Have you ever stood up too fast and gotten light headed or dizzy?

If so, you are not alone.  In fact, vertigo is quite common.

Dr. Michael Ferguson, a WakeMed ear, nose and throat specialist, talked at length with a Charlotte Observer reporter about the condition and what can be done to relieve the dizzying symptoms.

Read more.

Our very own sharpie artist Moose Cates, a WakeMed employee in facility services, showed off his latest masterpieces in the Raleigh Campus courtyard today.  His canvases include a motorcycle and a Mustang.

Cates was also featured on WRAL this spring talking about one of his recent projects click here to see more.

We are impressed!

Susan Evans

This past weekend the News & Observer profiled Sue Evans as Tar Heel of the Week.  Sue is a long-time employee and a lactation specialist who also runs the WakeMed Mother’s Milk Bank. 

Many people are suprised to learn that WakeMed features one of only 13 accreditated mother’s milk banks in the United States.  In fact, we have had a milk bank since 1992 and ship more than 150,000 oz. of milk each year. 

Although our bank ships milk up and down the east coast, having an in-house bank is a special perk for premature babies at WakeMed.  These babies have ready access to a safe supply of breast milk even when their own mothers are not able to produce enough.  Breast milk is the best, most gentle source of nutrients for premature babies and their sensitive gastrointestinal systems.

The WakeMed Mother’s Milk Bank is always searching for new donors, especially donors who are dairy free or have a premature baby themselves.  Most of our donors are from our local area.  Learn more about donating.

Frequent hand washing is the very best way to prevent the spread of germs.  

Washing your hands is also the best way to make sure that any bacteria living on raw turkey does not make its way to other surfaces where it may be subsequently introduced into your family’s gastrointestinal systems. 

Additionally, the proper handling and cooking of your turkey will help prevent food poisoning. 

Learn about safely preparing your holiday meal by checking out The Center for Disease Control’s web page dedicated exclusively to the preparation of a Thanksgiving turkey.

Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like not giving your loved ones food poisoning.

It’s a common myth that healthy foods come with a high price tag.  Here are tips on how to stock up on healthy foods without busting your budget.

Planning is Key!
Set aside an hour a week to write a shopping list before you head to the grocery store. Taking a list with you to the grocery store or farmer’s market will also help you avoid impulse purchases.  Also, steer clear of shopping while hungry. If you’re hungry, you’re more likely to over-spend!

Find the Best Deals
Sign up for a free membership card to get coupons and discounts stores where you frequently shop. Check your local newspaper or search online for coupons and promotions. Clipping coupons or printing them from websites can save you 10 to 15 percent on your grocery bill. Many coupons are meant to encourage consumers to try new products.  Make sure to read labels carefully when trying a new product.

Also, store brands are often (not always) 15 to 20 percent less expensive than their national brand counterparts and the quality of the food may match the national brand.

Bulk it Up!
Buying healthy foods in bulk almost always saves you money. Smart choices are family packs of meat, poultry and fish, larger bags of potatoes, and frozen vegetables. Also whole grain cereal, pastas and other grain products, dried beans and peas, dry-roasted or raw nuts are great bulk buys.

Buy Local, Buy in Season
Buying fruits and vegetables in season can lower the cost and add to the freshness! If you are not going to use them all right away, freezing and canning fresh produce can be a healthy option.  Not sure what’s in season when?  Check out what North Carolina has to offer each month.

Easy on Your Wallet all Year Round

Certain foods are typically low-cost all year round. Beans are a great inexpensive protein option. For veggies, try carrots, greens, or potatoes. Apples, bananas, oranges and pears tend to be less expensive options despite the season. For produce not in season, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables (with little or no added salt or sugar) are a nutritious option.  Budget friendly proteins include tuna canned in water, eggs, and peanut butter. If possible, choose natural peanut butter instead of brands with added sugars and fats.

Back to the Basics
Convenience foods like frozen dinners, pre-cut vegetables, and instant rice, oatmeal, grits will cost you more than if you were to make them from scratch.  Take the time to prepare your own food and save.  Preparing your own meals also allows you to control fat, salt and other additives.

Love Those Leftovers!
Throwing your food away is throwing away your money. Instead of throwing your leftovers in the trash or letting your pup finish the rest, spice up your leftovers by using them in new ways. For example, leftover chicken over a fresh garden salad, stir fry or chicken chili.

Cut the Junk
Evaluate how much money you are spending on items such as soda cookies, crackers, prepackaged meals, processed foods, etc. Limit or completely cut out these unhealthy foods. Your wallet and your body will thank you.

Amy Bowen is a clinical dietitian at WakeMed Cary Hospital.  With questions for the dietitians, e-mail askadietitian@wakemed.org. For individual nutrition counseling, call WakeMed Cary Hospital Outpatient Nutrition Services at 919-350-2358.

This is an incredible, inspirational story of a young woman healing from a tragic accident and the amazing way people come to the aid of those in need. 

Every WakeMed employee knows what the WakeWay means.  It means showing somebody where to go instead of telling them.  It means listening and responding with empathy.  It means treating everybody – patients, visitors and fellow employees - with kindness.

Most of the ways the WakeWay is demonstrated every day go unnoticed.  Yesterday, we had two public recognitions of employees who embraced the WakeWay.  These two stories reinforce that the WakeWay of Today is alive and well at WakeMed! 

A 50-year WakeMed employee really does care
The News & Observer
At this point, tens of thousands of people who have passed through some division of WakeMed could identify it, and the memory would likely make them smile.

 Dr. Michael Ferguson via Facebook
Tonight reminded me why I love working at WakeMed. Forget health care politics and hospital allegiances, tonight was my reminder that it’s not bricks and mortar…
https://www.facebook.com/michael.ferguson.9231/posts/10202547787000170

There is strong family tradition of philanthropy among the Ashworth family of Cary. It began in 1957, when Ralph and Daphne Ashworth moved to the quiet, tree-lined streets of this little town just west of Raleigh. Ralph, a pharmacist by trade, opened Ashworth Drugs, where he built a business that has become a cornerstone of the Cary community. Daphne, a successful entrepreneur in her own right, built a chain of 15 Hallmark stores throughout central and eastern North Carolina. Now, more than 55 years later, the two are still working to make a positive impact in the lives of the people they serve, and they’ve recruited another Ashworth to help them.

The Ashworth’s grandson Chris Ashworth joined their Hallmark team in 2009. In 2011, Chris created a marketing campaign that enabled Hallmark customers to purchase 99-cent greeting cards, which were then donated to our service men and women throughout the world. “During the last two years, we’ve shipped more than 60,000 of these cards to soldiers at eight different foreign and domestic military bases,” says Chris.

“The cards enabled soldiers to keep in touch with their family members and friends, sending messages like ‘happy birthday’ or ‘missing you.’ It’s been a way for them to stay connected to home.” The campaign was so successful that it earned the Ashworths an award from the U.S. Department of Defense for their service to the military community. When U.S. troops began returning home in recent months, Chris felt it was time to re-focus the company’s fundraising efforts on local needs.

“When I began volunteering at WakeMed in 2011, I visited the Children’s Hospital and handed out Sillybandz® bracelets to the kids,” Chris explains. “That visit really opened my eyes to the pain and suffering so many children go through when they’re ill. I realized that, while I wasn’t able to ease their physical pain, maybe I could help lift their spirits with a greeting card.”

Chris collaborated with the WakeMed Foundation on a program called Cards for Healing, which once again allowed customers at participating stores to donate a 99-cent card at checkout. The donated cards are then given to WakeMed’s child life specialists and nursing staff for distribution to patients and their families.

“These cards might be used for parents to provide notes of encouragement to their sick or injured child or patients to send notes of thanks to family members or caregivers,” says Chris. “I’m proud to say our customers have donated more than 13,000 cards in 2013.”

When asked why he felt compelled to become a part of the WakeMed Foundation, Chris credits his grandparents for establishing a family tradition of service. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve watched my grandparents help other people,” Chris explains. “They taught me that it’s my responsibility to give back to my community, and that if we all do our part, our world becomes a better place in which to live. So they’ve passed the torch on to me, and I’m happy to carry it for WakeMed.”

This article was originally published in the Fall 2013 Developments, a publication of the WakeMed Foundation.  Download the whole issue here.

It’s that time of year again, and we are already starting to see sporadic cases of flu in the community. 

How do we know what we are seeing is flu?

Even though the symptoms of the flu are pretty similar to the common cold, there are a couple of distinguishing characteristics for flu. 

The first is often the rapidity of onset….patients usually know exactly when the flu hits them.  A patient with the flu can tell me they started feeling bad around 3 pm on Saturday. Colds and other viruses tend to come on more gradually.

The flu is also discernible from the common cold by the presence of a high fever, diffuse muscle aches, significant fatigue, and/or prominent headaches.  These symptoms are rare with the common cold. 

In the clinic, we usually can quickly tell if a patient likely has the flu by looks alone.  A patient suffering from a cold looks miserable.  A patient suffering from the flu looks really, really miserable. 

It’s The Flu, Now What?

For most healthy people, there is not much physicians can do to treat the flu or colds.  We can treat the symptoms with over-the-counter medication and recommend rest and plenty of fluids for the 7 to 10 day duration of the virus.

However, the flu can be deadly and is associated with tens of thousands of deaths each year in America.  This is especially true for the very young, very old, pregnant women, people with a BMI >40 and people with confounding health conditions like asthma, COPD, renal or liver disease   For these individuals, it is a good idea to visit your primary care physician if you think you have the flu.  There are medications available that, if taken early – usually within 48 hours of onset of symptoms, can help to reduce the severity and duration of symptoms of the flu and are indicated for these higher risks patients.

It is also a good idea to see a doctor if symptoms of either a cold or the flu suddenly get worse.  A worsening of symptoms might indicate that the original virus has become complicated by a secondary bacterial infection like pneumonia.

Of course, the best defense against the flu is to eat well, get plenty of rest, avoid sick people, wash your hands frequently and get the flu shot.  No, you cannot get the flu from the flu shot.  I promise.  See this previous blog by my peer Dr. John Holly to clear some flu vaccine confusion. 

Also, here’s a quick reference comparing the flu and cold symptoms.

Dr. Brian Klausner is a primary care physician with Wake Specialty Physicians – City Center Medical Group (located near Buku in downtown Raleigh).  He is currently accepting new patients.