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Pastoral Care, fad diets part of Wellness Wednesday Health 1st will be offering information on physical and emotional wellbeing at its Oct. 10 Wellness Wednesday. Be sure to stop by between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Children’s Hospital lobby to get information on services provided by MUSC’s Pastoral Care and get information from MUSC dietetic interns on all the fad diets (and the health hazards they can cause). Pastoral Care Pastoral Care Services represents and implements MUSC medical center’s commitment to the spiritual/religious concerns of patients, families and staff and strives to foster a community that values personal wholeness, interpersonal reconciliation and human dignity.   Since spirituality is at the core of what defines each person’s understanding and practice of what gives their life meaning, purpose and value, and is intrinsically personal, Pastoral Care Services offers these services on an interfaith or individual basis with sensitivity and respect for the broad diversity of religious practices and beliefs of the staff and patient population. Pastoral Care provides a round-the-clock chaplaincy presence to MUSC, and chaplains are always available to provide spiritual/religious support to its patients, their families, and MUSC staff.   An MUSC staff chaplain will be at the Health 1st Wellness Wednesday table to answer questions concerning hospital chaplaincy and spiritual/religious support/care.   The chaplain will also have advance directive forms available and can assist with questions and/or the completion of these directives as needed.   Advance directives allow you to name the person you would like to speak for you if you are not able to speak for yourself, and these advance directives also make wishes known concerning end-of-life decisions. Fad diets Contributed by Stephanie Ditmer and Sarah Haan, dietetic interns In addition to having Pastoral Care at the Oct. 10 Wellness Wednesday table, dietetic interns will be present to share information regarding “The Skinny on Fad Diets.”   In the media, more commonly in magazines and television commercials, companies advertise about the most recent weight loss trend. There may be dramatic before and after photos claiming people to have lost 160 pounds in just six months, or claims such as, “You’ll never have to worry about overeating again!” Do you ever ask yourself how safe, healthy or beneficial these diets are for your body? Or maybe you have tried a fad diet or another “quick fix” to lose weight and were unsuccessful.   Advertisements can be misleading. It is not common knowledge that the Atkins Diet can cause kidney damage, or that certain diet pills actually force the body to block the absorption of essential nutrients.   For information on the Atkins Diet, Zone Diet and South Beach Diet, as well as other weight loss tactics such as diet pills and frozen/boxed meals, stop by the Wellness Wednesday table. The interns will break down the diets from a nutritional stand point. Come by to ask questions, pick-up handouts or grab a healthy snack.    Editor's note: The preceding column was brought to you on behalf of Health 1st. Striving to bring various topics and representing numerous employee wellness organizations and committees on campus, this weekly column seeks to provide MUSC, MUHA and UMA employees with current and helpful information concerning all aspects of health. Friday, Oct. 5, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.