workshops
The following workshops
are available, free of
charge, to currently
enrolled U of 0 students.
Watch for ads in the
Oregon Daily Emerald for
more information.
SMOKING CESSATION
Mondays, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
October 18-November 8
Medical Library, university Health Center
Quit smoking this term and
celebrate life as a non smoker.
This five week workshop is
open to those who want to
quit and those who have
already quit and want addi
tional support, identify trig
gers to smoke, learn to over
come urges, adopt alternative
behaviors, and address fears
about possible weight gain.
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Tuesdays, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
October 26-November 23
Medical Library, University Health Center
Invest in yourself this term.
Learn how to turn information
on nutrition, cooking, exercise
and behavior change into life
long practices. You are certain
ly more than what you eat.
RELAXATION
Thursdays, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
October 21-November 11
Medical Library, university Health Center
Develop personal relaxation
techniques that can be inte
grated into your hectic college
life. This workshop will explore
and demonstrate a variety of
stress reduction strategies.
To register for or to learn
more about these workshops,
check out the University
Health Center's NEW Web site
at healthed.uoregon.edu. You
can also call 306-4456 or
stop by the Peer Health
Education Office on the first
floor of the University Health
Center.
Laser Eye Surgery
by Sean Gross
A relatively new
surgery allows people
with refractive errors to
correct their vision in less
than an hour.
The ability to see well
without corrective lenses
is almost too much for
some people to pass up.
Several forms of eye
surgery have made it possible for people with refractive errors to per
manently improve their vision to a normal level without having to use
corrective lenses. The most popular form of refractive eye surgery is
the relatively new Lasik procedure.
Refractive eye surgery is the procedure that can improve or correct
the eye’s focus by permanently changing the shape of the cornea.
The Lasik procedure can be used to correct nearsightedness, far
sightedness, and astigmatism. The Lasik procedure is by far the most
common with 80% of the 450,000 corrective eye surgeries completed
last year using that technique. The Lasik procedure involves cutting
back a flap of the cornea with an automated cutting tool. The underly
ing tissue is then removed to alter the cornea’s shape using an excimer
laser. The flap is then replaced without the use of sutures, and in a
matter of 40 minutes both eyes have been completed.
The Lasik procedure is a relatively painless procedure, and recovery
usually only takes a day to two weeks. The Lasik procedure is stable
and permanent with 97% of the patients having their vision restored
to at least 20/40, which is the level at which a person can legally drive
without glasses. If the surgery is undercorrected after three weeks, the
surgery can be enhanced. The convenience of the procedure is the sell
• •••••••••••
ing point for most peo
ple. Never having to put
on or take off contacts
daily is a major conve
nience that many stu
dents would love to have.
Laser eye surgery is
not for everyone. The
cost associated with the
procedure and the com
>••••• ---(—plications or surgery are
two major factors, which
keep many people from having the procedure. The cost is currently
around $2,000 per eye and is generally not covered by insurance. This
is a hefty price, but when compared to the yearly costs of contacts
viewed in the long run it might not be such a bad idea. Also because
the technique is new, the price is still relatively high, but the price
should decrease in the coming years. With Lasik there is approximately
a 1-2 % chance of flap complications, but it can usually be corrected
with another surgery. The general rule of thumb is that the more expe
rienced the surgeon the better the outcome.
The Lasik eye surgery has proved very effective and has become a
very popular means to a more convenient life without corrective lens
es.
The procedure is offered at many locations around the Eugene area
including the Oregon Eye Institute, and the Pacific Clear Vision
Institute. For more information on laser eye surgery, consult the inter
net at http://www.eyeinfo.com/, or if you are having problems with
your vision when reading or driving, you can go to the Health Center
and have your eyes checked on the Titmus eye machine.
• •••••••••••••••••••••••
Koryo Acupuncture
by Eui Jun Kim
Americans have many types of
alternative medicine available to
them. One such alternative is
Chinese Medicine, consisting of
use of natural remedies and
acupuncture. Although acupunc
ture is becoming more widely
accepted in this country, how it
works is still somewhat mysteri
ous.
Acupuncture comes from the
ancient past, it is nest understood
as assisting in the balance of ener
gy in the body by stimulating certain points
on the surface of the skin. Asians call the
energy in the body yin chi and yang chi. Even
though there is no direct translation for yin
and yang chi in English, they are very impor
tant to explain Chinese medicine, including
acupuncture. Yin and yang energies are oppo
site of each other and they have to be bal
anced, like positive and negative in a battery.
Without balance, there is likely to be illness.
If someone has illness, Chinese Medicine con
siders that the flow of chi is not balanced or is
somehow blocked. Western medicine has no
way to measure this phenomenon or to see
chi.
Koryo acupuncture is a type of Chinese
Medicine, which treats imbalanced or blocked
chi through acupuncture points in the hand.
The practitioner, who has many years of
training, uses small needles that are placed
0.3 mm below the surface of the skin. The
palm of the hand is associated with the front
regions of the body, while the back of the
hand is associated with the back of the body.
Thumb and fifth finger relate to the legs and
second and forth finger relate to the arms.
Another type of acupuncture, practiced by
Tom Williams, Licensed
Acupuncturist in Eugene, uses
points in the ear to treat imbal
ances of chi in the body. He has
been successful in treating people
who are in the process quitting
smoking. For the last three years,
Tom has provided acupuncture at
the Health Center for students at U
of O during the Great American
Smokeout, which this year will be
November 18th. Following three
one-hour treatments, clients often
report that cigarettes have a strong
and unpleasant taste. Acupuncture can
reawaken the body’s innate understanding
that cigarette smoke in the respiratory system
is toxic.
Regardless of the explanation of how
acupuncture works, it is becoming increasing
ly popular as a complementary form of treat
ment in this country. The Peer Health
Education office in the University Health
Center has several current books and refer
ences on the use acupuncture. Call 346-4456
or stop by the Peer Health Ed office.
Acupuncture comes from the
ancient past. It is best under
stood as assisting in the balance
of energy in the body by stimu
lating certain points on the sur
face of the skin.
Fall 1999 Peer Health Educators
Jessica Green, Sean Gross, Eui Jun Kim, Jen Lewis, Jennifer Olson, Jennifer Paaras, Michelle Shaw, Dahlia Shoemaker, Alisa Whitford.
Photos: Natasha Klein Adviser: Stacey Howe
WellNow is published each term, except summer, for UO students by the Health Education Department of the Health Center, 13th and Agate Streets, University of Oregon, http://healthcenter.uoregon.edu
OCTOBER 21
The nm Student Recreational Facility Opens!
come visit us at "The Cart” in the new student
Recreational Facility every Wednesday afternoon
from 3-5:00 p.m. We will feature Information on
hot health topics each week, like Ergogenlc Aids,
Carbo loading, injury prevention and more, call 346
4456 for more Information.
NOVEMBER 1S
Justus: A Question of Conduct' Mock Date-Rape Trial
A reenactment of a fictional sexual assault
court case in which a u of 0 student being accused
of date rape. The event will model an actual u of o
conduct hearing, enabling students to learn more
about the u of o conduct code system and how It
works. Justus: A Question of Conduct will also
explore how students can create a climate where
justice is served and the many gray areas surround
ing sexual assault are far better understood.