BY EDIE ZUSMAN, M.D.

Special to the Times

Do you feel like you are becoming more forgetful and distracted? Do you have difficulty focusing? Are you losing touch with family and close friends? Could it be the result of aging or stress?  Or should the blame fall on that iPhone that’s constantly in your hand?

At the end of the day, when we should be relaxing, we often find ourselves sitting in front of the TV, surfing the web and checking Facebook on a laptop, while sending texts on our phones.

How much is too much when it comes to technology? And what effect does that information overload have on our brains?

Opportunities for multitasking — and being interrupted — have surged over the last few years. The phone, once mounted on the kitchen wall, is now a constant companion. And it’s not just a phone; it’s a mini-computer offering all manner of technological distractions.

Multitasking can be a wonderful thing. Parents are multitasking geniuses. Knowing how to divide our attention can be a useful skill.

How Distractions Affect Brain Function

The problem arises when you need to focus on a single, essential task. Whether you’re a student studying for an important test, or someone engaged in a crucial project at work, constant distractions can be detrimental to the task at hand. An e-mail flashes calling for your attention, or a text message “bings” on your cell phone.

When you turn your attention away from the main task, two things happen:

•Even if the distraction is only 15 seconds, it may take your brain two to three minutes to fully return your attention to the primary task. Therefore, your study session or project will take even longer than anticipated.

•Many brain specialists also believe that, with frequent interruptions, it may be harder for your brain to convert information into intermediate and long-term memory. In other words, your brain doesn’t retain the information.

Age and Information Overload

Young people growing up with these devices are more adept at multitasking with them. They are surprisingly good at processing incoming information from various sources. However, the practice can still have detrimental effects.

Multitasking during an important period of learning hampers efficiency. It’s fine for socializing, but not an ideal way to learn or to get something important accomplished.

I have not seen hard science on how technology affects the older brain. But, in my practice, I know that older people often have a harder time rapidly changing topics. For older people, it’s especially wise to shut off distractions during important work.

Still, technology can be a great tool for providing active stimulation and challenges for the brain. Learning new technologies — such as computers and cell phones, exploring new topics, and staying connected with people — are all good ideas for the aging brain.

When it’s time to focus, however, turn off the distracting devices. Return to them when you are done with your project or schedule specific times to check e-mail or Facebook, for instance, every hour or two. All that information will still be waiting for you.

Dr. Edie Zusman is a neurosurgeon affiliated with Eden Medical Center.

CAPTION: Multitasking during an important period of learning hampers efficiency. It’s fine for socializing, but not an ideal way to learn or to get something important accomplished.

Study shows that strong friendships help you live longer

BY MARK UNDERWOOD

Special to the Times

Is it possible that having close connections with good friends, old and new, is good for your health?

Research suggests that if you cultivate a strong inner circle of friends, people you can count on through thick and thin, you may indeed gain an abundance of health benefits.

Not only do strong friendships make you feel happy and close to other people, these connections have several built-in health benefits.

Beyond the emotional connections and good vibes that quality friendships offer, strong social connections can reduce stress, boost your immunity, and ward off memory loss and depression.

Buddy System Benefits

Scientists have found that those positive feelings you have after hanging out with your best friends are not just emotionally based. Good friendships also affect your serotonin, a neurotransmitter which sends signals from one area of the brain to another.

When you interact with friends, serotonin is believed to influence your mood, behavior, sleep, memory and learning.

Longevity Link

Strong friendships have another interesting benefit. Turns out they can help you live longer. Studies have shown that strong social networks can give you a 50-percent better chance of living a long life, regardless of your age or gender. That conclusion was based on a study that followed 300,000 people for more than seven and a half years.

As you would expect, there’s a lot of excitement over studies like these because they suggest you can modify your life and tap into similar health benefits. The message is clear:  If you have good friends, you can boost your health.

Quality versus Quantity

Studies have suggested that it’s not the number of people who have “befriended” you or like you on the internet or you see on a regular basis that counts when it comes to health benefits. What is important is quality over quantity.

Some psychologists have suggested that friends from different backgrounds, with varying hobbies and life-interests, give us an increased number of health benefits.

In terms of brain fitness that makes sense. Our brains need to be challenged. We need to stimulate our minds with a variety of experiences, especially as we age.

Find friends you can have insightful conversations with — friends who enjoy similar books, art and movies. Like any muscle, the brain needs regular exercise to remain strong. A diverse set of friends will help your mind stay active and enjoy learning late into life.

Mark Underwood is a neuroscience researcher, president and co-founder of Quincy Bioscience, a biotech company located in Madison, Wisconsin.

CAPTION: Studies have shown that strong social networks can give you a much better chance of living a long life, regardless of your age or gender.

Early summer weather can provide the ultimate motivation to get outside and be active. The sun is shining, nature is in full blossom, and heavy coats are no longer essential.

While summer can give people a certain zest for fitness, sometimes temperatures can turn good intentions into a sweltering mess. Incorporating new habits and precautions into your warm-weather workouts can keep you safe, motivated and cool. TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the nonprofit weight-loss organization, offers the following tips to make the most of your summer fitness plans:

1. Fill up on fruit: Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and grapes are a great way to boost energy and replenish fluids lost after a workout. Containing more than 80 percent water, these fruits are easily digestible in summer heat and are a tasty way to keep hydrated and satisfied. Eating them frozen also makes a refreshing summer treat.

2. Reroute for optimal shade: If your usual running, walking or cycling route makes you an easy target for sun exposure, opt for a shadier course or choose an early evening time.

3. Make summer chores part of your fitness plan: Washing the car, gardening, taking the dog for a walk and mowing the lawn are all activities on your to-do list that burn calories as a bonus.

4. Pay attention to your heart rate: The hotter it is, the harder your body has to work. If you normally run at a 9-minute-mile pace, you may find yourself having to slow down to a 10-minute-mile when the temperature hits 90°F. Using a heart-rate monitor can help ensure that you aren’t pushing yourself too hard, which can lead to heat exhaustion and stroke.

5. Take the path less paved: Walking or running on dirt or grass can keep the body significantly cooler than paved paths. Asphalt and concrete tend to radiate heat. Running near bodies of water also has a noticeable cooling effect.

For more information about TOPS, visit www.tops.org or call 800-932-8677.

CAPTION: Eating watermelon is a great way to keep hydrated during warm-weather workouts.

BY DELMAR LAURY

Special to the Times

In recent years, some 280 million guests have made annual visits to amusement facilities in the United States, safely enjoying an average of 1.7 billion rides.

Most health and safety mishaps at amusement parks can be prevented. Take these tips into consideration so you have a safe and fun day.

Before you get to the park:

Wear sunscreen and apply it often. More amusement park visitors suffer from sunburn and heat-related illnesses than all other injuries.

Pay close attention to what the weather is going to be like when you will be at the park. Wear a comfortable pair of shoes and socks and dress accordingly for the weather and rides.

Before you get into the park, hydrate yourself and your family with plenty of water to prevent heat-related illnesses. Stop at water fountains in the park frequently.

Safety while at the park:

•When you arrive, make a plan with your group for where you will meet if you get separated and set meeting times to re-connect with your group.

•Take a photo of any children in your group with your phone when you arrive. If a child gets separated from the group, a photo will help authorities find them because they’ll know exactly how the child looked that day.

•Don’t leave your children alone, especially while taking restroom breaks, standing in line for a ride or buying food. When your child gets on a ride, be sure they are secured in the seat. Wait at the ride’s exit for your child to unload.

•Be alert to exits and emergency stations. Give everyone a map so they will be able to find such areas as the First Aid Centers, restrooms and the main gates.

•Follow all park rules. If you have small children with you, stay in age-appropriate areas. If you have certain medical conditions, some rides might not be safe for you.

•Carry minimal cash. leaving at home any valuable personal items that could be easily lost or stolen. If you lose an item when on a ride, ask for an employee to help you retrieve it. Never enter a restricted area.

Ride safety:

Hold on tight. Use handles and safety bars to keep your body positioned correctly and to stay in your seat. Always fasten your seatbelt or harness tightly. If you don’t feel comfortable, ask the ride attendant for assistance. Read warning signs and follow instructions given by the ride operators.

If you have any safety questions or concerns about the theme park you are visiting, including what the weather will be like, or information about a certain ride, be sure to visit the park’s website, call their customer service hotline, or ask the ride attendant for assistance.

DelMar Laury is a Vice President at AlliedBarton Security Services.

BY KENNETH L. ROTHMAN, M.D.

Special to the Times

As you plan your summer vacation, don’t forget to consider your family’s health while traveling by learning what precautions to take before you go.

Traveling while pregnant

Consult with your doctor to find out if it’s safe for you to travel if you are pregnant. Depending on where you are vacationing, travelling during the third trimester is generally not recommended.

Update family’s vaccinations

Keep your family’s vaccinations current, like tetanus, by visiting your doctor. Pregnant women should also receive the Tdap vaccination, which immunizes them against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough).

Your doctor can also give you the recommended or required vaccinations for your trip, depending on your destination. But be sure to visit your doctor early. Some vaccines are given over the course of days, weeks or even months and need time to take effect. For instance, the vaccination for hepatitis B is given in a series of shots over a course of six months.

Even if it’s a day before your vacation, your doctor can still help by giving you the information and medications you need to stay healthy.

For example, if you are traveling to a destination where malaria is prevalent, your doctor may require that you take malaria pills. As an additional precaution, they may also recommend that you carry mosquito repellant because mosquitoes often spread malaria.

Traveler’s diarrhea

Although few of us like to talk about it, traveler’s diarrhea is one of the most common travel-related problems, especially for infants and children.

Contaminated food and water are often the cause. For infants, breast-feeding is the best way to reduce the risk of diarrhea from food and water. You can safeguard your family from food- and water-borne illness by following a few simple steps:

• Do not eat raw or undercooked meat or fish

• Drink only carbonated beverages or bottled water with an intact seal

• Avoid raw fruits and vegetables unless you peeled them yourself

• Wash food only in sterilized (bottled or boiled) water

• Make sure that the ice you add to your drink is made from bottled or sterilized water

Also, avoid buying milk in countries outside the U.S. because it’s often not pasteurized — a process in which milk is heated to kill germs. Raw or unpasteurized milk from cows, sheep or goats may contain dangerous bacteria, such as salmonella or E. coli, that could make you and your family sick. Pregnant women and children are especially at risk.

Prepare a travel health kit

A travel kit for your family is another way to keep healthy away from home. Be sure to pack all the essentials such as a digital thermometer, bandages, hand sanitizer, antibiotic ointment, ibuprofen, antidiarrheal medication and bug repellant.

If you are vacationing somewhere sunny, don’t forget to bring sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Family members taking prescription medications should pack one month’s supply, along with copies of the prescriptions, in case refills are needed.

Enjoy your vacation in good health by taking a few minutes to create a travel health plan for your family.

Kenneth L. Rothman, M.D., is a board-certified family medicine physician affiliated with Eden Medical Center.

Unprotected exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) light can put you at risk for skin cancer, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the most common form of cancer in the U.S.

Skin Protection

• Wear a hat and long-sleeve, tight-weave apparel when out in the sun.

• Limit your exposure, especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

• Regularly use a water-resistant, broad-spectrum SPF sunscreen with a value of 15 or higher. Apply liberally 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every hour as needed, particularly after swimming or perspiring.

• Use sunscreen even on cold or cloudy days. Remember, UV rays can reflect off water, cement, sand and snow.

• Your lips need protection, too — use an SPF 15 or higher lip balm.

• If insects are a problem, use an effective insect repellent that also offers sun protection.

• Keep up with skin exams. Skin cancers found and removed early are almost always curable. The five-year survival rate for patients whose melanoma is detected early, before the tumor has penetrated the skin, is about 98 percent.

The survival rate falls significantly when the disease has the chance to metastasize (spread) throughout the body.

Check your skin from head-to-toe each month, and visit a dermatologist annually for a professional skin exam. If you notice any change in an existing mole or discover a new one that looks suspicious, see a physician immediately.

Visit SkinCancer.org to download a guide to self-exams.

BY FRANK KIM, M.D.

Special to the Times

Our brains are composed of 50 to 100 billion cells that communicate by passing signals to each other through more than 100 trillion connections.

This intercellular communication allows us to think, feel and act; however, our brain cells need oxygen-rich blood to function. When the blood supply in the brain is reduced by a stroke, brain cells quickly die.

But did you know that you can decrease your risk of a stroke by almost 40 percent by making simple lifestyle changes such as exercising regularly?

“Brain Attacks”

In some ways, a stroke in the brain is like a heart attack. There are two main types:

Ischemic: During an ischemic stroke, a clot obstructs blood supply to the brain. The abnormal build-up of fatty materials on the inside of vessel walls — known as plaque — causes clots to form that can obstruct blood flow by narrowing a vessel or by breaking off and clotting a blood vessel in the brain.

Hemorrhagic: Bleeding in the brain from a leaking blood vessel causes hemorrhagic stroke, decreasing the blood supply to cells.

Who’s at Risk?

Stroke is more common in men than in women. Our risk of stroke increases as we age; 75 percent of strokes occur in those older than 64 years of age. However, one-third of strokes occur in people younger than 65.

African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans have a higher risk of stroke than white Americans. The risk of a first-time stroke for African Americans is almost double the incidence in white Americans.

Know Your Risk

Stroke risk increases with certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, which causes high blood sugar; atrial fibrillation, which causes an irregular heartbeat that disrupts circulation; and sickle cell anemia, which decreases the number of healthy red blood cells supplying oxygen to the body.

Other risks include:

•High Blood Pressure: causes a two- to four-fold increase in stroke risk for those under age 80 and is the leading cause of stroke

•Smoking: leads to a two-fold increase in the risk of ischemic stroke and up to a four-fold increase in the risk of hemorrhagic stroke

•Alcohol Consumption (more than two drinks per day): increases risk by 50 percent

•High Cholesterol

•Lack of Exercise

•Being Overweight: strains circulation and increases risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes

Lifestyle Changes

By committing to lifestyle changes, you may be able to significantly lower your risk as well as your need for stroke medications.

Moderate aerobic exercise, such as walking, for at least 30 minutes five days each week, along with a diet low in saturated fats and high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, can improve your circulation.

Reducing alcohol intake and quitting smoking are other ways to significantly lower your risk.

Changing our daily habits is often difficult but frequently generates the greatest benefit.

Frank Kim, M.D., is a board-certified neurologist affiliated with Eden Medical Center, which has a nationally accredited Primary Stroke Center. For a free magnet about the signs of stroke, email your name and mailing address to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

It’s summer, and for kids that means it’s time for sports, swimming, biking and picnics. And, while active outdoor time is healthy and fun, experts say it’s crucial for parents and kids to brush up on some seasonal safety tips.

According to the experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the summer poses its own set of risks. In order to help parents keep kids happy, healthy and safe all summer long, they are offering these timely tips:

Sun Safety

Sunburns are not only unpleasant, they are damaging to skin health. Minimize exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation by dressing your children (and yourself, for that matter) in cotton clothing with a tight weave, sunglasses and hats with a brim or bill.

Stay in the shade whenever possible and use a sunscreen with an SPF 15 or greater, even on cloudy days, and reapply it every two hours, or after swimming or sweating.

Always keep plenty of water on hand when you’re playing or exercising outside. Unless kids are exercising vigorously for extended periods, plain water — not sports drinks — is the best way to rehydrate.

Water Safety

Drowning is a leading cause of death among children, including infants and toddlers, but parents can make swimming safer for kids with the right safety equipment, instruction and supervision.

“While swimming lessons are helpful, they are not a foolproof plan. Parents should never — even for a moment — leave children alone near open bodies of water,” says Dr. Thomas K. McInerny, AAP president.

Home swimming pools should be surrounded by a four-foot-high, non-climbable, four-sided fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate. Parents, caregivers and pool owners should learn CPR and keep equipment approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, such as life preservers and life jackets at poolside.

Trampolines

Even with netting, padding and adult supervision, experts say that home trampolines are dangerous. Injuries are common, and can be potentially catastrophic. Thousands of people are injured on trampolines annually. Encourage your child to get exercise in safer ways.

Bike Safety

Children should wear a helmet on every bike ride. Accidents can happen anywhere, anytime. Get your child a helmet specific for biking. Football helmets, for example, are made to protect the head from other types of injuries.

Teach your children traffic and bike safety before allowing them to bike in the street. For example, they should always ride with traffic and use hand signals. If your child doesn’t have the skills necessary to use hand signals without swerving, he or she shouldn’t be riding in the street.

For more summer safety tips, visit the AAP’s website for parents, www.HealthyChildren.org.

BY WEI-FANG KO, M.D.

Special to the Times

Colon cancer is one of the most treatable cancers when detected early. Yet, according to the American Cancer Society, half of people age 50 and older who should be screened for colon cancer are not.

Many people tend to put off this screening, but the significant health benefits make the exam preparation and screening process very worthwhile. With regular testing, thousands of lives could be saved each year.

What is colon cancer?

Colon cancer usually develops slowly in the large bowel or colon. Often, it begins when environmental or genetic changes cause the growth of abnormal tissue or a polyp.

Most of this tissue begins as polyps, or noncancerous tumors that grow on the inner lining of the colon. If not removed promptly, some of these polyps can become cancerous.

Why screening is important?

There are many screening tests — talk with your doctor to determine your risk and which screening test might be best for you. Most people with an average risk for colon cancer should be screened at age 50.

A colonoscopy is one screening option that your doctor may recommend, usually once every 10 years. During this screening, doctors exam the entire length of the colon to detect polyps or early-stage cancers.

Regular colonoscopy screenings for the detection and removal of polyps can reduce a person’s risk of developing colon cancer by up to 90 percent. And, the detection of early-stage cancers increases the chance of a successful treatment outcome.

Preparation

To see the colon lining clearly, your doctor will prescribe a strong laxative for you to drink to clean out your colon. Preparing for your colonoscopy can take one to two days, depending on what your doctor recommends.

Depending on the method of preparation, patients should not eat solid foods for 24 hours prior to the procedure, but they can have clear liquids, such as water, tea, apple juice and clear bouillon. There are, however, some preparations that allow some solids the day before. Your doctor will offer the choices he or she feels are best suited to your situation.

What to Expect in the GI Lab

During a colonoscopy, most patients receive a sedative. Those receiving conscious sedation are closely monitored. Although they can hear and follow instructions, many do not remember the 30-minute screening. Patients should expect to spend 2-3 hours total at the GI lab.

To examine the colon, your doctor will insert a thin, flexible colonoscope and move it gently through your colon. A chip in the tip of the scope transmits images to a computer screen while fiber bundles provide light so your doctor can check for polyps. You may feel a little pressure on your abdomen as your doctor manipulates the scope, but most patients remember feeling very little at all. Doctors can immediately remove any polyps and take tissue samples during the colonoscopy.

Wei-Fang Ko, M.D., is a board-certified gastroenterologist and affiliated with Eden Medical Center.

Dr. Ko will present a free talk on colorectal cancer on Saturday, May 4, at 10:45 a.m. at the Cinco de Mayo Celebration at the Ashland Community Center in San Leandro.

Eden Medical Center will also offer free colorectal cancer screenings. Restrictions apply and limited to supply on hand. Contact 510-727-3175 for more information.

BY MARK UNDERWOOD

Special to the Times

Gardening has long been known as a great way to get outdoors and enjoy fresh air and sunshine. And, it has hidden benefits that can boost your overall health, including better brain health.

You don’t need a big yard to enjoy gardening. Use containers on a porch or patio to grow a wide variety of fruits or vegetables. A five-gallon bucket with holes for drainage can be used to grow a great crop of tomatoes.

Even if you aren’t actively involved in gardening, just walking in a garden can give you a sensory experience that promotes relaxation and reduces stress.

Here are several ways gardening boosts your health and well-being.

Low-impact Exercise

Gardeners love to get outdoors and work with their hands. Because of that, gardening keeps you exercising even when a gym may not work for you.

Gardening is certainly not the same as pumping iron or running a marathon. But, when you are digging, planting and doing other tasks, you have opportunities for low-impact exercise.

No matter what level of exercise you do, gardening will help keep you limber.

Stress Reduction

When you walk among beautiful flowers and watch vegetables spring up, it’s easy to see why gardening enriches the mind. But have you thought about gardening as a tonic for reducing stress? If not, you should. A recent study suggests that gardening can fight stress even better than other relaxing leisure activities.

Most of us push ourselves to the max, but gardening really does make you slow down and literally smell the roses.

Tracking Accomplishments

It would be difficult to remember from year to year what plants did well and those that didn’t — especially if you have a large vegetable, fruit and flower garden.

That’s why gardeners love to keep photos of what they planted, before and after shots, and notes about their garden’s progress. Since it would be difficult to remember every detail of last year’s garden when you get ready to plant again this year, a photo journal, along with written records can make you a more effective and efficient gardener.

Those journals are handy reviews of what to plant again and what to forego. Notes written by hand or typed on your computer will also give you another benefit. When you keep track of your gardening accomplishments, you’re apt to better remember the details.

And, what’s more, you’ll be boosting your brain health by sharpening your memory and recall skills.

Eat Fresh

Growing your own food has the obvious benefit of being able to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables. Several studies have shown that people who garden eat more fresh fruits and vegetables than people who don’t have home gardens.

The great outdoors is yours to enjoy and, with the added support of great nutrition and executive function, you’re on your way to better brain health, too.

BY MARK UNDERWOOD

Special to the Times

Laughing is a good remedy for many things in life. We all need humor and levity to combat daily stresses. Laughing is not only a great release; it is available to everyone, anywhere, anytime.

If you’ve wondered if laughter really is good for your health, you’re not alone. Can laughter really have hidden benefits other than simply being an automatic emotional response to seeing or hearing something funny?

University of Maryland Medical Center researchers say yes. They studied people who laugh every day, several times a day to see if there was a connection between laughter and health benefits.

People who laugh on a consistent basis tend to have lower blood pressure than those who laugh occasionally.

The Maryland research was the first to find a link between laugher and lowering heart disease. They found people with heart disease laughed, on average, 40 percent less than people of the same age without heart disease.

Born to Laugh

Humans have a natural instinct for laughter. Babies usually begin to laugh at four months old. Also, it appears that laughter may be one of the few universal traits found across human cultures; it is a universal language that all humans share.

We know that adults are far less likely to laugh than children. In fact, the average child laughs over 300 times a day, while the typical adult only laughs 17 times a day. Even worse is the fact that a majority of adults who report laughing on a daily basis fall into the age range of 18 to 34.

Humor and laughter may also have powerful effects on memory, brain health and aging. If the mental effects of laughter are as positive as the physical, then it is time to learn a few new jokes, gather some friends and start improving your brain health the easy way. Make them laugh.

According to a Stanford researcher, laughing is like jogging while standing in place. Laughing is actually a physical workout.

Remember the last time your stomach hurt from laughing too much? You did a whole abdominal workout that was more fun than crunches and sit-ups any day. One minute of laughter is equal to using a rowing machine for 10 minutes.

Use these tips to add more laughter in your life:

• Find humor in everyday things.

• Increase your exposure to comedy such as funny books, movies and live theater.

• Make sure you have funny friends.

• If you hear a joke that makes you laugh, remember it, chances are it will make someone else laugh too!

Mark Underwood is a neuroscience researcher amd president of Quincy Bioscience, a biotech company located in Madison, Wisconsin.

BY CHRISTINE GRAHAM

Special to the Times

For decades, organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the “Every 15 Minutes Program” have educated people about the dangers of drinking and driving.

The Every 15 Minutes Program specifically challenges young people to think about drinking and driving and how lives can be tragically affected by an intoxicated driver.

Trauma Centers like the one at Eden Medical Center treat our community’s most critically injured.

More than 53 percent of these injuries we see are a result of a motor vehicle accident, and more than 40 percent of these accidents involve drugs or alcohol. However, recent statistics show an alarming increase in the number of accidents due to cellphone use.

While there are laws prohibiting phone use while driving, enforcement is sporadic and we have all seen drivers talking on their cellphones, or worse, texting while speeding down the highway.

According to a recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, people who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash. Add to this the statistic that 40 percent of drivers admitted to texting while driving a vehicle, we can conclude that this dangerous habit is reaching epidemic proportions.

The National Safety Council estimates that 200,000 crashes a year are caused by drivers who are texting. A recent study by Car & Driver Magazine found that texting drivers actually had a three to four times slower response rate than drunk drivers.

This month, Eden Medical Center brings the Every 15 Minutes Program to San Leandro High School and is partnering with Highland Hospital to present the program to Oakland High.

The program’s name originally came from the statistic that every 15 minutes someone in the United States dies in an alcohol-related vehicle accident.

The two-day program includes a realistic staging of an accident involving student victims. One student, pronounced dead on the scene, is placed in a body bag and taken to the morgue. The student driver is given a sobriety test. After failing the test, he is handcuffed and placed into a police car. The remaining “critically injured” students are taken to Eden’s trauma center where they experience a full mock trauma scenario.

We hope to demonstrate the devastating impact that drunk or distracted driving has, not only on the people involved, but their friends and families as well. Our hope is to leave a lasting impression on our young drivers to think twice about the serious choices they make when getting behind the wheel of a car.

Christine Graham is the Trauma Prevention Coordinator at Eden Medical Center.