Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2005)
: Winter, 2005 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON _PAGE 2 Physical Therapy/ Sports medicine Don’t confuse pain with muscle soreness. If the boundary is blurry, read on. Creatine Considered Like all dietary supplements, creatine is sold with the implicit idea of buyer beware. Find out what the critics and worshippers say about this popular ergogenic aid. Caffeine If that cup of Joe is your most reliable study companion, read on. PAGES Alcohol If you’re like most students you overestimate the amount of college drinking around you. Get the facts. Pearly Whites Find out more about teeth whitening trends and the dental clinic at the Health Center. Factoids Interesting health facts and stats to get you thinking. PAGE 4 Eating Disorders Individuals can and do get beyond eating disorders. Learn about helpful resources on campus. SAD If you suffer from winter blues, read these tips to get you through to spring. t_ mtmm Yearly Man Exam Reproductive Health Exam as Easy as I -2-Pee Drs. Bill MacMaster, Ben Douglas and Tim Van Erl are just three of the physicians at the Health Center who carry out the men's reproductive health exam. Ryan Voge As a fee-paying student at the University, we have access to an incredible resource for all aspects of health, sexual health included, at the University Health Center. There are good reasons why sexually active students should take advantage of this resource as it is cheap (sometimes free) and easy to use. Unlike our female counterparts, most college - aged men do not have annual checkups and we often hesitate to get screened for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It is just as important for men to be screened as it is for women. The University Health Center provides extremely affordable STI screenings. For example, male chlamydia screening (the most common bacterial STI) costs only $25.23. In some cases, that cost can be waived. If the main reason for the visit is contraception and the student has STI risk factors, that fee may be covered by FPEP (family planning expansion project) grant. Chlamydia screening is convenient. To prove this point, I went through a screening myself. Before my appointment I had terrifying visions of white latex gloves and long cotton swaps. As I came to find out, that’s not how it is at all. After a short discussion and some advice about sexual health, I was off to the bathroom with a little plastic cup on a mission to fill it to the red line. Before I knew it, I was done. In less than 24 hours, the Health Center called me with the results. With a sexually-active lifestyle come new responsibilities. In addition to using condoms to prevent STI’s, sexually-active males should take advantage of the resources here on campus. To learn more about the men’s annual reproductive health exam, FPEP or to make an appointment call 346-2770 or stop by the University Health Center, across from Oregon Hall on the corner of 13th and Agate. Tobacco Companies Market ‘Safer9 Cigarettes by Josh Rose Is there such a thing as a safe cigarette? Big tobacco would like you to believe so. After being hit by large court settlements, anti smoking ad campaigns and growing public distrust of tobacco companies, R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris have marketed cigarettes that claim to reduce exposure to toxic gases found in regular cigarettes. But are they truly healthier? Eclipse According to a Nova Online article, ‘Anatomy of a Cigarette,’ the Eclipse cigarette, made by R.J. Reynolds, uses the same reconstituted tobacco found in regular cigarettes but instead of burning the tobacco, smokers light a charcoal tip at the end of the cigarette. The charcoal heats a column of tobacco laced with glycerin and flavors which then release a smoke-like vapor carrying the nicotine into the lungs of the smoker. By heating rather than burning the tobacco, R.J. Reynolds claims that the cigarettes reduce harmful chemicals in smoke. However, a study published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research in February 2004 found that while the Eclipse cigarette produces less nicotine, it still “exposes the user to significant quantities of nicotine, carbon monoxide and other harmful components of tobacco smoke.” Accord Another cigarette that claims to be safer doesn’t look much like a cigarette at all. Philip Morris’Accord brand cigarette is sold with its own special heating device. The pager-sized lighter holds one cigarette and heats the tobacco only when it senses the smoker inhaling. The process avoids cigarette ashes or smoke. But it may do more harm than good. A 2001 study in Nicotine & Tobacco research found that while the cigarette system produced lower levels of carbon monoxide than normal cigarettes, smokers may actually smoke more often to compensate for increased withdrawals. One Safe Alternative The best way to reduce the well-known health risks of smoking is to quit. The University Health Center offers free nicotine patches and gum until March 1st, 2005. Stop by the Peer Health Education office to sign up for a smoking cessation session, or call 346-4456. Get Tobacco Free with NRT by Andrea Cronin Question: What is the greatest single cause of death in the United States? Answer: Tobacco. There are approximately 440,000 tobacco related deaths in the United States annually, making tobacco the leading cause of mortality nationwide. Smoking is also the most preventable cause of death. Question: What is the average monthly cost of purchasing tobacco products for a regular user? Answer: $200.00 per month for a regular smoker having at least a pack a day. One survey shows that tobacco is the leading expenditure among college students, age 18-24, followed closely by alcohol. Question: What is the average per person cost of purchasing Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) from a drug store for a heavy smoker who is trying to quit? Answer: $500.00 per 6 weeks of NRT in gum or the patch for a heavy smoker who uses the entire program. Question: What is the cost of joining the NRT Program at the UO Health Center and enjoying a healthier and longer life? Answer: Free... LITERALLY! The NRT Program, offered through the Peer Health Education Program currently offers a FREE Nicotine Replacement Therapy Program for all current UO students. A grant from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center makes NRT free until March 1st. Now is the time If you or someone you know is serious about quitting tobacco, call 346 4456 or stop by the Peer Health Education office located in the Health Center. You will be glad you did and can start thinking about how to use that extra money you are saving.
