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My husband Gerald and I were visiting the Brainerd area when he experienced gastrointestinal bleeding. He was brought by ambulance to the intensive care unit at St. Joseph’s Medical Center.

We were amazed by the care and attention he was given—I was a nurse for 33 years, and I never saw anything like it.

Compassionate CareWe didn’t know at the time that St. Joseph’s is the Lakes area’s largest hospital, with 100 specialists, backed by over

1,000 nurses, technicians and support staff. What we did know was that we were in capable and compassionate hands.

Gerald was checked on frequently, and the doctors and nurses were polite, knowledgeable and informative. They always told him what was happening next, and made sure he understood everything. They were upbeat and full of good humor. Everyone at the hospital treated him as though he was a friend.

Peace of MindWe’re moving to the Brainerd area this summer, and are eager to be part of a community with such natural beauty and high quality of life. It’s comforting to know that St. Joseph’s is there to look after the most important thing of all, our health.

I’M A RETIRED CITIES TWIN

NURSE,and I’d never seen such great care.

Kim RosencrantzRetired nurse

www.sjmcmn.org • Brainerd, MN

Where patients come first.

Summer health risksPrevention and treatment fornature’s nuisances

No more seizuresAnti-seizure implant changesStaples woman’s life

July 2005

Off the couchPreventing childhood obesity

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work. In other words, circuit training is a good approach forpeople who do a lot of meetings, whether with agents or day-care teachers.

Multi-Joint, Multi-Muscle Exercises — Do a half-squat againsta wall while curling a pair of dumbbells. Then press them over-head. That’s a multi-joint exercise, and it’ll work your thighs,shoulders, arms and gut. It will vaporize calories and make yourheart do the rumba.

Sit on a bench and perform dumbbell curls with one arm.That’s a single-joint exercise. It’ll puff up your biceps. It accom-plishes only this one thing (though, to be fair, it does that onething — encouraging growth of a targeted muscle — very well).

Multi-joint, multi-muscle work boosts your heart rate, multi-plying the cardio benefits of circuit training. It spreads the ben-efits around your body, so you don’t look distended in somespots and puny in others. And, since life, being three-dimen-sional and all, is pretty much a multi-joint affair, these workoutscan actually prepare your body to do stuff, not just look like itcan do stuff. This is called functional exercise. Whether youneed to haul bags of topsoil from your hatchback or do sixtakes of a scene where you drag a corpse from a burning shed,having strong legs, shoulders and belly muscles will do youmore good than biceps that look like trussed capons.

Lower Weight — and Its Happy Sidekick, Less Pain — To domulti-joint exercises without tapping your health insurance,you can’t use a weight that’s heavier than the weakest muscleinvolved in the move can handle. (In the above example, you

Continued from Page 21

might be able to curl only 10 pounds per arm, so you use the 10-pound weight for the whole exercise, not the 15 you could use ifdoing simple standing presses.)

As a result, you do more repetitions with lower weights. Thistends to make you more lean, strong and flexible. It also flambesmore calories and can keep your heart harrumphing. We hopeyou’re beginning to see a pattern here.

Interval Workouts — These are exercises that mix brief bursts ofhigher-intensity work with longer periods of lower-intensityrecovery. The opposite type is called steady-state training, whereyou sustain the same pace for an extended period.

The great thing about intervals compared with steady-stateworkouts is that intervals — say it along with us now — save time,build your cardiovascular capacity more efficiently and microwavemore calories, both while you’re working out and long afterward.

A well-constructed strength circuit will essentially provide aninterval workout, by alternating higher-intensity strength exercis-es that make your heart ka-pow with those that permit it to gatheritself.

Intervals work no matter what shape you’re in: If your “intense”intervals are walking at 4 mph for a minute and recovering for fiveminutes at 3 mph, that’s fine. Whatever gets your heart movingfaster will help you. As you improve, you can gin up the intensityof your bursts or reduce the length of your recovery, or both.

3

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Table of contents68

1114

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18

24

Table of contentsCOVER STORY:Kids’ fitness

NUTRITION:Keeping kids fit

UPDATE:Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center

DOCTOR’S ORDERS:Summer health risks

REMODELING:St. Joseph’s ICU gets facelift

TREATMENT:No more seizures

16 TREND:Home birthing

PROCEDURE:CyberKnife

WhPubliAdveEditoGrap

Healtof the B

Readwww.up

For aBogens

E-maheidi.lato:

HeidBrainPO BBrain

Ah, summer. My favorite time ofyear. Spending warm evenings onarea lakes or picnicking in thebackyard, it’s just nice to be out-doors.

As I write this, sunburned skin isflaking off my arm and faded redsplotches of week-old swimmer’sitch can be seen. How attractive.

During the warm summermonths it’s important to take careof yourself. It’s people like me whoalways seem to forget sunblock orfrequently find themselves stand-ing in a patch of poison ivy thatneed to take note. Health careprofessionals gave their two-centson common summer health risks,prevention and treatment in thearticle “Nature’s nuisances” in this

issue of Anoth

faces machildrenrisk of chrise in tseems vimore anthere bethe storyfeet” foryour chout.

Be safewarm wwe live i— June,

Heidi LEditor

From the editor

Cover photo/Nels NorquistJosh Haberman, (left) 15, and Mike Gervenak,14, played basketball at Baxter City Park. Whiletelevision and video games are becoming morepopular, keeping youth active during their sum-mer vacation can be difficult.

10 QUOTABLES:How kids are vacationing 20 WORKOUT:

Exercise books

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o we aresher — Terry McColloughrtising — Tim Bogenschutzr — Heidi Lakehic Desinger — Cindy Spilman

hWatch is a quarterly publicationrainerd Dispatch.

HealthWatch online atnorthhealthwatch.com.

dvertising opportunities call Timchutz at (218) 855-5844.

il your comments toke@brainerddispatch.com or write

i Lakeerd Dispatchox 974erd, MN 56401

HealthWatch.er summertime issue thatny parents is how to get

away from the TV. Theildhood obesity is on thehe United States and itdeo games are becomingd more popular. Could

a connection? Check out “Off the couch, on your ideas on how to keepild active while school’s

, stay active and enjoy theeather. After all, why don Minnesota? That’s easyJuly and August.

ake

Located in Baxter, the outpatient surgerycenter provides a comfortable environmentfor patients undergoing same day surgeries,including general surgeries, ophthalmology,ear nose and throat, orthopedics, podiatry,plastics and urology. In May the surgery cen-ter began offering pain procedures from radi-ologists at Lakes Imaging, a new offering.Administrator Sandy Berreth said the ambula-tory surgery center averages about 60-70patients per week.

Most surgeries are elective procedures andplanned for well patients, said Berreth. Whilethere will always be patients who must havesurgery at a hospital, the surgery center pro-vides an option for all minimally invasive andoutpatient surgical procedures.

The facility has four operating rooms andone procedure room as well as 17 curtainedpatient rooms that allow for family membersto wait with their loved ones as they preparefor surgery and recover while seated in largerecliner chairs.

Berreth, who moved to the Brainerd areafrom Bismarck, N.D., where she helped startan ambulatory surgery center five years ago,said the key to such a facility is its comfortableand anxiety-free environment combined witha group of medical professionals who worktogether each day as a team. The surgery cen-

ter has 25 employees. “I truly believe the team that works here is

a team,” said Berreth.Berreth said many times a well patient feels

more comfortable entering an ambulatorycenter than a hospital because they associateillness with a hospital environment.Subconsciously, a patient may be thinking,“I’m going to a hospital, I must be sick,” saidBerreth.

“The hospital is a place we think of illness

instead of health,” said Berreth.Berreth said another open house is

planned in the fall. The Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center is locat-

ed at 13114 Isle Drive, behind the Wal-martSupercenter in Baxter.

JODIE TWEED can be reached atjodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.

The Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center, which opened in February, is an outpatient surgery center locat-ed at 13114 Isle Drive in Baxter behind the Wal-mart Supercenter in Baxter.

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Surgerycenteratmosphereis comfortingto patients

Cathy Feierabend, a registered nurse, prepared an operating roomfor a patient at Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center in Baxter.

BAXTER — When an otherwise healthypatient has to undergo a surgical proce-dure, it may sometimes be intimidating tocheck into a hospital.

But now Brainerd lakes area residentshave another option when choosing whereto have an outpatient surgical procedureperformed.

The Brainerd Lakes Surgery Centeropened in February, a joint venturebetween 14 Brainerd area doctors and St.Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd.

Dr. Paul Rud (right), an orthopedic surgeon, with assistance by Surgical TechnicianToni Brown, performed a procedure on a patient at the Brainerd Lakes SurgeryCenter in Baxter.

Story/Jodie TweedPhotos/Nels Norquist

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Teamtion

O

Story/Photo

23

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members from the Little Sluggers Brewers practiced catching fly balls at Baxter Park. Keeping children active while they’re on summer vaca- can be a difficult task for parents.

ff the couch, on your feet

Jennifer Stockinger/Nels Norquist

Is your child sitting in front of the computerscreen playing video games or watching too muchTV this summer?

If that’s the case throw away the television and thevideo games or at least limit the usage and get yourchildren outside, says Bonnie Muzik, recreationcoordinator for Brainerd Parks and Recreation.

Muzik said there are too many children who donot get enough exercise and are obese.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH The original ICU was built in1984. With ever-changing tech-nology the smaller patientrooms made it difficult to usethe equipment.

“It was very tight. We had tokeep manipulating the equip-ment to make it easier to get tothe patient,” Monroe said. “Thelarger rooms give you the capa-bility to do more.”

Monroe used her seven yearsexperience as a nurse managerat St. Joe’s in helping to plan anddesign the ICU. She also visitedSt. Cloud Hospital’s newlyremodeled ICU and took advicefrom her staff.

Location of utility rooms,equipment placement and officespace for doctors were on thetop of Monroe’s to-change list.

“We identified what the prob-lems were and how to correct them,”she said.

Two patient rooms include negative pres-sure isolation rooms for respiratory patients.The isolation rooms allow air to be filteredoutside, preventing others from breathing thesame air and any organisms that may be lin-gering.

“As the threat of bioterrorism increases, wehave to increase our respiratory care,”Monroe said.

ICU patients generally require more carethan other patients. On average, eight patientsare in the department at one time. The ICUincreased from eight to 10 patient rooms. Eachroom has a computer, allowing medical staff

to update charts electronicallyand transfer records to other hos-pitals when needed.

“All the information is availablefrom their bed side,” Monroesaid. “It’s less hassle.”

Patient rooms include sofabeds for family members wantingto sleep in the rooms. Monroesaid before being remodeled,lack of space made it difficult forfamily members to stay in thepatient rooms.

Monroe said 20 years ago fami-ly members were only allowedinside ICU patient rooms for 10minutes every two hours. Today,family members are invited tostay overnight in the room.Monroe said research has provenpatients do better when family isby their side.

“Families want to becomemore active,” Monroe said. “They’re very wor-ried about their loved one. They want the bestcare possible and that’s what we’re here todo.”

HEIDI LAKE can be reached at 855-5879 orheidi.lake@brainerddispatch.com.

Patient rooms in the newly remodeled intensive care unit at St. Joseph’sMedical Center are larger, making room for medical equipment to be broughtin when needed.

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St. Joe’s updates ICU

Heidi Strus (right) and Karen Ruona work as registered nurses in the intensive care unit and St. Joseph’s Medical Center.

Story/Heidi LakePhotos/Nels Norquist

St. Joseph’s Medical Center’s $27 million expansionproject is nearing completion.

The massive undertaking was started in July 2003and is expected to be finished in October. Pediatricsand the family birthplace, bariatric rooms, cardiacrehabilitation and inpatient occupational and physi-cal therapy departments are still under construction.

The hospital is opening each unit as it is completed.Most recently, the intensive care unit was remodeled,bringing it up to date visually and technologically.

“It’s a new age,” said Terri Monroe, ICU nurse man-ager. “We’re getting up to date.”

$27 million hospital expansion to be finished in October

7

Childhood obesity is becoming an epidem-ic among America’s youths and the federalgovernment has addressed this health crisisfor a few years by investing more than $16 bil-lion annually in child nutrition programs.

Statistics have shown that childhood obesi-ty has doubled in preschool-age children andhas tripled in children age 6-11, when com-pared with children 30 years ago.

Muzik said the children in their programsare more obese than the children 10 years ago.She said they never had to order extra largeshirts until a few years ago.

Muzik said children today don’t know howto play outside. She also said parents are alsomore restrictive on children’s play outsidebecause of the crime rate.

“Kids will never know the joy of being out-side with nature and being with friends,” saidMuzik. “They isolate themselves too muchbecause of all the meth problems out thereand the crazies on the streets. It’s hard to con-tinue to watch our nation go down withdrugs.”

Despite the safety factor, Muzik said thereare programs in the Brainerd lakes area thatare supervised and safe for children. BrainerdParks and Recreation offers several super-vised activities for children of all ages, such asbaseball and softball. And this year it addedkick ball.

Brainerd Parks and Recreation also offersdifferent activities for children, such as fishingand biking clinics. In the winter, pond hockey,ice skating, basketball and volleyball are avail-able.

Muzik said the most popular activities theyoffer children in the summer are baseball andsoftball and in the winter hockey is a favorite.

Skateboarding is also popular, and Muzik saidthe upcoming popular activity will be dodgeball.

Muzik said it is tougher today for parents tomonitor their children’s activities becausethey are busier and many work full time.However, she said finding time to encourageexercise is important for their children’shealth.

To help parents get their children outside,Muzik said they should set a time limit onwatching television and playing video games.Parents should also limit junk food.

“Exercise is very important,” said Muzik.“Kids need exercise to build stronger bonesand muscles to run, jump, climb and to doother activities.”

Brainerd and Baxter’s parks and recreationprograms are not the only supervised pro-grams in the Brainerd lakes area. The LakesArea Youth Soccer Association, the BrainerdLakes YMCA and Brainerd CommunityEducation also offer youth programs orcamps.

Lisa Stawarski, Brainerd School Districtyouth program coordinator, said Brainerd’syouth programs are geared for life-long learn-ing experiences for children in grades K-12that are age appropriate.

The Brainerd youth programs in the sum-mer are open from 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday at the Washington EducationalServices Building. Children participate in vari-ous activities, including arts and crafts, boardand computer games and physical activities inthe gymnasium.

There are between 95 to 105 students whoparticipate daily at Washington and another35-40 students who participate in the pro-

grams at Nisswa school.Stawarski said the youth programs keep the

students’ minds and bodies busy. She said stu-dents can watch television and play videogames, but their time on these activities arelimited.

“We want the kids to feel this is their vaca-tion,” said Stawarski. “They get a chance toexplore their interests and talents here.”

The youth development/youth service pro-grams offered to students are Fun ‘N’ Friends,Senior Leadership program and Youth Trax.The high school-age children can volunteer tohelp the younger children or can enroll in aprogram to work on job skills, communicationand accountability.

In these programs, there are clubs for chil-dren for science, gardening, woodworkingand arts and crafts. There also are field trips,such as a trip to the skating rink.

Stawarski said when the children play in thegymnasium they play non-competitive games.She said the students learn teamwork, sports-manship and have fun.

There are several rooms at Washingtonwhere children participate in different activi-ties, including an arts and crafts room, a gameroom for puzzles or board games and amovie/television room.

Stawarski said a few of the popular activitiesfor the children are the arts and crafts, scienceprojects and the gymnasium games. She saidthe younger children like to build things andwork with Legos.

JENNIFER STOCKINGER can be reached atjennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or855-5851.

➤ Wipe table tops.

➤ Scrub and rinse fruit andvegetables.

➤ Wash and tear lettuce.

➤ Bring ingredients from oneplace to another.

➤ Put things in the trash.

➤ Shake liquids in a coveredcontainer.

➤ Peel oranges or hardcooked eggs.

➤ Set a table.

➤ Cut parsley or green onionwith child-safe scissors.

➤ Measure ingredients.

➤ Use and egg beater orwhisk.

Source: Centers of DiseaseControl and Prevention

Household activities for children, age 3-5“Kids will never know the joy of beingoutside with nature and being with

friends. They isolate themselves too muchbecause of all the meth problems out

there and the crazies on the streets. It’shard to continue to watch our nation go

down with drugs.”

—Bonnie Muzik

Recreation coordinator,Brainerd Parks and Recreation

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If you’re happy to be on vacation, but feeling a little under the

weather - give us a call. We make ourselves available for those

unexpected healthcare needs while you’re away from home.

As always, we’ll treat you like a guest.

218.828.5478 | 800.277.8262

www.brainerdclinic.com | 2024 South Sixth Street

CHILDREN’S HEALTH

No regular soda pop. No juice. And no bev-erages with calories in them besides milk.

These are things your children can elimi-nate to have a healthier lifestyle, an area nutri-tionist says.

Kelly Coughlin, a registered dietitian atLakewood Health System in Staples, is con-cerned with the growing number of childrenwho are obese today. She said in our culturefamilies eat too much fast food and have otherunhealthy habits, like drinking regular popand eating too much junk food, and thenallowing children too much TV time is leadingto more overweight children.

Recent data suggests that one in three chil-dren living in the United States today is over-weight and one in six are seriously over-weight.

“This is important because overweight chil-dren are more likely to become overweightadults, increasing the risk for diabetes, heartdisease, certain cancers and joint problems,”

said Coughlin, who also is a certified dieducator at Lakewood. “There also is anof a lower self esteem and depression iscommon.”

Coughlin said today there are childreare being diagnosed with type two diabdisease that used to be an adult onsbetes, because of obesity. She said chare showing risk factors for chronic dand higher blood pressure, blood sugacholesterol at lower ages.

Coughlin said parents must get involhelp get their children off the coucengaged in a physical activity.

“Parents need to set an example andcise and encourage their kids to be asaid Coughlin. “You need to start gettininvolved when they’re young.”

Coughlin recommends parents startily routine for staying active, such as tawalk after supper or playing baskCoughlin said the possibilities are endl

Obesity becoming commo

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abetes issue more

n whoetes, aet dia-ildreniseasers and

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exer-ctive,”g kids

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what type of activities a family can do. She saidparents just need to make the activities fun tokeep the children interested.

Household chores also burn calories.Coughlin said getting children involved withthese chores, such as vacuuming or weedingthe garden, also would be helpful.

“When I was young I had a friend who hadan exercise bike that worked the TV,” saidCoughlin. “Every family needs to find some-thing that works for them and then start slowand work themselves up.”

Children who watch five hours of televisiona day are eight times more likely to be obese,Coughlin said. The five hours a day includestime children spend playing video and com-puter games.

Parents are encouraged to limit children’sscreen time. Coughlin said parents could givetheir children a time limit per day or per weekand the children may use their hours as theyplease. She said another suggestion would be

Story/Jennifer Stockinger

n for childrenI know this only because, to spare you the embarrass-

ment, cost and pain, I have spent the last couple ofmonths reading these books and performing some ofthe workouts that appear in them.

First, let me say the books can be wildly uneven andimpractical. “The Ultimate New York Body Plan”presentsa nuttily difficult program that, if followed as written,would become a part-time job. Most other workoutsdon’t realistically fit into their alleged time limits. Some ofthe photos show stuff being done in scary-bad form.(Don’t yank your head up on those crunches!) Mostinclude some sort of eating plan that dances around thesad, simple truth that you have to eat less garbage,replace it with healthier food and burn off more caloriesthan you take in.

All that said, the A-listers’ workout routines for themost part fit E-listers well, largely because we have atleast some things in common with celebrities: We’re real-ly busy and don’t want to spend much time working outbut would like to see some results, oh, this calendarquarter. We want to have enough energy to enjoy ournightlife, even if it’s nothing more tabloid-worthy thanspraying the houseplants. We’d like to be trim and limberenough to do some of our own stunts, but we know wedon’t want to look like one of those body builders orweight lifters — who, to tell you the truth, sort of gross usout.

Most A-list trainer books I’ve checked out embrace, tovarious degrees, the following concepts that serve civil-ians well. They also happen to represent some of the keytrends that are currently blowing around the fitnosphere.

Circuit Training — In circuit workouts, you perform asequence of three to 10 different exercises with little orno rest in between, then repeat the circuit two or threetimes. (Curves, that ubiquitous chain of E-list fitness cen-ters, employs a form of circuit training.) In standardstrength training, by contrast, you do one set of an exer-cise, recover by flipping through an old copy of People,do a second set, recover while pacing around surrepti-tiously evaluating other patrons’ gymwear, do a third set,and finally move on to the next exercise.

Circuit training is very time-efficient, delivering simul-taneously the benefits of a cardio session with those ofstrength training. And by keeping you working withoutrest, it torches more calories than conventional weight

Continued on Page 26

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Our pediatricians have one thing on their minds: your little ones.

So when your children need the finest care, trust it to the biggest,

brightest and best team of physicians the lakes area has to offer.

Troy Couture, M .D .Karen O pp, P.N .P.

M ichael Severson, M .D .Jane W inter, M .D .PED IA TRIC S &

A D O LESC EN T M ED IC IN E

218.855.5472 | 800.277.8262www.brainerdclinic.com | 2024 South Sixth Street

Exercise books by trainers of the stars fit the rest of us pretty well

The trouble with books written by fitnesstrainers to the stars isn’t that people read them.It’s that they read them for the wrong reasons.

No book by an A-list Hollywood trainer canmake you look like Halle Berry in a cat suit (or,for that matter, Christian Slater in boxers). Andwhatever they can deliver will take a lot longerthan the improbably few weeks hyped on thecover.

But — who’d have thought? — the programssubject to these pumped-up claims offer somevalue for those of us who aren’t celebrities at all,people I proudly think of as members of the “E-list,” as in Everybody Else.

Story/Craig StoltzPhoto/Julia EwanThe Washington Post

Exercise books bytrainers of the stars fiteverybody else prettywell. You’re not goingto look like HalleBerry by followingHarley Pasternak’sbook, but it offers at i m e - e f f i c i e n t ,research-based work-out.

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to give children tokens and each tokenwould be worth one hour of screentime.

Besides staying active children alsoneed to eat healthier foods. Coughlinsaid many parents will say their childrendo not want to eat vegetables or otherhealthy foods.

Coughlin said parents should not asktheir children if they want to eat some-thing healthy, but rather offer thehealthy choices.

“Or if that doesn’t work say I’ll split anapple with you,” said Coughlin.“Modeling healthy eating is very impor-tant. If they see you eating healthy theywill too.”

To help entice children to healthy eat-ing, Coughlin suggests having childrenhelp in the preparation of the food.Coughlin said then as the parents andchildren prepare the food they can talkabout the health benefits in age-appro-priate language.

Coughlin said parents also shoulduse low-fat cooking methods.

Coughlin said parents have controlover what foods their children eat

because they are the ones doingshopping. She said parents should tbuy foods that are healthy.

An easy, healthy meal for parents have no time to cook is to have a event, with whole wheat tortillas, lowcheese, lettuce, tomatoes and chick

To help children eat their fruits can blend low-fat yogurt with frofruit and milk to make a shake.

“We need to make time to eat heaand exercise,” said Coughlin. “If trends do not change in society wecontinue to see the dangers of blood pressure and cholesterol, two diabetes, heart disease and cecancers and chronic diseases.”

Coughlin said research shows ththings don’t change one out of ethree children will have diabetes.

To find more information on hoeat healthy go to www.mypyramid.g

JENNIFER STOCKINGER can reached jennifer.stockinger@brainerdpatch.com or 855-5851.

9

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Portion sizes for children age 2-6➤ One-third to a half cup of frozen vegetables.

➤ One or two little cooked broccoli spears.

➤ Five to seven cooked baby carrots.

➤ One-third to a half cup of melon.

➤ Five to seven strawberries.

➤ A half cup of apple sauce.

➤ One-third to a half-cup of frozen or fresh berries.

➤ One cup of low-fat yogurt or nonfat milk.

➤ One-third to a half cup of macaroni and cheese, rice,pasta or mashed potatoes.

➤ Two ounces of hamburger.

➤ One-fourth cup of ground meat, such as turkey or pork.

➤ One or two drumsticks.

Source: Centers of Disease Control and Prevention

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CHILDREN’S HEALTH

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JENNIjennife

Story/Jennifer Stockinger

Here’s what areachildren had to sayabout how they arespending theirsummer vacation

19

?mer is here, children are out of school and free to do

tivities.ents of all ages who were at Washington Educational

es Building recently for Fun ‘N’ Friends discussed theire summer activities.don Kersting, 12, Merrifield, and his friend, Steven

an, 12, Brainerd, are addicted to playing with theircards. They said they can play with the cards for days.aid they do not play video games and they only watchion if they are really bored.ting said he likes to hang out with friends and wrestleis brother. He also likes playing make-up games ands to go skateboarding.fman said he’d go outside more often if he wouldn’tsed by other children. Kersting said he’d go outsideften if the bugs would stop biting. though the boys do not do as much physical activity should, they said they eat healthy. Coffman said his

e food is bananas and he likes fresh-cut pineapple. ting said his family banned junk food from their

. He said they only get to eat junk food on specialons. He also said he and his siblings can only watchurs of television a day.han Sullivan, 15, Garrison, and Nick Mangan, 17,

, said they both like go to the beach and spend timeiends when they are not in school. Mangan said his

s also like to play sports, including baseball, basketballccer. ivan and Mangan volunteer in the Brainerd Schoolt with the youth programs, spending time and playing with children. They said the fifth- through eighth-boys like to play video games and skateboard.issa Bjerkness, 10, Brainerd, said she somewhat likesteboard. Her favorite things to do are working withd crafts and talking. ther Bowman, 10, Baxter, also likes to do arts andShe and her friends each made a paper fortune tellerpt them busy. She said she also likes to play basketballlleyball. man said she can only watch one hour of television ae said if one day she watches more then she can’t

any television the next day.in Sullivan, 13, Garrison, said he likes to swim, playll and basketball and lift weights. He also likes to readrite short stories.in Selk, 6, Brainerd, said he likes to play with truckslp his dad at the concession stands at events.

lin Burch, 7, Brainerd, likes to go bike riding and player dog, three cats and two fish. She also likes listeningsic. She said she watches about one to two hours ofion, depending on when she gets her chores done.

FER STOCKINGER can be reached atr.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.

Marden suggested Vagus NerveStimulation Therapy, something that at thetime was only approved by the Food and DrugAdministration for one type of epilepsy.

VNS Therapy is described as a pacemakerfor the brain. The device, about the size of apocketwatch, is implanted under the skin inthe chest. Wires connected to the implant arecoiled around the vagus nerve on the left sideof the neck. Electric signals are sent throughthe wires, stimulating the vagus nerve andactivating parts of the brain, reducing the riskof seizures.

At the time, surgeons in Brainerd were nottrained in implanting the VNS device. Mardenbrought it upon herself to bring VNS toBrainerd, coordinating a program betweenlocal doctors and representatives ofCyberonics, the VNS parent company.

“Rochelle was my kick in the butt,” Mardensaid of bringing VNS to Brainerd. “Nothingelse seemed to work.”

Endres was implanted with the VNS last July19. The outpatient surgery was done at St.Joseph’s Medical Center and cost about$25,000. Endres said her insurance companycovered the procedure.

Doctors programmed the device in August,adjusting the timing and amount of stimula-tion her brain receives. Endres took her lastanti-seizure pill in September.

It’s been one year since Endres has had aseizure. Before getting the VNS, she seized

about once a week.“It’s nice to know I’m OK. I don’t have to

wake up in the morning and wonder what’sgong to happen to me that day,” Endres said.

Endres used to prepare many of her friendsand co-workers on what to do if she seizedwhile she’s with them. She instructed them totake her jewelry off, take her dentures out,and if she makes choking sounds, put a metalspoon in her mouth and hold down hertongue.

“Then just wait. When I snap out of it, I’ll betired and irritable, then just let me sleep,” shesaid.

To give her more control of her seizures,VNS allows Endres to swipe a magnet acrossthe implant in her chest when she feels symp-tomatic. By using the magnet, Endres can stim-ulate the implant to send out electric signals,potentially aborting or decreasing the severityof the seizure. Endres said she has used themagnet 23 times since she was implanted inAugust.

“I swipe the magnet and 10 minutes later Ifeel 50 to 70 percent better,” she said.

Marden said because VNS Therapy is fairlynew, data regarding the long-term effects ofVNS only goes back eight to 10 years. She isconfident in saying VNS is less risky than tak-ing seizure medicines.

Endres calls VNS Therapy a “miracle,” butshe has some concern her body will becomeimmune to it, like it did with all the anti-

seizure medications.“The body can get immune to anything. I’m

getting electrical stimuli every day, 24/7. I hopeand pray it won’t stop,” she said.

Now that Endres can somewhat control herseizures, she’s able to work full time at BangPrinting in Brainerd. She owns her own houseand plans to pursue a graphic design degreeat Central Lakes College in January, a feat sheattempted in the past but had to quit becauseof health issues.

Endres said her struggles with epilepsy haveaffected her life both positively and negatively.

“This has taught me responsibility andpatience,” she said. “I treat people with morerespect and a sense of compassion. I havesympathy for other people (with uncontrolledepilepsy) because I know what they’re goingthrough.”

Endres recently spoke publicly in Brainerdabout her experience with VNS Therapy. Shealso talks with other patients who are strug-gling with epilepsy.

“I let them know there is someone herewho understands them. It’s a comfort,” Endressaid.

Marden said two other patients havereceived VNS Therapy in Brainerd sinceEndres was implanted.

HEIDI LAKE can be reached at 855-5879 orheidi.lake@brainerddispatch.com.

Rochelle Endres, Staples, carries a special magnet with her at alltimes. By swiping the magnet across the Vagus Nerve Stimulationimplant, Endres can stop a seizure when she feels symptomatic.

Right: VNS Therapy is described as a pacemaker for the brain. Thedevice is implanted under the skin in the chest, and wires connectedto the implant are coiled around the vagus nerve in the neck. Electricsignals are sent through the wires, stimulating the vagus nerve andactivating parts of the brain, reducing the risk of seizures.

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‘Miracle’ magnetVNS Therapy stopsStaples woman’s seizures,changes her life

Rochelle Endres, 21, was the first person to receive Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy inBrainerd. VNS is described as a pacemaker for the brain that helps control epilepsy. Theoutpatient procedure involved small incisions in her neck and chest, where the devicewas implanted.

Story/Heidi LakePhotos/Steve Kohls

STAPLES — Rochelle Endres wasn’t able to drive. Shecouldn’t get a job. She barely graduated from high schoolbecause she missed so many days of class.

Endres was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 8.Since then the disease has affected her entire life.

At one point, the now 21-year-old Staples woman wastaking 217 pills each week — and was still having uncon-trollable seizures. Endres described herself as a “walkingzombie” when she was taking so many medications.

“I couldn’t think clearly,” she said.Side effects from taking so many medications eventu-

ally caught up with Endres. She has had cancer, three mis-carriages, and suffers from osteoporosis, depression,ulcers and migraines.

Because of the osteoporosis, Endres’ teeth have rottedand she now wears dentures.

Doctors prescribed different drugs to keep herseizures under control, but after months of using themedications her body would become immune and thedrugs wouldn’t work. This happened over and over again,and the seizures kept coming. She was diagnosed withtreatment resistant epilepsy.

Endres describes her “small” seizures as getting flut-tery eyes and not being able to comprehend things. Sheis aware of what’s going on around her and can still talk.When she starts feeling her eyes get fluttery she cansometimes prevent the seizure from coming on by sleep-ing or eating.

It’s the “big ones,” as Endres calls them, or grand malseizures, that can’t be stopped. She goes unconscious,her body jerks, her jaw clenches and she loses control ofher bodily functions.

“When I feel one of those coming on, all I can do is sitback and wait for it,” Endres said.

Endres’ shortest seizures last about 30 minutes. Thelongest lasted two weeks, she said.

After years of failed medication combinations, Endreswas running out of treatment options.

In March 2004 Dr. Linda Marden, neurologist, joinedthe Brainerd Medical Center staff. After visiting numer-ous specialists in the Twin Cities and Brainerd, Endres waswilling to visit yet another doctor.

PINE RIVER — Bob McLean of Nisswa hadbeen volunteering for The Salvation Army’sfund-raising red kettle drive just beforeChristmas of 2002 when he started feelingslightly off balance and dizzy.

Initially, it appeared McLean, who is generalmanager for Hunt Utilities Group LLC in PineRiver, was suffering from a nasty ear infectionin his left ear. He had been deaf in that ear for30 years after doctors then believed he hadcaught a virus.

But an MRI revealed that McLean had aslow-growing benign tumor in his middle ear.The tumor, a glomus jugulare tumor, wasbeing nourished by the rich blood supplyfrom his jugular vein and shared intimatespace with four cranial nerves, making it com-plicated to remove. Doctors believe McLeanhad the tumor for at least 30 years, whichcaused the deafness in his left ear, and now asit grew, it was putting pressure on his nerves,causing the dizziness.

At St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul, McLeanwent through extensive tests in preparationfor the intensive and delicate surgery toremove the tumor that was scheduled for thefollowing week at a different medical facility.The surgery would have taken 14 hours, threedays to fully wake up from the surgery, alongwith weeks of recovery.

Just before leaving the hospital, a nursehanded McLean a copy of the hospitalnewsletter which contained a story about theCyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery System,which would become available at the hospitalin six months.

There are only about a dozen medical facil-ities in the United States that offer CyberKnifeservices and McLean became one of St.Joseph’s Hospital’s first CyberKnife patients.He worked with St. Joseph’s medical team todiscover whether he was a good candidate forCyberKnife and went under the virtual knife inOctober of 2003.

Using X-ray image cameras and computertechnology similar to that used for cruise mis-sile guidance, the CyberKnife can locate atumor in a body and deliver concentratedbeams of radiation to the tumor from multiplepositions and angles without damaginghealthy surrounding tissue. The CyberKnife,which uses 150 or more beams of radiation,can reach tumors that in some cases wouldhave been inoperable, according to informa-tion provided by the hospital.

The CyberKnife project is led by a team ofphysicians that includes co-directors Dr. LeslieNussbaum, a neurosurgeon, and Dr. EllenBellairs, a radiation oncologist, along withneurosurgeons Dr. Eric Nussbaum and Dr.Terry Hood and surgeon Dr. Andrew Fink.CyberKnife developers at Stanford Universityalso consulted with the St. Paul doctors onMcLean’s case.

“I literally had the world’s best team lookingat my case and that was great,” said McLean.

McLean himself put together a risk analysisof his treatment options to determinewhether he should undergo the CyberKnifeprocedure or conventional surgery. There wasa substantial risk that McLean could experi-ence permanent facial paralysis, speaking dif-ficulties and other complications during con-ventional surgery, not to mention the long

11

The CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery System at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul utilizes X-rayimage cameras and computer technology similar to that used for cruise missile guidance. TheCyberKnife delivers concentrated beams of radiation to the tumor from multiple positions andangles without damaging healthy surrounding tissue.

Nisswa man is CyberKnife pioneerStory/Jodie Tweed

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recovery period he would need tCyberKnife, said McLean, seemthe perfect option.

“Something about it seemedsaid McLean. “In my situation, Ilittle in the way of risk for the Cy

The first treatment, which waand didn’t involve any medicanesthesia, lasted an hour. McLdrove himself to a meeting that a

The second day he receivedone-hour treatment, listening and relaxing under the large roof the machine. Afterward, he dself to a convention and out fwith friends.

After the third treatment the day, McLean drove himself Nisswa.

McLean didn’t miss a day of result of the procedure. The dyicontinues to shrink and will ebecome absorbed by his body.

“It’s been wonderfully unevenMcLean. “The CyberKnife was a moption for me.”

McLean said he hasn’t reghearing in his left ear but hassensation now that the tumor is

Bob McLean, general manager for Hunt UtilitiesGroup LLC in Pine River, went under the virtualknife, or CyberKnife, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St.Paul in order to remove the benign slow-growingtumor in his left ear in 2003. Photo/Nels Norquist

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o endure.ed to be

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followinghome to

work as ang tumorventually

tful,” saidarvelous

ained his regainedshrinking.

McLean is thankful for the support ofhis wife, Terri, their four sons, family andfriends, as well as the Brainerd area med-ical professionals who got him on the pathto looking into the issue in the first place.

“This support, as much as anything,contributed to my level of confidence thatthis was the right thing to do,” saidMcLean.

A year ago McLean spoke at a HealthEastFoundation president’s dinner about hisexperience. While CyberKnife may not besuitable for everyone, McLean said it wasthe best treatment option for him.

St. Joseph’s Hospital uses CyberKnife totreat a variety of tumors including those inthe head, neck and spine, as well astumors of the lung, pancreas, liver, kidneyand pelvis and other tumors in the body, ifappropriate.

For more information about theCyberKnife Center at St. Joseph’s Hospital,visit the HealthEast Care System Web siteat www.healtheast.org.

JODIE TWEED can be reached atjodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or855-5858.

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Planned home births using certified profes-sional midwives are safe for women at low riskfor complications, reports the largest study todate on the subject. Thousands of womenwho underwent home births using midwiveshad lower rates of medical interventions suchas epidural pain relief, forceps delivery andCaesarean section than similar women whogive birth in hospitals. And babies born athome with the assistance of these midwiveshad no higher risk of death during deliveryand after birth than low-risk, hospital-bornbabies. The findings are consistent with pastresearch.

Safety First — The study, published in theBritish Medical Journal, followed 5,418 womenexpecting to deliver at home in 2000 with theaid of midwives certified by the NorthAmerican Registry of Midwives.

About 12 percent of the women were trans-ferred to a hospital during labor because ofcomplications. After delivery, 1.3 percent ofthe mothers and 0.7 percent of newbornswere sent to a hospital, mostly for maternal

hemorrhage, respiratory problems in the babyand retained placenta. No mothers died.There were 1.7 infant deaths per 1,000, a rate“similar to risks in other studies of low-riskhome and hospital births in North America,”the study reports.

Legal Notes — Nurse-midwifery is legal inall 50 states and the District of Columbia,according to the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). In Maryland and theDistrict of Columbia, midwives must have anursing degree to attend births. In Virginiamidwives without a nursing degree will bepermitted to attend births, starting in July.

The ACNM recommends that women seek-ing midwives look for people with degreesfrom accredited midwifery educational pro-grams tied to higher educational institutions.All ACNM certified midwives have at least abachelor’s degree; more than 70 percent haveat least a master’s degree, reports the ACNM.The American College of Obstetricians andGynecologists opposes home births, citingsafety concerns.

Study shows midwife-assisted home births are safeStory/January W. PayneThe Washington Post

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15

Dr. Jackie McCall

Brainerd Office 218.828.9545 • 877.338.3957

Staples Office218.894.5480 • 866-894-5455

• Treatment of eye infections,injuries & glaucoma

• Consultations for laserand cataract surgery

• Eye exams• Contact lenses• Eye Wear

Dr. Anna Malikowski

EYE CENTER

NEW LOCATION!Opening July 25

7870 Excelsior Rd., Baxter

LaserCenter LaserCenter Physician’s

Helping you look

your best... Physician’s Laser Center offers a modern approach to skin rejuvenation. Whether we are treating you for acne, rosacea, wrinkles, skin discoloration, leg or facial veins, or unwanted hair, our patients are treated like family and will feel comfortable and at ease in our medical spa. We believe in offering the best services possible at an affordable price. Patients will appreciate our clinic’s warm environment and staff professionalism and honesty. PLC offers multiple laser services for a variety of skin conditions using our state-of-the-art YAG and V-beamlaser systems. Microdermabrasion, lunch time chemical peels, SkinCeuticals skin care products, and mineral powder makeup are also available

Hours: Tues - Fri, 11am-4pm, or by Appt. Located in the Grizzly Center. Hwy 371. Baxter

Call for your FREE consultations today!

218.824.6666

Mary McCollough Skin Care Specialist

Dr. Leighanne Holmes Physician

er in Minnesota is like an invitationoutside and enjoy the elements.

lly in the tourist-driven Brainerd lakesople flock to lakes, basking in the sunying in the water.e enjoying the warm weather, it’snt to know risks the great outdoors the unprepared.obert Westin of the Cuyuna Regionall Center in Crosby and registered

arla Zupko of the Family Medicalin Little Falls shared treatment and pre- options on some the season’s mostn nuisances.

ivyntion: Avoid expo-ossible. If you

n contact withivy, shower

gular soapove alln fromson ivye sureaunder as well.are overnter prod-

vy Block anduarel, that can be

before exposure to the plant. ment: Over the counter antihista-uch as Benadryl, Calamine lotion orrtisone cream may also be used.

Swimmer’s itchSwimmer’s itch, also known as chiggers, is a

skin rash caused by an allergic reaction toinfection with certain parasites of birds andmammals. These microscopic parasites arereleased from infected snails to swim in freshand salt water, such as lakes, ponds andoceans.

Symptoms: Within minutes to days afterswimming in contaminated water, a personmay experience tingling, burning or itching ofthe skin. Small reddish pimples appear within12 hours. Pimples may develop into small blis-ters. Itching may last up to a week or more,

but will gradually go away. Becauseswimmer’s itch is caused by an

allergic reaction toinfection, the more

often you swim orwade in contami-nated water, the

more likely youare to develop

more serioussymptoms.The greaternumber ofexposures to

contaminatedwater, the more

intense and imme-diate symptoms of swimmer’sitch will be.

Prevention: Avoid swimming inareas where swimmer’s itch is a

known problem or where signs have beenposted warning of unsafe water. Avoid swim-ming near or wading in marshy areas wheresnails are commonly found. Towel dry orshower immediately after leaving the water.Do not attract birds by feeding them in areaswhere people are swimming.

Treatment: Over the counter antihistamine,Calamine lotion or Colloidal oatmeal baths,such as Aveeno, will help with the itching.Cool compresses, bathing in baking soda orapplying baking soda paste to the rash mightalso help to relieve itching. Try not to scratch.Scratching may cause the rash to becomeinfected.Sun burn

Prevention: Avoid overexposure. The worsttime to be in the sun is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Usesun block of SPF 15 or higher and reapply itfrequently, especially when swimming orexcessively sweating. The use of hats or otherphysical barriers to exposure are best.

Treatment: Apply a cool compress andapply aloe vera cream two to three times perday. Use ibuprofen (200-600 mg) every four tosix hours as needed for pain relief. See a doc-tor if blisters are present, your body tempera-ture is 101 or higher, or if suffering from delir-ium, vomiting, diarrhea, pain or fever forlonger than 48 hours. Bee stings

If you have a known allergy to bee stings,keep an EpiPen with you at all times. If youhave any difficulty swallowing or breathingafter getting stung, call 911.

Treatment: If the stinger is still pres-ent, remove it gently by scraping thesite until the stinger is removed.Wash the area with soap andwater and apply ice for the first 24to 48 hours. Use an over thecounter pain reliever andantihistamine to reducethe allergic reaction. See a doc-tor if fever, swollen glands, a spread-ing red streak or joint pain result after24 hours.Tick bites

To remove an embedded tick,use tweezers and apply steadyupward traction until the tick releasesits grip. Be patient. Avoid crushingthe tick. This increases the risk fortransmission of disease. Wash thearea with soap and water andapply a triple antibiotic cream.If bit by a deer tick, keep it forpositive identification. TheCenter for Disease Controldoes not recommend treat-

ment for every deer tick bite. The deertick has to be attached for 24 hours to

transmit disease. The Lyme dis-ease incubation period is

seven to 21 days. See a doc-tor if you develop fatigue,

malaise, lethargy, fever, chills,body aches, muscle pain,

low grade fever,headache, stiff neckor joint pain after this

time period. A targetor bulls-eye rash is seen in

two-thirds of the patients. Insect or spider bites

If you are short of breath,choking, coughing, wheez-ing, or notice lip swellingor hives all over your body,

call 911 immediately. If ablack widow or

brown reclusespider is suspect-ed, try to collect itin a jar and take it

with you for proper identification.Treatment for non-emergent bites: Wash

the area with soap and water and apply icefor 20 minutes several times a day for thefirst 24 hours. Use over the counter antihis-tamine for itching or hives, and an over thecounter pain reliever for discomfort. Seekmedical attention immediately if hives,rash, muscle stiffness, nausea, vomiting,abdominal pain or restlessness develop.Heat exhaustion

Symptoms: Feeling dizzy or light headed,clammy and have excessive sweating.

Treatment: Get out of the heat, take acool bath or wrap with watered downsheets and drink water. Heat stroke

Symptoms: No sweating, temperature of100.5 or higher. If you have these symp-toms, seek medical attention immediately.

Prevention: Avoid prolonged exposureto hot temperatures, wear light, loose fittingclothing and drink plenty of water. Don’twait until you are thirsty.

1514

CM

YK

Dr. Jackie McCall

Brainerd Office 218.828.9545 • 877.338.3957

Staples Office218.894.5480 • 866-894-5455

• Treatment of eye infections,injuries & glaucoma

• Consultations for laserand cataract surgery

• Eye exams• Contact lenses• Eye Wear

Dr. Anna Malikowski

EYE CENTER

NEW LOCATION!Opening July 25

7870 Excelsior Rd., Baxter

LaserCenter LaserCenter Physician’s

Helping you look

your best... Physician’s Laser Center offers a modern approach to skin rejuvenation. Whether we are treating you for acne, rosacea, wrinkles, skin discoloration, leg or facial veins, or unwanted hair, our patients are treated like family and will feel comfortable and at ease in our medical spa. We believe in offering the best services possible at an affordable price. Patients will appreciate our clinic’s warm environment and staff professionalism and honesty. PLC offers multiple laser services for a variety of skin conditions using our state-of-the-art YAG and V-beamlaser systems. Microdermabrasion, lunch time chemical peels, SkinCeuticals skin care products, and mineral powder makeup are also available

Hours: Tues - Fri, 11am-4pm, or by Appt. Located in the Grizzly Center. Hwy 371. Baxter

Call for your FREE consultations today!

218.824.6666

Mary McCollough Skin Care Specialist

Dr. Leighanne Holmes Physician

Summer in Minnesota is like an invitationto get outside and enjoy the elements.Especially in the tourist-driven Brainerd lakesarea, people flock to lakes, basking in the sunand playing in the water.

While enjoying the warm weather, it’simportant to know risks the great outdoorspose to the unprepared.

Dr. Robert Westin of the Cuyuna RegionalMedical Center in Crosby and registerednurse Carla Zupko of the Family MedicalCenter in Little Falls shared treatment and pre-vention options on some the season’s mostcommon nuisances.

Poison ivyPrevention: Avoid expo-

sure if possible. If youcome in contact withpoison ivy, showerusing regular soapto remove allthe resin fromthe poison ivyplant. Be sureto launderclothing as well.There are overthe counter prod-ucts, Ivy Block andStoko Quarel, that can beapplied before exposure to the plant.

Treatment: Over the counter antihista-mine, such as Benadryl, Calamine lotion orhydrocortisone cream may also be used.

Swimmer’s itchSwimmer’s itch, also known as chiggers, is a

skin rash caused by an allergic reaction toinfection with certain parasites of birds andmammals. These microscopic parasites arereleased from infected snails to swim in freshand salt water, such as lakes, ponds andoceans.

Symptoms: Within minutes to days afterswimming in contaminated water, a personmay experience tingling, burning or itching ofthe skin. Small reddish pimples appear within12 hours. Pimples may develop into small blis-ters. Itching may last up to a week or more,

but will gradually go away. Becauseswimmer’s itch is caused by an

allergic reaction toinfection, the more

often you swim orwade in contami-nated water, the

more likely youare to develop

more serioussymptoms.The greaternumber ofexposures to

contaminatedwater, the more

intense and imme-diate symptoms of swimmer’sitch will be.

Prevention: Avoid swimming inareas where swimmer’s itch is a

known problem or where signs have beenposted warning of unsafe water. Avoid swim-ming near or wading in marshy areas wheresnails are commonly found. Towel dry orshower immediately after leaving the water.Do not attract birds by feeding them in areaswhere people are swimming.

Treatment: Over the counter antihistamine,Calamine lotion or Colloidal oatmeal baths,such as Aveeno, will help with the itching.Cool compresses, bathing in baking soda orapplying baking soda paste to the rash mightalso help to relieve itching. Try not to scratch.Scratching may cause the rash to becomeinfected.Sun burn

Prevention: Avoid overexposure. The worsttime to be in the sun is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Usesun block of SPF 15 or higher and reapply itfrequently, especially when swimming orexcessively sweating. The use of hats or otherphysical barriers to exposure are best.

Treatment: Apply a cool compress andapply aloe vera cream two to three times perday. Use ibuprofen (200-600 mg) every four tosix hours as needed for pain relief. See a doc-tor if blisters are present, your body tempera-ture is 101 or higher, or if suffering from delir-ium, vomiting, diarrhea, pain or fever forlonger than 48 hours. Bee stings

If you have a known allergy to bee stings,keep an EpiPen with you at all times. If youhave any difficulty swallowing or breathingafter getting stung, call 911.

Treatment: If the stinger is still pres-ent, remove it gently by scraping thesite until the stinger is removed.Wash the area with soap andwater and apply ice for the first 24to 48 hours. Use an over thecounter pain reliever andantihistamine to reducethe allergic reaction. See a doc-tor if fever, swollen glands, a spread-ing red streak or joint pain result after24 hours.Tick bites

To remove an embedded tick,use tweezers and apply steadyupward traction until the tick releasesits grip. Be patient. Avoid crushingthe tick. This increases the risk fortransmission of disease. Wash thearea with soap and water andapply a triple antibiotic cream.If bit by a deer tick, keep it forpositive identification. TheCenter for Disease Controldoes not recommend treat-

ment for every deer tick bite. The deertick has to be attached for 24 hours to

transmit disease. The Lyme dis-ease incubation period is

seven to 21 days. See a doc-tor if you develop fatigue,

malaise, lethargy, fever, chills,body aches, muscle pain,

low grade fever,headache, stiff neckor joint pain after this

time period. A targetor bulls-eye rash is seen in

two-thirds of the patients. Insect or spider bites

If you are short of breath,choking, coughing, wheez-ing, or notice lip swellingor hives all over your body,

call 911 immediately. If ablack widow or

brown reclusespider is suspect-ed, try to collect itin a jar and take it

with you for proper identification.Treatment for non-emergent bites: Wash

the area with soap and water and apply icefor 20 minutes several times a day for thefirst 24 hours. Use over the counter antihis-tamine for itching or hives, and an over thecounter pain reliever for discomfort. Seekmedical attention immediately if hives,rash, muscle stiffness, nausea, vomiting,abdominal pain or restlessness develop.Heat exhaustion

Symptoms: Feeling dizzy or light headed,clammy and have excessive sweating.

Treatment: Get out of the heat, take acool bath or wrap with watered downsheets and drink water. Heat stroke

Symptoms: No sweating, temperature of100.5 or higher. If you have these symp-toms, seek medical attention immediately.

Prevention: Avoid prolonged exposureto hot temperatures, wear light, loose fittingclothing and drink plenty of water. Don’twait until you are thirsty.

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Planned home births using certified profes-sional midwives are safe for women at low riskfor complications, reports the largest study todate on the subject. Thousands of womenwho underwent home births using midwiveshad lower rates of medical interventions suchas epidural pain relief, forceps delivery andCaesarean section than similar women whogive birth in hospitals. And babies born athome with the assistance of these midwiveshad no higher risk of death during deliveryand after birth than low-risk, hospital-bornbabies. The findings are consistent with pastresearch.

Safety First — The study, published in theBritish Medical Journal, followed 5,418 womenexpecting to deliver at home in 2000 with theaid of midwives certified by the NorthAmerican Registry of Midwives.

About 12 percent of the women were trans-ferred to a hospital during labor because ofcomplications. After delivery, 1.3 percent ofthe mothers and 0.7 percent of newbornswere sent to a hospital, mostly for maternal

hemorrhage, respiratory problems in the babyand retained placenta. No mothers died.There were 1.7 infant deaths per 1,000, a rate“similar to risks in other studies of low-riskhome and hospital births in North America,”the study reports.

Legal Notes — Nurse-midwifery is legal inall 50 states and the District of Columbia,according to the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). In Maryland and theDistrict of Columbia, midwives must have anursing degree to attend births. In Virginiamidwives without a nursing degree will bepermitted to attend births, starting in July.

The ACNM recommends that women seek-ing midwives look for people with degreesfrom accredited midwifery educational pro-grams tied to higher educational institutions.All ACNM certified midwives have at least abachelor’s degree; more than 70 percent haveat least a master’s degree, reports the ACNM.The American College of Obstetricians andGynecologists opposes home births, citingsafety concerns.

Study shows midwife-assisted home births are safeStory/January W. PayneThe Washington Post

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recovery period he would need to endure.CyberKnife, said McLean, seemed to bethe perfect option.

“Something about it seemed so right,”said McLean. “In my situation, I saw verylittle in the way of risk for the CyberKnife.”

The first treatment, which was painlessand didn’t involve any medications oranesthesia, lasted an hour. McLean thendrove himself to a meeting that afternoon.

The second day he received anotherone-hour treatment, listening to musicand relaxing under the large robotic armof the machine. Afterward, he drove him-self to a convention and out for dinnerwith friends.

After the third treatment the followingday, McLean drove himself home toNisswa.

McLean didn’t miss a day of work as aresult of the procedure. The dying tumorcontinues to shrink and will eventuallybecome absorbed by his body.

“It’s been wonderfully uneventful,” saidMcLean. “The CyberKnife was a marvelousoption for me.”

McLean said he hasn’t regained hishearing in his left ear but has regainedsensation now that the tumor is shrinking.

McLean is thankful for the support ofhis wife, Terri, their four sons, family andfriends, as well as the Brainerd area med-ical professionals who got him on the pathto looking into the issue in the first place.

“This support, as much as anything,contributed to my level of confidence thatthis was the right thing to do,” saidMcLean.

A year ago McLean spoke at a HealthEastFoundation president’s dinner about hisexperience. While CyberKnife may not besuitable for everyone, McLean said it wasthe best treatment option for him.

St. Joseph’s Hospital uses CyberKnife totreat a variety of tumors including those inthe head, neck and spine, as well astumors of the lung, pancreas, liver, kidneyand pelvis and other tumors in the body, ifappropriate.

For more information about theCyberKnife Center at St. Joseph’s Hospital,visit the HealthEast Care System Web siteat www.healtheast.org.

JODIE TWEED can be reached atjodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or855-5858.

Bob McLean, general manager for Hunt UtilitiesGroup LLC in Pine River, went under the virtualknife, or CyberKnife, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St.Paul in order to remove the benign slow-growingtumor in his left ear in 2003. Photo/Nels Norquist

PINE RIVER — Bob McLean of Nisswa hadbeen volunteering for The Salvation Army’sfund-raising red kettle drive just beforeChristmas of 2002 when he started feelingslightly off balance and dizzy.

Initially, it appeared McLean, who is generalmanager for Hunt Utilities Group LLC in PineRiver, was suffering from a nasty ear infectionin his left ear. He had been deaf in that ear for30 years after doctors then believed he hadcaught a virus.

But an MRI revealed that McLean had aslow-growing benign tumor in his middle ear.The tumor, a glomus jugulare tumor, wasbeing nourished by the rich blood supplyfrom his jugular vein and shared intimatespace with four cranial nerves, making it com-plicated to remove. Doctors believe McLeanhad the tumor for at least 30 years, whichcaused the deafness in his left ear, and now asit grew, it was putting pressure on his nerves,causing the dizziness.

At St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul, McLeanwent through extensive tests in preparationfor the intensive and delicate surgery toremove the tumor that was scheduled for thefollowing week at a different medical facility.The surgery would have taken 14 hours, threedays to fully wake up from the surgery, alongwith weeks of recovery.

Just before leaving the hospital, a nursehanded McLean a copy of the hospitalnewsletter which contained a story about theCyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery System,which would become available at the hospitalin six months.

There are only about a dozen medical facil-ities in the United States that offer CyberKnifeservices and McLean became one of St.Joseph’s Hospital’s first CyberKnife patients.He worked with St. Joseph’s medical team todiscover whether he was a good candidate forCyberKnife and went under the virtual knife inOctober of 2003.

Using X-ray image cameras and computertechnology similar to that used for cruise mis-sile guidance, the CyberKnife can locate atumor in a body and deliver concentratedbeams of radiation to the tumor from multiplepositions and angles without damaginghealthy surrounding tissue. The CyberKnife,which uses 150 or more beams of radiation,can reach tumors that in some cases wouldhave been inoperable, according to informa-tion provided by the hospital.

The CyberKnife project is led by a team ofphysicians that includes co-directors Dr. LeslieNussbaum, a neurosurgeon, and Dr. EllenBellairs, a radiation oncologist, along withneurosurgeons Dr. Eric Nussbaum and Dr.Terry Hood and surgeon Dr. Andrew Fink.CyberKnife developers at Stanford Universityalso consulted with the St. Paul doctors onMcLean’s case.

“I literally had the world’s best team lookingat my case and that was great,” said McLean.

McLean himself put together a risk analysisof his treatment options to determinewhether he should undergo the CyberKnifeprocedure or conventional surgery. There wasa substantial risk that McLean could experi-ence permanent facial paralysis, speaking dif-ficulties and other complications during con-ventional surgery, not to mention the long

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The CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery System at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul utilizes X-rayimage cameras and computer technology similar to that used for cruise missile guidance. TheCyberKnife delivers concentrated beams of radiation to the tumor from multiple positions andangles without damaging healthy surrounding tissue.

Nisswa man is CyberKnife pioneerStory/Jodie Tweed

‘Miracle’ magnetVNS Therapy stopsStaples woman’s seizures,changes her life

Rochelle Endres, 21, was the first person to receive Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy inBrainerd. VNS is described as a pacemaker for the brain that helps control epilepsy. Theoutpatient procedure involved small incisions in her neck and chest, where the devicewas implanted.

Story/Heidi LakePhotos/Steve Kohls

STAPLES — Rochelle Endres wasn’t able to drive. Shecouldn’t get a job. She barely graduated from high schoolbecause she missed so many days of class.

Endres was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 8.Since then the disease has affected her entire life.

At one point, the now 21-year-old Staples woman wastaking 217 pills each week — and was still having uncon-trollable seizures. Endres described herself as a “walkingzombie” when she was taking so many medications.

“I couldn’t think clearly,” she said.Side effects from taking so many medications eventu-

ally caught up with Endres. She has had cancer, three mis-carriages, and suffers from osteoporosis, depression,ulcers and migraines.

Because of the osteoporosis, Endres’ teeth have rottedand she now wears dentures.

Doctors prescribed different drugs to keep herseizures under control, but after months of using themedications her body would become immune and thedrugs wouldn’t work. This happened over and over again,and the seizures kept coming. She was diagnosed withtreatment resistant epilepsy.

Endres describes her “small” seizures as getting flut-tery eyes and not being able to comprehend things. Sheis aware of what’s going on around her and can still talk.When she starts feeling her eyes get fluttery she cansometimes prevent the seizure from coming on by sleep-ing or eating.

It’s the “big ones,” as Endres calls them, or grand malseizures, that can’t be stopped. She goes unconscious,her body jerks, her jaw clenches and she loses control ofher bodily functions.

“When I feel one of those coming on, all I can do is sitback and wait for it,” Endres said.

Endres’ shortest seizures last about 30 minutes. Thelongest lasted two weeks, she said.

After years of failed medication combinations, Endreswas running out of treatment options.

In March 2004 Dr. Linda Marden, neurologist, joinedthe Brainerd Medical Center staff. After visiting numer-ous specialists in the Twin Cities and Brainerd, Endres waswilling to visit yet another doctor.

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CHILDREN’S HEALTH

Bored?Summer is here, children are out of school and free to do

fun activities.Students of all ages who were at Washington Educational

Services Building recently for Fun ‘N’ Friends discussed theirfavorite summer activities.

Brandon Kersting, 12, Merrifield, and his friend, StevenCoffman, 12, Brainerd, are addicted to playing with theirmagic cards. They said they can play with the cards for days.They said they do not play video games and they only watchtelevision if they are really bored.

Kersting said he likes to hang out with friends and wrestlewith his brother. He also likes playing make-up games andhe likes to go skateboarding.

Coffman said he’d go outside more often if he wouldn’tbe teased by other children. Kersting said he’d go outsidemore often if the bugs would stop biting.

Even though the boys do not do as much physical activityas they should, they said they eat healthy. Coffman said hisfavorite food is bananas and he likes fresh-cut pineapple.

Kersting said his family banned junk food from theirhouse. He said they only get to eat junk food on specialoccasions. He also said he and his siblings can only watchtwo hours of television a day.

Meghan Sullivan, 15, Garrison, and Nick Mangan, 17,Baxter, said they both like go to the beach and spend timewith friends when they are not in school. Mangan said hisfriends also like to play sports, including baseball, basketballand soccer.

Sullivan and Mangan volunteer in the Brainerd SchoolDistrict with the youth programs, spending time and playinggames with children. They said the fifth- through eighth-grade boys like to play video games and skateboard.

Marissa Bjerkness, 10, Brainerd, said she somewhat likesto skateboard. Her favorite things to do are working witharts and crafts and talking.

Heather Bowman, 10, Baxter, also likes to do arts andcrafts. She and her friends each made a paper fortune tellerthat kept them busy. She said she also likes to play basketballand volleyball.

Bowman said she can only watch one hour of television aday. She said if one day she watches more then she can’twatch any television the next day.

Colin Sullivan, 13, Garrison, said he likes to swim, playfootball and basketball and lift weights. He also likes to readand write short stories.

Devin Selk, 6, Brainerd, said he likes to play with trucksand help his dad at the concession stands at events.

Kaitlin Burch, 7, Brainerd, likes to go bike riding and playwith her dog, three cats and two fish. She also likes listeningto music. She said she watches about one to two hours oftelevision, depending on when she gets her chores done.

JENNIFER STOCKINGER can be reached atjennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.

Story/Jennifer Stockinger

Here’s what areachildren had to sayabout how they arespending theirsummer vacation

Marden suggested Vagus NerveStimulation Therapy, something that at thetime was only approved by the Food and DrugAdministration for one type of epilepsy.

VNS Therapy is described as a pacemakerfor the brain. The device, about the size of apocketwatch, is implanted under the skin inthe chest. Wires connected to the implant arecoiled around the vagus nerve on the left sideof the neck. Electric signals are sent throughthe wires, stimulating the vagus nerve andactivating parts of the brain, reducing the riskof seizures.

At the time, surgeons in Brainerd were nottrained in implanting the VNS device. Mardenbrought it upon herself to bring VNS toBrainerd, coordinating a program betweenlocal doctors and representatives ofCyberonics, the VNS parent company.

“Rochelle was my kick in the butt,” Mardensaid of bringing VNS to Brainerd. “Nothingelse seemed to work.”

Endres was implanted with the VNS last July19. The outpatient surgery was done at St.Joseph’s Medical Center and cost about$25,000. Endres said her insurance companycovered the procedure.

Doctors programmed the device in August,adjusting the timing and amount of stimula-tion her brain receives. Endres took her lastanti-seizure pill in September.

It’s been one year since Endres has had aseizure. Before getting the VNS, she seized

about once a week.“It’s nice to know I’m OK. I don’t have to

wake up in the morning and wonder what’sgong to happen to me that day,” Endres said.

Endres used to prepare many of her friendsand co-workers on what to do if she seizedwhile she’s with them. She instructed them totake her jewelry off, take her dentures out,and if she makes choking sounds, put a metalspoon in her mouth and hold down hertongue.

“Then just wait. When I snap out of it, I’ll betired and irritable, then just let me sleep,” shesaid.

To give her more control of her seizures,VNS allows Endres to swipe a magnet acrossthe implant in her chest when she feels symp-tomatic. By using the magnet, Endres can stim-ulate the implant to send out electric signals,potentially aborting or decreasing the severityof the seizure. Endres said she has used themagnet 23 times since she was implanted inAugust.

“I swipe the magnet and 10 minutes later Ifeel 50 to 70 percent better,” she said.

Marden said because VNS Therapy is fairlynew, data regarding the long-term effects ofVNS only goes back eight to 10 years. She isconfident in saying VNS is less risky than tak-ing seizure medicines.

Endres calls VNS Therapy a “miracle,” butshe has some concern her body will becomeimmune to it, like it did with all the anti-

seizure medications.“The body can get immune to anything. I’m

getting electrical stimuli every day, 24/7. I hopeand pray it won’t stop,” she said.

Now that Endres can somewhat control herseizures, she’s able to work full time at BangPrinting in Brainerd. She owns her own houseand plans to pursue a graphic design degreeat Central Lakes College in January, a feat sheattempted in the past but had to quit becauseof health issues.

Endres said her struggles with epilepsy haveaffected her life both positively and negatively.

“This has taught me responsibility andpatience,” she said. “I treat people with morerespect and a sense of compassion. I havesympathy for other people (with uncontrolledepilepsy) because I know what they’re goingthrough.”

Endres recently spoke publicly in Brainerdabout her experience with VNS Therapy. Shealso talks with other patients who are strug-gling with epilepsy.

“I let them know there is someone herewho understands them. It’s a comfort,” Endressaid.

Marden said two other patients havereceived VNS Therapy in Brainerd sinceEndres was implanted.

HEIDI LAKE can be reached at 855-5879 orheidi.lake@brainerddispatch.com.

Rochelle Endres, Staples, carries a special magnet with her at alltimes. By swiping the magnet across the Vagus Nerve Stimulationimplant, Endres can stop a seizure when she feels symptomatic.

Right: VNS Therapy is described as a pacemaker for the brain. Thedevice is implanted under the skin in the chest, and wires connectedto the implant are coiled around the vagus nerve in the neck. Electricsignals are sent through the wires, stimulating the vagus nerve andactivating parts of the brain, reducing the risk of seizures.

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It’s about care-free living and piece of mind knowing we’re never alone. At Excelsior Place quality care and a loving environment makes assisted living more like home. For a personal introduction to our community and to learn about why more people are calling Excelsior Place Home, call us today!

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to give children tokens and each tokenwould be worth one hour of screentime.

Besides staying active children alsoneed to eat healthier foods. Coughlinsaid many parents will say their childrendo not want to eat vegetables or otherhealthy foods.

Coughlin said parents should not asktheir children if they want to eat some-thing healthy, but rather offer thehealthy choices.

“Or if that doesn’t work say I’ll split anapple with you,” said Coughlin.“Modeling healthy eating is very impor-tant. If they see you eating healthy theywill too.”

To help entice children to healthy eat-ing, Coughlin suggests having childrenhelp in the preparation of the food.Coughlin said then as the parents andchildren prepare the food they can talkabout the health benefits in age-appro-priate language.

Coughlin said parents also shoulduse low-fat cooking methods.

Coughlin said parents have controlover what foods their children eat

because they are the ones doing theshopping. She said parents should try tobuy foods that are healthy.

An easy, healthy meal for parents whohave no time to cook is to have a tacoevent, with whole wheat tortillas, low-fatcheese, lettuce, tomatoes and chicken.

To help children eat their fruits theycan blend low-fat yogurt with frozenfruit and milk to make a shake.

“We need to make time to eat healthyand exercise,” said Coughlin. “If thetrends do not change in society we willcontinue to see the dangers of highblood pressure and cholesterol, typetwo diabetes, heart disease and certaincancers and chronic diseases.”

Coughlin said research shows that ifthings don’t change one out of everythree children will have diabetes.

To find more information on how toeat healthy go to www.mypyramid.gov.

JENNIFER STOCKINGER can bereached atjennifer.stockinger@brainerddis-patch.com or 855-5851.

Portion sizes for children age 2-6➤ One-third to a half cup of frozen vegetables.

➤ One or two little cooked broccoli spears.

➤ Five to seven cooked baby carrots.

➤ One-third to a half cup of melon.

➤ Five to seven strawberries.

➤ A half cup of apple sauce.

➤ One-third to a half-cup of frozen or fresh berries.

➤ One cup of low-fat yogurt or nonfat milk.

➤ One-third to a half cup of macaroni and cheese, rice,pasta or mashed potatoes.

➤ Two ounces of hamburger.

➤ One-fourth cup of ground meat, such as turkey or pork.

➤ One or two drumsticks.

Source: Centers of Disease Control and Prevention

Exercise books by trainers of the stars fit the rest of us pretty well

The trouble with books written by fitnesstrainers to the stars isn’t that people read them.It’s that they read them for the wrong reasons.

No book by an A-list Hollywood trainer canmake you look like Halle Berry in a cat suit (or,for that matter, Christian Slater in boxers). Andwhatever they can deliver will take a lot longerthan the improbably few weeks hyped on thecover.

But — who’d have thought? — the programssubject to these pumped-up claims offer somevalue for those of us who aren’t celebrities at all,people I proudly think of as members of the “E-list,” as in Everybody Else.

Story/Craig StoltzPhoto/Julia EwanThe Washington Post

Exercise books bytrainers of the stars fiteverybody else prettywell. You’re not goingto look like HalleBerry by followingHarley Pasternak’sbook, but it offers at i m e - e f f i c i e n t ,research-based work-out.

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CHILDREN’S HEALTH

No regular soda pop. No juice. And no bev-erages with calories in them besides milk.

These are things your children can elimi-nate to have a healthier lifestyle, an area nutri-tionist says.

Kelly Coughlin, a registered dietitian atLakewood Health System in Staples, is con-cerned with the growing number of childrenwho are obese today. She said in our culturefamilies eat too much fast food and have otherunhealthy habits, like drinking regular popand eating too much junk food, and thenallowing children too much TV time is leadingto more overweight children.

Recent data suggests that one in three chil-dren living in the United States today is over-weight and one in six are seriously over-weight.

“This is important because overweight chil-dren are more likely to become overweightadults, increasing the risk for diabetes, heartdisease, certain cancers and joint problems,”

said Coughlin, who also is a certified diabeteseducator at Lakewood. “There also is an issueof a lower self esteem and depression is morecommon.”

Coughlin said today there are children whoare being diagnosed with type two diabetes, adisease that used to be an adult onset dia-betes, because of obesity. She said childrenare showing risk factors for chronic diseaseand higher blood pressure, blood sugars andcholesterol at lower ages.

Coughlin said parents must get involved tohelp get their children off the couch andengaged in a physical activity.

“Parents need to set an example and exer-cise and encourage their kids to be active,”said Coughlin. “You need to start getting kidsinvolved when they’re young.”

Coughlin recommends parents start a fam-ily routine for staying active, such as taking awalk after supper or playing basketball.Coughlin said the possibilities are endless on

what type of activities a family can do. She saidparents just need to make the activities fun tokeep the children interested.

Household chores also burn calories.Coughlin said getting children involved withthese chores, such as vacuuming or weedingthe garden, also would be helpful.

“When I was young I had a friend who hadan exercise bike that worked the TV,” saidCoughlin. “Every family needs to find some-thing that works for them and then start slowand work themselves up.”

Children who watch five hours of televisiona day are eight times more likely to be obese,Coughlin said. The five hours a day includestime children spend playing video and com-puter games.

Parents are encouraged to limit children’sscreen time. Coughlin said parents could givetheir children a time limit per day or per weekand the children may use their hours as theyplease. She said another suggestion would be

Story/Jennifer Stockinger

Obesity becoming common for childrenI know this only because, to spare you the embarrass-

ment, cost and pain, I have spent the last couple ofmonths reading these books and performing some ofthe workouts that appear in them.

First, let me say the books can be wildly uneven andimpractical. “The Ultimate New York Body Plan”presentsa nuttily difficult program that, if followed as written,would become a part-time job. Most other workoutsdon’t realistically fit into their alleged time limits. Some ofthe photos show stuff being done in scary-bad form.(Don’t yank your head up on those crunches!) Mostinclude some sort of eating plan that dances around thesad, simple truth that you have to eat less garbage,replace it with healthier food and burn off more caloriesthan you take in.

All that said, the A-listers’ workout routines for themost part fit E-listers well, largely because we have atleast some things in common with celebrities: We’re real-ly busy and don’t want to spend much time working outbut would like to see some results, oh, this calendarquarter. We want to have enough energy to enjoy ournightlife, even if it’s nothing more tabloid-worthy thanspraying the houseplants. We’d like to be trim and limberenough to do some of our own stunts, but we know wedon’t want to look like one of those body builders orweight lifters — who, to tell you the truth, sort of gross usout.

Most A-list trainer books I’ve checked out embrace, tovarious degrees, the following concepts that serve civil-ians well. They also happen to represent some of the keytrends that are currently blowing around the fitnosphere.

Circuit Training — In circuit workouts, you perform asequence of three to 10 different exercises with little orno rest in between, then repeat the circuit two or threetimes. (Curves, that ubiquitous chain of E-list fitness cen-ters, employs a form of circuit training.) In standardstrength training, by contrast, you do one set of an exer-cise, recover by flipping through an old copy of People,do a second set, recover while pacing around surrepti-tiously evaluating other patrons’ gymwear, do a third set,and finally move on to the next exercise.

Circuit training is very time-efficient, delivering simul-taneously the benefits of a cardio session with those ofstrength training. And by keeping you working withoutrest, it torches more calories than conventional weight

Continued on Page 26

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Childhood obesity is becoming an epidem-ic among America’s youths and the federalgovernment has addressed this health crisisfor a few years by investing more than $16 bil-lion annually in child nutrition programs.

Statistics have shown that childhood obesi-ty has doubled in preschool-age children andhas tripled in children age 6-11, when com-pared with children 30 years ago.

Muzik said the children in their programsare more obese than the children 10 years ago.She said they never had to order extra largeshirts until a few years ago.

Muzik said children today don’t know howto play outside. She also said parents are alsomore restrictive on children’s play outsidebecause of the crime rate.

“Kids will never know the joy of being out-side with nature and being with friends,” saidMuzik. “They isolate themselves too muchbecause of all the meth problems out thereand the crazies on the streets. It’s hard to con-tinue to watch our nation go down withdrugs.”

Despite the safety factor, Muzik said thereare programs in the Brainerd lakes area thatare supervised and safe for children. BrainerdParks and Recreation offers several super-vised activities for children of all ages, such asbaseball and softball. And this year it addedkick ball.

Brainerd Parks and Recreation also offersdifferent activities for children, such as fishingand biking clinics. In the winter, pond hockey,ice skating, basketball and volleyball are avail-able.

Muzik said the most popular activities theyoffer children in the summer are baseball andsoftball and in the winter hockey is a favorite.

Skateboarding is also popular, and Muzik saidthe upcoming popular activity will be dodgeball.

Muzik said it is tougher today for parents tomonitor their children’s activities becausethey are busier and many work full time.However, she said finding time to encourageexercise is important for their children’shealth.

To help parents get their children outside,Muzik said they should set a time limit onwatching television and playing video games.Parents should also limit junk food.

“Exercise is very important,” said Muzik.“Kids need exercise to build stronger bonesand muscles to run, jump, climb and to doother activities.”

Brainerd and Baxter’s parks and recreationprograms are not the only supervised pro-grams in the Brainerd lakes area. The LakesArea Youth Soccer Association, the BrainerdLakes YMCA and Brainerd CommunityEducation also offer youth programs orcamps.

Lisa Stawarski, Brainerd School Districtyouth program coordinator, said Brainerd’syouth programs are geared for life-long learn-ing experiences for children in grades K-12that are age appropriate.

The Brainerd youth programs in the sum-mer are open from 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday at the Washington EducationalServices Building. Children participate in vari-ous activities, including arts and crafts, boardand computer games and physical activities inthe gymnasium.

There are between 95 to 105 students whoparticipate daily at Washington and another35-40 students who participate in the pro-

grams at Nisswa school.Stawarski said the youth programs keep the

students’ minds and bodies busy. She said stu-dents can watch television and play videogames, but their time on these activities arelimited.

“We want the kids to feel this is their vaca-tion,” said Stawarski. “They get a chance toexplore their interests and talents here.”

The youth development/youth service pro-grams offered to students are Fun ‘N’ Friends,Senior Leadership program and Youth Trax.The high school-age children can volunteer tohelp the younger children or can enroll in aprogram to work on job skills, communicationand accountability.

In these programs, there are clubs for chil-dren for science, gardening, woodworkingand arts and crafts. There also are field trips,such as a trip to the skating rink.

Stawarski said when the children play in thegymnasium they play non-competitive games.She said the students learn teamwork, sports-manship and have fun.

There are several rooms at Washingtonwhere children participate in different activi-ties, including an arts and crafts room, a gameroom for puzzles or board games and amovie/television room.

Stawarski said a few of the popular activitiesfor the children are the arts and crafts, scienceprojects and the gymnasium games. She saidthe younger children like to build things andwork with Legos.

JENNIFER STOCKINGER can be reached atjennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or855-5851.

➤ Wipe table tops.

➤ Scrub and rinse fruit andvegetables.

➤ Wash and tear lettuce.

➤ Bring ingredients from oneplace to another.

➤ Put things in the trash.

➤ Shake liquids in a coveredcontainer.

➤ Peel oranges or hardcooked eggs.

➤ Set a table.

➤ Cut parsley or green onionwith child-safe scissors.

➤ Measure ingredients.

➤ Use and egg beater orwhisk.

Source: Centers of DiseaseControl and Prevention

Household activities for children, age 3-5“Kids will never know the joy of beingoutside with nature and being with

friends. They isolate themselves too muchbecause of all the meth problems out

there and the crazies on the streets. It’shard to continue to watch our nation go

down with drugs.”

—Bonnie Muzik

Recreation coordinator,Brainerd Parks and Recreation

St. Joe’s updates ICU

Heidi Strus (right) and Karen Ruona work as registered nurses in the intensive care unit and St. Joseph’s Medical Center.

Story/Heidi LakePhotos/Nels Norquist

St. Joseph’s Medical Center’s $27 million expansionproject is nearing completion.

The massive undertaking was started in July 2003and is expected to be finished in October. Pediatricsand the family birthplace, bariatric rooms, cardiacrehabilitation and inpatient occupational and physi-cal therapy departments are still under construction.

The hospital is opening each unit as it is completed.Most recently, the intensive care unit was remodeled,bringing it up to date visually and technologically.

“It’s a new age,” said Terri Monroe, ICU nurse man-ager. “We’re getting up to date.”

$27 million hospital expansion to be finished in October

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Team members from the Little Sluggers Brewers practiced catching fly balls at Baxter Park. Keeping children active while they’re on summer vaca-tion can be a difficult task for parents.

Off the couch, on your feet

Story/Jennifer StockingerPhoto/Nels Norquist

Is your child sitting in front of the computerscreen playing video games or watching too muchTV this summer?

If that’s the case throw away the television and thevideo games or at least limit the usage and get yourchildren outside, says Bonnie Muzik, recreationcoordinator for Brainerd Parks and Recreation.

Muzik said there are too many children who donot get enough exercise and are obese.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH The original ICU was built in1984. With ever-changing tech-nology the smaller patientrooms made it difficult to usethe equipment.

“It was very tight. We had tokeep manipulating the equip-ment to make it easier to get tothe patient,” Monroe said. “Thelarger rooms give you the capa-bility to do more.”

Monroe used her seven yearsexperience as a nurse managerat St. Joe’s in helping to plan anddesign the ICU. She also visitedSt. Cloud Hospital’s newlyremodeled ICU and took advicefrom her staff.

Location of utility rooms,equipment placement and officespace for doctors were on thetop of Monroe’s to-change list.

“We identified what the prob-lems were and how to correct them,”she said.

Two patient rooms include negative pres-sure isolation rooms for respiratory patients.The isolation rooms allow air to be filteredoutside, preventing others from breathing thesame air and any organisms that may be lin-gering.

“As the threat of bioterrorism increases, wehave to increase our respiratory care,”Monroe said.

ICU patients generally require more carethan other patients. On average, eight patientsare in the department at one time. The ICUincreased from eight to 10 patient rooms. Eachroom has a computer, allowing medical staff

to update charts electronicallyand transfer records to other hos-pitals when needed.

“All the information is availablefrom their bed side,” Monroesaid. “It’s less hassle.”

Patient rooms include sofabeds for family members wantingto sleep in the rooms. Monroesaid before being remodeled,lack of space made it difficult forfamily members to stay in thepatient rooms.

Monroe said 20 years ago fami-ly members were only allowedinside ICU patient rooms for 10minutes every two hours. Today,family members are invited tostay overnight in the room.Monroe said research has provenpatients do better when family isby their side.

“Families want to becomemore active,” Monroe said. “They’re very wor-ried about their loved one. They want the bestcare possible and that’s what we’re here todo.”

HEIDI LAKE can be reached at 855-5879 orheidi.lake@brainerddispatch.com.

Patient rooms in the newly remodeled intensive care unit at St. Joseph’sMedical Center are larger, making room for medical equipment to be broughtin when needed.

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Surgerycenteratmosphereis comfortingto patients

Cathy Feierabend, a registered nurse, prepared an operating roomfor a patient at Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center in Baxter.

BAXTER — When an otherwise healthypatient has to undergo a surgical proce-dure, it may sometimes be intimidating tocheck into a hospital.

But now Brainerd lakes area residentshave another option when choosing whereto have an outpatient surgical procedureperformed.

The Brainerd Lakes Surgery Centeropened in February, a joint venturebetween 14 Brainerd area doctors and St.Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd.

Dr. Paul Rud (right), an orthopedic surgeon, with assistance by Surgical TechnicianToni Brown, performed a procedure on a patient at the Brainerd Lakes SurgeryCenter in Baxter.

Story/Jodie TweedPhotos/Nels Norquist

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Table of contents68

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Table of contentsCOVER STORY:Kids’ fitness

NUTRITION:Keeping kids fit

UPDATE:Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center

DOCTOR’S ORDERS:Summer health risks

REMODELING:St. Joseph’s ICU gets facelift

TREATMENT:No more seizures

16 TREND:Home birthing

PROCEDURE:CyberKnife

Who we arePublisher — Terry McColloughAdvertising — Tim BogenschutzEditor — Heidi LakeGraphic Desinger — Cindy Spilman

HealthWatch is a quarterly publicationof the Brainerd Dispatch.

Read HealthWatch online atwww.upnorthhealthwatch.com.

For advertising opportunities call TimBogenschutz at (218) 855-5844.

E-mail your comments toheidi.lake@brainerddispatch.com or writeto:

Heidi LakeBrainerd DispatchPO Box 974Brainerd, MN 56401

Ah, summer. My favorite time ofyear. Spending warm evenings onarea lakes or picnicking in thebackyard, it’s just nice to be out-doors.

As I write this, sunburned skin isflaking off my arm and faded redsplotches of week-old swimmer’sitch can be seen. How attractive.

During the warm summermonths it’s important to take careof yourself. It’s people like me whoalways seem to forget sunblock orfrequently find themselves stand-ing in a patch of poison ivy thatneed to take note. Health careprofessionals gave their two-centson common summer health risks,prevention and treatment in thearticle “Nature’s nuisances” in this

issue of HealthWatch.Another summertime issue that

faces many parents is how to getchildren away from the TV. Therisk of childhood obesity is on therise in the United States and itseems video games are becomingmore and more popular. Couldthere be a connection? Check outthe story “Off the couch, on yourfeet” for ideas on how to keepyour child active while school’sout.

Be safe, stay active and enjoy thewarm weather. After all, why dowe live in Minnesota? That’s easy— June, July and August.

Heidi LakeEditor

From the editor

Cover photo/Nels NorquistJosh Haberman, (left) 15, and Mike Gervenak,14, played basketball at Baxter City Park. Whiletelevision and video games are becoming morepopular, keeping youth active during their sum-mer vacation can be difficult.

Located in Baxter, the outpatient surgerycenter provides a comfortable environmentfor patients undergoing same day surgeries,including general surgeries, ophthalmology,ear nose and throat, orthopedics, podiatry,plastics and urology. In May the surgery cen-ter began offering pain procedures from radi-ologists at Lakes Imaging, a new offering.Administrator Sandy Berreth said the ambula-tory surgery center averages about 60-70patients per week.

Most surgeries are elective procedures andplanned for well patients, said Berreth. Whilethere will always be patients who must havesurgery at a hospital, the surgery center pro-vides an option for all minimally invasive andoutpatient surgical procedures.

The facility has four operating rooms andone procedure room as well as 17 curtainedpatient rooms that allow for family membersto wait with their loved ones as they preparefor surgery and recover while seated in largerecliner chairs.

Berreth, who moved to the Brainerd areafrom Bismarck, N.D., where she helped startan ambulatory surgery center five years ago,said the key to such a facility is its comfortableand anxiety-free environment combined witha group of medical professionals who worktogether each day as a team. The surgery cen-

ter has 25 employees. “I truly believe the team that works here is

a team,” said Berreth.Berreth said many times a well patient feels

more comfortable entering an ambulatorycenter than a hospital because they associateillness with a hospital environment.Subconsciously, a patient may be thinking,“I’m going to a hospital, I must be sick,” saidBerreth.

“The hospital is a place we think of illness

instead of health,” said Berreth.Berreth said another open house is

planned in the fall. The Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center is locat-

ed at 13114 Isle Drive, behind the Wal-martSupercenter in Baxter.

JODIE TWEED can be reached atjodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.

The Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center, which opened in February, is an outpatient surgery center locat-ed at 13114 Isle Drive in Baxter behind the Wal-mart Supercenter in Baxter.

10 QUOTABLES:How kids are vacationing 20 WORKOUT:

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work. In other words, circuit training is a good approach forpeople who do a lot of meetings, whether with agents or day-care teachers.

Multi-Joint, Multi-Muscle Exercises — Do a half-squat againsta wall while curling a pair of dumbbells. Then press them over-head. That’s a multi-joint exercise, and it’ll work your thighs,shoulders, arms and gut. It will vaporize calories and make yourheart do the rumba.

Sit on a bench and perform dumbbell curls with one arm.That’s a single-joint exercise. It’ll puff up your biceps. It accom-plishes only this one thing (though, to be fair, it does that onething — encouraging growth of a targeted muscle — very well).

Multi-joint, multi-muscle work boosts your heart rate, multi-plying the cardio benefits of circuit training. It spreads the ben-efits around your body, so you don’t look distended in somespots and puny in others. And, since life, being three-dimen-sional and all, is pretty much a multi-joint affair, these workoutscan actually prepare your body to do stuff, not just look like itcan do stuff. This is called functional exercise. Whether youneed to haul bags of topsoil from your hatchback or do sixtakes of a scene where you drag a corpse from a burning shed,having strong legs, shoulders and belly muscles will do youmore good than biceps that look like trussed capons.

Lower Weight — and Its Happy Sidekick, Less Pain — To domulti-joint exercises without tapping your health insurance,you can’t use a weight that’s heavier than the weakest muscleinvolved in the move can handle. (In the above example, you

Continued from Page 21

might be able to curl only 10 pounds per arm, so you use the 10-pound weight for the whole exercise, not the 15 you could use ifdoing simple standing presses.)

As a result, you do more repetitions with lower weights. Thistends to make you more lean, strong and flexible. It also flambesmore calories and can keep your heart harrumphing. We hopeyou’re beginning to see a pattern here.

Interval Workouts — These are exercises that mix brief bursts ofhigher-intensity work with longer periods of lower-intensityrecovery. The opposite type is called steady-state training, whereyou sustain the same pace for an extended period.

The great thing about intervals compared with steady-stateworkouts is that intervals — say it along with us now — save time,build your cardiovascular capacity more efficiently and microwavemore calories, both while you’re working out and long afterward.

A well-constructed strength circuit will essentially provide aninterval workout, by alternating higher-intensity strength exercis-es that make your heart ka-pow with those that permit it to gatheritself.

Intervals work no matter what shape you’re in: If your “intense”intervals are walking at 4 mph for a minute and recovering for fiveminutes at 3 mph, that’s fine. Whatever gets your heart movingfaster will help you. As you improve, you can gin up the intensityof your bursts or reduce the length of your recovery, or both.

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My husband Gerald and I were visiting the Brainerd area when he experienced gastrointestinal bleeding. He was brought by ambulance to the intensive care unit at St. Joseph’s Medical Center.

We were amazed by the care and attention he was given—I was a nurse for 33 years, and I never saw anything like it.

Compassionate CareWe didn’t know at the time that St. Joseph’s is the Lakes area’s largest hospital, with 100 specialists, backed by over

1,000 nurses, technicians and support staff. What we did know was that we were in capable and compassionate hands.

Gerald was checked on frequently, and the doctors and nurses were polite, knowledgeable and informative. They always told him what was happening next, and made sure he understood everything. They were upbeat and full of good humor. Everyone at the hospital treated him as though he was a friend.

Peace of MindWe’re moving to the Brainerd area this summer, and are eager to be part of a community with such natural beauty and high quality of life. It’s comforting to know that St. Joseph’s is there to look after the most important thing of all, our health.

I’M A RETIRED CITIES TWIN

NURSE,and I’d never seen such great care.

Kim RosencrantzRetired nurse

www.sjmcmn.org • Brainerd, MN

Where patients come first.

Summer health risksPrevention and treatment fornature’s nuisances

No more seizuresAnti-seizure implant changesStaples woman’s life

July 2005

Off the couchPreventing childhood obesity

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