Welcome to the ESSMC E-Newsletter. It is our hope that everyone has enjoyed the beautiful late summer and early fall weather and that Steeler fever is brewing in your homes! We have built our practice on relationships for 25 years, and we hold all of our patients and colleagues in the highest regard. We trust that you are well — however, we are always here for you to service your needs when necessary.

We welcome feedback on topics that you might have a special interest in, or any other question that you may have. Please email us at news@essmc.com and we will get right back to you. Enjoy this edition — and don’t forget to take the quiz!

As a customer service to our patients, we offer the following two announcements:

iKeepSafe.org is a terrific Web site for introducing you and your family to the important concepts behind staying safe online. The site is friendly and helpful, and it has a real knack for keeping things simple.

For example, in the site's Parent Resource Center, they boil down the risks associated with the Internet to "inappropriate contact, inappropriate content, and inappropriate conduct." There are certainly many details within each of these categories, but I found this to be a helpful framework for approaching the very broad topic of Internet safety.

ByteCrime.org

Do you remember McGruff the Crime Dog^®, the trenchcoat-wearing character who first appeared in the eighties? Well, he's now focused on cybercrime, and you'll find him at the very helpful ByteCrime.org Web site.

This site has a wealth of useful information, but I want to call your attention to two resources in particular:

The first has to do with "Phishing" (pronounced "fishing"), a cybercrime in which fraudulent e-mails are sent from what appear to be trusted sources, such as banks and credit card companies. These ingenious e-mails are scams and are sent with the intention of tricking you into giving up passwords, credit card numbers, and other confidential information. ByteCrime.org has a very well done animated overview that explains how to recognize phishing scams and what to do about them.

The second resource is "Mind What You Do Online," a free download and an excellent overview of many aspects of cyber-safety. They've got two versions — one for adults and one for kids — and both are formatted for easy printing so that you can read them at your leisure. I printed copies of both and have already distributed them to my kids, my mom, and several of our neighbors!

Athletic Training Services

Congratulations to Chris Klekker, ATC and Don Vargo, PT, ATC, who are the providers of athletic training services to the Gateway High School student-athletes. The Gators football team is currently undefeated, and is ranked #1 in the WPIAL and #7 nationally. Chris and Don, we are proud of the role that you play in the team’s success!

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Mike DiVincenzo enjoyed a late summer trip to the Harley-Davidson production facility and museum in York, Pa., with our own Jan DiVincenzo, who has been with the practice for 14 years, working in the business office. We are not sure if they ventured out to eastern PA on a Harley or in a vehicle, but word has it that they are both very capable riders!

As a special incentive, we will give an Atria’s gift card to the first five people who submit a photo sporting our brightly colored t-shirts and spreading the word of our good work in interesting places. Please send us a picture with a brief caption describing where you have been photographed and what you were doing at the time.

As we make our way through fall, wrestlers from our region are preparing for the start of their season. The PIAA has mandated proper weight certification, and all of our staff athletic trainers are qualified to make the weight determinations based on very stringent criteria. In fact, ESSMC will be hosting a seminar for all certified athletic trainers from the region who wish to gain the proper knowledge for determining weight classification. We advocate proper nutrition and gradual weight loss to achieve the desired competitive weight class. See the article posted on the Web site about weight loss and nutrition, and participate in the quiz below.

What are the goals for the recovery period after wrestling weigh-ins?

1. To restore blood plasma
2. To prepare for the match
3. To restore fat levels
4. To restore blood glucose and muscle carbohydrate levels, and replenish body water