Podcast #26

Welcome to Your Health, a podcast series from Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin. I'm Neal Linkon, Aurora's manager of Web Communications, and thanks for joining us. If we can ever help you in any way, please email us at internet@aurora.org.

In edition #26, we'll hear some hopeful news for those of us who suffer from shoulder pain. We'll find out if it's true that you should feed a cold and starve a fever, or is it the other way around? And we'll learn about another surprising way that Aurora helps improve the health of those in the communities we serve.

Most of the guys I went to college with aren't playing basketball any longer. Some kind of ache, pain or injury has long since sidelined them. And while many of those same guys would quibble with the notion that I ever actually played basketball, I'm still on the court. But given this persistent pain in my shoulder, my days may be numbered. Or are they?

I spoke with Dr. Mark Wichman, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Milwaukee, who told me there's renewed hope, and some great new techniques.

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To learn more about shoulder problems and your options, go to www.Aurora.org/Health, and search under the heading of “conditions.” To learn more about Dr. Wichman, go to www.Aurora.org/Wichman.

You've probably heard your grandmother warn, “feed a cold, starve a fever,” while you were neck-high under the covers stuffed up and miserable. Or was it “starve a cold, feed a fever”? Whichever it was, is there any truth to these kindly admonishments?

The idea of feeding a cold and starving a fever most likely originated during the Middle Ages when people believed that there were two kinds of illnesses. The illnesses caused by low temperatures, such as a cold, needed to be “fueled,” so eating was recommended. Illnesses caused by high temperatures, such as a fever, needed to be cooled down, so refraining from eating was thought to deprive the furnace of energy.

Most doctors today reject this idea. Recently, however, a Dutch research team conducted a small, preliminary study that provides some indirect support for the old myth. Researchers asked six healthy male participants to fast overnight before providing them with a meal on one occasion and just water on another occasion. They found that the subjects' immune systems responded differently under the conditions of feeding versus starvation. While these are intriguing findings, they say little about how a person suffering from a cold or a fever can expect to actually feel when fed or starved. Although the study was small and inconclusive, the idea that food consumption may have a short-lived effect on the immune system is a new one, as previous studies have focused on more long-term effects.

Current medical opinion puts the “feed a cold, starve a fever” maxim in the same category as other medical advice from the Middle Ages – false and maybe even dangerous! An infection – particularly one associated with fevers – is no time to deny your body the nutrients and fluids it needs. Like any bodily system, the immune system requires energy to function properly. To provide an extreme example, severe malnutrition is the major risk factor for life-threatening consequences of serious infections in less developed countries. And, drinking fluids helps counter the dehydration caused by sweating and mucus production.

Colds and the flu are caused by viruses, for which there is no cure. The best you can hope to do is support your immune system as it struggles to prevail. Fever or no, starving yourself is no way to show your support. Whether you're thirsty or not, drink plenty of fluids. And, if you're hungry – eat!

Did you know...

• Close to 60 percent of all high school students in the Milwaukee Public Schools reported being sexually active and 12 percent reported having intercourse by age 12?
• Milwaukee has one of the nation's highest percentages of births to teens, and among the highest rates of teen pregnancy?
• Milwaukee is one of the worst in the nation for cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea?
• In 2005, Milwaukee ranked sixth out of the 70 largest school districts for children living in poverty?
• In Milwaukee, 77 percent of public school students qualify for free or reduced-price meals?

That's why the Aurora school-based health program exists in 15 schools. We put nurses and other health professionals within easier reach of these often underserved populations.

The Aurora school-based health program seeks to provide health care access for school-aged children. The program focuses on prevention and wellness while also treating the chronically ill. We strive to create healthier children and families, reduce injuries and illnesses, and encourage better school attendance and academic achievement.

The goals of the school-based health program include:

• Improve school attendance rates Increase immunization compliancy rates
• Decrease the number of students who leave school during the school day due to illness
• Decrease the rate of unhealthy and high-risk behaviors of students
• Assist families in finding a medical home within their community
• Reduce health care disparities for children

We provide a wide range of medical services, including:

• Treatment of acute and chronic illnesses
• Treatment of minor injuries
• Comprehensive physical exams Immunizations
• Vision, hearing and lice screenings
• Use of on-site digital medical equipment to provide off-site diagnosis and treatment of things like rashes, strep throat, eye and ear infections. The equipment allows other medical professionals to see what the nurse sees, without having to be on site, allowing diagnoses to be given by nurse practitioners or the medical director.

We offer health education services in several different formats. This may include one-on-one education services, gender and culture specific education, family and community health education, and school health center education for teachers and school administration. Some health education topics include:

• CPR/Heart Saver courses
• Substance abuse prevention/cessation
• Safety
• Dental care
• Hand washing
• Self-esteem
• Nutrition
• Growth and development
• Conflict resolution
• Child abuse prevention
• Chronic conditions, such as asthma or diabetes
• Chronic disease prevention, like smoking cessation
• Sexual abstinence

Social service and counseling programs are usually referred to the appropriate community agency. Commonly referred conditions might include:

• Depression
• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Individual and family counseling
• Family/peer relationships
• Parenting skills

We also are involved in a lot of community partnerships. For example:

• We provide sport, camp and health check physicals for:
  -Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee
  -Special Olympics
  -Social Development
  -Commission (Head Start)
  -Milwaukee Athletic Program
• We partner with Mount Mary College in the development of nutrition programs
• We partner with Aurora Sinai Medical Center's Midwifery Program to improve pregnant teens' access to prenatal care and education

Not what you might expect from a health care system, but it's one more way we help improve the health of those in the communities that we serve. For more information, contact Aurora school-based health at 414-219-7745 or go to www.Aurora.org/School.

Thanks for joining us for this edition of Your Health.  If we can help you in any way or you want to suggest future topics for this program, please email us at internet@aurora.org.