Mindfulness Can Improve Your Health & Your Life€¦ · Mindfulness Can Improve Your Health & Your Life How to get started See pg. 26. Thomas G. Simko, MD, Bryan W. Chang, MD, Thyra

Spring 2019Plant-based eating and living: It’s simple and delicious and makes you feel great!

What the new Torrance

Memorial and Cedars-Sinai

alliance means for you

The Helpful Honda people are REAL!

Here’s how they give back to the South Bay.

Mindfulness Can Improve Your Health & Your LifeHow to get startedSee pg. 26

Thomas G. Simko, MD, Bryan W. Chang, MD, Thyra J. Endicott, MD

THE HUNT CANCER INSTITUTE OFFERS STATE-OF- THE-ART CANCER CARE. We were the f i rst in the South Bay to offer TrueBeam™ technology, a cutting edge l inear accelerator that offers radiation therapy with GPS targeting and sub mil l imeter accuracy that results in fewer and faster treatments. Our patients can have confidence knowing they are receiving the most advanced and compassionate cancer care available. Learn more at TorranceMemorial.org/Cancer

We FightCancer with Care,Compassion & CruiseMissile Technology

TorranceMemorial.org | 3

CHAIRMAN'S LETTER

A Publication of the Torrance Memorial Health System3330 Lomita Blvd., Torrance, CA 90505310-325-9110

DIRECTOR,

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Erin Fiorito

PUBLISHER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Vincent Rios

EDITOR

Peg Moline

MARKETING CONSULTANT

Jill Gerbracht

COPY EDITOR

Laura L. Watts

CONTRIBUTORS

Michelle Abt

Brie Cadman

John Ferrari

Mary Jane Horton

Carole Jakucs

Nancy Sokoler Steiner

Laura Roe Stevens

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Deidre Davidson

Peter Cooper

Al Cuizon

Michael Neveux

Vincent Rios

Remy Haynes

Published byVincent Rios Designwww.vincentriosdesign.com

©2019 Torrance Memorial Medical Center. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

This publication is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as medical advice. It has not been designed to replace a physician's medical assessment and medical judgment. Always consult first with your physician regarding anything related to your personal health.

Dear Readers,

In May 2017 senior leadership of Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center announced a unique affiliation designed to align these respected health care organizations.

This historic affiliation was officially launched in February 2018. We now reflect back on the first year of this ex-citing new era. Where does the time go?

As chairman of the board of trustees for Torrance Memorial, I have a front-row seat for the strategic changes taking place. As a result of this new alliance, I also have the honor of serving on the new Cedars-Sinai Health System Board. It has been very exciting to witness, firsthand, how both institutions have evolved and grown stronger due to the extraordinary mutual respect and collaboration among the leadership and medical teams.

The strategic partnership has been instrumental in bringing the resources and expertise of Cedars-Sinai to Tor-rance Memorial. The collective effort from both institutions has enhanced health care here in the South Bay and will allow Torrance Memorial to con-tinue what it has done so successfully for decades.

The past year at Torrance Memorial has seen progress in ways large and small, visible and discreet. To learn more about this remarkable collabo-ration and the effects it has had on the care you receive at Torrance Memorial, make sure to read an in-depth Q&A with president and CEO Craig Leach on page 8. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that the achievements are impressive.

I want to take a moment to empha-size an important fact: Such extraordi-nary progress could not occur without the wonderful support of this generous community. We are fortunate to have neighbors who enable our mission with their volunteer work and their amazing philanthropy. It is awesome to behold. Thank you.

I am proud to be part of this con-sortium of devoted professionals and to watch Torrance Memorial thrive, along with the entire South Bay re-gion. Please enjoy this issue of Pulse and learn what else is happening in our vibrant community.

Warmly,

Greg GeigerChairman of the BoardTorrance Memorial Medical Center

ON THE COVER"Yoga brings a beautiful unity

between body, mind and spirit

through the breath while we are

in the postures. With regular

practice you become more present,

with a sense of ease, and you can

take that into your everyday life."

–Carol Argo, South Bay yoga

instructor

Photographed by Vincent Rios

FEATURES

8 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Torrance Memorial

president and CEO Craig

Leach looks back at the

accomplishments of the past

year since the alliance with

Cedars-Sinai.

22 Spin Cycle As a competitive track

cyclist, nurse MaryJane

Bouman knows how to pick

up the pace—on the track

and on the job.

26 MINDFULNESS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Torrance Memorial

champions awareness,

meditation and yoga for

the South Bay community.

Here’s how to blend

mindfulness into your daily

life—for good.

30 A TEAM WITH HEART Torrance Memorial and

Cedars-Sinai cardiac

surgeons work together to

expand Torrance Memorial’s

cardiothoracic surgery

program.

32 FEET, DON’T FAIL ME NOW Torrance Memorial foot

specialists can help keep you

moving—pain-free.

36 Our COMMUNITY VIPS A budding neurosurgeon,

a police officer who uses

canines to solve crimes and

save lives, a local family

with many ties to Torrance

Memorial: Hail to some

extraordinary people who

make the South Bay home.

26

22

36

COVERSTORY

CONTENTS

ON PACE

10 SPOTLIGHT ON:

COLORECTAL SCREENING

How simple tests are saving

lives.

11 TORRANCE MEMORIAL’S

AWARDS

Plus, the most delicious

sculptures imaginable, made

with fruits and vegetables. .

12 HEALTHY BITES

Why a plant-based diet is

good for you—and the planet.

Recipes for vegan chili and

a creamy bisque. Plus, five

foods you should avoid

feeding your kids.

16 A CLOSE CALL TIMES TWO

Due to the Cedars-Sinai

affiliation with Torrance

Memorial, a South Bay

woman receives a lifesaving

intervention close to home.

18 MODERN PAIN

MANAGEMENT

In today’s addiction-aware

world, there are no one-size-

fits-all solutions. Here are the

steps Torrance Memorial is

taking to keep you safe.

IN EVERY ISSUE

3 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN/CEO

6 EDITOR’S LETTER

20 CALENDAR

25 ASK THE DOCTOR

Is it a cold or the flu?

44 FLASH EVENTS

50 FINISH LINES

40 WE CAN HELP YOU TOO! Our new feature, Helping Hands,

will focus on local businesses

doing good for the South Bay

community. First up: The Helpful

Honda team shows gratitude to

Torrance Memorial’s caregivers.

42 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK A partnership with Goodwill

Industries forges a pathway

into the workforce for people

with disabilities who start out as

interns at Torrance Memorial.

40

12

16

6 | Pulse Magazine Spring 2019

EDITOR'S LETTER

Clearing The Cobwebs

A few months into the new year … how’s it going for you? Did you set intentions for 2019, and have you stuck to them? Many of

you have. Congratulations! And for those who haven’t gotten there, who perhaps started out strong and then got a little weaker, you’re not alone.

We’ve got something that can help: mindfulness. Some people call it meditation, awareness, relaxation. Whatever you call it, it can be a powerful tool in changing your life by reducing anxiety and depres-sion, helping you sleep and break habits you’re done with. It can even lead to weight loss, better exercise routines and better sex. Yes, studies have proven all of these benefits with a daily meditation practice.

Writer—and meditation and yoga teacher—Laura Roe Stevens discovered meditation during a very stressful time in her life when her marriage was end-ing, her career was shifting, her mother was dying, and she had a baby to care for, giving her even more need for stress relief. “My first restorative yoga class changed my life. It was a 90-minute class with guided meditation, and during the meditation I felt a lift in my consciousness, a lift in my depression. I was detached, relaxed, calm. I began to imagine sitting on a high mountain peak, away from the noise, overlooking a beautiful landscape. I even saw a glimpse of the next novel I would write. As I came out, I felt a deep sense of peace. I trusted the moment and flow of my life, knowing it wasn’t perfect but was pushing me forward to expand, to grow.”

In “Mindfulness for the New Year” on page 26, Stevens shares the benefits and the tools you need to start and maintain your own mindful, aware life and meditation practice—in-cluding ways to meditate that don’t necessarily mean sitting silently with your eyes closed. Lucky for you, Tor-rance Memorial Medical Center offers plenty of class options. Try it. I do.

Also in this issue, a couple of long views of the recent alliance formed be-tween Torrance Memorial and Cedars-Sinai that are helping both institutions grow stronger. “Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now” on page 32 will give you tips for keeping your feet healthy and options for when they need help.

Finally, the Our Community VIPs department features three South Bay notables: firefighter Ed Hano; Betsy Biggins, whose family is an indispensible part of Torrance Memorial; and Antony Alvarado, a young man who took his cancer crisis as a sign to his career path. Spring is a time for renewal, fresh beginnings and introspection. Clean out those dark corners by shining light around you. And keep moving,

Peg Moline

CONTRIBUTORS

Laura Roe Stevens (“Mindfulness for

the New Year,” page 26)

“A regular meditation practice, also

known as ‘mindful living,’ is linked

scientifically to wellness,” Stevens

asserts. “If you want to boost your

immune system, increase

memory, lower blood

pressure and decrease

risks for heart disease,

stroke, depression,

insomnia or addictions,

give it a try. I’ve seen in

my life, and in the lives of my yoga

students, how meditation lowers

anxiety and fear while increasing an

overall sense of happiness.” Stevens

is working on her fourth novel.

Nancy Sokoler Steiner (“Our

Community VIPs,” page 36)

Steiner often writes about the

South Bay community. “I was

impressed with Antony Alvarado’s

grit and determination,” Steiner

says. “Despite battling

cancer twice in his

young life, he doesn’t

feel sorry for himself.

Instead he focuses his

energy and attention on

fulfilling his goals.” Steiner

lives and works in Brentwood.

Vincent Rios (Pulse creative

director and photographer)

"As a lifelong South Bay resident, I

am excited to be part of a project

that is so deeply connected to our

community. To be able to help

communicate these

stories through design

and photography

and to work with a

passionate team of

individuals is a true

pleasure." Rios also

loves to travel across the

country on his motorcycle when

he has the opportunity to get away.

Why You Need A Primary Care Physician www.TMPhysicianNetwork.org

Having a Primary Care Physician results in significant patient health benefits:Coordination of Care • Lower Medical Costs • Staying Healthier As You Age • Referral to Specialists

Call Our Physician Referral Coordinators for Assistance Finding a Doctor 310-891-6717

Gary Tsai, MDFamily Medicine2900 Lomita Boulevard, Torrance310-257-7260

Joshua Tarpley, MD Family Medicine855 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Suite 201Manhattan Beach • 310-939-7847

TORRANCE • MANHATTAN BEACH • HERMOSA BEACH • CARSON • PALOS VERDES

Zareen Choudhury, MDFamily Medicine3701 Skypark Dr., Suite 100, Torrance310-378-2234

Carole Hauser, MDInternal Medicine3701 Skypark Dr., Suite 100, Torrance310-378-2234

Kalpana Hool, MDInternal Medicine602 Deep Valley Drive, Suite 300Rolling Hills Estates • 310-517-4692

Nicole Alexander, MDFamily Medicine3333 Skypark Dr., Suite 100, Torrance310-784-6300

Yusha Siddiqui, MDInternal Medicine3701 Skypark Dr., Suite 100, Torrance310-378-2234

RajuWadhwa, MDInternal Medicine855 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Suite 204Manhattan Beach • 310-939-1892

Alexander Ellis, MDFamily Medicine3640 Lomita Blvd., Suite 200, Torrance310-944-9344

Elizabeth Harleston, MDFamily Medicine3701 Skypark Dr., Suite 100, Torrance310-378-2234

Panteha Rezaeian, MDFamily Medicine3333 Skypark Dr., Suite 100, Torrance310-784-6300

Ahad Shiraz, MDFamily Medicine855 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Suite 201Manhattan Beach • 310-939-7847


Q&A

PH

OT

OG

RA

PH

ED

BY

RE

MY

HA

YN

ES

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY One year into the alliance with Cedars-Sinai, Torrance Memorial is advancing

health care in the South Bay community.

What a difference a year makes. February 1 marked the one-year an-

niversary of a strategic alliance between Torrance Memorial and Cedars-Sinai. The two organizations joined forces with very big goals to create new op-portunities to enhance medical care in the South Bay.

So how’s it going? Torrance Memo-rial president and CEO Craig Leach elaborates on what has changed in the past 12 months, which expectations were met (and in some cases exceed-ed) and what’s coming in the near and long-term future.

Craig, in your mind what were the main goals for the affiliation between Cedars-Sinai and Torrance Memorial?

We all saw the potential to expand clinical talent and expertise here at Torrance Memorial. Even though the

South Bay has tremendous health care resources, there have been gaps in some clinical areas. The affiliation brings Cedars-Sinai’s specialists and programs to fill in those gaps. From oncology to neuroscience, cardiac surgery to ad-vanced medical research, the partner-ship expands our community’s access to world-class care.

What has changed and what has im-pacted South Bay residents the most?

It has been a very positive and productive year. Prior to the affiliation, specialists from both organizations had worked together successfully in treatment programs for stroke and congestive heart failure. We had a nice head start. Now, a year into our formal affiliation, the most significant impact has been our ability to offer even more expertise and treatment options for our South Bay community.

For example, we now have specialists from Cedars-Sinai coming here to per-form specialized procedures that in the past might have made it necessary for patients to leave the community for that level of care. Cedars-Sinai faculty in cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, cardiol-ogy, oncology, stroke care and thoracic surgery now provide services as needed at Torrance Memorial, supplementing existing Torrance Memorial specialists.

Have you seen actual improvements in care?

Yes, we have seen results. For instance, Cedars-Sinai physicians are working together with the Torrance Memorial stroke specialists to provide new capabilities to prevent the devas-tating impact of strokes. Cedars-Sinai and Torrance Memorial have jointly recruited a new neuro-endovascular surgeon who performs these very com-

President and CEO Craig Leach helped steward an alliance between Torrance Memorial and Cedars-Sinai that's benefitting both institutions.


plex procedures to retrieve clots from the brain. All of this has allowed us to provide expanded options for treat-ment at the Torrance campus that we couldn’t provide before.

You can read about a patient who experienced this level of care in this is-sue: Stephanie Bezner, an attorney and mother of two based in Palos Verdes, had a rare type of brain aneurysm. She was able to be seen immediately at Torrance Memorial by a Cedars-Sinai neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Alexander, who had just added medical staff privi-leges at Torrance Memorial.

Prior to the partnership we would have had to refer her to another hospi-tal to deal with such a case. Stephanie recovered beautifully and credits the alliance for not only saving her life but also keeping her close to her family and people she loves during the ordeal. (Read Bezner’s story on page 16.)

What about access to clinical trials?As you know, access to clinical trials

is especially important for our cancer patients. Our collaboration with Cedars-Sinai includes bringing on an expanded array of cancer clinical trials. In our new Hunt Cancer Center we will also provide space for cancer subspecialists from Cedars-Sinai.

Again, what’s most important to emphasize is the expansion of clin-ical talent and expertise—built on a foundation that was already strong. Our patients can continue to receive personalized attention and services from Torrance Memorial doctors and, if needed, will have access to Cedars- Sinai expertise and experience—with-out having to jump through hoops.

Have there been any unexpected outcomes?

For one thing, we can offer our staff new opportunities for professional de-velopment and more specialized Con-tinuing Medical Education training,

such as the recent sessions on mater-nal-fetal medicine and specialized care for very sick newborn babies.

Also, working together this past year we’ve already seen about $5 mil-lion in collective cost savings without any negative impact on patient care. We did well last year in our cost sav-ing efforts, and we expect that success to continue. Whatever we are able to save will go back into patient care, programs and services. This kind of efficiency gives us the flexibility to do more for our patients.

How do the physicians at Torrance feel about the affiliation?

Our doctors seem extremely opti-mistic about the future and working with Cedars-Sinai. They recognize the increased opportunities to fill clinical gaps in our community and are proud to be aligned with such a prestigious institution. The key success factor really has been the openness and collegiality between the people at both institutions. I’ve not heard one negative word.

What about the South Bay community?

The reaction has been overwhelm-ingly positive. While it’s hard to measure in a community of almost 900,000, we have heard a great deal of enthusiasm from community mem-bers, staff and volunteers. People like what we’re doing with Cedars-Sinai and are pleased that they can get that level of care and research here at Torrance Memorial and stay in the South Bay.

At first when this alliance was announced, there seemed to be concern that Torrance Memorial might lose its independence. How has that been avoided?

First of all, we were not sold. But I recognize that there was some confu-

sion about what “an affiliation” means to our individual organizations, so it’s important as we progress and grow to keep things transparent.

The current leadership—namely myself at Torrance Memorial and Tom Priselac, who is president and CEO at Cedars-Sinai—remain in our roles. Each institution is retaining its respective board of directors who will focus on that organization’s commu-nity mission. But we affiliated under the new parent organization, which is Cedars-Sinai Health System, of which Tom also serves as president.

Finally, what can people expect in 2019 and beyond?

The first and most visible outward change to the South Bay community will be the use of our new company logo linking our two institutions. And starting in February the new logo will appear on off campus build-ing signage.

Then this fall the Hunt Cancer Center will open, which will provide a personalized, patient-centered en-vironment for our oncology patients. The center will consolidate Torrance Memorial’s existing cancer treatment services—including nurse navigators, genetic counseling services and clinical research trials with Cedars-Sinai—to one location. It also will relocate Torrance Memorial Physician Net-work-Cancer Care medical group from its Redondo Beach office to the medical center’s main campus.

We believe with the progress we’ve made this year, our alliance will con-tinue to benefit our community and both of our organizations greatly for years to come. •


Why Screening For Colorectal Cancer Is Important

Simple tests can save lives.Written by Laura Roe Stevens

M arch is colorectal cancer prevention month. It’s more imperative than

ever to screen for this cancer now affecting Americans under the age of 50. In fact the American Cancer Society (ACS) reported 72% of new diagnoses among people in their 40s. The ACS estimates that of the 95,520 people diagnosed this year, only 1 in 5 will have a family history with the dis-ease. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. and the second leading cause of cancer death.

But there’s good news! Colorectal

cancer is treatable with high success rates when caught in the early stages. This is why screening is critical.

Torrance Memorial offers the latest in screening and diagnostic tests. For example, the in-home Cologuard fecal occult test detects blood in a patient’s stool, indicating a need for more test-ing, such as a colonoscopy.

A colonoscopy removes polyps (where colon cancer starts) for tissue biopsy and analysis in order to rule out or detect cancer. If cancer is found, a team of physicians creates treat-ments based on its stage and severity

SPOTLIGHT ON

and the patient’s age and risk factors. Treatments may involve surgery and/or chemotherapy. (If cancer is detect-ed during your colonoscopy and the polyps are very small, your doctor may recommend removing them during your procedure.)

Risk factors for developing colorectal cancer include:• Obesity• Family history• History of inflammatory bowel

disease• Diet high in fat and low in fiber• Lifestyle factors, including drinking

alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise• Diabetes

Early colorectal cancer may not cause any symptoms, so regular screenings are important. “Screening is the #1 way to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. If found early, a five-year survival rate is 90%, but that rate drops to 14% when the disease is diagnosed in later stage,” says Anne Milliken, RN, BSN, OCN, GI Oncology Nurse Navigator with Torrance Memorial’s Cancer Resource Center and Hunt Cancer Institute.

If you are over age 50 and have not yet had a screening, contact your primary care physician to schedule one soon. •

For additional information about the colorectal cancer program at Torrance Memorial, call our Nurse Navigator at 310-517-7077.

ON PACE


Food Beautiful Food!

There are many ways to be artistic in one’s work. And Tor-rance Memorial Medical Center chefs Jun Peña and Sam Sellona have found an outlet that’s as delicious as it is imagi-

native: food sculpture. Johanna Johnson-Gilman, director of food and nutrition services, says Chef Peña brings out his skill (which he real-ized during his culinary training) particularly on special occasions.

“He uses his ability to create art on our plates all of the time,” Johnson-Gilman says. “Then on special occasions, such as board luncheons, donor luncheons, nicer dinners, he will create something amazing that usually goes along with the theme of the event. He’ll make birds out of sweet potatoes or roses out of watermelons and beets. For a recent Honda Evening Under the Stars gala, he created a tropical sculpture that mirrored the evening’s Hawaiian theme. I don’t know what he sees in these vegetables, but it’s quite beautiful.”

Peña, who is Torrance Memorial’s catering chef, formerly worked on cruise ships, according to Johnson-Gilman, and that’s where he developed his expertise at food sculpture. He and executive chef Sellona work side-by-side creating the bigger structures.

“And humble as they both are, I think they really like seeing the reaction they get—how much people love it. They get a lot of satisfaction. They are both quite artistic. Chef Jun has even entered and won competitions, but we usually hear about it afterwards. He’s very shy.”

Visitors rarely get to see the sculptures, but they often are on display during the Holiday Festival events. Also, she shares,

It's Awards Season at Torrance Memorial!

Intensive Care Teams Earn Beacon Awards for Excellence

The American Association of Criti-cal-Care Nurses recently conferred Bea-con Awards of Excellence on Torrance Memorial's intensive care unit 3 and cardiovascular intensive care unit.The Beacon Award for Excellence recog-nizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s Healthy Work Environment Standards. The gold-level award signifies excellent and sustained unit performance and patient out-comes. The silver-level signifies contin-uous learning and effective systems to achieve optimal patient care. Signifiers include staffing and leadership metrics,

as well as effective communication and outcomes. For more details, go to aacn.org/nursing-excellence/beacon-awards

Torrance Memorial's Seventh 4-Star Patient Experience Rating

Torrance Memorial has earned a 4-Star patient experience rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a result of patient respons-es provided during the latest Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey. While no hospitals in L.A. County earned five stars, Torrance Memorial is one of only two hospitals in the county that received four stars, placing it in the top 2.4% in the county. CMS reports survey

results and star ratings at medicare.gov/hospitalcompare.

Torrance Memorial Three-Peats A for Patient Safety

Torrance Memorial received an ‘A’ through The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes Torrance Memorial’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and meet-ing the highest safety standards in the U.S.

The Leapfrog Group is a national organization committed to improv-ing health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. Torrance Memorial was one of 855 in the United States awarded an A. For full grade details visit hospitalsafetygrade.org. •

“During April, which is National Nutrition month, we’ll have a booth set up outside each of our cafete-rias, and we try to dress them up. And we often get a sculpture for National Cancer Survivors’ Day.” •

Torrance Memorial's artistic chefs Pena and Sallone display their work. Below: Typical is the tropical fruit and vegetable sculpture at Honda Evening Under the Stars.


ON PACE

Vegan Pumpkin Chipotle Chili Prep: 20 minutesCook: 20 minutesYield: About 8 cups

“This recipe is from Brandi Doming’s website thevegan8.com, which also is the name of her new book, The Vegan 8,” Erin Hoffman says. “I like the common ingredients and detailed instruction she gives.” Go to Doming’s website for a vegan Lemon Cream Sauce or use regular non-dairy sour cream for topping.

Healthy Bites


• ½ cup water or low-sodium vegetable

broth + 1 cup extra

• 1½ cups finely chopped white onion

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 (15-ounce) cans chili beans, rinsed

(or 1 can black beans, 1 can pinto beans

and 1 can kidney beans)

• 1½ cups tomato sauce or puree (not paste)

• ¾ cup pumpkin puree

• 2-3 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers in

adobo sauce (remove seeds if you don’t like

super spicy)

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1½-2 teaspoons fine sea salt (will vary

depending on your tomato sauce)

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)

• Fresh cilantro and lime for garnish

(optional)

1. Place ½ cup water/broth in a pot with the

onion and garlic over medium heat. Once

it starts bubbling, let it cook 8 minutes until

the onions are very soft and the liquid has

evaporated.

2. Get remaining spices and ingredients

ready while the onions are cooking. Add all

remaining ingredients, plus 1 cup water/broth.

Stir really well and bring back to a boil. Turn

to a simmer and cook 10 to 20 minutes until

chili is flavored through and has thickened.

If needed, add up to 1/4 cup more broth if a

thinner consistency is desired. Taste and add

any more salt or chipotle if desired. I used 3

teaspoons, and it was nice and spicy but not

overly so.

3. Garnish with cilantro and lime, top with

lemon cream (or sour cream) and serve with

Doming’s Sweet Potato Cornbread (from her

book). The cream really does go well with the

smoky, spicy flavor!

The Secret Life of Plants

Learning how to eat a whole plant-based diet is good for you—and the planet.

Written by Peg Moline

P lants have become nutritional rock stars. “The plant-based eating movement has grown steadily over the years,” says Erin Hoffman, a former clinical social

worker who now leads Eat Clean & Green: Torrance Memo-rial's Plant-Based Lifestyle Group, a monthly meeting to help community members learn to live a plant-based lifestyle. “And it’s gotten even stronger since the documentary Forks over Knives was released in 2011.

“Plant-based eating means, quite simply, eating fruits, vegetables, beans, root vegetables, nuts, seeds, avocados and minimally processed whole grains in their recognizable forms. It could mean being vegan or vegetarian, but some vegans eat Oreos and French fries and not many whole plants,” Hoffman says. “For optimal health, eating more whole plant-based foods with all the inherent fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals and micronutrients and much (much) less fried and processed packaged food and sugary products—which are pro-inflamma-tory—is the goal.”

With that goal in mind, Hoffman shares two easy cold- weather recipes—a chunky game day-worthy chili and a creamy soup—that provide plenty of all of the above. “Eating like this, it would be hard to not get the nutrients you need and not have to rely on expensive supplements. In our group, we encourage members to communicate with their physicians and only take a supplement when there is a known deficiency.”

Hoffman began eating her well-rounded vegan diet a few years ago, and her autoimmune conditions eased as a result. But she realizes it is not an easy switch. “I encourage people to watch Forks Over Knives so they understand the importance of minimizing or eliminating meat for their own health and for our environment. A new documentary called The Game Changers is releasing this year and will also definitely grab people’s attention.” Im

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ON PACE


Creamy Golden Bisque

Prep: 15 minutesCook: 16 minutes (with pressure cooker, 45 minutes stovetop)Yield: 8 servings

“This soup is so smooth and satisfying, and I like how quickly it comes together,” says Hoffman. The recipe is adapted from a recipe created by Chef AJ, who has been featured many times at Torrance Memorial, and Mary McDougal, who’s married to retired physician John McDougal, MD, who practices nutrition as the first defense against disease (drmcdougall.com). It uses an Instant Pot pressure cooker, but you can adapt by simmering on the stovetop in a cast iron pot.

• 1½ pounds cauliflower

• 1½ pounds peeled and rough-cut Hannah yams (tan skin with yellow flesh)

• 5 cups veggie stock or water

• 1 onion, peeled and diced

• 8 cloves garlic (smash, peel and let rest 10 minutes before adding)

• 2 tablespoons no-salt dill blend (or equal amounts of dill and oregano)

• cayenne pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoons Benson’s Table Tasty (bensonsgourmetseasonings.com)

• 4 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk

• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Put all but the last 3 ingredients in the Instant Pot. Use the manual setting for

6 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes. [If you

are cooking on the stovetop, bring ingredients to a boil, then simmer 40–60

minutes until sweet potatoes are tender.] Use an immersion blender to purée

the soup. Add the last 3 ingredients; purée again to mix. Taste. Add more

cayenne pepper if you’d like a little heat and additional water if it’s too thick.

Eat Clean & Green, Torrance

Memorial’s Plant-Based

Lifestyle Group meets monthly

(usually the second Monday),

6:30 to 8 p.m., at the West

Tower Auditorium. Speakers

and topics vary. Go to

TorranceMemorial.org/PBLG.

Healthy Bites


5 Foods You Should Avoid Feeding Kids Our children rely on us to give them foods packed with nutrients; here are

some items you should avoid.


As a responsible adult—parent, grandparent, relative or caregiver—you know, deep down, that children are not just smaller replicas of us. Especially when it comes to food.

And for the most part, they are completely reliant on the grownups in their lives for nourishment.

We might be willing to neglect our own bodies when it comes to getting the nutrients we need for health (nearly 70% of American adults don’t get enough vitamin D, even with supplements), but we do want to make sure our kids have the necessary building blocks to grow strong and healthy.

These include: protein from lean meat, fish, eggs, beans and dairy; iron from whole grains, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts and shellfish; healthy fats from nuts/nut butters, seeds, avocados, oils—especially olive, canola and peanut—and fatty fish such as salmon and tuna; carbohydrates that also contain fiber, such as whole-grain bread and crackers, rice, cereal and potatoes; calcium from dairy, sardines, canned salmon, broccoli and leafy greens; folate from beans, lentils and chickpeas, as well as whole-grain cereal, asparagus, spinach and Brussels sprouts; fiber found in whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds and colorful fruit and vegetables, with many also packed with vitamins A and C. (Best food sources for vitamin D are salmon, sardines and eggs; also make sure kids get enough outdoor play.)

What can be trickier than providing what kids should eat is limit-ing those foods they should not eat. “Snacking can be healthful, and it should be fun,” says dietician Allan Rutenberg, RDN, who is in Torrance Memorial's Nutrition Services department. “And the best snacks can tide kids over until the next meal.”

But quick, packaged snacks can be a minefield of chemicals, artifi-cial flavors/colors with lots of salt, added sugars and empty calories, he says. Sugary drinks and highly processed foods have been blamed for increasing rates of childhood obesity, diabetes, ADD and other chronic conditions.

Here’s a checklist of foods Rutenberg recommends you never give kids:

Kids meals/snacks In general, the more color on the plate, the more

nutrients (for both adults and children). Many “kids meals” consist of things such as a hamburger/fries, chicken fingers, mac ‘n’ cheese and a soda or juice, which generally have too much fat, sodium and sugar, and not enough vitamins and minerals. Stick to healthier options like apple slices with (natural) peanut butter plus low-fat milk or baked chicken “nuggets” you bread yourself, along with carrot or celery sticks. Don’t feed your child anything you would never eat.

Kids breakfast cereals “Most kids breakfast cereals and toaster pastries are

like eating dessert,” Rutenberg warns. Tons of sugar and empty calories take the place of the whole grains, fiber and protein young bodies and brains need for a good start to the day. Look for the word “whole” near the top in the list of ingredients, along with at least three grams of fiber and protein per serving. Buy low-sugar/high-fiber cereals and add fruit, like banan-as or strawberries to sweeten. →


Packaged lunches Those super-convenient packaged lunches

filled with deli meat, cheese, crackers and a dessert are highly processed and high in sodium, simple carbs and unhealthy fats. “Try packing whole-grain crackers, cheese cubes, tuna pouches or other minimally processed luncheon meat (no nitrates or nitrites), baby carrots and grapes from home,” Rutenberg advises. “You might even give a California roll or simple caprese sandwich a try. With your help, kids can develop adventurous tastes.”

Fruit snacks It’s very tempting to give these fruit strips

to kids; they have “fruit” in them, right? But often they just are loaded with sugar, fruit juice, artificial colors and preservatives, and don’t actually have any fruit in them at all. They can cause cavities and are no better for you than candy. If you must, look for brands with no added sugar. But best to stock up on the real thing: fresh fruit and even frozen (tastes great mixed into some hot cereal or in a yogurt parfait).

Sugary drinks “First of all, babies younger than 1 should

be drinking mostly breastmilk; between 1 and 2, they may also have regular or reduced fat (2%) unflavored milk, which will aid in their brain development,” says Rutenberg. Low-fat (1%) and non-fat (“skim”) are not recom-mended. “With older children, water is always the preferred drink.* However, if they’re like me at that age (sugar-crazed), occasionally having a sports drink or 100% juice that has been diluted with (at least) 50% water may help quench the craving without loading them up with a bunch of sugar. If you help your kids develop a habit of drinking lots of water (try the naturally flavored fizzy kind or add a squeeze of lemon), you are giving them a gift for life,” Rutenberg concludes. •

*Note: Milk is still OK and absolutely recommended after age 2; however, serving your children milk with every meal may lead to iron-deficient anemia.

A Close Call Times Two

South Bay attorney receives a lifesaving intervention close to home.

Written by Michelle Abt | Photographed by Al Cuizon

I n November 2012 Stephanie Bezner, an attorney and lifelong resident of the South Bay, was feeling excitement surrounding the impending arrival of her first child with

husband Brian. Stephanie and Brian had toured the medical center’s labor and delivery unit as well as the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and had selected the hospital as the location of their child’s birth. As a young expectant mom, Stephanie also planned to use Torrance Memorial and its affiliated practices for routine medi-cal care as she raised her family. All was going according to plan. But then it wasn’t.

A premature arrival and the NICUIn her third trimester, Stephanie was attending a board meet-

ing and client event in Palm Desert when she began to experi-ence severe, unexplained bleeding. With her baby in distress, she was rushed to Desert Regional Medical Center, where doctors had no choice but to perform an emergency caesarean. The Bezners’ daughter, Brianna, was born eight weeks early at just 3 pounds, 6 ounces.

Brianna was rushed to the NICU, where the doctors’ great-est concerns were her body temperature and ability to breathe. She had immature lungs, which needed close observation. The doctors at Desert Regional told the Bezners that Brianna would need to stay in the hospital’s NICU for eight weeks before re-turning home.

“That was disheartening,” says Stephanie. “I knew I had to re-turn to work, and it would be really difficult to see Brianna every day if we had to drive back and forth. Palm Springs was a really long way from home.”

Meanwhile, the Bezners had been in touch with Torrance Memorial, where the doctors and staff had been working on their own plans for Brianna’s care. Pediatrician Jerry Schwartz, MD, medical director of the center’s Level III NICU, was deter-mined to bring Brianna home.

ON PACE


Because of the Cedars-Sinai and Torrance Memorial affiliation, Stephanie Bezner was able to stay close to her children during her ordeal and still get the specialized care she needed.

“Babies like Brianna almost never get transferred,” Bezner says, “but Dr. Schwartz and the staff at Torrance Memorial spent the next five days working really hard to get my baby back. They really believed she belonged at home in the South Bay.”

On November 16, 2012, Brianna was transported by helicopter to Torrance Memorial, accompanied by a physician, a nurse and a respiratory therapist. Once at the heliport, she was transferred immediately to the hospital and admitted to the Torrance Memorial NICU.

Brianna received the care she needed at Torrance Memorial and went home within five weeks. She is now a thriving, happy and healthy 6-year-old. In 2014 the family welcomed their second daughter, Charlotte, who was born full-term and without complications.

A second lifesaving treatmentFor most families, Brianna’s flight

transfer and NICU experience would be enough medical drama to last a life-time. Yet last year life threw Stephanie another curveball. This time she was the patient.

Stephanie began experiencing prob-lems with her peripheral vision in the spring of 2018. A working mother with two young girls, she thought she was just tired. But a routine appointment with her optometrist found she had a limited scope of vision.

She was referred to an ophthalmol-ogist, and a series of tests confirmed that her eyes were healthy but she had a vision field defect. An MRI was sched-uled for July.

The results were a shock. The MRI found a large aneurysm off her carotid artery that was pressing on her optic nerve, causing her vision problems. An aneurysm is a weakened area in an artery wall that fills with blood and bal-loons outward from the parent artery. The weakened area can enlarge, bleed

or burst, causing stroke, neurological damage and even death.

Stephanie was terrified: “I felt like I was walking around with a time bomb in my head,” she shares.

The good news was that her symp-toms had made the diagnosis possible; many patients with an aneurysm are asymptomatic until the aneurysm bursts. Now Stephanie needed to find a doctor who could provide her with the right treatment.

She was referred to Michael Alexan-der, MD, a neurosurgeon at Cedars- Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Alexander began performing neurosurgery at Torrance Memorial following the recent affiliation between Cedars-Sinai and Torrance Memorial.

He recommended Stephanie un-dergo a relatively new process called a pipeline embolism procedure, in which a specialized stent is placed across the aneurysm to prevent blood flow into it. This allows the damaged blood vessel to heal as it shrinks the aneurysm. The procedure is done through a catheter inserted through the groin into the femoral artery.

“This was the best option given the placement of the embolism and its size,”

Dr. Alexander says. “And the pipeline stent has a 90% cure rate.”

Stephanie’s procedure was over in a couple hours, and she returned home the next day. “I was so lucky that Dr. Al-exander could perform this surgery at Torrance Memorial," she says. "He's one of the best in the country at performing pipeline stents, and people travel from all over the world to see him.”

What’s more, says Stephanie, Dr. Al-exander was “warm and welcoming and kind. No question was too trivial that he didn’t take the time to explain the answer, and he was available whenever I needed him. I was definitely frightened, and he made me feel like I was in the best possible hands.”

Stephanie’s aneurysm has been shrinking since the surgery, and Dr. Al-exander expects it to be much smaller—perhaps even gone—by the time she has her next angiogram in a few months.

With these difficult events behind them, the Bezners are now focused on enjoying their family time and the sim-ple pleasures in life. “We love food and story time,” Stephanie says. “We like to cook, eat and experiment, including going to new restaurants. And we just like being together.” •


Modern Pain Management Today's world requires new solutions.


It’s an interesting time for pain sufferers and their doctors. It almost feels like you could get in

trouble—addicted or prosecuted—by taking just one Percocet. And pain management specialists hear that.In-terventional pain physician Sina Samie, MD, did his fellowship training in the management of chronic pain condi-tions at USC and is building a compre-hensive pain management program at Torrance Memorial Physician Network. He has seen this pendulum swing back and forth—and the “war” on opioid addiction with it.

“There was a period of time when there was a big push to prescribe more opioids because there was a perception that we were undertreating pain,” Dr. Samie says. “Some doctors even got sued, so many started overprescribing. And of course research on opioids convinced us they were not addictive in patients with pain. Now we know that not only is there potential for addiction, but also some of the medications previ-ously prescribed are not supposed to be used for chronic pain. In fact, some can stop working and make pain worse.”

Dr. Samie explains, “Patients are very aware of these problems. And we doc-tors also know we can’t just give opioids without careful consideration because they have many side effects. It is very easy for patients to misuse opioids acci-dentally, leading to increased tolerance, and possibly addiction.”

The strong cultural and medical reaction is appropriate, Dr. Samie says.

“This is a public health crisis and needs to be addressed on all sides. Health care providers should be on the side of helping our patients and helping their lives get better—not contributing to the epidemic.”

What’s a doctor to do? In some ways, though, he admits

the pendulum has swung too far. “I’ve heard people with severe chronic pain say, ‘I’m tired of being treated like a drug addict,’ and ‘The pharmacists looks at me funny,’ and ‘I used to get something that worked well for me, but my doctor stopped prescribing it.’”

It is clear that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for chronic pain management, and doctors like Dr. Samie are looking at more holis-

tic, customized and multidisciplinary approaches. “There are so many psychological aspects to pain,” notes Dr. Samie. “It can affect a patient’s life in many ways. You can’t just throw pills at them, and ignoring the mind/body factors only makes the pain worse.”

A holistic approach might include biofeedback and cognitive behavioral therapy, various injections, acupunc-ture, yoga and/or meditation. “I’m very open to alternatives,” he adds, “and everyone is different, but pain psychol-ogy is very important. Biofeedback, for instance, shows a patient how they can affect their pain and anxiety based on how they are breathing and other physiological parameters. Meditation, yoga and tai chi have been found to work well for chronic pain, including fibromyalgia. We also recommend physical therapy and other exercise, and massage—anything that keeps you active and boosts your wellness.”

Recently research has shown CBD, an analgesic made from the cannabis plant to have anti-inflammatory properties without the psychoactive effects of marijuana, but Dr. Samie says he's not quite ready to prescribe it yet. "Some exciting breakthroughs are catching on though,” he adds. “These include more interventional techniques, such as epi-durals, nerve blocks and radiofrequen-cy ablation and neuromodulation. The bottom line is that patients don’t have to live in pain and don’t have to be afraid of getting addicted to pain meds." •

Sina Samie, MD has two offices in Torrance; call 310-891-6795 or go to TMPhysicianNetwork.org for information.

ON PACE


A VIEW FROM THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

The doctors who run our emergency departments are at the front line when it comes to managing pain. Pulse asked Torrance Memorial ED medical director Zachary Gray, MD, and ED chief Gina Sulmeyer, MD, who is on the Opioid Stew-ardship Committee, about the crisis and the proactive steps the ED has taken to deal with potential addiction and overdose.

When did the medical field realize there was a growing opioid addiction epidemic?

Dr. Gray: Concerns have been building over a period of years, and it became a concern in medicine long before it was getting attention politically or in the press. Since we in the medical community became aware of the problem sooner, we have been able to develop new guidelines that resulted in safety standards for the treatment of chronic, non-cancer or non-sur-gery pain that's different from the way we treat acute pain.

What has changed in your approach to treating patients?Dr. Gray: The most important part is that opioids should not

be used as a first-line treatment. We don’t generally prescribe refills for opiate-based meds, and prescriptions include fewer pills. We also are urging other modalities, even for acute pain, such as anti-inflammatories and topical analgesics.

Can you lay out those new guidelines for us? Dr. Sulmeyer: Yes, as Dr. Gray said, we saw the problem

early on and realized we had to start paying better attention to how we were treating pain. In 2016 the Torrance Memori-al Opioid Stewardship committee wrote new guidelines and published "Safe Pain Prescribing in Emergency Departments," outlining 10 steps to keep our patients safe while appropri-ately treating their pain. The pamphlet helps our patients understand our approach and explains our rules, such as not prescribing pain meds if a patient is already receiving them from another health care provider. We don’t refill stolen or lost prescriptions, and we do not prescribe long-acting pain medi-cations such as OxyContin or fentanyl.

We use a statewide computer system that tracks opioid prescriptions, so we can tell in an instant if a patient is “doctor shopping." And we don't use paper prescriptions anymore.We also have been working with our care coordinators to make sure people can see a doctor in a timely manner.

How has the new approach been working? Dr. Sulmeyer: We’ve seen a huge decrease in the number

of people coming to the ED looking for opioids for secondary gain, and we are also seeing much more judicial use. Some pa-tients request something less strong because they are aware of the dangers and that there are nonpharmaceutical alternatives for pain management, such as yoga, massage and acupressure.

Dr. Gray: I think you can expect more doctors to be attuned to this issue and fewer cases of drug abuse. And fewer people seeking opiates for long-term treatment of chronic pain.

THELMA MCMILLEN TREATMENT CENTER

“It’s a huge crisis—more than 60,000 overdose deaths per year,” says psychiatrist Moe Gelbart, MD, who runs the Thelma McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment at Torrance Memorial. “That’s more than the Vietnam War. And we see the real stories behind the numbers—not only people dying of overdose but also the tragedy of addiction."

He continues: “The problem started when drugs came out that were marketed as a way to control pain—something you could take once and have 12 hours of relief, then take another the next day. But what happened was people built up tolerance, the drug wore off too soon, and they had to take more. Doctors dispensed what people needed, and the more they did the more people got hooked.”

Patients at the McMillen Center work closely with Dr. Sina Samie to find non-narcotic solutions for their pain and are weaned off the drugs by trying some-thing different to reduce anxieties and fear. They also are guided to ways to feel good without drugs: exer-cise, meditation, relaxation and yoga, for instance.

“If you have an opiate addiction, you go through a specialized treatment program,” Dr. Gelbart explains. “The program is run by counselors who have expertise in opiod addiction. We use cognitive therapy, group therapy, family therapy and mindfulness. We're bringing in a trau-ma therapist. Some people like a 12-step-based program, but some do not … so there are plenty of options.”

The doctor explains that there are distinct phases of treatment. “The first is an eight-week intensive phase, four times a week for two to three hours each day. Next is the transition phase, three times a week for six weeks, then continuing care for nine months, group therapy once a week. Then they graduate. But I have people who still come here for meetings and groups for years, because it helps them. We have seen great success with the people who adhere closely to the programs we provide."

If you think you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, we encourage you to seek professional advice. The Thelma McMillen Center offers free consultations and programs to support the treatment, prevention, training and education of all aspects of addiction.

Contact the Thelma McMillen Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center at 310-784-4879. For teen inquiries, call 310-257-5760.


MARCH 5 – APRIL 23 MAY 7 – JUNE 25 YOGA BASICS

6:15 to 7:15 p.m. | $72/8-week series

The focus of this class is on gentle

yoga poses on the floor and standing.

breath work and meditation. Yoga

increases flexibility; strengthens the

body; improves balance stability, joint

health and respiration; and relieves

stress by encouraging a calmer mind.

Meets Tuesdays.

WHERE: Health Education Center,

3105 Lomita Blvd.

INFO/REGISTRATION:

TorranceMemorial.org/classes;

310-517-4711

MARCH 6 – APRIL 24MAY 8 – JUNE 26YOGA THERAPY FOR IMPROVED

BALANCE AND POSTURE

11 a.m. to noon | $36/8-week series

This class specifically focuses on poses

that will reinforce body awareness

and strengthen the core and postural

muscles. Meets Wednesdays.


3105 Lomita Blvd.

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

MARCH 7 – APRIL 25MAY 9 – JUNE 27CHAIR YOGA FOR ARTHRITIS

3 to 4 p.m. | $72/8-week series

In this class the chair replaces the

yoga mat and becomes an extension

of your body, providing support and

stability. Poses are done seated on

the chair. Benefits include improved

flexibility and balance, increased

muscle strength and breath capacity,

stress reduction, mood enhancement

and social connection. Meets

Thursdays.

WHERE: The Center for Healthy Living,

2550 Via Tejon, Palos Verdes Estates

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

MARCH 16, APRIL 20, MAY 18 OR JUNE 15AARP SMART DRIVERTEK

2:15 to 3:45 p.m. | Free

A new, free, 90-minute AARP

workshop that focuses on helping

senior drivers understand current and

evolving vehicle safety technologies

and how to use them. You’ll learn

the benefits of current and emerging

vehicle safety technology like backup

cameras, lane departure warnings,

smart headlights, adaptive cruise

control, blind spot warning, automatic

emergency braking and more.

WHERE: West Tower, Torrance

Memorial, 3325 Medical Center Dr.,

Torrance

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

APRIL 4 – MAY 23 POWER BALANCE

Noon to 12:50 p.m. | $85/8-week

series

A class designed to improve balance

by using exercises on a trampoline,

agility training and cardio equipment.

Taught by a physical therapist. Meets

Thursdays.


Memorial Medical Center, 3330

Lomita Blvd.

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

APRIL 16 – MAY 7 FIBROMYALGIA PATIENT EDUCATION

PROGRAM

2 to 4 p.m. | Free

Time for patient education is often

restricted in busy practices. These

small-group educational sessions

will enable patients diagnosed with

fibromyalgia to learn the latest

evidence-based information about

their condition. The 4-week series

covers fibromyalgia from diagnosis

to treatment (pharmaceutical and

nonpharmaceutical), with the goal of

patient self-empowerment and better

management. Instructor: Stanley

Tobias, MD, FACR.

WHERE: Hoffman Health Conference

Center, Torrance Memorial

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

APRIL 27ERNIE HOWLETT HEART THE

HOMELESS 5K RUN/WALK, KIDS RUN

AND EXPO

7:30 a.m. | $35/$25

The Ernie Howlett 5K Run/Walk,

Kids Run and Health Expo is held at

Rolling Hills Estates on scenic, soft-

packed trails. Race, expo, costume

contest and food drive benefit Harbor

Interfaith Services, a nonsecular

agency serving the homeless and

working poor for 44 years. Fees:

$35/individual, $25 team members,

includes a T-shirt, until March 27.

Sponsorships are available. Race day

sign-up is 6:30 a.m.

WHERE: Ernie Howlett Park, 25851

Hawthorne Blvd., Rolling Hills Estates

INFO/REGISTRATION: harborinterfaith.

org/support-us-2/heart-the-

homeless-5k; 310-831-0603


MAY 1 ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE

6 to 7:30 p.m. | Free

Learn methods of communicating

your health care wishes in writing to

your family, friends and health care

team. Topics include updates in laws

regarding advance directives.


Memorial, 3325 Medical Center Drive

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

MAY 6 – JULY 1DANCING TO THE OLDIES BUT

GOODIES

12:45 to 1:45 p.m. | $72/8-week series

Get a good aerobic workout while

exercising to Rock & Roll and Disco

music. Have fun while you burn

calories. Mondays (no class 5/27.)

WHERE: The Center for Healthy Living,

2550 Via Tejon, Palos Verdes Estates

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

MAY 7 – JUNE 25YOGA TO SUPPORT A HEALTHY BACK

12:30 to 1:30 p.m. | $72/8-week series

Learn strength and flexibility exercises

for a stronger back. This class focuses

on improving postural alignment and

core stability to strengthen and protect

the spine. You will also learn breathing

techniques (pranayama) that can

reduce everyday stress, allowing both

the body and mind to relax and release

tension. Tuesdays.


3105 Lomita Blvd.

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

MAY 15HICAP LECTURES: INTRO TO

MEDICARE

10:30 a.m. to noon | Free

A representative from the Center

for Health Care Rights will help you

understand: Medicare eligibility,

benefits and costs, coverage options,

assistance programs and who you can

call for further assistance. Workshops

are free; registration is required.


Memorial Medical Center, 3330

Lomita Blvd.

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

MAY 18 ADVANCES IN CANCER: LIVER

DISEASES AND CANCER

8:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Free

This is the second annual liver lecture

at Torrance Memorial, and it offers an

opportunity to learn about the newest

medical treatments as well as disease/

cancer prevention. Also includes free

Hepatitis B/C screening to registered

participants, as well as blood pressure

screening, nutritional information and

recipes from our registered dietitians

and a health fair. Held in anticipation

of World Hepatitis Screening day

celebrated on July 28, endorsed by the

World Health Organization, observed

by the United Nations and embraced by

89 countries worldwide. Registration is

required; it opens April 1 and closes

May 15.

WHERE: Hoffman Health Conference

Center, Torrance Memorial

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

JUNE 112TH ANNUAL WRIGLEY RIVER RUN

5K/10K/15K RUN AND WALK AND

KIDS RUN

7:30 to 10:30 a.m. | $5 to $45

Long Beach’s Premier 5/10k, the 10th

Annual Wrigley River Run combines a

friendly community vibe with a high-

quality race experience and offers

participants a professional chip-timed

race on a fast course through the

historic Wrigley Village neighborhood

and along the L.A. River bike path.

WHERE: Holy Innocents School, 2500

Pacific Avenue, Long Beach

IINFO/REGISTRATION:

wrigleyriverrun.com or

roadracerunner.com

JUNE 17 – JULY 22CARING FOR SOMEONE WITH

DEMENTIA

6:15 to 8:45 p.m. | $66/6-week series

According to the AARP and the

National Alliance for Caregiving,

approximately 34.2 million Americans

are unpaid family caregivers.

Becoming a caregiver can happen

slowly, as dementia progresses, or it

can happen suddenly. This series is

designed to give the caregiver tools

to cope with the demands of their

new role.


3105 Lomita Blvd.

INFO/REGISTRATION:


310-517-4711

Registration is required for all classes both free and fee. Discounts on classes

available to Torrance Memorial staff and volunteers, and ADVANTAGE members.


ZEST FOR LIFE

M aryJane Bouman, RN, is all about performance improvement—on the job

and on her bicycle. As Torrance Memo-rial Medical Center’s clinical outcomes manager, Bouman is responsible for “making sure that we’re providing the best care that we can provide.”

As a competitive track cyclist, she’s focused on improving her own perfor-mance, shaving fractions of a second off her time around the track. Each race lasts less than minute, but the sport de-mands peak performance. For Bouman, 41, staying in shape has been a lifelong pursuit, but competing is new to her.

Why track cycling?MaryJane Bouman: My boyfriend

took me to the velodrome [indoor bicycle race track] for the Paralympics six years ago. As soon as I saw the races, I thought, “Oh my God, this is my cup of tea. I’ve got to get involved.” I just dabbled in it at first, but about two years ago I started training. I don’t feel like much of a competitor, but I really enjoy it.

SPIN CYCLE

As a competitive track cyclist, nurse MaryJane Bouman knows how to pick up the pace—on the track and on the job.

Written by John Ferrari | Photographed by Micheal Neveux


“There’s a reason we carry our bikes—it’s so important to have good tires! There are no brakes and the track floor is wooden, so we can’t let the tires get any oil on them from pavement and we can’t have any punctures.”


What are track cycle races like?MJB: There are endurance races—2-,

3- and 4-kilometers—but I do sprints, the 200- and 500-meter. I train at the VELO Sports Center at the StubHub Arena in Carson. It has a 250-meter wooden track, so the 500-meter sprint is twice around the track. It takes me about 13 seconds to go through 200 meters; some others can do it in 11 or 12 seconds.

How do you train?MJB: It depends on the time of year.

I use a progressive plan to get to peak performance. I’m just coming off a weightlifting training schedule, with three or four days in the gym lifting, at the track three times a week and doing training rides [with the bicycle set on rollers] twice a week.

Why hit the gym?MJB: I was very fit going into this,

and I was an exercise physiologist before I became a nurse—so I know the importance of an overall healthy body. In sprint races your upper body and core are very important. Getting out of the block, you have to get this bike going in a very high gear. You need up-per-body strength to pull your hips and push the bike down and forward.

What’s your track bicycle like?MJB: There are no brakes and only

one gear. Everything is to make the bike as light as possible. Some people have carbon fiber frames for their bikes because they’re so light, but my bike’s frame is aluminum. It’s already so light they have to tape weights to it for com-petition.

Before taking up track cycling, you’d never been a competitive athlete. What pushed you to compete?

MJB: I decided that I was going to race because I noticed I was getting older. Even in the gym I was being

more conservative than I needed to be. I wanted to challenge myself to not be afraid. I wanted to build my confi-dence in life, to push myself and not be timid. I’m not much of a competitor at all—I’ve never competed a day in my life before this—but it’s really fun to be focused and to be training for some-thing and to watch yourself get better.

What advice do you have for people thinking about taking up a sport?

MJB: You don’t play a sport to get in shape; you get in shape to play a sport. Make sure you’re in shape to play your sport first. Set goals and put a plan in place. Everyone progresses different-ly too. People start out way too hard; they don’t start out where they’re at. At first what you’re worried about is getting yourself to do it. Maybe you’re not active for 150 minutes a week [the Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation for moderate aerobic activity], but 10 minutes a day is a start. You have to count your wins.

What are your own guidelines for training?

MJB: Training for me is easier since I’ve been doing it since I was so young. I started lifting weights in college and fell in love with lifting weights. As a kid I really enjoyed running, skiing and swimming. But for training, I believe in efficiency all the time. We all have busy lifestyles; we need to be in and out of the gym as fast as possible. For weight-lifting, I believe in low repetitions with high weights—you will see a benefit faster than you would lifting lighter weights for more reps. Proper form is really important to avoid injury.

What else should we know about track cycling?

MJB: There’s a reason we carry our bikes—it’s so important to have good tires! There are no brakes and the track floor is wooden, so we can’t let the tires get any oil on them from pavement and we can’t have any punctures. I feel like people look at me like I’m crazy, carry-ing my bike over my shoulder. Please let people know there’s a reason! •

ZEST FOR LIFE


Is it a cold or the flu?

Written by Laura L. Watts

Do you have a cold or the flu? They are both contagious re-spiratory illnesses caused by

viruses, and several of their symptoms mimic each other. Both make you feel lousy, but one is much more severe.

A cold is caused by direct contact with another person who has a cold or with a surface contaminated with their germs, or from germs in the air. Symp-toms include watery eyes, a scratchy or sore throat, stuffy nose, sneezing and mucus draining from your nose into your throat. The symptoms usually start mildly and last about a week.

If you have more severe symptoms—like achy muscles, fatigue, headache and high fever—and you feel them all at once, you likely have the flu rather than a cold. Influenza, known as the “flu,” appears most frequently in winter and early spring. The flu virus attacks the body by spreading through the upper and/or lower respiratory tract. It can be very serious and lead to infections like pneumonia and even be life-threatening if not treated properly.

We spoke with Torrance Memorial’s Kurt Hansen, MD, a physician in the Emergency Department, and primary care physician Joshua Tarpley, MD, to get the scoop on these two sim-ilar maladies.

Which is worse: a cold or the flu?Dr. Kurt Hansen: The flu is much

worse and will increasingly cause trou-ble if not properly identified.

How can I tell if it’s actually the flu and not just a cold?

Dr. Joshua Tarpley: Influenza typ-ically manifests with abrupt onset of fever (temperature higher than 100.4º), which often can distinguish itself from other more routine viral infections. Other symptoms often include head-ache, muscle aches and fatigue. Howev-er, symptoms of influenza can also be associated with manifestations that you typically see with other non-influenza viral infections, such as a nonproduc-tive cough, sore throat and nasal dis-charge. As you can see, the distinction between true influenza and a routine viral syndrome can sometimes be diffi-cult to distinguish without testing and evaluation by a physician.

Is it OK to go to school or work while I’m sick?

KH: You might get away with going to work or to class with a cold, but you should never do the same if you have the flu.

How do we avoid getting sick?KH: The best way to protect your-

self and others from the flu is by not contracting it in the first place. Small things make the difference between spreading the flu and containing it. Simply wearing a mask can prevent the flu from traveling through the air. And keep it off your hands! Hand sanitiz-er is convenient to use and gets the job done, and of course we should all wash our hands frequently. Also, get a seasonal flu shot and encourage others to do the same.

What do you expect for this year’s flu season? Will the shot really help?

KH: Thus far the country’s reporting

through the Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention shows only a few states with “widespread activity”—and that includes California. That being said, we have noticed in our ED a dra-matically less active season thus far. But we still highly recommend the flu shot. It is possible to have a large wave of flu activity through February/March. The flu shot gives protection from the most common strains and can help reduce the symptom duration and severity of the flu strains included in this year’s vaccine. This protects not only you but also those around you!

When should I call the doctor? JT: An in-office evaluation is often

a good idea for any patient concerned about their symptoms, those who are spiking true fevers over 100.4º or those who are part of a group we consider higher risk for complications from influenza, such as pneumonia. These groups include children younger than 5, adults older than 65, those with un-derlying lung conditions (e.g., asthma, chronic lung disease), those who live in nursing homes or long-term care facilities, and pregnant women.

KH: Call your doctor if you or your child has a high fever lasting more than three days, breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, ear pain, vomiting, ab-dominal pain, changes in mental state (confusion, disorientation), symptoms lasting more than 10 days or sinus pain. If you have a chronic medical condition such as heart disease, asthma, COPD, diabetes or HIV/AIDS, call your doctor when the first flu symptoms appear.

Torrance Memorial hosts Flu Fact Friday videos that help answer your questions for this flu season; go to youtube.com/tmmcmedia.

Kurt Hansen, MD, practices in the Emergency Department at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Joshua Tarpley, MD, is with Torrance Memorial Physician Network and can be reached by calling 310-939-7847.

ASK THE DOCTOR


MindfulnessCOVER STORY

Tina Quinn models forPulse magazine as she practices meditation on the beautiful Palos Verdes coastline.


R educing stress is paramount to good health and wellbeing. This is why “mindfulness” has become a popular

catchphrase in our country. Mindful living, or present-state awareness best reached via med-itation, yoga and other practices, is for anyone who’d like a healthier life.

Studies conducted by Harvard University, UCLA and the Centers for Disease Control showed a reduction of stress, depression, insomnia, anger and reactivity among its participants who meditated. Studies also show how meditators increased compassion levels, patience, empathy, focus and gratitude.

For these reasons Torrance Memorial Medical Center offers mindful learning oppor-tunities via drop-in meditation sessions for phy-sicians and staff; beginner yoga and meditation classes; healthy living workshops for patients and community members; and outpatient medi-tation, massage and holistic health services.

Daily meditator and mindfulness expert Albert Grabb, MD, a radiologist at Torrance Memorial, feels as if his life has improved significantly due to his regular meditation practice. “It has been of extraordinary benefit

to my life,” Dr. Grabb says. The physician, who has become certified in

mindful awareness practices, unified mind-fulness and compassion cultivation training, has helped start weekly drop-in meditation sessions for Torrance Memorial staff. Why? Because he knows the transformation that can come from starting a daily practice.

“I have much less anxiety. I can more easily regulate my emotions. I can focus on what I need to do,” he explains. “My relationships with family, friends and colleagues have improved. I have more gratitude for everything in my life. Food, movies, music and sex are all a lot better.”

The Science Of RelaxationScientists are now studying how mindfulness

practices aid in patients’ recovery. Clearly, low-ering stress hormones such as cortisol and glu-cagon can only aid in quality of life. Scientists quantified this specifically by observing breast cancer patients participating in a collaborative study between the National Center for Com-plementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

MindfulnessFor the New Year

Torrance Memorial champions awareness, meditation and yoga for the South Bay community.

Can mindfulness make you a better person? A daily practice has been shown to reduce stress and pain, enhance creativity, improve sleep and even increase compassion and empathy.

Written by Laura Roe Stevens | Photographed by Vincent Rios


“There is evidence that mindfulness-based stress reduction—a type of meditation training—can help cancer patients relieve anxiety, stress, fatigue and general mood and sleep disturbances, thus improving their quality of life. Most participants in mindfulness studies have been patients with early-stage cancer—primarily breast cancer—so the evidence favoring mindfulness training is strongest for this group of pa-tients,” says Miriam Sleven, RN, director of the cancer survivorship program at Torrance Memorial.

Other research has linked awareness training with a boost in long-term memory and focus. There are studies showing meditation’s benefit to overcoming addiction. Athletes who meditate before games claim it helps them “see” the win and increase drive and motivation while reducing fear and doubt.

Being Present In The Real WorldA mindful mind, one that openly observes one’s

physical, mental and emotional experiences without judgment, allows for the cultivation of gratitude, ac-ceptance, reliance, response verses reactivity, and love in all its forms. How does that work?

Experts like David Ji and Deepak Chopra explain practices such as meditation, Tai Chi and yoga help us break free from the ego, our nonstop thinking mind that drives thoughts of fear, cravings, criticism, feelings of longing or lack. When we pause during meditation and find stillness, we connect to the observer mindset. We can then see without judgment that we are not our thoughts, not our feelings, not our body—we are the observer. (Find free guided media-tions at davidji.com.)

I’ve been teaching yoga and meditation since 2013. In my 650 hours of yoga trainings, I’ve been introduced to many types of meditation. Many beginners are sur-prised to know they don’t have to sit in lotus pose and that they can even practice mindfulness while brush-ing their teeth or running. (See Mindfulness Tips for Beginners on the next page.)

If you have never meditated and have a hard time sitting still for lengths of time, try a guided meditation. Why? Because you can put on earphones, listen and let go. Experts like Chopra offer free 21-day medita-tion challenges (chopracentermeditation.com) where beginners can meditate the entire month for free, in the comfort of their home.

Nicole Alexander, MD, a family medicine practi-

tioner at Torrance Memorial Physician Network, also likes the guided Chopra meditations but reminds her patients they are 15 minutes in length. Some may need to start out with just deep breathing, then move up to three- or five-minute meditations.

“I struggled with meditation and was restless when I first started,” explains Dr. Alexander, who now meditates twice a day: once in the morning, once in the evening. “I’m a type-A multitask-er, so to slow down was a hard sell. But I’ve noticed that meditation levels my stress and I’m able to do more with the pause, as creative thoughts come with solutions and I have a higher mindset.”

Dr. Alexander studied integrative Ayurveda medicine at the University of Arizona with well-known integra-tive physician Andrew Weil, MD, so she can offer other healing modalities to patients who are interested.

Mind-Body Therapy OfferingsTorrance Memorial also offers

mind-body holistic healing therapies for patients, staff and community. Re-cently its Urban Zen Integrative Ther-apy™ program received a four-month pilot project grant to expand services within the oncology department, says Vickie Hershberger, MA, coordinator of the Health & Healing Program at Torrance Memorial.

The program is trademarked as it is affiliated with Donna Karan’s program, inspired by her husband’s notice of stressed staff workers when in the hospital for cancer treatment. The idea behind the program is to offer stress-reducing therapies, incorporating mind-body approaches to traditional medicine. This program began in February with patients in the hos-pital; however, Torrance Memorial has been offering a full range of complementary wellness treatments for patients, staff and community for years, aimed to “reduce stress, decrease pain, boost relaxation, mood, blood flow and circulation—while stimulating the body’s ability to heal,” says Hershberger. •

Therapies include yoga, meditation, Reiki, healing touch; lymphatic, pregnancy, oncology massages; reflexology and acupressure; and craniosacral. For an appointment, call Community Health Education at 310-517-4711.

"The word 'yoga' meansunion. A union is formedthrough the mental focusthat’s needed to do theposes. With regular prac-tice,you become morepresent. And the alignmentyou gain helps you feelgrounded, like you arereally in your body."

—South Bay yoga instructor Carol Argo, with Steve Belzer and Stacey Green

COVER STORY


Torrance Memorial Medical Center is dedicated to promoting wellness in all its forms. Laura Roe

Stevens teaches beginning yoga and meditation

classes Mondays at 4:15 p.m. and Wednesdays at

5:30 p.m. Please visit the website for a full list of

yoga, dance and tai chi classes. Here is a list of

events that may also be of interest. (Dates are sub-

ject to change. For more information, or to register

when required, go to TorranceMemorial.org/classes

or call 310-517-4711.)

HOW TO BEAT EVERYDAY STRESS

$55 for a 5-week series ($50 ADV/emp/vol), 6:30 to

8 p.m. Wednesdays, August 28 to September 25.

A TASTE OF MEDITATION

$22 ($20 ADV/emp/vol), 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays,

March 13 & 20 / June 5 & 12 / October 16 & 23.

MEDITATION CIRCLE

Free, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Weekly drop-in

support group of people coming together to meditate.

Not a class but a chance to practice meditation.

Hoffman Health Conference Center, Room 3.

Mindfulness Tips for Beginners

When beginning to practice mindfulness meditation,

start small. Here are ways that may just surprise you

with their simplicity and ease!

Just breathe. Yup. “Breathing breaks are a great way to

start to meditate,” says Dr. Alexander. Breathe in as you

mentally count to five, exhale as you mentally count

backward: five, four, three, two, one. Do this five times

for a mini-meditation break anytime during the day.

Visualize. Set your phone timer to three minutes. Close

your eyes and allow yourself to go to a serene place

from your childhood or your favorite vacation spot.

What does it look like? What does it smell like? Is it

warm? Is it cold? Who is there? Are there birds, clouds,

wind? What does it sound like? Is anyone with you?

How do you feel? Paint this scene for a mini-mental

vacation for three minutes. (Be sure to set your alarm

to a soothing—not jarring—sound.)

Plug and play. Download meditation apps such as

CALM, HeadSpace, WakingUP or BrightMinds, then

choose a short three- to five-minute meditation, plug

in your earphones and bliss out.

Present-moment focus. This mindful meditation

technique can be done while doing ANYTHING—

washing dishes, brushing your teeth, walking or

jogging. Basically you are training your mind to focus

on the present moment, or for beginners, the task at

hand. When the mind wanders, as it will do, you gently

bring it back to the present via thoughts like: “I am

brushing my teeth,” or “I am walking by the ocean.”

Marinate in gratitude. Peggy Callahan, South Bay-

based human rights champion, journalist and filmmaker,

meditates when she runs on the beach. “I can’t explain

how it happens, but at a certain point my mind becomes

meditative and I go into gratitude with thoughts like:

‘I’m so lucky to be here and go on this run.’ The ocean

totally does it for me. To see the expanse of the ocean,

I just drop into another space. I don’t know how to

describe that except that it’s absolutely everything and

nothing. It just is,” says Callahan.


A TeamWith Heart

Torrance Memorial and Cedars-Sinai cardiac surgeons work together to expand Torrance Memorial’s Cardiothoracic Surgery program.

Written by Michelle Abt | Photographed by Peter Cooper


S ince 2016 the cardiac specialists from Torrance Memorial and Cedars-Sinai have been working

together to bring outstanding cardiovas-cular care to the residents of the South Bay community. Now Torrance Memorial and Cedars-Sinai are pleased to announce a further extension of that partnership: Cedars-Sinai cardiothoracic surgeons will practice alongside our already exceptional surgical team to provide the latest and best cardiac surgery options to our patients, right here in the South Bay.

This partnership is a welcome expansion of the Torrance Memorial Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular Institute’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Program and is made possible with the addition to Torrance Memorial’s medical staff of respected Cedars-Sinai surgeons Wen Cheng, MD, Joshua Suah Chung, MD, Dominic Anthony Emerson, MD, Fardad Esmailian, MD, Dominick J Megna, MD, Danny Ramzy, MD, Aamir Sayeed Shah, MD, and Alfredo Trento, MD. The Cedars-Sinai surgeons will join Torrance Memorial lead by cardiotho-racic surgeon John M. Stoneburner, MD.

The addition of Dr. Shah strengthens the existing Torrance Memorial heart surgery program by providing further expertise in a variety of procedures such as complex valve repair and replacement, coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic root and arch surgery, surgical treatment of arrhythmias and percutaneous heart valve therapy.

While these procedures, as well as diagnostics and treatment, have always been available at the medical center, the addition of Dr. Shah to the surgical team will allow for the growth and expansion of the program in the South Bay. Explains Dr. Shah: “Cedars-Sinai has one of the top cardiothoracic programs in the country, and we see a very high volume of patients. Our goal is to bring our experience and expertise to Torrance Memorial, partner-ing with their physicians to make more of these services available to patients at the Torrance Memorial campus.”

“This partnership builds on what is already an excellent program at Torrance Memorial and a strong relationship between the two medical centers,” says Craig Leach, president/CEO of Torrance Memorial Medical Center. “By working together we add important resources to our program, and that additional surgi-cal coverage will ensure that community members have a highly skilled team avail-able in an emergency, able to treat highly complicated cases of heart disease and structural heart defects.”

Mark Lurie, MD, medical director of the Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular Institute, is looking forward to taking the Cedars-Si-nai partnership to the next level. “The Cedars-Sinai relationship has been ex-tremely productive in terms of providing enhanced cardiovascular care for our patients at Torrance Memorial," Dr. Lurie says. "Adding extra surgical resources means even better access for our patients without having to travel out of the South Bay. It’s a win for our program and a win for the community.” •

“An expanded partnership adds key resources, allowing for a greater range of cardiac surgical services to be provided in the South Bay.”

Cedars-Sinai cardiothoracic surgeons from left to right:Dominic Emerson, MDDanny Ramzy, MDAamir Shah, MDWen Cheng, MDAlfredo Trento, MD (sitting)Dominick Megna, MDFardad Esmailian, MDJoshua Chung, MD



O ur feet and ankles support us all day long—from the moment we step out of bed throughout

our day: standing, walking, maybe jogging or playing a sport, perhaps even dancing. But how often do we think about them ... until some-thing happens? That’s when Torrance Memori-al Medical Center’s specialists can help us, well, get back on our feet.

People take thousands of steps a day, day after day, year after year, notes Keri Zickuhr, MD. An orthopedic surgeon, she sees a gamut of foot ail-ments—from sprains, tendonitis and fractures to arthritis and complications from diabetes. “My goal is to get patients back to their activi-ties, back to the shoes they like to wear, without pain,” Dr. Zickuhr explains. “I see a whole host of problems; every patient is unique.”

That said, foot and ankle injuries most often result from overexertion, complications from diabetes or plain bad luck. Ankle sprains are probably the most common athletic injury, Dr. Zickuhr says. Achilles’ tendonitis and stress fractures, caused by overuse, are common too.

Treatment—including rest and, often, im-mobilization of the foot and ankle in a cast or boot—doesn’t always sit well with individuals accustomed to lots of activity. The good news: There are steps you can take to avoid injuries from overuse.

Practicing good form and technique when exercising is important, but even before lacing up your running shoes you can minimize your risk of injury by choosing shoes that have good shock absorption and arch support. Dr. Zickuhr notes that, generally, athletic shoes should be discarded after 300 to 500 miles of

running or jogging or 300 hours of exercise classes. Once your shoes are on, “make sure you do a light warm-up before you exercise.”

Stress injuries often begin with mild aches that worsen, Dr. Zickuhr adds. “Listen to your body. If it’s giving you signs, don’t ignore it.”

The Importance Of Physical TherapyFor people who do experience a foot or

ankle condition—from tendonitis to plantar fasciitis—physical therapy is as important as the initial treatment, Dr. Zickuhr says. That’s where Richard Shen, DPT, comes in. Shen, the lead physical therapist at Torrance Memori-al’s South Bay orthopedics clinic, sees a lot of patients who’ve simply overdone it.

“Typically,” he says, “it’s people doing more activity than their body can handle—too much activity suddenly.” One of the most common injuries—ankle sprain—can be caused by

Torrance Memorial foot specialists can help keep you moving, pain-free.Written by John Ferrari

Always warm up properly before your workout and stretch thoroughly afterward. Your feet and legs will thank you.


something as simple and unavoidable as stepping off a curb the wrong way.

Initially, the best treatment for these and similar injuries is simple: rest, ice and anti-inflammatories to reduce swelling and pain. After that, physical therapy can help “retrain” the ligaments and muscles to work together correctly.

The foot is part of a “kinetic chain,” Shen explains, linking the foot, ankle, knee and hip. A foot or ankle injury can affect the entire body—up into the core muscles and the spine—so orthopedic physical therapy focuses not only on the foot and ankle but on the entire kinetic chain, helping the patient improve flexibility, regain balance and return to a normal gait.

Unlike sprains, tendonitis and similar complaints, some ankle injuries can cause a problem long after they occur, such as arthritis. Using the ankle joint—walking and jumping—can cause inflammation and pain in the short term, joint stiffness and eventually bone spurs and arthritis, Dr. Zickuhr says. Although some ankle arthritis is caused by aging, most instances are the result of a previous trauma—like a bad frac-ture—that damages the cartilage.

While ankle arthritis may be an intractable prob-lem, there have been advances in its treatment. “The gold standard used to be ankle fusion to correct arthritis, resulting in no motion,” Dr. Zickuhr ex-plains. “Over the last 10 years the technology for ankle replacement has really evolved. It’s now better than fusion for many patients, and people can keep some of the motion they have.”

Diabetic ComplicationsAnother intractable problem, diabetes, is the

other main cause of foot injuries. “The majority of the patients I see have problems with their feet as a result of diabetes,” says podiatrist Karen Shum, DPM. Dr. Shum, medical director of Torrance Memorial’s Amputation Prevention Center, says approximately half of people with diabetes develop a loss of sensation (neuropathy) in their feet.

Even a blister or small cut, unnoticed and untreated, can lead to an open ulcer—especially because diabetes also causes poor circulation, which leads to slower healing times and an increased risk of infection. “The problems compound with each added issue,” Dr. Shum notes.

Prevention is the best course, and the preventive measures are simple, Dr. Shum says: careful foot in-spections, including top, bottom and between the toes.

“Listen to your body… if it’s giving you signs, don’t ignore them.”


HAPPY FEET

TIPS TO KEEP YOUR TOES IN TOP SHAPE

Stay light on your feet. Extra pounds

add to the pressure and stress your

foot experiences with every step,

exacerbating foot pain. Three times

the body’s weight is concentrated in

the feet due to gravity.

Wear sensible shoes. Avoid styles that

pinch your toes or concentrate all of

your weight on one part of your foot.

Keep it cushy. As a rough guide,

replace athletic shoes every 300 to

500 miles of running or jogging or

every 300 hours of exercise classes.

Shake it out. Always do a light warm-

up before exercising and end your

workout with stretches.

Listen up. If you experience aches or

pains in your feet, don’t ignore them.

Work with a trainer, coach, physical

therapist, podiatrist, CAM practitioner

or medical professional to find the

root cause and take care of it.

Pamper your tootsies. Foot massages

and soaking can relax your feet and

your whole body, stimulating the

release of endorphins and reducing

anxiety. Ahhh …

She also recommends closed-toe shoes for patients with diabetic neuropathy; light-colored socks to reveal stains caused by any open sore; and close blood glucose control.

The Holistic ApproachWhether they’re caused by overexertion, diabetes or bad luck,

foot and ankle injuries have one thing in common: pain. Integra-tive medicine—combining Western approaches with complemen-tary therapies including acupressure and reflexology—can play an important role in reducing pain and helping a patient regain strength, balance and flexibility.

Linda Chollar, MTI, who is certified in functional acupressure, is an expert on integrative therapy and a committee member with Torrance Memorial’s Graziadio Wellness Center. She specializes in pain management, integrating a combination of manual therapies customized for each patient including clinical reflexology and fo-cus on soft tissue of the foot core system. The National Institute of Health reports a clinical trial showing that reflexology is effective at reducing chronic low back pain in nurses.

Chollar helps reduce patients’ pain levels and provides guid-ance on correcting their gait and posture to restore overall body stability. “My approach is based on both Eastern medicine and Western evidence-based therapies,” she says. “The bottom line is cost savings to the patient, fewer drugs and fewer side effects.”

Dr. Zickuhr agrees. A lot of pain is caused by inflammation, she says. Drugs can reduce inflammation and pain, but so can acupressure, reflexology and other hands-on therapies—even simple foot massage. Foot therapy can stimulate the release of endorphins, increasing relaxation and reducing anxiety, Chollar says, “Feet allow us great opportunity with therapeutic touch, to communicate with the whole body.” •

Holistic footcare practitioner Linda Chollar is based in Manhattan Beach; call 310-995-2135.


Paying It ForwardWritten by Nancy Sokoler Steiner | Photograped by Vincent Rios

A ntony Alvarado has seen hospitals from the viewpoint of a patient as well as a volunteer. At the age of 9

he underwent surgery to remove a life-threat-ening brain tumor. Had his surgery been postponed by mere hours, the pressure on his brain would have caused brain death.

“When I woke up, I knew I wanted to become a neurosurgeon,” says Alvarado, now a freshman at the University of Rochester in New York. “I didn’t think I’d have the opportu-nity to grow up, and I wanted to give that gift to other children in similar situations.”

As a high school student, Alvarado volun-teered at Torrance Memorial Medical Center on Saturdays, helping at the information desk, transporting patients, delivering flowers and helping with other patient-related errands. He would ride to and from the medical center with his mother, Zoila, who works Saturdays as a per-diem unit secretary. Although he was only required to work a four-hour shift, he’d often stay longer to help out.

“Instead of people focusing on me and my medical situation, I got to focus on other peo-ple,” he says. “And working in the hospital as a volunteer showed me that I enjoyed caring for people in a hospital setting.”

Alvarado experienced a cancer recurrence in his junior year of high school and underwent chemotherapy. Tumors still remain in his body, but fortunately they have remained stable.

In the summer before his senior year, Alvara-do participated in a research internship at Chil-dren’s Hospital Los Angeles. He worked at a lab that was developing a treatment for a different type of brain cancer. Meanwhile he was receiv-ing chemotherapy infusions on the weekends.

“I was fighting cancer double time—in the lab and in my body,” he says.

Now in college, Alvarado has remained true to his intentions as a youngster. He is majoring in biochemistry and is on a pre-med track.

“I like it, but it’s really tough,” he says about his studies. But he’s up for the challenge and has earned good grades for his first semester.

His philosophy and advice to others: “No matter the obstacles life entails, face them with a smile and recognize that all past experiences have prepared you for a better tomorrow.”

AntonyAlvarado

“I was fighting cancer double time—in the lab and in my body.”

OUR COMMUNITY VIPS


Antony Alvarado is working hard toward his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon.


Lives Saved

Written by Nancy Sokoler Steiner

D owney Police officer Ed Hano’s partner has four legs and a tail. Hano, an 18-year veteran of the

force, is a canine handler. He works with Dutch shepherd Dani, who helps apprehend suspects and sniff out narcotics.

“I spend more time with her than with my family,” he says of the dog, who lives at the San Gabriel house he shares with his wife, Denise, and two daughters.

During a training exercise with the unit dogs in July 2017, Hano went too close to the door of an electrical panel and it exploded right in front of him. He was rushed to the nearest hospital and quickly transferred to Torrance Memori-al’s Burn, Wound and Amputation Prevention Center. The center is one of only three American Burn Association-certified Burn Centers in Los Angeles County.

Hano suffered burns on 25% of his body, including his chest, both arms and both hands. He was unconscious for the first two weeks of his month-long hospitalization. He underwent two skin graft surgeries and has since had six laser sur-geries to reduce scarring and resurface his skin.

“They treated me very well,” he says of his stay at the Burn Center. “Everybody was respectful and understanding. Anything I needed, they were happy to oblige.”

Hano has since returned to the Burn Center to visit with staff and provide encouragement to other patients. “I owe them my life,” he says.

In turn, there’s someone who owes her life to Ed Hano. One day in 2015 his daughter ran into the house saying there was a neighbor outside yelling and holding a limp baby. Hano dashed out to discover that the baby had fallen into the neighbor’s pool. He was blue and had no pulse.

Hano immediately performed CPR. The baby spit out water and had resumed breathing by the time the paramedics arrived. He had a full recovery.

“Everybody was respectful and understanding. Anything I needed, they were happy to oblige.”

OUR COMMUNITY VIPS

EdHano


Feels Like Home

Written by Nancy Sokoler Steiner

T orrance Memorial has played a large role in the lives of the Biggins family. Betsy, 83, worked here for 32 years and retired just six years ago. As a physician

liaison, she ensured smooth coordination between the hospi-tal and physicians’ medical practices. She also organized the Speakers’ Bureau and for 25 years ran the Miracle of Living health education lecture series.

“It’s a wonderful place to work,” she says. “It felt like home.”In fact, she is so attached to Torrance Memorial that she

volunteers weekly as a patient representative. In that role, she visits patients on the orthopedic floor to see how they’re doing and offer any assistance they may need.

“I didn’t want to leave Torrance Memorial, but I didn’t want to be in charge,” she says with a laugh. “I enjoy helping pa-tients, answering their questions and visiting with them.”

Betsy’s husband, Jerry, had four cancers successfully treated

BetsyBiggins

at Torrance Memorial—parathyroid cancer, melanoma, lung cancer and bladder cancer. All were caught early.

“He’s been cancer-free for years,” Betsy says. “It’s kind of a miracle.”

Daughter Jill Gerbracht also works at Torrance Memorial. She started last year in the marketing department. Daughter Kristin is a teacher and adventurer who has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Whitney and will hike Mont Blanc in the Alps this summer. Daughter Liz is an artist and lives in Santa Barbara. And Betsy’s granddaughter, Jill’s daughter, just joined Torrance Memorial’s high school volunteer program. Mean-

while, granddaughter Helen is studying to be a nurse at Loyola University Chicago. Talk about a family affair.

Betsy is active in the community. She serves on the board of Community’s Child, which provides home-less women with infant children safe living environ-ments. She is also on her church’s mission committee. She has held volunteer leadership positions in other agencies including the Palos Verdes Coordinating Council, the Palos Verdes Chamber and the Torrance chapter of the American Heart Association.

She also enjoys spending time with her five grand-children, three of whom were born at Torrance Me-morial. “I feel very blessed,” she says. “I’m healthy and active and busy. I feel young most of the time.” •

“Torrance Memorial is a wonderful place to work. It felt like home.”


HELPING HANDS

You’ve seen them on TV—dressed in blue and capturing the reactions of real people receiving unexpected

assistance. If you’ve ever wondered if the “help-ful” stories of the Helpful Honda guys and gals are true, the staff at Torrance Memorial can assure you firsthand: They are!

The Southern California Honda Dealers Association has been surprising South Bay residents with Random Acts of Helpfulness for more than a decade. Their commitment to help locals hit home last December when the Helpful Honda team surprised staff members at Torrance Memorial with free goodies from the Helpful Honda Holiday Treats Truck.

The unexpected visit came at a busy time and brought a great deal of holiday cheer to hospital staff. The Honda team wanted to recognize the random acts of kindness the hospital staff shows toward patients and guests each day.

“It was really awesome to surprise Torrance Memorial staff with a special holiday treat,” says Helpful Honda person Sam Brittan, who was on the team that visited the medical center that day. “They all work so hard taking care of people day and night, so it was extremely grat-ifying to stop by the hospital with the Helpful Honda Treats Truck and help the people who help others.”

We Can Help You Too!The Helpful Honda team shows gratitude to Torrance Memorial’s caregivers.

Written by Laura L. Watts

Above: The Helpful Honda team visits

Torrance Memorial. Right: Helpful Honda

team member Sam Brittan.


OTHER HELPFUL HONDA RANDOM ACTS OVER THE PAST YEAR:

Surprised Torrance families

with free pumpkins for

Halloween

Surprised firefighters in

Carson with lunch

Assisted college students

moving into Cal State

Dominguez Hills in Carson,

including giving laundry bags

to new students

Helpful Honda Ice Cream

truck helped Torrance/

Gardena residents cool down

with free ice cream

Hosted a pop-up barbershop

in Torrance and surprised dads

with a free haircut or shave in

honor of Father’s Day

Treated Gardena, Carson and

Wilmington residents to free

roses for Valentine’s Day

Visited Torrance, Gardena and

Carson grocery stores to help

residents carry and load large

groceries

Visited area parks to pick up

litter and treat park-goers/

hikers to free water

Gifted SoCal teachers with

school supplies in honor of

Teacher Appreciation Week

“This is the real deal, not just some advertising campaign,” confirms Erin Fiorito, director of marketing commu-nications for Torrance Memorial. “It is a true commitment to providing the local community—and in this case Torrance Memorial—with a little moment of appreciation. It was really fun and up-lifting to have the Helpful Honda team on campus. We were honored by the way they cared for those who deliver exceptional care to our community each day.”

The Random Acts of Helpfulness campaign started in 2007 when an asso-ciation of about 50 Honda dealerships based in Southern California launched a bold experiment. To increase resi-dents’ trust in car dealerships and at the same time increase sales, they sent staff members into the community wearing light blue polo shirts—a familiar sight to many South Bay residents—to do everything from washing customers’ cars to paying parking meters.

In essence, they wanted to connect in an authentic way with the local customers they serve and not just push car sales. The acts of goodwill as well as the recipients are basically chosen at random by the team, thus the name of the campaign.

Their TV commercials show the Helpful Honda team at work in the community. Then with the phrase “and we can help you too,” the ads gently transition to telling viewers how Honda can help them with their next car purchase.

For the past 12 years the SoCal Honda Dealers have visited more than 10,000 locations to assist residents with needed items or simply an unexpect-ed treat—gestures like pumping and paying for drivers’ gas, distributing reusable bags to shoppers at grocery stores, giving free ice cream on National Ice Cream Day and handing out roses on Valentine’s Day.

The Guys and Gals in Blue are typi-cally out in full force during the holiday season, making it merrier for SoCal’s less fortunate. In addition to treat-ing the Torrance Memorial staff, last December the Helpful Honda team also visited the Boys & Girls Club in Carson to surprise the kids with holiday treats; offered drivers in Hawthorne and Lomita free gas at the pumps; and do-nated thousands of toys and non-per-ishable food items to local charity organizations and food banks.

Honda’s goodwill to the local community is not a new concept for Torrance Memorial. Each year for the past 32 years American Honda has held its “Evening Under the Stars” gourmet food and wine festival in support of a worthy cause. The evening includes a live auction and top-flight entertainment. Honda has donated proceeds from the event to Torrance Memorial for more than a decade. •

For more about the Southern Califor-nia Honda Dealers, check them out at facebook.com/socalhondadealers. If you or someone you know needs an even bigger helpful hand from Honda’s Random Acts of Helpfulness team, go to socalhondadealers.com/help-me-honda.

RANDOM ACTS OF HELPFULNESS

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COMMUNITY BENEFIT

The New Kid on the Block Goodwill Supported Employment Program

Written by Mary Jane Horton

S ince June there has been an ex-citing new program at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. The

Supported Employment Program, a partnership with Goodwill Industries, will be a boon to the hospital, the par-ticipants and the community by forging a pathway into the workforce for people with physical or developmental disabili-ties who start out as paid interns.

“Goodwill has a history of supported employment programs,” says Johanna Johnson-Gilman, Torrance Memorial’s director of food and nutrition services. “But this is the first time they have done it in a hospital in our area. The intern program is starting off very well. We have three interns at the moment, and one is beginning the onboarding pro-cess to get hired. Right now they are all working in food services, where there tends to be a shortage of applicants for jobs. So it is really a win-win situation."

One-on-One CoachesGoodwill receives referrals from

Regional Center (an organization that coordinates and provides communi-ty-based services to individuals with developmental disabilities). Katie Del Rio, supported employment services manager for Goodwill in southern Los Angeles, explains how it works: “The program (available to people over age 18) matches a job coach with an intern. The coach is with them 100% of the time during their internship.”

Staffer Michael Pack and intern Ricardo Cervantes


Since the program was developed for people with little or no job experience, these coaches are the key to the success of these individuals. “The job coach will shadow the intern and give them on-the-job training. They are really there for anything the per-son needs. They are like a personal work assistant,” says Del Rio.

According to Stan James, associate director of workforce development for Goodwill Southern Los Angeles County, “The work coaches are integral to this program, and they have a wide range of backgrounds. They may have a history of working with kids, or they could just be someone who has a business background with a desire to work in their community.”

Getting Hired is the Aim“The end goal in this program is always to get the

person hired,” says James. “We are always checking on the person’s progress and with the employer to make sure the person is a good fit.”

People involved with the program expect—be-cause of its strong start—that it will grow and there will be more interns than the three at present. “I have already talked to the director of environmen-tal services,” says Johnson-Gilman, “and we can

envision hiring someone to clean patient rooms, lobbies and operating rooms in the future. I am especially excited about this program because it improves the diversity of our workforce. We have every age, ethnicity and color represented, and this program adds another dimension.”

To the goal of getting the interns hired, they are all, of course, well trained for their jobs. Current-ly the interns in food service all have extensive training about food safety and preparation. Says Del Rio, “Some of these interns had little to no experience, so the training process and on-the-job coaches are very important. Our mission is to place people who may have no employment experience at all. Everyone deserves a paycheck.”

She goes on to say, “The individuals we work with are committed and on time. They don’t call in sick, and they all have great attitudes.” Johnson-Gil-man adds, “They are just the kind of employees we want to hire.”

With those kinds of accolades, the future of this program looks bright. “We want to expand the pro-gram and also get the word out to the community how important this endeavor is. At the end of the day everyone wants to work, and that is what we strive to do,” says James. •

Aurora Singleton, nutrition services director Johanna Johnson-Gilman and Wendy Curana with Ricardo Cervantes


NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU) OPEN HOUSE August 17, 2018 Hunt Tower, NICU Unit, Torrance Memorial

Doctors and donors came to celebrate the

opening of Torrance Memorial’s new Neona-

tal Intensive Care Unit located in the Donald

and Priscilla Hunt Tower on August 17, 2018.

The hospital’s Young Physicians and Profes-

sionals Alliance (YPPA) presented a donation

of $10,000 at the reception. The new unit will

house 25 private rooms, each with a spacious

design to make families comfortable and to

accommodate a nurse’s station for infant

monitoring. The NICU is staffed with a high-

ly skilled team of nurses, physicians, support

staff, dedicated volunteers and cuddlers. The

unit officially opened to its tiniest patients on

August 23, 2018.

Photographed by Deidre Davidson

Tracy Isenberg, Sherry Kramer, Susan Liebson

Barb LeQuire, Shibani Patel, MD, Craig Leach

Stephanie Bezner, Thess Duong, Heidi Hoffman, MD, Nadia AntiiJoanne Chang and Stanley Chang, MD

Carol Dewalt, MD, Lauren Nguyen, MD, Shibani Patel, MD

YPPA check presentation

FLASH EVENTS


HONDA EVENING UNDER THE STARS August 25, 2018 American Honda, Torrance Memorial campus

World-renowned saxophonist Kenny G, with surprise

guest vocalist Richard Marx, serenaded a summer night

audience at the 32nd annual Honda Evening Under the Stars

Gourmet Food & Wine Festival on Saturday, August 25, 2018.

Presented in partnership with the Torrance Area Chamber

of Commerce, the event raised funds to renovate the newly

named Donald and Priscilla Hunt Tower. In addition to the

very best in South Bay cuisine, approximately 80 varietals

of wine were offered. Guests participated in live and silent

auctions for exclusive items and experiences. In total, the

auction raised more than $71,000.


Greg Geiger and Jackie Geiger

Craig Leach, Priscilla Hunt, Laura Schenasi

Steve Morikawa, Stephen Lathrop, Kenny G, Bill Haggelstein

Jackie Geiger, Greg Geiger, Judith Gassner, Jack Baker, Ayne Baker, Laura Schenasi

Harv Daniels, Ruth Daniels, Lisa Nakkim, Eric Nakkim, MD, Teri Young Roxanne Balter, Mark Lurie, MD, Sherry Kramer


AMBASSADORS EVENING September 23, 2018 Home of Mary Jo Unatin & Dr. Jerome Unatin Rancho Palos Verdes

A stunning Queen’s Necklace view of the Santa

Monica Bay greeted more than 120 guests at the

Rancho Palos Verdes home of Mary Jo and Dr.

Jerome Unatin last fall. The dinner honored the

Ambassadors, one of Torrance Memorial’s annual

support groups. Chef Michael Mauzzotta of Basq

Kitchen in Redondo Beach served Basque cuisine, and

classical guitarist Tom Bellizia serenaded guests.

President and CEO Craig Leach gave a brief update

on the Cedars-Sinai affiliation and introduced patient

Alan Goldstein, who spoke of his gratitude for his

exemplary team of physicians: “The best of the best;

world-class, along with the nurses, technicians, staff

and volunteers I encountered.”

Ambassadors’ key initiatives are the Burn Center,

Turpanjian Rehabilitation Center, Hunt Cancer Insti-

tute and Health Education. For more information, visit

TorranceMemorial.org/Ambassadors or call Judith

Gassner, senior director of development/principal

gifts, at 310-517-4704.


Alan Goldstein and Ronnie Goldstein

Judith Gassner, Dr. Thomas Simko, Laura Simko

Terry Hohm, Christy Abraham, Timme Gunderlock

Dr. Richard Krauthamer, Dr. Thomas Lowe, Alan Goldstein, Dr. Thomas Simko, Craig Leach

Mary Jo Unatin and Dr. Jerome Unatin

Rich Lucy, Patricia Lucy, Candace Poindexter, Larry Poindexter

FLASH EVENTS


PAT AND ELLEN THEODORA PEDIATRIC AND YOUNG ADULT PAVILION CELEBRATIONOctober 23, 2018 Torrance Memorial Medical Center

Torrance Memorial Medical Center celebrated the completion of

the new Pat and Ellen Theodora Pediatric and Young Adult Pavilion on

October 23, 2018. The Theodoras generously donated $2.5 million

toward the project. Located on the third floor of the Donald and Priscilla

Hunt Tower, the unit features 13 licensed, all-private pediatric beds in a

child-friendly environment and offers a full range of pediatric services

for our younger patients in addition to young adults. The rooms are

equipped with an interactive TV, which includes patient education, in-

formation, movies and music, as well as overnight accommodations for

parents. The unit officially opened on October 30, 2018.

Photographed by Deidre DavidsonPat Theodora, Graham Archer, Melanie Archer

Craig Leach, Judy Leach, Greg Geiger Laura Schenasi, Louis Graziado, Beth Graziadio

Jared Vargas, Ellen Theodora, Pat Theodora, Jaden Theodora, Halle Vargas

Jerry Marcil, Carol Marcil, Pat Theodora, Ellen Theodora

Elizabeth Lowerson, Sally Eberhard, Leah Romine, Natalie Thorpe, Beth Graziadio

Ellen Theodora, Judith Gassner, Pat Theodora, Melanie Archer


MIRACLE OF LIVING AT THE BEACH: MANAGING CHRONIC PAIN October 25, 2018 Shade Hotel, Manhattan BeachMore than 100 million Americans suffer with chronic pain, affecting more people than heart disease and cancer

combined. Dr. Sina Samie, anesthesiologist and interventional pain specialist, and Dr. Reuben Chen, physical medicine

and rehabilitation specialist, spoke to a full house at the October 25 event, part of the Miracle of Living at the Beach

lecture series. Speakers discussed medications, self-management, interventional procedures and advanced therapies

and treatments in the pipeline. Miracle of Living at the Beach is free to attend and made possible through the

generosity of the Shade Hotel, Manhattan Beach. Visit TorranceMemorial.com/mol for more information.


“LIGHT UP A LIFE” CEREMONY November 11, 2018 Hoffman Health Conference Center, Torrance Memorial

Torrance Memorial Hospice hosted its 23rd annual

“Light up a Life” event last November at the Hoffman

Health Conference Center on the hospital campus, in

honor of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.

The tree lighting and fundraiser provide an opportunity

to celebrate, reminisce and honor a loved one’s life.

Nearly 300 people attended the event, which included

a performance by the Los Cancioneros Master Chorale

and members of the Palos Verdes Peninsula High School

Symphonic Orchestra. Funds raised from the event

support the hospice programs at Torrance Memorial

and help people who are in need of hospice care. For

more information on Torrance Memorial Hospice, visit

TorranceMemorial.org/hospice.


Elaine Trotter and Laurie Caine Manette McDermott and Laurie CaineReuben Chen, MD, Katie Chen, Judith Gassner, Sina Samie, MD

Guests come together to celebrate a life.

Each light illuminated represents a life remembered.

Torrance Memorial Hospice staff and volunteersMembers of the Los Cancioneros Master Chorale

FLASH EVENTS


HOLIDAY FESTIVAL FASHION SHOWNovember 27, 2018 Torrance Memorial Medical Center

A sold-out, high-fashion runway show kicked

off festivities at the 35th annual Holiday Festival.

The show featured creations by The Robert Ellis

Boutique, a high-end boutique specializing in

unique fashion looks from sportswear to ball

gowns. More than 600 guests attended the

event under the “big white tent” on the medical

center’s grounds. All funds raised support the

new Hunt Cancer Center.

Photographed by Deidre DavidsonDebra Smotherman, Lori Sherman, Kay Sheth

(front) Teri Young, Ayne Baker, Kathleen Krauthamer; (back) Lisa Nakkim, Judy Leach, Ruth Daniels, Cindy Tobis, Kimberly Stone

Roxanne Mirhashemi and Joy Theodora

Laura Schenasi, Judith Gassner, Erin Fiorito

Cyndy Spierer, Mary Lou Rheingold, Phyllis Spierer, Cari Corbalis

Julie Sanders, Sandra Sanders, Diane Sanders

Judy Sipes


T he Hunt Tower has seen some exciting additions re-cently with the relocation of

the Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) units. The renovated NICU opened for care in August, and the Pediatrics unit—named the Pat and Ellen Theodora Pediatric and Young Adult Pavilion—opened at the end of October.

The Pediatrics unit includes 21 private rooms, a child care unit for mildly ill children of employees or community members, a fully stocked playroom and two mobile Fun Centers fitted with a Nintendo Wii U game console and platforms such as Netflix and Hulu (courtesy of Lakeshore Learning). The unit also also features an eating disorders program for children and young adults.

The NICU features 25 private rooms as well as larger treatment rooms and a family sleep room. The private rooms feature state-of-the-art technology, in-cluding a NICVIEW® web camera that allows parents, family and friends to view their infant in real time, 24/7, through a secure online portal.

“The private room setting of the NICU gives every baby and family their own quiet space, which contrib-utes to their recovery much more than the open pod setting,” says Jerry Schwartz, MD, medical director of neonatology at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. “Our administration has committed to having more nurses work on any given day, so every baby has his or her own private nurse. We’ve made a commitment to what is best for our babies and families; it’s a very warm, family-centered setting.” •

Torrance Memorial celebrated the completion of the new Pat and Ellen Theodora Pediatric and Young Adult Pavilion.

FINISH LINES

New units to care for infants and childrenWritten by Laura L. Watts

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THE LUNDQUIST LURIE CARDIOVASCULAR INSTITUTE IS A LEADER IN ADVANCED CARDIOLOGY CARE. Our patients benefit from our expert team offering state-of-the-art minimally invasive treatments like TAVR that help to eliminate or reduce the need for open heart surgery and deliver some of the highest success rates in the region. Learn more at TorranceMemorial.org/Cardio

Salman M. Azam, MD, and a minimally invasive heart balloon

On theCuttingEdge ofCuttingLess

WE HELP FAMILIES COME TOGETHER EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. Our board certif ied maternal team of OB/GYNs, nurses, anesthesiologists, labor ists and neonatologists offers a fu l l spectrum of expert care from parenting classes to delivery and lactation assistance. Expectant mothers and their famil ies can take additional comfort in knowing our state-of-the-art on-site NICU offers immediate clinical assistance. Learn more and sign up for a maternity tour at TMMaternity.com

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED MATERNAL RN CARE • 24/7 LABOR TEAM • ON-SITE NICU

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Mindfulness Can Improve Your Health & Your Life€¦ · Mindfulness Can Improve Your Health & Your Life How to get started See pg. 26. Thomas G. Simko, MD, Bryan W. Chang, MD, Thyra