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3700 Joseph Siewick Dr., Suite 400 • Fairfax, VA 22033 (703) 620-4300 • EyePlasticMD.com
JUNE 2025
The Healing Harmonics of Music
As a medical professional, I can say with my whole heart that music is among the world’s best medicines.
devoted to celebrating everything music offers. (Sadly, no chapters currently exist in Virginia, Maryland, or D.C)
In addition to making us tap our toes and hum along, listening to a good tune reduces stress, improves our mood, helps us sleep, supports our general heart health, enhances our workout performance, and even helps people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focus better. When I go to my spin classes on the bike, the instructors always play music to keep us motivated through a tough session. I can’t recall a time when music wasn’t an important part of my life, and I largely have my father to thank for that. Dad was a professional singer. When not wowing audiences in traditional venues, he spent more than 30 years volunteering his services to perform at nursing homes in the area. He loved singing at these facilities, as his performances of music from the past helped the residents’ spirits come back to life. Suddenly, people who hadn’t walked for a long time would get up and dance while holding their walkers in the air . Later, when he was in his 70s, he earned his PhD in music therapy, a relatively new field of study at the time. It was a joy to be exposed to music at such a young age and subsequently learning its medicinal value as I pursued my career. Music is an obvious subject for me to write about this month, since World Music Day is celebrated on June 21. Also known as Make Music Day or Fête de la Musique, it was founded in France in 1982 by Maurice Fleuret, the country’s director of music and dance, and Jack Lang, its minister of culture. The event initially aimed to encourage French citizens to take their musical talents to the streets and create sounds for all to enjoy. Today, it is celebrated in over 700 cities and 120 countries worldwide. More information is available at MakeMusicDay.org , which includes a list of chapters throughout the country
As a music fan, I have a potpourri of tastes. Although I have my standard favorites — including “The Great American Songbook,” which was also among my father’s go-tos — I enjoy listening to Mozart and other classical music while in the office, which helps me concentrate. As for the operating room, I listen to more modern pop music. However, I occasionally switch to a ’30s-era vocal group, The Ink Spots. One summer many years ago, I was in upstate New York (near Canada) working on my aunt’s fixer-upper. All that was there was a record player and a three-record set of “The Best of Ink Spots.” After listening to those albums constantly for weeks, those songs got in my head and stayed there.
Even though the group’s music often drives the rest of my OR team crazy, I can’t help but put their music on intermittently to help me focus.
From the mid-1850s, when music was listened to via thin layers of black carbon, to the development of vinyl LPs and cassettes, to the rise of CDs, to today’s digital-driven technologies, people have found a way to make music an essential part of their lives. There’s no doubt it will be embraced and cherished centuries from now.
No matter what genre puts the widest smile on your face, take some extra time this month to celebrate the beauty and power of music. Few things in life help our souls fly higher.
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Canary in the Coal Mine?
The Hidden Health Risks of Burnout
Does your job or housework leave you feeling burnt out? If so, you aren’t alone.
in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, the professionals’ guide to diagnostic standards. However, the World Health Organization recognizes it as a factor in people’s health. Some doctors use the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a scale measuring a person’s level of exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy, to diagnose burnout. Items include, “I feel emotionally drained by my work.” The symptoms of burnout can serve as the canary in the coal mine — an early warning that overload, overwork, or stress may be on the verge of harming your health. Consider an extended break from work to ease the strain.
Burnout is a common affliction in our technological age. An estimated 48% of employees and 53% of managers claim they’re burned out, according to a 2022 Microsoft survey of 20,000 workers, and stress levels have worsened since then. Career-driven people, overworked employees, and working people from all walks of life can experience alienation, extreme exhaustion, loss of meaning, and reduced performance, all hallmarks of burnout. The term was coined in the 1970s to denote the exhaustion often experienced by people in the helping professions. Burnout is not listed
a vacation or long weekend isn’t likely to help. Clinical depression or anxiety requires different treatment by a therapist or mental health professional. The bottom line: If you’re feeling burned out, it’s time to put on the brakes, check out for a while, and tune in more closely to your overall well-being!
If your ennui deepens into low self-esteem, guilt, hopelessness, or thoughts of suicide,
FROM PUFFY TO POSITIVE
KAREN’S EYELID EVOLUTION
For at least 10 years, I experienced droopy upper eyelids on both eyes. My left eye had been drooping to the point that I often had to hold it up to make it look better. I tried Botox as a possible solution, but it didn’t improve the situation. Last year, I decided it was time to put the problem to rest. I hoped for a natural look with any surgeon I chose. I didn’t want anyone to know I had my eyes done; I just wanted to look like me , but younger and healthier. An acquaintance’s husband had a blepharoplasty performed by Dr. Scott and looked terrific afterward! I soon contacted Dr. Scott for a consultation. To be honest, I was nervous about the possibility of the surgery. When you read Google, you see warnings about how certain eye operations can cause blindness and other issues. During my initial consultation, Dr. Scott assured me he had years of experience and had performed thousands of similar surgeries. He added that the procedure would likely take 10 years off my appearance. He got me into the science of it by explaining the procedure thoroughly. I felt included in the process and comfortable having Dr. Scott address my concerns.
Dr. Scott was also the first doctor to point out that the fat pad above my eye, under the browbone, had slid down into the corner of my eye, leading to that eye looking puffy and swollen. He proposed stretching the pad back up and anchoring it back to where it belonged as part of the surgery I scheduled for early last December. The recovery process was smooth — there was no pain or discomfort, and only minor swelling. I barely needed Tylenol! I started to look like myself again in about a week. No one would know I had surgery. They say, “Wow! You look great!’’ but no one says, “You had eye surgery” or, “Did you get your eyes done?” They just see me looking fresh and awake. I’m so happy with everything Dr. Scott has done for my eyes, and I especially appreciate his office’s willingness to schedule me around my demanding work schedule. Dr. Scott said I might need the surgery again in 15 years. If he’s still working, then I’ll definitely do it with him! –Karen Saverino
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How to Manage Styes and Recurring Chalazions
INSIDE THE MYSTERY OF SKIN BUMPS GROWTH BEGONE!
Have you noticed one or more mysterious lesions on your chest, back, scalp, or around your eyelids that resemble a chewed-up wad of gum or the surface of the brain? If so, you may have a lesion called a Seborrheic Keratosis . Extremely common among older adults, Seborrheic Keratosis is a totally benign phenomenon caused by an overgrowth of cells that results in an extra layer of skin forming on the epidermis (the top layer of skin). These growths may be dark brown, intermediate brown, or flesh-colored, sometimes with a waxy appearance. If they’re small, they can generally be left alone. However, if they grow larger, become itchy and irritating, or begin to bleed, they can be addressed by a dermatologist or, in cases where they appear near the eyelids or in your eyelashes, then an eyelid plastic surgeon is your best choice to remove these and protect your eyelid structure.
the eyelid margin or within you lash line, it’s best to address it when it’s smaller so that your surgeon doesn’t need to dig so deeply or remove too many eyelashes.
If you experience a sudden eruption of multiple lesions, there is possibility it could represent the Leser-Trélat sign , which could signal a risk of an internal malignancy, such as breast or gastric cancer. Whether you notice a single seborrheic keratosis or a vast number, it is highly advised to have your skin surveyed by a dermatologist who can diagnose the issue properly and rule out more serious health disorders. Although the definitive cause of Seborrheic Keratosis has yet to be determined, it doesn’t appear to result from sun exposure. It is generally believed to be caused by natural aging, genetics, skin friction or hormonal changes (such as during pregnancy).
Treatment is variable and could include freezing the growth until it turns darker and eventually falls off or trimming it away (dermatologist approach). When it’s on
Please contact us if you’d like more information or have any questions or concerns about recent growths on your eyelid skin.
Teriyaki Beef Skewers
Inspired by AllRecipes.com
INGREDIENTS •
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• • •
1/4 cup vegetable oil
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1 cup soy sauce
3 large garlic cloves, chopped 4 lbs boneless round steak, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices Bamboo skewers soaked in water
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1/2 cup pineapple juice (optional)
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1/2 cup water
•
DIRECTIONS 1. In a large bowl, whisk brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, water, vegetable oil, and garlic together. Drop beef slices into the mixture and stir to coat. 2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. 3. Remove beef from marinade, shaking to remove excess liquid. 4. Thread beef slices on skewers in a zig-zag pattern. 5. Preheat grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grate. 6. Cook beef skewers for about 3 minutes per side until the meat is cooked through.
“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” –Albert Einstein
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3700 Joseph Siewick Dr., Suite 400 • Fairfax, VA 22033 (703) 620-4300 • EyePlasticMD.com
Inside This Issue
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Melodies That Mend
2 2 3 3 4
How Burnout Can Signal Depression
The Good Kind of Eye-Raising Experience
Mysterious Skin Bumps Explained
Teriyaki Beef Skewers
Why One of History’s Greatest Minds Refused to Eat Beans
Pythagoras (yes, the one responsible for making high school geometry a nightmare) had a dark secret. He wasn’t just a mathematical genius; he was also utterly and irrationally terrified of beans. Specifically, fava beans. And not just in an I-don’t-like-their-texture kind of way. He believed they were portals to the underworld, conduits for lost souls, and, perhaps most offensively, they caused distracting gases.
Another theory suggests Pythagoras believed beans were literal doors to the underworld. He wasn’t alone in this, as the ancient Greeks and Romans were suspicious of fava beans, perhaps because they could cause a rare and severe genetic reaction called favism. Unbeknownst to the ancients, some people (especially in Mediterranean regions) have a genetic deficiency that makes fava beans potentially deadly. So, weirdly, Pythagoras may have been onto something, but not for the reasons he thought. THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE GOLDEN THIGH Of course, bean phobia wasn’t Pythagoras’s only claim to strangeness. His followers believed he was a demigod, possibly the son of Hermes or Apollo. They claimed he could tame wild animals just by speaking to them and that he had the power to write messages on the Moon. But the most outrageous legend? He supposedly had a golden thigh. He would flash his shimmering leg whenever someone doubted his divine status and instantly gain a new believer. And yet, despite all this mysticism, Pythagoras’s biggest fear was beans. This just goes to show that even history’s greatest minds had their odd quirks; some were just more odd than others.
Ancient Wisdom or Legume Lunacy?
Legend has it that Pythagoras was so committed to avoiding beans that, when fleeing from attackers, he and his followers refused to run through a blooming fava bean field. Instead of making their great escape, they chose to stand and fight. Spoiler alert: It didn’t end well for them.
THE PHILOSOPHER WHO FEARED BEANS MORE THAN DEATH
THE PHILOSOPHER VS. THE BEAN So, why was Pythagoras so scared of a simple legume? One of the more
eyebrow-raising explanations is that he believed fava beans bore an uncanny resemblance to human reproductive
organs. Apparently, the connection was so strong in his mind that he once declared, “Eating beans and eating the head of one’s parents are the same thing.” That is quite the leap, even for a philosopher.
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