President Nancy thanked PP Lloyd Gottman and PP Jim Suss for greeting this morning!  Our Invocation was presented by PP Al Horton who (surprise! surprise!) reflected on baseball. He did not mention one of my favorite Yogi Berra quotes, "Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too." 

 

President Nancy reminded everyone that there will be a club board meeting on Thursday, April 5, 5:30 PM at Sue Aubin's office. All are welcome to attend and see how the sausage is ground. If you go, stay for the after-board meeting at one the local watering holes. Easily the best part of the meeting.  The District 5450 Bulletin is out and everyone should take a look. A lot of really good information. One item-April 13 is the last day to register your business in the District Business Directory. This promises to be a valuable tool in building those important business and Rotary connections. The District Conference is set for May 19 and 20.  President Nancy would like to see a nice contingent from Smoky Hill attend, so go onto the District website and take a look. SHRC received a nice thank you note from Shelter Box for contributing the cost of a box. If you have not seen one of these, you really should. They are amazing! The amount life sustaining things included is inspiring. I do not know if there will be one at the District Conference this year, but there often is. Worth attending the conference just for that.

 

Sarg at Arms PPX2 Paul Urtz lamented to lack of birthdays and anniversaries this week to share. We all celebrated the fact that Paul did not have a joke to share. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Michalakes introduced our speaker today, Dr. James Carter.  Dr. Carter is a vascular cardiologist.  Like most cardiologists, Dr. Carter has spent a lot of time saving lives in the OR by interrupting heart attacks with stents placed into the arteries of the heart through a catheter.  Unlike most cardiologists, Dr. Carter has researched and studied the venous return to the heart, particularly through the legs.

 

It might have been a little tough on a couple of queasy stomachs (c'mon guys, the pics weren't that bad!) but Dr. Carter showed how veins work with their one way valves to use the musculoskeletal system to pump blood back upstream to the heart so it can be re-oxygenated in the lungs and sent back around the loop to feed and bring oxygen to our brain and bodies.  Swollen feet and legs, apparent bruising, varicose veins, restless legs, and difficulty walking were key symptoms that require intervention and can improve the quality of life.

 

Dr. Carter has taken a more whole-body approach than most, studying the entire body ("You should be in a gown!") and working with his patients to reduce inflammation via diet, meditation, and other lifestyle enhancing activities.

 

I copied a slide from Dr. Carter about the signs and symptoms to be aware of should you need an evaluation!

 

Thanks to Dr. Carter for this enlightening presentation.  Who knew we needed a cardiologist to treat our swollen legs?!  Dr. Carter can be reached at james.carter@ucd.denver.edu .