By Lalitha M. Janaki, M.D.

CORPUS CHRISTI - I was asked repeatedly within the last two months about where I have been and what I do these days. My answer has been, "I'm on my third Political Rotation." As you know, when in medical school and after, we have clinical rotations. But, in some lives, there are these Political Rotations!!

I started my career in Corpus Christi, some time ago, and was affiliated with a major medical system for about ten years. Then suddenly these exclusion critera kicked in and exclusive contracts went into place. Of course, you can be excluded, because of your affiliation or whatever. That was my first rotation.

Moving on with life, by the grace of God, and the help of good friends, you set up your tent with another medical system. A decade goes by, you make good money for the system, like the one before, but then, the same old drama, another exclusivity. Suddenly, you do not belong to the correct society, or class, or creed, or color, and on and on. I completed my second rotation.

My third decade began with a privately owned facility and still goes on. Politics are everywhere, just like air, water, sunshine, and hopefully, ANGELS. We need them for survival.

This reminds me of an article I wrote in 1992 for this magazine about the game of chess. My conclusions then are still valid now. Sometimes, we are just pawns.

(Editor's note: the 1992 article can be found on the NCMS website: www.nuecesmedsociety.org)

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By Carolina Pradario, M.D.

CORPUS CHRISTI - I had the privilege of participating in the 2011 Nueces County Healthy Living Health Fair, both as a volunteer and as a participant. Having attended many health fairs throughout the years, I was unsure about what to expect from the health fair here in Corpus Christi. When I arrived at the American Bank Center, I was pleasantly surprised.

I have found that there are three key components to a successful health fair: organization, educational content, and most importantly the contribution of the community. All of which I'm proud to say that I witnessed at Saturday's event. The fair was extremely well planned and the exhibitors were in abundance. This was the perfect forum for introducing healthcare providers to members of the community and to help educate them on achieving and maintaining healthy lifestyles. There were also a handful of exhibitors who volunteered to provide useful information about the latest in preventative health care.

What really made this event stand out was the community's contribution. Not just the many volunteers who helped make this happen, but more importantly the attendance of my fellow Nueces County citizens. Even with the threat of a tropical storm potentially affecting the attendance of the Health Fair, over 7,000 people attended this event. This proves more and more that people are becoming aware of the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and assuming responsibility for their own health.

The Nueces County Health Fair was a perfect way to give back to the community by providing educational information on prevention and early detection of disease. I am proud to have been part of this year's health fair and I look forward to many more successful ones in the future.

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By Lalitha M. Janaki, M.D.

CORPUS CHRISTI - I have been asking our Dermatology colleagues to share some information in their field of expertise, so we all can learn, since we live in South Texas right on the sunny coast.

Health fair this year was a big eye opener for me. As I walked through the aisles and saw these long lines at the skin cancer screening booths, I decided to spend some time there. Lots of questions were being asked and I was amazed to find out how little I know about skin care. Then I went home and did some reading, and here are a few facts that I discovered:

- Men over 40 get the most sun.

- As our life expectancy over 50 has risen, protecting the skin becomes more important.

- Skin protection is important, no matter how old one is.

- Skin cancer is rarely seen on women's faces, but this is the most common site for men. (I guess that is why most make-up we use includes sunscreen.)

- About 2 million Americans develop skin cancer every year.

- Sunscreens block UVB radiation and UVB radiation causes the visible burns. But, UVA 1 & UVA 2 are the cancer causing solar wavelengths. These are the rays that penetrate deeper into the skin and cause cancer.

I am frequently asked:

- How about sun bathing under a shady area or on a cloudy day? (Clouds block sunrays reaching the earth but unprotected skin exposure on a cloudy day is not recommended.)

- What SPF is better? Does higher SPF give better protection? (Any SPF between 30 and 50 is as good as SPF of 70.)

- What kind of sunscreen is better - sticks, gels, sprays, lotion, cream, or wipes? (All are effective when applied properly. Creams are good and last longer - a good example would be for swimmers. Sticks are good for touch ups, sprays are good when not wearing a bathing suit. Lotions are really recommended on the beach. Wipes are handy because they are spill proof and easy to carry around. None of these sunscreen products are waterproof, sand proof, towel proof, etc. Dermatologists recommend that you apply sunscreen every hour when swimming.)

We do know that skin makes Vitamin D in response to ultraviolet ray exposure. Sun screens do not block the sunrays completely and we do end up making some Vitamin D which has several important functions. It acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, boosts immunity, promotes Calcium absorption, etc. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends Vitamin D supplements and protecting the skin with sunscreen products to prevent skin cancer, and that is far more important than a Vitamin D deficiency.

Anything and everything in moderation is good, I suppose that includes sunbathing.

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By Lalitha M. Janaki, M.D.

CORPUS CHRISTI - Heart Disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States and the world. About 50 million people in the United States suffer from cardiovascular disease, at any given time.

Prevention is better than a cure; we hear this over and over, but it needs periodic reemphasis.

The health fairs in different parts of the city are a definite indication of the community's effort toward early diagnosis. Within the next two weeks, there will be two health fairs in the surrounding communities, one in the Annaville area and the other in Aransas Pass.

The fact is that the younger generation, such as the SIESTA SMILE group, is coordinating projects, which demonstrate an understanding of the need to start healthy habits at a younger age, is fascinating.

The way we remind ourselves about this pump (which is really a hollow organ) in our daily lives is amazing. Heartfelt thanks, hearty congratulations sounds good. How about heart to heart talk, from the bottom of my heart, lose heart to, break someone's heart, by heart, take to heart, have heart, cross one's heart, at heart, one's heart content, on and on. You don't want to call anybody heartless.

Could someone please explain what a heart attack is? Who attacks whom?

My favorite one is hearty laugh. I always believed in the saying, "Laughter is the Best Medicine" as opposed to some critics who feel differently. The latest study on laughter shows it is a very cost effective treatment.

How about this!! Fifteen minutes of hearty laughter is equivalent to thirty minutes of aerobics. If you think people may think you are crazy for laughing alone, share the fun with a friend who enjoys laughing with you and get two for one.

It is not a bad idea to watch Dumb and Dumber daily for fifteen minutes or even an episode of the Three Stooges. Smiling and laughter have so much in common, cost wise and health wise.

A smile is the most inexpensive makeup.

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I sneeze, my competition gets a cold and their competition has pneumonia, and we all receive broad spectrum antibiotics!

The advanced technology in our community is amazing and puts Corpus Christi on the map time and time again. In our community, we have the large bore CT scanner for simulation for our friendly South Texas (TEXAS size) population and the CyberKnife in one of the major hospital systems. Hi-Art Tomo Therapy unit is the latest addition to the area and it completes the broad spectrum of treatments that our patients can experience.

In our radiation oncology world, we love to have whatever the better gadget is, that allows us to give less radiation to normal structures and the maximum dose that can be given to the tumor. Radiation for cancer treatment has been around for over 100 years, and 65 to 70% of patients with a solid tumor diagnosis require radiation therapy at some point in their treatment course.

The evolving technology is fascinating. The Hi-Art Tomo Therapy unit is a combination of advanced technology of both diagnostic and therapeutic radiology. Historically, we had in diagnostic radiology, a stationary X-ray machine and then a portable X-ray machine and we followed with CT scanners and on and on. In the radiation therapy world, we have gone from the KV Units to Cobalt therapy to linear accelerators, Gamma X-ray knife, Peacock system, CyberKnife and now, we have the Hi-Art Tomo Therapy unit.

This unit is a CT scanner that also provides radiation treatments. The CT that is done prior to every treatment through the treatment area is called the CTrue image. A single beam radiation is modulated into smaller beams which are delivered in a helical pattern. It is like multiple small windows that open around the tumor and close around the normal structures.

The real thrill for us as physicians is the ability to look at the CTrue image prior to every treatment and notice the change. Our patients do not have to travel long distances today, as Corpus Christi now has this state of the art unit to care for them.

Competition is good for the community and we will all receive the benefit, including those patients that are not insured and need help with their treatment and medication.

In order for you to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.

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