- Weight Loss, PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogChildhood obesity is a debilitating disease that can affect children physically and mentally. As a child, it’s easy to gravitate toward snacks that come in bright, colorful wrapping or grab a tasty, sugary drink without thinking much of the long-term effects. But, if your child combines consistent poor diet choices with other factors, this can lead to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the U.S., with the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity tripling since the 1970s. Data shows one in five school age children and young people in the U.S. has obesity, making it the most common chronic disease of childhood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parents should be aware of factors that contribute to childhood obesity. These include genetics, metabolism, eating behaviors and physical activity, sleep schedule and negative events that a child might have experienced. There are health risks linked to childhood obesity that can have a harmful effect on the body in more than one way. Obese children can experience high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, breathing problems and joint discomfort, among other conditions. Obese children are also susceptible to psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. It’s important that you help your child develop a healthy relationship with food from the very beginning. My best advice for parents and guardians is to keep it practical, primarily focusing on nutrition and physical activity. Here are some steps in preventing childhood obesity: Develop a healthy relationship between a child and food. Focus on the health factor, not the body factor to prevent developing a negative relationship between a child and food. Be careful how you talk about weight. Tell your child you want to help them focus on eating foods that are healthy. Eat healthy. Eating five or more servings of fruits and veggies per day can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer and early death. Get more hours of exercise per day. I recommend 60 minutes every day. This includes walking or any other aerobic activity. An easy way to make exercise fun is for your child to get involved in a team sport, play with other children in the park or go biking. If you yourself practice this, your child will be more likely to do it and develop it as a habit. Remember, they look up to you! Stay away from sugary drinks and snacks. Focus more on the produce aisle and stay away from high sugar drinks and high calorie snacks. Limit these to special occasions so your child begins to develop the habit of having these every once in a while and not as frequently. Instead, try a new fruit or vegetable every month. Practice mindful eating. We tend to eat more when we’re distracted. Instead of watching TV, practice mindful eating and being present. This also allows for more family time and having conversations with each other. Sleep. This is very important. If your child sleeps less than nine hours a night, he or she is more likely to be obese. Make sure your child has a regular sleep schedule. This will also help your child have the energy he or she needs to get through the day. If needed, consider seeing a nutritionist. It won’t be an overnight change, but you can start by changing your child’s diet and encouraging healthy weight loss (no more than two pounds a week if they’re a child or adolescent, and no more than one pound per month if they’re between two and five to make sure they get the nutrition they need to grow). When you make these little changes, you’re setting them up to make good decisions for the rest of their lives. Author Deon Edgerson-George, MD, is an internal medicine physician and pediatrician at Luminis Health Primary Care.0
- Behavioral Health, PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAs a parent of four, I understand how stressful it can be to carry that title. Being a parent means carrying a world of responsibilities. We have to watch out for all sorts of external triggers – think peer pressure, social media and school shootings – to help our children navigate through this world as best as possible. And we’re also needed to help them through their various developmental stages. One of those stages is puberty and all the mood swings that come with it. If you’re a parent, you’ve probably experienced the eye-rolling, the snappy response out of nowhere, and the need to ask the same question multiple times before something gets done (asking them to look up from their phone during dinner!). Sometimes those behaviors are normal, it’s your child navigating new emotions and developmental changes. But sometimes, it’s a result of something more than just puberty or “kids being kids.” I have been working in the mental health field for the past 30 years and a lot has changed. What used to be a slight increase in mental health problems reported over the years has turned into an ever-increasing peak. But why? Think about everything that society has dumped on kids nowadays: Anxiety based on school safety, higher expectations, challenging curriculums and, of course, there’s social media. This is a lot of “weight” for a child to carry. How do you know what’s normal and what’s not? Here are a few warning signs that can help you tell if your child needs another layer of support and/or professional help: Elementary Age Change in behavior or change in play (hitting, bullying, biting). Intensity of emotions (anger or fear). Increased physical complaints. Change in sleep patterns (nightmares). Difficulty concentrating. Middle School Age Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger. Difficulty relating to peers. Thinking and/or talking about suicide. Avoidance of friends and social activities. Confused thinking or problems concentrating. High School Age Excessive worry or fear. Feeling excessively sad or low. Extreme mood changes. Abuse of substances (alcohol and drugs). Thinking and/or talking about suicide. The best thing you can do as a parent is provide a safe, nurturing home and community with realistic limits on social media and screen time. Give them a sense of stability and a true balance of exercise, activities, nutrition, family meals and something I call the “gift of time” for optimal emotional health. The gift of time is listening without interruption and giving one’s full attention if even for 15-30 minutes a day. Take the time to listen – really listen – to your child without interruption and judgement. Encourage them, foster their independence and above all, love them unconditionally! Providing stability among our world’s instability is one of the most critical components to supporting our children and teenagers. Ask questions, find resources and learn more at askAAMC.org/HealthyMinds. Author Cindy Radovic, MA, BA, BSN Board Certified, is the manager of Mental Health Services at Anne Arundel Medical Center’s (AAMC) Emergency Department. To schedule an appointment with her, call 443-481-3519.0
- Women's Health, PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3Blog“It felt so normal. It was truly the best experience of my life,” says mom of four Carly Glover as she recounts the birth of her first child. It was a birth that happened outside the walls of the hospital and inside the home-like environment of Anne Arundel Medical Group Bay Area Midwifery’s birth center. The practice operates a nationally accredited birth center — one of only two in Maryland. And like Carly, one in four of their clients decide the birth center is the right place for them to have their baby. “Birth choices are so personal,” says Carly. “When I was pregnant, my mother was sick, and I was spending a lot of time in the hospital. I knew I wanted a completely different environment when I had my baby. So I switched to a birth center halfway through my pregnancy.” While 98 percent of all births in the United States still happen in the hospital, the percentage of birth center births has been on the rise since 2004. How is a birth center different than a hospital? “A birth center is like a home away from home, or home with the extra safety net,” says Anne Seifert, one of seven certified nurse midwives at AAMG Bay Area Midwifery. “We have the same basic emergency medications and equipment that the hospital has, but in a home-like setting. We safely monitor mom and baby, and allow families to give birth in a comfortable, non-medical setting.” Midwives are experts in supporting women with low-risk pregnancies give birth without pain medications. Still, the idea of a birth center can be confusing or overwhelming for some. “My husband was hesitant about a birth center. I think his exact words were, ‘Are you crazy?’” says Carly. “He was worried about risks. What if something goes wrong? What if you need a doctor? What if you want an epidural?” A tour and consult at the birth center put his mind at ease. “We get those questions all the time,” says Shaina French, certified nurse midwife with AAMG Bay Area Midwifery, who says there’s a misconception that birth centers are unsafe or that midwives don’t have enough training. As birth centers rise in popularity, studies continue to show they provide a safe alternative to hospitals for women with low-risk pregnancies. “As certified nurse midwives, we are all master’s-degree-trained nurses who specialize in obstetrics and gynecology,” says Shaina. “We are board-certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board and licensed by the State of Maryland. We also collaborate with doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals, such as doulas.” Preparing for a Birth Center Birth Whether women choose a birth center or hospital birth, prenatal care is the same. “The best part was arriving at the birth center in labor,” says Carly. “My husband said, ‘What do we do now?’ The midwife replied, ‘Whatever you want!’ It was magic to my ears — no needles, no monitors, no being stuck in bed.” Pain management options in the birth center include verbal coaching, position changes, breathing techniques, methods like hypnobirthing or Bradley, massage and water therapy. “We’re one of the few places in Maryland that offers water births,” says Anne. “Moms can labor and deliver in our tubs. It’s a big reason many women choose us.” “There was a moment where I started to doubt myself,” says Carly. “But my midwife was right by my side reminding me of my strength, and providing kind and gentle support. It was just what I needed in that moment.” Homeward Bound Women and their families typically stay in the birth center three to four hours after giving birth, and then it’s time to go home. Parents must take the new baby to a pediatrician one to two days after birth. “We call families a few days following the birth to answer questions and see if an in-person check is needed,” says Shaina. “Typically we see moms back in the office two and six weeks after birth.” Is a Birth Center Right for You? Here are some questions to ask yourself if you’re considering a birth center: Are you generally healthy with either no chronic health problems or well-controlled health problems? Do you have the interest, time and energy to invest in learning about and preparing for a pain-medication-free birth? Will you feel comfortable going home with a four-hour-old newborn? Do you have a support system to enlist? Have you handled physical pain well in the past? The birth center is not an option for high-risk pregnancies, women expecting multiples, women who want a vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC) or women who want an epidural. These women, however, can still choose a midwife at AAMG Bay Area Midwifery and have their baby at Anne Arundel Medical Center. For a free tour and consultation with a midwife, call AAMG Bay Area Midwifery at 443-481-4400.0
- Surgery, Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAs February marks Heart Health Month, show your heart some love by eating a nutritious diet comprised of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, exercising regularly, and avoiding smoking. Taking these steps can decrease the chance that you may need heart surgery one day, but if you do need heart surgery, medical advancements have improved options and outcomes for surgery patients. Here are five things you should know about heart surgery: If Your Arteries Are Blocked, Surgery Can Help. A blocked blood vessel can lead to a heart attack, stroke and other problems. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most common type of open heart surgery performed on adults today. The surgeon uses a blood vessel taken from another part of the body to provide an alternate route for blood to go around the blockage. When You Have A Valve That Doesn’t Work, Doctors Can Replace it Without Surgery. Conditions like aortic stenosis can keep the heart valve from opening fully and make it difficult for blood to flow. Left untreated, aortic stenosis can damage the heart muscle and lead to severe complications. The good news is that aortic stenosis can be fixed without surgery. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is a game-changer. It is a minimally invasive alternative to a traditional surgical valve replacement, deploying artificial heart valves using small catheters. This avoids the need for open-heart surgery and can lead to less pain and faster recovery. TAVR demonstrates outstanding results, providing a viable treatment option for patients who previously had limited choices, ultimately extending their lives and enhancing their overall quality of life. Traditional Surgery Can Work for A Valve Replacement, Too. Certainly, open heart surgery remains a viable method for replacing a damaged heart valve. Surgeons have performed the procedure for more than 50 years, yet Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR) is still considered major surgery since it involves opening the chest to perform the procedure. Nevertheless, it has a high success rate, with a low likelihood of significant complications. You Should Treat A Bulge In Your Blood Vessel Before It Becomes an Emergency. An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement of the aorta, which is the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When an aneurysm gets too large, it can tear or rupture which may be life-threatening. There is a lot at stake, so it’s important to know the warning signs, which can include: Chest pain Coughing up blood Dizziness Hoarseness or trouble swallowing Pulsing near the belly button Shortness of breath Sudden and intense abdominal or back pain If you or a loved one have an aortic aneurysm, treatment often starts with medication and keeping a close eye on it. However, if it’s large or fast-growing, surgery may be the best option to replace the weak section of the aorta with a graft, or tube. Surgery Can Correct Heart Rhythm Problems. Today, doctors can help arrhythmia issues. But when medications and catheter ablations don’t work, surgical ablations can be performed with improved success. If you are concerned about your heart health, schedule an appointment with a primary care provider or cardiologist. If heart surgery is recommended, we provide skilled, compassionate surgical care for all heart conditions at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center. Consultations are available in Lanham, Annapolis, and Kent Island. Author Murtaza Dawood, MD is an experienced cardiothoracic surgeon who is recognized for performing operations for complex valve disease and atrial fibrillation. He is known for treating mitral valve regurgitation as well as aortic valve disease.0
- Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogThis week, Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (LHAAMC) welcomed our oldest surgical patient in the hospital’s history. Mary Saxe is 109 years old and recently moved to the Annapolis area to live closer to her son and daughter-in-law. After breakfast with friends, she suddenly lost balance and fell on her right side. She was quickly brought to LHAAMC for evaluation and medical staff determined her fractured hip would require surgery. Dr. Bigby performed a partial hip replacement on Mary’s right hip. “Everyone has been so kind,“ she said of her medical team. “They’re taking good care of me while I’m here.” “On behalf of the entire JSU team, it was an honor to care for Mary after her hip surgery,” said Eve Sage, Clinical Director, General Surgical Unit & Joint and Spine Unit. “Mary’s wit, words of wisdom and appreciation for life filled our hearts.” “We were so impressed with the level of care, professionalism and services that our mother received at LHAAMC,” said Charles Saxe, Mary’s son. “She was in good hands.” In the coming days, Mary will begin rehabilitation. “People always ask me to share my secret to aging well,” Mary said. “I have no secret at all. The only recommendation I have is to keep moving. Keep moving as much as you can, as long as you can.” Thank you to the entire LHAAMC team for their expert care as Mary recovers!0
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