May is National Osteoporosis Awareness Month and our Orem hospital is on a mission to teach you the risk factors and help you understand how to prevent this devastating disease.

Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones lose their density and structural integrity and become fragile and more likely to fracture.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), approximately 9 million adults in the U.S. have osteoporosis (80% are women) and more than 49 million have low bone mass. Half of all women over age 50 (and one in four men), will break a bone due to this disease.

People used to think that osteoporosis was an inevitable part of aging. Thanks to recent studies and discoveries we know more about prevention, detection and treatment of the disease.

There are diverse factors that can put you at risk for developing osteoporosis. Some factors you can control and others you cannot control. Whether controllable or not, it’s important to know about them.

Risk factors out of your control

• Being over age 50
• Being female
• Menopause
• Family history
• Low body weight/being small and thin
• Broken bones or height loss

Risk factors you can control

• Not getting enough calcium and vitamin D
• Not eating enough fruits and vegetables
• Getting too much protein, sodium and caffeine
• Having an inactive lifestyle
• Smoking
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Losing weight

A bone-density test is the only way to predict your risk of fracture and definitively nail down a diagnosis of osteoporosis. If you’re healthcare provider hasn’t talked to you about your bone health, it’s time for you to bring it up!

At Timpanogos Regional Hospital you’ll find great resources to fight osteoporosis. Our knowledgeable, experienced staff specializes in helping women maximize their quality of life, no matter the stage. If you would like to know more about osteoporosis and how it might affect you or someone you love, contact the Women’s Center at Timpanogos Regional Hospital at 801-714-6000.

Salt. The familiar taste trickles down your rough, cracked lips in small beads of sweat from your upper lip. With each new strike of the foot, small dust clouds rise up from the dry dirt. Your muscles feel weak, your body tired, and the pounding of your head seems to pulse in sync with the rhythm of your stride. Through squinting, heavy eyes, you can see the sun high in the sky, unremitting and fiercely beating down. It’s high time to hydrate.

Dehydration is a major concern for runners and athletes. Dehydration occurs in athletes or those participating physical activity because the body is losing fluid at a much higher rate—mostly due to sweating and high temperatures—without replacing it. So for all of you Ragnar relay-ers running the upcoming Wasatch Back (and marathoners, triathletes, hikers, cyclists, and other endurance enthusiasts) listen up and learn how to hydrate!

Prevent Dehydration While Running

• Before the Run - The week leading up to the race, you must make an effort to keep your body well-hydrated. Even if you consume ample water during and after the event, you didn’t go into the relay in the best condition. This can negatively affect performance, not to mention cause you to develop a heat-related illness. If you neglect hydration in the days before the event, you and your body will pay for it later whether it’s in the form of sore muscles or cramps, headache, heatstroke, or something more serious.

• During the Run - This can be a bit trickier. This is often a process of trial and error and getting to know your body—many experts recommend drinking to thirst to prevent underhydrating and overhydrating. How fast and how long you run can help determine how much water to drink while running. In one of our previous posts, we discussed how much to drink while running. It goes a little something like this: For every 20 minutes that you run, try to drink between 5 and 12 ounces of fluid. Consider a sports drink to replace salt and electrolytes, and know that there will be water stops along the course at our MountainStar first aid stations.

• After the Run – Consuming fluid in between legs of the race and after the event is equally as important. A good rule of thumb is to drink until your urine is a light yellow color. If your urine is still dark yellow after you run, keep hydrating.

By knowing the signs of dehydration and dispelling some of the myths, you can keep on keeping on!

How to Avoid Running Cramps

Ever been in a groove while running? Early morning air, sun rising over the mountain, and you just think: Life’s good. That is until the sharp pain runs through your body. The cramps begin—how frustrating!

Did you know that as many as 39 percent of distance runners may experience a cramp in their calves, hamstrings, hips or quadriceps while running? For most runners, preventing cramps is top priority. Here’s a list of five tips from the experts at Timpanogos Regional Hospital to help you avoid cramps while running:

1.  Drink up!
One reason cramping happens is the loss of fluids in your muscles.

• Water is the best way to hydrate your body. However, if your workout is running like a Ragnar Relay Race, you should consider a sports drink to replace salt and electrolytes.
• Try this: For every 20 minutes that you run, try to drink between 5 and 12 ounces of fluid. Also, 4 to 8 ounces before you run and when you finish.
• Just remember, the more you hydrate your body, the less likely you’ll get those dreaded running cramps.

2.  Stretch your muscles.

• The muscles most likely to cramp are those that contract. Stretch your calves, hamstrings, quads, and hips.

3.  Choose the right time of day to run—avoid heat and humidity.

• The hotter it is the quicker your body will burn through fluids—and as we mentioned above, hydration is key to decrease the risk of cramping.

4.  Proper running shoes will only help.

• Shoes that aren’t fitted right can cause major problems. Wrong shoes can create unneeded stress on your muscles and tendons. That stress can increase cramping while you run.

5.  Your diet can make a difference!

• Soda, especially those with caffeine, can dehydrate your muscles.
• Bananas are good! They help to prevent cramping.
• Refrain from eating within 4 or 5 hours before a run.
• Eat plenty of carbohydrates the night before.

So, the next time you get out for your run, keep in mind that only YOU can prevent cramps!

Ragnar’s Wasatch Back is an intense relay with many crazy ups and down—and we’re not just talking about Guardsman Pass, or trying to sleep in a van full of other sweaty runners.

We’re talking about the ups and downs of that annoying tag in the back of your shirt, or the front of your shirt…rubbing your nipples raw (yes, we just said nipples). It could also be your shirt, sports bra or worse, your own thighs.

That’s right, this blog is about chafing, and it’s no laughing matter (even though it’s ok to giggle a little). The Office used chafing to a very funny effect in an episode (which you can see here).

Chafing happens when an area of your skin is rubbed over and over again, either by another piece of skin or by a piece of clothing. The irritation is increased when you get sweat in the area. This common problem affects some runners more than others and can affect men and women in different areas of the body.

So how can you protect your skin from chafing so you can enjoy this race of a lifetime? Our Orem hospital has got some tips.

• Appropriate clothing
  • Do: Wear snug fitting (not too tight or too loose) clothing that wicks moisture from the body. Cover areas of the body that do rub so that there isn’t contact with spandex or the like.
  • Don’t: Wear bras with seams, clothing with tags or wear cotton.
  • Bonus tip: Bring an extra set of clothing in the van so you don’t have to run that last leg in damp shorts, which will increase your risk of chafing.

• Use Topical Barrier Products
  • Bodyglide® products, or Petroleum Jelly – These provide a barrier so your skin doesn’t rub, but you may need to reapply frequently. Places to apply: thighs, nipples (men), bra line (women), and between the butt cheeks (so we’ve heard).
  • NipGuards® or Band-Aids over nipples for men.

• Stay Hydrated
  • Staying hydrated before, during and after running long distances is a good idea anyway, but if you get dehydrated your sweat will dry into small, gritty crystals that increase skin irritation and chafing.

While chafing isn’t a serious condition it certainly can be painful. If you do get chaffed (or have another medical problem during Wasatch Back) visit us at one of our MountainStar first aid stations for help.

People tend to think that wearing your heart on your sleeve is a bad thing. For cardiovascular surgeons and patients, however, it would be a dream. Our bodies have a vested (no pun intended) interest in keeping the heart protected, and they do so with a sturdy cage of ribs. So when there’s something wrong, that cage makes it extra hard for surgeons to get access to the organ they need to repair.

What is open heart surgery?

Open heart surgery is a term that takes people aback. It means something more serious is happening, but it doesn’t always mean the same thing. In general, open heart surgery is any surgery in which the chest is cut open so that surgery can be performed on the heart. Different types of procedures can be performed after the chest is open.

What are the different types of open heart surgery?

• On-pump surgeries: In these types of surgeries, a heart-lung machine takes over circulation of oxygenated blood to the organs and tissues. The heart is temporarily stopped so the heart surgeon can work on a heart that is not beating or circulating blood.
• Beating-heart surgeries: In off-pump surgeries, the cardiologist works on a beating heart. However, the heart’s rhythm is usually slowed by medication during the surgical cardiac procedure.
• Robot-assisted surgeries: In some heart surgeries, the heart specialist controls robotic arms that perform the actual heart surgery. The robotic controls allow for extremely precise work, but can be used for only a few specific procedures. These minimally invasive surgeries usually result in less pain and faster recovery.

Why is open heart surgery performed?

The most common reason for open heart surgery is to do a coronary artery bypass graft, more commonly known as heart bypass surgery. In this procedure, the heart surgeon uses healthy blood vessels from other parts of the body to “bypass” diseased coronary arteries. Open heart surgery might also be recommended to repair or replace heart valves that don’t function, or to repair congenital defects or heart conditions. A heart transplant requires open heart surgery, as does implantation of certain medical devices. And for heart problems that can’t be corrected by a bypass or a medical device, other procedures might be recommended that would also require open heart surgery.

How long is the recovery for open heart surgery?

Traditional open heart surgery involves an incision that goes through the breastbone (sternum). The ribs and muscles are then separated to give the surgeon access to the heart. This results in a broken bone, and if that broken arm you got when you were seven years old taught you anything, broken bones hurt and take a long time to heal. However, a broken bone in the chest can’t be immobilized with a cast, so a patient has to breathe against that bone, and will also be told to breathe deeply to keep lungs clear. When you add up the effects of heart surgery, not just the heart, but on the bones, muscles, and other organs, it’s no wonder that recovery takes many weeks.

So while your dry cleaner is ready to take care of the heart-shaped stain on your sleeve, an actual open heart procedure is major surgery. No matter which type of heart operation is being performed, the cardiovascular surgeons at Timpanogos Regional Hospital are ready to provide the high level of care it requires.

The RAGNAR Wasatch Back Relay race is scheduled for June 20 – 22, 2013.

RAGNAR features a crazy 12-person team (or sometimes an even crazier 6-person team) completing a combined run of almost 200 miles along the backside of the Wasatch mountain range – from Logan to Park City!

Teams run all day and through the night pushing themselves to their physical limits—and they say it’s fun! And it is! Teams are well-known for their wacky names, wackier costumes and even wackier van decorations, which you can see here.

RAGNAR Relays is a nationwide race franchise started right here in Utah by Kaysville residents, Dan Hill and Tanner Bell. Their first race was the Wasatch Back, but now they run 14 different overnight relay races around the country.

In 2012, the Wasatch Back saw more than 13,500 runners (and just about as many spectators).  That’s a lot of athletes, and a lot of potential injuries. That’s why Timpanogos Regional Hospital (part of Mountainstar Healthcare) is there to help.

MountainStar Healthcare is proud to sponsor this event for the third year in a row by providing sponsorship, nurses and volunteers at various relay stations throughout the 200-mile course. We stock first aid stations for onsite treatment and help EMS services with more serious injuries requiring transport to one of our local MountainStar hospitals for treatment.

From blisters to cuts and scrapes to more serious injuries like dehydration that can come from running in long distances, we are prepared with medical professionals and supplies on hand to provide assistance to all the participating runners.

On behalf of Timpanogos Regional Hospital and MountainStar Healthcare—Happy running! See you there!

We all know levels of obesity in our country are growing at an alarming rate. In Utah alone, more than half of adults are overweight or obese according to statistics of the Utah Department of Health. So, chances are you know someone who is at an unhealthy weight.

But, why should we care about our weight? Being overweight and obese are linked to increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes (high blood sugar), high blood pressure, certain cancers, and other chronic conditions.

Although many individuals follow healthy guidelines and programs that help them reduce their weight, many others don’t see the results they expected. For this reason physicians and patients alike are turning to what appears to be the last hope – bariatric surgery.

Bariatric surgery is a procedure that is helping thousands of people achieve their weight loss goals across the nation and here in Utah County. Timpanogos Regional Hospital now offers these bariatric surgical options to patients struggling with losing weight.

Currently, there are many variations of bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery). Here at Timpanogos Regional Hospital, we offer three different procedures:

-       Gastric Bypass or Roux-en-Y

-       Sleeve Gastrectomy

-       Lap Band

You and your physician can determine which best suits you. Your doctors will review all of your options and answer your questions before scheduling your procedure. If your physician has recommended a surgical procedure and you’d like to speak to or make an appointment with a surgeon at Timpanogos Regional Hospital, please call 800-848-4652 for a physician referral.

Categories: Bariatrics, Hospital Announcements, Weight Loss

Tags: bariatrics, bariatric surgery, weight loss surgery, weight loss, surgical weight loss, gastric bypass, roux-en-y, sleet gastrectomy, lap band, Utah county bariatrics, obesity, obese, overweight, bariatric surgeon, weight loss surgeon, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, diabetes, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, cancer, why weight loss surgery, why bariatric surgery

FB: As obesity levels continue to rise, many are turning to bariatric surgery for help. Our hospital has recently introduced bariatric procedures—learn more about the fight against obesity.

Twitter: Our hospital has recently introduced #bariatric surgery—learn more about the fight against #obesity.

The bright lights shine down onto the stage. Every seat is empty—everyone is on their feet, cheering and clapping. The faint sound of a rhythmic chant begins. As the applause starts to fade, the crowd becomes louder and clearer. “Encore! Encore! Encore!”

And before you can raise your drumsticks high above your head and kick off the final song for all of your adoring fans, you wake up.

Ah, what a dream. Your childhood fantasies of becoming the next Ringo Starr came and went when you realized that keeping the beat on that tricky percussion instrument was a little tougher than the Beatles made it look. Finding the beat isn’t always easy, and even the slightest falter can make for a rhythm that’s a little too sluggish or a little too quick for the rest of the song. Unfortunately, heart arrhythmias pose a similar problem, except it’s not just an off beat song that’s in jeopardy—it’s your body. Arrhythmias cause the rate of the heartbeat to be too slow, too fast or irregular.

So what’s a rock star like yourself supposed to do when a heart condition throws you off beat? Enlist the help of a pacemaker. Artificial pacemakers (small medical devices that are surgically placed inside the chest) mimic the action of your natural pacemaker. Your heart’s own electrical system is what controls the rhythm, but if these electrical signals misfire, your heart loses its steady beat. This is where an implanted pacemaker acts as your body’s own personal drumming instructor by helping your heart return to a normal rhythm.

Pacemakers speed up or slow down your heart rate by sending electrical pulses to your heart. Typically, most pacemakers have sensors that can identify when you begin to breathe heavier (e.g. during exercise) and will increase your heartbeat to meet your level of activity and need for more oxygen and blood flow. This allows people with arrhythmias to be more active than they would without the help of the pacemaker. A pacemaker also ensures that all chambers coordinate, while all ventricles contract normally.

Yet, like a good musical coach or confidant (unlike Yoko), a pacemaker goes above and beyond just helping to regulate the beat. Pacemakers can check and record the electrical activity of your heart, breathing rate, blood temperature and more. This data proves to be invaluable to cardiologists when treating heart conditions, short-term heart problems or cardiac emergencies like heart attacks. This information will let heart surgeons know when and if it is time to remove a temporary pacemaker, or if your permanent pacemaker is still fulfilling its rhythmic role.

So before you toss those drumsticks aside in frustration, consider what a little help to keep you on beat could do. With an expert team of heart specialists, like those at Timpanogos Regional, you’ll be tapping your toes to the beats of Abbey Road for many more years to come…Encore! Encore! Encore!

Imagine building a machine that could run continuously for 80+ years with little to no maintenance. Believe it or not, everyone already has one of these on hand. It’s called the human heart and it’s the greatest pump known to mankind. Under normal circumstances, it beats at rate of 60-100 beats per minute. For most, the heart goes about doing its job completely unnoticed. Unfortunately, however, for a small percentage of adults it can start to show signs of irregularity as they get older. Such moments of irregular and often fast heartbeats are classified medically as arrhythmias.

For individuals suffering from arrhythmias, there’s nothing more unsettling than a serious episode. One patient described it recently as though a school of fish was flopping around in their chest. Arrhythmias are scary and, in certain cases, can be life-threatening. Fortunately, our Orem hospital performs a wide range of cardiovascular interventional procedures. Cardioversion is one of many medical procedures recommended to individuals suffering from arrhythmias.

The purpose of cardioversion is to restore a normal heart rhythm. Most commonly, this is accomplished by sending electric shocks to the heart through electrodes placed on your chest. There are some instances where medications can be used in place of electric shocks. The benefit of electric cardioversion is that it takes less time than cardioversion done solely with medications, and your doctor can instantly see if the procedure has restored a normal heartbeat.

Cardioversion is typically an outpatient (same day) procedure that takes place in a hospital or surgery center. Benefits of the procedure include a quick return of normal heart rhythm, an improvement in the heart’s ability to effectively pump blood and a decrease in the symptoms of arrhythmias (palpitations, chest pain, lightheadedness, difficulty breathing, etc.).

For more information about cardioversion and whether it can be of benefit to you or someone you love, talk to your physician today or contact the heart specialists at Timpanogos Regional Hospital.

Too often, obesity is looked at as a choice. What many people don’t understand is that obesity has many causes—preexisting health conditions, complicated relationships with food, genetic susceptibility—and those who are obese typically don’t want to stay that way.

One remedy developed to combat the adverse effects of obesity is bariatric surgery. Known commonly as weight loss surgery, bariatric surgery is a medical intervention shown to have a largely positive effect on changing the size (and lives) of obese patients. The purpose of this procedure is to slow the amount of food and food energy taken in to the body, thus reducing the chances of over-eating. Surgeries are only considered after regular diet and exercise haven’t seemed to have any effect, or if obesity has led to severe and life-threatening health problems.

Bariatric surgery is almost always performed in one of three ways:

1. Reducing the size of the stomach with a gastric band (an inflatable silicone gadget wrapped around the top part of the stomach)
2. A removal of a portion of the stomach
3. Re-routing (“resecting”) the small intestines to a stomach pouch

It’s important to understand a few things about bariatric surgery before considering an operation. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, bariatric surgeries have led to long-term loss of weight, recovery from diabetes, smaller risks of heart problems, and a reduction in mortality of 23 percent from 40 percent. It is often effective, and puts formerly obese patients in a new condition of health they haven’t previously experienced.

There are, however, significant risks associated with bariatric surgery. During and shortly after the surgery itself, patients can suffer from excessive bleeding, infection, blood clots and leaks in the gastrointestinal system. Long-term effects can include anything from bowel obstructions and diarrhea to gallstones, hernias and ulcers. The surgery itself may not work as well as anticipated, caused by anything from the sutures being rejected to staples coming loose. Hair loss and vitamin deficiency are also seen in some patients who stop getting enough nutrition after the surgery.

As with any major medical procedure, it is important to understand the risks along with the reward. For those interested in combatting the symptoms of obesity, or for those who are worried that problems, like diabetes or cardiovascular deficiencies, are getting in the way of living a healthy, happy life, it may be time to talk to one of Timpanogos Regional Hospital’s qualified doctors.