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13 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, July 2, 2009 OAKVILLE · MILTON · BURLINGTON SCOTT JOHNSON Managing Director SALIMA KASSAM REG. CHIROPODIST 728 Burloak Drive 905.847.8433 www.homeinstead.ca/3014 By Scott Johnson from the Home Instead Senior Care office in Oakville. 905-632-1414 Dr. Rosenblat D.D.S. Stroke Symptoms May Be Subtle in Women Q: A: I have a Heel Spur. What is that and how is it treated? A heel spur is the result of over stretching a particular muscle on the bottom of the foot, called the plantar fascia. When this muscle is constantly overstretched (for example, with each step you take), your body develops thickened tissue where the plantar fascia attaches to the bone in your heel. Having this thickened tissue underneath your heel becomes painful with every step and can even be painful with the first step taken in the morning. Typically heel spurs develop over time or when a new activity (power walking, jogging or running) is started. Treatment of heel spurs involves visiting your Chiropodist for a full lower leg examination, specifically a gait analysis to see if the position of your foot while walking is overstretching/straining the muscles on the bottom of your foot. Your Chiropodist will evaluate your footwear, advise you on specific footwear do's and dont's for your foot type and may even suggest Custom Made Foot Orthotics. Custom Made Foot Orthotics are inserts that correctly align your foot so as not to over stretch/strain the muscles on the bottom of your foot. Custom Made Foot Orthotics are generally at least partially covered by Extended Health Insurance Plans and are also tax deductible. Hopedale Shopping Centre Suite 220, 2nd Floor 905-827-0301 Q: A: Is green tea good for my teeth? Originating in China over 4000 years ago, drinking green tea is becoming popular here in North America. Scientific studies are linking many potential health benefits to drinking green tea including weight loss, heart health and cancer prevention. A new study in the Journal of Periodontology shows that regular use of green tea helps promote healthy teeth and gums. In this study with 940 men, researchers found that regular green tea drinkers had better gums than non tea drinkers. This ability to reduce the symptoms of gum disease may be due to the presence of the antioxidant catechin which reduces inflammation in the body. Bleeding and inflamed gums are a chronic inflammatory reaction of the body to bacteria in the mouth we dentists call gum or Periodontal disease and this is reduced in regular green tea drinkers in this study. But green tea may also have interactions with prescribed medications you may be taking so you should consult your physician first. Good quality green tea is also less staining to your teeth than black tea. And I have a good tip to help you reduce the stains from tea regardless what kind you drink. Drink it with milk! The casein in milk and the tannins in tea react resulting in less tooth stain. The British have long known to place milk in fine china cups FIRST, and then pour the tea into the milk to protect the porcelain from tea stains. the dentist@dentistry4.com www.dentistry4.com Q. My 82-year-old mother has a history of stroke in her family. Since she lives alone I worry about her. What are the symptons of stroke? You may be familiar with the traditional stroke symptoms: numbness or weakness on one side of the body, trouble talking, loss of vision or coordination problems. However, women may be susceptible to less common symptoms based on recent study results by the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan Health System. The non-traditional symptom that stood out was altered mental status, meaning confusion, disorientation or a loss of consciousness. Symptoms such as sudden numbness of the face, arm or leg are a warning sign of what's happening in the body during a stroke, which is a loss of blood supply to the brain because of a blocked or ruptured artery. While larger scale studies focusing on stroke in women are warranted, the gender differences researchers identified may contribute to delay in treatment for women and could signal a need to change public health campaigns. Researchers also examined the cases of 461 men and women and classified their symptoms as either traditional or non-traditional. Altered mental status was the most common non-traditional symptom and it was more likely to be reported in women, the study showed. Researchers do not know why women's symptoms were different. But the differences in symptoms may have consequences if slow recognition of stroke signs causes a delay in treatment, the researcher says. "If you notice any of the above symptoms you need to get your mother to the hospital quickly as possible to receive proper treatment. If you're worried that your mother is at risk, please ask her to see her doctor. Then, why not arrange for a caregiving companion to assist her at home and serve as a second set of eyes for you. For instance, Home Instead Senior Care hires CAREGivers to make sure seniors are safe and comfortable in their homes. For more information about Home Instead Senior Care, contact Tom Chuchmach or Scott Johnson at 905.847.8433 or visit www.hominstead.ca/3014 Call to Book your Appointment Today at Great things start with a warm healthy smile. 905-632-1414 Making Lives Better One Visit At A TimeTM TRAFALGAR RIDGE OPT0METRY 2387 Trafalgar Rd. Oakville (HomeSense/Winners Plaza) Dr. Errol Noronha Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Inc. Office: 905.257.3452 Website: www.nursenextdoor.com Lori Paton RN, RRT Nurse Next Door's services range from a 3 hour a week concierge service to an onsite 24 hr per day Registered Nurse. Q: How Do I Recognize My Parents' Needs? For most people, recognizing that their parents need help in their daily ac vi es can be extremely di cult as children are used to their parents being the caregivers. However, for most people there comes a me when the roles are reversed and their parents are the ones who need help. 905-338-0377 Question: A: Here are some important things to look at when trying to determine whether your mom or dad needs some help. Housekeeping. Check to see if daily housekeeping is being kept up or whether chores are star ng to pile up. Are your parents able to do everything they were doing a year ago or are they falling behind? Check to see if dishes are piling up in the sink, or if stacks of mail are le unopened. Check the kitchen. Take a look around the kitchen to see if mom or dad is ea ng properly. Check for spoiled food in the fridge. Ask what they ate for dinner the night before. Ensure that they're ea ng and ea ng healthy! Medication. Ensure that medica on is being taken on me and regularly. Know their medica on schedules and call to see if they've taken what is required. If they seem to forget on a regular basis it might be me to find some help. Happy home. Try to make sure your mom or dad is genuinely happy. If they are constantly bored or not feeling engaged this can lead to a poor quality of life. Ask mom or dad what they have been up to. If they're consistently struggling to answer those types of ques ons it could be a sign they are not feeling engaged. If you have concerns that your loved one may be experiencing any of the above warning signs, call Nurse Next Door for a complimentary in home nursing assessment to iden fy individual needs. Issues can o en be improved or resolved, with only a few hours of weekly support from a caregiver, when iden fied early. Making Lives Better One Visit At A TimeTM To advertise in this feature call 905-845-3824 Why can't I use readers bought from a drugstore instead of reading glasses prescribed by my eye doctor? Reading glasses prescribed by your eye doctor are prescribed specifically for your particular eye problem. Readers from the drugstore assume both your eyes are equal while in most cases there is a difference in prescription between your left and right eye. Drugstore readers also do not correct for astigmatism that some people may have. Astigmatism is the uneven curvature of the eye which causes distortion and blurring of a an image. This can be corrected in a pair of prescription ey mage eye glasses prescribed by your eye doctor. Therefore while drugstore readers will help only to magnify an image, prescription glasses from your eye doctor will make the image crisp and clear by using a superior optically ground material and take into account any difference between your two eyes. This will then reduce eye strain when reading or working at the computer. To schedule an appointment for your eye exam call 905-338-0377 Answer: NEW PATIENTS & WALK-INS WELCOME If you have any questions these professionals can answer, please write to: "Ask the Professionals" c/o The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Road, Oakville L6K 3S4 or fax to: 905-337-5568