• Home
• About PaMed
• FAQs
• Site Map
• Contact Us

• CME
  • CME Activities
  • CME Tracker: The CME Organizer
  • Meetings and Seminars
  • Requirements and Accreditation
• Government
  • State of Medicine 2007
  • Capitol Insight
  • Contact Legislators
  • Laws Affecting Physicians
  • News from Harrisburg
  • PAMPAC and Political Support
• Newsletters
  • Capitol Insight
  • Consult
  • Converge
  • intouch
  • Patient Connection
  • Studies in Patient Safety
  • Vital Lines
• Patient Care
  • Disease Management
  • Family Health and Wellness
  • Find-A-Physician
  • Patient Safety
  • Public Health
  • Patient Connection
• Practice Management
  • Health Insurers
  • HIPAA
  • Medicare/Medicaid
  • Meetings and Seminars
  • Running a Practice
  • Vital Lines
• Resources
  • Affiliates & Sections
  • Board of Trustees
  • County Medical Societies
  • Endorsed Vendors
  • House of Delegates
  • JobBank
  • Media
  • Member Directory
  • Membership
  • Specialty Societies
  • Staff Directory

Good Medicine for Pennsylvania April 2008

Date: April 11, 2008	Media Contact:	Chuck Moran
		Pennsylvania Medical Society
For Immediate Release		(717) 558-7820

Dear Readers: Welcome to “Good Medicine for Pennsylvania” featuring Peter Lund, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, and his member colleagues sharing general medical information to help you live healthier. This column is brought to you as a public service of the Society’s Institute for Good Medicine.

The Ultimate Gift
For more than 6,500 people in our state and 98,000 nationwide, receiving a donated organ can be a matter of life or death. Unfortunately, many will not receive the organ or organs they need because there are just not enough donors. Our Institute for Good Medicine’s recent Patient Poll showed that nearly 43 percent of Pennsylvanians surveyed had not considered being an organ donor and that nearly 20 percent had considered it, but hadn’t done anything about it--yet.

As an organ donor, you could:

• Free two people from the dialysis treatments needed to sustain life.
• Save the lives of patients awaiting heart, liver, lung or pancreas transplants.
• Give sight to two people through the donation of corneas.
• Help repair injured joints or to help save an arm or leg threatened by cancer or other illness.
• Help burn victims heal more quickly and help someone whose life is threatened by malfunctioning or diseased valves.
• Give more than 50 people a second chance!*

If you are already an organ donor, thank you. If not, consider making a huge difference in the lives of many people by becoming one. Visit www.donatelife-pa.org for answers to your questions and to register online.

More on Smoking
I simply can’t say enough about the harmful effects of smoking, not only to smokers, but to everyone around them. The impact of secondhand smoke isn’t just annoying to the senses of non-smokers; it can be deadly. Exposure to secondhand smoke can kill non-smokers and increase their risk of developing lung cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and other illnesses.

Fellow Medical Society member and President of the Pennsylvania Society of Oncology & Hematology (PSOH) Witold Rybka, MD, adds that whether passive or personal, smoking is attributed to 85 percent of lung cancers. “The more you smoke or inhale secondhand smoke, the more cells are altered and the greater the risk of developing cancer.”

As physicians, we see the devastating impact that smoking and second-hand smoke has on our patients, their families and those who work indoors where smoking is permitted. Our medical society has long advocated for smoke-free environments and policies that help people to quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke. Our Patient Poll surveys have shown that a majority of Pennsylvanians prefer a smoke-free environment.

Though our legislators are still debating a statewide smoking ban, we encourage business owners to consider the many benefits of a smoke-free workplace. And we encourage you to request a smoke-free environment in public places. All Pennsylvanians deserve cleaner, smoke-free air.

The Skinny on Trans Fats
Fats remain a mystery to most consumers. Some are good for you; some aren’t. Trans fats, definitely in the bad fats category, present a very real health hazard and are being banned throughout the country. Williamsport Internist and president-elect of the Pennsylvania Medical Society Daniel Glunk, MD, explains the double danger of trans fats, “Simply put, trans fats raise your bad cholesterol (LDL), lower your good cholesterol (HDL) and increase your risk for heart disease.” So avoid them.

Watch out for food containing high levels of trans fats: margarines, especially hard margarines, commercially fried foods and bakery products – crackers, cookies, donuts, pastries, muffins, croissants, snack foods and fried foods such as french fries and breaded foods. When grocery shopping, look for “partially hydrogenated” oils on the ingredients label; it’s another term for trans fats. And if you are eating out, ask what oils are used to cook the food.

A good rule of thumb is to choose healthier foods overall. Lower fat dairy products, leaner meats and food prepared with little or no fat are great choices. Avoid commercially fried foods and high fat bakery products. Include more fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, peas, lentils, beans and nuts and you’re well on your way to a low fat, healthy diet.

*Source: www.donatelife-pa.org/general_statistics.htm

The patient-doctor relationship has been the priority of the Pennsylvania Medical Society since its founding in 1848. The Medical Society listens to concerns of both patients and doctors to improve the delivery of health care services. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Medical Society, visit its website at www.pamedsoc.org or its consumer website at www.myfamilywellness.org.

# # #