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Monday, June 28, 2010 – Daily News – 5A Vitality & health CHICAGO (MCT) — Yoga guru Baron Baptiste says that when he was approached about developing a yoga program for multiple sclerosis patients, he grabbed the opportunity. "It was kind of exciting to me to take my skills of teaching yoga and making the benefits of yoga avail- able to people with MS, sculpting it to fit people in their condition," Baptiste said during a demonstration of the program, called MyMS Yoga. The longtime yoga instructor and best-selling author ("Journey into Power") designed the program with Dr. Elliot Frohman, director of the Multiple Sclerosis Pro- gram & Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The MyMS Yoga program, launched earlier this year, is sponsored by pharmaceutical companies Biogen Idec and Elan Corp. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system eats away at the pro- tective sheath that covers their nerves, according to the Mayo Clinic. That interferes with the communication between the brain and the rest of the body. Symptoms vary widely but can include numbness or weakness in limbs, partial or complete loss of vision, tingling or pain in parts of the body, tremors, fatigue or dizziness. There is no cure. MyMS Yoga takes traditional yoga and modifies it to take into account the balance, muscle stiffness and fatigue that patients can face. "We've developed the program with (those issues) in mind and focused on making the program available for people with different levels of MS and different physi- cal conditions," Baptiste said, "(from) people in wheel- chairs to people who (already) have fitness routines." The program is available on a DVD offered free at mymsyoga.com. It includes an introduction, three lev- els of workouts and a presentation by Frohman that focuses on Tysabri, an MS medication manufactured by Biogen and distributed by Elan. (Inserted with the DVD is a guide explaining Tysabri.) The majority of those with MS are women between the ages of 20 and 40 — also a dominant demographic in yoga classes. The progression of the disease often forces people to give up traditional yoga because the classes can become "overwhelming," Baptiste said. But MyMS Yoga lets people get back into their old routine. "MS is very complex," said Dr. Elizabeth Hartman, a neurologist and clinical multiple sclerosis fellow at the University of Chicago Medical Center. "When we treat MS, sometimes patients have symptoms that tradi- tional medicine can't help. And that's a benefit of yoga." She says that patients notice improved balance, more energy and less fatigue. "Another good thing, exercise doesn't have side effects." In his demonstration, Baptiste conducted three ses- sions for more than 100 MS patients. He went through more than 45 minutes of poses, stretches and breathing exercises. fitness Yoga for MS patients: Program adapts traditional poses MCT photo Yoga instructor Baron Baptiste, back center, works with Ali Merchant, of Chicago, during a yoga class for people with multiple sclerosis. One of those on hand was Kendall Freeman of Carol Stream, Ill. A 24-year-old mother of two daughters, she first practiced yoga in high school. She was diagnosed with MS in 2004, and after the birth of her second daughter the disease progressed to the point that she was nearly immobile and unable to walk. Medication and the MyMS Yoga program, she said, turned her life around. She's now working full time and participates in all family activities. "I want people with MS to be able to exercise," said Freeman, who serves as a volunteer spokeswoman for the program and appears in the DVD. "I can't go to Jazzercize class. I have heat issues and I have balance issues. With (the program) you're able to do modifications, so everybody can do it." Is catheter the culprit? Exercise for the desk-bound DEAR DR. GOTT: I had gynecology surgery in December 2009 because I was having heavy men- strual cycles. An ultrasound showed a buildup of the uterine lining, so my gyne- cologist performed a D&C and a col- poscopy, and biop- sied a few spots. All the results were normal. After the surgery, I sharing knowledge and exper- tise. Dr. Peter Gott was able to urinate a few times a day but retained two pounds of fluid for two days. On the third day after the surgery, I was finally able to eliminate all of the retained fluid and I urinated every 20 min- utes all day long. Since then, I have noticed that my urine stream is weak. It has been five months since the surgery, and lately, when my bladder is full in the morning, I am not able to empty it fast enough, and it causes pelvic pressure and pain and sometimes cramp- ing until it slowly emp- ties. I do not have a fever, blood in my urine or a burning sensation. I do not have a history of kidney stones and have only had one UTI, which was 11 years ago. The only medication that I currently take is atenolol in the morning. The night prior to the surgery, I was given misoprostol to ripen my cervix. The procedure required a catheter, which was removed before I regained con- sciousness. Could this change in my ability to empty my bladder quickly be a result of general anes- thesia or the catheter? What tests and treat- ment should I seek? Will this go away, or is it something I have to live with? I now urinate frequently to intention- ally prevent my bladder from getting too full, but I’m not sure what else I could or should be doing. Many thanks for DEAR READER: A catheter is a thin, flexible tube that is inserted into the body to either intro- duce or withdraw fluids. The word catheter is most often used to describe a tube that is used to empty the bladder. This can be achieved by insertion directly into the urethra, which leads to the bladder, or in some instances, a spe- cial opening is created within the abdomen for the catheter to be placed. Dilation and curet- tage (D&C) is a surgical procedure in which a physician dilates the cervix and then scrapes the uterine lining. This is done for a number of reasons, including fol- lowing abortion or mis- carriage, heavy men- strual cycles or as a diagnostic tool for determining the pres- ence of certain gyneco- logic disorders. Now, to your specific concerns. First, because of the proximity of the vagina to the urethra and blad- der, your question is whether either or both were inadvertently dam- aged. This is fairly unlikely; however, it is a possibility that should be looked into. Next, a catheter can cause scarring of the urethra if inserted improperly and repeat- edly over time. Since you mentioned its use only once, during your surgery, this is probably not your problem, but I can’t rule it out entirely. Request a referral to a urologist for further examination and test- ing. He or she can then determine whether your problem is directly related to the D&C or some other condition, such as a urinary-tract infection. While it’s uncommon, some peo- ple don’t experience any symptoms or have only mild ones that go unno- ticed. To provide related information, I am send- ing you a copy of my Health Report “Urinary Tract Infections.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167 Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDr- GottMD.com. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com. Get your – Thank You – thanks to the generosity of these local businesses & individuals. Only 300 will be sold …they’re starting to move! could win $10,000 $100 each You Proceeds will go to provide the Fireworks Extravaganza at the Second Annual 4th of July Heritage Celebration at the Tehama District Fairgrounds in Red Bluff, brought to you by The Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce, Tehama District Fair and the Daily News! 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Through the Newspapers in Education program, area classrooms receive the Red Bluff Daily News every day (MCT) — For those who sit in a cubicle more often than they care to admit, here are some ways to interject a bit of fitness into your days. 1. Keep (and use) a weight at your desk. We're not talking bar- bells here. The one we have is five pounds, small, and a nice shade of purple. We use it for slow biceps curls, 10 on each side, twice, sometimes three times a day. Or we might just grasp it in one hand with our arm extended in front of us, till our arm starts shaking. We're not sure what that does, but we feel it must do something. 2. Take the stairs. Yes, it's one of those "well-duh" ideas, especially because we're only on the third floor. But 45 steps up and 45 down (we just count- ed) a couple of times a day do add up. 3. Do triceps dips while coffee reheats. We turn our backs to the counter, grasp it with our hands, bend our elbows and slowly dip till our thighs are parallel to the ground. Voila _ when the microwave timer goes off, we have hot coffee and 30-seconds worth of stronger backs-of- the-arms buildup. 4. Think (and do) squats. They're easy, they're quick, they're good for your legs. Stand at your desk once every few hours, extend your arms and bend those knees. Up, down, up down. 5. Walk when you can. Around the block a time or two is nice. So is a jaunt to a co-worker's cubicle. It clears your minds, your thoughts, your urge to reach for the cookies you've stashed in your desk.˚ D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY THE V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Golden Ticket