Page 12 - Boca Club News - November '21

Page 12, Boca Club News

From The Professionals’ Desks

Health & Wellness:

A Word from Dale Brown...

By Dale Brown, B.S., M.A., C.E.C. feedback I get monthly and how reassuring it is to know challenges and goals. With that said, I’ve decided to retire
Dale is a motivational speaker that I’m making a difference in your lives. my monthly column known as “Reality Check.”
who has spent many years as a What you don’t know is that I’ve spent the past two Don’t worry, I’m not gone yet!
Certified Life Coach and has written years drafting my first book, now published on Amazon in I have decided to revise the column with a new format
numerous articles and e-books both eBook and print formats. It’s titled, “Small Steps… and new subject matter. As you know, your “body” is as
relating to self-improvement and Big Changes. The Personal Stories of a Life Coach.” important as your “soul.” So, starting with the New Year
ways to build a high-performance For those of you who have enjoyed and benefited from (2022) I will be introducing “Healthy Answers…Your
team. Her education and years of my columns, you will find in my book honest answers to Guide For Healthy Living”.
experience in physical fitness and tough questions about all the aspects of moving your lives Along with my certification as a Life Coach, I have
training of elite athletes has enabled her to sharpen her forward in a positive and purposeful way. I offer solutions a Master’s Degree in Physical Fitness, have trained elite
knowledge in many health-related areas. The following and recommendations to handle complex challenges that and collegiate athletes, owned a fitness center, and have
introduces a new approach to Ms. Brown’s series of we all face on a daily basis. It contains practical, simple written for a national health newsletter on nutrition. So,
columns devoted to many topics that deal with the mind/ tools and methods to help you find fulfillment and walk why not put all that experience and knowledge to work
body connection and the importance of living a healthy on the sunny side of life. and offer you a look into how you can better yourself both
lifestyle. Dale, a Bocaire resident, can be reached at I hope you’ll pick up a copy and benefit from it. Please physically and nutritionally.
dalebrown@lovingmondays.com. feel free to send back your comments on the Amazon Thank you to everyone who has supported and
To my readers, review page or simply drop me a note at dalebrown@ encouraged me to keep on writing. Please stay with me
I have exciting news to share with all of you. It’s been lovingmondays.com. Love to hear from you! as I share some very interesting columns starting with the
almost 12 years since I started writing this column. I have The other interesting news is, now that I’ve completed January 2022 issue.
to admit it seems like only yesterday that I drafted that my book it makes sense to switch gears. You know, I’m Sincerely,
first column. I want to thank you all for the wonderful always preaching to re-invent yourself and create new Dale Brown
Medical Matters:

The Lighter Side of Medical Practice

By Richard Nagler, M.D., a member that she return in one week with a stool sample that I could woman who was there to have her blood drawn for a series
of Broken Sound Club and retired test for occult (hidden) blood and to have a sigmoidoscopy of tests that I had ordered. As I approached the examining
physician. After graduating from the (colonoscopy was not available at the time) and a Barium room I could hear her sobbing. When I entered the room she
University of Pennsylvania and New Enema air contrast x-ray examination. When she returned, pointed to a black woman standing aside who was one of the
York University’s School of Medicine, she was escorted into my consultation room. While I was technicians supplied by the laboratory. She was appropriately
Dr. Nagler served his internship and explaining to her the procedures to be done, I heard my nurse dressed in white but had a bone across her nose, multiple
residency at Baltimore City Hospital assistant giggling in the small lab we had just adjacent to my tattoos and earrings which consisted of human skulls and a
and Johns Hopkins. He followed that office. I excused myself and went to see what was going on. turban on her head. The old lady was scared to death. I asked
with a Fellowship in Gastroenterology She was standing there pointing to a jewel box with fake pearls the technician to step outside and I drew the patient’s blood
at Yale University School of Medicine, and was then Chief on top sitting on the counter. When I opened it there was a myself. I sent the technician home. I immediately called the
of Gastroenterology at Fitzimmons General Army Hospital perfectly formed stool lying there on a satin like lining, like owner of the lab and explained to him that her appearance was
in Denver. He returned to the Yale Medical School for one a body in a coffin. I guess she thought a lot about her stool. inappropriate and unacceptable which had nothing to do with
year as an Assistant Professor of Medicine before opening It was negative for occult blood and both her sigmoidoscopy her being black. As a matter of fact, we had two wonderful
his own successful private practice in Internal Medicine and Barium Enema were negative. She was reassured and her black medical assistants on our staff. He apologized profusely
and Gastroenterology. During that time, he also served for condition fully explained with emphasis that there was no and said it would never happen again. However, a week later
ten years as Chief of Medicine at Huntington Hospital in evidence of cancer. She responded well to treatment. to my surprise the same technician arrived with no bones or
Huntington, N.Y. There was a patient whom I strongly suspected having an skulls. She wore long sleeves covering up the tattoos and her
When I first opened an office on Long Island to practice ulcer. I advised him to have an upper GI series x-ray which hair was in a bun. She proved to be very affable and competent
medicine, I was joined by a man who was to be my partner I would perform personally. Upon his arrival for the test he and I kept her on with no further problems.
for 30 years until we both retired. We have remained the best appeared to be very apprehensive. As a matter of fact, he told One of the major problems years ago as it is today was
of friends ever since. Through the years we shared many me he was so nervous that he didn’t think he could go through obesity. Achieving any lasting success with a successful
challenges, disappointed outcomes and sadness with our with it. I reassured him the best I could and proceeded to begin weight reduction program and a multitude of diets has
patients, but this was assuaged by wonderful examples of the test. I had him stand up leaning back against the vertical consistently plagued patients and physicians. My partner
humanity in its most amusing forms. x-ray table holding a large cup of Barium in his right hand. and I decided to tackle this problem in our own unique way.
At first, we had a receptionist, but could not afford either I sat in front of him behind a Fluoroscope. I instructed him What we came up with was a very simple plan which we
an assistant or a lab technician. We had so few patients that we to begin swallowing the Barium while I would be watching called the “21 diet” This consisted of a list of 21 foods that
would schedule them all at the same time to look as though we it flow down through his esophagus into the stomach and a patient should eat and if strictly followed would result
were busy. One day, a very distinguished middle aged woman beyond taking x-ray pictures to document any abnormalities. in significant weight loss. One of the first obese patients
came to the office with the chief complaint of a persistent What happened next was something quite unexpected. He involved was a middle aged Italian woman who was at least
vaginal discharge. My partner, with no assistant present (At began to faint and as he did he spilled the entire cup of Barium 50 pounds overweight. She had tried many different diets with
that time there was little fear of a malpractice suit) examined over my head which then flowed downward to drench most no success. I handed her the printed sheet of the “21 diet” and
her in stirrups using a speculum inserted into her vagina and of me from head to foot. With the help of my x-ray technician explained that if she ate these foods she would surely lose
found it to be inflamed with a significant yellowish-green we got him up making sure there was no injury and placed weight. One month later to my dismay, she returned having
discharge indicating an infection. He prescribed medication him on the x-ray table after I had changed it to a horizontal gained six pounds. I couldn’t understand how that could
and advised her to return in one week. When she returned, I position. Because I was covered with the barium dripping all happen. I soon learned that what she had done was eat all of
was down the hall in my consultation room reading a medical over me I quickly left the office through a back door and raced the 21 foods on the list in addition to her regular intake of
journal as I had no patient to see. When he reexamined her home. I went into our master bedroom, threw off my clothes very high caloric foods. She believed that the 21 foods would
in the same manner again with no assistant present, he found on the floor and then opened several drawers to secure fresh make her lose weight by somehow negating the effect of her
that her vagina was clear of any inflammation and there was clothes. In my haste, I left the drawers open. I rushed out of regular diet!
no longer any discharge. He was so pleased with the result my home and returned to my office to find the patient just One morning, while sitting at my desk in my consultation
that while the woman was still in stirrups and the speculum fine and apologizing profusely for what had happened. With room I was patiently listening to a female patient of mine
inside her vagina, he exclaimed very loudly “beautiful” that further reassurance I was able to complete the x-ray with his elaborating on a plethora of her myriad of symptoms. As
I could hear very clearly down the hall. A moment later he full cooperation. He had a duodenal ulcer for which he was usual, I was wearing slacks, a button-down dress shirt and
came into my consultation room red as a beet, exclaiming to successfully treated. A short while later my wife called me a tie. I rarely wore a white lab coat in the office. As she was
me, “Did you hear what I just said?” I replied that I did, but to tell me that we were robbed. Apparently, on coming home rambling on and on I felt a bulge in the upper area of the right
not to worry as it was innocent enough. She paid the fee and and entering the bed room to find several drawers open and sleeve of my shirt. It was soft but annoying. I surreptitiously
left without a word. Thereafter, she was a regular patient for clothes strewn all over the floor what else was she to think? opened the cuff and slid my hand up to where I could feel
many years. There came a time when our office became very busy with whatever it was that was there. Then I grasped it and slowly
My father, who was a practicing dentist in a nearby a large volume of laboratory tests being ordered on a daily pulled it out only to discover that it was one of my wife’s
community, referred many patients to us. One such patient basis. The laboratory we were using at the time approached panties! Obviously it had gotten caught up in my shirt during
was a woman who arrived with her daughter complaining us and offered an arrangement where they would supply the washing or rinsing cycles of our washing machine. I was
of frequent lower abdominal pain and constipation for over phlebotomists at no charge to us to draw the blood and set mortified, but to my relief the patient seemed to pay no notice
six months. After a careful history and thorough physical up an electronic system where results would be available the simply continuing uninterrupted with her complaints.
examination, I was fairly certain that she had IBS (Irritable next day. We readily accepted this as it freed our overworked I am sure that any physicians reading this will recall
Bowel Syndrome). However, it was obvious that she was very staff to better serve our patients. One morning, I was delayed similar experiences in their practices which served to bring
worried that it might be cancer as are so many people with getting to the office because of unusually heavy traffic. a smile to them and their staffs as a refreshing counter to the
similar symptoms. In order to assuage her fears, I requested When I arrived, my first patient was an 85 year old Jewish serious matters encountered each day.