Hillcrest Hospital Event Brings Patients, Doctors Together

Cranberries are a good remedy for a urinary tract infection, but drinking cranberry juice does not provide the same benefit.

That was one of the lessons learned at Dinner with the Docs, an annual Hillcrest Hospital event that took place Thursday night at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven.

"It gives the public the chance to talk to the doctors in a more comfortable setting," said Karla Lindsey, Healthwise Connection coordinator for Hillcrest Hospital.

At the event, doctors answer health questions from the 250-member audience. One audience member asked about ways to treat chronic urinary tract infections and the answer of eating whole cranberries surprised many, including moderator Dr. Jeffery H. Lautman, a nephrologist.

"I can't tell you how many people who said drinking cranberry juice can cure a urinary tract infection," he said.

Dr. Melissa Reigle, a urologist, explained that cranberry juice does not contain the part of the berry that helps with urinary tract infections.

"It's the skin which is the important portion," she said.

In some cases, infections can be treated with cranberries and/or increased water intake, but others require antibiotics, Reigle added.

Other doctors on the panel were psychiatrist Lara Feldman, cardiologist Avrum G. Jacobs, rheumatologist David Mandel, infectious disease specialist John A. Marino, endocrinologist Daniel B. Mendlovic and podiatrist Edward Nemet.

Dinner with the Docs has an informal tone, opening with Marino assuming the role of Moammar Gadhafi to ask about ways to deal with his anxiety.

"I think you should seek treatment immediately," Feldman said.

Lautman said doctors want to participate in the program.

"I never have a problem finding doctors to do this because we enjoy it very much," he said.

Other questions included what the hospital does for its in-house infection control system. Marino said rooms are decontaminated when patients leave, but the most important protection against the spread of disease is washing your hands.

"There's nothing that's been established that is more important," he said.

Another question concerned how to treat foot fungus. Nemet noted that everyone has the fungus that causes the problem in our bodies.

"The one place it shouldn't go is under the toenails," he said.

When that happens, the fungus infects the root. Although there are medications to treat the infection, nothing can be done once it causes irrevocable damage to the root. If that happens, the toenail will always be thick and discolored, Nemet said.

No matter the medical problem, Lautman stressed the importance of having good communication with a family doctor who can direct you to the right specialist.

"Dr. Marcus Welby was on TV and he no longer exists," Lautman said. "You need a family doctor who is in control and knows where to send you. That's very important for you as a patient – to have the right team and the right quarterback."