By WALTER SMITH
Two special guests, Dr. Rebecca Clemenzi
and Dr. David Deci (right), were introduced at
last week's ( Aug. 3) meeting of the Madison Coun
ty Medical Society by Dr. Otis Duck (center) of
Mars Hill, long-time Mars Hill physician and
president of the Society. Dr. Deci, a third-year
resident in the Family Practice Program of the
Mountain Area Health Education Center
(MAHEC) in Asheville, spoke to the members of
the county Society on the diagnosis and manage
ment of Hepatitis B. "It was an excellent presen
tation," said Dr. Duck, "of very recent
developments in this important area of
medicine." Dr. Deci is scheduled to join Dr. Duck
in family practice at the Community Medical
Center in Mars Hill when he completes his current
residency next July.
Dr. Clemenzi is also a third-year resident in
the MAHEC Family Practice Program. She and
Dr. Deci were classmates in medical school at the
University of Florida, where they received their
M.D. degrees in 1980. She is practicing with Dr.
Duck at the Community Medical Center in Mars
Hill during August.
The Madison County Medical Society includes
all of the medical doctors within the county as
regular members and the dentists as affiliate
members. Two doctors of veterinary medicine
who have moved into the county and begun prac
tice this year, Dr. Rex Allen, Jr. and Dr. Larry
Frost, have been invited to join the Society as af
filiate members.
Beat The Heat
Hot summer weather is a potential health
hazard for the elderly. Heat can place a
dangerous strain on the older body, espcially the
heart. Older adults are very vulnerable to heat
stroke, which can be fatal.
Elderly citizens most vulnerable to heat
related problems are those with a weak or damag
ed heart, hypertension, diabetes, circulation pro
blems, excess weight, or those who have suffered
a stroke. Other factors that affect a person's reac
tion to heat are infection or fever, diarrhea, drink
ing and skin diseases or sunburn which may
reduce sweating that helps cool the body.
Many prescription drugs can also make a per
son much more vulnerable to the heat. It is ad
visable to ask the physician who prescribes
medication how heat exposure will affect the
body. Medication for high blood pressure, ner
vousness, depression, poor circulation or sleeping
problems can cause complications and even death
when the patient is exposed to various degrees of
heat.
Warning signs in your body take the form of
physical and mental changes. Most people feel
hot, uncomfortable, and notice a lack of energy or
loss of appetite during hot weather. These are
mild danger signs. More serious signs are diz
ziness, rapid heartbeat, diarrhea, nausea, throbb
ing headache, dry skin, chest pain, weakness,
mental changes, breathing problems, vomiting
and cramps. Older individuals should pay atten
tion to these early warning signs of heat illness
because heat stress can be fatal.
There are facts about heat that everyone
should know. Temperatures above 90 degrees can
be very dangerous, particularly when the humidi
ty is also high. Crowded living conditions increase
this danger. A sudden increase in temperature
can cause problems because the body is un
prepared for the strain.
People should take steps to lower their body
heat if they begin to feel hot and uncomfortable.
Heat stress can cause many medical problems in
cluding heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and heart
failure. Proper precautions can make a person
more comfortable, prevent illness, and perhaps
save his life.
The best way to keep cool is to observe a few
safety rules such as staying in cool surroundings
that have fans or air conditioning. Air movement
Donation
"The new facility will great
ly enhance the delivery of
medical and dental services in
this area," he said.
The goal of the local fund
drive is two-fund, he added.
"First, the drive generates
needed funds and shows that
the community is in fact in
terested and supportive of the
project. Secondly, it educates
the citizens on the medical and
dental services available in
the community," Plemmons
said.
The facility will be owned by
the community and will make
the third such building created
by the program. The most re
cent building, dedicated in
September of 1900, is in the
Laurel Community, while the
second is located on Highway
25-70 between Marshall and
Walnut.
Legal
Service
Available
Pisgah Legal Services,
which gives legal aid to low
income people in non-criminal
cases, has changed its inter
view schedule for Madison
County. Beginning Aug. 19 a
legal assistant will be at the
Opportunity Corporation on
Main Street in Marshall on the
third Thursday of every
month from 1 to 4 p.m.
Anyone who has a civil legal
problem but cannot afford a
private lawyer may come at
that time to apply for services
and talk about the problem. In
all cases, people who need
assistance are asked to bring
any pertinent papers or infor
mation with them to help the
paralegal or lawyer know the
facts of the case.
The staff of Pisgah Legal
Services includes four at
torneys, four paralegals, an
investigator, a community
education coordinator, and a
five-member administrative
staff. They give assistance in
problems of housing, in
cluding landlord-tenant
disputes; domestic law, in
cluding family violence and
spouse abuse; consumer;
public benefits; and law for
the elderly. The income
guidelines for eligiblity, which
vary according to family size
and other special factors, are
set at 125% of the federal
poverty level.
Because the program
receives limited funding to
serve the needs of over 70,000
low-income residents of six
counties, staff members will
not be able to represent
everyone who applies for ser
vice. In many cases, the appli
cant will be given instructions
about how to help themselves
or will be directed to another
agency, service, or private at
torney for help.
In addition to the Madison
County services, residents of
the county may come to the
Asheville offices of Pisgah
Legal Services Mondays and
Wednesdays from 9: 15 to 11 ; SO
a.m. and 1 : 15 to 4 p.m. to be in
terviewed, or may call the
Asheville office for informa
tion at 253-0406.
Teplon
Wins Free
Trip
Hildreth Tepton of Route 1,
Box 108, Marshall, hat won a
free vacation along South
Carolina's Grand Strand.
Tepton won the vacation
during a visit to the resort
area's exhibit at the 1982
World s Fair in Knoxville,
Tenn. Myrtle Beach area
sponsors will give away two
free Grand Strand vacations
daily until the Pair closes in
October.
Acting Program Ad
ministrator John Grater
reported that in all faculties
< ?n.bm<-d,atoUlo(lS,MO peo
ple required treatment or
Springs Spring Creak com
munities, 4,800 visits were
recorded last year.
Commenting on the dona
tion to the clinic, Rev. Frank
Reese, pastor of the Chapel of
the Redeemer, said it con
tinued the Church's concern
for holistic care-The Retreat
Center cares for the spiritual
needs while the clinic cares
for the physical ones.
To get the most for your tax
dollars, use tax-supported
facilities when possible. These
include library and school
facilities; educational, law en
forcement and consumer pro
tection agencies; and parks
and recreation areas.
Conservation
Notes
By RUSSELL C. BLEVIN8
It looks like a fine crop of
tobacco is beginning to be
harvested throughout the
county. Many farmers will
notice that their fields have
lost a lot of soil due to the rains
this summer. The time to in
stall needed conservation
practices to protect crop fields
and insure continued high pro
duction potential is right alter
the crops are harvested.
Many times, soil erosion
problems can be solved with
little added expense above
normal management costs.
For example, in drainages
where water concentrates and
causes a gully effect, a perma
nent strip of grass could be
established. This is called a
grassed waterway. After the
waterway has been establish
ed, crop rows could be aligned
to empty into the waterway at
nearly level grades. This prac
tice is called contour farming.
These practices are extremely
important when the land is
ridged. These two practices
can save anywhere from 1/3 to
1/2 of the current soil loss,
deDending on the field.
Fertilizers and various
chemicals are better kept in
place making it more
available for plant use instead
of ending up in our streams
and rivers , where it causes
problems with water quality.
Grassed waterways and
contour farming are just two
of many conservation prac
tices available to farmers
which offer low-cost solutions
to soil erosion problems. For
more information on ways to
protect your crop fields from
the damages of severe soil
erosion, contact the Soil Con
servation Service in Marshall.