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WPMG Newsletter -- Volume 7, Issue 2 -- 4/1/2010 Index WPMG Supports Fun and Educational Activities in Women's Health Women's Health Forum - 4/17/10 Women's Preventative Health Talk - 4/21/10 Program for Parents of Teens - 4/6/10 MVHS Panel Discussion on Teen Health - 4/29/10 A Simple Genetic Test Could Save Your Baby's Life The Basics on Chromosomes and Genes Join Our Team at Relay For Life -- 5/22/2010 Fight Cancer with a Train Ride Through Niles Canyon 4/22/10
Women Physicians Ob-Gyn Supports Fun and Educational Activities In Women’s Health
As access to medical care becomes more expensive and fragmented, WPMG and other committed doctors want to support community education and efforts to improve the health and well-being of our patients. Please join us at the Women's Health Forum and other events!
A great time was had by all of the approximately 1,000 women at the ECH Day of Dance held at the Santa Clara Convention Center on 2/27/10. The event focused on heart health and combined free health screenings and education with a fun-filled program of dance and exercise demonstrations ranging from country line dancing to Bollywood and yoga to cardio kickboxing. All were aimed at showing fun ways to help people stay active and heart healthy. To see a 4 minute video of the event that includes WPMG doctors dancing, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrKle2fTBMg.
Upcoming Events
More opportunities are coming up this month that also promise to be fun and rewarding. WPMG has helped to plan a Women’s Health Forum focused on women in their 30s and 40s on April 17 from 9 am until 12 noon at El Camino Hospital in the Conference Rooms. There will be free child care, raffle prizes, brunch, health screenings and doctor consultations. See a more detailed description of the 15 presentations below.
Women’s Preventative Health Talk ECH is partnering with Intuitive Surgical to provide a health presentation as part of their national Women’s Health Initiative. This will be primarily focused on prevention with some discussion of GYN conditions and treatment. Dr. Sutherland will be presenting at ECH Mountain View in the conference room on April 21 from 7-8pm.
The April installment in the series of free educational talks for the mothers of teens and young adults is titled “When is a Diet More Than Just a Diet?” by Dr. Pamela Carlton, specialist in adolescent medicine. This will take place on April 6 at 7 pm to 8:30 pm at El Camino Hospital’s Park Pavilion (2400 Grant Road), Room N, Mountain View, CA 94040. Park Pavilion is next to/behind the YMCA. Park in the YMCA parking lot. RSVP to education@doctorcarlton.com.
MVHS Panel Discussion on Teen Health The Mt. View High School Parents Association is sponsoring a program with 4 panelists, each experts in different aspects of teen behavior and health. Dr. Sutherland will be discussing Teen Sexuality. The program will take place in the MVHS library on April 29 from 7 pm to 9 pm.
A Simple Genetic Test Could Save Your Baby's Life by Ramji Srinivasan, CEO of Counsyl
You know how important it is to get regular checkups and tests during pregnancy. But did you know there are important things you can do for the baby's health before you get pregnant? WPMG is proud to be one of the first in the nation to offer a powerful new tool to all couples planning a pregnancy: the Universal Genetic Test.
Think of it as an ultrasound for your DNA: Using a sample of your saliva, the Universal Genetic Test can safely and accurately determine whether your future children are at increased risk for more than 100 life-threatening genetic diseases, including cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy, sickle cell disease and Tay-Sachs disease. If the test finds that your future children are at risk, early detection gives you the greatest number of options to have a healthy pregnancy. And in many cases, the cost of the test is fully covered by insurance.
Each year more than 85,000 American couples are at risk for having a child with a preventable genetic disease. Most of them have no idea that are "carriers" of a disease: healthy people who nevertheless have a mutant version of an important gene. If both parents are carriers of the same disease, their child typically has a 1 in 4 chance of developing symptoms. Often these mutant genes are quietly passed down for many generations without affecting anyone. A genetic test is the only way to know if you are a carrier. Couples who take the test together can best learn the risks to their future children.
Developed by Stanford- and Harvard-trained scientists at Counsyl (counsyl.com), the Universal Genetic Test is now offered by physicians at more than 100 prestigious medical centers across the country, including WPMG. Because it uses well-established science and has the potential to dramatically reduce cases of deadly genetic disease in children, the test has attracted the support of doctors from the nation's largest hospitals, prominent academics, religious leaders, and families with genetic disease. Counsyl and its breakthrough test were recently featured in the New York Times, ABC World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer, and Newsweek.
Who should take this test?
What if we test positive and our child is at risk? The earlier you know your carrier status, the more options you have. Many at-risk couples choose a procedure called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to protect their child from genetic disease and ensure a healthy pregnancy. Your doctor can recommend a genetic counselor who is specially trained to help guide you through your many options.
Is the test safe? Absolutely. Testing is easy and painless—no blood or needles. All you need to do is spit.
How can I get the Universal Genetic Test? Your doctor will have test kits available in the office. The doctor will you give you a test kit and direct you to visit www.counsyl.com to activate your kit and enter in your billing information. Once you've entered your information online, just open the kit and spit into the enclosed tube. The whole process only takes five minutes. Send back your saliva samples in the enclosed pre-paid mailers. Your doctor will have your results in two to three weeks.
Is this test expensive? Many insurers will fully cover the cost of this test, making it totally free to the patient. Counsyl will check with your insurer to estimate the cost of testing under your plan. For those who are not covered by insurance, or who wish to pay cash, the Universal Genetic Test is $349. This represents a massive breakthrough in pricing, designed by Counsyl to offer life-saving testing to the greatest number of people. Before Counsyl, testing individually for all 100+ diseases would have been more than $250,000. Ask about the Universal Genetic Test at your next visit.
Where can I learn more? To find out more, or to order the test online, please visit www.counsyl.com. Counsyl will also have a representative available to answer questions at the Women’s Health Conference at El Camino Hospital on 4/17/10 from 9 am to 12 am.
The Basics on Chromosomes and Genes Genetics is the study of how traits—such as blood type—are passed from parent to child through genes and chromosomes. Each cell in your body has pairs of genes and chromosomes. They control your physical makeup. Normally, a man's sperm and a woman's egg have 23 chromosomes each. All other cells in the body have 46. When an egg is fertilized by a sperm, 23 chromosomes from the mother and 23 chromosomes from the father join to form the 46 chromosomes of the cell that will become the fetus. Each chromosome carries many genes. Genes also come in pairs. Half of a fetus's genes come from the mother. The other half come from the father. Some traits, such as blood type, are determined by a single gene pair. Other traits—including skin color, hair color, and height—are the result of many pairs of genes working together. A gene or a genetic disorder is either dominant or recessive. If one gene in a pair is dominant, the trait it carries cancels out the trait carried by the recessive gene. For a recessive trait to appear, the gene that carries it must be inherited from both parents. Types of Genetic Disorders Genetic disorders may be caused by problems with either genes or chromosomes. An inherited disorder is caused by a gene that is passed from parent to child. These disorders can be dominant, recessive, or X-linked. Primarily recessive genes are tested by Counsyl. Chromosomal disorders can occur even when the parents do not have any risk factors. Recessive Disorders For recessive disorders, both parents must carry the gene before the problem can occur in their child. If you have a recessive gene for a certain disorder, you are a carrier for that disorder. Although you may show no signs of the disorder yourself, you can still pass it on to your children. If both parents are carriers of the same recessive disorder, each of their children has a 1-in-4 chance of having the disorder. Some recessive disorders are more common in certain ethnic groups, such as: · Sickle cell disease. An inherited disorder in which red blood cells have a crescent shape, causing chronic anemia and episodes of pain. It occurs most often in African Americans. · Tay–Sachs disease. An inherited birth defect that causes mental retardation, blindness, seizures, and death, usually by age 5 years. It occurs mostly in people of eastern European Jewish descent (Ashkenazi Jews) and among French Canadians and Cajuns. · Cystic fibrosis. An inherited disorder that causes problems in digestion and breathing that occurs mostly in people of Northern European descent. · Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). An inherited disorder that affects nerve cells causing problems with controlling the head, swallowing, and ultimately breathing, resulting in death usually between 2 and 4 years of age.
Join our team at Relay For Life 5/22/10
Did you know that 1500 people die of cancer everyday? Cancer is a dreadful killer that we can do something about, and Relay gives each and every one of us a chance to participate in the effort.
Relay lasts for a total of 24 hours, reflecting the fact that cancer never sleeps. The event begins with a survivor’s lap, a sea of people in purple tee shirts walking together in a statement of hope. As day turns to night, participants will light hundreds of luminaria around the track in an inspiring ceremony to honor cancer survivors as well as friends and family who have died from the disease. The final morning marks the Fight Back ceremony giving participants an opportunity to focus on how they will continue to fight cancer throughout the year. Cuesta Park is an ideal venue for this event with its beautiful paths, trees for shade, large picnic area and a play area for the kids. Meals and entertainment are provided for team members. Teams and team members raise funds which are donated to the American Cancer Society in support of research, education and treatment.
Once again, Women Physicians Ob-Gyn Medical Group is forming a team for this event for the 4th year in a row. Last year we raised 14,738.00 coming in as the second place team by a narrow margin of only 352.00. We hope you will help us reach our fund-raising goals this year by joining our team or donating to our team. Each team member is asked to raise $100 and to walk at their own pace for a comfortable length of time, usually about an hour. The event is a really fun way to do your part in the Fight Against Cancer. You can join or donate by going to www.RelayForLife.org/mountainviewca or call us at 650-988-7550. Our team name is Women Physicians. Please join us!
Fight Cancer with a Train Ride though Niles Canyon — 4/24/10 Another fun way to support the Fight Against Cancer and Relay For Life is to take the 1.5 hour round trip historic train ride through beautiful Niles Canyon on 4/24/10. One hundred percent of proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. Train departures are at 10 am, noon, and 1:30 from the Sunol depot. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for children 2-12, and free for under 2. The order deadline is April 10. Contact janmasters@losaltoskiwanis.org. Mention our WPMG team when you buy your tickets. The wildflowers should be beautiful!
If you’re happy with our unique care, we’d love to offer the same care to your family and friends. Please feel free to recommend us to them.
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Information on this website is for educational and reference purposes only and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice.
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