Kansas City Academy of Family Physicians

Your Kansas City Academy board members are continuing to figure out how best to keep in touch with our members. You've probably noticed that this blog has been pretty inactive. See what we're up to on  Facebook Instagram X

It’s okay only if those baby teeth are taken cared of properly and part of a healthy mouth.  They may only have a life span of a few years, but are so important for many reasons. We need our kids to have good teeth from the beginning. F irst, those teeth are all they have to chew with until around the age of 6 or 7 when the first permanent molars come in, sometimes referred to as “six-year molars”.  Around the same time, they are losing eight incisors and having new front teeth erupt. Consequently, they may not have very many functioning teeth at different times so the ones they do have are critical.  If there is a diminished capacity to properly chew food, it can lead to poor nutrition and digestion issues even in young people. Children who end up with cavities that are not restored can develop toothaches and abscesses just like adults.  However, that can happen quicker in baby teeth. Since they are designed to only last a short time, any problems...

Experts call glaucoma “the sneak thief of sight” because there are no symptoms in the early stages such as blurred vision, a feeling of pressure in or behind the eye or pain. When a person finally notices a change in their sight over 40% of their optic nerve (the nerve that transmits the light from our eyes back to our brain) may be destroyed. This damage is permanent. Once the individual sees symptoms it can be difficult to prevent more damage, vision loss or potential blindness. Experts estimate that over 3 million Americans have glaucoma and 50% of them don’t know it. It accounts for 9 -12% of all blindness. As Americans age the Glaucoma Research Foundation predicts an epidemic of blindness looming. The purpose of Glaucoma Awareness Month is to educate people about the importance of regular eye exams to preserve vision. Many people are unaware that a simple and painless test at the eye doctor’s office can determine if a person has or is developing glaucoma. Treatment ca...

Missourians enjoy the right to own, and carry firearms though the 2 nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Missouri Constitution, and state statutes. Firearms safety is an important part of firearms ownership for the armed citizen. Firearm owner’s manuals provide instruction on methods to safely load, unload, use safeties, and fire that particular firearm. Professional instruction is also highly recommended. Most firearm retailers have trained staff capable of explaining the safe operation of firearms. The National Rifle Association (NRA) has tens of thousands of reputable certified firearm instructors across the nation. The Lee’s Summit Police Department (LSPD) firearm instructors receive NRA instructor certification. The National Institute of Health and NRA recommend teaching children to never touch a gun without adult supervision. Children finding a gun should be taught to leave it alone and tell an adult immediately. Teaching children gun safety early in life can remove t...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that excessive alcohol use causes one in ten deaths in adults ages 20- to 64-years-old. At 88,000 deaths per year between the years of 2006 and 2010, it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in that age group.  Additionally, the CDC notes that, although drinking below the age of 21 is illegal, people between the ages of 12 and 20 years of age consume 11% of all alcohol ingested in the United States.  Excessive drinking in the underage population accounts for 4,300 deaths annually.   While the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) cites some benefits from moderate alcohol consumption--decreased risk for heart disease, decreased risk of ischemic stroke and decreased risk of diabetes--it indicates that 47% of the 78,529 liver disease deaths in 2015 were alcohol related.  Moreover, drinking alcohol increases the risks of cancer in the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, lar...

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is one death by suicide every 13 minutes. Let’s put this into perspective. The average runner takes around 13 minutes to run a mile (quora.com). One mile…one life…13 minutes . Suicide has become a hot topic of conversation within our nation lately. From Netflix shows to increased awareness in our own community, suicide prevention is present. Our community is hungry for more education and ways to combat suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people ages 10-24 in the Kansas City metro region, with 78% of those deaths falling in the 18-24 year old age range and the majority being male. In response to this problem, ReDiscover, a Lee’s Summit behavioral health center, is reaching out to youth ages 10-24 years old who are suffering from suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Amplified efforts are directed toward even narrower populations of this group who are even more vulnerable. These particular populations ...

How flexible are you? Do you accept change easily?  Flexibility is defined as the ability to be modified; your willingness to adapt; your attitude. Fitness Try to get in 30 minutes of stretching every day. Your body is made to endure some tough situations, but it will tell you when it has had too much. Decrease the strain you put on your body by taking time out to breathe, relax, and stretch the elements of your body that hold stress and tension. ‘A little stretch goes a long way’. Nutrition Shake things up! Try to incorporate something new in your diet or exercise regime every week. Pre-planned meals or workouts give us a great tool to maintain healthy eating habits and lifestyles. Just add some new foods or exercises to try once a week to add variety to your menu and fitness goal. ‘Bend but don't break.' Quick Facts Stretching helps decrease risk of injury and improve daily physical performance. Stretching decreases resistance in muscle tissue during activity and ...

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Everyone who has a brain is at risk to develop Alzheimer’s, a disease that is often misunderstood. Alzheimer’s disease has become one of the largest health care crises in the world. Did you know…? Every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease. In Missouri, it is the sixth leading cause of death. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer COMBINED . Alzheimer’s is not normal aging. It is a progressive brain disease, which appears through a variety of signs and symptoms. Alzheimer’s disease is the only top-10 cause of death that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. Early-onset Alzheimer’s affects people younger than 65 – many are in their 40s and 50s. About 200,000 people have early onset Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Doctors do not understand why most cases of early-onset Alzheimer’s appear at such a young ...

From KCAFP president, Emily Lott: One of the student representatives to the board, student doctor Peter Lazarz from UMKC, recently made an educational presentation to the board about an upcoming mission trip that he and several other UMKC students will be participating in. Peter has been heavily involved with the board for the last year and is a very active member in many student led organizations at UMKC. Through his participation with us, we have heard his experiences on several other mission trips, and he mentioned the upcoming trip to Haiti for which he is one of the main organizers. We invited him to speak at a meeting so that we could learn more. After hearing his presentation along with input from student doctor Claire Smith who is one of the other main organizers, the board voted to help support their endeavors, including by sharing information with the rest of the KCAFP. We wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support their efforts and several members of the board are consi...

We have all heard medical professionals talk about stroke, but do you really know the facts?  An estimated 795,000 Americans will have a stroke each year, with a stroke occurring every 40 seconds.   Stroke is the 5 th leading cause of death in the US and the number 1 cause of disability.  Of the 7 million stroke survivors in the USA, approximately two thirds of them are disabled. During a stroke, brain cells die at a rate of 32,000 per second.  Seeking quick treatment is the key to survival and reducing disability. Stroke is a process that affects the blood vessels leading to and within the brain.  You could essentially call a stroke a “brain attack”. The most common type of stroke is from a blockage in a blood vessel.  This type of stroke is called ischemic.  The blockage could be from a clot that forms in the brain or a clot that formed somewhere else in the body and traveled to the brain. A transient ischemic attack (TIA), also called...

A healthy community does not develop overnight or materialize because of the actions of a single person. It takes time and effort from many different sectors within the community, as well as the community itself. At the Jackson County Health Department we strive to understand the needs of those we work for. We work to improve access to health care, control infectious disease, lower environmental threats, prepare for emergencies, provide access to records and information, and promote a healthy lifestyle for the citizens of Jackson County.   The Jackson County Health Department provides a variety of services. We participate in statewide programs such as Show Me Healthy Women (SMHW) and Adult Head & Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Show Me Healthy Women provides services such as cancer screenings, while the TBI program assists individuals who are living with traumatic brain injuries. Our department also provides clinical services ranging from testing and screenings to immunizati...

Opioid use and misuse is at an all-time high resulting in a record number of overdose deaths in America. From 1999 to 2014 more than 165,000 people died from overdoses related to prescription opioids alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid prescribing is fueling the epidemic. In 2012, a staggering 259 million prescriptions were written for painkillers, enough for every adult in America to have a bottle of pills. These numbers are so concerning that the United States Surgeon General has sounded the alarm by sending a letter this month to every physician in the United States requesting their help in stemming the tide of opioid misuse. America’s top doctor is urging his colleagues to educate themselves on how to treat pain safely, to screen patients for an opioid disorder and most importantly, shape how the country looks at substance use disorders by talking about them and treating them as a chronic illness, not a moral failing. The opioid epide...

Zika virus, also known as ZIKV, is the latest infectious disease threat to capture the attention of the American public. With its origin in Brazil, the host country of this year’s Summer Olympics, and its association with potentially severe birth defects, Zika understandably has many people concerned. In the continental United States, there have recently been confirmed cases of Zika infection transmitted by mosquitoes in one Miami, Florida neighborhood. At least for now, however, there is very little risk of a person becoming infected with Zika from mosquitoes here in the Midwest. At this time there are NO locally transmitted cases of Zika Virus in the greater Kansas City area. The most common  symptoms  of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. Other symptoms include muscle pain and headache. Many people infected with Zika won’t have symptoms or will have mild symptoms, which last less than a week. However, Zika virus infection during pregnanc...

Members of your Kansas City Academy of Family Physicians and their families recently participated in the 2016 Komen Race for the Cure at Union Station. They also debuted the new KCAFP shirt, a dri-fit royal blue T-shirt with "Health is Primary" emblazoned across the back. KCAFP members can order shirts (valued at $13) for $10 each by sending payment to KCAFP at  P.O. BOX 7922,  Kansas City,  MO  64114. Please include contact information, quantity and sizes (adult small to XL available) needed. Shirts ordered by Sept 4 will be available at the upcoming KCAFP tailgate event at the Royals game in September; details coming by email! Email chapter exec Jim Kelly at  jkmk82@yahoo.com for questions.

                 Did you know that in the U.S. alone, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their lives? Countless more individuals are affected by sub-clinical disordered eating behaviors and attitudes. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, mortality rates among those suffering from eating disorders are around 4-5%.                 The negative health impacts of disordered eating patterns are profound, and some may be lifelong. Disordered eating can lead to osteoporosis, muscle loss, tooth decay and heart failure. Additionally, eating disorders are often accompanied by substance abuse, depression and other mental health diseases.                 Due to the multi-faceted treatment challenges that accomp...

March 24 th was World TB Day, this commemorated the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced the cause of tuberculosis (TB).  He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of mycobacterium tuberculosis, proving TB disease is caused by a microbe and not by heredity as was previously believed.  TB is an ancient disease; evidence of the disease is seen in skeletal remains more than 8,000 years old. Tuberculosis is spread in the air; it is not easy to catch and usually requires repeat exposures to cause disease in others.  Most cases of active TB infect the lungs, but it can infect other parts of the body like the lymph nodes, spine, or brain.  The good news is that TB is both preventable and curable.   When a person breaths the TB bacteria into their body the immune system often stops the infection from spreading.    This person will have a positive TB test result, but will not feel sick.  They do not have any symptoms of disease, a...

The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the base of the neck just below the Adam's apple and above the collarbone.  Your thyroid gland makes hormones that help control the function of many of your body’s organs, including your heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and skin. Making sure that your thyroid gland is healthy is important to your body’s overall well-being. Most people are unaware of this organ’s vital functions until there is a problem, and only then do they truly become aware of its value.  It is estimated that over 30 million Americans have a thyroid condition, including many who may not know they have a thyroid problem or who have been misdiagnosed.   The most common thyroid conditions include: ·          Hyperthyroidism – This develops when the body is exposed to excessive amounts of thyroid hormone. This disorder occurs in almost one percent of all Americans and affects women five to ...