You Can Kick it!
Accordingto
the 2003
UO Health
Center Survey
22% of
UO students
use tobacco
81% of UO
students who
use tobacco
have considered
quitting
6l%ofUO
students who
use tobacco
have tried
to quit
8y Phyllis Lee
e are constantly bombarded with the words“Don’t smoke, it's bad for you.” By now,
we all understand that tobacco related diseases (heart attack,stroke,emphysema
and cancer) are the top killers in America. These diseases are also the most pre
ventable.We know this and yet look around campus. According to the 2003 Health Center sur
vey, an average of 22% of us Ducks smoke.
We also know most smokers want to quit. Shouldn’t we,as concerned friends,focus on how
to support those that are already addicted and are trying to quit? Kicking the habit is difficult;
however the health benefits of quitting quickly outweigh the difficulties. The Center for Disease
Control recommends this plan for those wanting to quit smoking.
• Write down all the reasons you want to quit and refer to this list often
• Know that it will take effort to quit smoking. It takes most successful quitters
about five attempts.
• Don Y smoke any number or any kind of cigarette. Cold turkey has been shown to
be the most effective quit strategy.
• Half of all adult smokers have quit, so you can too
University of Oregon Health Center is a wonderful resource for students who want to quit
smoking. Smoking Cessation workshops are offered every term. There is helpful information
and quit kits located in the Peer Health Education Office. In addition the Health Center is offer
ing nicotine replacement (patches and gums) to students who want to quit smoking, free of
charge. For more information come by the Health Education office in the UO Health Center or
call 3464456.
Your Health:
The most important subject this term
By Shannon Stout
ollege students complain about feel
ing stressed in such matter-of-fact
ways,that we may begin to believe
there are no alternatives. The same goes for
complaints of falling asleep in class or finding
nothing other than junk food when it comes
time fora meal.
As we try to strike a balance between work
and playour health is often compromised.
Fast food instead of nutrient dense food and
all night cram sessions instead of time man
agement are tempting choices that offer limit
ed reward. It is important to try to keep a regu
lar sleep schedule,eat right and exercise. This
is easier said than done.Yet finding balance is
simply a matter of making choices to incorpo
rate sensible health practices. Efforts toward
living a more healthy life today will have posi
tive effects on your stress levels, mood and ca
pabilities.The bonus is that eventually these
practices will become habits.
Eat a well balanced diet. Studies show
that skipping breakfast detracts from scholas
tic achievement. If you are on the run grab a
bagel,piece of fruit,and some juice instead of
a donut and coffee.Try to eat foods that are
baked,steamed,or grilled,rather than fried.
Limit the amount of empty calorie foods (e.g.
candy, chips, and soda that provide few nutri
ents other than calories).Find nutrient dense
foods at late-night snack time such as pop
corn and veggies.lt is also very important to
drink plenty of water to keep your body hy
drated.
Exercise regularly. Exercising 3-5 times
a week for 2060 minutes will help increase
muscle tone,decrease body fat,and will help
to speed up your metabolism to give you
more energy TVy biking,running,fast walking,
or swimming. Those who exercise, tend to stay
more alert in the day and sleep more deeply
at night.Exercise can also help reduce the risk
of many chronic diseases such as heart dis
ease,strokes,and some cancers.
Make sure to get enough sleep. Poor
sleep can quickly become a catch 22 where
unchecked stress disturbs sleep and in turn
poor sleep aggravates stress. There may be so
much to juggle in college that you find you
are skimping on rest. The average amount of
sleep a person needs is 8 hours. Not getting
enough sleep can lower your immune sys
tem, making you susceptible to colds, flu and
other illnesses.
SOURCES AVAILABLE ON CAMPUS
• Student Recreation Center: Avail
able to all UO students, includes
swimming pool, variety of athletic
equipment, indoor track, rock climb
ing, basketball and tennis courts.
• Physical education classes: Over 30
different credit course offered to stu
dents.
• Join an Intramural Sports Team or
Club Sport (Information available in
the Rec Center).
• University Health Center offers a
wide variety of services for health
promotion. Stop by the Peer Health
Ed Room or call 346-4456 to find out
more about health promotion
services.
Be Dear To Your Heart
by Susie S.Jiing
n your pursuit to get to get to know others on campus,
don’t forget to get to know yourself. Let’s start with a few
personal questions.
• Do you have a family history of heart disease?
• Do you smoke?
• Do you have high blood pressure (Le. above
140/90)?
• Are you overweight?
• Is exercise absent from your normal weekly routine?
• Do you have a high blood cholesterol level (i.e. above
240 mg/dO?
If you answered “yes” or“don’t know”to any of these ques
tions,you may be susceptible to cardiovascular disease
(CVD). Studies have demonstrated that,even at our young age,
many of our arteries are ALREADY 20-50% occluded. That
would mean,of course,that the heart is not receiving an ade
quate blood supply While this may not spell immediate disas
ter, when the heart’s ability to work is greatly reduced for a pro
Studies have demonstrated
that, even at our young age,
many of our arteries are
ALREADY 20-50% occluded.
longed time,a life-threatening situation can arise.
You may be saying to yourself,“this could not happen to
me, not nowf It’s true that heart disease does not appear
overnight,but takes years to develop. Many do not realize, how
ever,that CVD can start at an early age and that it eventually
kills more Americans than any other disease. According to the
American Heart Association, CVD is the number 1 killer of
both women and men.These diseases claim the lives of more
than half a million females every year - about a death a minute.
That’s more lives than the next 7 causes of death combined.
Factors that influence this statistic include the usual suspects:
tobacco smoke, obesity physical inactivity high blood pressure,
diabetes mellitus.and high blood cholesterol.
The good news is that CVD can be prevented. Most preven
tion measures involve nothing magical, just adjusting lifestyle
factors:
• First, if you use tobacco, quit
• Choose nutrient dense foods with limited saturated
fats
• Incorporate daily aerobic exercise
• Maintain normal blood pressure and blood choles
terol
If you are not sure if you are at risk of CVD, the UO Health
Center offers free cholesterol screening and assessment for
CVD risk. Cholesterol screenings are every Tuesday from 9:30
11:30 a.m. No appointment is needed and you can drop in the
Health Education Office located near Area B.Call 3404456 for
more information.
I The Truth About Ephedra
By Jennifer Helms
verywhere you look,our media is flooded
with ads for weight loss. Products like
Slimfast,weight loss programs,workout
videos,and “miracle” weight loss pills, have found
their way into everyday life. Many people have
been sucked into buying these products without
understanding their potential health dangers.
Ephedra is one such product. Also known as
Ma Huang.it is an adrenaline-like stimulant that
originated in China. Today it is sold in around 200
dietary supplements like Metabolife,Meta-Lite,and
Stacker 2. Ephedra is popular because of its claims
of enhanced metabolism,increased energy and
weight loss. The ads don’t mention the many dan
gerous potential side effects.Some of these include
dizziness,tremors,alterations in blood pressure,
and heart rate,and serious headaches. More severe
side effects include chest pain,stroke,heart attack,
seizures,and in severe cases,death.
In a 2001 study, reported in the Annals of Inter
... ephedra is one of the most dangerous herbal
supplements out on the market. It results in more
adverse reactions than any other legal herbal
product sold in the US.
nal Medicine, data from the US Fbison Control Cen
ter are compared to overall sales of ephedra in the
US. The study showed that“products containing
ephedra accounted for 64% of all adverse effects
reported from herbs even though they represented
less than 1 % of total herbal product sales." In other
words.ephedra is one of the most dangerous
herbal supplements out on the market. It results in
more adverse reactions than any other legal herbal
product sold in the US.
According to the American Heart Association
President Dr.Robert Binow,“There is no such thing
as a magic weight loss pill.These quick fixes are
misleading.” Many people are unaware that they
are even taking a product that contains ephedra
because the labels on these products are often
confusing and misleading. Read labels carefully to
check for ehpedra.
Anyone who is interested in these products
should also check with a medical practitioner.They
can help you determine ephedra’s dangers if you
are taking other kinds of medication or have pre
existing health issues.
The best way to improve your fitness is by in
creasing your activity level and improving your
diet. For more information on these more promis
ing practices, come by the Health Education office
on the main floor of the Health Center.
I In Sickness And In Health
By Sam Hodges
ere at UO,students have a
Health Center at their full
disposal. Don’t fall for the
misperception that the Health Cen
ter is useful only when you are al
ready sick or injured. There are plen
ty of services for the healthy student
who wants to stay well! Below is an
overview of three of the services to
help students attain even greater lev
els of health.
Many of our students are far
from home and their family dentist.
Why not come into the Health Cen
ter for a checkup and a cleaning?
Worried you can’t afford it right at
the moment you need it? You can
have all services charged to your
student account, which would
make any college student smile.
Dental appointments fill up fast,so
call 346-4432 for your appointment.
While it may be tempting to try
the latest fad diet as seen on TV you
can get more sound recommenda
tions from the Health Center’s regis
tered dietitian Kristen Olmos. She
helps students with diet concerns
ranging from weight management,
disordered eating and disease con
ditions such as diabetes. Appoint
ments can be made by calling 346
2770.
The Peer Health Education of
fice has an awesome lending li
brary with many provocative titles.
While you’re there,pick up free con
doms, or talk to one of the peer
health educators about health
questions you may have. We can
help you navigate through the
Health Center, get well and stay
well.
Factoids
An individual can contract gon
orrhea or chlamydia in the
throat throu#i unprotected sex.
www. bigeye. com/sexeducation
Around half of all pedestrians
aged 16-60 killed in road acci
dents are over the legal drink
drive limit.
wwwlifebytes.goo.uk
At least 7% of drowning acci
dents and 40% of household
fires involve alcohol.
www.lifebytes.gov.uk
According to the FBI,only 2%
of reported rapes in the U.S.
are false claims.
The curing process tobacco
must undergo before being
processed into cigarettes is the
single largest commercial
cause of deforestation world
wide,destroying around 8.55
million acres of forest each yean
www bigtobaccosucks. arg
Tobacco related diseases
cause more deaths peryear
than alcohol,heroin,cocaine,
homicide.suicide.car acci
dents, fire,andAlDScombined.
wwwquitsmoking.about.com
50% of smokers who smoke in
their teens and continue to
smoke,will eventually be
killed by their smoking habit.
www.Iifebytes.gov. uk
Smoking-related diseases
claim an estimated 430,700
American lives each year.
American Lung Association
The leading causes of death
in the US. 1-Heart disease 2
Cancer 3-Stroke
(Center for Disease Control)
One in five adults engage in
high level of activity,but one
in four are largely inactive
(National Center for Health Statistics)
Many pigments used in tattoo
inks are not approved for skin
contact at all. Some are
industrial grade colors that
are suitable for printers’ink or
automobile paint.
(U.SFBA Center for fbod Safety and
Applied Nutrition office of Cosmetics
<fi Colors Fact Sheet Nov.29,2000)
Scientific evidence suggests
that about one-third of the
556,500 cancer deaths ex
pected to occur in 2003 will
be related to nutrition,physi
cal inactivity,obesity,and oth
er lifestyle factors and could
also be prevented.
(American Cancer Society)
In the US, 1 of every 4 deaths is
from cancer
(American Cancer Society)
If you took the average 5’2”
woman,age 22 and normal
weight of 125 pounds and ex
pected her to fit into the Bar
bie image she would have to
be 7’2”tal!!
(National Association of Anorexia)