Get Out!
Explore and enjoy the Eugene area
By Laurel Conley
ost college students who come to the U of O are
Maware that Eugene and its surrounding area offer
many great ways to enjoy the outdoors. The majority
of us are aware of the multiple hiking trails in Eu
gene and have heard about, or hiked, Spencer’s and
Skinner’s Butte. While these are great for close-in
hikes, mosUDeople are unaware of the hundreds^ other hikes that are
often flfes t®tn a 45-minute drive from Eugene. Don’t worry if you are
not a seasoned “mountain man,” there are hikes for any level of diffi
culty you wish to tackle.
We are all aware that exercise is great for the body, and what better
way to feel healthy than enjoying a picnic on the top of Mt. June? The
view from this 4618-foot summit is amazing. There are also a couple
of other hikes nearby such as Sawtooth, a roundtrip hike of about 10
miles that also includes a 100-foot climb up Sawtooth Rock. If you’re
* looking fora shorter hike, Eagle’s Rest is a more leisurely alternative.
This two-mile roundtrip hike also offers great views of Mt. June and
the “Lost Valley.” If vertical hiking is not your cup of tea, Shotgun
Creek offers a scenic three-and-a-half mile trail along with a picnic
area only a half-hour from Eugene. These are only a few of the most
well known hikes in the Willamette Valley area.
I have made many unforgettable memories hiking and biking with
my friends. With the arrival of the sun, finding ways to have fun and
stay healthy become much more plentiful, if you know where to look.
If you are interested in enjoying the great outdoors that Eugene and
the surrounding areas have to offers, I would encourage you check out
some of the following resoftrcesj ■> •
The University of Oregon Peer Health Education Office
A great place to get information on the health benefits of hiking, biking,
etc.. .located in the Health Center.
The University of Oregon Outdoor Program
An amazing resource! The staff is very knowledgeable about the Ore
gon wilderness, and they offer a wealth of information, maps and
guide books on any activity that is outdoors related. You can also ini
tiate or join a trip. Located downstairs in the Erb Memorial Union
(EMU).
The Eugene Public Library
Guidebooks and maps galore! Be sure to take a look at William L. Sul
livan’s book 100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades where the
above hikes are detailed
LTD Bus schedule
Most of these hikes require a car ride to reach the trail head, but softie
of the closer trails can be reached simply by hopping on the bus.
Paid Advertising
Mind Matters
By Amy Pape
In an introductory psychology
course my freshman year, I was in
troduced to the mysterious placebo
effect. We were learning about re
search methods when my professor
described how therapy effectiveness
was measured against a control
group which received an inert treat
ment: one that the patient believed
was a true therapy, but was actually a
psychologically or medically useless
therapy. When the “inert” provided
therapeutic benefit, it is called the
“placebo effect.” In subsequent
courses and studies, I continually
came across the placebo effect merely
used as a comparison tool to “real”
treatments. But I wondered about
this placebo effect, this phenomenon
of people feeling better without true
medication or therapy.
There are three areas of thought
surrounding what is going on when a
person experiences the placebo ef
fect. The first is that the placebo ef
fect is due to a person believing that
they are receiving a treatment. Basi
cally if we believe that we are getting
help, our body reacts as though it is,
even if the help is fake. The next the
ory states that the placebo effect is
simply a measurement of the body
taking its natural course. When left
to heal itself, the body often combats
an illness. Thus the placebo is just
nature at work. The third theory
states that it is the process of receiv
ing care and attention from others
(in this case researchers) that affects
the mood of the subject and triggers
hormones that make the person feel
better.
What each of these theories
shares is the principle of the
mind/body connection, the under
standing that thoughts and attitudes
affect physical health. In an emerging
field of study called psychoneuroim
munology, researchers are looking at
just how our moods and self-talk can
boost or break down our immune
systems. Janice Keicolt-Glaser, PhD,
and Ronald Glaser, PhD, who are
leading researchers in the field,
found that during finals, stressed
medical students showed a decline in
immune cells that fight off tumors
and viruses. Michael Antoni, PhD, at
the University of Miami found that
HIV-positive gay men who go
through stress management training
have a slower rate of decline in T
cells than those who did not under go
the training. What these researchers
are learning is that our emotional
state plays an enormous role in the
health of the body.
So, how can we use the mind
body connection to help us? We can
become aware of how our attitudes
affect our bodies. If we feel really
stressed, depressed, or anxious, we
can get help before it affects our bod
ies. A great place to go is the Counsel
ing Center above the UO Health Cen
ter. They have drop-in hours every
day and the sessions are free. Call
346-3227 for more information.
Another therapy that is available
at the Health Center that can help
with stress, anxiety, pain manage
ment, and healing is Therapeutic
Touch (TT). This energetic modality r
began in the 1970s by nursing profes
sor Dolores Krieger and clairvoyant *
healer Dora Kunz. It is currently
used in hospitals across the country
(including St. Charles Medical Cen
ter in Bend) to increase the healing
potential of patients.
Jude Kehoe is the Health Center’s
nurse TT practitioner. In TT, the
practitioner uses her hands to access
the body’s energetic field and smooth
out any areas that are out of balance.
In a therapeutic touch session, the
patient lies on a table while the prac
titioner passes her hands about one
inch above the body. The therapy
evokes the body’s relaxation re
sponse creating a feeling of peace and
relieving stress. If you want to make
an appointment or get more informa
tion about TT call 346-2768.
Laughter as Medicine
Bij Ted Den'in
« Do you remember the last
time you fell into laughing hys
terics? Think about that time—
what feelings came over you?
Remember being a child again
and how easy was it to laugh?
We found humor in nearly
explained to them they were
more than willing to laugh and
soon the number of members
in the group increased. Now
there are more than 800 laugh
ter clubs around the world.
Some of the health benefits
of laughter described by Dr.
everytning. Discovering the ditrerent sounds you could
make with just the air in your lungs was incredibly excit
ing. Hopefully this time wasn’t so long ago that you have
forgotten how nice it was to cut loose and laugh with your
whole body. I’m one of those people who find things to be
funnier than the average person. The other day, for exam
ple, I saw two squirrels fighting and I started to laugh so
hard I nearly fell over. If you’ve ever seen this happen I’m
sure you’d have done the same. They are like raging balls of
fur that squeak. It is always surprising how good laughing
makes us feel. For me, it is certainly a relaxation exercise—
my mood is suddenly uplifted and the bad things in life in
stantly seem to matter less. Apparently I’m not the only
one to realize how important laughing is for the body, be
cause laughing clubs are being started all over the world.
Laughter clubs are exactly what they sound like they
arg: an organization of people who gather on a regular ba
sis to partake in laughter exercises. The idea comes from
the studies published#} fhsTook Anatomy of an Illness bv
American jo# malist, lN|jrm|| Cousins. Cousins was suf
fering from an incurable illness of the spine which was ex
tremely painful. By incorporating humor into his life by
3 way of comedic movies he succeeded in helping the pain
subside and diminish his symptoms. In 1995, Dr. Madan
Kataria, inspired by Cousin’s book, brought four people to
a park in India to practice the art of laughing. The four
were tentative at first, but once the health benefits were
ivciLUl id, aiU/ULiuna ICICI ICU
to as the Giggling Guru, and others include the following:
• decreased blood pressure
• reduced stress hormone le\’els
• increased muscleflexion
• boosted immune function by raising levels of infection
fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gam
ma-interferon andB-cells, which produce disease-de
stroying antibodies.
• release of endorphins the body’s natural painkillers, and
produces a general sense of well-being.
In one study, the physiological response produced by
belly laughter was opposite of what is seen in classical
stress, supporting the conclusion that mirthful laughter is
a eustress state—a state that produces positive emotions.
Although there are many benefits that affect the chem
istry of your body, simply practicing laughter can help yqgp^
to enjoy life more fully. Manydubs are being started "
around the world, although none are very close to F.mfene^ t ■
If you afre interested in setting ondfcip in your area, the •
guidelines can be found at www.indiabuzz.com/laughter.
But hey, who needs a club to laugh? There ajre^glenTy^Jf
things around Eugene that can make the lay^^r bubble
up inside of you. If nothing else, rent your favorite comedy
and let yourself make the infamous belly laugh. I myself
am going in search of angry squirrels.