Diabetes

A first meeting with Paula Yutzy will make your head spin. You're in her office at Mercy Medical Center because a heart attack or blurred vision has revealed you have diabetes. And even though you know you could die a slow, painful death, change is hard. You may never come back. So Yutzy intentionally floods you with information because it might be her only chance. She starts with a 2 3/4 -ounce bag of Frito's corn chips. She turns it over to look at the list of contents on the back. From a side drawer, she pulls out a test tube she has filled with solid Crisco.

There are three main areas in public health that need continued vigilance, said Dr. Peter L. Beilenson, now Howard County's health officer after serving as Baltimore's health commissioner for 13 years. The first is substance abuse, which has led to much of the violence in Baltimore. Next is a lack of primary care, contributing to obesity, diabetes and heart disease in the city. Third is the city kids' preparedness for school, including immunizations. "[Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake]

Gastroparesis, otherwise called "paralyzed stomach," affects about 25 percent of people with type 1 diabetes and 10 percent of people with type 2 diabetes. People diagnosed with a neurologic disease, such as Parkinson's, and those who have had stomach ulcer surgery may also be affected. However, the largest group of individuals with paralyzed stomach suffers solely from this condition, without additional illness; they have what is called "idiopathic" gastroparesis. Dr. Linda Lee, board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology and the director of the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center, explains the disease and provides insights on symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatments and prevention.

Recent precipitation allows testing of wet weather soils The Carroll County Health Department has announced that because of recent precipitation, testing in wet weather soils can begin immediately. Maryland Sewage Disposal and Subdivision regulations require certain soil percolation and other tests to be conducted when the highest water table can be expected in the sewage disposal area. Levels usually are at their highest between Feb. 1 and April 30. Monitoring well and other data show that groundwater levels meet requirements for testing.

Dr. Deepak Kashyap has joined the Endocrine and Diabetes Center at Franklin Square Hospital Center. Kashyap completed his medical training and a fellowship in endocrinology at the George Washington University School of Medicine. The American Urological Association Foundation, based in Linthicum, has named Sandra Vassos as executive director. Dr. Roy H. Phillips, of Harford Primary Care LLC in Forest Hill, has received recognition from the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program for providing quality care to his patients with diabetes.

Wojciech Has, 75, a Polish filmmaker who won an international cult following with "The Saragossa Manuscript" and headed Poland's Lodz Film School in the 1990s, died yesterday at a hospital in Lodz. Mr. Has suffered from diabetes.

The Jarrettsville Lions welcomed new member Ken Bowers, right, along with his sponsor Ron Holmes. Bowers has a deep interest in diabetes and will be working with that committee of the Lions Club.

A 17-year federal study has finally answered one of the most pressing questions about diabetes: Can tight control of blood sugar prevent heart attacks and strokes? The answer, reported yesterday in The New England Journal of Medicine, is yes. Intense control can reduce the risk by nearly half. And, the study found, the effect occurred even though the patients had only had a relatively brief period of intense blood sugar control when they were young adults. Nonetheless, more than a decade later, when they reached middle age, when heart disease and strokes normally start to appear, they were protected.

WASHINGTON -- Two days before Thanksgiving, Yetta M. Adams arrived a half-hour past curfew at the Calvary homeless shelter here, losing her claim to one of its 28 beds that had been her nighttime refuge for the past month and a half.Choosing to forgo the "hypothermia van" that takes the overflow to a city-run trailer site, the 43-year-old woman did what she had done on and off for the past 11 years. She started sleeping on the streets.And Monday morning, with all her worldly possessions beside her -- four shopping bags that held clothes, a Walkman and cassettes and medication for severe diabetes -- she was found dead, slumped on a bench at a bus stop in a place that would turn her into a national symbol instead of just another anonymous homeless person.

Elaine Works Interment, January 5, 2:30 P.M. at St. Mark Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Assoc. Condolences may be sent at www.rsfh.net. Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home of Newland is serving the Works family.