- Weight LossGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLosing weight can be tough for most of us. You’ve seen the buzz about weight loss drugs, especially the constant speculation that some of the world’s most rich and famous are using them to drop large amounts of weight fast. But are weight loss drugs right for you or is this just another craze? And how do these drugs compare to weight-loss surgery in terms of effectiveness and safety? Can the two be used together? Here’s what you need to know: Weight Loss Drugs A weight-loss drug called Ozempic has been receiving the bulk of hype in the news and on social media. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved Ozempic as a medication for treating diabetes in 2017. Ozempic’s active ingredient is semaglutide, which the FDA approved in 2021 to treat obesity. Similar new medications are expected soon. Semaglutide works by mimicking the hormone that is responsible for sending signals to our brains that say, “I’m full.” This allows you to burn calories and fat without feeling hungry. It also reduces the speed at which food passes through your digestive system, helping maintain a feeling of fullness longer. Semaglutide is designed to be injected once a week under the skin of the stomach, thigh or upper arm. Semaglutide is not a miracle drug and it’s not for everyone. You should consult your doctor first, beware buying the drug online, and be mindful that it might not be covered by insurance for losing weight. Side effects can include nausea, stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting. Because these drugs are fairly new, there are still a lot of unanswered questions, such as: When people come off weight-loss drugs after a set number of months, will they maintain their weight? Or will they have to take the medications for the rest of their life? Weight Loss Surgery Here in the United States, weight loss—also known as bariatric—surgery continues to be a popular option to help people lose weight and manage conditions related to obesity. There are various surgical procedures for weight loss, and all of them help you lose weight by limiting how much food you can eat and working on a hormonal level to assist with sensitivity to sugars and feeling full. Weight-loss surgery has been around for a long time with established and proven success.After weight-loss surgery, eating habits must be adjusted, with smaller portion sizes and a focus on protein since it is a building block of all cells in our bodies. In addition, fruits, vegetables and whole grains can be eaten, with the goal of avoiding added sugars. Combining the Two If you are preparing for weight-loss surgery, it’s common to take weight-loss medications beforehand. Whether taking these medications for Type 2 diabetes or specifically for weight loss makes no difference: Losing extra pounds before surgery will help make the surgery safer. Weight-loss drugs may also help patients lose weight if they’ve gained a few pounds after weight-loss surgery. Final Thoughts Both weight-loss surgery and weight-loss drugs are only part of an overall treatment plan you should create with your healthcare provider. An effective weight-loss plan will also include nutrition, exercise and mental health care. It can be challenging at times, but we are here to help you achieve your weight-loss goals. Remember, there are no quick fixes, obesity is a chronic disease that must be monitored and managed for the rest of your life. To learn more about weight loss surgery, visit Luminis Health’s website or call 443-481-6699. We also have free webinars scheduled in July and August to start your weight loss journey. Click here to register. Authors Jilian Nicholas, DO, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained bariatric surgeon at Luminis Health. Nowreen Haq, MD, is an endocrinologist at Luminis Health who focuses on cardio metabolic outcomes, complex diabetes, obesity and transgender endocrinology.
- Graduate Medical EducationGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLuminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (LHAAMC) is practically a branch on Liz Hahn’s family tree. Her grandfather, Richard N. Peeler, M.D., F.A.C.P., joined the medical staff of what was then called Anne Arundel General Hospital in 1957. He served the Annapolis community for over 45 years as an internal medicine specialist with an emphasis on infectious diseases. In addition, her uncle—Dr. Mark Peeler, a vascular surgeon—and aunt—Dr. Susan Peeler, OB/GYN—are both current practitioners at LHAAMC. “I remember being at a ribbon cutting ceremony at the big hospital opening with my grandfather and my family,” Liz says. “And I remember growing up, how patients’ family members would stop my grandfather on the street and say, ‘You treated my mom and helped her — thank you.’” For Liz, these interactions with grateful patients were what first garnered her interested in medicine: “I started to really want to be part of the medical community in Annapolis—specifically, serving the people who I grew up with, the families that I knew,” she recalls. “It is such a tight knit community and being part of that community is so special.” One of the first steps in her journey toward a career in healthcare came in 2010 when the Annapolis High School sophomore began shadowing LHAAMC’s Dr. Savitha Chengappa, infectious disease specialist. Then, in 2011, Liz’s junior year of high school, she began volunteering as a research intern at LHAAMC’s Outpatient Infusion Center under the supervision of Lynn Graze, RN. The summer after her senior year of high school, Liz participated in a summer internship program at LHAAMC for high school students who were considering careers in medicine. It was through this program that she became acquainted with Dr. Barry Meisenberg, LHAAMC’s Department of Medicine chair who later became an important mentor to her. After graduating from Clemson University in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Language and International Health, Liz returned to LHAAMC to take a job in the Health Outcomes Research Division where she researched ways to improve medical care for the populations served. She worked in this position for a year before enrolling in Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she graduated in May 2019 with a master’s degree in public health with a concentration in global disease epidemiology and control. After receiving her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins, Liz made the decision to apply to medical school. She was accepted at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville and started in the fall of 2019. The problem? Knowing what area to specialize in! It was difficult to choose an area of specialty after having been influenced by so many talented mentors who each practiced in distinctly different areas of medicine. Ultimately, she settled on surgery. “It’s such a privilege that each surgical patient puts their life in your hands,” Liz says. “There is no greater honor than to have someone put that level of trust in you; it’s something that is very dear to me and important to remember in patient care.” Liz’s grandfather played an important role in this viewpoint. When he graduated from medical school at Johns Hopkins University in 1951, one of the speakers at his graduation ceremony spoke about how patients bare their souls to their doctors, putting trust in them each day. The young Dr. Richard Peeler was so moved by these words that he asked the speaker to send him the speech, which he kept with him his entire career. “When my uncle graduated from medical school, my grandfather printed and framed copies of the speech for him and his closest medical school friends,” Liz shares. “In turn, my uncle gave it to me when I was accepted to medical school. It has been on my desk for the last four years—a reminder every day when I’m studying that each patient’s trust and vulnerability is a privilege that I’m earning.” Liz felt a true sense of homecoming when she found out that she matched with LHAAMC for her surgical residency. She will be the third generation of her family to practice medicine at LHAAMC. On May 5, 2023, Liz graduated with a degree in medicine from the University of South Carolina, and on June 19 she will officially start her first year of residency beside some of the same people at LHAAMC who have played such integral roles in shaping her future. “I will be learning how to remove gallbladders in the same place where I had mine removed when I was 23!” Liz reflects. “What better way for me to give back to the community that has made me the person who I am today than to come back and someday be the mentor for a future high school student who is interested in a career in medicine.”
- Graduate Medical Education, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogOn June 12, 1996, the Rebecca M. Clatanoff Pavilion — Anne Arundel Medical Center’s brand-new maternity services center — was getting its finishing touches. Also on that day in the new birth center, a six pound, one ounce baby boy took his first breaths upon entering the world. His parents named him Andrew Lawrence Broda. Twenty years later, Andrew, who goes by Drew, was a sophomore in college studying engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (LHAAMC) was near his house, and the medical center had a summer research internship available at its simulation center. As a budding engineer, Drew was interested in the opportunity because it involved designing and building medical devices. He returned to the summer research project each year until he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in bioengineering in the spring of 2018. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Drew became a student volunteer at LHAAMC’s James and Sylvia Earl Simulation to Advance Innovation and Learning (SAIL) Center. At the SAIL Center, he helped surgeons get their medical research published and mentored high school and undergraduate students in their research projects. This time spent immersed in surgical research at LHAAMC shifted Drew’s focus from a career path in engineering to one in medicine. He was hooked. “I found a lot of parallels between engineering and surgery,” he says. “I enjoyed the immediate satisfaction of finding solutions for patients and helping people get better. It was more satisfying than working at a computer all day.” Drew spent an average of three days a week at the SAIL Center, earning the Outstanding Student Volunteer Award at the end of 2019 for over 200 hours of volunteer service. In August 2019, Drew headed to medical school in Orlando at the University of Central Florida. During his time there, he continued collaborating with research fellows at the SAIL Center, publishing medical research with Anne Arundel while simultaneously studying to become a doctor. After graduating from medical school, surgeons complete a five-to-seven-year residency at a hospital, practicing under the supervision of attending surgeons who have completed their residencies and are board-certified in their roles. Drew knew that he wanted to return to LHAAMC for his residency — it was the place where he first became interested in medicine and where he could train under the surgeons who first mentored and guided him. “I wanted to be a part of the program that nourished me and helped get me to where I am,” he says. “The surgical department at LHAAMC has always been a home for me—there is a real sense of community.” Match Day at medical school is the day when the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) releases the results of all the applicants who have applied for residency or fellowship training positions in the U.S. It’s when graduating medical students find out which hospital they’ve been “matched” with for their residency. At noon on March 17, 2023, Drew was elated to learn that he had been matched with LHAAMC. Within 30 minutes of receiving this big news, he received multiple phone calls from current LHAAMC residents and attending physicians to say they were so happy to have him. On June 19, 2023, Drew Broda, M.D. — one of the first babies born at LHAAMC’s Rebecca M. Clatanoff Pavilion in 1996 — returned home to the very place where he took his first breaths to begin yet another journey: that of a five-year surgical residency. “I’m coming home to the place where I’ll be working,” Drew says. “I consider many of the attending surgeons and a lot of the residents a part of my family after spending so much time at LHAAMC prior to my residency. I will be in an environment where I can learn and thrive, and I know that, because of this, I will be a great surgeon and a better person after completing my residency.”
- Giving, News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIn a remarkable display of kindness and community spirit, students at Southern High School in Harwood, Maryland have made a significant contribution to the Thomas J. Frank Family Birth Center and Teddy’s Place Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (LHAAMC). Students from the National Honors Society and Future Farmers of America collectively raised $6,000 and donated handmade baby blankets to support the care of sick and premature babies. Students, administrators and club advisors presented the check and blankets to members of the hospital’s care team. “This is a great example of young people in our community supporting our precious newborns and their families,” said Dr. Monica Jones, chair of Luminis Health’s Women’s and Children’s services. “Since our Level III NICU treats close to 800 newborns each year, these students’ generosity will help us provide specialized care to the tiniest and most vulnerable members of our community.” Dr. Jones personally thanked the students by saying “you are a friend of ours forever.” The students raised the money by hosting a “Stroller Roller” 3K walk/run/stroll event. Rising senior Brenna Kadjeski came up with up with the idea for the service project to honor the doctors and nurses in the NICU who treated her twin sisters. “Whenever we talk about this project in our house, it’s just a bunch of smiles. It’s a sense of pride like yes, we gave back to the NICU. It’s not just me doing something, it’s the whole family. We were able to repay them for what they did for our family, they went above and beyond for my siblings, my mom and my dad,” said Kadjeski. The donations will support various initiatives, including critical medical treatments, lodging, and educational materials for families. The handmade blankets will provide babies a sense of security by keeping them warm and safe. “The students from Southern High School students should be commended by demonstrating the true spirit of compassion and empathy through this remarkable contribution,” said Elizabeth Gross, vice-president of the Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation. “Their generosity and dedication remind us all of the power of making a positive difference in the world, and their efforts serve as an inspiration to others to contribute to those who need it the most.”
- Behavioral HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIt’s officially law. After approval from voters, Maryland becomes the latest state to allow the adult use of recreational marijuana. Starting July 1, 2023 anyone in Maryland aged 21 and older can legally purchase marijuana—also known as cannabis—for recreational use from licensed medical cannabis dispensaries. Before visiting one, it’s important to know the facts, especially the possible impacts of marijuana use. Unregulated Potency First, read the label. Because the potency of legal marijuana is not yet regulated, you must read a product’s label to know how much tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is in a marijuana product. THC is one of the main substances—called cannabinoids—in marijuana that makes people feel “high.” By law, marijuana product labels must list the concentration of cannabinoid compounds they contain. The higher the percentage of cannabinoids, the more potent the product is and the stronger its effects. You may be surprised to hear the concentration or strength of THC in marijuana products is increasing. A study of marijuana samples from 1995 to 2014 found that its potency had almost tripled. This is important to know, as the more potent a drug is, the more likely a person is to develop a substance use disorder from it. Responsible Use If someone aged 21 or older uses recreational marijuana, it is important to buy only from licensed dispensaries. This helps avoid unknown contaminants that can be dangerous or life-threatening, especially fentanyl. These factors are also crucial: Don’t drive while under the influence of any substance, including marijuana. It’s unsafe and illegal. Don’t combine cannabis with other drugs, including alcohol. The effects may be unpredictable. Inform your doctor about your marijuana use so they can tell you about any possible interactions with your prescribed medications. Keep marijuana out of the reach of anyone under the age of 21. Don’t use marijuana if your job doesn’t allow it or if you are on-call for a job, caring for someone who is sick or taking care of children. Don’t use marijuana while pregnant or nursing. Potential Risks Marijuana use—especially if it is frequent and in high doses—can sometimes cause people to be disoriented and have unpleasant thoughts or feelings of anxiety and paranoia. People who use marijuana are more likely to develop temporary psychosis, which means they don’t know what is real, hallucinate and can be paranoid, in addition to other symptoms. Marijuana users are also more likely to develop long-lasting mental disorders, including schizophrenia (a type of mental illness where people might have delusions and hallucinations, among other things). A just released study from the National Institutes of Health reveals young men are at highest risk of schizophrenia linked with cannabis addiction. Smoked marijuana can harm lung tissue and cause scarring and damage to small blood vessels, regardless of how it is smoked. Cannabis smoke has many of the same toxins, irritants and cancer-causing chemicals as tobacco smoke. Adolescent Use The human brain stops developing at around age 25. Use of cannabis by adolescents and young adults may cause harm to the growing brain, including serious problems with learning and feelings. Cannabis Use Disorder You also run the risk of developing marijuana use disorder, which means you are unable to stop using marijuana even though it’s causing health and relationship problems. Signs of marijuana addiction include: Using more marijuana than intended Trying but failing to quit using marijuana Giving up important activities with friends and family in favor of using marijuana Using marijuana in high-risk situations, such as while driving Continuing to use marijuana despite physical or psychological problems Needing to use more marijuana to get the same high Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when stopping marijuana use You should refrain from using marijuana recreationally if you already have a diagnosed mental health condition or are in recovery from a substance use disorder, as the risk increases for developing cannabis use disorder or returning to the substance you were previously addicted to. In Conclusion Remember, just because it will be legal for those over the age of 21 to use recreational marijuana does not mean that it’s always safe. Do it in moderation, avoid daily use or large amounts.Treat marijuana use the same way that you treat alcohol use—if you would not drink in certain situations, you also should not smoke or consume cannabis in similar situations. If you are using marijuana for the first time, start at lower potencies and increase slowly until you know how it will affect you. And it bears repeating: Purchase your marijuana legally, so you know exactly what you are consuming and eliminate the risk of accidental overdose by exposure to fentanyl. Author Aliya Jones, MD, is the Executive Medical Director of Behavioral Health for Luminis Health.
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