Healthy Lifestyle Changes Start Today!

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“The Wellness Revolution”

Health & Wellness Journal

MR. D-MARS & Tamyra Comeaux, MD, NMD

INSIDE

Alison Scott CuillierLasting Impressions

Dental

Kharmnesia & NirvanaCompounding Solutions

Pharmacy

Mira MilesScriptlink Pharmacy

Dr. Milton MooreMoore Unique Dermatology

Maudria Fitchett, R.N.Nurturing Home

Healthcare

Dr. Dwayne WilliamsSleep Center of Kirby

See pg. 6HIGHLIGHTCommunity

The

Time for ChangeOCT. 15 - nov. 15 Inspire, Inform & Educate 1 Edition

By Christina R. Grochett

By Anat Kelman Shaw

Easy and fun health and wellness activities for the workplace

Eye to Eye with Dr. Romea - The Vision Dealer

PAGE 7

PAGE 6

Tips for fun and simple activities to implement as part of an employee wellness program.

Healthy eyes, clear vision and proper eye-hand co-ordination is essential for good academic performances

Health Insurance Starts Working for Children and Families.

PAGE 31

By Dr. Olufunke Odetunde

Statistics in the USA indicate that African Americans have a higher incidence of hypertension than other ethnicities.

Hypertension: The Silent Killer

PAGE 34

Health Insurance Starts Working Better for Texas Children and Families

Lose up to

34lbs In 30 days

with Beta HCG Ultimate!

Dr. Heather BrownOrthodontics

Camille G. Cash, M.D.Aesthetic Plastic

Surgery

Kim RoxieLamik Makeup

Monica LambWellness & Life Coach3-Time WNBA World Champion team up with Mr. D-MARS

Inaugural Issue

Photography by Grady Carter

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 2.

It is my pleasure to present our introductory issue of the d-mars.com Health & Wellness Journal! Over the past year, the d-mars.com enterprise has grown beyond expectation, venturing to new arenas while building on our expertise. We hope that the addition of this journal will help provide a relevant and concise source of health and wellness information targeted to the Houston area’s diverse community of color.

The d-mars.com Health & Wellness Journal is committed to delivering credible information to the community through strategic connections with reliable experts in the health and wellness industry, positioning the Health & Wellness Journal to be a leading resource to anyone seeking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We hope the Health &Wellness Journal becomes a leading resource to anyone seeking to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Again thank you for your continued support of d-mars.com When you support d-mars.com, you are supporting more than just our company; you are supporting the communities in which we live and work. Working together, we can succeed in making positive things happen.

Publisher’s Message

Keith J. Davis, Sr.

CONTENTS

D-MARS.com Business Journal

7322 Southwest Fwy, Suite 806Houston, Texas 77074713-272-9511 . Phone

713-272-6364 . Fax1-800-453-8752 . Toll Free

www.d-mars.com

MR. D-MARSTip of the Month

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 3.

“The Greatest Wealth is Health”

- Virgil

SR. PUBLISHERKeith J. Davis, Sr.

VICE PRESIDENTKevin Davis

JR. PUBLISHERKeith J. Davis, Jr. EDITING CONSULTANTReShonda Tate-Billingsley

ACCOUNTING MANAGEREugenie Doualla

OPERATION COORDINATORBrandale Mills

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVEMike Jones

PHOTOGRAPHYLeon GalbreathGrady Carter

MARKETING CONSULTANTSJohnny Ray Davis, Jr.

MULTIMEDIA DIRECTORAndrea Hennekes LAYOUT & GRAPHIC DESIGNERSGhuzzala Malik (Faith)Myron Davis

DISTRIBUTIONBooker T. Davis, Jr.Johnny Ray Davis, Jr. CONTRIBUTING WRITERSCynthia NickersonMonica LambAlison ScottDr. Dwayne WilliamsCharles SwindellAnat Kelman ShawDr. D.L. JonesChristina Robinson GrochettDr. Milton D. MooreWykesha C. Hayes, M.EdBrandale MillsT.Q. DoyleMaudria FitchettHeather HaukaasElvia ValdezCraig Anthony NicholasNoel PinnockE. H. DavisDr. Olufunke Odetunde

Dr. Tamyra Comeaux: Teaching Clients a Healthy Way to Lose Weight…….Teaming up to Promote Healthy Changes...............……………………......... Health Insurance Starts Working Better for Texas Children and Families…..Good Health is Good Wealth……………………………………………….……Easy and Fun Health and Wellness Activities for the Workplace…………….Student Athletes “Play it Safe” by Wearing Mouth Guards…………………..Sleep – The Cornerstone Good Health………………………………………….Water or Soda?..............................................................................................Skin Conditions Unique to African-Americans…………………………………Maintaining Health Leadership Skills……………………………………………Nurturing and Educating the Community……………………………………….Creating Solutions, One Compound at a Time…………………………………Health is Our True Wealth: The “Pappa Dubb” Lifestyle………………………Creating a Network of Support for Breast Cancer Awareness......................Enough is Enough…………………………………………………………………Life Rewards Those Who Take Action………………………………………….Script Link Pharmacy – The Pharmacists That Delivers………………………Saving Lives With Organ Donations……………………………………………Health & Awareness 2010………………………………………………………..Eye to Eye with Dr. Romea - The Vision Dealer............................................Award-Winning Gospel Artists to Perform And Promote Stroke Awareness.Free Health Texts for New and Expectant Moms..........................................Hypertension The Silent Killer……………………………………………………

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Dr. Tamyra Comeaux: Teaching clients a healthy way to lose weight

Dr. Tamyra Comeaux always want-ed to know what makes people tick. As a child, her career goal was to become a psychiatrist. But that changed as she began studying medicine.

“As I went through medicine I wanted a bigger puzzle to figure out and pregnant women are a puzzle - the medical part, counseling part, surgery part, “ she says.

Dr. Comeaux has earned a Medi-cal Degree from Morehouse School of Medicine, a Masters in Holistic Nutri-tion and a Naturopathic Medical De-gree. After completing her residency in Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Comeaux began her medical career in 2000 as an obste-trician gynecologist on Houston’s north

side and is now a board certified Ob/GYN who is interested in preventing, as well as helping treat female problems using the least invasive and disruptive methods possible.

Through the years, Dr. Comeaux’s practice has evolved and expanded. Now, she spends a lot of time helping patients, men and women, lose weight and focus on general wellness or preven-tive measures -measures that are desper-ately needed in the African-American community.

Medical research consistently indi-cates that African-Americans do not live as long as other races, mainly due to im-proper diet, lack of exercise and stress.

“I help my patients eat right, not to look a certain way or fit into a certain size, it’s about staying alive long enough to see your grandchildren,” said Dr. Comeaux.

Comeaux counsels patients on weight loss and weight man-agement as well as diagnosing hormonal imbalances and al-lergies. She has written four books and has her own line of vitamins produced to address a variety of medical problems.

“Patients would come in with a lot of issues that there is no pill for. For example men have Viagra to help with sex drive, but there is no equiva-lent for women. Women would complain about fa-tigue, and hot flashes. There is really no reliable pill for that so I would discuss a certain vitamin.”

Comeaux sought the ad-ditional degrees in nutrition

and naturopathic medicine to further her knowledge about vitamins and nat-ural healing. She aimed to get people to stop wasting their money on vitamins and supplements they didn’t need. She

provides a comprehensive health as-sessment that is personal to you and addresses your health concerns and through a combination of bioidentical hormones, diet plans, and natural sup-plements, designs a specialized program for each client. And above all else, Dr. Comeaux says she doesn’t give her cli-ents anything she wouldn’t use herself.

“I have always used herbal rem-edies, even as a child. When I caught a cold, it was vitamin C and chicken soup. So everything I offer here in my office, I have tried.”

Dr. Comeaux also offers her version of the HGC diet, a weight loss method utilizing the HGC hormone and re-stricting patients to 500 calories per day.

“You basically start living off your own fat and you don’t get hungry be-cause the doses of HGC suppresses

your appetite.”Dr. Comeaux’s method provides a

very specific eating plan and even lists types of beauty and skin care products patients must use in order to get the maximum benefit from the diet.

While it appears very challenging, Dr. Comeaux has about a hundred pa-tients a year who successfully complete the HCG diet and lose upwards of 30 pounds in the first month.

Dr. Comeaux, who is a member

of the American Academy of Anti Ag-ing Medicine, also diagnoses hormonal imbalances, allergies and other disor-ders that may be corrected with dietary changes.

“Too many of us eat like we are on a cruise, with an unlimited buffet. When we are in our 20’s, you can get away with that. But once you hit age 30, our bodies say, ‘I’m out!’”

That is when ailments such as high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes began creeping up on people; African-Americans are suffering from these problems more than most.

“Vitamins will work for everybody but the same vitamin doesn’t work for everybody.”

Whether you need significant weight loss, want to drop 10 pounds or just feel better, you’ll find great advice

in one of Dr. Comeaux’s books or her website: www.naturalwomenscare.com.

Dr. Comeaux explains why her cho-sen career is so important to her:

“When I leave this world, I want people to say she changed my life. If I had not met here, I wouldn’t be better today.

For more information visit www.natu-ralwomenscare.com or email info@natural-womenscare.com or call 832.237.4200

By Cynthia Nickerson, Contributing Writer

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HIGHLIGHTCommunity

The

D-Mars and Monica Lamb encourage healthy lifestyles.

By Monica LambContributing Writer

Remember when you were young and summer time came to an end and the school bells of fall returned.

Some of us groaned for a minute, but we settled in to what was inevitable – Change. Change in our schedules, fo-cus, routines, and goals. Time was out for sleep-late, play-all-day, and giggle-the-nights-away days of summer. It was time to get back to work.

Once we grew up, there were no automatic signals to let us know when it was time to change patterns, habits and routine. No one gives us the gentle nudge that it is time to wake up and get

started…until now. D-mars.com brings to you Hous-

ton’s premier health and wellness jour-nal, the tool which provides the wake up call to help us to shake off the blues of poor health habits, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating choices, chronic illness and disease.

The time is now for us to take con-trol of our own health and wellness by becoming proactive and involved in the day-to-day decisions of what we do and consume. Our lives and legacy depend on it. No one can do it for us. The fact is we must roll up our sleeves and get to work. But there is good news – you are not alone! D-mars.com and the expert team of contributors will provide you with valuable information, helpful hints and insightful solutions as we start the

journey to Change.I have served our com-

munity for years as an Ambas-sador for health and wellness. Fighting against health dispar-ities and sharing health educa-tion has not always been a cake walk, but it is surely the most rewarding community work I perform. As a contributor, I am most pleased to be a part of the encouraging, educating, uplifting word of Change Our community will enjoy news, articles and expo-sure to trends that will save and en-rich our lives.

My history and accomplishments in sports provides the framework to structure our journey into optimal health and wellness as your personal Wellness Coach. As such, we will be-gin by exploring and scouring the city for new and innovative as well as time tested methods for achieving favorable outcomes. Because your state of well-ness reaches across all areas of your life, your health, your mental condition, your spiritual state, your associations and habits, it is important to be broad minded in your approach to positive outcomes. I am excited and confident that we will get off to a great start (pre-season), establish awesome practices (regular season) and ultimately achieve our goals (win the Championship!).

So be encouraged and Welcome the Change!

Monica Lamb is a Wellness Coach and can be found at www.mlwellness.org.

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GOOD HEALTH IS GOOD WEALTH

So can exercising regularly actu-ally save you money? The answer is, yes! Exercise can end up saving you tons of money. Most people know that when you exercise you greatly impove your health and gain physical endurance. Exercise has been proven to prevent and manage diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type-2 dia-betes, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancer. When there is less sickness and physical injuries, there are less doctor visits and medications to take. Exercise

is also great for improving your mood and reducing feelings of depression and anxiety. This also helps to save you money by fewer doctor visits and less medication.

In most cases, many people who ex-ercise also like to live a healthy lifestyle. This includes maintaining a healthy and well balanced diet.

When this type of diet is main-tained, there are often less convenience food and junk food purchases. This re-ally adds up when you account for fast food meals, the price of prepared food in grocery stores, and the price of junk food. When you take that off of your weekly budget, it saves you cash. People who exercise and make an effort to live a healthy lifestyle sometimes get a dis-count on insurance too.

Exercising and living a healthy life-style cannot only improve your health, but also your finances.

Investing in exercise could save you from extreme situations like finan-cial disaster. When a person is in good shape, they are 2 times more productive

By Dr. D. L. JonesContributing Writer

than their co-workers. They also use 7-10 days less of sick leave and they will pay $330 less in health care.

Here is another sad statistic; the Na-tional Health Institute has found that cancer costs the United States roughly $180 billion each year. This cost is on the rise. People that do not live active lifestyles are at an increased risk for de-veloping almost every type of cancer imaginable. Obese employees cost their employers about $13 billion in lost wages, production costs, and health care costs. The obese employee can also ex-pect to pay about $1,500 more in health care costs than their co-workers that are not overweight.

When a person is in good health, they visit the doctor less and they don’t need to spend as much money on medi-cations. This is important as we age be-cause the body starts to decline and it is not as healthy. If you invest in daily ex-ercise, you will increase your life expec-tancy and the chance that you may need to be placed in a rest home someday.

Another argument that occasion-ally presents itself is that people can’t af-ford to exercise or join a gym. Truth be known, is exercise really going to COST you money? Or could it be that exercise will actually SAVE you money?

The real question should be ‘Can you afford NOT to exercise?’

Health Insurance Starts Working Better for Texas Children and Families

Anat Kelman ShawContributing Writer

Provisions of the Patient Protec-tion and Affordable Care Act that were meant to curb the worst excesses of the insurance industry take effect on Sep-tember 23, 2010. In response, Dr. Lau-ra Guerra-Cardus, Interim Executive Director of Children’s Defense Fund-Texas released the following statement:

“Starting today, children who are sick can no longer be denied health coverage. Parents can keep their chil-dren on the family health insurance plans through age 26, and new insur-ance plans must provide free preventive care, so insurance is more about keep-ing kids and families healthy, than only fixing problems after they arise.

“Today’s changes will help roughly 1 million young Texans continue to

have access to quality health care until they can find a job where they are of-fered insurance benefits of their own, and an estimated 270,000 Texas chil-dren who have, until now, been at risk of being denied health coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Parents will now be able to take advantage of these provisions during their next employee benefits open enrollment period.

“Health reform also maintained and strengthened the CHIP and Medicaid programs by ensuring that CHIP con-tinues through at least 2019 and Med-icaid benefits for children are protected. Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children in the nation, with nearly one in three Harris County children lack-ing coverage. These reforms – and oth-ers that will follow – will help many of those children and young adults have a better chance to see a doctor and get the care they need.

“Some families will see these ben-efits right away, for others they will be phased in over the next three years. But half of uninsured kids (more than 700,000) here in Texas don’t have to wait another day, because they’re already eligible for Medicaid and CHIP cover-

age. Their parents may not know they qualify, or they may have trouble navi-gating the enrollment system. We can all play a part in connecting these kids to the health coverage they need to grow and thrive. Visit www.cdftexas.org to learn how you can help.”

TEXAS CAN ENROLL 700,000 ELIGIBLE CHILDREN RIGHT NOW

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 7.

Easy and Fun Health and Wellness Activities for the Workplace

By Christina Robinson Grochett,University of Phoenix – Houston Vice President

Did you know that inactivity is the second leading preventable cause of death (second only to tobacco use) in the United States? In an effort to battle these staggering statistics, 85% of U.S. businesses have created health and fit-ness programs. These employee initia-tives help alleviate the negative impacts of unhealthy employee behavior, such as obesity, smoking, and injury on health-care costs.

There is no right way to approach workplace wellness programs, but suc-cessful programs include commitment from management, employee involve-ment and resources, for health, wellness and safety that align with the organiza-tion’s mission, vision and values.

Here are a couple of fun and sim-ple activities to implement as part of an employee wellness program. University of Phoenix Houston campuses created these activities as part of our health and wellness program we launched several years ago.

WalkingEncourage employees to do more

walking by skipping the elevators and parking farther from the door. Walk-ing is an easy exercise that has long-term benefits including strengthening your heart, reducing your risk of diabetes, breast cancer and colon cancer, and im-proving fitness and physical function.

To encourage employees to walk more, the University’s Houston campus gave employees pedometers and chal-lenged them to walk a certain number of steps each day.

TeamsWorking in pairs or groups makes

exercise more fun and a lot easier. Time spent exercising goes faster and, with someone to share the success and strug-gles with, individuals can stay motivated.

University of Phoenix Houston campus encourages employees to par-ticipate in exercise activities during their lunch hour. The University’s implemen-tation of Tennis Shoe Tuesdays provides employees with the opportunity to bring in their sneakers and go for a brisk walk around the campus, and Wii Wednes-days where departments play Wii Fit games to strengthen their exercise and team-building skills offer fun, easy activ-ities where people can burn a few calo-ries through their day.

Snack LightSnacking isn’t a bad thing; except

when eating fatty foods with low nutri-tious value. Get rid of the potato chips and chocolate bars in the break room. In-stead offer healthy snacks such as fruits, granola bars, high-fiber and low sugar ce-real, yogurt and vegetables and dip.

The University’s Houston cam-pus offers a healthy snack cart for em-ployees to encourage healthy eating. These snacks have improved employees’ moods, boosted energy, and satisfied cravings. This makes for a positive, high-energy work environment.

Healthcare FairWith busy work and family sched-

ules, some professionals find they do not take the time to learn about simple health and wellness activities. To help educate employees, businesses can host a wellness fair and invite local organiza-tions to present their healthy products and services.

University of Phoenix hosts a free health and wellness fair for its employ-ees each year. More than 45 organiza-tions have attended to provide flu shots, health screenings, fitness and nutrition advice and tips on keeping individu-als and families healthy. More than 60 percent of employees have attended the fair. It has been so successful that the University has opened it to students and alumni.

The key to a successful health and wellness program is management leader-ship and support. If employees feel they are receiving support to live a healthier lifestyle they tend to respect their em-ployer more and work harder. Ultimate-ly, employee wellness programs can boost morale, improve health and fitness and

increase productivity in the workplace. Christina Robinson Grochett is the

State Vice President/ Director of South Texas for University of Phoenix. An accomplished leader and champion of higher learning, she was selected as a 2010 Women of Influence by Houston Woman Magazine and one of the Top 10 business women by the Ameri-can Business Women’s Association in 2008. Under her leadership, the Houston campuses

were selected as a 2009 Best Place to Work by The Houston Business Journal and were awarded with the 2009 and 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards from the City of Houston for Workplace Flexibility and Innovation.

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 8.

Dr. Heather Brown Teaches Student-Athletes to “PLAY IT SAFE” by Wearing Mouth Guards

Board certified orthodontist, Dr. Heather Brown, and former Houston Texans Pros, Eric Brown, Corey Brad-ford and JJ Moses took a trip to Phillis Wheatley High School to educate stu-dent athletes about the importance of wearing mouthguards during sports.

Head Football Coach, Cornelius McFarland, was on board with help-ing bring awareness to the students. Dr. Heather Brown Orthodontics is encouraging student athletes to “PLAY IT SAFE” by wearing mouthguards while participating in sports. Believe it or not, injuries to the mouth and face are the #1 sports-related injuries. The good news is that many of these injuries

can be prevented by wearing an athletic mouthguard. Studies show that mouth-guards prevent 200,000 injuries each year in high school and college sports alone. Despite the risks, many kids are still not wearing mouth guards during sports. Most athletes who buy mouth-guards get them from sporting goods stores, but many of them are uncomfort-able and usually end up tossed in a gym bag. “Store-bought” mouthguards offer the least amount of protection against oral injuries and brain concussions. On the other hand, custom athletic mouth-guards offer the greatest amount of pro-tection and are by far the best choice.

Some custom mouthguards have

Dr. Heather BrownOrthodontics

2636 South Loop WestSuite 100

Houston, TX 77054left to right: Cornelius McFarland, Toosdy Owen, Wayne Blount, Dr. Heather Brown, Eric Brown & Corey Bradford

Phillis Wheatley High School Student Athletes learn the importants of wearing mouth guards.

proven to increase athletic perfor-mance by helping reduce stress, increase strength and speed up reaction time. Statistics reveals that more than five million teeth are injured or knocked out every year; 13-39 percent of them are due to sports injuries. To reduce these numbers, Dr. Heather Brown and staff are proud to team up with the Hous-ton Texans Ambassadors to spread this “PLAY IT SAFE” message.

Wheatley student athletes had the opportunity to learn, meet players and they even walked away with autographs. Wayne and Kathleen Blount, parents of Wildcat’s center (Wayne Blount II), stressed how important it is for their son to wear a mouthguard to also protect his

braces. Athletes that are in orthodontic treatment should wear mouthguards to prevent injury but also to prevent dam-age to braces, which can prolong treat-ment. Call today to schedule a FREE exam for a custom athletic mouthguard.

If you would like Dr. Brown and the Houston Texans Ambassadors to visit your school, please call 713 665-4455 or email info@drheatherbrown.com. Browse our website at www.DrHeatherBrown.com for additional services.

Advertise today in D-MARS Business Journal

Call US TODAY! 713.272.9511

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 9.

Dr. Heather Brown Teaches Student-Athletes to “PLAY IT SAFE” by Wearing Mouth Guards

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 10.

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 11.

Lasting Impressions Dental Group4418 Almeda

Houston, Texas 77004Drs. Alison Scott Cuillier,

Rhesa Bautista, Khalilah McAfee713.528.0040

By Alison Scott CuillierContributing Writer

A Healthy Mouth Means a Healthy Heart!

Researchers have found that people with gum disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery dis-ease (heart disease)!1 WOW!

Gum disease can range from simple gum inflammation to serious disease that results in major damage to the soft tissue and bone that supports the teeth. In worst cases, teeth are lost.

Several theories explain the link be-tween periodontal disease (gum disease) and heart disease. One theory is that oral bacteria can affect the heart when they enter the blood stream, attaching to fatty plaques in the heart blood ves-sels and contributing to clot formation. Blood clots can obstruct normal blood flow, restricting the amount of nutri-ents and oxygen required for the heart to function properly. This may lead to heart attacks.

Another theory is that the inflam-mation caused by periodontal disease

increases plaque build up, which may contribute to swelling of the arteries. Researchers have found that people with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from heart disease as those without gum disease.

Watch out for these symptoms of gum disease:

• Red swollen gums• Bleeding after floss or brush• Receding gums or noticing that

you seem to see more of a tooth than you used to

• Pus on the gums• Pain when you bite or chew• Loose teeth• Bad breath that won’t go away

At Lasting Impressions Dental Group we care about the health of your mouth, any of these symptoms may signal a serious problem and should be checked immediately by one of our den-tist and/or hygienist. PerioProtect and our Soft Tissue Management program are two types of treatment that we offer to help stop and manage your gum dis-ease and ultimately protect your heart!

Don’t wait call now and schedule your appointment.

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Protecting your income: The importance of disability income insurance in a successful financial plan

Like most people, you’ve probably taken steps to insure your assets by pur-chasing coverage for your home and car. But what about your ability to earn in-come? According to a fact sheet issued by the U.S. Social Security Administra-tion on January 31, 2007, almost three in 10 workers entering the workforce today will become disabled before re-tirement. A chronic disability requiring long-term care could be financially dev-astating. Disability income insurance can protect your family by replacing a portion of your income if you are un-able to work.

According to the 7th annual MetLife

Employee Benefits Trends Study, released in March 2009, approximately seven out of ten full-time employees are very con-cerned about having enough money to pay bills during a period of sudden in-come loss. If you should face the un-expected, how much income would you need to sustain mortgage payments, util-ities, food and clothing costs, transporta-tion needs and bill payments? In the case of injury or illness, disability income insurance provides valuable protection. Some employers provide disability in-come insurance as a benefit, or you can purchase an individual policy.

If you are considering purchas-ing disability income insurance, your employer may be a good place to start your search. Many employers offer dis-ability income insurance as part of their employee benefits program. Purchasing through your workplace can be a conve-nient option, taking advantage of group rates and services such as payroll deduc-tions.

When reviewing your employer’s plan look for the percentage of income it covers, what the waiting period is be-fore benefits begin and the length of time that you’d be covered. Does your employer offer the opportunity to pur-chase additional coverage to meet your needs? Note who will be responsible for premium payments, which could have

tax implications. If your employer pays the premium, you will pay tax on any benefits you receive. If you pay premi-ums with your after-tax dollars, your benefits are generally tax-free.

If you’ve already enrolled in your employer’s disability income insurance plan, review the plan to make sure that the amount of coverage meets your needs at your current pay level. Accord-ing to the MetLife study, of the 57% of full-time employees who have disabil-ity income insurance, 35% don’t know how much they have. The majority of working Americans (57%) haven’t taken any steps to determine their households’ needs with regard to disability coverage.

You may consider purchasing indi-vidual disability coverage to supplement your employer’s plan. Your employer-provided disability income insurance often replaces 2/3 of your salary and may not replace bonus or incentive pay. An individual disability policy can help fill in the gaps. To protect your family, you should seek to replace 60 to 75% of

your total taxable earnings.When shopping for an individual

policy, don’t shop on price alone—look for companies with good financial strength ratings who will be there in the future when you may need your bene-fits. Make sure you understand the pol-icy terms and provisions, for example, the definition of disability.

Most disability policies have a wait-ing period before benefits are paid. The length of your waiting period should be determined by asking yourself, “How long can I go without a paycheck?” The longer the waiting period, the lower the premium. Finally, be sure to understand the maximum duration that benefits will be paid. The most frequently of-fered benefit periods are two years, five years and to age 65.

Charles Swindell is a Registered Repre-sentative offering securities, including vari-able products through MetLife Securities, Inc. He can be reached at 832-251-5493 or (metlife.com).

By Charles SwindellContributing Writer

Sleep - The Cornerstone of Good Health

By Dr. Dwayne WilliamsContributing Writer

Getting enough sleep is an absolute imperative for good health. If simple changes to your lifestyle and environ-

ment haven’t alleviated a sleep prob-lem, it may be time to see a health care provider to evaluate your sleep history. A good primary care physician may be able to diagnose and treat a sleep dis-order but they may refer you to a sleep diagnostic center for further evaluation.

Dr. Dwayne Williams, a Family Practice Physician, is a firm believer in sleep diagnostic evaluations.

“Be wary of a physician who sug-gests a pharmaceutical sleeping aid without a thorough discussion of the possible causes of your sleep problem,” he says. “With some sleep disorders, like sleep apnea (a condition in which the airway closes during sleep), sleeping pills can be dangerous.”

How to determine if you need a sleep study:

1. How much sleep do you get? Are you rested in the morning?

2. Do you have problems breathing? Do you snore? Do you wake up choking?

3. Are you consistently sleepy? Are you always tired?

Sleep the Silent Killer:1. Insufficient Sleep affects growth

hormone secretion that is linked to obesity

2. Interrupted sleep causes blood pressure to rise, leading to hyper-tension and cardiovascular disease

3. Research has also shown that in-sufficient sleep impairs the body’s ability to use insulin, which can lead to the onset of diabetes

The Sleep Center at Kirby is a sleep

disorder treatment facility that provides professional

sleep studies for children and adults. At the Sleep Center at Kirby, we believe that everyone deserves a good night’s sleep. Because of this, we are highly de-voted in using the best of our abilities to get to the bottom of each patient’s indi-vidual sleep problem.

Our multidisciplinary teams of physicians have several decades of expe-rience in diagnosing and managing the gamut of sleep disorders. Other mem-bers of our team include other specialties necessary in assisting our sleep physi-cians with the latest therapies, including surgical and neurological options.

At the Sleep Center at Kirby, our mission is to decrease the risk of medical and psychological complications associ-ated with sleep disorders and to improve your quality of life. Our ultimate goal is for our patients to leave Sleep Center at Kirby with the confidence that their sleep will be the quality sleep that only dreams are made of.

For further information please contact The Sleep Center of Kirby at 713-790-1190 or Dr. Dwayne Williams at 281-238-3100.

Advertise today in D-MARS Business Journal

Call US TODAY! 713.272.9511

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 14.

Over the years, African-Americans have suffered from certain and distinctive skin conditions, which have been unique to their ethnic and ra-cial make-up, everything from moles, keloids, razor bumps and blotches & discolorations.

Unfortunately, many Af-rican-Americans have just ac-cepted these skin conditions as routine and have lived with of-tentimes unsightly and painful situations; while all along there have been options for their care and treatment.

Dr. Milton Moore is a Dermatologist & Pharmacist who speaks to the myths, the dos and the don’ts relative to skin conditions unique to Af-rican-Americans.

“It is important to address how to correct and/or treat cer-tain kinds of skin conditions in order to enhance one’s appear-ance and for the sake of good skin health and staying youth-ful,” he said. “In fact, Moore Unique Dermatology patients, as well my own bout with cer-tain skin conditions led me to focus more extensively on treating the unique African-American skin problems, and my eventual creation and de-velopment of a complete line of skin care products designed to address these situations.”

Having proactive perspec-tive and philosophy to the contemporary treatment of

African-American skin condi-tions has made Dr. Moore one of this country’s foremost ex-perts in this field, and his ap-proach to the development of a healthier skin attracts young and old alike.

The Food and Drug Ad-ministration recent announce-ment on a proposed ban of the sale of over-the-counter skin-lightening products has trig-gered consumer and dermato-logical reaction. Dr. Moore’s opinion on this matter is that discussions on a possible ban of skin lightening products containing Hydroquinone are premature and that educating the public on proper usage is fundamental.

“Educating consumers on the proper use and possible side effects of the products that contain hydroquinone should be the first course of action,” he said. “If there is a concern for the safe usage of this prod-uct, then an appropriate safety label or warning should be dis-tributed with the product to ensure safety.”

There is a consumer need for skin bleaching agents and that many people depend on over the counter and prescrip-tion skin lighteners for a va-riety of skin conditions that include age spots, uneven or blotchy complexions, discolor-ation, acne scars and freckles.

“We live in a body con-scious society. People are in-creasingly concerned with their appearance and image. They are looking for ways to fix any perceived imperfec-tions. When it comes to skin discoloration or age spots, par-ticularly on the hands and face many seek over the counter skin lightening products,” said Moore. “Products containing Hydroquinone are typically used on targeted areas of the body and not meant to be used as a head to toe skin bleaching method.”

Moore has responded to

numerous patient and non-pa-tient inquiries since the FDA announced that studies have shown “some evidence” of Hy-droquinone causing cancer, many who assumed from news reports that the bleaching agent had been taken off the market. Dr. Moore advised his patients to follow instructions as indicated when using prod-ucts containing Hydroquinone and to seek medical attention if they notice any adverse reac-tions to the product.

“The United States has regulated bleaching agents to two percent Hydroquinone in over the counter skin care lighteners and four percent for dermatological usage, it’s pretty difficult to abuse these products when they contain so little of the agent,” said Moore. “The risk and benefit ratio has to always be considered, the consumer has the right to be properly informed and make a conscious decision not to abuse the product.”

Dr. Moore suggests that anyone who has concerns in regard to using products con-taining Hydroquinone try al-ternative methods to treat skin discoloration.

“I suggest toner creams containing Kojic Acid which has a lightening affect on melon zones without using Hydroqui-none or Hydrocortisone that has a lightening effect without excessive thinning of the skin. Additionally treatments such as Micro-dermabrasion, Laser Rejuvenation Therapy, Col-lege Replacement Therapy and Chemical Peels may also be considered,” he said.

9350 Kirby Drive. Ste. 100A, Houston, TX. 77054

Office: (713)-741-3376Fax: (713)-661-3889

10223 Broadway, Ste. D2 Pearland, TX 77584

Office: 713-434-SPA-1mdm@mooreunique.com

By Dr. Milton D. Moore Contributing Writer

Water or Soda?

?

FOR YOURINFORMATION: #1. The active ingredient in soda is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a ma-jor contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.

#2. To carry soda syrup! (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a hazard-ous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

#3. The distribu-tors of soda have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years! Now the question is, would you like a glass of water? or soda?

“I’ve been drink-ing pop soda and coffee everyday and barely enough water. Now I suf-fer from kidney stones which is very painful. Not drinking enough water can damage your kidneys.

A kidney stone is a hard mass developed from crystals that separate from the urine and build up on the inner surfaces of the kidney.

To help prevent kidney stones, drink enough water to keep your urine clear.

My advice to ev-eryone is to drink plenty of water.”- Ghuzzala Malik

CalycealStone

Renal pelvicstone

Upper ureteralstone

WATER1. 75% of Ameri-cans are chroni-cally dehydrated.

2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as 3%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficul-ty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon can-cer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop blad-der cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

SODA1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gal-lons of soda in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of soda and it will be gone in two days.

3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of soda into the toilet bowl and let the ‘real thing’ sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in soda removes stains from vitreous china.

4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil-dipped in soda.

5. To clean cor-rosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of soda over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in soda to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of soda into the baking pan, wrap the ham in alu-minum foil, and bake. Thirty min-utes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the soda for a sumptuous brown gravy.

8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of soda into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The soda will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

“Actual image of my kidney stone.” - Ghuzzala

Skin Conditions Unique To African-Americans

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Maintaining Healthy Leader-ship Skills!

By Wykesha C. Hayes, M.EdContributing Writer

What does it mean to be healthy?

Or, what does it mean to be a healthy

leader? Most people would answer

these questions with very common

answers referencing: exercise, eating

healthy, staying fit, etc. While, these things are accurate and very important, I would encourage leaders; be it busi-ness leaders, family leaders, community

leaders, whomever to expand their in-

sight of healthy to include attributes less physical. Some would say from a holistic perspective, if you will. More

specifically, I would encourage leaders

to examine how maintaining a healthy skill set is just as important as being physically fit.

All too often, leaders become con-

sumed with the daily hustle of their leadership responsibilities and pour-ing into the lives of others. They, or

should I say WE, tend to forget about

the very talent, skill or founding pur-pose that spearheaded our journey into leadership. This talent, or skill set is

what captivated our initial clients and

requires a routine check-up, assuming

you are in the business of maintaining

a healthy following. It’s very simple…

our talent, much like our physical body,

requires special attention and continued

grooming.

To ensure that you are pumping

like into your staff, colleagues, clients,

family and anyone else depending on

your guidance, you should incorporate

a leadership regimen within your overall

health plan. Be certain that you place

purposed attention toward developing

your skills and talents utilized within

your leadership position.

1. ALWAYS engage in continued pro-fessional growth activities. Leaders should stay ahead of the curve, with knowledge of the latest trends trick-ling down the pipeline.

2. VACATION!!!! Don’t be afraid to vacation rather you actually travel to a far away island or not. Spending time away from your responsibili-ties will allow you time to clear your mind and be inspired by new things.

3. Position yourself around Positive Impact Partners. PIPs should enrich your life with exposure to success, positive leadership strategies and motivation.

4. Consistently evaluate your position. It’s perfectly natural to depend on others and delegate responsibilities. By doing so, you are demonstrating a respectful appreciation for their talents. What you don’t want how-ever, is to be left behind. Individuals working under your leadership de-pend on your ability to put out fires incase they are in need of assistance. If they can’t depend on you and your expertise, trust me, it’s only a short time before their respect for you as a leader diminishes.

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Nurturing and Educating the CommunityBy Brandale Mills, Contributing Writer

Maudria Fitchett, R.N.

Maudria Fitchett didn’t have her life handed to her on a silver platter. She worked her way from the bottom to the top with one primary goal in mind; to impact and educate the com-munity, assisting them in living health-ier lives.

The creation of Nurturing Home Health Care Agency allowed her to ex-ceed this goal and follow both of her passions: teaching and nursing.

Nurturing Home Health Care Agency, Inc provides services to the community, allowing individuals to re-ceive health care in the comfort of their home.

“We are committed to listening to and understanding each individual’s concern, therefore developing a trust that provides peace of mind to our cli-ents and their families,” she said.

Founded in 2004, Nurturing Home Health Care Agency is a home and community support service agen-cy licensed by the Texas Department of Human Services offering services including Registered Nurses, Home Health Aides, Visiting (Physicians, Podiatrists, Eye Doctors and Den-tist), Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist, Diabetic Teaching, Durable Medical Equipment and many other services to their cli-ents. Supervised by experienced Regis-tered Nurses, Nurturing Home Health Care Agency is dedicated to overseeing the client’s personal and medical needs.

“We treat our patients with the utmost dignity and respect as if they were our own loved ones,” Fitchett

said. “Nurturing Home Health Care provides each client with assistance that enables them to live with a sense of well-being and dignity.”

Nurturing Home Health Care Agency Inc. has served as a resource to the community for services that meet the changing needs of an ailing loved one in addition to understanding each client’s unique situation.

We provide seniors and disabled members of the community with educa-tion on home health services in addition to assisting them in discovering different financial assistance programs in which they may qualify. A vast majority of the elders and disabled in the community are home bound and are unaware of the help that is available to them.

“We always go above and beyond to get our clients what they need,” she said. “I truly enjoy taking care of people and assisting them in achieving their goals, which in turn, helps them lead a happy and healthier life.”

As a child, Fitchett knew she al-ways wanted to be a nurse or a school teacher. With the support of her moth-er, she worked her way through college at Lamar University earning her LVN Certificate and Associates of Science degree in Nursing.

“School took me longer than the av-erage student because I had to work two jobs while attending college but that ex-perience makes me more appreciative of my accomplishments,” she said.

These accomplishments began at the start of her career while working for a community psychiatric center in Beaumont. After getting her RN li-cense, Fitchett worked on the skilled nursing unit at Park Plaza Hospital. As a testament to her strong leader-ship skills, four months later she was offered a job as a Program Director for the CLASS program. After that, Fitch-ett remained in management positions including working as Director of Nurs-ing for a Home Health Agency.

Fitchett’s career in home health spans over 15 years and says she’s fortu-nate to have a successful business dedi-cated to educating and taking care of the community.

“I always tell people you are only as big as the dream you dare to live,” she said.

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Compounding Solutions was created to promote wellness by balancing the body’s needs through prescriptions medica-

tion, (compounding prescriptions as well), and through natural prescrip-tions.

“We wanted to offer a more per-sonalized and natural approach to our patient’s needs,” Compounding Solu-tions president, Nirvana Hightower, said. “People are over medicated with prescriptions that do not cure or solve their disease.”

The staff at Compounding Solu-tions felt that drug manufacturers in reg-ular pharmacy settings were not helping people to the best of their ability.

“We knew there had to be an in-tegrative approach, which involves vita-mins, nutritional and medical approach to human intervention to diseases and other illnesses,” Hightower said.

Compounding Solutions’ medica-tion has been attributed to helping save marriages with its hormone balance, by allowing couples to regain sexual desire and function. They have also helped patients off anti-depressant drugs, giv-ing them a choice of alternative treat-ment. The company has created topical pain medication for those who can’t take oral medication.

“We research to find innovative ap-proaches to help people and their medi-

cation needs,” Hightower said. “We have reduced allergies to certain medi-cations for people.”

Compounding Solutions makes medications for children and animals in liquid forms to ensure consumption. They also educate the community about Bio Identical hormonal Imbalances.

“We offer one on one assessment with people to test them for hormones using a saliva or blood test. When the results return, we have a personalized consult with the patient, creating a writ-ten recommendation for a hormonal plan,” Hightower said.

The Compounding Solutions staff will communicate the results to the pa-tient’s doctor and have them to write a prescription based on their findings.

In addition to their hormonal plans, Compounding Solutions offers a weight management program.

“We can personally coach a person through various ways of eating better and taking the right supplements to enhance a healthy lifestyle,” Hightower said.

Combined, the staff at Compound-ing Solutions has over 30 years experi-ence in pharmaceuticals. The organi-zation is a member with Professional Compounding Center of America (PCCA).

For more information please call Com-pound Solutions at 281.477.7686 or visit our website at www.compoundhouston.com.

Health is Our True Wealth: The “Pappa Dubb” Lifestyle

At the time of his passing, the 105 amazing years of Carrie Robertson were enriched with five generations of offspring, land, and strong church ties spanning Louisiana, Texas and Mary-land. Many years later, Wilson, his 94-year old son and my grandfather mirrors that image along with his daily drive to the family property to farm the land and feed the cattle. This is wealth in the eyes of two patriarchs who lived perfectly healthy, active, and (might I add) “medicine free” lives.

Wilson, who I affectionately call “Pappa Dubb”, claims as his secret to longevity being “the combination of a healthy body, an active mind, and a happy soul.” “This is a simple formula yet thought provoking”, I say to Pappa Dubb. In my meditation over his words I recognize that the components of his formula are intertwined and entail a balancing act. If it were not so, then:

• 32% of adults ages 20 + would not suffer with hypertension.

• 67% of adults age 20 + would not be overweight or obese.

These health issues can be ad-dressed with regular physical activity. Yet sadly, statistics show that major bar-riers to doing so are lack of: time, access to convenient facilities, and/or safe en-vironments in which to be active. These are real excuses but not insurmountable. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reports that:

• Women are less active than men at all ages.

• African Americans and Hispanics are generally less physically active than whites.

• By age 75, 33% of men and 50% of women engage in no regular ex-ercise.In response, the DHHS developed

Healthy People 2010, an initiative that helps each of us build physical activity into our lives – our way! Information on Healthy People 2010 is available on the internet where you will also find Be Active Your Way: A Guide for Adults that helps you decide the types of activi-ties, time and frequency for building a healthy body.

As noted earlier, a healthy body is intertwined with a healthy and active mind. A healthy mind will guard what the mind absorbs so that it does not be-come blinded to the truth. And, as we intertwine soul into the formula, we experience the emotional or expressive intensity that transfers into positive en-ergy. It is scripturally noted that a cheer-ful heart and courage can even foster the healing of very serious and life threat-ening illnesses. What a glorifying act to practice healthy living!

Pappa Dubb declares health is his true wealth but not to get the facts twisted. Money is not required to lead a healthy lifestyle only an investment of good decisions and self-control, which awards him with active longevity.

For more information on Healthy People 2010 objectives or on physical activity and fitness, visit http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.

T. Q. Doyle, Coach and Image Consultant – MBA, SPHRContributing Writer

Creating Solutions, One Compound at a Time

Let us Promote your Business, Your Event, or You! Advertise today in

D-MARS Business Journal

Call US TODAY! 713.272.9511

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2010 BRENDA J. DAVIS COMMUNITY AWARD WINNER

Karen E. Jackson

Creating a Network of Support for Breast Cancer Awareness

Throughout the years many read-ers and friends of MR. D-MARS have had the opportunity to meet brother D-MARS, solicit advice from Poppa D-mars, or watch Keith Jr. grow into a distinguished young man. However, one very important part of the D-MARS family that many people never had the opportunity to become acquainted with

is mama D-MARS. Mama D-MARS was the strong woman that served as the backbone for the Davis family for many years before she lost her battle to breast cancer in 1985. “I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 14 years old when she finally broke the news to us that she had been battling a disease that claims the life of many of our African American

sisters every year. We often read about people who have survived or lost their battle with certain diseases but until it affects us personally we never really un-derstand the magnitude of what they are going through. My heart goes out to the many women that are diagnosed with breast cancer daily. Although, my pas-sion was for developing African Ameri-cans through economic development, I applaud and support those individuals who are out in the community rally-ing support for the fight against breast cancer” says Mr. D-MARS. One woman who has been going above and beyond to support the battle against breast can-cer for African American women is Mrs. Karen Eubanks Jackson.

Mrs. Karen Eubanks Jackson is a six-teen year breast cancer survivor. During her personal fight to survive breast can-cer, she recognized a lack of “sisterhood” in traditional organizations, a staggering breast cancer mortality rate for African American women and limited culturally sensitive material. In 1994 she decided that she would create the support that many women needed. Jackson turned a personal challenge into an organization that provides standardized educational

programs, support, empowerment, hope and financial assistance; when she found-ed the Sisters Network Inc (SNI). Sisters Network Inc. is the nation’s only African American breast cancer survivorship or-ganization that addresses the needs par-ticular to African American women. Sis-ters Network®Inc. ensures that African American women diagnosed with breast

cancer receive comprehensive medical care and social support.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” It can also be said that one gains strength, courage and confidence in numbers. Due to Jackson’s leadership, Sisters Network®Inc. has experienced phenomenal growth result-ing in over 43 survivor-run affiliate chap-ters, serving more than 3000 members and associate members nationwide. Sis-ters Network®Inc. is the leading voice in the African American women’s fight against breast cancer. African American women now have a network they can turn to that provides an abundance of support and resources so that they no longer have to fight this battle alone.

The national creed of Sisters Net-work Inc is “In Unity there is Strength, In Strength there is Power, In Power there is Change.” Since the formation of SNI that change has been evident. SNI hosts the only annual national African American Breast Cancer Conference. Since 1999, the conference has attract-ed thousands of African American breast cancer survivors, their fami-lies, caretakers, and the general pub-lic. The conference general sessions are conducted by nationally recog-nized medical experts. Recogniz-ing the African American commu-nity’s historical difficulty discussing cancer and other health concerns, Jackson created a national branding campaign: STOP THE SILENCE ®. The slogan: “STOP THE SI-LENCE®- Changing the Face of Early Breast Health Intervention”, also provided educational outreach and awareness to African American women between the ages of 25 and 45. The program was funded by the Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Minority Health.

Karen Eubanks Jackson became the change that she wanted to see. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer she not only survived but she decided to help fight the disease on behalf of other women by creat-ing the support that she knew they needed. The best leaders are those who seek the best for those that they serve and Jackson seeks nothing less than the best for the women who battle this deadly disease every day. That is exactly why in addition to the many accolades that Jackson has

already received, D-MARS would like to award her the Brenda J. Davis Com-munity Award for 2010. The Brenda J. Davis Community Award, named after MR. D-MARS mother, celebrates people in the community who are con-sistently giving back and making their mark in the community. Karen Eubanks Jackson is affecting change in how Af-rican American women battle a once very frightful disease. “I cannot help but wonder whether or not my mother would still be alive if she would have gotten tested earlier, had easier access to information about breast cancer, or had a support network like Sisters Net-work Inc. Although, it is too late now to consider the “what if ”, I am proud that Karen has stopped the silence and given so many women a sense of strength and connectedness in their battle,” says Mr. D-MARS.

D-MARS.com encourages everyone to support Sisters Network Inc. stop the silence® National African Ameri-can breast cancer walk on Saturday, April 9, 2011. You may register online at www.sistersnetworkinc.org.

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List @d-mars.com

Enough is Enough!By Heather Haukaas, Contributing Writer

I remember the days when I could eat any and everything and remain as skinny as a stick. I remember my friend’s parent diagnosed me as having “worms” because I ate so much and nev-er gained a pound. Now that I am older and have joined the “real” world, my body must have gotten rid of those so called “worms” that consumed my food, allowing me to never see the aftermath of that juicy cheeseburger or that straw-berry cheesecake.

As a working professional, I find the more I work, the less energy I have and the less motivation I find to work out. I always have the intention of eat-ing healthy and hitting the gym but the stress from a long day often wins the bat-tle and I find myself at home resting and munching for relief. Whoever, called it “comfort” food knew exactly what they were talking about! I often ask myself, “How much weight do I have to gain?” or “How out of control am I going to let my body get before I decide enough is enough?” Well, I reached that point and I want to motivate everyone to say “I will not put off until tomorrow what I can do today!”

Repeat after me, “Today I decided enough is enough. I am going to change my ways. Ill take little by little changes if that is what it takes for me to reach my ultimate goal of feeling and looking fabulous!”

Now that we have all been induct-

ed into the “only fit and fabulous from here” support group I would like to share a few tips that are simple, yet still take some willpower to achieve drastic long term effects:

1. Preparation. Pack a bag for the gym the night before or just pack a pair of tennis shoes. The easiest cop-out from working out is not having the gear. I find that whenever I am pre-pared to workout it is harder to skip the workout. Even if you pack a pair of shoes and walk on your lunch break, it sure beats sitting down eat-ing a big lunch.

2. Planning. On Sunday, sit down and plan your “healthy” meals for the week. One thing I do is cook a cou-ple of dishes on Sunday night and freeze half. I know that I am not go-ing to want to cook after a long day. Being able to heat up a meal helps me avoid that quick stop at some fast food restaurant on my way home.

3. Healthy eating. Eating healthy is hard. I find is especially hard in the business world where client dinners, lunch with coworkers and happy hours are abundant. Add in the fac-tor of sitting at a desk, staring at a computer all day and snacking seems to just call your name. However, healthy eating begins with learn-ing how to “eat smart”. A website

for great advice on healthy eating is http://helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm.

4. Little efforts lead to big results. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther away from the office or grocery store, only drink water. Even if all you have time for is walking 30 minutes in the morning it is better than not walking at all.

5. Support Group. Rally your friends or find people who have the same goal of being healthy and support one another. It is easier to stay on top of a task when you have some-one to motivate you. My girlfriend and I have made a pact to not let the other one get lazy or eat unhealthy. We share what we ate for the day and

work out together. Having a partner makes it fun and harder to give up.

Remember, the hardest part is al-ways the beginning! Anything worth having is worth working for! You can gripe, you can complain but quitting is never an option! I look forward to seeing all my fellow “fit and fabulous” people sporting those beach bodies this summer!

2010 BRENDA J. DAVIS COMMUNITY AWARD WINNER

Creating a Network of Support for Breast Cancer Awareness

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Life Rewards Those Who Take ActionBy Craig Anthony Nicholas, Contributing Writer

Billions of transactions are executed in our cells with such amazing precision for the management of resources that give the body energy, infrastructure, healing, waste management, and the capacity to communicate with the five senses. This does more than just keep us well. These powerful processes inside us help us tap the power of prosperity and wealth.

Our health affects our perfor-mance and our ability to earn an in-come, which in turn impacts our po-

tential to amass wealth. The longer we live, the more chance that we may get a critical illness. With medical technolo-gy, there is more chance that we survive it. The financial situation that follows can be very expensive and could impact our quality and standard of living. Our health and store of wealth will be taken away if we make no provision.

If you cannot put away a year or two of savings fast enough, you can sow into multiplication and create leverage with insurance. That’s a powerful way

to account for needs that we can very well anticipate and sustain your current lifestyle in case something happens to your health.

We should exercise more steward-ship and cognitive dissonance not only with what we take into our bodies, but also for our plans for wealth accumula-tion and preservation. Matthew 25 in-forms our judgment:

• we should prepare ourselves for life events that we expect might happen.

• we shall be held accountable for

how good a steward we have been over what we have been given.

So, too, with our longevity and prosperity. The giver of life did not come just that we might bear forth much fruit, but that our fruit shall remain and that we might have a more abundant life. The same way we prevent the “bulge” in our bodies, a budget helps us stay in alignment for our financial plan. Just as there is multiplication that comes from cell division, and we create value in our community when we have healthy ex-changes with one another.

There are certain protections and rewards to those that establish pur-poses for stewardship and make pro-vision for stronger, healthier, wealth-ier, and more sustainable lifestyles. As long as we are breathing, we are still in the game to engage, and life rewards those who take action. Secure your path to better health and wealth today.

Script Link Pharmacy – The Pharmacist that Delivers

After graduating from Lamar University with a BS in Biology, Mira Miles decided to further her studies and pursue a teaching career in second-ary science.

“I soon discovered that although teachers are definitely to be admired, it wasn’t the career for me,” Miles said.

After several years of teaching sci-ence to middle and high school stu-dents, Miles decided to follow a long-time interest and pursue a career in the field of medicine.

“I chose pharmacy as my path to that fulfillment,” Miles said. “It has been a rewarding and exciting journey and has finally led me to the ownership of my own pharmacy.”

In 1994, Miles began her pharmacy career at Texas Southern University.

“Learning about pharmaceuticals from inspiring instructors and gain-ing new and lasting friendships, I was confident that I had made the right choice,” Miles said.

After graduating from pharmacy school in 1997, Miles started her pro-fessional career as a pharmacist working at mega chain drug stores, primarily

Eckerd pharmacy and CVS. “With long hours, fast pace, and

little time to really practice the profes-sion I loved, I decided that I would seek a better solution not only for me, but for the customers I served,” she said. “These customers deserved one-on-one attention. They deserved to have their pharmacist spend time with them to discuss their medications, answer their questions and have their prescriptions ready when promised.”

This dedication to customer ser-vice helped motivate Miles to create ScriptLink Pharmacy in December 2007 with its mission being to provide the highest level of customer service, ac-curately dispense with care, and earn the trust of customers every day.

Since their humble beginnings in 2007, ScriptLink Pharmacy has ex-tended their mission to the community through free delivery service. They now deliver to assisted living facilities, inde-pendent senior apartments, and person-al homes.

“Serving the senior community and the disabled is our passion!” Miles said. “Our dedicated staff is focused on assist-

ing our customers with all of their pre-scription needs and making sure they have the right medications at the right times.”

In addition to their delivery service, ScriptLink provides refill monitoring to make sure refills are processed and filled prior to the patient running out of medications, drug regimen reviews to make sure medications are safe, courtesy

calls to make sure medications are being taken properly and to answer any ques-tions and customized safety packaging at the customer’s request.

“We provide all of these services including delivery at no additional cost to our customers,” Miles said. “If you ask our customers why they choose ScriptLink Pharmacy, you will hear a resounding, ‘because of their service.’”

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THE EXPERT NETWORK - MEDICAL

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THE EXPERT NETWORK - MEDICAL

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THE EXPERT NETWORK - MEDICAL

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Saving lives with organ donations

It’s almost like a dream. Actually to describe it as a nightmare would be more precise. Twenty-one-year-old Aar-on Daniels Jr. vaguely remembers being like most kids. As a young child, he was your average little boy and embodied the healthiness every mom envisions for her child, complete with cute little baby rolls. He would run and play with his younger brother, Eric, until the nights grew dark - until the dreadful diagnosis was made.

At the early age of eight, Aaron’s mother, Traci, noticed that Aaron was not urinating as often as he should. Deeply concerned, Traci immediately took him to see a specialist. Noth-ing could prepare the Daniels family for what came next: Aaron was diag-nosed with kidney failure, and a kid-ney transplant would be Aaron’s only chance at life.

After waiting more than five months on the kidney transplant wait-ing list, Aaron’s family decided to take action. Seeing their son endure dialysis three times a week was heart-wrenching and proved to be emotionally unbear-able for Aaron’s father. The diagnosis challenged the strength of this family. Aaron’s dad fell into a deep depression, taking a front row seat to his son’s de-clining health. It was unbearable for a father to witness this happening to his oldest son.

The family began the testing process to see if anyone was compatible to do-nate a kidney to Aaron. Next as the fam-ily calls it - came a blessing. Aaron’s dad was as close to a perfect match as pos-sible. Ninety-nine percent compatible.

On June 10, 1997, Aaron’s father donated one of his kidneys to his son. After spending a short time in the hos-pital, eight-year-old Aaron got most of his life back. While the family’s return

to normalcy was short lived, Aaron does remember that life was good, and that he was able to be a kid again.

By Aaron’s 13th birthday, he found himself sick again and learned that his body was rejecting his kidney transplant and would soon need a new one to sur-vive. The news came as a blow; dialysis was the only option to keep him healthy enough until he received his new trans-plant.

For most of his life, Aaron has en-dured what most adults never have to go through in their lifetimes. He’s been waiting on the transplant list for more than seven years. He is on dialysis three times a week for more than three hours at a time. The dialysis makes him tired and drains him of his energy. It’s not the life you envision for a young man and does not provide Aaron with qual-ity of life.

Life has not been easy for the Dan-iels family. While Aaron waits for his new kidney, his family grieves the sud-den death of Aaron’s dad. Aaron cred-its his father for saving his life the first time and knows without the compas-sion of someone else, he does not stand a chance at surviving.

Giving of one’s self is the ultimate sacrifice anyone can make, but not ev-eryone does. Unfortunately, there are more than 108,000 people nationally- just like Aaron waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Of those waiting, more than 80,000 are waiting for a kidney.

Research shows that the topic of organ and tissue donation is simply not on the “radar screen” for many minori-ties. There is a lack of awareness within the multicultural communities about the dire need for donation. That is why education is so important.

In addition to the lack of awareness,

there are several commonly held beliefs about organ donation among minori-ties. These myths include:

• If I’m in an accident and the hospi-tal knows that I am an organ and tissue donor, the doctors will not try to save my life.” The truth is

By Elvia ValdezContributing Writer

that organ and tissue recovery takes place only after all efforts to save your life have been exhausted and death has been legally declared.

• “Donation will mutilate my body.” The truth is that donated organs and tissues are removed surgically, in a routine operation similar to open-heart surgery. Donation does not prevent an open-casket funeral or viewing.

• “Donation is against my cultural and religious beliefs.” The truth is the gift of organ and tissue donation is seen as the greatest act of human kindness. All U.S. religions support donation.

Registering to become an organ, eye and tissue donor is simple. It’s free and it takes less than five minutes. There are three ways to register:

- Electronically via www.donatelife-texas.org.

- In person at the Department of Public Safety Office (DPS).

- Online with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when re-newing vehicle registration.

Remember zero lives are saved if we do nothing!

For more information about LifeGift and the registry, visit www.lifegift.org and www.donatelifetexas.org.

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 30.

By Author Noel Pinnock, B.S., M.P.A., C.A., CCCContributing Writer

Awareness 2010”“Health &

The late Senator Ted Kennedy called providing access to healthcare for all Americans “the great unfinished business of our society.” He was cor-rect, that is until March 23, 2010. With more than 216 legislatures on a Health-care accord, the Healthcare Reform Act became the law of the land. Whether you are businessperson or a citizen, this Healthcare Reform Act will definitely change the American landscape and diametrically affect the way businesses across this nation approach the health-care, awareness, and the social well-being of their employee workforce. Per-sonally, I have several employees whose needs are very diverse and as their man-ager, I must be mindful of their needs and appropriate tasks and responsibili-ties accordingly. Sadly, many companies and organizations focus more on meet-ing the bottom line or maximize expen-ditures on grants thus leaving employ-ees to meander and crumb for leave to try to beat the exhaustion of the general workweek.

In countries like Canada, healthcare is free and has been for years and now we are in a position to be on the frontier of providing employees a better alterna-tive then simply dying from exhaustion or sickness on the sidelines. The City of Houston epitomizes a Health & Aware-ness Business Culture through provid-ing employees with several benefits to include a floating holiday; which can be utilized as a rest day within a ben-efit year as well as a wellness day; which can be used by employees for well (wo)man doctor visits. Additionally, they al-low time to exercise during lunch and short breaks. Of course, someone has to pay for these employee benefits but

think about the long-term effects your business or organization will sustain if employees were not provided an op-portunity to protect themselves from sickness or better yet seek medical treat-ment when the inevitable does occur. If you are a business owner, an executive, or manager, take a few moments to re-spond silently to one of these questions:

• If you do not take care of our employees, how can your business/organization accomplish its mis-sion and sustain or increase profits over time?

• How can you run a business if employees have high levels of burnout?

• How can we avoid hazards to our health if we are not aware of what is hazardous?

Again, late Senator Ted Kennedy said it best, “To those whose cares have become our concerns, the fight goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream never dies!” Promote a Health & Awareness culture in your business/organization because your em-ployees’ lives hang in the balance and these resources, albeit scarce, assist you accomplish your business/organization’s mission work and sustain over time…not much rocket science here…right?

Sign up on our OnlineMailing List @ d-mars.com

To stay informed in the Business Community

713.272.9511Call Us Today!

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 31.

EYE TO EYE

The famous saying “the eyes are the windows to the soul” still holds true. How healthy and clear are your windows? Indeed a number of systemic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, rheu-matoid arthritis, breast cancer can have ocular manifestations and regular Com-prehensive Eye Health Examination can help in the diagnoses and management of these conditions.

The gift of sight is precious and should be protected at any cost. Imag-ine being blind, unable to see!!! Scary isn’t it? Yet so few of us get Annual Eye Examinations and even fewer gets regu-lar Dilated Eye Examinations. The im-portance of an annual physical exam is widely understood, however, our annual wellness exam and screenings in the of-

fice of our primary care physician (PCP) does not include the eyes. It is therefore very important that we have an “eye physical” at least once per year even if we believe nothing has change.

The old adage “an ounce of preven-tion is better than a pound of cure” is never more true than in eye care. Unfor-tunately, there is no cure for a number of common eye conditions such as glau-coma, macular degeneration, advanced stages of diabetic and hypertensive eye diseases. Therefore, early detection and prevention is the key. With all the ad-vances in medicine in the area of organ transplant successful eye transplant is not yet a reality.

The increased use of computers (internet and computer games) has re-sulted in an additional category of eye syndromes, which can be successfully managed with regular eye check-ups and tips from your eye doctor. Anoth-er, consequence of the computer age is the decrease in physical activities espe-cially among the young in our society. This sedentary lifestyle in combination with poor diet has led to the very early

onset of conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and elevated cholesterol, macular degenera-tion, glaucoma and cataracts now seen in patients in their mid 20s and 30s. All these condition have corresponding devastating long-term effects on vi-sion.

Healthy eyes, clear vision and prop-er eye-hand co-ordination is essential for good academic performances, to ob-tain a driver’s license, success in sports activities, and various hobbies such as reading, knitting, crocheting, hunting, and shooting.

TIP OF THE MONTH: Most major health insurance plans provide coverage for your annual medi-cal eye examination even if you do not have a separate vision coverage rider. If your eye doctor is a provider on the

insurance panel he/she will be able to verify your coverage so please ask and supply your health insurance informa-tion as you would at your PCP visit. You may be pleasantly surprise when all you have to pay is your co-pay.

We are blessed with one set of eyes to serve us from the womb to the tomb so take best care of them. The Vision Dealer is committed to help you take care of your eyes so be on the look-out for healthy tips in your monthly EYE-TO-EYE column.

Contact Dr. Romea at 281.469.7610 or visit www.GlobalEyeQ.com

With Dr. Romea-The Vision Dealer

Dr. Romea Mitchell, O.D.

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 32.

Free Health Texts for New and Expectant Moms

As expectant and new moms know, having a baby is one of the most wonderful ex-periences, but it can also be overwhelming. First-time

mothers and veteran moms alike have questions about keeping their babies safe and healthy. They’re eager to learn about important areas such as nutrition, immunization, and safe sleep.

To address their questions and con-cerns, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) developed text4baby. This free mobile educational service promotes a healthy pregnancy and a healthy start in life for all babies.

With more than 1.3 trillion text messages sent and received in the U.S. in 2009, it makes sense to deliver vi-tal health information through mobile technology. Currently in the United States, more than 500,000 babies - one in every eight - are born prematurely. An estimated 28,000 children die be-fore their first birthday, a rate among the highest in the industrialized world. Premature infants come into the world with unique health needs that can mean lifelong challenges. Text4baby helps to address these issues by allow-ing timely and useful information to be distributed to help give babies the best possible start in life.

While not everyone has access to the internet, 90 percent of Americans have a mobile phone. Text messaging is soar-ing in popularity and can be especially helpful in reaching first-time mothers in typically underserved populations.

How It Works

By texting BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411, a woman will be signed up to receive three free text mes-sages each week that are timed to her due date or baby’s date of birth. These mes-sages focus on a variety of topics critical to maternal and child health, including birth defects prevention, immunization, nutrition, seasonal flu, mental health, oral health, and safe sleep. Text4baby text messages also connect women to prenatal and infant care services and other resources.

Wireless carriers are waiving text-messaging fees for the initiative, so en-rollees opting in to receive text messages will incur no charges. Even users with-out a text messaging plan or limited tex-ting per month will receive these mes-sages for free.

To date, text4baby has sent more than five million English and Span-ish text messages to more than 83,000 pregnant and new mothers. According to text4baby enrollment numbers, 96 percent of participants would recom-mend the service to a friend. 67 percent of the enrollees are receiving informa-tion about pregnancy, while the remain-ing 33 percent are getting information about newborns.

“For those of us dedicated to health education, knowing that text4baby mes-sages are reaching the women who are most in need of them is incredibly pow-erful and exciting,” said Judy Meehan, CEO of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. “Thanks to our partnership with CTIA-The Wire-less Foundation and the mobile carriers,

more than five million valuable health messages have been put in the hands of thousands of pregnant women since our February 4 launch.”

Text4baby is made possible through a public-private partnership that in-cludes more than 350 organizations. The program’s founding partners in-clude CTIA–The Wireless Foundation.

For more information, or to sign-up to receive the free text messages, visit www.text-4baby.org.

- Family Features

By Shelly M. White, Contributing Writer

Marvin Sapp

A stellar line-up of recording art-ists has been assembled to perform and

share stroke messaging at the Houston stop of the American Heart Association’s Most Powerful Voices Gospel Tour. The seven-city tour features Marvin Sapp as the headlining artist and stops in Hous-ton at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 29 at the Kingdom Builders’ Center.

The Most Powerful Voices Gospel Tour is an evening of empowering mu-sic fused with healthy lifestyle messag-ing that has as its main focus, educating the African American community about their increased risk for stroke, this coun-try’s third leading cause of death and leading cause of disability. For African Americans, their risk is twice that of whites. In fact, African Americans ages 35-54 have four times the relative risk

of stroke. Attendees will hear inspiring mes-

sages through song, like Sapp’s 2007 hit single, “Never Would Have Made It,” which held the No. 1 spot on gospel ra-dio for nearly one year, and his new hit single, “Best in Me;” and break-through newcomer artist Brian Courtney Wilson whose re-launched CD, “Just Love De-luxe,” features the 2009 hit single, “All I Need,” the longest-running current single, charting at more than 70 weeks on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Song Chart, and his new release, “Awesome God.” Wilson opens for Sapp.

“I see this as a way that people can become more aware of their own risk so that they can make lifestyle changes and

move toward extended life for them-selves and their loved ones,: said record-ing artist Ted Winn, who will host the tour as well as perform from his debut CD titled “Balance” which features the top 10 hit single, “The Lifter.”

Lending his celebrity status to this event, too, is Myron Butler & Levi. His urban worship style of ministry and art-istry will resonate with attendees as he shares songs from the 2010 release, “Re-vealed – Live in Dallas,” which features a high-energy message in the hit song, “Revealed.”

For more information on the Most Powerful Voices audition and tour, visit www.heart.org/mostpowerfulvoices or call 713.610.5010.

Award-Winning Gospel Artists to Perform And Promote Stroke Awareness

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 33.

When you think of IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) what comes to mind? What is our biological symbiosis to the planet in terms of what we are exposed to vol-untary or involuntary?

To understand the latest push of “green house gas carbon emissions” as relates to global warming, oxygen vs. carbon dioxide and the planet popula-tion we have to go way back, to a time when the carbon footprint of mankind was insignificant and now for the first time planet human over population is in need of consideration. In that “sus-tainability” no matter how much this generation of society aggressively takes on conservation, recycling and renew-

able actions may be too little too late. That if the Earth cannot heal itself aside from our huge immediate impact, may hasten global warming beyond human sustainability.

You have heard of the saying, “if a tree falls in the forest, will we hear it in the city?” Well in actuality we may not hear it, but we will sure feel it. The plan-et and mankind are so inexplicably in-terconnected, it could be thought of as divine. Consider a time when the world was young and mankind was dropped at the birthplace of civilization; the moth-erland; Africa. There was small handful of people responsible for tribal society and repopulation who had nothing but lush firmament and a bounty of healthy eating choices available and yet to be chronicled. The land was for mankind, but how much really did the land need mankind back then? It was nothing compared to today where responsibil-ity is ever so important as it effects us immediately and future generations like never before. You may be aware of the rest of the story, the population grew, spread about to other regions, depleting resources until conservation laws had to go in effect, but nothing other than natural disasters and wars really checked the population controls.

Today, we have Capitalism market-ing, with their stock shares to answer to while causing chemical manufacturers

among others to overproduce impact-ing the environment and our air quality in detrimental ways never before seen with irresponsible practices and little accountability, if any for cleanup. For every beautiful wooded area, destroyed for community master planned high or otherwise living, we impact our envi-ronment and subject our indoor envi-ronment to a whole new host of chron-ological and biological invaders that wreak havoc on the human immune system leading to host of new and old diseases; cancer at the forefront.

The consumer must become aware and demand healthy living choices from green footprint impact, to toxic unsafe building materials and often soil con-tamination. We the customer, must be involved in the conception and plan-ning, not just from building code com-pliance laws but green, renewable, en-ergy efficient designs.

Growing plants in your office can be a relaxing and enjoyable escape from the “daily grind.” Besides offering an aesthetic value, which many can appre-ciate, they also improve air quality. They do an excellent job of cleaning up the moisture within your office space in ad-dition to filtering dangerous toxins out.TIPS:

Place aquarium gravel (found at local pet shop) in your planting pot to reduce the growth of molds and mildew.

The Top 12 Leading Air Cleaning Plants are:

• Areca Palms (Chrysalidocarpus Lu-tescens)

• Lady Palm (Rhapis Excelsa)

• Bamboo Palm (Chamedorea Seigri-zii)

• Rubber Plant (Ficus Robusta)

• Dracaena Janet Craig (DraceaDeremenis “Janet Craig” )

• English Ivy (Hedera Helix)

• Dwarf Date Palm (Phoenix Roe-belenii)

• Ficus Alii (Ficus Macleilandii “Ali” )

• Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exalta “Bostoniensis” )

• Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum Sp.)• Corn Plant (Dracaeba Fragrans

“Massangeana” )

• Golden Pothos (Epiremnum Au-reum )

As we move into the Autumn sea-son, it’s time for your fall furnace check-up. When choosing air filters, opt for the highest Merv Rating available.

Look for our furnace check list and more on this subject in our next article.

Edwin Davis’ email is davisiaq@gmail.com and his website is www.Refrigeration-byDavis.com

Improving your indoor air quality

By E. H. Davis Contributing Writer

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 34.

By Dr. Olufunke Odetunde

HypertensionThe Silent Killer

What is Hypertension?Hypertension is another name for

High Blood pressure. High blood pres-sure is called a “silent killer,’’ because it doesn’t usually cause symptoms while it is causing damage. Uncontrolled high blood pressure for prolonged period in-creases the risk of serious health prob-lems, including heart attack, kidney damage, heart failure and stroke.

High Blood pressure is a measure of how hard the blood pushes against the walls of your arteries as it moves through your body. It’s normal for blood pressure to go up and down through-out the day, but if it stays up, you have high blood pressure. The blood pressure consists of two numbers, systolic and diastolic pressures. The systolic number shows how hard the blood pushes when the heart is pumping while the diastol-ic number shows how hard the blood pushes between heartbeats, when the heart is relaxed and filling with blood. A blood pressure of 120/80 refers to a sys-tolic pressure of 120 and diastolic of 80.

What is normal blood pressure?

Adults should have a blood pressure of less than 120/80. Blood pressure be-tween 120/80 and 139/89 is called pre-hypertension (to denote increased risk of hypertension), and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered hyper-tension. People with pre-hypertension need to make lifestyle changes to bring the blood pressure down; and help pre-vent or delay high blood pressure.

How common is Hypertension?

According to the CDC High blood pressure was a primary or contributing cause of death for 326,000 Americans

in 2006. About one out of three U.S. adults—31.3%—has high blood pres-sure. About one in four American adults has pre-hypertension. Having pre-hy-pertension raises your risk for high blood pressure. In 2010, high blood pressure will cost the United States $76.6 billion in health care services, medications, and missed days of work. Statistics in the USA indicate that African Americans have a higher incidence of hypertension than other ethnicities.

What are the types of Hypertension?

Hypertension can be classified as essential or secondary. Essential hyper-tension is the term for high blood pres-sure with unknown cause. It accounts for about 95% of cases. Secondary hy-pertension is the term for high blood pressure with a known direct cause, such as kidney disease, adrenal tumors, heart disease, thyroid disease or birth control pills.

What Causes Hypertension?The exact causes of Hypertension

are unknown, however there are several factors associated with development of hypertension. These include:

• Smoking • Obesity or being overweight • Diabetes • Chronic kidney disease • Sedentary lifestyle • Adrenal and thyroid problems or tumors • Lack of physical activity • High levels of salt intake (sodium sensitivity) • Insufficient calcium, potassium,

and magnesium consumption • Vitamin D deficiency

• High levels of alcohol consumption • Stress • Illegal drugs, such as cocaine and

amphetamines• Medicines such as birth control

pills, cold remedies, decongestants, over-the-counter pain relievers and some prescription drugs

• Aging • Genetics and a family history of hypertension

What are the symptoms of Hypertension?

Most people with high blood pres-sure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach danger-ously high levels. About 33 % of peo-ple with hypertension are not aware of having high blood pressure. It is there-fore important to have blood pressure screening periodically.

Extremely high blood pressure may lead to some symptoms, however, and these include; severe headaches, Fatigue or confusion, Dizziness, Nausea, Prob-lems with vision, Chest pains, Breath-ing problems, Irregular heartbeat, Nose bleed and Blood in the urine

How is Hypertension diagnosed?

In order to be diagnosed with Hy-pertension an individual must have two to three blood pressure readings greater than 140/90 each at two or more sepa-rate appointments. Additional tests such as EKG, Echocardiogram and blood tests will be ordered to determine pres-ence of secondary causes of hyperten-sion or evidence of damage to organs as a result of prolonged hypertension.

How is Hypertension treated?

To effectively treat Hypertension you doctor will recommend a combina-tion of Lifestyle and dietary modifica-tion along with medication(s). There are many types of blood pressure medica-tions. Your doctor will take into consid-eration other medical problems you have to pick the best medication(s) for you.

Lifestyle changes can help you con-trol and prevent high blood pressure — even if you’re taking blood pressure medication. Here’s what you can do:

• Eat healthy foods. • Decrease the salt in your diet. • Maintain a healthy weight. • Increase physical activity. Consult

with you doctor before embarking on an exercise program

• Limit alcohol.• Don’t smoke. • Manage stress. • Monitor your blood pressure at

home. • Practice relaxation or slow, deep

breathing.

Alternative MedicineAlthough diet and exercise are the

best tactics to lower your blood pres-sure, some supplements also may help decrease it. Talk to your doctor before adding any of these supplements to your blood pressure treatment. Some supple-ments can interact with medications, causing harmful side effects. Some sug-gested supplements include Calcium, Cocoa, Cod-liver oil, Coenzyme Q-10, Omega-3 fatty acids and Garlic.

How can I manage my hypertension?

High blood pressure isn’t a prob-lem that you can treat and then ignore. It’s a condition you need to manage for the rest of your life. To keep your blood pressure under control:

• Take your medications properly. Discuss adverse side effects with your doctor; do not stop medica-tion without consulting with your doctor.

• Schedule regular doctor visits. • Adopt healthy habits. • Manage stress.• Stick with the lifestyle and dietary

changes even when you don’t see or feel any symptoms of high blood pressure.

Olufunke Odetunde MD FAAFPBoard Certified Family Medicine

Olufunke Odetunde MD. PA.2626 South Loop West, Suite #310

Houston, Texas 77054

Phone: (713) 796-9500 Website: www.odetundemd.com

To subscribe to e-newsletters from Olufunke Odetunde MD visit

www.odetundemd.com

www.Oct. 15 - nov. 15 2010 35.