You are here

Health

Head Out on the Highway: Driving and medications

Zachary Lenz, student pharmacist
With Karen L. Kier, Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU Healthwise Team

In 1967, Steppenwolf wrote their hit Born to Be Wild. The song begins by telling listeners to “Get your motor runnin’/Head out on the highway/Lookin' for adventure” and we have an image in our head; cruising down an open road in our dream car, radio playing our favorite tune and feeling the freedom of adventure. We even go back to the excitement of passing our driving test, obtaining that coveted driver’s license and gaining the independence of exploration. For some of us, it opens a conversation if it is safer to leave the car in the garage and take a ride in the passenger seat due to the use of some medications.

In September, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) released a study focusing on medications that alter road test performances among healthy older adults with good cognitive function. Based on previous literature, older adults are at a greater risk of being involved in an automotive accident compared to middle-aged adults. There could be multiple factors contributing to this claim, including being frail and having more cognitive impairment.

Weekend Doctor: Chronic Pain

By Andrius Giedraitis, MD
Pain Management, Blanchard Valley Pain Management

Chronic pain: A persistent challenge
Chronic pain is a complex and often debilitating condition that affects more than 50 million Americans nationwide. Unlike acute pain, which serves as your body’s alarm system responding to injury or illness and then typically subsides as the underlying issue heals, chronic pain lingers for an extended period, often lasting for months or years. It can manifest from head to toe, including persistent headaches and neck pain to neuropathic pain in your feet and anywhere in between. If left unchecked, chronic pain significantly impacts a person’s quality of life. It is important to understand that chronic pain is not merely a symptom but a distinct medical condition that requires comprehensive management.

Root causes and complex cases
Chronic pain can result from a myriad of underlying causes, including injury, illness, or conditions like arthritis and neuropathy. The complexity arises from the fact that often, people with chronic pain have multiple other health ailments that must be navigated and considered. Given the complexity many patients in the community may present, a pain management team uses various diagnostic tools including MRI, X-rays, physical maneuvers, and other specialized examinations to identify the cause(s) of people’s pain.

‌Hang on Sloopy: The Virus Way

Chicken pox virus survives to often emerge decades later as shingles

By Isaac Schmiesing, ONU student pharmacist
With Karen L. Kier , Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU Healthwise Team 

As the official rock song of Ohio and with an association to The Ohio State University, Hang on Sloopy is one of the most well-known songs in Ohio. Interestingly, the version most fans and people have come to know, and love is not considered to be the original song.

In 1964, this song was originally written by the Vibrations, a rhythm and blues group, titled My Girl Sloopy where it reached 26 on the Billboard chart. It is thought the inspiration came from Dorothy Sloop, an Ohio University jazz singer from Steubenville, Ohio. 

Throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, different versions of Hang on Sloopy were performed all over Ohio with notable bands including the Yardbirds, with legendary guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. The most popular version of this song was released by the McCoys, for which it reached #1. 

Weekend Doctor: Midwifery

By Missy Moore, APRN-CNM, APRN-CNP
Midwifery, Blanchard Valley Obstetrics & Gynecology

Although midwives have been around for hundreds of years, the term midwife is one that not many are able to clearly define. There is often confusion surrounding the many types of midwives and the span of roles a midwife might play. 

Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM) are highly trained providers who first are educated and trained as registered nurses, then choose to attend accredited universities, followed by passing a midwifery board-certified examination. CNMs also must maintain their licensures every five years by completing a number of continuing education requirements. In Ohio, CNMs work in collaboration with physicians and deliver babies in hospitals and birth centers. In contrast, lay midwives learn their skills through apprenticeship and are not legally recognized by the state they practice in and deliver babies in homes.

Red cross blood drives in November 2023

The American Red Cross continues to report a blood supply shortage and encourage donors to make an appointment at upcoming blood drive events.

To make an appointment, visit www.redcrossblood.org

For information about the donation process, click HERE.

November blood drives in the Ada Icon readership area include:

Healthwise: There is a Season

By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

In 1959, Peter Seeger wrote To Everything There is a Season, which was released by the folk group the Limeliters. Seeger then released the song himself a few months later. Neither version had much success until Roger McGuinn (aka Jim McGuinn) of the Limeliters formed the Byrds. 

The Byrds released their version on October 23, 1965 and it hit number one in December. The title changed to Turn! Turn! Turn! for the release. The song holds the record for the oldest written lyrics because the verses are from Ecclesiastes in the Bible. 

The Byrds formed in 1964 in Los Angeles with five members. Some music critics consider the band one of the most influential of its time. Several of the original members left to form other groups or have solo careers. One of the more famous members of the original group was David Crosby, who we lost in 2023. The last time the original group played together was in 1991 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

As the leaves are changing, so do our seasons including issues related to politics and health. 

Pages