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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2002)
Factoids Marijuana smoke contains as much or more of the cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke. —Oregon Prevention and Treatment Resource Clearinghouse Flu season is November to April. Flu shots are available to UO students at the Health Center starting today, October 14th, for $6. The best way to ease uncomfortablility due to nursing is to nurse more frequently. Allergy shots have been shown to reduce a person’s asthma symptoms and reduce the need for asthma medications. —WebMD.org Allergy shots are not as effective against allergies to molds, and they are not recommended to treat food allergies. —WebMD.org 31 % of men and 35 % of women in the United States are obese. —Merck Manual, 2002 By 2002,10% of the US population will have diabetes. —Diabetes Forecast, May 2002 40 % of people with social anxiety never get married www.pslgnMp.com/dg.fil22.htm College students spend $5.5 billion on alcohol each year, more than they spend on soft drinks, tea, milk, juice, coffee, or books combined. Women who have 2-5 drinks daily have a 1.5 times greater chance of getting breast cancer than women who don’t drink. “.Breastfeeding has some contraceptive effect, but only in the first three to four months—even then, it isn’t 100 percent effective. Don’t assume that because you’re breastfeeding you can engage in intercourse without contraceptives— unless you want to be breastfeeding again in nine months. ” —Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book, Dr. Susan UO Students who have type I or II diabetes can consult with diabetes nurse Mary Jean Jacobson for advice on self care and medication. Call 346-2735 to schedule. 26 studies found that smoking cigarettes increases stress levels, even though most smokers claim that cigarettes help them cope with stress. —Health Magazine, October2002 Pregnancy_____ and the University Health Center -- ^ -- Through the FPEP grant, eligible men and women may receive birth control free of charge such as: • Oral contraceptives • Emergency contraception (PlanB) • Cervical cap • IUD • Female condoms • Vaginal spermicides • Ortho-Evra •Lunelle • Condoms • Depo Provera By Carrie Zogoros abriela is a student on campus who is studying anthropology. She is also sexually active with her boyfriend of two years. This latter point is presently a concern to her since she should have started her menstrual period one week ago. She ad mits that she and her partner have been a bit careless lately and she could possibly be pregnant. She is very much in love and envisions having children some day, but is unprepared to be preg nant at this time in her life. Gabi is un sure of where to begin, who to turn to, and whether she should first consult a physician or use an over the counter pregnancy test. She is stressed out, can not concentrate in class or at work. She feels tense when around her boyfriend. Gabi knows she needs to take action soon or she will drive herself crazy with the uncertainty. Although fictitious, this is a situa tion that many heterosexually active women on this campus have either experienced, knows a friend who has, or can at least imagine them selves in. First things first. Gabi would ben efit from taking a deep breath be cause her fears may certainly be a false alarm. After a few relaxing breaths, she can begin to take action. A good place to start is an over-the counter home pregnancy test. This is a urine test that detects human chronic gonadatrophin hormone (hcG) present in a woman’s urine. If this test is administered one week following a missed menstrual period, it is about 99 % accurate and reliable. The Health Center Pharmacy offers an at-home test called Quick Check Plus and it is sold without prescrip tion for five dollars. If the home test gives a positive result, a sensible next step would be to set up an appointment at the Health Center with a medical practi tioner. Keep in mind the practitioner will ask the date of the last menstrual period and date of unprotected sex. The practitioner would administer a urine test and give counseling and education regarding pregnancy. For example, because the Health Center offers no prenatal care, Gabi would be given references of local physi cians, nurse practitioners and nurse midwives who provide pre-natal and obstetric care as well as pregnancy termination clinics in both the Eu gene/Springfield area and Portland. The Health Center provides no rec ommendation regarding pregnancy termination, merely offers options to the pregnant woman so she can make an educated and thoughtful de cision about her future as a possible mother. For those who want children in the future, not now, and are hetero sexually active there are many ways to prevent finding ourselves in the same situation as our fictional stu dent, Gabi. Good news for most stu dents is that many qualify for free contraceptive services at the Health Center, through the Family Planning Expansion Project (FPEP). If Gabi qualifies for this plan, she could re ceive the pregnancy test for free. Through the FPEP grant, eligible men and women may receive birth control free of charge such as; • Oral contraceptives • Depo Provera • Emergency contraception (Plan B) • Cervical cap •IUD • Female condoms • Vaginal spermicides • Lunelle • Condoms • Ortho-Evra • Diaphragm For more information about whether you qualify for FPEP or to schedule an appointment at the Health Center, call 346-2770. Jj) JJ JlCdlTSL Considering the risks By Katie Collins few months ago, I began experi A encing some health problems. The symptoms were fairly mild; it began with trouble sleeping and a vague feeling of anxiety. Chalking it up to being a busy college student, I wasn’t too worried. When it pro gressed into fits resembling panic attacks with my heart always pounding, I finally decided to go to the University Health Center and see a physician. I learned I had brought it upon myself. About a month before my visit I began taking MiniThins, an over the counter drug to help me concentrate and stay awake to study. They also decreased my ap petite, so if I also lost a couple of pounds that was fine with me. I knew they contained caffeine, but I knew little about the other main ingredient— ephedrine—which turned out to be the cause of all my problems. Ephedrine, the active ingredient of the ephedra plant, is very widely used for weight loss, as an en ergy booster, and to supposedly enhance athletic performance. It’s found in many common dietary supplements, such as Easy Trim, Metabolife, Metabolite, and Ripped Fuel. Like myself, many people taking these pills have no idea of the harm they maybe causing themselves. Similar to am phetamines, ephedrine targets the central nervous system and heart, leading to a wide range of physi cal side effects- some mild, some deadly. The most common are elevated blood pressure, rapid heart rate, anxiety, and insomnia, but more serious ef fects include: nerve and muscle damage, memory loss, strokes, and heart attacks. One of the most frightening aspects of these products is their lack of regula tion. Because of the Dietary Supple ments Health and Education Act of 1994, claims don’t have to meet the Food and Drug Ad ministration’s (FDA) standards for safety and efficacy. This also means that their labels can claim anything that a company de sires to try and sell their product. One of the com mon marketing techniques is to label products as “herbal” and “natural,” which is commonly as sumed to mean safe. This misconception has led to injury and even death. Because there is no quality control, the herbs can be misidentified or contami nated with other substances. If you are taking these supplements, the FDA has published guidelines for their use. They sug gest the intake of no more than 24mg of ephedrine per day, in 8 mg increments every six hours, and to discontinue use after no more than one week. It is also recommended to consult a physician, as pre existing conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease or pregnancy can greatly increase one’s risks. I would suggest asking yourself if drop ping a few pounds, studying for a couple more hours, or having a great workout is really worth risking your life. For more information, make an appointment with a practitioner at the University Health Center (345-2770) or drophy the Peer Health Education Office for more information on supplements, ener gy and fatigue, sensible weight loss, and stress management. Like myself, many people taking these pills have no idea of the harm they may be causing themselves. Similar to amphetamines, ephedrine targets the central nervous system and heart, leading to a wide range of physical side effects- some mild, some deadly.
