Sandra Martin

           On December 22, 2008, at 12:30 a.m., I awoke from a sound sleep with a strange sensation in my left arm. At first, I thought my arm was asleep, but then I quickly realized I was having pain. The pain went across my shoulders and down my right arm. I felt terrible! I began to sweat profusely. I woke my husband and he asked, “Do you think you’re having a heart attack?” I said, “I’m afraid I am.” He promptly called 911 and told them I may be having a heart attack. The rescue squad arrived and I got the impression they thought I was having a panic attack. I was shaking and they asked me why. I felt angry as I told them “because I’m in pain and scared out of my mind.” When we got to the ER, I laid on the stretcher by the desk. No one was particularly concerned about me until my husband spoke up and said he thought I was having a heart attack. At that point, they attached me to an EKG, started an IV, and drew some blood for lab work. The blood sat on the counter for quite a long time, until my husband reminded them about it. I began to have chest pain. My husband again reminded them that my blood was still sitting on the counter in the cubicle. The EKG started to show changes. They gave me nitro glycerin, morphine IV, and blood thinners. After many hours, the blood work results finally came back and indicated that I was having a heart attack. We requested a transfer to a hospital that could deal with cardiac issues and I was transported by helicopter. What a difference in care! The doctor was there and the nurses knew exactly what to do. I was promptly sent to the cath lab, had an angioplasty and two stents placed in the “widow maker” artery (the left anterior descending artery). Christmas Eve, which is usually a big family event in our home, was spent in the hospital with my wonderful husband and family. They brought a little lighted Christmas tree for me. I was alive with my family close by. What a Christmas gift. I was discharge on Christmas day. I hope you take from my story that everyone needs an advocate. If it wasn’t for my husband’s insistence to pursue prompt diagnosis and treatment, I may not be here today. Also, women’s symptoms are different than men’s so lay people and medical professionals need to be better educated. Heart disease is the number one killer of women. The bottom line: know your body and take care of yourself, so you can take care of your family. After my event, I was fortunate to learn of WomenHeart. My sister attended a heart fair and spoke to a woman who contacted me. I went to Central Maryland group and have been involved for three years. Due to my interest in WomenHeart, I applied and was selected to attend the WomenHeart Symposium at the Mayo Clinic. I was fortunate to attend and learned so much. I recently started a support group at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland. My goal is to offer other women the support, encouragement and friendship that I’ve been lucky to find with WomenHeart.

Marilyn Smedberg-Gobbett

Life with heart disease does not need to define you as I have learned.

At the age of 29 I was diagnosed with a rapid heart which I lived with for thirty years. Finally in 2004, I had a cardiac ablation to correct the “run-away heart” with great success. In 2005, I was extremely tired, more than usual, and I underwent extensive cardiac evaluation.  A cardiac catherization was performed and it was discovered that I needed emergency double bypass to help blood flow in my heart. After a month of recuperation, I was discharged by my cardiac surgeon to begin my road to recovery. I immediately registered for the cardiac rehab program at Howard County General Hospital and got started on my physical journey back to a “normal life.”  However, I was not prepared for the emotional roller coaster that went with a heart event.

Fortunately, there was a WomenHeart Support Network in Central Maryland where I could go and talk with other women living with heart disease. The feeling of isolation and uncertainty diminished because these women understood what it meant to travel on a heart journey.

When the coordinator for the group announced that she was moving away, she suggested I attend the WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic in the fall of 2007 and become the coordinator.  Knowing how important the support had been to me, my decision was made without hesitation!

Over the past two years with the help of Verilyn Dawson as coordinator, we have helped WomenHeart expand in Maryland. Along with WomenHeart-Central Maryland which meets at the Wellness Center in Howard County, we now have groups in Baltimore County at Northwest Hospital and Prince George’s County alternating between Doctors Community Hospital and Prince George’s Hospital. There are also networks available in Carroll County at Carroll Hospital and Montgomery County at Washington Adventist Hospital.  

Helping to bring women together living with heart disease in a safe, comfortable environment while providing them with the support they need has been my goal. The support, whether through getting together at a meeting with an educational speaker or enjoying an afternoon tea, creates a heart sisterhood that can only be described by the women who attend.

If you are a woman living with or at risk of heart disease, please come and join us at any of our free open meetings. Information about meetings can be found on the WomenHeart website calendar. www.womenheart.org.

Erin O’Connell Peiffer

It was a milestone year in 2011—I  turned 50 and celebrated the 10th anniversary of my emergency double coronary bypass surgery.  I continue to an advocate for women and heart disease as a National Spokeswoman for WomenHeart.  I speak to women one on one as well as groups, attend seminars about coronary artery disease, and volunteer for American Heart Association Go Red for Women and am part of a Heart Health Team in my community. My children are all teenagers and I am so grateful to be here for them.  My healthcare providers at Johns Hopkins take good care of me and I work hard to take good care of myself.  I see my doctors regularly, take all of my medicines and I walk 2-3 miles, 7 days a week.

I have volunteered for some clinical trials and I am waiting to learn whether I will be chosen as a participant.  It is so important for women to take charge of their heart health.

Carrie Vincent

It was July 15, 2007. I was relaxing on the couch holding the most precious baby in the world, laughing because I had discovered, he, Griffin, liked bluegrass music. My family had left earlier that day and my husband, Griffin, and I were ready to begin our new life together. I felt a happiness and completeness I had anticipated for years. I sent my husband out to pick up dinner, and by the time he returned I had experienced a disarming explosion up my back and neck, through my armpits. As I walked down my stairs and across the yard toward the ambulance, clutching a photo of my son while instructing my husband to “stay with the baby,” I think the EMTs doubted why they came. In the ambulance, I apologized to the drivers because it had been about 45 minutes since the onset of my discomfort and I had started to feel a little better. I appeared fine but one driver told me that my blood pressure was “slightly elevated” and that I may have hypertension related to the pregnancy. I told her I didn’t feel right. She looked deep in my eyes and asked me if my chest hurts. It didn’t, but I told her “maybe a little.” The lights of the ambulance went on and we rushed to the hospital. In the ER, the nurse told me something was wrong with my “test” and the doctor wanted him to redo it. The doctor said that there was a blockage to my heart. I was 31 years old, five days postpartum, and I was being transported via helicopter to Union Memorial, “a heart hospital.”

Griffin is the happy result of my fourth pregnancy; my previous pregnancies ended in devastating first trimester miscarriages. After my second miscarriage, I was diagnosed with Prothombin Gene Mutation, an allegedly benign clotting disorder that should not pose a threat to my general health but could be the cause of my repeated miscarriages. After arriving at Union Memorial, the catherization procedure revealed a clot in my heart but no disease within the arteries. As the clot was being removed, my artery collapsed and three stents were implanted.

After the event, I recovered physically much more quickly than I did mentally. Trying to learn how to live after this happened while also caring for a newborn was extremely challenging, terrifying and exhausting. Eventually I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was desperate to find someone or something that could help me heal. In January 2008, I met Erin, my first heart sister through WomenHeart organization, which has made a profound impact on my life through providing me the knowledge to better understand what happened to me, an opportunity to speak to other women with similar situations and, most important, a chance to educate women on heart disease.

 Looking back, I am still perplexed as to why I called 911. While that sensation was extraordinary, I had no reason to suspect that I was having a heart attack. Now I know better—the prevalence of heart disease in women and the importance of recognizing the symptoms to act quickly—and I want to share this information with other women. 

Wanda M. Jackson

     I recently had a hysterectomy and had been home recuperating for four weeks from that surgery. A friend extended an invitation to take me to the hair salon and later out to lunch. I was excited and feeling really good because that was my first day out of the house since the surgery.

    While riding in the car, all of a sudden, I had this excruciating pain in my chest. It felt as if I was hit with something. It was the worst pain I had ever felt. At first I thought it was a bad case of indigestion.

     I began to quietly pray for myself because I had never felt like this before. I began to feel sick and nauseous. I was perspiring and I began to throw up. I didn’t know why I felt so bad, and what was causing me to be so sick. My friend didn’t know what was wrong with me so she decided to take me home. As we were driving toward my house, I told my friend to call the ambulance. She did, and within a few minutes the ambulance arrived. The EMT asked me several questions and I told him I was having chest pains. The EMT gave me a pill which he told me to place under my tongue. He continued to ask me if I still had chest pain, which I did. Shortly after that, the EMT said they were taking me to the hospital.

After I arrived at the hospital, the doctor started asking me questions and shortly after that I began to vomit again. I still didn’t know what was wrong with me. The doctor asked me if anyone was with me. Within a few minutes, I saw my friend and she asked me how I was doing and what was going on. The doctor answered my friend saying, “She has had a heart attack. We’re admitting her to the intensive care cardiac unit.” I was 40 years old!  That was the first time I had heard what was going on with me. I was shocked, frightened, and I really didn’t understand what was happening. I later received a coronary artery balloon angioplasty.

Eight years later, after having had my annual stress test, my cardiologist informed me he saw a blockage, and I needed to have another angioplasty. I went into the hospital to have the angioplasty and was told by my cardiologist on the next day that he couldn’t perform the angioplasty. He told me I had a matter of weeks to live and I needed surgery. I later had double bypass open heart surgery.

I learned about the WomenHeart Organization while attending a Health Expo sponsored by my local church. I regularly attend the WomenHeart Support group meetings, and I recently attended the 2011 WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium. I am a WomenHeart Champion.

She lives in Laurel, MD…can go in Montgomery or Howard Co.

Janice A. Flores

On May 4, 1994, at the age of 57, I had a heart attack followed by a quadruple bypass.

I had no chest pain or shortness of breath prior to the heart attack but looking back I can see that I did have some symptoms that I did not recognize at the time. One was fatigue, but as a wife and mother of five children, fatigue was a usual feeling for me. I also had episodes of rapid heartbeat, which I now recognize as atrial fibrillation.

At 5:30 a.m., I awoke with pain in the back of my left shoulder, nausea and an overwhelming sense that something was very, very wrong with me. When the pain went down my left arm, my husband was already on the phone calling 911. Fortunately we did everything right and within ten minutes of the EMTs arrival, I was in the local ER.

My recovery was a bit complicated but I did recover and about a year later joined a small support group for women with heart disease in a nearby county. That group held together for several years and but eventually membership dwindled and about that time we were approached by Nancy Loving, one of the founders of WomenHeart. We merged with WomenHeart and I have been a member ever since.

In 2008, I was accepted for the Leadership and Training Conference at the Mayo Clinic which was a very unique experience. Meeting so many women of differing ages and backgrounds who were all patients with heart disease was eye opening.

Since then I have spoken many times, assisted at health fairs and supported WomenHeart and its mission with vigor.

Recently I developed atrial flutter and had to have a cardiac ablation. My devotion to WomenHeart is still intact but now at the age of 74 I have lessened my more active participation. I still attend WomenHeart of Central Maryland monthly and those women have become my very good friends. I am happy to support our new WomenHeart Champions in any way I can and have deemed myself their “cheerleader” as they accomplish their own goals for advancing awareness of heart disease in women.

We need to talk. Did you know that your leading health threat is heart disease? Yes, your heart is more at risk than you might be aware, and chances are that your health care provider may not be talking to you about it. In fact, one it three deaths in women is from heart disease and more women die from heart disease than all cancers combined!  And, in Maryland, 375 out of 100,000 women die from heart disease, 24 more than the national average! (Centers for Disease Control, 2006.) Since 1984 more women than men have died from heart disease every year. Women continue to be misdiagnosed when presenting with signs of heart attack, often don’t receive the same care as men and can die because of it, and have worse health outcomes after heart attack. Leading health experts and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease are working tirelessly to ensure that every woman has information about how to prevent heart disease, and have access to early and accurate diagnosis and proper treatment should they develop heart disease. WomenHeart also provides the only peer led patient support groups in the country to support women living with heart disease. In fact, you have several right here in Maryland. Learn about them in this publication. Also in the issue, learn from women in Maryland living with heart disease about the importance of prevention, early and accurate diagnosis and proper treatment for heart disease; and how and where to get support. Their personal heart stories are inspiring to all women! Ladies, starting today, make a promise to yourself to take care of your heart and become an empowered patient! Together, one heart at a time, we can eradicate heart disease as the leading cause of death in women. And, when you need that extra bit of encouragement or support to do so, visit www.womenheart.org.

In good health,

Carol Allred, Chair, WomenHeart Board of Directors

More common than you may think

42.7 million women are currently living with cardiovascular disease (CVD).1

7.5 million women are currently living with coronary heart disease (CHD).1

More than 3 million women have a history of heart attack.1

Affects more women than men

26% of women vs. 19% of men will die within one year of a first recognized heart

attack

18% of women vs. 8% of men heart attack survivors will be diagnosed with heart

failure within five years.1

Women are less likely to receive appropriate treatment after a heart attack.2

More fatal than any other disease

419,730 deaths in American women are caused by CVD each year. 1

61,511 women die each year from heart attacks.1

Who is at risk?

Cigarette smokers are 2 to 4 times more likely to develop heart disease.4

59% of Caucasian women, almost 78% of African-American women, and 75% Hispanic-

American women are overweight or obese.1

Women with diabetes have a 2.5 increased risk of developing CVD and a 2.2

increased of dying from CVD.1

1 Roger V L, Go A S, Lloyd-Jones D, Benjamin E, et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2012 Update: A Report from the American

Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation 2012; e32-e171.

2 Jackson E, Legato M, Howe M, The American Journal of Cardiology, published online September 19, 2011.

3 Lloyd-Jones D, Adams R, Brown T, et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2010 Update: A Report from the American Heart Association Statistics

Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation 2010; e1-e170.

4 US Department of Health and Human Services. Fact sheet: health effects of smoking and tobacco use: heart disease. Atlanta, Ga: US

Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic

Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; updated December 16, 2010.

818 18th Street, NW • Suite 1000 • Washington, DC 20006 • 202.728.7199 • fax: 202.728.7238 • www.womenheart.org

.

Why do my legs swell?

Why do I have unsightly spider veins on my legs?

Why do my legs ache?

The answer to all of these questions may be the same: gravity. Gravity brings us down, literally. The force of gravity holds us down to earth; the force of gravity causes rain to fall to the ground. If you drop a marble from a bridge, three seconds later, it is falling toward the earth at over 30 mph. This same force is constantly pulling down on the blood in your veins.

Imagine five barrels of water sitting in a line. If you dunk your head into any one of the barrels, you feel a little pressure from the water on your ears. Now imagine plunging deeper into that barrel. With your head at the bottom, your ears will feel more pressure from the water. You feel more pressure at the bottom because of all the fluid above pressing down.

Next, imagine stacking all five barrels on top of one another. The pressure at the bottom of the lowest barrel is still essentially the same as the pressure at the bottom of the highest barrel. That’s because each container of water is separated from the others. At the bottom of the lowest barrel, you feel only the pressure of the fluid bearing down within that one container. But if we punch down though the stack of barrels, we now have a single tall column of water. The water at the bottom of the lowest barrel now feels the pressure from all of the fluid in all the barrels above. The pressure at that point is five times higher than when the barrels were intact and separated.

In much the same way, the column of fluid that is the blood in your leg veins is separated by a series of valves interspersed along the vein. These valves, when working correctly, prevent the pressure of the column of blood from communicating down through the vein to the feet and ankles. In the circulatory condition called venous insufficiency, these valves fail. As venous insufficiency develops, the increased pressure of the blood pushes down through the veins below which begin to bulge and ache.

Venous insufficiency can present with varicose veins, spider veins, swelling, and aching discomfort. Patients with venous insufficiency may complain of aching, fatigue, itching, or restless legs. Symptoms worsen with increased time on your feet, and are typically worst at the end of the day. Relief is obtained with leg elevation, support stockings, or sometimes even pain medication. Because symptom onset is gradual, this disease may take decades to become apparent. Over time, venous insufficiency will lead to tissue damage, including dermatitis and ulceration. As blood is not flowing properly in the involved veins, the varicosities may clot, causing phlebitis, or they may rupture and bleed. Additional risks of untreated venous insufficiency include deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal event. All too often, patients and physicians alike defer seeking care.

 “Spider veins,” or telangiectasias, can be an early sign of venous insufficiency that appear when tiny skin veins, previously invisible, become engorged and enlarge. Maryland Vein Professionals evaluates many patients who present to us for treatment of spider veins which they have had previously “treated,” only to see reappearance after many months. Some patients who have undergone only superficial, cosmetic treatments of spider veins, exchange the veins for dark blotches in their skin. The underlying problem, venous insufficiency, was never treated. A careful ultrasound evaluation performed and interpreted by a vein care specialist can identify this underlying problem, showing a pattern of venous insufficiency in the leg veins.

In the great majority of people, the problem of venous insufficiency can be easily treated. An outpatient treatment, called the ClosureÒ Procedure, uses radiofrequency energy to close the malfunctioning or “leaky” veins which are the source of the problem. This eliminates the major cause of the symptoms of venous insufficiency. During the ClosureÒ  Procedure, a tiny catheter, placed into the leaky source vein through a small puncture into the skin, delivers a form of light energy to the vein wall. This energy causes collagen in the vein to change shape, closing the blood flow channel in the vein. This elegant procedure is completed in minutes with minimal or no discomfort. The total time in the office is typically less than two hours and people return to work or normal activity the same day.

ClosureÒ  is covered by most insurances and is performed in the office setting. Clinical studies have shown outstanding safety, efficacy, and patient satisfaction. Patients are delighted with symptom relief and cosmetic improvement, and 98% say they would recommend Closure for a friend.

Please visit our Website, www.MDVeinProfessionals.com  for more information, including over 100 patient testimonials and before and after images. Call us at 410-964-VEIN (8346) or 877-7MD-VEIN for a complimentary screening evaluation.

Exactly how have we been able to stay ahead of the stock market with 100 percent precision? To many Americans who have become victims of, quite frankly, bad and unrealistic financial advice, this may seem unimaginable at best.  Meanwhile, millions of hard-working folks continue to witness helplessly as their sources of retirement livelihoods continue to be devastated by the stock market every day.

 Here is a prediction that has been true since its inception and will remain true forever: the stock market will fluctuate! Sometimes it will increase and sometimes it will decrease. Beyond this basic predictable fact, no one, regardless of how good you feel about them, knows what will happen tomorrow or any day in the future. Although it’s tempting to take the so-called experts or Op-Ed authors as prophets worth listening to in this respect, at the end of the day, the fact still remains that no one can predict anything beyond fluctuation.

Isn’t It Time Your Nest Egg Reflected Reality?

Obviously you already know and understand that while the market will continue to fluctuate, your retirement is certain—because the clock never stops ticking. Sure you may make a lot of money. But let’s face it; it’s a pure gamble and you equally risk losing everything in a split second.

Of course, it’s your money and retirement, but may we suggest that you seriously consider pursuing a proven approach that will ensure that you make money up to a certain cap when the stock market goes up, lock-in all of your gains so that you can guarantee you won’t lose a single penny of your hard-earned savings when and if the market plummets for whatever reason?

 No one knows the market’s next move but going forward you know that you can immune yourself from having to keep working to make up for what the stock market has eroded, or lose sleep worrying about running out of money during retirement.

For some straight-forward, common-sense answers to your questions, please contact us at 877.656.9111 or www.LaserFG.com to schedule your complimentary, no-obligation consultation and speak with professionals with a proven track record and real-life clients who are experiencing the financial peace of mind you desire. Also for a limited-time only, while supplies last, you’ll receive a complimentary copy of our brutally revealing book, 5 Mistakes Your Financial Advisor Is Making.

_____________________

Samuel N. Asare is the senior strategist at Laser Financial Group. His practical, straight-forward, and superb ability to simplify often-complex strategies has made him a regularly featured expert in various regional and national media outlets, including TV and radio. Samuel is the celebrated author of four personal finance books and the acclaimed Proven Common-Sense Wealth Building blog. He holds an MBA, is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, and Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor.

________________________

*please use the “stock roller coaster” image.

You’ve Saved Your Entire Life for Retirement

DON’T  Let the Stock Market Destroy It!

In an age of wild market rides and shattered retirement dreams, you need a guarantee that you’ll never have to endure any unpleasant decreases in your retirement income, or worry about outliving your savings.

To get straight answers from a team of professionals with a track-record and real-life clients to back it up schedule your complimentary and totally no-obligation session today!

877.656.9111 or www.LaserFG.com

Prior to the Fall of 1972, at the time of the first ABIM certification exam in Medical Oncology, surgeons had already realized that female breast cancer was a systemic disease. In fact the beginning of “adjuvant chemotherapy” was a practice by surgeons at Yale New Haven that included a single dose of intravenous Cytoxan chemotherapy just prior to surgery. Despite multiple modifications of the primary surgical intervention, whether it was Radical Mastectomy versus Modified Radical Mastectomy or Extented Radical Mastectomy, there was still a significant number of patients who relapsed with recurrent breast cancer as many as 30 years after the surgery. Radiation therapy was common after any of the surgeries proposed with some benefit to prevent local recurrence but a high proportion of difficult to manage lymphedema on the mastectomy side of surgery. Two important advances in surgical technique limited the amount of surgery popularized by Hellman et al, at Dana Farber Cancer Center, which was the “lumpectomy” for tumors less than 2.0 cm around the areola that also received iridium implants into the site of the lumpectomy with external beam radiation after lymph node dissection. Those patients with axillary lymph nodes containing cancer received chemotherapy as well.

Despite less surgery but integrated radiation and chemotherapy, there were still over 20 percent of patients at risk for recurrence and death from metastatic disease. Remember that prior to 1972, we had no tumor markers, no estrogen or progesterone receptors to help guide our therapeutic choices. Therefore surgery was likewise the treatment of choice for metastatic disease especially for the premenapausal woman that had only surgical therapeutic options available to them such as oophorectomy, and with response adrenalectomy, and with response trans-sphenoidal hypophysectomy that often led to post operative electrolyte dysfunction ( Diabetes Insipidus ). At that time, however, the search for an anti-estrogen was uncovered to cause a medical oophorectomy or adrenalectomy without need for surgery. Subsequently with the risk of secondary malignancies, and venous thrombosis, great efforts were made to develop the aromatase inhibitors. At that time, the median survival of these patients with metastatic breast cancer was one year.

Few studies demonstrate survival advantage for combination chemotherapy in metastatic disease as opposed to single sequential chemotherapy; however, there may be significant improvement in response and duration of response with Targeted therapy and the class of biologics that are often given together with chemotherapy. As of this ASCO, we have now a nano-particle taxane and non taxane chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer that individually has produced increased survival in patients previously treated for metastatic breast cancer. At ASCO 2010, we had initial data to support in an Italian study that in first line metastatic breast cancer, once a complete or partial response occurs that you should continue therapy for that patient and not offer a “drug holiday.” This is because in this randomized trial the patients with response that continued on chemotherapy had a survival advantage as opposed to those who had a break in their chemotherapy once a response was seen. The discovery of antigenic determinants that are over expressed in metastatic breast cancer will continue to serve the important role of using the molecular biology of the tumor in the treatment against the tumor. Herceptin therapy is an example in the adjuvant trials where four trials now demonstrate decreased recurrence and increased survival for Her-2 Neu positive breast cancer treated with Herceptin and chemotherapy combinations for one year. The overexpression of GP-60, Cavalein, and “Sparc” intra-tumor receptors in metastatic breast cancer may occur in up to 50-60 percent of patients and may be predictive of whom shall respond to albumin-labeled taxane. Our excitement, however, comes from median survivals improved from one year for metastatic breast cancer to now over five years for the average patient with advanced disease and is accompanied by improved quality of life with the majority of life spent as an outpatient. The multi-discipline approach to the diagnosis and therapy of breast cancer at both the basic science and clinical science levels, will have given us the opportunity to continue to make a positive difference in the quality and quantity of life of our patients with metastatic breast cancer in 2012.

What Is HydraFacial™?

HydraFacial™ is a breakthrough in skin care treatments. As the name suggests, it hydrates! If you’ve learned anything from my past articles, you know that dry, red, irritated skin is proven to increase the signs of aging. Good hydration is the foundation of healthy skin. The HydraFacial™ separates itself from all other skin-resurfacing treatments because of how it hydrates and improves the appearance of the skin without irritating it.

The HydraFacial™ resurfacing procedure addresses all aspects of your skin’s health through a combination of cleansing, exfoliation, extraction, hydration AND the addition of antioxidant protection and anti-aging skin rejuvenation. It is the trifecta of effective facial treatments, combining:

• The exfoliation and resurfacing of microdermabrasion;
• The skin renewal of a chemical peel; and
• The hydration and extractions of a deep-cleansing facial.

The HydraFacial™ ranks above intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment as a non-invasive, non-surgical procedure that delivers instant results in tone and texture with no discomfort or downtime. Clients leave a HydraFacial™ treatment with immediate results: clearer, soothed, moisturized, non-irritated, more beautiful skin.

How Does It Work?

The HydraFacial™ uses a unique five-step approach.

1. Vortex-Cleaning™—The patented HydroPeel® tip hydrates the skin with a nutrient-rich solution that deeply cleanses the pores and softens and lifts away impurities.

2. HydroPeel® Exfoliation—The HydroPeel® tip uses its multiple abrasive edges to exfoliate the skin several times with each pass to achieve better, more even skin resurfacing without irritation.

3. Painless Vortex-Extraction™—The vortex (powerful circulation of liquid) effect easily dislodges and removes blackheads, whiteheads, and sebum for quick and painless extractions.

4. Vortex-Fusion™ of Antioxidants—The unique spiral tip employs a patented method for infusing hydrating skin solutions and potent antioxidants into the skin, improving the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, oily skin, and hyperpigmentation.

5. LED Light Therapy—Light therapy provides additional benefits after the HydraFacial™ treatment. LED light therapy uses specific types of light, which give off energy that stimulates your cells, thereby increasing your skin’s production of collagen and elastin. In turn, your skin becomes firmer, less wrinkled and younger looking. The treatment’s red LED light helps improve the appearance of skin firmness and resilience, while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and other signs of aging. The blue LED light is extremely beneficial for people who suffer from oily skin or breakouts. And the combination of red and blue LED lights is helpful in reducing the appearance of rosacea.

Would A HydraFacial™ Be Good For Me?                                       

In a word…ABSOLUTELY! One of the reasons I’m so excited about the HydraFacial™ treatment is because it is designed and effective for most skin types, so the majority of women—and men!—easily can tolerate the treatment.

The HydraFacial™ serums specifically target your skin issues, including sun damage, blackheads and whiteheads, enlarged pores, acne, brown spots, uneven skin tone, and the fine lines and wrinkles of early aging. The best part: it’s not just a quick-fix-it procedure. The HydraFacial improves the quality of your skin, actually helping to making it healthy—long term!

The HydraFacial™ is excellent for:

• Sun damage, hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone;
• Fine lines, wrinkles, dry or dehydrated skin;
• Improving skin’s clarity, resilience and firmness; and
• Oily, acne-prone skin, congested pores and enlarged pores—which is very common in men and teenagers.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?

Most people see results after just one treatment. The smooth results and hydration may last for five to seven days—or even longer. A series of six treatments is recommended for fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and acne.

The HydraFacial™ has been a favorite pre-red-carpet treatment for the stars and even the Prince of Monaco. This breakthrough skin resurfacing procedure has been featured on Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, as well as on the magazine pages of Allure, Essence, and InStyle Wedding.  My clients just cannot get enough of this treatment!!!

RUN—don’t walk—to Wendy’s Face Place to be one of the first in Maryland to experience the amazing new HydraFacial™ treatment.

Research has found that survivors who are overweight are more likely to have their cancer recur than thinner survivors because the more fat cells you have, the more estrogen is present and estrogen nourishes some types of breast cancer.

So what’s the culprit? Your medications, the amount of exercise you are (or are not) getting, changes in your metabolism, and comfort foods cravings are all causes for weight gain. Solution: check out low-glycemic foods like certain fruits, vegetables, healthy oils, and whole grains and paying attention to portion control is a great place to start.

Due to disease, aging, or accidents, many people find themselves unable to physically function as they had before. Oftentimes, their homes are not equipped to handle their new physical condition. You can proactively make adjustments to your home so that it remains easily accessible for you and your loved ones. Here are four tips you can put into action:

1)      Ensure that hallways and walkways are always clear of obstructions to provide easy passage.

2)      Install handrails or grab bars in places like bathrooms where slips and falls could happen.

3)      Use pull-out drawers and fold-away doors under counters, and make your countertops continuous so that it is easier for someone with limited strength and reach to get to items.

4)      Replace doorknobs with door handles for those who are unable to make grabbing, grasping, and turning hand movements.

“But I feel fine.” 

That’s the thing about colon cancer. 

Most people “feel fine” and have no symptoms until the disease has reached an advanced stage, when treatment is less effective. A colonoscopy is the only procedure that allows your doctor to find and remove colon polyps before they become cancerous.

Think it can’t happen to you? Consider the facts:

FACT:  If you are 50 or older, you are at risk. Colon cancer affects individuals equally, regardless of gender and, typically, race. Studies suggest African Americans have a higher incidence of colon cancer and, therefore, should consider screening earlier at age 45.  

FACT:  Approximately 80 percent of colon cancer cases occur in people without symptoms or prior family history. Having a family history increases your risk and means you may need to be screened before age 50.

FACT:  In its early stages, colon cancer generally has no symptoms. In later stages, when treatment is less effective, symptoms such as rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, or unexplained weight loss, may develop.

Don’t wait. 

If you are 50 or older (45 for African Americans), schedule your colonoscopy.  Most insurance plans, as well as Medicare, cover a colonoscopy.  No one says it’s fun, but it’s not difficult or painful and it could save your life or the life of someone you love. 

For more information about colon cancer and prevention, visit our website at www.capitaldigestivecare.com or request a free information kit at info@capitaldigestivecare.com or (240) 485-5207.  Capital Digestive Care has 16 offices conveniently located throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area, including, Montgomery, Howard, Prince George’s, and Frederick counties.

Who gets venous insufficiency?

Well, one quarter of 311 million people in the United States is more than 77 million people, so the first answer to the question

above is lots and lots of people get venous disease. The next time you’re in a movie theater, look to your left and to your right. Someone within reach has venous insufficiency. Beyond this though, leg veins fail because of hormonal influence, trauma, and heredity. The main hormonal suspect is progesterone, which women have a lot of during pregnancy and well…during being a woman. Progesterone has an adverse effect on vein valves. Among other effects, it causes vein valves to fail, leading to the creation of vein pressure overload. This is probably why 75 percent of vein insufficiency patients are women. Beyond simply being female, though, vein disease runs in families and occurs after trauma such as a broken leg. Perhaps the most compelling scenario is the individual who has to stand or sit for long hours every day, either at their job or taking care of their children, or both. By repetitive pressure trauma on the veins these individuals are at risk to suffer from venous insufficiency. The long hours of standing and sitting cause a constant barrage of pressure on the leg vein system and herein lies the problem. The leg veins are not made for high-pressure. They have only one layer and in the context of how blood vessels are commonly regarded are extremely thin. Simply put, leg veins exposed to pressure over time will fail. Having incompetent veins is like trying to cap a fire hydrant with cellophane. It is just not going to work.

How does the venous insufficiency cause my legs to bother me?

When the leg veins fail, then, the pressure within the veins is transferred to the leg tissue and into the vein branches under the skin. This pressure on the tissue and the veins leads to blood engorgement in the veins and inflammation in the tissue. This sequence of events then is what leads to visible unsightly veins, varicosities, aching, swelling, burning, or even restless legs. Amazingly in people with both restless legs and venous insufficiency the restless leg symptoms are often improved after minimally invasive treatment for venous insufficiency. So to sum it up, venous insufficiency is a sequence of events that starts with vein valve failure. Because of high pressure in a vein system not meant for high-pressure, a cascade of events follows and leads to the broad array of different possible symptoms of vein disease described above.

What can be done about venous insufficiency?

The short answer is that there are now multiple minimally invasive options for venous insufficiency. The first step is an evaluation in a vein disease specialty office. Examination by an experienced team dedicated to treatment of venous disease will determine the presence of venous insufficiency. Thereafter a treatment plan and course of action can be plotted with your vein specialist surgeon. Insufficient superficial veins can be closed by a minimally invasive, catheter-based, office procedure with return to normal activity immediately. By and large vein stripping requiring hospitalization is no longer necessary. The procedure is covered by insurance because venous insufficiency is a medical condition. So there are newer options to treat vein disease which are reliable safe and get you back to your life.

What are the results of venous disease treatment?

Multiple clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of office-based minimally invasive therapy for vein disease. Within the year, the British Journal of Surgery published a prospective randomized trial by Dr. Rasmussen of Denmark comparing four different treatment modalities for venous insufficiency. If you do not happen to know, a prospective randomized trial is the ultimate type of medical study, which often produces the most reliable information upon which medical decision-making and medical care is based. The decisions for treatment options in such studies are made by random computer choice and thus biases are removed from the study. The upshot of this important study was that of all the modalities investigated, office-based radiofrequency venous closure of insufficient leg veins was the least painful, most effective, and most likely to allow immediate return to normal activity, including work. Amazingly, when questioned about their quality of life overall in a 36 point questionnaire, patients stated that their quality of life one year after the procedure was improved. This is absolutely stunning because the patients in the study started out with legs that bothered them. One year later their whole life is better.

What can I do to be evaluated?

So if your legs have developed prominent veins, or ache, swell, burn, itch, or are restless you should consider an evaluation. Obviously you would like this evaluation to be at a high-quality, experienced, venous disease specific organization. At Maryland Vein Professionals (MVP), we have performed more than 12,000 radio frequency, office-based minimally invasive venous closure procedures. The success rate has been in excess of 99.9%. We are a training center for ultrasonography and so we have the experience and quality required for complete evaluation of venous insufficiency. Call or go online to make an appointment Monday through Saturday.