Thanksgiving Day Yoga Detox Supports Mission in Africa

Beaumont – Royal Oak urologist Larry Sirls, M.D. on one of his recent surgical mission trips to Africa. (Photo via Beaumont Hospital – Royal Oak)

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On a day when many Americans overeat, residents of Bloomfield Hills and the surrounding area will have a chance to detoxify their bodies while supporting relief efforts in Africa by two urologists with a Beaumont Hospital – Royal Oak.

The two-hour Thanksgiving Hot Vinyasa flow yoga class, offered from 9:45-11:45 p.m.at the Kingsley Inn, 39475 Woodward in Bloomfield Hills, benefits the Beaumont Africa Fund. The class will be led by Center for Yoga instructor Jonny Kest.

Royal Oak urologists Dr. Kenneth M. Peters and Dr. Larry T. Sirls take a surgical mission trip to rural sub-Saharan Africa, where they repair vaginal fistulae, a devastating problem that develops after complications during labor.

As a result of the associated stigma, affected women are abandoned by their husbands, isolated from their family and village, with little or no opportunity to work to support themselves, according to the doctors.

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 2 million women in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from this condition, with approximately 50-100,000 new cases each year.

The problem is exacerbated by the lack of doctors to manage complicated deliveries and provide C-sections when necessary; or repair the fistulae afterward.

Peters and Sirls have found that because there are so few trained physicians, they needed to expand their mission to treating any urologic problems that come in.

They now focus on training local physicians and other health care providers to address the condition knowledgeably and with compassion.

The cost of the class is $39.

Royal Oak urologists Dr. Kenneth M. Peters and Dr. Larry T. Sirls during a recent medical mission to Africa. (Photo via Beaumont Hospital – Royal Oak)