REHABILITATION PROVES TO BE A BLESSING FOLLOWING FORMER MARATHON RUNNER’S MULTIPLE BYPASS SURGERY

The news of heart disease is devastating. Some people become wrought with guilt over lifestyle patterns they chose over the years, many of which may have contributed to the disease. Fatty foods, cholesterol, inactivity, smoking… all of these have shown to increase risk. Other people may experience another form of frustration…that brought about by a healthy lifestyle and genetic pre-disposition to heart-related conditions.

John Finn was an avid runner. Throughout his lifetime he has run approximately 50,000 miles, participated in 25 Peachtree Road Races, seven marathons and is diligent about going to the track every morning. One morning in 2006, Finn was shocked to discover that he could not do his morning routine around the track. Experiencing an unfamiliar feeling, he called his doctor for some professional insight.

“He told me to come on in to get this checked out,” Finn said. “My pulse was normally around 56, but when I saw my doctor it was 150.” Shocked by the reading, Finn and his doctor discussed what was happening.

“He called me ‘genetically impaired’,” Finn said with a laugh, “and told me I should have had this ten years ago, but because I was in such great shape, I was able to put it off…but it would have happened eventually.” When Finn was a child, his father experienced several heart attacks, which contributed to his predisposition for heart problems. According to Finn’s physician, however, his healthy lifestyle was no match for his genes.

You may feel tired, your fingers and ankles may be swollen, and your back may ache, so pregnancy may seem like a good time for you to take a break from regular exercise. But is this a healthy decision for you and your growing baby? Probably not—and here’s why.

Exercise may be just the thing that you need to help decrease or relieve these symptoms. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released new recommendations on exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period in January 2002 that encourages women to exercise and stay fit for at least 30 minutes on most, if not all, days of the week. This dispels old myths and practices that viewed a pregnant woman as frail.

Benefits of Prenatal Exercise
Exercise has health benefits for the general population, but exercise during pregnancy has added health benefits, which may include the following:

• Helps reduce backaches, constipation, bloating, and swelling;
• May help prevent or treat gestational diabetes (a form of diabetes that sometimes develops during pregnancy);
• Increases energy;
• Improves mood;
• Improves posture;
• Promotes muscle tone, strength, and endurance;
• Helps decrease insomnia;
• Helps increase stamina and muscles strength in preparation for labor and after your baby’s birth;
• Enhances well-being and may help promote early recovery after labor and delivery;
• Promotes healthy pregnancy weight gain (when accompanied by a balanced caloric intake).

North Fulton Regional Hospital recognizes the importance of prenatal exercise to maintain good health for you and your baby. We offer both prenatal yoga and prenatal exercise classes, taught by experienced instructors who specialize in pregnancy fitness, to meet the changing needs of women during and after pregnancy. For more information about these prenatal classes and other services, visit our website www.northfultonregional.com/maternity. To register for one of our prenatal fitness classes, contact our perinatal education department at 770-751-2687.

Dizziness can disrupt your day and essentially throw you "off balance."  If you experience dizziness or balance-related issues, you are not alone, and we would like to help.

More than 40 percent of Americans will experience dizziness serious enough to see a doctor. Balance problems, another vestibular issue, are also among the most common reasons older adults seek medical help.

North Fulton Regional Hospital’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Services offer a comprehensive Vestibular Rehabilitation Program to address vertigo, dizziness, and other balance disorders.

Our goal is to decrease feelings of vertigo/dizziness; increase movement tolerance; and improve balance and postural control, gaze stability and overall endurance.

Yes or No…

• Are you in need of guidance during and after the holiday season?
• Would you like some help keeping your New Year’s Resolutions this year?
• Do you want to live a healthier life?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, allow us to help you!

March is National Nutrition Month® and North Fulton Regional Hospital and the American Dietetic Association is urging you to take charge of your health. We are pleased to offer a program dedicated to your health and well-being, providing you with valuable tools from dieticians and medical weight loss experts.

Learn about fast food choices, portion sizes, easy ways to get active and more!

Nutrition 101 will take place on Monday, March 3 from 5-7 p.m. in the classrooms at NFRH.  We will provide healthy (but still tasty!) refreshments for you to enjoy as you learn to incorporate these tips and tools into your everyday routine.

The program is FREE but registration is required.  Visit us on the web at www.northfultonregional.com/nutrition101 for up-to-date information in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned! 

Whipped cream faces and chopped up ties…just another fundraising effort at North Fulton Regional Hospital. This November, employees, volunteers and physicians at the hospital pooled their efforts to raise funds for United Way of Metro Atlanta, and with a goal of $15,000, this was no minor task.

Organizers of the campaign provided everyone at the hospital with a variety of opportunities to get involved. There was the yard sale where employees donated items for sale to benefit the organization…after all: one person’s junk is another person’s treasure! There was also an exciting balloon pop where for $1 per pop, a person could win prizes noted on slips of paper inside the balloon.

Administration team members and hospital directors also got into the spirit of the campaign. One afternoon they came, donned with snazzy neckties, allowing others to cut from them for a dollar per inch. It was a contest to see who could have the most inches chopped off, and in the end, Chief Operating Officer Ilona Wozniak claimed her victory.

Probably the most exciting event during the campaign was the pie-in-the-face. Some of these same hospital leaders covered up with scrubs and sat through pie after pie after pie, smashed into their faces in front of a cafeteria of enthusiastic spectators. At $5 per pie, the money added up quickly.

After all of these efforts, We are excited to report that we met our goal of $15,000, proving that even the drippy, whipped cream covered faces were all worth while!

Like anything else, the healthcare industry has experienced significant changes over the years. Having to respond to these numerous changes are the marketing professionals, those healthcare workers on the front lines of communication efforts. Charles Hendricks, senior director of marketing and public relations at North Fulton Regional Hospital, knows the industry well and has learned how to function in this ever-evolving environment.

“I enjoy the challenge and team approach of working with the various stakeholders involved in helping to launch new programs,” Hendricks said. He recognizes that in order for a hospital’s programs and services to be successful, they must have the passion of the employees, who commit themselves to delivering quality care; the faith and trust of physicians, who generate referrals; and the confidence of the consumers, who have the right to go anywhere for medical care. While it is the responsibility of human resources to hire passionate employees dedicated to quality, it is the marketing department that takes on these other two tasks.

“When you really break it down, our job is to help inform our customers about the services we offer and why they should want to choose us…If the organization is doing the right things—and doing them well—I think the most successful ‘marketing’ comes from providing great customer service and proven quality programs.”