Tillamook dairy goes hormone free
By Petra Horn Keller
ith so many food
nutrients, additives,
and synthetic
chemicals to decipher, the
average student may simply
shrug and order their favorite
foods. If those favorite foods
include cheese, there is good
news from Tillamook Dairy of
Tillamook, Oregon.
As of April 2005, Tillamook
Dairy has adopted a new
policy requiring that all milk
for cheese production come
from cows that have not been
injected with bovine growth
hormones (rBGH). This new
policy, which was heavily
resisted by Monsanto, makers
of the synthetic hormone,
was passed by the Tillamook
cooperative members. The
decision is exciting for folks
who seek foods that are as
natural as possible.
Bovine background
In order to appreciate the
value of Tillamook’s decision,
here is some background on
the use of hormones in dairy.
Hormones are chemicals made
in the body that control
growth, development, and
reproduction. The rBGH is a
synthesized growth hormone,
in essence a drug, which is
injected directly into the blood
stream of some dairy cows.
rBGH stimulates increased milk
production. The primary
motivation for the use of
hormones in dairy farms is to
increase revenue via increased
milk production. But many
farmers have found that rBGH
is not economically
advantageous because rBGH
treated cows require more
medical care and have a
shorter life span.
Most of us are not dairy
farmers and are more
concerned with the possible
health risks of consuming
rBGH dairy products. The FDA
approved rBGH for use in dairy
cattle just 12 years ago, making
it too soon to know the long
term health effects. Conclusive
evidence on the health effects
of rBGH in humans is limited,
however several well-designed
studies have uncovered
sufficient findings (increased
risk of certain cancers) to raise
concerns. Check out
Physicians for Social
Responsibility (www.psr.org)
for more on these studies.
Lessons from Europe
Aside from the potential
health risks of hormone-treated
dairy products, it is also
important to consider the local
environment. Many of the
hormones that are injected into
cows end up in farm runoff in
the form of solid and liquid
waste. From here, rBGH can
end up in nearby rivers and
streams, disturbing local
ecosystem. Concern about the
environmental and health risks
led the European Union to ban
the importation of beef grown
with the use of any growth
hormones in 1989.
Luckily for the health
conscious dairy consumer,
Oregon is beginning to follow in
Europe’s footsteps, demanding
that food production
companies consider the
possible consequences of
hormone enhanced food
products.
Tillamook’s decision to halt
the use of rBGH in cows used
for cheese production was
largely influenced by consumer
activism. More than 6,500
people contacted the dairy,
expressing their concerns
about the use of rBGH,
and 98% of these people were
anti-rBGH. When you consider
this Tillamook David was up
against the Goliath of
Monsanto, the maker of rBGH,
it shows the power of
grassroots activism.
At this date, other products
from Tillamook creameries
(such as yogurt, butter, and ice
cream) are not yet rBGH free.
Supporting Tillamook
Creamery by eating its cheese
shows solidarity with hormone
free dairy. Learn more at
www.oregonpsr.org.
S.A.N.E.
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner at the Health Center
By Jessica Brown
exual Assault. It is a
sensitive subject and the
statistics are alarming.
According to Sexual Assault
Support Services, one out of
every four women will be
sexually assaulted on a college
campus, and one out of eight
women will be raped while in
college. When most people
think of sexual assault, or more
specifically rape, they think of
a stranger jumping out of the
bushes with a knife. Much
more prevalent among
students, however, is
acquaintance rape which is
defined as rape by someone
the victim knows.
Given these statistics,
the UO Health Center offers a
multitude of services to sexual
assault survivors. The Health
Center offers care and
documentation of injuries,
treatment of sexually
transmitted infections,
emergency contraception,
crisis intervention and
supportive counseling.
In addition, the Health Center
now employs Sexual Assault
Nurse Examiners (SANE) who
are able to collect forensic
evidence. Gathering forensic
evidence involves collecting
any genetic material that could
be used to prosecute the
assailant. Nurse practitioner
Cindy Smith has completed her
SANE training. Colleen Jones,
a nurse practitioner in training,
donated her time to answer
some questions about the new
service:
Q: What motivated you
to become a SANE?
A: The Health Center already offered
most of the necessary services to help a
survivor, however if the survivor wanted
to collect forensic evidence, then we
referred them to the Emergency Room.
By becoming a SANE, the Health Center
can now offer complete care for survivors,
in an atmosphere more conducive for
support than an ER.
Q: If someone is undecided
about whether to come in after
a sexual assault, how would
you encourage them to come
to the Health Center?
A: Regardless of whether you want
forensic evidence collected, if you are
sexually assaulted, you should definitely
come in to the Health Center. We have
the insight to help you in ways that you
may not realize at the time. We can test
for sexually transmitted infections, test for
hepatitis B, give you a Tetanus shot, offer
emergency contraceptive, and just listen.
The Health Center is a safe place to go
after a sexual assault occurs.
Q: How should a survivor
“prepare” if they want
forensic evidence collected?
A: Forensic evidence may be taken up
to 84 hours after the assault occurred.
The ideal conditions that one should keep
in mind are to arrive without showering,
urinating, eating, drinking, or smoking.
Wear or bring in any underwear or
clothing worn during the assault. If you
suspect a drug facilitated sexual assault,
you should arrive at the Health Center
with in 12 hours of the assault because
drugs such as Rohypnol (Rooties) and
GHB leave your system pretty quickly.
If you or a friend has been
sexually assaulted, it is never
too late to come to the Health
or Counseling Centers here on
campus. For information on
sexual assault and sexual
assault prevention check out
these resources around
campus:
UO Counseling Center
346-3227
Office of Student Life
346-3216
UO Health Center 346-2770
SASS (Sexual Assault Support
Services): a non-profit agency
dedicated to ending oppression
and sexual violence through
education, support services,
outreach and empowerment
in Lane County. Call 343-7277.
Factoids
Only one in five of all
college students is
considered a weekly “binge"
(i.e.5 drinks at a sitting for
guys, 4 for gals) drinker, but
two-thirds of the alcohol
consumed by college
students is consumed by this
group.
—Harvard School of Public Health
Each year, college students
spend $5.5 billion on
alcohol (mostly beer).This is
more than they spend on
books,soda, coffee, juice and
milk combined.
—Office for Substance Abuse Prevention
27% of frequent binge
drinkers (those who
reported three or more
binge drinking episodes
during the previous two
weeks) had gotten hurt or
injured, as compared with
3% of non-binge drinkers.
—Wechsleret al., 1998.
http://www.tf.org/tf/alcohol/ariv/
facts/binge5.html
78% of people ages 18-25
report drinking alcohol in
the last year.
—http://www. niaaa. nih.gov/
databases/dkpat3. htm
An estimated 20 million
Americans suffer from
chronic insomnia.
—Albert, Katherine
Get A Good Nights Sleep
A study of one thousand
households in Los Angeles
found that one-third of the
families interviewed
included someone who was
currently having problems
with insomnia.
—Albert, Katherine
Get A Good Nights Sleep
One person dies every hour
from skin cancer.
—ivww.skincancer.org/
skincancer-facts.php
Eating disorders frequently
co-occur with other
psychiatric disorders such as
depression,substance abuse
and anxiety disorders.
—National Institute of Mental Health
http: //www. nimh. nih.gov/publicat/
eatingdisorders. cfm
T\vo studies of
transcendental meditation
conducted in the late 1980s
and mid-1990s showed that
people who had normal to
high blood pressure and
who practiced the technique
were 23% less likely to die
than people who did not
practice.
—http: //my. webmd. com/content/
article/105/107792.htm
Anxiety disorders, as a group,
are the most common
mental illness in America.
More than 19 million
American adults are affected
by these debilitating
illnesses each year.
—http //www. nimh. nih. gov/
publicat/adfacts/cfm
page 3 - Well Now Fall 2005