In The News
Welcome Dr. Chandni Merchant
Willamette Valley Medical Center and McMinnville Internal Medicine are pleased to welcome to our community, Chandni Merchant, MD. Dr. Merchant is an
FREE Bumps & Bruises Sports Medicine Clinic is back
Dr. Derek Rains from Willamette Valley Orthopedic & Sports Medicine is once again offering his fall FREE Bumps & Bruises Sports Medicine
Improving Outcomes in Nationally Accredited Joint Replacement Institute
In June 2010, Willamette Valley Medical Center (WVMC) opened the Joint Replacement Institute of Oregon (JRIO) as a program dedicated to the
Our Bloggers
Zac Woodruff, WVMC Voices
Kendra Lindell, Mommy & Me
Carly Dunn,
Notes From Your Nutritionist
Stephanie,
My Weight-Loss Surgery
Amazing Care Stories
Why I Chose the Orbera Balloon
Why I Chose the Orbera Balloon for MY Weight Loss Journey by Heidi Henry- Patient Testimonial from current
WVMC has Special Visitors
Dayton Elementary D.A.S.H. Students Come to Visit It’s not every day that our hospital gets inundated
NEW Nationally Certified Center
WVMC Weight Loss Surgery Achieves National Accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement
Calendar
Join Dr. Derek Rains for his FREE Orthopedic Sports Medicine Clinic!
No appointment necessary!
First come First Served!
Prepare for your baby’s arrival with calm and confidence in this 6 week course. Learn about the many choices you can consider as you near the end of your pregnancy: nutrition, comfort during late pregnancy, physical and emotional experiences of labor for mothers and partners, comfort techniques (breathing, relaxation, massage, etc) for labor and birth, medications and medical procedures, postpartum care for mother and baby, and so much more! Class includes a full class dedicated to breastfeeding and one to newborn care. Also a birthing center tour, videos and handouts will be provided.
We now have a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous every Sunday. This is an open meeting for all who are interested in recovery from alcoholism through the 12 Step program, including ambulatory patients and staff. For more information, call Robert (H) 503-835-1042 or (C) 971-259-9145.
Have you had Bariatric surgery and looking for a little support? Join our group lead by a Registered Dietitian, Lindsay Obermeyer. Our group meets weekly in the Willamette Valley Medical Center Classrooms on the first floor across from the cafeteria. We discuss everything from diet and recipe ideas, grocery shopping and eating out tips, to society pressures and internal struggles. It is a warm, inviting group that has one mission: to support one another through the good and the bad obstacles of weight loss surgery in order to succeed. We hope you will join us!
WVMC Joint Replacement Institute of Oregon is exceeding National quality outcomes by a landslide. Since the opening of the program in 2010, patients being discharged from the hospital to continue their recovery in skilled nursing facilities has decreased from 72% to 4%. Our patients are up in walking within hours and sleeping comfortably in their own homes within 1-3 days. We'd say that is a huge WIN! Read the complete story at willamettevalleymedical.com/improving-outcomes-in-nationally-accredited-joint-replacement-institute/
Join Dr. Higa and his team for an informational seminar covering Weight Loss Surgery and Non-Surgical options on October 7th from 1:00-2:30pm at the Allison Inn and Spa located at 2525 Allison Lane. Newberg, OR.
We will have healthy appetizers and beautiful views of the valley! Plus you will be inspired by the many options Dr. Higa and his team can provide as they walk side by side with you on your journey to health!
RSVP to Tish.Gross@capellahealth.com of (503) 434-6009
Could Wi-Fi Be Bad For Us?
By Zac Woodruff, RN BS
Recently, my son came home from one of his first days of middle school and he had an interesting question for me. “Dad, is Wi-Fi bad for us? One of my classmates was saying the wireless waves we can’t see could be damaging us way more than we realize,” he said.
For a moment, I had to think about how to answer that question. The truth was, I had never thought about any health risks associated with Wi-Fi. I looked at my son and told him that I honestly hadn’t the slightest idea, but I thought it would be a great topic for both of us to research and share what we learned.
Wi-Fi is literally everywhere now. I remember when the Internet was first arriving in our homes in the mid 90s and there was no real wireless anything. But now… go to the coffee shop, the airport, the library, the supermarket, the hospital; almost anywhere you go, you are connected to the rest of the world through the amazing technology of Wi-Fi.
But with all these Wi-Fi signals invisibly bouncing around us all the time, are there anytime identified health risks that we should be talking about? Possibly, but most current research says no.
According to the National Cancer Institute (2017), the few high-quality studies (looking at the health impact of Wi-Fi) in animals have provided no evidence that Wi-Fi is harmful to health. Additionally, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (2017) reports that studies on adults show no evidence of a link between electromagnetic fields (EMFs) exposure and adult cancers, such as leukemia, brain cancer, and breast cancer.
Wi-Fi signals operate in the electromagnetic spectrum. This spectrum represents all of the possible frequencies of electromagnetic energy. It ranges from extremely long wavelengths (extremely low frequency exposure such as those from power lines) to extremely short wavelengths (x-rays and gamma rays) and includes both non-ionizing and ionizing radiation (National Cancer Institute, 2017).
The space that Wi-Fi operates in (within the electromagnetic spectrum) is high frequency (HF) and non-ionizing. No mechanism by which electromagnetic fields (EMFs) or radiofrequency radiation could cause cancer has been identified in this space. Unlike high-energy (ionizing) radiation, EMFs in the non-ionizing part of the electromagnetic spectrum cannot damage DNA or cells directly.
Also, Wi-Fi emits levels of radiofrequency radiation that is far below the guideline of 10 W/m2 as specified by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The ICNIRP confirms considerable amount of research has been conducted on the relationship between high frequency, non-ionizing fields and outcomes such as headaches, concentration difficulty, sleep quality, cognitive function, cardiovascular effects, etc. To date, their research has not shown any such health effects. The overall evaluation of all their research leads to the conclusion that high frequency, non-ionizing exposure is unlikely to be associated with adverse health effects.
Wi-Fi technology has only been commercially around for the masses since the late 90s, so at most we have twenty years of data to analyze. While the coming years will certainly bring us better research and scientific data to support any suspected health risks associated with Wi-Fi, it’s important that we all consider this topic and educate our loved ones and ourselves.
Cheers.
