Free Health Seminar Focuses on Latest Treatments, Resources

Residents from across the sixth senatorial district attended Sen. Kemp Hannon's free "Live Long-Live Strong!" health seminar Tuesday at the Winthrop Wellness Pavilion in Garden City, which focused on the latest health treatments and resources available to Long Islanders.

"Our health is something we should not take for granted," said Hannon, R-Garden City, as he made opening introductions.

Guest speakers included Nancy Langdon, clinical coordinator of The Center for the Advanced Care of Chronic Conditions located inside the Winthrop Wellness Pavilion on Franklin Avenue.

"There are two types of diseases, acute and chronic," says Langdon, a nurse. "Acute can last for a short time but can begin rapidly and have intense symptoms. In contrast a chronic disease produces symptoms for quite some time."

Chronic diseases often require the care of a medical professional and the use of prescription medications. Examples of such diseases include diabetes, hyperthyroidism, COPD and Crohn's disease.

A screening process is performed on each patient who comes into the center, including a personal interview with Langdon. "I go over their medical history, medications they take, their diets. Basically I look at their whole medical profile," she said.

Upon determination of a patient's condition, clients are then looped in with the appropriate medical care. "It is a very direct and thorough process," says Langdon.

Residents also heard from Dr. Qanta Ahmed, an attending physician in pulmonary, sleep and critical care at Winthrop, who discussed the serious effects of sleep apnea and other disorders.

Dr. Ahmed, author of In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom, noted that over one-third, or 100 million, individuals in the United States are currently living with a sleep disorder.

"It can be something as simple as intrusive thoughts keeping us awake at night or a more serious underlying condition such as diabetes or heart disease," she said.

The majority of patients she sees are waking up in cold sweats with their hearts pumping or snoring during the night causing periods of oxygen deprivation. "Nobody should be snoring at night. This is a serious problem that causes repetitive lung damage and conditions such as sleep apnea," Dr. Ahmed said.

More people than ever before are functioning on less sleep because of their occupations or disturbances such as the the computer or television. "People are doing everything in their bed besides what it is actually meant for, sleeping," Dr. Ahmed said.

The Sleep Lab at Winthrop is the first of its kind on Long Island. Dr. Ahmed says it is "truly a remarkable facility."

"Patients come in and we are able to diagnose their problems within a few days of watching them sleep," she said.

For more information on the Center for the Advanced Care of Chronic Conditions, call 1-866-WINTHROP. To view a list of upcoming events Sen. Hannon is hosting, visit www.kemphannon.com.