6 | LIVING WELL A-Z | WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2011

BY ALISON STANTON

With its sweet flavor andbubbly effervescence, a tallcold glass of soda has long

been a favorite beverage for millionsof adults and children.

But when it comes to our health,doctors and nutritionists agree thatthere isn’t anything positive to sayabout soft drinks.

“I believe soda is a huge problemin our society, mainly because it isso high in refined sugar,” said Dr.Suneil Jain, a naturopathic physicianfrom Rejuvena Health & Aesthetics inScottsdale. “Sodas contain high fruc-tose corn syrup, which is probablyworse than real sugar, and has beenshown in studies to lead to changesin the liver and affect the pancreas,which sets up the groundwork forchronic diseases like diabetes.”

Michelle Gorman, supervisor inhealth promotion and wellness at BlueCross Blue Shield of Arizona, has over15 years of experience as a registereddietician and nutritionist. She said

the average 20-ounce bottle of sodacontains 17 teaspoons of sugar.

“The sugar packets they serve inrestaurants each contain a teaspoonof sugar,” she said. “If you took17 of them and put them in a glassof water, most people would not eventhink about drinking it, but that iswhat’s in a typical amount of soda.”

In addition, soda containsphosphoric acid, which Jain saidis also unhealthy.

“Since calcium and phos-phorous balance each otherout, the phosphorous from thesoda must be offset, so yourbody will often pull calciumfrom the bones in order todo this,” he explained. “Youget a situation where you arerobbing your body of calciumwhen you drink soda.”

Jain knows that some peo-ple decide to drink diet sodas,figuring that the calorie-freeversions are healthier than theirnon-diet counterparts becausethey don’t have the added

sugar. However, he believes they are“even worse” than regular soda.

“When we drink diet soda, we oftenend up eating more because we are stilllooking for the carbohydrates and fuelthat our bodies want,” he said. “You arestill getting phosphoric acid and artificialsweeteners like aspartame that havebeen shown to be potentially carcino-genic. If you don’t control diet soda’stemperature and keep it cool, aspar-tame will convert into formaldehyde.”

HEALTH-CARE ADVICEContinued from page 1

circulating thyroid hormone, is measured at least oncea year. If the pituitary is sensing a low level of thyroidhormone, it makes more TSH, whereas too much thy-roid hormone suppresses TSH production. Therefore,a high TSH result may mean a person needs morehormone and a low TSH result may mean a personneeds less hormone. This can be confusing, so clarifywith your provider.

LORI R. ROUST, M.D., IS AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST WITHMAYO CLINIC IN ARIZONA

QUESTION: “Is there a checklist onwhatsymptomsmight indicate a need for ahearing test?”

Answer: Here is a simple two-minute test that can beused to help determine if someone might need helpwith their hearing.1. Do you have difficulty understanding voices in a

group of people?2. Do you often ask that statements, questions and

directions be repeated?3. Do you hear people speaking, but have difficulty

understanding the words?4. Do others have to raise their voices or move closer

to help you hear them?5. Do you have to turn the TV volume louder than

normal in order to hear clearly?6. Do you have to concentrate so much to listen that

you feel tired?7. Do you avoid social situations like restaurants or

public gatherings?8. Do you have difficulty understanding conversations

in the car?9. Do you have difficulty understanding conversations

on the telephone?10. Has your hearing loss affected relationships at

home or your performance at work?If you answered “yes” to two or more of these

questions, we suggest having a complete hearingevaluation. We can help, and it’s free to you.

EDWARD A. MAZNIO IS PRESIDENT AND FOUNDEROF PURTONE HEARING CENTERS LLC

LivingWell a-z invites readers tosubmit questions to a panel of health-care experts. The short questions andanswers will offer readers a little moreinformation about hot topics in medi-cine and refer you to other resourceswhere you can learn more. Responseswill also arm you with information soyou know what to ask your own health-care providers.

If you would like your questionto be considered for theJune 1 issue of Living Well a-z,please write to editor:

Paula Hubbs CohenPaula.Cohen@cox.netor c/o The Arizona Republic200 E. Van Buren St., CA22Phoenix, AZ 85004

One of those treatmentsis immunotherapy, or allergyshots. “Immunotherapy involvesinjecting small but increasingdoses of whatever the patientis allergic to,” Schubert said.“Over a period of six to 12months, we are able to inducea large reduction in the allergicsystem’s ability to react whenexposed to the offending al-lergen. The patient develops

a tolerance to the allergenand can then be exposed

to it without experienc-ing symptoms.” Among

patients severely affected byallergies who are treated byspecialists, about 85 percentrespond significantly to immuno-therapy, Schubert said.

Both Doris and Schubert sayallergy avoidance strategies, inconcert with other therapies, arehelpful in managing symptoms.“Avoid exposure as much aspossible to the things that triggeryour symptoms,” Doris said. “Forexample, keep your windows anddoors at home closed during thetimes of the year you are mostaffected by allergies.”

Continued from page 3Ah-choo!

To soda or not to sodaPopping the soda habit is good for your health

THIN

KSTO

CK

THIN

KSTO

CK

EXPERTSORTHOPAEDICS

Michael D Castro, M.D.Dr.Michael D.Castro completed his undergraduate studies at NorthernArizonaUniversity.He received a doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from the Universityof NorthTexas Health Science Center.His orthopaedic residency, throughMichigan State University/Mount Clemens General Hospital was followed byfellowship training at the Portland Orthopaedic Foot &Ankle Center in Maine.He then traveled to Switzerland where he was anAO fellow studying orthopaedictrauma.Dr.Castro has held academic appointments at the University of Minnesota andRobertWood Johnson School of Medicine. Before returning toArizona in 2008he practiced at the University of Pennsylvania.While there, he was involved in thetraining of orthopaedic residents and fellows performing subspecialty training infoot and ankle surgery.

20201 N Scottsdale Healthcare Dr. Ste. 280 • Scottsdale480.473.FOOT (3668) • 480.473.3671 (fax)info@aofoot.com

ORTHOPAEDICS

John W Cory, M.D.Dr. JohnW.Cory is a fellowship trained, board certified foot and ankle specialist.Dr.Cory completed the prestigious Foot andAnkle Fellowship atAmericanSports Medical Institute in Birmingham,Alabama in 2004, specializing in sportsinjuries of the foot and ankle.Dr.Cory was recently co-director of the foot andankle fellowship in Birmingham,where he trained. In 2010 Dr.Cory returned toScottsdale in order to join Dr.Castro at theArizona Orthopaedic Foot andAnkleCenter, providing the most comprehensive care for foot and ankle problems in theentire Phoenix metro area.Dr.Cory treats foot and ankle problems in all age groups from infants to geriatrics,and his practice includes congenital defects, trauma, degenerative and arthriticconditions.His passion is treating sports injuries of the foot and ankle.

20201 N Scottsdale Healthcare Dr. Ste. 280 • Scottsdale480.473.FOOT (3668) • 480.473.3671 (fax)info@aofoot.com

ORTHOPAEDICS

Arizona Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle CenterAtArizona Orthopaedic Food &Ankle Center you will be cared for by fellowshiptrained orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons and our team.We are passionateabout our approach to the care of our patients.This includes not just arrivingat an accurate diagnosis and providing appropriate conservative, and whennecessary, surgical treatment options, but educating the individual so that theycan understand their condition and how it impacts their quality of life.Togetherwith our courteous staff we encourage our patients to play an active role in thedecision-making process and treatment plan.We are experts in all aspects of footand ankle disease and injury from bunions to high-energy trauma, sports injuries toarthritis, post-polio to congenital deformities.

20201 N Scottsdale Healthcare Dr. Ste. 280 • Scottsdale480.473.FOOT (3668) • 480.473.3671 (fax)info@aofoot.com