1. Stay Healthy & Be Well
Health
&
Wellness
News
That
You
Can
Use
This
is
a
new
quarterly
newsletter
for
Urology
Group
of
Athens
patients
and
friends
alike
to
stay
up-­to-­date
on
urinary
issues,
health
and
wellness.
“How
Caffeine
Affects
The
Urinary
Tract”
“Get-­to-­Know
Dr.
Oliver”
“Website
Made
Simpler…
And
Mobile”
“5
Must
Eat
Foods
For
A
Healthy
Bladder”
“The
Mechanics
Of
Minimally
Invasive
Surgery”
“How
Caffeine
Affects
The
Urinary
Tract”
If
you,
family
or
friends
are
experiencing
discomfort
when
urinating,
that
cup
of
coffee,
soda
drink
or
energy
drink
could
be
to
blame.
Right
here
in
Northeast
Georgia,
coffee
consumption
has
increased
since
just
10
years
ago.
Young
and
old
alike
are
consumer
more
coffee
whether
purchased
from
the
neighborhood
café
or
made
in
the
new
personalized
home
coffee
machines.
That
morning
cup
of
java
might
wake
you
up,
but
caffeine
in
particular
is
known
to
cause
bladder
irritation
and
worsen
urinary
tract
symptoms.
Caffeine
is
a
diuretic
and
a
bladder
stimulant
that
can
cause
a
sudden
need
to
urinate.
After
consuming
a
cup
of
coffee
or
drinking
down
a
can
of
cola,
the
caffeine
is
passed
quickly
to
the
brain
and
does
not
collect
in
the
bloodstream
or
get
stored
in
the
body.
However,
the
caffeine
exits
your
body
several
hours
later
in
the
urine.
Because
caffeine
is
a
diuretic,
it
can
lead
to
dehydration.
I
can
also
cause
temporary
incontinence
or
leakage.
Women
especially
might
want
to
re-­‐think
that
cup
of
coffee.
A
research
study
conducted
at
the
University
of
Alabama
Medical
School
found
that
women
who
consume
three
or
more
cups
of
coffee
a
day
have
a
70%
higher
likelihood
of
having
a
bladder
problem.
Urinary
frequency
can
also
be
affected
by
caffeine,
especially
if
you
drink
caffeine
within
a
few
hours
of
going
to
bed
at
night.
Caffeine
stimulates
the
urgency
to
go
and
some
evening
consumers
of
a
hot
cup
of
coffee
at
night,
wake
up
with
an
urge
to
rush
quickly
to
the
bathroom.
Sodas
don’t
actually
cause
bladder
or
urinary
tract
infections,
but
they
have
been
found
to
cause
bladder
irritation
in
people
with
chronic
bladder
inSlammation.
In
particular,
citrus-­‐Slavored
sodas
like
the
lemon-­‐lime
concoctions
are
often
found
to
be
the
cause-­‐agent
for
bladder
irritation.
And
as
far
as
energy
drinks
are
concerned,
there’s
actually
more
caffeine
in
the
Dunkin’
Doughnut
and
Starbucks
Coffee
than
that
can
of
Red
Bull,
but
they
too
can
cause
bladder
irritation
and
worsen
urinary
track
symptoms.
While
not
sporting
the
image
of
quick
energy,
if
you
are
prone
to
bladder
infections,
you
should
probably
choose
to
drink
water
instead.
And
the
Institute
of
Medicine
suggests
that
men
consumer
about
13
cups
of
total
beverage
in
a
day
an
women
consumer
a
total
of
about
9
cups
of
total
beverage
a
day.
1

2. Stay Healthy & Be Well
Health
&
Wellness
News
That
You
Can
Use
More
than
30
years
serving
patients
to
live
a
balanced
healthy
life
Founder
of
Urology
Group
of
Athens
Graduate
of
UGA
and
The
Medical
College
of
Georgia
Get
To
Know
Dr.
Tom
Oliver
“My
philosophy
of
treatment
is
not
centered
around
a
case,
but
a
person…
the
physical,
emotional
and
spiritual
sides
of
the
whole
person.”
Dr. Oliver was born in Charlotte, NC and moved to the greater Athens area when
he was in high school. He graduated from Oconee High School, received his
graduate degree from the University of Georgia and then went on to get his
physician’s degree at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine.
Unique from many physicians, Dr. Oliver believes in the full health and well-being of
a person – mind, body, emotional spirit and soul. Its this perspective of full-scope
care that he shares with his team at Urology Group of Athens.
“Our health is all about balance. Treating a condition
strictly on a physical mechanical level might address a
functional issue, but wellness and well-being overall
involves emotionally balancing the stress of work and
family along with a spiritual level of one’s mission and
reason for waking up each morning.”
Dr. Tom Oliver, with more than 30 years experience
as a doctor, is the founder of Urology Group of
Athens, formerly branded as Athena Urology Group.
Growing up with a fascination of both science as well as literature, Dr. Oliver fondly
remembers times at the University of Georgia. He was lettered on the basketball
team and is a huge supporter of UGA Athletics.
Dr. Oliver interned at Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta and served residency at
Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, the college that is now named Georgia
Health Sciences University. It was during both his internship and residency where
he had rich patient experiences as well as the ability to learn from some great
medical leadership.
Just this past year, 2013, Dr. Oliver received outstanding physician recognition as a
founding member of the American Society of Men’s Health.
Today, healthcare delivery is changing and evolving, but Dr. Oliver is very
committed to ensuring that his patients are respected and treated as a full person
and not a case or a medical statistic. “Healthcare reform is still very much evolving
and the aspect of prevention versus treatment of a problem is a strong positive area
of reinforcement.”
To learn more about Dr. Oliver, watch his video about his perspective of health and
well-being at www.urologygroupofathens.com/our-team/.
2

3. Stay Healthy & Be Well
Health
&
Wellness
News
That
You
Can
Use
Our
approach
to
urology
is
crafted
to
meet
the
most
important
player
on
the
stage
of
life…
YOU…
and
we
hope
that
staying
on
top
of
the
webs
and
interactive
changes
illustrates
this
mission
Website
Made
Simpler
“Keeping pace with the latest and
the most innovative changes
happening with the Internet.”
Back in March of the this year, the Urology Group of Athens website was updated
with a much simpler format that is not only easy to reach on desktop and laptop
computers, but even more so on mobile smart phones and Apple iPads.
Mobile website access has changed the conventional architecture of websites that
got to the point of multiple sets of menu buttons, pop-up screens, text-laden page
contents and cubby holes that reminded a person of the attics in the old homes of
our parents.
The new Urology Group of Athens website is simple. Visitors can quickly access
patient resources like new patient packets as well as a simple contact number to
call to schedule an appointment.
New patients and current patients alike are encourage to learn more about our team
right here at Urology Group of Athens by visiting the Team page of video snapshots
found under the first menu listing of Urology Group of Athens.
To better understand different urology conditions and treatments, the website has a
link to a great online resource called Urology Care Foundation with information
provided by the American Urological Association. The Urology Care Foundation
also has a rich set of Survivor Stories as well as a great Caregivers Resource under
its Outreach menu selection.
For a great summer evening… consider the
following recipe for Blue Cheese and Pear Salad
combined with a glass cranberry mocktail of pure
cranberry juice, tonic water and a twist of lime, a
nice slice of whole-grain bread and a dessert of
Greek yogurt splash of honey!
Great
summer
foods
to
keep
your
bladder
healthy:
1. Cranberries
2. Pears
3. Whole
Grains
4. Water
5. Yogurt
Blue
Cheese
&
Pear
Salad
Ingredients
1 bunch arugula, torn
1 head romaine lettuce, torn
3 medium pears, cored and sliced
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup blue cheese
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
3 Tbs. chopped walnuts, toasted
Instructions
1. Divide arugula and romaine on six plates
2. Arrange pears on greens
3. Mix buttermilk, cheese, garlic and pepper
4. Toss salad in dressing
5. Sprinkle with walnuts and serve
ENJOY!
3

4. Stay Healthy & Be Well
Health
&
Wellness
News
That
You
Can
Use
Since
the
1990s,
the
application
of
minimally
invasive
surgery
to
treat
urology
conditions
has
become
a
gold
standard
to
treat
the
prostate
gland,
kidney
and
bladder
The
Mechanics
of
Minimally
Invasive
Surgery
“Urology
Group
of
Athens
has
pioneered
the
use
of
minimally
invasive
surgery
in
Northeast
Georgia”
Minimally invasive surgery, where the procedures are performed through tiny
incisions instead of large openings, is becoming more and more common in surgery
centers and hospitals. Because the incisions are small, patients experience less
discomfort and pain, less scarring and may recover quicker than with conventional
surgery.
During a minimally invasive procedure, surgeons make several small incisions in
the skin – just a few millimeters in many cases. A long thin tube with a miniature
camera attached at the end – something sometimes referred to as an endoscope --
is passed through the incision and used to guide the physician doing the procedure.
Special instruments are also passed through other openings to explore, remove or
repair whatever requires treatment inside the body.
When a patient has minimally invasive surgery, the patient likely will experience less
bleeding and less post surgery pain, fewer and smaller scars, and a faster recovery
than a person would after conventional surgery.
A wide range of conditions like urological cancers, benign prostate enlargement,
bladder disorders, urinary stone disease, reconstructive surgery, sexual dysfunction
and male infertility are largely treated with minimally invasive surgery.
For some conditions, a physician may recommend robotic surgery. That technology
gives the doctor more precision, flexibility and control by providing a magnified, 3-D
view of the surgical site.
During minimally invasive robotic surgery, the surgeon sits at a console next to the
patient and controls four robotic arms that are engineered to specifically around the
task. One robotic arm handles a three-dimensional camera while the other three
robotic arms hold miniaturized, specially engineer tools. The robotic system gives
the doctor a highly magnified view that provides great surgical dexterity and control.
The next issue of Stay Healthy & Be Well will be issued in August
For more information on the different topics addressed in the
newsletter, we encourage you to check out Patient Resources
available on www.urologygroupofathens.com
4
Check
out
the
next
issue
of
Stay Healthy &
Be Well
in
August
2014