Betsy Blazek-O’Neill and
Dom Battaglia of Allegheny Valley Hospital
“Vitamins & Supplements: Help or Harm?”
6 - 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, Conference Center
UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- Lucy Ricardo pitching "vitameatavegamin*" in 1952 as a cure for people who were tired, run-down and listless is the most famous of tonics that have been peddled throughout the ages as health solutions for a myriad of ailments. Today, the pills and elixirs, called dietary supplements, are more sophisticated. But are they needed, and do they work any better (or worse) than back in the day?
The answer to these questions will be discussed by a physician and dietician from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, in the Conference Center at Penn State New Kensington. “Vitamins & Supplements: Help or Harm?” is the topic of a program on the multi-level marketing of dietary supplements.
Betsy Blazek-O’Neill, a physician at Allegheny Valley Hospital, and Dom Battaglia, a registered dietician at the hospital, will discuss how the right nutrition choices can provide necessary vitamins and minerals. They will review the latest information on the ubiquitous vitamins and supplements that are hawked daily by broadcast and print media and across the internet. Blazek-O’Neill and Battaglia will help the audience navigate the potholed road to good health. A question and answer session will follow the talk.
Blazek-O'Neill, board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, has been in practice for 28 years. She is an expert in how alternative and complementary treatment options work with traditional medicine. A graduate of the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine, Blazek-O'Neill completed a residency at University of Wisconsin Hospital.
Sponsored by the campus and Allegheny Valley Hospital PriorityCare, the event is free to the public. Parking is free in all campus lots.
To register or for more information, call 877-284-2000 and select option 2 or visit
https://www.ahn.org/events/vitamins-and-supplements-help-or-harm
*Lucy Ricardo was a character played by Lucille Ball on the “I Love Lucy” television show. In the “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” episode, Lucy is the spokesman the fictitious vitameatavegamin, a remedy for people who “poop out at parties.” The concoction was actually 23 percent alcohol and would do nothing but get users sloshed. During the many commercial takes, Lucy drinks a full bottle and becomes stewed to the gills. She had a lot of “splainin to do” to her husband, Ricky Ricardo, played by Ball’s real-life husband, Desi Arnez. To view a clip of the Lucy commercial, visit http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Vita+Vita+Vegamin+Lucy&&view=detail&mid=99C22A8375568FBC66D399C22A8375568FBC66D3&FORM=VRDGAR
News Contact: Bill Woodard
Alumni and Public Relations
724-334-6049, uxw1@psu.edu