so when you quit, you’re likely to feel hungrier at first. Keep plenty of healthy snacks around, such as berries, vegetables, cheese, and nuts. The latter two are higher in calories than the others, but they will keep you full longer.

Avoid sugary or high-carbohydrate snacks, such as candy, cookies, chips, and the like. They won’t help you avoid weight gain, and they offer little to no nutritional value.

Watch what you drink.

Soda and fruit juices are loaded with sugar, and even diet soda is not a good idea when you’re trying to lose weight.  Drink water. It will help you detox from the cigarettes, help avoid water retention, and avoid weight gain.

If you don’t like the taste of your tap water, add lemon or lime juice—if you like sparkling water and add lemon and lime juice, it’s almost like drinking a soda without the calories or artificial sweeteners.

Reduce portion sizes at meals.

Eating smaller portions will help you keep your weight under control. Try cutting down your portions by one quarter. If you’re still hungry, have some vegetables or fruit for dessert. Be careful with fruit, as it is high in natural sugars.

Get up and move.

Not only will moving or exercising help you keep your weight down, but it will also help your cravings. Get outside and walk the dog, or take a dance class such as country-western dance or Zumba. You’ll burn calories and help keep your weight where you want it to be.

To keep weight gain down, monitor your weight. You don’t necessarily have to jump on the scale every day; your clothes will tell you how you’re doing. Don’t allow yourself to gain more than two or three pounds before taking action. If you’re watching what you eat and drink and getting more exercise, weight gain after quitting smoking and breast surgery will be a non-issue.

 

 

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Your Question about Reconstruction Surgery and Lymph Node Transfers Answered

April 6, 2012 by

breast questionThe below question is answered by Charleston breast surgeon, Dr. Richard M. Kline, Jr., MD of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction:

Can a one-sided microsurgical reconstruction be done in conjunction (same surgery) with lymph node transfer?

Lymph nodes can be “piggy-backed” on a DIEP flap, but our impression is that that precludes the ideal positioning of eitherthe nodes or the flap. Additionally, we have concerns that the nodes may not be as well vascularized (have as good a blood supply) that way (rather than doing them as their own separate flap), although extra small blood vessels can sometimes be hooked up to the nodes themselves.

Our preference is to just do the autogenous (your own tissue, no implant) reconstruction first, as some patients with lymphedema will improve with this alone. If they don’t improve, we’ve found that a vascularized lymph node transfer fits in very well with the second stage of the breast reconstruction. Of course, it is possible to do a DIEP or GAP with a separate vascularized lymph node transfer in one setting, but that makes a long procedure about 2 hours longer, so we haven’t pursued it.

-Dr. Richard M. Kline, Jr., MD
Center for Natural  Breast Reconstruction

Share this post with your followers on Twitter. And if you have a question for our breast surgeons, please feel free to submit them here!

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5 Reasons to Drink Tea Daily

April 4, 2012 by

tea benefitsSince that incident in Boston all those years ago, Americans have largely shunned tea in favor of coffee. But now that most of us aren’t holding any grudges about King George’s taxation system, it might be time to start reintroducing the drink to your daily routine.

Here are five excellent reasons to swap out your morning java for a cup of tea.

1. Tea has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and other serious diseases. While researchers are still debating the exact impact tea has on cancer, studies have shown that rates of lung, prostate, and breast cancer decreased most significantly in tea-drinking populations. In addition, tea helps guard against heart disease, reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, and reduce cholesterol. Credit the beverage’s polyphenals with many of these disease-fighting capabilities.

2. Tea keeps you healthy in the long term. The antioxidants in tea have been shown to help protect skin against damage from the sun and from aging. These powerful compounds have also been shown to reduce acne as much as the harsh topical treatment benzoyl peroxide. One more boon of regular tea drinking? Tea drinkers have been shown to have stronger bones than their “tea-totaling” peers. Some researchers suggest that the phytochemicals found in tea can take the credit for this benefit.

3. Tea makes you look better. A natural source of both tannins and fluoride, tea helps protect teeth from decay (as long as you drink it sans sugar!). Even better? Drinking five or more cups of green tea daily boosts your metabolism slightly, which may aid in weight loss. If you’re happy with the way you look, drink tea for its stress-reduction properties, which will help you feel great, too.

4. Tea has no calories. Hot or cold, tea is a calorie-free way to refresh yourself. To make sure you aren’t consuming unwanted sugars, brew your own iced tea rather than using sweetener-laden powders.

5.Tea keeps you alert (without feeling jittery). Because tea has less caffeine than coffee, it imparts a feeling of mental alertness without causing the jitters. In the long term, tea has been shown to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment, thus contributing to better brain function over time.

Even if you’re a diehard coffee guzzler, a cup of herbal tea in the evening or a mug or two of tea instead of your afternoon fix could help you enjoy the health-boosting, disease-busting benefits of this wonder drink!

 

 

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Upcoming Webinar: “Is Natural Breast Reconstruction Right for Me?”

April 2, 2012 by

NBR WebinarWe at The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction are excited to announce our upcoming webinar, Is Natural Breast Reconstruction Right for Me?, happening Thursday, April 12, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern / 4:00 p.m. Pacific.

Intended for anyone who has been affected by breast cancer (including those who have been recently diagnosed, those currently in treatment, those currently in remission, and family and friends of those with cancer), the no-cost webinar will provide information about women’s options for natural breast reconstruction

Unlike other types of post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, natural breast reconstruction uses tissues from a woman’s body to create natural looking and feeling breasts. The webinar will be hosted by The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction’s Dr. James Craigie and Dr. Richard M. Kline, Jr.,MD, both of whom specialize in natural breast reconstruction surgery.

During the hour-long event, the surgeons will educate attendees about…

  • Exactly what natural breast reconstruction entails and who is eligible for this type of surgery.
  • The language and shorthand of natural breast reconstruction, defining and explaining what all the natural reconstruction acronyms (including DIEP, GAP, TUG, and SIEA) mean.
  • What patients can expect in terms of hospital stays, recovery time, and scarring.
  • How The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction handles insurance and what types of insurance we accept.

We’ll also open the phone lines to a live Q&A session with the surgeons and our insurance specialist so attendees can get answers to all their questions related to natural breast reconstruction.

To join us for the webinar, register here.

Note: if you are busy on April 12, register today, and we’ll send you a link to the replay, which you can watch at your convenience.

 

 

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Tackling the Challenges of Breast Reconstruction After Lumpectomy and Radiation

March 30, 2012 by

tackling reconstructionThe below question was answered by Charleston breast surgeon, Dr. Richard M. Kline, Jr., MD of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction:

I had a lumpectomy in 2002 of the left breast followed with 33 rounds of radiation. I have since had a breast lift and reduction on the sound side in an effort to “even” my breasts. It worked for a while but the left continues to shrink. Any suggestions? Some suggest an implant, but I fear the cancer coming back and not being identified due to the implant.

Implants are indeed known to decrease the effectiveness of mammograms by about 1/3 after breast augmentation, and may well have the same effect when used in reconstruction after lumpectomy. Additionally, implants tend to be more poorly tolerated after radiation, although some people do quite well with them.

A flap of your own tissue could be used to augment your breast, but this would be a fairly large undertaking, usually (but not always) reserved for post-mastectomy reconstruction. Injections of your own fat, while proving to be a very useful adjunct to post-mastectomy reconstruction, are not routinely recommended (yet) for augmenting the lumpectomy defect.

One potentially very useful measure, if available to you, might be a full Marx protocol of hyperbaric oxygen treatment. A large part of the damaging effects of radiation is progressive obliteration of the microvascular circulation (smallest blood vessels). Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) has been shown to very reliably stimulate the growth of new blood vessels in radiated tissue. Clinically, this often results in fairly dramatic softening of the radiated tissue, and a healthier appearance of the skin.

Thank you for your question.

-Dr. Richard M. Kline Jr., MD

Have questions for our team? Send them on over, we’d love to hear from you!

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