A great pair of winter boots can turn heads — and ankles, too. In this Power to the Patient report, Davenport-based Dr. Pam Davis explains to WQAD-TV’s Raechelle Davis how

selecting the right winter footwear can prevent injuries.

by Jeni Tackett - Wellness Coordinator and Registered Dietitian, Trinity Medical Center

Portable Holiday Recipes

Trying to eat healthy during the holiday can be a challenge. I recommend bringing a healthy dish to parties and meals. Fill half your plate with fruits and veggies and a low fat dip. Then enjoy smaller portions of high-fat, high-sugar treats.

Here are my favorite (and super easy) fruit and veggie dips:

Low-Fat Fruit Dip

• 16 ounces low-fat or fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup lite cool whip
• Sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)

Whip with whisk and store in refrigerator. Enjoy with fresh fruit. Serve with a variety of colorful fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, apples, bananas, oranges, kiwi, and grapes.

Low-Fat Veggie Dip

• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard

To prepare dipping sauce, combine yogurt, sour cream, honey, and mustard in a small bowl. Serve with a colorful fresh veggie tray: red, yellow, and green peppers are a hit. Include cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, snap peas, celery, tomatoes, and mushrooms. If your party includes children, have them make a face on their plate with veggies and enjoy!

You can replace some or all of the fat in baked good with fruit purees such as applesauce or prune puree. Here is my favorite holiday cookie.

Molasses Crinkles

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons of pureed prunes (you can use baby food prunes)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 ¼ cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ginger
• ½ tsp. cloves

Directions:

Mix prune puree, sugar, egg whites, and molasses thoroughly. Sift together flour and rest of ingredients. Stir into prune and egg mixture. Chill dough for 1-2 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll dough into 1 ¼” balls. Place on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Back 10-12 minutes. Makes two dozen cookies.

Jeni Tackett is a registered dietitian at Trinity Medical Center and the Two Rivers YMCA. Jeni majored in Nutrition and Dietetics at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Caroline. She lives East Moline with her husband, Nathan and their two children, Noah and Lily and two dogs. Jack and Lola.For a listing of all of Jeni’s blog posts on MVHNews, click here.

Less Pain, reduced recovery times, fewer scars, and a quicker return to work and life:  Quad City patients facing surgery have better options than before. Minimally invasive and laparoscopic procedures are revolutionizing surgery in the Quad Cities.

“Just about any surgery that used to be done with large incisions can now be considered for a laparoscopic approach,” says general and colorectal surgeon Dr. Douglas Khoury, Davenport Surgical Group, P.C., who also is Medical Director for Mississippi Valley Surgery Center.

“As new techniques are developed, patients are discovering there’s no reason to put off surgery, because these new minimally invasive techniques are getting people back to their normal activity and lifestyle sooner.”  Mississippi Valley Surgery Center is the only facility in the area with state of the art High Definition scopes that provide the surgeons with optimal viewing of the surgical field.

The laparoscope is a small camera that allows a surgeon to visualize the structures within the abdomen and pelvis through a small incision. To make room for the surgeon’s tiny instruments, part of the abdomen is ‘insufflated’ or blown up like a balloon to raise the abdominal wall up above the internal organs. Instead of ordinary air, the abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide, which is easily absorbed by the body and expelled while breathing.

New gallbladder technique: one incision instead of three
Dr. Khoury is one of a few surgeons in the state of Iowa as well as the Quad Cities who now performs a single incision laparoscopic gallbladder removal, instead of the traditional three or four incisions.

“Women often ask for minimal scars. I make a single incision directly through the base of the belly button, so the patient doesn’t have a scar on her upper abdomen. The incision is hidden, and I tell patients they can still wear their two piece bathing suit without anybody knowing they had the surgery.”

Ideal candidates for laparoscopic surgery:

• People with no prior major intra-abdominal operations.

• No large tumors or organs to be removed from the abdomen.

• Options: Gallbladder (cholecystectomy), appendix (appendectomy), operations for GERD (reflux), hernia repair, groin, kidney (nephrectomy), colon resection, spleen (splenectomy), and adrenal gland removal can all potentially be laparoscopic procedures.

Dr. Khoury says one of the greatest advantages to minimally invasive surgery includes a significant decrease in post-operative recovery time.  “Recovery is often shorter by several weeks,” he explains.  “And wound complications are also less following laparoscopic procedures.”

Dr. Khoury does perform some of these laparoscopic procedures at the Mississippi Valley Surgery Center, Davenport. Most patients go home the same day and get to recover in the comfort of their own home.  “Now, anyone who needs an abdominal operation should look at the laparoscopic option because virtually any elective abdominal operation can be considered. Patients need to ask their doctor about the laparoscopic option,” he advises.

Get in shape during the holiday break by going to the Scott County Family YMCA and take advantage of one or more of these special programs:

• The Scott County Family Y gift card promo runs through Christmas: “Give the gift of a happier, healthier life!” Buy a $50 for just $45.

• Need help getting in shape?  Personal Training promo: 3, 1-hour sessions for just $99.

• The Scott County Family Y is also offering an Unlimited Holiday Water Fitness Pass. ”Take A Dip In Our Fountain Of Youth! Our Unlimited Water Fitness Pass allows our members to try any and every water fitness program for just $15. The pass is good from December 17 through January 5.

• Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 22 from 9-11am at the Bettendorf Family YMCA $15 per family/Y members;$25 per family/community

• The QC’s Original New Year’s At Noon on Dec. 31 from 11am – 1pm. Free for members and just $3/community.

Tuvi Mendel, MD – Orthopaedic Specialists, PC

“Physicians make referrals based on a number of factors. While their recommendations are important, remember that you have the right to choose,” says Dr. Tuvi Mendel, Orthopaedic Specialists. Dr. Mendel is a foot and ankle specialist with an additional qualification in sports medicine. Dr. Mendel also sees patients for knee problems as well.

“Do your own research and ask around. If you don’t agree with the initial referral provided by your primary care physician, know that you can request a referral to a particular group or specialist.”

Questions to Ask

Focus your research, which can be done by looking online or at websites, calling the office, picking up print materials, or through trusted contacts. Ask the following questions:

1. Is your specialist board certified? Determine if he or she certified to focus in the specific area of your concern.
2. Is your specialist also fellowship trained? In other words, has your specialist completed an extra program in the orthopaedic area of your concern and if so, does he continue to practice in that area?  This is extremely important, as it assures your specialist will have expansive expertise.
3. If you are going to need surgery, how many of these types of surgery has your specialist done? The more surgeries your specialist has done, the more experience he or she will have.  Additionally, you can ask about infection rates and success rates; specialists who are proud of their work and success will readily provide this information.
4. Do you know anyone who has had firsthand experience with the specialist?  While someone else’s treatment and results can’t be compared to what you will experience, you can rely on trusted word-of-mouth to gain an understanding of the overall experience.

The administrative team at your physician’s office can often fill out your patient referral form and help you make an appointment, so don’t hesitate to ask questions and seek assistance.

According to Angie Van Utrecht, Director of Operations at Orthopaedic Specialists, a referral isn’t needed at all to see a specialist, unless your insurance requires it.

“Many specialist groups don’t require a referral in order to be seen or treated.  At Orthopaedic Specialists, simply call and make an appointment,” she said. The only reason that we would require a referral is if a patient has an HMO plan, and in that case, it is required by the insurance company to obtain one. “

Whether using the specialist recommended by your doctor, or deciding to go in a different direction, it’s always worthwhile to research potential specialists and seek as much information as possible

about their education, experience and reputation.

by Joe Dennis, Nostalgia Farms

December winds are finally here, along with the season of holiday cheer. Still waiting for that first substantial snowfall of the season, just to put the final cap on the garden season. Nothing puts the garden to bed like a good blanket of snow. All thoughts can now focus on the tasks at hand: shopping, decorating and of course cooking.

In recent years we have all been touched by a rediscovery of eating local and healthy, Nostalgia Farms has prided ourselves with keeping up with this trend. We are lucky to be in the heart of an active farming community, all working hard to provide the Quad Cities with a varied selection of local vegetables, herbs and meats. There are still a great selection of root crops, potatoes, squash and even a decent selection of greens available at the market along with fresh eggs, herbs and fresh baked breads. Ed and his mom just came back from processing the last batch of chickens for the season along with a few ducks. Pasture raised beef, local raised pork, poultry are all available to meet an ever-growing interest in knowing where our food comes from.

These are all positive ways to grow into a healthier lifestyle. The fresher the ingredients, the easier it is to eat healthy. A fresh fruit salad, even

though the fruits have traveled by the holidays, still is better than the mayo or whipped cream salads many of us grew up on. Using local honey to add sweetness to salads or your sweet potato casseroles is another healthy choice. Cutting the butter content in my dressings by adding half olive oil when cooking the vegetables also rates as a heart-healthy alternative.

And as always an easy way to bring in local ingredients into holiday recipes is to support your local farmers by using farm fresh eggs. I believe it is one of the things that has made our baked goods so good for so many years.

We wish every one a Safe and Joyous Holiday Season and thank you for allowing us to share our farm and food with you and your families.

Honey Roasted Peanuts

Holiday Apple Salad

Roasted root vegetables with olive oil and thyme

Roast free-range chicken

Joe Dennis is a farmer at Nostalgia Farms in Walcott, Iowa. Together with his partner, Ed Kraklio, they sell locally-grown, organic produce at the Freight House Farmer’s Market in downtown Davenport, IA near LeClaire Park, every Tuesday (3-6 pm) and Saturday (8 am -1 pm). You can visit the farm’s website at:www.nostalgiafarms.com. Read more of Farmer Joe’s blog posts on MVHNews, or try any of the Nostalgia Farms recipes on this website.