Fall 2000
workshops
The following workshops are
available, free of charge, to cur
rently enrolled U of 0 students.
Watch for ads in the Oregon
Daily Emerald for more info.
WEIGHT illfiACEWIENT
GROUP WORKSHOP
Wednesdays, 12:00 - 1:00p.m.
November 1-29
University Health Center
Tired of riding
the dieting roller
coaster? Then
this is the work
shop for you! This
five-week interac
tive workshop will
assist participants in
making lifelong behavior changes.
Food and nutrition, exercise, body
image, relapse prevention and low-fat
cooking will be addressed.
VEGETARIAN COOKING
WORKSHOP
Mondays, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
October 23-November 6
Cafeteria, University Health center
repare nutritious, quick
and tasty autumn vegetari
an dishes. Tips for shopping,
ingredient selection and sav
ing time will be highlighted.
Come hungry and ready to
cook.
To register for or to learn more
about these workshops, check
out the University Health
Center's NEW Web site at
http://healthed.uoregon.edu.
You can also call 346-4056 or
stop by the Peer Health
Education Office on the first
floor of the University Health
Center.
Fall 2000
Health information
Tables at the Rec Center
Wednesdays, 3:00 - 5:00p.m.
October 18:
Nutritional Analysis and Supplements
November 1:
Men's Health and Cholesterol
Screening
November 15:
Smoking and Exercise
November 29:
steoperosis
Things to consider before
you pierce or tattoo
College students across the
country are getting body
piercings and tattoos in
record numbers. There are
several things to consider
before getting the art work
done.
By Diana Jeffrey
When it comes to body art, many
people consider location and design.
But if you are contemplating a tattoo
or piercing there are some things
you may want to consider. Here are
or put anything in your mouth, dur
ing that six weeks, the mouth must
be rinsed afterwards with an an
tibacterial mouthwash diluted with
50 percent water.
Likewise, other consequences
should also be considered. Some
people forget that, for most, tattoo
ing and piercing is a long term and
lifelong commitment. The design or
pierce that you think is trendy now,
could leave a mark for years. Unfor
tunately, what could be cool today
could be detrimental to your future
a few suggestions and ideas to help
you in your decision.
What is your motivation for getting a tattoo
or pierce? Have you been contemplating body
art for a long time, or is it a spur of the moment
decision? Often we are influenced by what we
see around us. If you want to get a tattoo or
piercing to be like everyone else, how unique are
you going to be? While a piercing or tattoo might
have been very unique a few years ago, it is now
a quite common trend.
If you are going to get any body work done,
have it done by a professional. You’re at more
risk to get piercing or tattoo work done at a festi
val or concert than you would at a local studio.
When you get work done in a studio, you can go
back or consult them if problems occur. Like
wise, it is important to check out the studios and
ask questions about safety. Is the studio clean?
How are the instruments cleaned? Are needles
and ink pots one use only? By asking these ques
tions you can get what you want and remain
protected from blood borne pathogens and other
infections.
Piercings and tattoos are considered
wounds. Be aware that care and maintenance
will be involved. A commitment to wound care
is needed to avoid infections and aid healing. For
example, a tongue piercing can take 4 to 6 weeks
to properly heal, if there are no complications or
infections. With oral piercings, if you smoke, eat
pursuits. There can be negative bias
towards people with visible body
art. This could limit jobs and other opportuni
ties. Sometimes people have preconceived no
tions of who and what you are because of a tat
too or piercing.
While tattoos can be removed, it is a very
costly and painful procedure. Laser removal
has been successfully used to remove tattoos, but
can cost $1000 per square inch of tattoo re
moved. Unfortunately, it is often more painful
than getting a tattoo and doesn’t work on all peo
ple or skin types, and may result in a scarring.
Likewise, most piercings will close after the jew
elry is removed, but often results in scarring or
discoloration of the skin.
Antioxidants & the healthy approach
Antioxidants play an
important role in protect
ing the body from harmful
environmental pollutants;
however, students should
be careful not to overload
on them
By Nattalie Wright
Do you eat the recommended
amount of fruits and vegetables
daily? If not, there are some com
pelling reasons to start incorpo
rating them into your diet! Not
only will you be on your way to
having better eating habits that
could help with weight manage
ment and disease prevention, but
you will be getting needed nutri
ents and minerals. The nutrients
and minerals found in fruits and
vegetables, also known as antiox
idants, play a part in energizing
you and protecting your body
from harmful environmental pol
lutants and your own body’s
degeneration.
What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants are vitamins and
minerals such as vitamins C and
E, beta carotene (which turns
into vitamin A), and the mineral
selenium, that shut off the oxy
gen supply to harmful agents in
your body. These harmful agents
are called free radicals, and are
produced naturally in your body
as a by-product of the digestion
process. Free radicals can also be
created by your daily interactions
with smog, cigarette smoke, food
additives, radiation, and other
various environmental factors.
When oxygen is metabolized, or
burned by the body, free radicals
begin to travel through cells dis
rupting the structure of mole
cules and results in cellular dam
age. Antioxidants protect cell
components from damage by neu
tralizing the free radicals.
Why are antioxidants benefi
cial? Since antioxidants help
combat free radicals, they are
beneficial and essential for vital
functions such as killing bacterial
invaders. In excess, free radicals
attack and weaken cells and tis
sues. Some researchers believe
that excessive or extended free
radical exposure may lead to the
risk of some forms of cancer,
heart disease, strokes, cataracts,
as well as aiding in the aging
process. Eating a diet rich in
antioxidants and taking supple
ments are the best ways to fight
off the negative effects of free
radicals. In a recent study report
ed at the American Heart
Association, “women who con
sumed high amounts of antioxi
dant-containing foods such as
carrots and spinach had a 33 per
cent lower risk of heart disease
and a 71 percent lower risk of
stroke than women who ate few
antioxidant-containing foods.”
What are sources of antioxi
dants? Fruits, vegetables, whole
grain wheat products, and
seafood are the best sources of
antioxidants. Among these food
groups, the most antioxidant rich
foods include:
• Vegetables: carrots, spinach,
broccoli, cabbage, kale, toma
toes, gams, squash, green and
red peppers.
• Fruits: oranges, grapefruit,
peaches, strawberries, kiwi
fruit, cantaloupe.
• Nuts, seeds, wheat germ.
• Seafood, fish liver oils.
Supplements are also another
source for getting vitamins C, E,
and A as well as the mineral sele
nium and carotenoids.
What are the hazards associat
ed with antioxidants? The haz
ards associated with food con
sumption are very little.
However, high doses of antioxi
dants from supplements could
lead to some health hazards.
Since vitamins A and E are fat
soluble and are stored in the liver
and fatty tissues, they can create
a risk of toxicity. Possible effects
of over doses on antioxidants are
blurred vision (Vitamin A), diar
rhea (Vitamin C), greater risk of
stroke and uncontrolled bleeding
(Vitamin E), and selenosis, a
toxic reaction marked by hair
loss and brittle nails (selenium).
A well-balanced diet contains
sufficient amounts of antioxi
dants to meet your body’s needs
and helps aid in the defense of
free radicals. If you take supple
ments to help meet your daily
antioxidant needs, be careful not
to exceed recommended doses as
this can have dangerous effects.
Check out any number of
nutrition books at the Peer
Health Education Office in the
Health Center.
Spring 2000 Peer Health Educators
Peer Advisors: Nora Aaron, Dan Holbert, Daniel Jeffrey, Diana Jeffrey, Andy Meakins, Amanda Nottke, Christopher Ouellette, Angela Pirisino,
Eric Sangster, Tiffany Skinner, Nattalie Wright.
Photos: Carrie Lacey Krietz Adviser: Stacey Howe
r
I
Health Hi-Lights, Fall 2000
FPEP
The University Health Center is par
ticipating in a federal program FPEP,
Family Planning Expansion Project. This
program allows the Health Center to
provide men and women FREE family
planning services, birth control and
reproductive health care.
For more information on how to
qualify for this program, stop by the
Health Center or call 346-2770 or check
our website at http://healthcenter.uore
I gon.edu I
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