Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 7 May '86 # 75

amt / mTi C J jf JR BALLOONING — Sam Brian, left, Tish Brown and Eleanor Duke prepare to release balloons at the Cape May Care Center in Swainton in recognition of National Older Americans Month. Sam and Eleanor are residents of the center; Tish is activity director there. The balloons were donated by the Court House McDonald's restaurant.

Rx / Health Watch — by Dr. Robert C. Beitman

The other day a patient looked at me as if I was crazy when I told her under no circumstances would I approve her participation in an aerobic exercise program at this time. "But Dr. Beitman, exercise is good for you. You're always recommending exercise in your columns. What do you mean?" v This woman was a new patient with diabetes, out of control, skyhigh blood pressure and an electrocardiogram that raised the question of a recent small heart attack. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY my opinion that just now the risks of exercise were higher for her than the benefits. Once we stabilize her health then a fitness regimen should be considered. But wellness is not just exercise; it requires health, diet, and fitness maintenance. I'm writing on this topic out of concern for the people who will be setting out ] on new fitness programs now that it's spring. With all your enthusiasm, please take steps to make sure the program you select will be safe and effective for you. JUST BECAUSE a program is offered does not I mean it is safe for all participants ; only you can look ! after yourself. ! Your doctor certainly i can suggest if your medical < condition is acceptable for undergoing an exercise 2 program. However, we | won't always be right. I The heart in particular is < an unpredictable organ, and almost half of cardiac < deaths are silent, not 1 preceded by any warning I symptoms or signals. j HOWEVER. THOSE 2 over 40 should cons-der 1 having an exercise stress < test to look for undetected heart problems before t stressing the heart with ad- I ded exercise. I f Available to those under ( 40 is the echocardiogram , a f fascinating test allowing us to map the heart's t chambers and valves to < look for genetic abnormal- ( ities. Most cardiac pro- 4 blems in the young are like- c ly to be genetic in nature. ( Other cautions about ex- C

ercises would include things very much under your control. Runners have a lot of safety considerations. You must pick the proper surfaces, wear reflective clothing where necessary, and take it gradually ABSOLUTELY DO the recommended stretches before and after any exercise sessions. These will cut down on bone, joint and soft tissue injuries. Runners have the greatest number of injuries of all athletes: Aerobics are known to cause muscle strains — if something really hurts consider doing it less or not at all. Handling the summer heat is another important consideration. You lose salt and water in the heat and even more during exercise The water must be replaced by drinking or your body will begin to malfunction because water is essential for life. I'VE ENCOUNTERED people who think that sweating off water weight is just great and they count it in their diets. This is a terribly dangerous idea — water loss is not real weight loss. It can lead to heat exhaustion (some call it "heat prostration"). The symptoms are dizziness, sometimes fainting, and a sweaty and clammy feeling. Take any of these very seriously. Stop exercising, get out of the heat, drink fluids gradually and cool off IF YOU START feeling dry and unable to sweat and turn beet-red, you have a medical emerand may be on the verge of heat stroke. You must be cooled off at once you will certainly die Be fit, by all means, in the healthiest way possible. I overdid it gardening yesterday and certainly begin to appreciate my own advice. Dr. Beitman is Resident of the American Cancer Society's Cape May County Letters to the doctor should be addressed to his office. 108 N. Main St., Cape May Court House. NJ 08210.

Joy ride III Jk By Libby Demp Forrest \J jj" J Grudgingly, I have to admit Joe Zelnik's "house tours" column of last week beat me into print. I was planning to do my own Cape May tour column for this week. I'm going to do it anyway. I once worked as a tour guide so I know what I'm talking about. I doubt that Joe Zelnik was' ever a tour guide. Tour guides are trained to talk every hour on the hour, and frankly, Joe talks when he wants to talk. And when he doesn't want to talk, he won't. When I worked as a tour guide I always felt that if you followed up each tour with an exam, most tourists would fail it. OCCASIONALLY. I liked to slip in a little humor during my tours just to see if the tourists were still awake When I would take people through the kitchen of the I Physick Estate I would point to the shiny, new electric I stove and refer to it as a "typical Victorian range". Most people would just noa, and move on to the next I room. Occasionally, I would come upon an expert who knew I more than I did. And that was fine with me. too, because it I saved my voice. (Tour guides are prone to laryngitis). A CRYING CHILD could be a distraction on the tours. But worse were the little kids who wanted to go outside and play. They would keep tugging on their mommies or daddies and ask, "Is it over yet?" "When will it be over?" "I have to go to the bathroom." "I'm hungry." It was obvious from time to time that there were tourist who took the tours because the restaurants weren't serving dinner yet. ( I would hear their stomachs growling. ) And it was also obvious from time to time that there were tourists who took the evening tours after the dinner hour when they'd belted down a few along with the meal. These people could be unreliable at best during the tour For instance, if I stated a fact — such as "This house was completed in 1881", they would make some odd comment. "Good show!" Or, "Bravo!" I MISSED the start of the expanded trolley tours by just a few weeks, and when I observe the trolleys making their rounds in Cape May these days I have to wonder if some of the tourists are just trying to get off their feet for awhile. Frankly, I'm glad I don't have to reveal how little I know about tulips. But my knowledge of Cape May itself is pretty good. I could say with certainty, for instance, "This pothole dates back to 1868." ( The next several Joyrides may seem familiar. Joyride columnist Forrest will be hospitalized for a while and has selected several of her favorite columns to fill this space while she recuperates.)

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