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Carol Vassar Posts

That Pain in Your Leg? Find Out if it’s Peripheral Artery Disease!

Published April 7, 2019 By vassarradio

Originally published on October 9, 2018 for the Hartford HealthCare Health News Hub at https://healthnewshub.org/health-news-hub/top-news/pain-leg-find-peripheral-artery-disease/

Imagine yourself walking up the stairs, with the kids or grandkids at the park, down the driveway to get the mail or at the mall. And you start to experience pain or cramping in your leg — or both legs.

It may be barely noticeable, but whether you are over 50 with a history of smoking or diabetes, or over age 70 without this kind of health history, there is a serious disease that could be the cause: peripheral artery disease, also known as PAD.

“PAD involves the narrowing of peripheral arteries in the arms, legs, stomach, and head.” said Patricia K. Bozeman, APRN, from the Hartford HealthCare Medical Group and the Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute.“PAD is similar to coronary artery disease in that both conditions are caused by atherosclerosis that narrows and blocks arteries.”

The location of the pain also tells you the general location of the artery that’s narrowed or hardened. Unfortunately, many people dismiss the pain as insignificant or attribute it to aging.

Dismissing it, however, can be deadly.

“Individuals with PAD have a higher risk for coronary artery disease and stroke,” Bozeman said. “If left untreated, PAD may result in complications such as gangrene and subsequent amputation. Although many individuals live with significant degrees of PAD, the condition can suddenly become life-threatening and necessitate emergency intervention.”

Pain in the leg, hip, thigh or calf muscles (called claudication) is one of many possible signs of peripheral artery disease. Others include:

  • Numbness or weakness in the leg.
  • Weak (or no) pulse in the legs or feet.
  • Sores on legs, toes or feet that don’t heal as usual.
  • Cramping with exercise.
  • Discoloration in legs.
  • Temperature in one leg lower than the other.
  • Hair loss (or slower growth) on legs and feet.
  • Poor toenail growth.
  • Coldness in lower leg or foot.

The good news is that PAD can be managed effectively through proper diagnosis and treatment. And there’s a simple, five-minute screening that helps diagnosis it.

“This screening compares the blood pressure in the leg to the blood pressure in the arm,” said Bozeman, who will be conducting such screenings with her colleague, Dr. Akhilesh Jain, at Backus Hospital later this month.

If you are concerned you or someone you know has peripheral artery disease, stop by for a FREE screening at the Healthy Family FunFest on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington/Plantsville. It takes place between 10:30 AM and 3 PM. For more information,  please call 1.855.HHC.HERE (1.855.442.4373).

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Suicide and Celebrity: What Does That Link Mean for Us?

Published April 7, 2019 By vassarradio

Originally published on June 8, 2018 on the Hartford HealthCare Health News Hub at https://healthnewshub.org/health-news-hub/top-news/suicide-celebrity-opportunity-talk/

Designer Kate Spade is dead at 55. Chef and CNN world traveler Anthony Bourdain is dead at 61.

These are just the latest in a long line of tragic, high-profile deaths by suicide.

Google “celebrity suicide” and the lists are seemingly endless. They stretch back centuries. Included are people whose influence on our collective culture remains strong today: Robin Williams, Kurt Cobain, Sylvia Plath, Ernest Hemingway and Marilyn Monroe.

By all outward appearances, celebrities have it all: fame, fortune, talent and power. Yet none of that could save the people on these lists from the ravages of the mental illnesses that ultimately appear to have caused their deaths.

“Depression and suicide do not discriminate,” said James F. O’Dea, PhD, MPH, vice president of the Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network. “They impact the rich and the poor, the famous and the not so famous, men and women, young and old.”

Perhaps most significant now — in the immediate aftermath of the deaths of Spade and Bourdain — is the significant and continued influence of their celebrity. Bourdain, in particular, was a master communicator, publicly portraying a zest for life and adventure that belied his personal demons of addiction and mental illness.

According to a 2007 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, “Celebrity suicide is a risk factor for suicidal ideation over a short term as well as over a long term.”

What that means can be unfortunate: that even from their graves, these celebrities are telegraphing to large masses of people a dangerous and untrue message: that ending one’s life is a solution to ending mental illness. Kate did it. Robin did it. Marilyn did it. Anthony did it. It must be OK for me, too.

And that’s where some celebrities fail society as a whole: Suicide is NEVER an option. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. The voices — earthly and otherwise — telling you that it is okay to hurt yourself are just plain wrong.

But there is something positive to gain from our grief in the aftermath of the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain.

“Prominent incidents like these give us the chance to talk more about mental health and recovery, and get ahead of the issue,” said Dr. O’Dea.

If you or someone you know is experiencing an immediate mental health crisis, including suicidal ideation, the first step to get help is by calling 9-1-1, or visiting your local hospital emergency department.

Other resources include the National Suicide Prevention Lifelineat 1.800.273.8255, and the Crisis Text Line (text the word “HELP” to 741741), as well as an anonymous depression screening available here, and the numerous short-term and long-term recovery options available across Connecticut from the Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network.

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