Archives 2006

The month of February is a good time to think about your heart. Flowers and chocolate are good ways of being heart-friendly, but you can also make your heart healthy and happy in other ways - by decreasing the risk of hypertension for instance.

What is hypertension?
Hypertension is the term for blood pressure that is consistently higher than normal. Blood pressure is the force of blood against artery walls as the heart pumps blood through the body. Blood pressure can be unhealthy if it is above 120/80. The higher your blood pressure, the greater the health risk. High blood pressure can be controlled if you take these steps:

• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Be physically active.
• Follow a healthy eating plan, which includes foods lower in salt and sodium.
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

As noted in this list, diet affects high blood pressure. Following the DASH diet and reducing the amount of sodium in your diet will help lower your blood pressure. It will also help prevent high blood pressure.

What is the DASH diet?
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is a diet that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat. It emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods. The DASH diet also includes whole-grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts. It encourages fewer servings of red meat, sweets, and sugar-containing beverages. It is rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium, as well as protein and fiber.

How do I get started on the DASH diet? The DASH diet requires no special foods and has no hard-to- follow recipes. Start by seeing how DASH compares with your current eating habits.

The DASH eating plan shown is based on 2,000 calories a day. Your health care provider or a dietitian can help you determine how many calories a day you need. Most adults need somewhere between 1600 and 2800 calories a day. Serving sizes will vary between 1/2 cup and 1 1/4 cups. Check the product's nutrition label to determine serving sizes of particular products.

Make changes gradually. Here are some suggestions that might help:

• Drink milk or water with lunch or dinner instead of soda, sugar-sweetened tea, or alcohol. Choose low-fat (1%) or fat-free (skim) dairy products to reduce how much saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and calories you eat. If you have trouble digesting dairy products, try taking lactase enzyme pills or drops (available at drugstores and groceries) with the dairy foods. Or buy lactose-free milk or milk with lactase enzyme added to it.
• Read food labels on margarines and salad dressings to choose products lowest in fat.
• If you now eat large portions of meat, cut back gradually--by a half or a third at each meal. Limit meat to 6 ounces a day (2 servings). Three to four ounces is about the size of a deck of cards.
• Have 2 or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week. Increase servings of vegetables, rice, pasta, and beans in all meals. Try casseroles and pasta, and stir- fry dishes, which have less meat and more vegetables, grains, and beans.
• Use fruits canned in their own juice. Fresh fruits require little or no preparation. Dried fruits are a good choice to carry with you or to have ready in the car.
• Try these snacks ideas: unsalted pretzels or nuts mixed with raisins, graham crackers, low-fat and fat-free yogurt and frozen yogurt, popcorn with no salt or butter added, and raw vegetables.
• Choose whole grain foods to get more nutrients, including minerals and fiber. For example, choose whole-wheat bread or whole-grain cereals.
• Use fresh, frozen, or no-salt-added canned vegetables.

Remember to also reduce the salt and sodium in your diet. Try to have no more than 2000 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, with a goal of further reducing the sodium to 1500 mg per day. Three important ways to reduce sodium are:

• Use reduced-sodium or no-salt-added food products.
• Use less salt when you prepare foods and do not add salt to your food at the table.
• Read fool labels. Aim for foods that are less than 5 percent of the daily value of sodium.
• The DASH eating plan was not designed for weight loss. But it contains many lower calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables. You can make it lower in calories by replacing higher calorie foods with more fruits and vegetables. Some ideas to increase fruits and vegetables and decrease calories include:
• Eat a medium apple instead of four shortbread cookies. You'll save 80 calories.
• Eat 1/4 cup of dried apricots instead of a 2-ounce bag of pork rinds. You'll save 230 calories.
• Have a hamburger that's 3 ounces instead of 6 ounces. Add a 1/2 cup serving of carrots and a 1/2 cup serving of spinach. You'll save more than 200 calories.
• Instead of 5 ounces of chicken, have a stir fry with 2 ounces of chicken and 1 and 1/2 cups of raw vegetables. Use a small amount of vegetable oil. You'll save 50 calories.
• Have a 1/2 cup serving of low-fat frozen yogurt instead of a 1 and 1/2 ounce milk chocolate bar. You'll save about 110 calories.
• Use low-fat or fat-free condiments, such as fat free salad dressings.
• Eat smaller portions--cut back gradually.
• Use food labels to compare fat content in packaged foods. Items marked low-fat or fat-free may be lower in fat without being lower in calories than their regular versions.
• Limit foods with lots of added sugar, such as pies, flavored yogurts, candy bars, ice cream, sherbet, regular soft drinks, and fruit drinks.
• Drink water or club soda instead of cola or other soda drinks.

For more information, see the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Web site at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/.

FARMINGTON, NM (January 18, 2007) Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) will arrive at San Juan Regional Medical Center's Wound Treatment Center soon, thanks to the generous donation of local businessman Sherman Dugan and his wife Sally. Mr. and Mrs. Dugan presented the check to San Juan Medical Foundation President Danny Beyhan on January 19, 2007.

HBOT is a type of medical treatment in which a patient breathes 100 percent oxygen while under increased pressure inside the chamber. Studies have shown that HBOT can play an important role as part of the treatment of problem wounds like those associated with diabetes or surgery or other causes. Tissues need oxygen to repair themselves and make new blood vessels, but just breathing pure oxygen with a face mask is not considered useful treatment. The pressurized chamber gives patients 10-15 times more oxygen, and that extra oxygen in the bloodstream is what aids the healing process.

Even so, HBOT is not the main treatment for problem wounds. SJRMC's Wound Treatment Center uses HBOT as part of an entire medical regime. "Over the last ten years," said Chip McRight, Manager of the Wound Treatment Center, "incidence of chronic non-healing wounds has grown exponentially. Study after study has shown that HBOT plus a sound, hospital-based wound treatment program is effective treatment."

Chip and Dr. George Peacock had been discussing the possibility of adding a hyperbaric chamber to their already successful wound treatment program, when Sherman Dugan came into the picture. He was convinced of the importance of the technology, so he agreed to donate the funds necessary to bring a hyperbaric chamber to Farmington. Otherwise, the closest such chambers are in Denver or Albuquerque.

Sherman and Sally Dugan's generosity and the Wound Treatment Center's desire to provide state-of-the-art treatment has resulted in "HBOT" - an acronym that spells "good news" for wound sufferers in the Four Corners.

On the evening of Oct 26, 2006 six outstanding individuals will be inducted into the San Juan Regional Medical Center Hall of Fame. The SJRMC Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 2004 to recognize visionary leaders of different eras who made lasting contributions to San Juan Regional Medical Center and to healthcare in San Juan County. We proudly present the 2006 inductees.

2006 Hall of Fame

Pioneer Category: Pre 1952
Jane Turnbull

Jane Turnbull came to Farmington in 1931 to work in the San Juan Episcopal Mission as a nurse. There, in the mission hospital, she cared primarily for Navajos and came to love the people and the culture. Originally she had come to spend just one year as a missionary worker, but she stayed more than 50 years because, as she once said, "I feel at home with the Navajo people." Often she was the only nurse working in the small hospital. Sometimes she worked around the clock. A collection of her photographs can be seen in the Salmon Ruins library under the Jane Turnbull Photographic Collection.

Pioneer Category: Pre 1952
Dr. Michael D. Moran

Dr. and Mrs. Moran came to Farmington, New Mexico, in November 1926. During World War II, Dr. Moran was the only doctor in San Juan County. He stayed up day and night to care for all his patients, never kept regular office hours, and never even took a vacation or left town for the duration of the war. He can be numbered among the indirect casualties of the war because he ruined his own health by putting others first. Among his many services to this community was the many hours of free time given to the San Juan Mission Hospital for the Navajo Indian Tribe.

Developing Category: 1953-1978
Dr. David L. Kendall

Dr. David Kendall was a champion of improved patient care during his long tenure at San Juan Regional Medical Center. During the critical developmental years from the late 1950's until the early 80's, when San Juan County saw tremendous growth and a corresponding growth in the community's healthcare needs, Dr. Kendall served in a variety of critical roles: member of the SJRMC board, Chief of Surgery and Chief of Staff. Without his guidance, his perseverance and his dedication to the principles of improved patient care, we would not have the same vision we have today of personalized healthcare.

Developing Category: 1953-1978
Dr. Joseph H. Sharpe

Dr. Joseph H. Sharpe retired from the practice of general surgery in 1991 after having served the San Juan Regional Medical Center and this community for over 30 years. He's still an active and avid golfer. San Juan County was fortunate when Dr. Sharpe moved to Farmington in 1957. Here he became a valuable, stabilizing fixture in the operating room and the emergency room for the next 34 years. At the time, there were only 12 to 14 doctors in the entire town, and only a few of those, including Dr. Sharpe, were specialists.

There were many trauma patients during the late 50's and early 60's as the oil and gas industry boomed in this area. Without Dr. Sharpe's tireless efforts in the hospital's small emergency room of the times, many would have died.

Current Category
Myron Taylor

Myron Taylor has given to the community in many ways. He was city and county chairman for the March of Dimes. He served on the board of San Juan Regional Medical Center from 1984 through 1989, the last two years as chairman. He also served on the board of the newly created San Juan Regional Rehabilitation Hospital from 1987 through 1990. He still serves on the boards of the San Juan Medical Foundation, the Robert Umbach Cancer Foundation, Connelly Hospitality House and the Farmington Civic Center Foundation. Myron Taylor's leadership has helped to guide the San Juan Regional Medical Center network to the fine, regional healthcare system that it is today. As a builder and leader, his contributions have been immeasurable.

Current Category
Larry Marcum

Larry Marcum, through hard work and determination, knowledge and experience, helped to build the emergency medical system San Juan County enjoys today. He moved to Farmington in 1978 to direct the fledgling paramedic service started by San Juan Regional Medical Center, the City of Farmington and San Juan County. He immediately began making improvements, resulting in his receiving the first ever statewide EMS excellence award. In 1981, he was named Paramedic of the Year. Larry pioneered many improvements in the EMS system, including training programs in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advance Life Support, and more. He was instrumental in developing and implementing the 911 system for San Juan County, and his leadership was critical to San Juan Regional Medical Center being designated a Trauma Center. Today's advanced life support ambulances, veritable emergency rooms on wheels, exist because of Larry Marcum's pioneering work in Emergency Medical Services.