: 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.
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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.