- General Page Tier 3BlogStart the New Year with plans to eat healthy in 2016. These top healthy food trends can help you reach your goal: Go for the grain. Amaranth, quinoa, chia and sorghum may not sound familiar, but these ancient grains were enjoyed by our ancestors. You can easily add these to many of your favorite dishes. Whole grains are satiating and a great source of fiber. Plus, many grains, like quinoa, deliver a powerful dose of protein. Eat less processed foods. Eat more natural and less artificially sweetened food. More companies are under pressure to remove artificial ingredients, which is a good thing. Focus on keeping naturally occurring sugars in your diet that are naturally within the food, as in fruit. Cut added sugars put into foods during processing, such as in tomato sauce. Check your gut. Probiotics are the rage and with good reason. Science is showing us that the environment in our intestines could play a major role in boosting immunity, fighting disease and providing a general sense of well-being every day. Let technology help. Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest allow consumers to share recipes and ideas for healthy eating. Also, fitness apps, like My Fitness Pal or Lose It, help you keep food records. These records are a necessary tool for successful weight management. Make sustainable food choices. Learn what you can about where and how your food arrives on your table. Food manufacturers need to demonstrate their credentials in environmentally friendly and sustainable practices. Consider vegetarian alternatives. Vegetarian protein sources are now mainstream and appeal to many consumers. There’s pea protein, milk alternatives, beans and more. These are no longer used by just those with intolerances or allergies. Go Greek. Greek yogurt is not just for breakfast anymore. You can substitute yogurt for sour cream or mayonnaise. And, you can add it to soups, or even risotto, for a savory component in dishes. Be inspired by vegetables. Consider spiraling zucchini instead of pasta noodles. Or, shred cauliflower to replace rice. There are many creative ways to get more vegetables into your diet. Join the muffin-pan mania. Restaurants may supersize their meals but it is important to implement portion control at home. Preparing food in a muffin tray helps scale back portions. A muffin pan can allow you to indulge in a guilt-free, perfectly proportioned bite. Shop from your desk. Online automated meal planning services help us get a healthy homemade meal on the table. Services like Gathered Table provide a weekly custom menu based on our eating preferences. Menus are editable, so you can make changes. The matching grocery list automatically updates as you edit your menu. These services can save time, money and calories and cut down on unplanned spending. We wish you happiness— and good health — in 2016. To learn more about nutrition services at Anne Arundel Medical Center, visit AskAAMC.org/nutrition. Authors By Ann Caldwell and Maureen Shackelford, nutritionists and registered dietitians at Anne Arundel Medical Center. To reach them call 443-481-5555.
- Men's Health, News & Press Releases, Women's Health, Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogSudden cardiac arrest, a condition that occurs when the heart unexpectedly stops beating, kills more than 300,000 Americans each year. Previously, the condition was believed to strike without warning, but a new study from the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests otherwise. “We used to think there were no symptoms. This study shows that may not necessarily be true,” says Baran Kilical, MD, cardiologist and electrophysiologist with Anne Arundel Medical Group Cardiology Specialists. “The study suggests people may have slight warning signs, such as chest pain and shortness of breath. It’s important to recognize symptoms and seek help.” Symptoms of a heart attack and cardiac arrest are similar, but they are very different conditions. “Even 18-year-olds can experience sudden cardiac death,” explains Dr. Kilical. “Unlike a heart attack where arteries are blocked, sudden cardiac arrest is an electrical problem. If there’s an electrical short circuit the heart is quivering instead of squeezing. This means it isn’t pumping blood to the brain and other vital organs. That’s how death occurs.” The study included more than 800 people who survived cardiac arrest. About 50 percent of men and 53 percent of women reported at least some warning signs before their hearts stopped. Only 19 percent say they sought emergency treatment. In addition to chest pains and shortness of breath, some patients reported heart palpitations and flu-like symptoms. “When in doubt, if it’s something that’s unusual for you, it’s worth a phone call,” says Dr. Kilical. “It’s best not to play Dr. Google at home. Call your doctor or 911 and ask about it.” Listen to the full interview with Dr. Kilical on WTOP radio. Learn more about the difference between heart attack and cardiac arrest. Contributor Baran Kilical, MD, is a board-certified cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist with AAMG Cardiology Specialists. To reach his office, call 410-897–0822.
- Behavioral Health, Senior CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAs a prevention education coordinator at Pathways, Anne Arundel Medical Center’s substance use and mental health treatment center, Mandy Larkins is in the community daily. She works to prevent anyone from having to deal with the devastating disease of addiction. “It can affect anyone, any age, any socioeconomic group, any gender and any race,” she says. Senior citizens are at greater risk for addiction if they take multiple medications and take prescription pain medications. According to the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, up to 17 percent of adults age 60 and over abuse prescription drugs. Common medications of abuse include narcotic pain killers, sleeping pills and tranquilizers. To help prevent prescription addiction, Mandy reminds seniors to ask questions when talking to their doctors about certain medications. Questions to ask include: Does this medication have an addictive tendency? What are the side effects and will it interact with my current medications? What is the least amount of time I will need to take this medicine? Are there other options for this medication? Social drinking while taking medications can also cause a negative reaction, especially if someone is taking several prescriptions. “Social drinking could mean one glass of wine a night or it could mean five beers on a weekend, and these can certainly interact differently with medications,” says Mandy. “Have a conversation with your doctor about social drinking and what the problems would be with drinking and taking new medication.” The warning signs of addiction are sometimes hard to separate from the side effects experienced from the medications. Mandy notes that a drug side effect will show up soon after the patient starts taking the new medication. In contrast, addiction might take some time to display its symptoms. You might not see symptoms until the patient stops taking the drug. Signs of addiction include: Differences in sleep Changes in appetite Fluctuations in mood or unusual behavior Taking more than the prescribed dose of medication Taking medication for reasons other than what it is prescribed “It’s important to talk to your doctor if you have been treated for any addiction earlier in life,” says Mandy. “Certain medications could be trigger points for some people.” If you believe an elderly loved one may have an addiction problem, alert his or her physician. The right type of treatment will vary depending on the individual and the situation. AAMC’s Pathways Treatment Center offers individualized substance abuse and mental health treatment. Call 410-573-5449 for more information. Contributor Mandy Larkins is a prevention education coordinator at Pathways and can be reached at 410-573-5428.
- Community, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center wants to help make staying healthy easy, which is why we started “The Smart Woman Connection,” a health resource focused only on women’s health. Need help keeping track of your medical history? Want to know how to perform a breast self-exam, lose weight or manage stress? Our free women’s health journal can help you stay on top of your health. It’s easy for women to place everyone and everything ahead of themselves on the priority list. The demands of work life, home life and social life often collide. Women often push their own health and wellbeing to the side while caring for everyone else. Here are three ways to put yourself first: Focus on YOU. Women often feel guilty when they try to find more “me” time in their schedule. “I shouldn’t go to the gym because I need to spend time with my kids,” or “I can’t see a friend after work because I need to put dinner on the table.” Focusing on yourself isn’t something you should feel guilty about. “Me time” gives you the chance to relax, recharge and come back to responsibilities with a fresh focus. Learn to say no. You and your family get lots of requests for your time and soon you find yourself trying to do everything. Don’t default to YES. Ask yourself, “Is this something I really want to do?” or “Will this bring me satisfaction and happiness?” If the answer is no, stop and think about how to respond. It’s okay to say no, and it’s also okay to offer an alternative that is a better fit with everything else on your plate. Make your health a priority. Don’t neglect your yearly health checks and visits to your doctor. You can’t help others if you aren’t healthy yourself. Whether it’s a doctor you need, a personal health question you have or health screening guidelines you want, the Smart Woman Connection can help. For more information about the Smart Woman Connection, call 443-481-5995.
- Uncategorized, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAn unexpected tragedy “It was the worst day of my life.” That’s how Greg Meyer remembers Nov. 23, 2012. The night before his wife Leah had her first contraction. She was pregnant with their first child after two years of trying to have a baby. They were one week away from their due date. With a mix of nerves, excitement and disbelief, Greg and Leah arrived at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) to deliver their son, Talon. Their nurse began performing a final ultrasound before moving them to the labor and delivery unit. After looking at the machine for a few moments, she told Greg and Leah she needed to get the doctor. “It was then that something just didn’t feel right,” says Leah. “When the doctor came in, he told us the most gut-wrenching news we had ever heard: ‘Your baby doesn’t have a heartbeat.’” Leah describes the rest of the day as a blur. “From that moment on, we were physically present, but our minds weren’t fully aware of what was happening.” At 3:05pm that day, Leah delivered their stillborn son, Talon. “He was 5 pounds, .05 ounces and 19 inches long. He had a head full of dark hair like me, and long fingers and toes like his dad. We had no idea what we were doing … never in a million years did we think we would have to welcome our son into the world and say goodbye to him on the same day,” says Leah. The nurses encouraged Greg and Leah to take pictures and imprints of Talon’s hands and feet, dress him and cut a lock of his hair to keep in a memory box. After holding him for a few hours, Greg and Leah said a final goodbye to their newborn son. AAMC Labor and Delivery Nurse Tina Raab was one of the nurses who cared for Greg and Leah. “It’s a very humbling experience to be with those patients in the darkest moment in their lives,” says Tina. “Giving them tissues, hugging them, holding the mom’s hand when everyone goes to be with the baby … simple acts like that really go a long way in those situations.” “The little things our nurses did, like giving Leah a hug, meant the most to us,” says Greg. “What was an awful day could have been exponentially worse without their care.” Silence instead of support Greg and Leah aren’t alone. Each year at AAMC, roughly 60 couples experience perinatal loss after their first trimester. Perinatal loss is the non-voluntary loss of a baby from conception to 28 days of life. In the U.S., one in four couples will experience perinatal loss. And each year, 26,000 couples have a stillborn baby, a baby that dies in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy or later. For these couples, sources of support are difficult to find. “Perinatal loss is not a comfortable conversation that people want to have,” says Ann O’Sullivan, AAMC’s perinatal loss program coordinator. When someone dies, their loved ones remember them by telling stories and sharing memories. But when a baby dies, people tend to avoid the subject altogether, Ann explains. “Any family’s biggest fear is that nobody will remember their baby,” says Ann. “Families find different ways to remember their baby: some have birthday parties, some sponsor remembrance events and some plant gardens.” Greg and Leah went beyond that. While they remember Talon each year by lighting a candle, they have extended their efforts to give back to other people. “They took their grief and turned it completely inside out to help others,” says Tina. Choosing hope Left without their son at the beginning of the holiday season, Greg and Leah returned to AAMC weeks later during the holidays to hand out gifts to patients in the pediatric unit. And, for the past two years, they organized a concert to benefit First Candle, a Baltimore-based charity focusing on perinatal loss research. Greg and other local musicians perform, and local sports teams and businesses donate raffle items. The concert, Still Singing, has raised more than $6,000 to date. “We can choose to be permanently bitter or we can choose to try, in some weird way, to create positive change from this and make Talon’s life meaningful,” says Greg. For Greg, that choice inspired a career change. Moved by the compassion and care he and his wife received from their nurses, Greg enrolled in nursing school months after he lost his son. He now works in the heart and kidney unit at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “Our stories aren’t the same, but I can make a deeper connection to what [my patients] might be going through, and what their families might need, after losing my son,” says Greg. “It does get easier” Nearly three years after losing Talon, Greg and Leah returned to AAMC’s labor and delivery unit. On Oct. 30, 2015, their son Emory was born. “Having Emory in our arms seemed like the fulfillment of a dream many years in the making,” says Greg. “Having a healthy baby is an amazing miracle.” Marcus Penn, MD, OB-GYN at AAMC, delivered Emory and cared for the Meyers throughout their pregnancy. “Dr. Penn is one of the most compassionate, caring and dedicated doctors I have ever met,” says Leah. “Before we had Emory, he was there for us during two miscarriages and encouraged us not to give up hope.” In order to be part of Emory’s delivery, both Tina and Dr. Penn stayed at AAMC well after their shifts had ended. “It meant so much to have them there,” says Greg. “It was kind of like a moment of bringing our miracle full circle.” Tina Raab, RN, (center) receives a DAISY Award for excellence in nursing. Leah and Greg Meyer and their son Emory attend the ceremony. Since Leah’s pregnancy with Emory was considered high-risk, the Meyers also visited a specialist at the Center for Maternal and Fetal Medicine. “Couples who have experienced a loss are often extremely nervous in subsequent pregnancies,” says William Sweeney, MD, director of maternal-fetal medicine at AAMC. “To provide peace of mind and ensure normal fetal health, we schedule frequent visits and fetal tests. We try to respond quickly to any parental concerns to ensure couples are at ease throughout their entire pregnancy.” While Greg and Leah celebrate their healthy pregnancy and newborn son, they will always remember Talon and continue to bring meaning to his life. “He’s our guardian angel now,” says Greg. “We won’t ever forget, but it does get easier.” “There is hope for families that are out there grieving,” says Ann. “We do offer perinatal loss support, and it’s important for people to be aware of that. No one has to go through this alone.” For more information about AAMC’s perinatal loss support services, contact Ann O’Sullivan, perinatal loss program coordinator at 410-570-2164. Visit www.aahs.org/birth for more information about AAMC’s birth and baby services. Read about our perinatal loss program in The Wall Street Journal. Contributors Marcus Penn, MD, is an OB-GYN at AAMC and can be reached at 410-571-9700. William Sweeney, MD, is the director of maternal-fetal medicine at AAMC and can be reached at 410-224-4442.
How can we help?
Common Searches
Common Searches
Log in with MyChart
Access personalized site features & view your health records.
Learn more about MyChartDon’t have a MyChart account?
Your Account
View your Dashboard
Messages
Find Care
Schedule Appointment
My Care Team
My Record
Appointments
Medications
Log in with MyChart
Access personalized site features & view your health records.
Learn more about MyChartDon’t have a MyChart account?