The Lauderdale-by-the-Sea physician, most of the time dressed in colorful scrubs dotted with palm trees, is a throwback to the turn of the century when doctors made housecalls, knew patients by their first names and took care of themselves the way they hoped their patients would.

Every day, no matter how busy or backed up he is with patients, paperwork and phonecalls, the Fort Lauderdale resident finds time to walk for his health.

On staff at most area hospitals, Blanchar works at Bayview General Medicine, a fully-equipped facility overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and specializing in comprehensive medical care for people of all ages. He specializes in family and general medicine and offers a broad range of services from sports medicine to weight control programs.

He turns few patients away and at times, still makes housecalls. He encourages patients to call with any questions or problems regarding their medical care. He believes in preventative medicine and encourages his patients to walk and live a healthy lifestyle.

Blanchar was born at Hollywood Memorial and grew up in North Miami Beach. He graduated from North Miami Beach Senior High where he participated in soccer and football.

He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from University of Florida and received his M.D. from the College of Medicine at the University of South Florida. He trained in internal medicine while specializing in emergency medical care. He worked at several local hospitals where he gained hands-on experience and has been practicing in Florida since 1983.

Blanchar's passion for medicine and healing people developed at a young age, while following his uncle, a doctor, on rounds at the hospital and reading medical magazines in his office. "I knew that was what I wanted to do when I was 13," Blanchar said.

He saw the personal touch his uncle had with patients, whether he was delivering a baby or performing surgery.

"There are ways to take care of people," Blanchar said. "It's fun ... it's still fun working closely with people and getting to know them. I like people opening up about themselves. When they talk about family and relationships with people those people can help you as a doctor take care of them. I do what I do. I like that part of it.

"There really is an art to practicing medicine, it's just not all science," Blanchar said. "It's not just art either. You have to do the science part as well. But the two of them together is a powerful combination. You know somebody's history, their family, their interests. That helps you have a closer bond to them and that makes whatever you do that much more powerful."

Blanchar has a fun side and serious side. He is one part Dr. Kildare and one part Patch Adams. His office walls are lined with fun stuff including Florida football souvenirs including a framed autographed jersey of University of Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel. His front office window is decorated with flamingos and palm trees.

Of note

In a recent study, people with pets were four times less likely to have heart attacks. ...

Research at State University of New York shows regularly exercising, playing games or just chatting and hanging out together with your significant other can lower your risk and his of artery-damaging high blood pressure as much as 30 percent. ...

A recent national survey revealed that 32 percent of Americans regularly read the comic strip section in the newspaper and that could be making their hearts stronger. Studies show that people who laugh regularly are up to four times less likely to develop heart trouble and live eight years longer than the rest of the population. In just a few minutes, laughter reduces heart-damaging stress, frustration and anxiety. Even people with heart disease do better six months after bypass surgery if fun and laughter are a regular part of their lives. ...

Most heart attacks and strokes happen when blood clots form in the arteries, blocking blood flow into the heart or the brain. Studies show that antioxidants in black tea can prevent them from forming. Sipping three cups of tea a day can cut your risk of the clots by as much as 60 percent.

Healthy lungs

To help keep your child's lungs healthy, give your kids daily supplements of vitamin C to ward off respiratory infections. Keep them active. The more oxygen the child takes in, the stronger his or her lungs will be. Use an air purifier to remove dust mites and mold spores that might cause lung irritation and never smoke around children. ...

A recent study at Indiana University Southeast found that half of American adults consider themselves shy. Another study at the Shyness Clinic in Palo Alto, Calif., estimates that 93 percent of us have labeled ourselves as shy at some point in our lives. Fear of rejection plays a big part, researchers said. ...

According to a study presented at the recent American Psychological Association meeting in San Francisco, there are emotional and physical health dividends from the act of forgiveness. The act of forgiving doesn't mean condoning or deciding to forget the offenses, researchers said. It means giving up the right to be aggravated and angry and having the desire to strike back or getting even.

Asthma problems

According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, 7.7 percent of 10 percent of all New Yorkers who have been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lives are living with it now. Maine leads the nation in asthma. Researchers found that asthma is a significant problem in every state including Florida. ...

The heavier women are, the more likely they are to succumb to breast cancer, according to a recent study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Researchers found that among women stricken with the disease, those with the highest rate of survival were the slimmest group. Being even slightly overweight increased the risk of dying, researchers said. ...

Tired, swollen eyes can be treated by placing cold tea bags on them. The trick is using the bags that are caffeinated. It's the caffeine that relieves puffiness by drawing out fluids. ...

To get rid of a wart, tape the inside of a banana peel to the area, replacing it every 12 hours for several days. Apparently, bananas contain enzymes that draw impurities from the skin, which heals the wart.

Performance boosters

About 1 million young people aged 12 through 17 have taken performance-enhancing sports supplements, according to a recent survey by Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Use of performance-enhancers was reported by 5 percent of participants surveyed. Supplement use also was reported by 2 percent of those ages 10-14. The most popular substance used was creatine, a legal and widely used amino acids-based strength training supplement for athletes that is marketed to youngsters in the form of cookies and candy. Creatine can cause cramps and diarrhea. While less is known about longterm use because of lack of research, it has been linked to muscle injury and kidney problems.

Variety is life spice

Eat more Mexican, Italian, Greek, Indian, Chinese and Japanese food to help get more of a variety in your diet.

Nutrition studies have shown that Americans eat the same foods week after week, which is not only boring, but could be hindering the heart. Fiber, folic acid, antioxidant vitamins and minerals are the heart-healthiest things you can eat, according to researchers. However, they are not the most abundant in the diets of most Americans. They are, fortunately, in the cuisines of other countries. Asian dishes are full of nutrient dense vegatables and fish; Mexican has rice and bean dishes for fiber; Italian has olive oil, tomato and red wine.

So start going global with your diet. It will increase your intake of the essential ingredients to help cut your heart disease risk by as much as 80 percent.

Sharon Robb can be reached at srobb@sun-sentinel.com.

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