We aren't guaranteed much as adults, but if there's one thing we can count on, it's that our bodies change as we get older. For men, that's especially true. One day you're lifting heavy weights and nailing your cardio regimen without having to stretch before or after. And then, in what seems like the blink of an eye, you start to slow down a little. You begin to notice aches and pains in places that weren't there before. You can't just go out for a night on the town, imbibe until your heart is content, and expect to wake up refreshed.
And while headaches and achy joints can be treated with ice and anti-inflammatory medicine, other aspects of aging aren't as easy to treat. You've probably guessed at this point what we're talking about: erectile dysfunction, or ED for short. When brought up to most men, those are two words that cause a guttural reaction of fear and trepidation.
While just about every man fears ED, millions suffer from it - almost 10% of the male population between the ages of 40 and 70. So, if you're beginning to have trouble performing in the heat of the moment, you're definitely not alone. You may be experiencing symptoms like:
Trouble Achieving an Erection
Trouble Maintaining an Erection
Lower Libido
Less Sexual Pleasure
Premature Ejaculation
Inability to Achieve Orgasm
However, at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine, we understand that stats won't do anything to address the stress and anxiety you're facing in relation to erectile dysfunction. You need a viable solution - a science-backed treatment that doesn't require strange pills or invasive surgeries. As a fully integrated multidisciplinary clinic in Mount Pleasant, we have what you've been searching for: softwave therapy for ED in Mount Pleasant, SC.
To fully grasp the benefits of using soft wave therapy for erectile dysfunction, you must first understand what causes ED to begin with. Put simply, erectile dysfunction is the inability to get an erection and keep it throughout sexual intercourse. You should know that it's not uncommon if you have erection trouble. However, if your inability to "get it up" becomes a common occurrence, you may be suffering from ED.
Erectile dysfunction doesn't just affect your penis - it also affects your wellbeing and relationships. It can lower your confidence, cause a large amount of stress that affects your ability to work, and may even cause contention with your partner.
You hear it all the time - as men get older, they often lose the ability to get erect. But why? As men age, the blood vessels in their penis start to fill up with micro-plaques, causing them to deteriorate. When these blood vessels deteriorate, it's more difficult for them to have steady blood flow. And that's the key to ED - having the constant blood flow to get and keep an erection. That's where the science-backed effectiveness of Softwave therapy swoops in to save the day.
Shockwave technology has been around for decades. It has been used at the highest-level research and medical facilities like the Cleveland Clinic and Memorial Sloan Kettering. However, Softwave therapy is a more refined, effective way to treat erectile dysfunction and also advance tissue healing.
Softwave therapy works by using electrohydraulic spark gap technology at its core. Its innovative design features a parabolic reflector applicator that produces very effective, low-intensity shock waves that are unfocused. Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine's Softwave applicator spreads energy to a large area of both superficial and deep tissue, creating a biological response that kickstarts your body's natural healing process.
For men suffering from ED, it is a revolutionary breakthrough treatment that doesn't require harmful surgeries or side effects from pills. In fact, it has been FDA approved for many uses, including improved blood flow, which is often the root cause of erectile dysfunction.
Book AppointmentUnlike some more traditional treatment options, Softwave therapy gets right to the crux of the ED issue. It uses shock wave technology on a cellular level, helping to naturally heal body parts, like the penis. Some of the most common benefits of Softwave therapy include:
Additionally, Softwave treatments don't require much prep, don't have any sketchy side effects, don't require any numbing agents or anesthesia, and result in little-to-no recovery time. Sound too good to be true? Contact Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine today to learn just how effective Softwave therapy is for our patients!
Softwave therapy works by using efficient, effective shock waves that cause biological regeneration processes that heal your body using its own healing factors. It works like this: Softwaves are created via a high-energy electrical discharge in water. The voltage is discharged between the plus and minus tips of an electrode. The spark gap or arching causes an equalization of voltage between the opposing tips of the electrode, which causes a hot plasma bubble. This bubble explodes and distributes in every direction, compresses the surrounding water, and generates a pressure > 10 MPa within nanoseconds.
To sum up, Softwave therapy uses low-intensity, unfocused energy that is delivered by a reflector in parallel waves. These waves help open up the blood vessels in your penis, allowing more blood to flow. At Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine, our team of expert physicians will develop a personalized Softwave therapy plan based on your body and needs. With the right number of treatments, you should be able to achieve and maintain firm erections as you did in your prime.
A Softwave therapy procedure averages 10-15 minutes but may be longer depending on treatment area and diagnosis. A gel is applied to the surface area to be treated. The applicator produces pulses as the clinician moves around the treatment area. During therapy, communication with your provider is necessary to identify treatment areas and monitor progress.
Once treatment is over, you may resume your normal day-to-day activities. In fact, most patients can have Softwave therapy while on their lunch break. You don't have to worry about recovery time, side effects, or any downtime at all.
More than 50% of men will experience erectile dysfunction at some point in their lives. If you're over the age of 30, have been suffering from ED, and don't want to rely on pills or surgery, Softwave therapy may be for you. That's doubly true if you've tried traditional treatments like Viagra and even surgery but didn't get the results you hoped for. Many academic studies about shockwave therapy for ED state that this revolutionary technology is successful where PDE5 inhibitors fail.
In fact, many urologists consider Softwave therapy the most promising ED treatment on the market. The truth is, even if you're not battling ED, men can use Softwave therapy as a preventative way to keep the magic flowing in the bedroom. Some of the key reasons to choose Softwave therapy over less effective, traditional treatments include:
If you're curious why Softwave treatments are so popular for ED, the answer is simple. Prescription drugs like Cialis and others that "treat" ED often come with less-that-savory side effects. At best, these effects are just something patients have to deal with. At worst, they can disrupt your day-to-day schedule and may prevent you from enjoying a healthy life. Sure, some men swear by the "little blue pill," but most guys aren't aware of the hidden risks with drugs like Viagra. The following side effects can be common in both short and long-term circumstances:
If you're suffering through erectile dysfunction, it's crucial to understand why it's happening. The primary reason for ED is a lack of blood flow to the penis, which makes erections difficult to get and keep. Rather than relying on prescription and gas station pills for a quick fix, more men are using softwave ED treatment in Mount Pleasant, SC for an all-natural solution minus the side effects. With Softwave therapy, you don't have to live with ED, and you don't have to suffer from scary side effects from popping too many pills.
Book AppointmentSoftwave therapy is often a more effective solution for men with ED than similar but less effective treatments using pressure waves. Softwave therapy from Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine uses acoustic pulses or unfocused shockwaves with fast and steep rise times and high positive pressure. Our unfocused wave design makes it possible to spread energy to a larger area, which affects deep and superficial tissue. By targeting a larger area, a more potent biological response is often achieved, initiating your body's natural healing factors.
By comparison, radial pressure waves use acoustic pneumatic pulses with low steeping effects, slow rise times, and large negative pressures. Radial waves are shallower than the shockwaves used in Softwave technology and focus energy and pressure at the surface of the applicator.
Here's a quick breakdown of the differences between softwave therapy for ED in Mount Pleasant, SC, and radial pressure waves:
If you're new to the world of Softwave therapy, chances are you've got some lingering questions you need answered. We'll do our best to answer a few of those questions here for your convenience.
Q. Has the FDA approved softwave therapy for ED in cityname, state?
A. Yes - Softwave therapy is FDA 510(k) approved for:
Q. Is softwave therapy painful?
A. Softwave therapy does not require surgery or any invasive form of treatment. With that said, some patients describe minimal discomfort or pain during our softwave treatments. Should this occur, your medical specialist will make necessary adjustments. Usually, patients do not have to endure any pain at all and only experience a pulse or tapping feeling on their skin.
Q. How long is a Softwave treatment session?
A. An individual session only takes five to fifteen minutes. It's typically recommended that patients have treatment once a week for three to five weeks. The length and frequency of your Softwave therapy sessions will be determined after you visit our medical clinic for a comprehensive evaluation.
Q. How long does it take for Softwave therapy to work?
A. Every patient we treat is different, and as such, will have different treatment recommendations. Often, patients notice the results of Softwave therapy after the first session. However, for the longest-lasting effects, most patients need between three and four treatments, with a week of non-treatment after every session.
Q. Can I combine Softwave therapy with other treatments from Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine?
A. It's hard to give a definitive answer to this question since every patient is different. It's important for you to have a full evaluation to determine the scope of your needs and the appropriate therapies. However, Softwave therapy often works very well with other treatments. In fact, other therapies offered at our medical clinic like massage therapy and chiropractic care can make Softwave treatment even more effective.
Remember - our team at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine is always happy to answer any questions you may have about ED or our ED treatments. Give us a call today - it would be our pleasure to get to know you better!
Unlike some wellness clinics, our experienced providers work together to optimize treatment for men suffering from ED. We always strive to make sexual wellbeing an accessible part of your everyday lifestyle.
That's why, at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine, our mission is simple: to correct the root cause of your erectile dysfunction by taking a comprehensive, total body approach to healing and treatment. We want to address your ED problem without having to resort to chemical-based medications or unnecessary surgeries. Instead, we focus on all-natural, effective solutions like shockwave therapy for ED in Mount Pleasant, SC.
By discovering what's best for each person's individual body and needs, we can help create a healthier future for those in our community through our holistic physical medicine practices. Contact our office to learn more about Softwave therapy and how we can solve the underlying causes of your unique ED situation.
Book AppointmentListen to this articleThree area hospitals have been sold in a $2.4 billion deal to North Carolina-based Novant Health by the previous owner, Tenet Healthcare of Dallas, Texas.The sale of East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, Hilton Head Hospital in Hilton Head and Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville includes the associated physician clinics and other operations, according to a news release from Novant Health.“We are beyond thrilled to welcome our new team members...
Listen to this article
Three area hospitals have been sold in a $2.4 billion deal to North Carolina-based Novant Health by the previous owner, Tenet Healthcare of Dallas, Texas.
The sale of East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, Hilton Head Hospital in Hilton Head and Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville includes the associated physician clinics and other operations, according to a news release from Novant Health.
“We are beyond thrilled to welcome our new team members and grow our presence in South Carolina,” said Carl S. Armato, president and CEO, Novant Health, which is headquartered in Winston-Salem. “Novant Health’s long-term vision is to transform the health and wellness of these communities through expanded specialty services and clinical expertise. We are energized and united behind our cause to create a healthier future together by building connections with patients and clinicians in coastal South Carolina.”
The East Cooper Medical Center includes 15 physician clinics. Hilton Head Hospital includes the Bluffton Okatie Outpatient Center and 12 physician clinics. Coastal Carolina Hospital in Jasper County includes the Tidewatch Free-Standing Emergency Department in Bluffton, according to the news release.
Novant Health said continuity of care is a priority and appointments and procedures will continue as scheduled during the transition period. “We are working closely with our new Novant Health team members to ensure a seamless transition for patients and team members,” Joel Taylor, market CEO of Hilton Head Regional Healthcare, said in the release. “We are eager to move forward together in support of our teams and know decisions will be made with our community’s needs at the forefront.”
“There’s a lot to be excited about when planning for our future,” Tyler Sherrill, CEO of East Cooper Medical Center, said in the release. “Novant Health is known for elevating clinician leadership to provide patients with a trusted health care experience through world-class technology, personal connections and convenient access to care.”
Tenet Health also owns a cluster of imaging centers and urgent care clinics in York, Rock Hill and Fort Mill, but those South Carolina properties were not part of the deal for the coastal hospitals.
“We understand that taking care of our patients starts with taking care of our people, so I’m delighted to join a leadership team that strives to not only be a healthc are provider of choice but also an employer of choice,” Ryan Lee, CEO of Coastal Carolina Hospital, said in the release. “I look forward to expanding the resources available to our team.”
Novant Health supports health and wellness programs in the community, including health education/screenings, community health workers and mobile cruisers. Each year, Novant Health provides hundreds of programs that serve patients, neighbors and some of their communities’ most vulnerable citizens, the company said in the release.
The Novant Health network consists of more than 1,900 physicians and more than 38,000 team members who provide care at more than 800 locations, the release said.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Get carried away at Mount Pleasant’s new southern market and eatery!Located in the heart of town, Get Carried Away offers everything you need whether it’s a delicious grab-and-go meal or stylish glassware for your next dinner party.Happening Saturday, Feb. 3rd, the store will celebrate its grand opening of ‘The Perch,’ their outdoor patio and your new favorite hangout spot for an afternoon spritz and sandwich.We caught up with the owners, Sassy and Brian He...
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Get carried away at Mount Pleasant’s new southern market and eatery!
Located in the heart of town, Get Carried Away offers everything you need whether it’s a delicious grab-and-go meal or stylish glassware for your next dinner party.
Happening Saturday, Feb. 3rd, the store will celebrate its grand opening of ‘The Perch,’ their outdoor patio and your new favorite hangout spot for an afternoon spritz and sandwich.
We caught up with the owners, Sassy and Brian Henry, to learn more about their business ahead of this weekend’s celebration.
“A lot of what we do is entertaining and hosting,” said owner, Brian. The idea for the shop has been derived from their love for food, hosting, and entertaining family and friends.
Get Carried Away’s first location was founded in Pawleys Island, but the Henrys decided to expand services to reach a larger audience. “We felt like Mount Pleasant was a comfortable jump,” Sassy said.
The Henrys want to accommodate Charleston’s vacationers and local folks.
Sassy went on to say, “When people are on vacation and going to the beach, they don’t want to have to cook entertaining-type foods for large groups of people.”
The market offers a variety of items for the typical vacationer to pick up on their way to the beach house or for the everyday locals to sip and shop.
Not only does Get Carried Away offer takeaway meals and a wide selection of beer and wine, but you can also find everyday groceries there such as meat, seafood, fruits, dips, milk, eggs, and so on. And of course, you can’t miss out on their famous chicken salad or pimento cheese!
You can get carried away in their home section, too, if you’re not careful. It features gorgeous glassware, decorative napkins, kitchen towels, candles, and much more! “We’re trying to keep it all food and beverage oriented,” Sassy mentioned about the products featured in the home section. It’s worth checking out if you’re looking to elevate your tablescape.
The fun doesn’t stop there! You and your family can join the Henrys on Saturday, Feb. 3rd from 12:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. for the grand opening of ‘The Perch,’ their outdoor patio and bar. The celebration will include a complimentary Lowcountry boil as well as their homemade crowd-pleaser appetizers.
‘The Perch’ will provide a full lunch and drink menu this spring with specialty cocktails: The Perch Punch, Coleman Cosmo, Old Village Fashioned, and the Moultrie Margarita.
Get Carried Away is located at 644 Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. They’re open from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays.
MOUNT PLEASANT — The saying goes that beggars can’t be choosers, and Trader Joe’s certainly doesn’t need to beg for business (if you've ever fought for a parking spot on a Sunday afternoon, you know).The California-based grocery chain has a reputation for being highly selective about where it opens new stores — even if that means choosing a second location a few miles fr...
MOUNT PLEASANT — The saying goes that beggars can’t be choosers, and Trader Joe’s certainly doesn’t need to beg for business (if you've ever fought for a parking spot on a Sunday afternoon, you know).
The California-based grocery chain has a reputation for being highly selective about where it opens new stores — even if that means choosing a second location a few miles from an existing one.
Trader Joe’s confirmed in January that Mount Pleasant will soon have not one, but two stores in town.
The announcement sparked excitement, praise and a fair amount of grumbling from outside fans of the grocery chain who believe their communities are more deserving of a new Trader Joe's location. A post about the chain's plans for Mount Pleasant drew more than 800 comments on The Post and Courier's Facebook page.
"This is the craziest decision," one reader groused. "Right around the corner basically from the current one...why not spread out a bit and go to James Island, West Ashley, N. Charleston or Summerville?"
"Do better Trader Joes," another demanded. "Two locations in the same area is preposterous."
As one might imagine, the news received a much more favorable reception in Mount Pleasant.
Tasha Blomquist and her son perused the floral offerings in front of the store on a cloudy morning. Blomquist said she stops by the store twice a week and is eager to see a new location, hopefully, in the northern part of town, where she lives.
“I live way in north Mount Pleasant, so I’m happy there might be one there,” Blomquist said. “I think it’s needed though because every time I’m here … I feel like you have to do multiple laps around the parking lot just to find a spot.”
Another shopper, Kelly Crowley, who lives near Brickyard Plantation, said opening a second store will hopefully cut down on crowds.
“We come by here pretty regularly. If you come here on Sunday or even Saturday, it’s lines all the way back into the aisle," Crowley said.
Though Trader Joe’s has not disclosed where the new store will be, multiple sources have told The Post and Courier the grocery chain is considering the old Bi-Lo building at the foot of the Isle of Palms Connector — a few miles from the store on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard that opened in 2011, and not farther into northern Mount Pleasant as customers like Blomquist would hope.
The proximity to an existing store seems like a head-scratching move — why does Mount Pleasant get two stores 5 miles apart, bypassing places like Summerville or West Ashley?
Demand for a Trader Joe’s in these areas is high, as evidenced by petitions that attract thousands of signatures calling for the chain to open the shop in their towns and cities.
One such petition from 2020 that called for a store in Summerville earned nearly 5,000 signatures. Another in West Ashley gained over 6,000.
Similar efforts also crop up in Myrtle Beach regularly. The city is one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing, yet you won’t find a Trader Joe's in the coastal municipality. Former Horry County Director of Planning David Schwerd said he had that conversation over and over during his 30-year tenure.
“'We need Trader Joe's. Everybody always wants a Trader Joe's. Pretty much every time a commercial rezoning or development planning comes up, it's usually the first one that gets mentioned,” Schwerd said.
Jeff Campbell, the University of South Carolina's department of retailing chair, said grocery stores, particularly Trader Joe's, are extremely strategic in opening new locations. You won't see a Trader Joe's on every corner, and they take their time scouting areas before settling on a city.
"Typically, they would use a variety of metrics in site selection, and while location is still an important consideration, they'll look at things like projected foot traffic, the demographics of the area, where the current transportation routes are, where competitors are located," Campbell said.
Myrtle Beach being a hot spot for tourists might not be attractive to the chain either. People who visit the coastal city are looking to stock up for the week, heading to Walmart or Costco for items in bulk, rather than prepackaged, single-serve foods, Campbell said.
People can request that Trader Joe’s consider their city for a new store. Nakia Rohde, a spokesperson for Trader Joe’s, said the company receives “tons” of requests for stores nationwide.
The company doesn’t share much about how it chooses the perfect site for a new Trader Joe's. But Schwerd has a hunch. He pointed to the region’s median income, age and education level — factors the grocer is thought to consider when choosing sites for a new store.
“They have their undisclosed lists of what they're looking for in demographics,” Schwerd said. “Even though Trader Joe's does not list any specific criteria in their evaluation, that's what they're looking for. They have an upscale, educated clientele.”
An interview with Joe Coulombe, the store’s founder and namesake, published in the LA Times in 2011 demonstrates this ideology that seems to have stuck with the company: “Unless you have enough well-educated people, Trader Joe’s will not work.”
Because of these factors, Schwerd said Horry County or Myrtle Beach are unlikely to get a Trader Joe’s any time soon.
According to U.S. census data, Myrtle Beach has a median income of $57,713, a median age of 51.5 years and 28.8 percent of residents who hold bachelor’s degrees or higher.
Mount Pleasant’s median age of 41.3 years is slightly higher than the state’s 40.5 years, but in Greenville and Columbia, where the other two Trader Joe’s are located, the median ages are much younger at 35.9 and 28.4, respectively.
“They want younger consumers, they want a little bit better-income consumers," Campbell said.
Mount Pleasant, where the median income is $114,237 and 66 percent of residents hold a bachelor’s degree, is far above the state’s median income level of roughly $64,000 and where 32.6 percent of the state hold bachelor's degrees.
So, Trader Joe’s wants to open stores in higher-earning areas with higher volumes of college-educated folks, and Mount Pleasant happens to fit the bill. It fits so well that shoppers will soon find half of South Carolina's Trader Joe's in town.
Campbell, who lives in Lexington, said he’d like to welcome a store in his city, but it’s not likely — it's just not what Trader Joe’s is looking for.
“They're not trying to sell to everybody. They're trying to sell to a particular demographic, and that demographic tends to do very well,” Campbell said.
Reach Anna Sharpe at 843-806-6790.
has secured new space in Mount Pleasant at 11 Ewall St.With a 22,000-square-foot facility and support from the town of Mount Pleasant, the South Carolina Research Authority and Charleston County Economic Development, the location is designed to provide a collaborative space to inspire, educate and elevate entrepreneurial organizations, venture capital investment and innovation, according to a news release.Executive Directo...
has secured new space in Mount Pleasant at 11 Ewall St.
With a 22,000-square-foot facility and support from the town of Mount Pleasant, the South Carolina Research Authority and Charleston County Economic Development, the location is designed to provide a collaborative space to inspire, educate and elevate entrepreneurial organizations, venture capital investment and innovation, according to a news release.
Executive Director Grady Johnson said in an email the additional location for the center “will greatly expand our ability to house entrepreneurs and deliver services to them, like education, etc.”
The Harbor Entrepreneur Center’s objective is to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem for students, veterans, career changers and businesses to develop new enterprises and ideas to grow in the Charleston region, the news release said.
“The town’s economic development strategy specifically calls for a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation,” Mount Pleasant Economic Development Manager Matt Brady said in the news release. “Our partnership with Harbor addresses this directly, and lets the world know that Mount Pleasant is the hub of innovation for South Carolina. We are excited for the companies coming over with HEC and look forward to collaborating with our stakeholders to recruit high-growth firms and create jobs in our community and region.”
The Harbor Entrepreneur Center was recently selected to serve as the lead agent for innovation and entrepreneurship, one of the areas of focus of the One Region Roadmap, part of the strategy of a partnership among the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, the Charleston Regional Development Alliance and the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. The roadmap provides a broad platform for the community to address economic challenges heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as threats to our region’s prosperity and global competitiveness, according to the release.
“Naming the Harbor Entrepreneur Center as the lead agent for innovation and entrepreneurship gives us the opportunity to take the foundation the HEC has built over the past 10 years and create a high-impact resource for the region,” Johnson said in the release. “The town of Mount Pleasant’s ability to immediately recognize this opportunity and provide us with financial support allowed us to quickly propel this project from vision to reality.”
The Harbor Entrepreneur Center a 501c3 non-profit founded in 2012 by local entrepreneurs John Osborne and Patrick Bryant with support from the town of Mount Pleasant.
The center is housed in the Epic Center at the Citadel Mall, 2070 Sam Rittenberg Blvd.
If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, you’ve come to the wrong place. It’s not likely that snow will be in our forecast for the holidays, but in these days of wacky weather, you never can tell. We’ve had our share of sunny and warm Christmas days here in the Lowcountry, but there have also been a few harbingers thrown in. In 2018, just after the holidays ended – and two days after the new year was ushered in with temperatures in the 70s – the year started out with more than 5 inches of snow, the third h...
If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, you’ve come to the wrong place. It’s not likely that snow will be in our forecast for the holidays, but in these days of wacky weather, you never can tell. We’ve had our share of sunny and warm Christmas days here in the Lowcountry, but there have also been a few harbingers thrown in. In 2018, just after the holidays ended – and two days after the new year was ushered in with temperatures in the 70s – the year started out with more than 5 inches of snow, the third highest amount ever recorded here. The snowfall was followed by nearly a week of below-freezing temperatures and highs reaching only into the teens. Drivers were warned to stay off the roads due to the hazardous icy conditions, but several fatalities occurred when people attempted to simply walk on the ice.
Another bizarre winter storm that many long-time locals remember is the 1989 snowstorm, which happened just three months after Hurricane Hugo wreaked havoc. That one did give us a white Christmas – and even provided a bit of Christmas magic by covering up the mounds of debris and devastation that the hurricane had left behind. Eight inches of snow fell from the evening of Dec. 22 to the 23 and stayed around through Christmas Day.
But even without snow in the mix, there have been terrible ice storms when sleet and freezing rain has chilled the Lowcountry to the core, like in January 2011 when icicles draped live oak and palm trees as well as power lines. That meant many folks lost electricity when those power lines came crashing down—which made things pretty miserable since it meant that many homes had no heat. Along the coast, nearly an inch of ice accumulated. Three years later, the Lowcountry was hit with two consecutive ice storms – one in January and an even more severe one just weeks later which brought a third of an inch of freezing rain. That one forced the authorities to close the Ravenel Bridge when giant icicles hung on the bridge’s cables and later fell onto unsuspecting vehicles.
Even though such occurrences might (thankfully) be the exception rather than the norm for our area, early European settlers in the Lowcountry found that their new home would have its trials and tribulations during the winter. A local newspaper, the South Carolina Gazette, reported on Jan. 2, 1737, that frozen ponds and creeks were covered with a layer of ice 3 inches thick.
But winter storms don’t confine themselves to January, often considered the coldest month of the year. On Feb. 12, 1899, a severe blizzard blasted most of the Southeast, including the Lowcountry. Temperatures here plummeted to 7 degrees F and 4 inches of snow blanketed our area. Another February storm occurred in 1934. Lowcountry resident Yvonne Kanapaux said her parents got married on Feb. 10 during that ice storm. She remembered being told that her father had always jokingly predicted that “it would be a cold day in hell when he got married!” And February 1973 brought a record snowfall of 7 inches. Some locals seized that opportunity to use the old Cooper River Bridge as a ski slope.
The winter of 1784 proved to be a particularly bizarre set of weather anomalies. Due to the El Nino effect ushering in unusually cold temperatures to eastern North America coupled with the effects of an atmospheric low caused by a volcanic eruption in Iceland, frigid water temperatures froze up Charleston Harbor. It was reported at the time that some daring local residents ice skated on the surface of the harbor. Hard to imagine, but fact or fiction, it does allude to an extreme weather event.
Snow and icicles adorning the Palmetto State’s namesake trees might make for an interesting holiday photo replacing the iconic images of snow that appear on commercially produced Christmas cards – scenes that Lowcountry residents have never been able to relate to anyway. But when Old Man Winter pays a visit to our area, it’s not exactly picture-perfect. So this holiday season, just be careful what you wish for!
By Mary Coy
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