Survey Says: Indy Top Doctors Answer Burning Questions

Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, M.D.
Internist
My healthiest habit is eating well.
My least-healthy habit is not getting enough sleep.
My guilty pleasure is homemade popcorn.
My exercise regimen is walking the dog and going to the gym at church.
My favorite part of the hospital is  the Sky Farm at Eskenazi. It’s a fabulous way to introduce healthy produce to our patients and staff. Recently, I saw the kale growing. Who knew that it’s such an odd plant? I buy it at the farmers market all the time, but on a stalk, it looks like a little palm tree.
The workout I suggest for my patients is more like 30 minutes three days per week—and get a pedometer and increase your activity to include 10,000 steps every day.
I sleep 5–6 hours per night.
I drink 1–4 alcoholic beverages a week.
The diagnosis I fear most for myself or my family is heart disease.
I wish my patients wouldn’t answer cell phones in the exam room.
If you adopt one healthy habit this year, make it drinking three to four servings of milk per day.
 

Ronald Miller, M.D.
Rehab specialist
My guilty pleasures are pizza and french fries.
My exercise regimen is running, elliptical, biking, and weights.
The workout I suggest for my patients is more like low-impact cardio and core strengthening.
I am 0 pounds overweight.
I sleep 6–7 hours per night.
I’ve smoked 0 cigarettes in the past month.
I eat red meat 4–5 times a week.
The diagnosis I fear most for myself or my family is cancer.
Patients are most often not forthcoming about their bad habits.
The smartest question my patients ask me is “Is my condition going to get worse?”
I wish my patients wouldn’t listen to the advice of family and friends rather than their physician.
I’m seeing more patients for narcotic addiction than I did five years ago.
If you adopt one healthy habit this year, make it exercising on a regular basis.
The best attribute to look for when choosing a doctor is the ability to communicate and explain your condition and the treatment planned.
 

Ernest O. Asamoah, M.D.
Diabetes specialist and endocrinologist
My healthiest habit is running.
My least-healthy habit is eating large cones of ice cream at the Love Boat in Fort Myers.
My exercise regimen is running and elliptical.
The workout I suggest for my patients is more like brisk walking and weights.
I am 4 pounds overweight.
I sleep 5 hours per night.
The diagnosis I fear most for myself or my family is Type 2 diabetes.
Patients are most often not forthcoming about the frequency of their blood glucose testing.
I wish my patients wouldn’t quit taking a medication because they saw a TV commercial about side effects.
The No. 1 thing patients can do to stay healthy is live stress-free lives. Ten percent of life is what happens to you; 90 percent is how you react.
 

Jeffrey O. Anglen, M.D.
Orthopaedic surgeon
My healthiest habit is exercise.
My least-healthy habit is not going to be revealed in a magazine.
My guilty pleasure is whipped cream.
My exercise regimen is biking, boxing, and kettlebells.
The workout I suggest for my patients is more
like walking a flight of stairs once in a while.
I sleep 5-7 hours per night.
I drink 1-2 alcoholic beverages a week.
The diagnosis I fear most for myself or my family is progeria—rapid aging in children.
Patients are most often not forthcoming about what they eat.
You’re never too young to protect your skin from too much sunlight.
You’re never too old to pursue an active sex life.
I’m seeing more patients for total joint replacement than I did five years ago. There seems to be an epidemic of arthritis.
If you adopt one healthy habit this year, make it meditation.
 

Jianan C. Graybill, M.D.
Radiation oncologist
My exercise regimen is running, spinning, weight-lifting, yoga, and Zumba.
The workout I suggest for my patients is more like aerobic exercise combined with weight training and meditation.
I am 5 pounds overweight.
I sleep 9 hours per night.
I drink 8 alcoholic beverages a week.
My treadmill desk keeps me going through long days. I walk between three and five miles a day at my computer, and I don’t feel emotionally exhausted after work anymore.
The diagnosis I fear most for myself or my family is Alzheimer’s.
The smartest question patients ask me is “How will this affect my quality of life?”
I really wish more doctors would work out themselves.
Patients most often aren’t forthcoming about their sex lives.
I wish my patients wouldn’t ask for advice but listen to the Internet instead.
You’re never too young to start working out.
You’re never too old to learn new technology.
Eating fat isn’t as bad as everyone thinks.
Women are better about taking care of their health.
Men are better about asking how treatment affects their sex lives.
I’m seeing more people for genetic studies than I did five years ago.
If you adopt one health habit this year, it should be meditation to lessen stress.
The best attribute to look for in a doctor is knowledge.
 

John Dietz, M.D.
Spinal surgeon
My healthiest habit is cycling.
My least-healthy habit is pizza with my kids. Great fun, though!
I really wish more doctors would get involved in the political process so elected representatives would understand what patients need.
You’re never too old to learn something new. I started playing the upright bass last year.
The smartest question patients ask me is “What can I do to prevent the next problem?”
I wish my patients wouldn’t smoke.
I actually really like the roast turkey and mashed potatoes at Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital.
If you adopt one healthy habit this year, make it exercise.
The best attributes to look for in a doctor are honesty, integrity, and a sense of dutyI became a doctor because I was a civil engineer first, and I found that civil engineering and orthopaedics go together like ham and cheese.
 

Naga Chalasani, M.D.
Gastroenterologist
My healthiest habit is exercising 5–6 times each week.
My least-healthy habit is many cups of coffee each day.
I drink 2-3 alcoholic beverages a week.
My exercise regimen is spinning, elliptical, running, boot camp, and resistance training twice a week.
The workout I suggest for my patients is more like a combination of aerobic and resistance training 4–6 times a week.
I wish my patients wouldn’t bash the Affordable Care Act while benefiting from it.
The coolest piece of advanced equipment in the hospital is the fibroscan. It noninvasively measures liver scarring with no discomfort but cheaply and very quickly.
If you adopt one healthy habit this year, make it writing in a journal.
Rohr-Kirchgraber and Graybill photos by Tony Valainis