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| OHCC LIVING | MARCH 2023 | 41 Swim & Wellness Club Our January meeting featured Dr. Ami Ben-Artzi, M.D., a local Rheumatologist. It was standing room only for Dr. B's presentation about autoimmune diseases, their causes and treatments. Approximately 150 people learned about osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, polymyalgia rheumatica, and fibromyalgia. Dr. B stressed that there are no rules for rheumatic diseases and that diagnosis is based on the judgment of the clinician and rarely on lab tests. It doesn't matter what the X-ray looks like in most cases. X-rays don't drive a diagnosis. Pain and function are the measures of disease severity. Dr. B stated that diet can have a tremendous effect on rheumatic diseases. There are no generalized rules but for certain patients, eliminating a certain food group can have an effect. This is especially true for processed foods. Dr. B also recommends physical therapy, especially for pain relief from osteoarthritis. Strengthening the supporting structures will also support the joint and thus lessen the pain. And, one of the best ways to help yourself is to engage in swimming and water exercise! Club members: you should have received an email with Dr. Ben- Artzi's presentation slides. You can also hear the lecture in full on the OHCC website's Video on Demand as well as on the OHCC TV channel (Cox 1960). We are planning another wellness lecture for our March meeting. Join us on Thurs., March 16, starting at 2:30 pm in Abravanel Hall (note time change from the February issue of this magazine). We will welcome Kim Marquardt, RN, MSN, director of Health Services at Mira Costa College. Kim has a great interest in nutrition and has studied this topic for many years. Kim will share some interesting information about foods that we should eliminate from our diets. What triggers inflammation for you? What's the AIP way of eating? And, you might be surprised to hear some current information about salt, cholesterol, saturated fat, red meat and grains. This is a MEMBERS ONLY meeting. Interested in joining the club? Drop off a check made out to the OHCC Swim & Wellness Club at the Clubhouse. Be sure to include name, address, phone and email. Being a S & W club member gives you a front row seat to all things POOL related, as well as learning about wellness topics in our age group. FREE Swim lessons! What are you waiting for? We have patient, kind and qualified teachers just waiting for your call. Are you water-phobic? Don't really like the water? Our teachers can gently encourage and guide you and who knows? You might end up loving it! We have both male and female instructors, and can accommodate your schedule. Contact Ken Krueger at k2krueger@yahoo.com or Robin Ryan at robinryan.a@gmail.com for more information. It was a full house for the rheumatology presentation. Dr. Ami Ben-Artzi explains how various autoimmune diseases are diagnosed