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Health Professionals
Ask a Health Question
Get a Health Answer
We asked you to ask us your health questions. This question and answer column is one way we hope to better serve
our area. Architrave is committed to the health of our community.
PALLIATIVE CARE
GENERAL HEALTH
Q: I have an Advanced Directive, but a friend told me I should have a
POLST form. What is that and what’s the difference?
Q: My 12-year-old daughter gets sore throats a lot and her tonsils
swell up. She has had strep throat several times. Is it good to take
the tonsils out if they swell up a lot and will that help keep her
from getting strep throat?
A. The bright pink POLST form has been used in Oregon
since 1995 as a complement to your Advanced Directive.
POLST stands for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining
Treatment and is an actual medical order for emergency
medical personnel to follow when you are unable to
speak for yourself. It is based on your own decisions
regarding the right to accept or refuse different levels of
Catherine medical care. In the hospital, the POLST will help guide
Kiel, RN, BSN
physicians and nurses as to the type of treatment you
wish to receive, avoiding ethical dilemmas. It gives you peace of mind
knowing that you have addressed end of life and treatment issues
so you can focus on living to the fullest in the present and removes
the burden of making health care choices off your relatives at a time
of crisis. The POLST is a voluntary document and can be revoked or
changed at any time with your consent. For more information on the
POLST, speak with your health care provider.
Catherine Kiel, RN, BSN – Architrave Family of Companies
1813 W. Harvard Ave., Suite 206 – Roseburg, OR
541-229-8921
PODIATRY
Q: I often feel as if my feet are freezing. But when I touch them
with my hands, they feel warm. I don’t know what causes this
perception. I don’t know who to consult or where to start. Or is it
nothing to be concerned about?
A: The perception of cold feet accompanied by normal
skin temperature could have a neurological cause.
A common neurological cause of cold feet is simply
being nervous. This can cause the small arteries in the
feet to constrict resulting in cold feet. Another likely
culprit for neuronal cold feet is diabetic neuropathy,
a serious nerve disease affecting 60-70 percent of
Jason Wilks, patients with diabetes. There are also other causes
DPM/
of peripheral neuropathy. Feet that feel cold and are
Podiatry
cold to the touch can be a concern as well. These cold
feet may have a vascular cause so it can be important to look for
that cause, particularly in individuals with skin temperature and
color changes. Other causes of cold feet could include hormonal
imbalances, environmental exposures, kidney and heart disease. Try
protecting your feet from cold weather. Avoid cotton socks in favor
of wool/synthetic blends. Keep feet dry. Also, protect your head
and hands from cold exposure. You should avoid smoking tobacco
or marijuana. Discuss cold feet with your primary care physician or
podiatric physician (podiatrist). Your doctor can then determine if
further testing is necessary and whether referral to either a vascular
specialist or neurologist is needed.
Jason Wilks, DPM/Podiatry
2564 NW Edenbower Blvd., Suite 142-B – Roseburg, OR
541-673-0742
UPCOMING EVENTS
Art of Prevention – FREE Workshops for youth, grades 4-12
Prevention-themed art contest
Thursdays, Jan. 22 to March 19 & April 9 from 4-6 PM
Pre-registration required
Information: Jerry O’Sullivan – [email protected] or 541672-2691, ext. 270
Ready for Kindergarten - FREE Classes
• For parents of 3-year-olds planning to attend and living in a Roseburg
school attendance area: Eastwood, Fir Grove, Fullerton IV, Green,
Hucrest, Melrose, Sunnyslope or Winchester Elementary Schools, Feb.
3, March 3 & March 31 from 6-7:30 PM
• For parents of 4- or 5-year-olds planning to enter kindergarten in 2015,
living in a Title I School attendance area: Eastwood, Fir Grove, Fullerton IV, Green, Sunnyslope or Winchester Elementary SchoolsFeb. 10,
March 10 & April 7 from 6-7:30 PM
Information: 541-440-4005 – Registration: www.readyforkindergarten.org/roseburg
Heart & Soul Fun Run
Saturday, Feb. 14 at 8 AM
Falk Family Medicine, 115 SW Pine Ave., Canyonville
Information: www.facebook.com/valentines1mile5k10k or Dawn 541680-3694
Registration: www.active.com/canyonville-or/running/distance-running-races/valentine-s-day-heart-and-sole-fun-run-2015
Food for Life: Kickstart Your Health
FREE 5-Class Series – Nutrition & Cooking Classes
Fridays, Feb. 20 to March 20 from 5:30-7:30 PM
Mercy Community Ed, 2459 Stewart Parkway, Roseburg
Registration: [email protected] or 541-378-6359
A: If you suspect that your daughter has strep throat,
she needs to be seen by a health care provider who
will perform an examination and test for the presence
of Group A Streptococcus, the bacteria that causes
strep throat, before prescribing antibiotics. Antibiotics
reduce the symptoms of sore throat in children with
a positive Strep test and can reduce the risk of rare
Chip Taylor, complications such as peritonsillar abscess and acute
M.D.
rheumatic fever. Antibiotics will do nothing for a sore
throat if the test is negative because a sore throat can be caused by
either viral or bacterial infection and antibiotics do not treat viral
infections. It is never a good idea to use leftover or another family
member’s antibiotics to treat a sore throat. Your daughter’s doctor
may consider referring her to an ear, nose and throat surgeon for
possible tonsillectomy if she has had seven or more episodes of
documented Strep throat in the past year, five episodes per year
for two years or three or more episodes for three years. Her doctor
may refer her for evaluation or surgery sooner if your daughter has
other issues, such as multiple antibiotic allergies or a history of a
peritonsillar abscess.
Chip Taylor, M.D. – Umpqua Regional Medical Center
1813 W. Harvard Ave., Suite 201 – Roseburg, OR
541-440-6390
GENERAL HEALTH
Q: If I have Hep C and a certain genotype, can I contract someone
else’s genotype if I was to share syringes? People with Hep C think
it’s safe to share with others who have Hep C. Please let me know.
A: The quick answer is YES, one can most definitely
get infected with more than one genotype of HCV.
Immunity to HCV is very incomplete. That is why
the infection becomes chronic in roughly 85 percent
of those who get infected rather than most people
getting over the infection. This is very different from
say Hep A, in which essentially everyone gets over it
Brad Robinson,
and the immunity acquired after that is long lasting. It
M.D.
is also very possible to get RE-INFECTED with HCV
even after a successful course of treatment if one returns to risky
behaviors.
Brad Robinson, M.D. – Umpqua Community Health Center
150 Kenneth Ford Drive – Roseburg, OR
541-672-9596
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Working together for healthy living
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Ask a Health Question
Fax: 541-957-4268
E-mail: [email protected]
Mail:
The News-Review
345 NE Winchester
Roseburg, OR 97470
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