Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women. In recognition of National Lung Cancer Awareness Month this November, Piedmont Fayette Hospital (PFH) is urging smokers and others deemed at-risk for developing lung cancer to get the facts about the deadly disease.

According to most historians, the Pilgrims never observed an annual Thanksgiving feast in autumn. In 1621, they did celebrate a feast following their first fall harvest, but this feast was never repeated. In fact, most devoutly religious pilgrims observed a day of thanksgiving with prayer and fasting.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta reminds parents this Halloween that October 31 is the most dangerous day of the year for child pedestrians. In fact, children are four times more likely to be killed while walking on Halloween than any other night of the year. It is essential for parents to prepare their children properly to stay safe while having fun.

Twenty-four hour fitness facility to offer convenient and affordable workout option
Snap Fitness, a 24-hour fitness club providing fast and convenient workout facilities, is opening its newest location in Peachtree City on October 9. Easier and more affordable than larger, "big box" health clubs, Snap Fitness offers a 24-hour a day, 365 day a year exercise alternative for busy individuals who want to stay active and fit without sacrificing time and convenience.

By Greg Moffatt
Special to The Citizen

I am convinced that there is no more difficult time in life than the years between sixth grade and high school. During these years, children change developmentally, they have numerous challenges in front of them, and they are expected to be responsible. And yet at the same time they have few mature skills for working through the many adult-like issues and problems that they face.

Thanks to a new collaboration between the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and Fayette Senior Services, a bundle of preventive health services, including flu and pneumonia vaccinations, will be widely available throughout Fayette County this fall.

Alpha Internal Medicine was founded by Betsy S. Horton-Pawlowski, M.D.. The door first opened at 886 West Lanier Avenue in Fayetteville, February 1998. The medical community was in a steep growth thanks to the opening of Fayette community Hospital that same year. Though Dr. Horton was a novice at that time in private practice and business management, many years of long hours, learning new skills, and a commitment to providing excellent service by herself and her staff has resulted in a thriving practice with patient satisfaction as the primary goal.

If you break an arm, suffer a stroke or have a total joint replacement, chances are your physician will refer you to a physical therapist.

Some of Georgia’s older adults will lead healthier lives after improving their fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, and diabetes self-management skills by participating in an educational community intervention project, according to the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Aging Services (DAS). Georgia has the 11th fasting growing population of older people in the country with more than 870,000 persons aged 65 and older, and ranks seventh in the number of older people with diabetes.

Piedmont Fayette Hospital’s Women’s Imaging Center is now offering stereotactic breast biopsy, a non-surgical alternative for collecting breast tissue.

The Georgia Department of Human Resources and the American Cancer Society recommend that women 40 and older have regular mammograms.

Piedmont Physicians Group at Peachtree City recently committed to being the Ticket Sponsor for the 2006 American Cancer Society Barons’ Ball. The seven physicians, who practice out of the Peachtree City – West Park location, recently presented a check for $1,500.00 to Barons’ Ball Chairperson, Susan Osborne and American Cancer Society’s Community Income Manager; Nychelle Williams.

You may already be working on making a pint-sized magic wand, perfecting Frankenstein’s makeup and scoping out the safest neighborhood trick-or-treating route.

With new laser and skin care clinics opening and the demand for aesthetic treatments exploding, Dermacare Laser & Skin Care Clinics®, a national franchise organization encourages potential clients to do their homework and make sure they are confident in who will be providing these treatments.

By Greg Moffatt

Following my article last month on deliberate parenting I received a letter from a reader that was just too good not to pass on to you. I asked his permission to publish it and he agreed. I have edited it slightly, but for the most part it is in the form in which it was received and this powerful message is worth repeating.

The Living Well Workshops started out west at Stanford University and found immediate success with people in the health care industry, as well as with the residents in the communities where the program was first offered. The focus of the workshops is on teaching techniques to deal with symptoms of chronic illnesses and these programs have spread rapidly around the country. The Atlanta Regional Commission has been a driving force in bringing the Living Well Workshops to the metro Atlanta area and members of the Piedmont Healthcare system and Fayette Senior Services took training courses to lead these workshops and teach local residents these helpful techniques. Kathy Sams and Susan Landais of Fayette Senior Services took the five day, intense training course. They will teach the first batch of workshops and hope to train people in the future to teach more workshops.

Wyatt a 29 month old toddler with significant delays in speech and sensory processing is at risk of losing the early intervention he needs to start school ready to learn. Likewise, Sanaya, a toddler with significant delays in communication and cognition is being denied needed speech therapy.

The Georgia Department of Human Resources and the American Cancer Society recommend that women 40 and older have regular mammograms.

It’s not news that the incidence of asthma among children is on the rise.

In fact, asthma is now the most common chronic disease of childhood. It’s characterized by breathlessness that begins with a dry cough and chest tightness and can progress into labored breathing and wheezing. Mild cases cause only a short period of these symptoms but when the situation is severe, symptoms can last for a while and every second brings terror for both child and parents.

An estimated 33 million people suffer from overactive bladder, which is a higher number than patients with diabetes. People who have urinary control problems may feel embarrassed about the problem and learn to live with it or change their lifestyle because of this condition.

Carla Cook Smith always dreamed of painting. What she never dreamed was that the recent painting lessons she received as a gift from her husband, Clint, would lead her to become one of the most sought after new artists in the South and across the nation. Nor could she have envisioned that her desire to paint would someday lead her to become a spokeswoman and well known artist/advocate for women suffering from the disease of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women and statistics show 1.2 million women will be diagnosed with the disease this year worldwide.

By Greg Moffatt
Special to The Citizen

My two younger children spent two weeks in summer camp and just before we said goodbye the day we dropped them off, my daughter said, “Look for me on the web page when they post the group photo. I’ll write and tell you where I am so you can find me in the group.” I thought it was interesting that a 14-year-old teenager would care that we saw her in a group photo of two hundred other campers. But when I stopped to think about it, she isn’t any different from the rest of us. We all like to be seen. Being seen means we exist - that we matter. Why else would we feel so good if our picture was in the newspaper or on television? Many people are seeing us so we must have some value.

Two local Fayetteville residents, Jessica Dutton and Toniese Craft, attending Clayton State University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program participated in the Great Strides Cystic Fibrosis Walk at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 20.

Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont FayetteHospital have been named two of the nation’s Most Wired hospitals, according to the results of the 2006 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study released today in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, which has named the 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems since 1999. In addition,Piedmont Mountainside Hospital was named one of the nation’s Most Improved.

The Crohn’s & Colitis (IBD) Support Group meets the fourth Tuesday of August from 7-8:30 p.m.. The guest speaker at the Aug. 22 meeting will be Dr. Dennis E. Choat of Georgia Colon & Rectal Surgical Associates.

More than thirty-one million or, one in every ten, Americans has hearing loss. This number is expected to double by the year 2030 as more and more baby boomers reach retirement age. Many hearing aids are equipped with a telecoil. Telecoils transmit sound directly into the hearing aid and eliminate extraneous background noise making it easier for a person with hearing loss to understand the speaker.

(ARA) - Seven-year-old Alice Karwera lives in Ruhengeri, Rwanda, one of the worst affected areas during the bloody 100 days in 1997 when the Hutu were slaughtering the Tutsi. Like millions of children around the world, Alice’s days were filled with overwhelming hunger.

University of Florida pharmacists say a popular decongestant in over-the-counter medications is ineffective at the Food and Drug Administration’s approved dose.

With recent dry conditions making wildfires likely, Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John W. Oxendine urges Georgians to keep fire safety in mind when enjoying summer activities such as grilling and camping.

OutPatient Imaging is known for providing Fayette County with excellent imaging services in a comfortable setting with quick results. Now in its third year, the business has recently expanded, adding new services and becoming the only imaging center in Fayette County to receive full accreditation from the American College of Radiology (ACR).