DELAYED SLEEP PHASE DISORDER

Does your teen stay up all night and sleep until lunchtime the next day? Is this interfering with school and social events? He or she may have delayed sleep phase disorder. Sounds  scary but it is really a very common and treatable condition that often develops during the teenage years.  Symptoms include inability to fall asleep until late at night or even early morning hours with subsequent desire to sleep until late the next morning or even into the afternoon hours. Diagnosis is made by talking with your doctor and possible review of a sleep log. Treatment can include evaluating  sleep hygiene, light therapy, and medications. Here at Colonial Family Practice we have a fully accredited sleep lab with a board certified sleep physician capable of diagnosing and treating a wide range of sleep disorders. If you think you or a loved one may have delayed sleep phase disorder please ask your doctor .

Posted By:

Mitch Grunsky, MD

SLEEP APNEA

Obstructive Sleep  Apnea (OSA)  is a common sleep disorder affecting 25% of men and 10% of women between the ages of 30 to 60. It is characterized by episodes of apnea (not breathing) and hypopnea (reduction in breathing) due to obstruction in the upper airway (the throat and back of your mouth).  During episodes of apnea and hypopnea, oxygen levels in the blood can drop dramatically. Symptoms of OSA often include loud snoring, daytime sleepiness, and witnessed pauses in breathing by bed partners.  One of the major risks factors for the development of OSA is weight gain. Untreated OSA can increase the risk for hypertension, congestive heart failure, strokes, and heart attacks. Here at Colonial Family Practice we have a fully accredited sleep lab with a board certified sleep physician capable of diagnosing and treating a wide range of sleep disorders. If you think you or a loved one may have OSA please ask your doctor about your risk factors and possible testing. 

Posted By:

Mitch Grunsky, MD 

Do Sugar Substitutes Really Help Me Lose Weight?

Dr. Jason Leonard with Colonial Family Practice talks with WLTX news anchor about the misconceptions of artificial sweeteners and weight loss.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH IN 2012

Dear Colonial Healthcare Patients,

We are so excited to begin a brand new year at Colonial Healthcare, and it is our sincere hope for 2012 that you take control of your health. We encourage you to come in for a physical, and get on our wellness program. We have numerous weight loss programs available at Colonial Family Practice, with multiple patients loosing over 50 lbs. We no longer feel that it is appropriate for your doctor to tell you to lose weight. We think it’s a better program for him/her to show you how to lose weight. All of our physicians, are fired up about weight loss and will encourage and support you in your journey to get healthy in 2012.  Please call one of our weight loss consultants Ashley Shirley, or Chrissy Rogers, at 803-773-5227 to make your appointment, and start 2012 off with a bang.

Sincerely,
Clay Lowder

P.S.
You can check out our weight loss program online and read patient success stories at: http://www.colonialfamilypractice.com/AboutUs/WeightManagement.aspx

The Future of Colonial Family Practice

Dear Colonial Family Practice Family,

     I wanted to take a minute to share with you my excitement for the Future of Colonial Family Practice. When I came to Sumter 15 years ago, I had no idea it would blossom into this health care company that serves the Sumter, Lee, and Clarendon counties so well. It really started with my idea of coming back to my hometown of Sumter, to take care of my family and friends. We started on N Salem Street with just one nurse, one receptionist, and me. We were surprised to see 17 people the first day we opened, but it has exploded since then. The first person to join me was Mary Jean Sturgis. We were quickly overwhelmed in 3 months. Dr. Whaley was the next to come on. His vision and mine seemed to coincide, and we made plans for the future. After much consideration, we decided to relocate, and found an abandoned building on Broad Street, which was the old Colonial grocery store. Since we were both into history, we decided to name our new practice Colonial Family Practice. (P.S. I liked Lowder Family Practice Better.) During this time, Dr. Grunsky had worked with us as a medical student, and was planning on going into emergency medicine. However, after four weeks of working with us he decided he was a committed family physician, and joined us soon after that.  Colonial Family Practice has been very blessed, and fortunate to grow as we have, and we look forward to serving Sumter, Lee, and Clarendon counties for future generations to come.
     Speaking of growth, we have recently added two brand new technologies to our practice: an aneurism ultrasound, which checks for aneurisms in your abdomen in 10 seconds or less, and the H Pylori Breath Test, which detects bacteria that can cause stomach and intestinal ulcers.  Colonial Family Practice is always looking for the latest and greatest advances in healthcare technology to help you stay well, and always remember: We Will See You Today!

Thank You,
 Clay.

The Surprising Truth About Diet Soda

Your diet soda may actually be making you fat! According to a recent study, people who drink one diet soda a day experience a nearly 70% increase in body fat over a 10-year period, and people who drank two or more diet sodas a day saw on average a 500% increase in their belt size when compared to people who drank water in place of diet soda.

Diet sodas contain fake sugars - Splenda, Sweet'N Low, or Equal. Aspartame, the chemical name for Equal which is found in the majority of diet soft drinks, forms chemicals in the liver which disrupt cell function and cause fat build-up. Evidence also suggests that aspartame kills or at least inhibits brain cells that signal a person to feel full, possibly leading diet-drinkers to over eat.

People frequently switch from regular to diet soft drinks in an attempt to reduce their daily caloric intake in hopes of losing weight or avoiding serious medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease. A study released earlier this year, however, showed people who drink one or more diet sodas daily actually increased their risks of strokes, heart attacks, and blood clots by a shocking 60%. The risk for diabetes was increased by nearly 40%, which is undoubtedly disappointing to patients hoping to better control diabetes by switching to zero calorie diet sodas. Drinking three or more diet sodas was shown in the same study to cause osteoporosis, the medical term for severe bone thinning.

The reasons for the apparent negative side effects of the artificial sweeteners found in all diet soft drinks are not completely understood, but more and more research suggests that drinking plain water is far safer for people wanting to cut calories, lose weight, and have a healthier lifestyle. Colonial Family Practice offers several options for healthy, physician-supervised weight loss. Call today for an appointment with one of our dietary counselors.

Welcome to Colonial Family Practice

Welcome to Colonial Family Practice (CFP), centrally located in Sumter and Columbia, South Carolina, where “Improving Your Quality of Life” is our goal. At CFP, you’ll find a one-stop-shop of healthcare for your family.