www.hoodrivernews.com
Hood River News, Saturday, June 20, 2015
A13
healthy hood river
Top tips for
preventing
skin cancer
Skin cancer is the most
common cancer in the United
States, according to the Amer-
ican Cancer Society. More
skin cancers are diagnosed in
the US each year than all
other cancers combined. The
number of skin cancer cases
has been going up over the
past few decades.
The good news is that you
can do a lot to protect yourself
and your family from skin
cancer, or catch it early so that
it can be treated effectively.
Most skin cancers are caused
by too much exposure to ultra-
violet (UV) rays. Most of this
exposure comes from the sun,
but some may come from
man-made sources, such as in-
door tanning beds and sun
lamps.
You don’t need any x-rays
or blood tests to find skin can-
cer early – just your eyes and a
mirror. If you have skin can-
cer, finding it early is the best
way to make sure it can be
treated with success.
Skin cancer starts in the
cells of the skin. Some other
types of cancer start in other
parts of the body and can
spread to the skin, but these
are not skin cancers.
There are 3 main types of
skin cancers: Basal cell skin
cancers (basal cell carcino-
mas); Squamous cell skin can-
cers (squamous cell carcino-
mas); and Melanomas – the
first two are more common
while melanomas are more
dangerous.
Melanomas can occur any-
where on the body, but are
more likely to start in certain
areas. The trunk (chest and
back) is the most common
place in men. In women, the
legs are the most common
site. The neck and face are
other common places for
melanoma to start.
Melanomas are not as com-
mon as basal cell and squa-
mous cell skin cancers, but
they can be far more serious.
Like basal cell and squamous
cell cancers, melanoma is al-
most always curable in its
early stages. But if left alone,
melanoma is much more like-
ly to spread to other parts of
the body, where it can be very
hard to treat.
People who get a lot of ex-
posure to ultraviolet (UV) rays
are at greater risk for skin
cancer.
Sunlight is the main
source of UV rays, but you
don’t have to avoid the sun
completely. And it would be
unwise to stay inside if it
would keep you from being
active, because physical ac-
tivity is important for good
health. But getting too much
sun can be harmful. There
are some steps you can take
to limit your exposure to UV
rays.
Some people think about
sun protection only when they
spend a day at the lake, beach,
or pool. But sun exposure
adds up day after day, and it
happens every time you are in
the sun.
Simply staying in the shade
is one of the best ways to limit
your UV exposure. If you are
going to be in the sun, “Slip!
Slop! Slap! and Wrap!” is a
catchphrase that can help you
remember some of the key
steps you can take to protect
yourself from UV rays:
■ Slip on a shirt.
■ Slop on sunscreen.
■ Slap on a hat.
■ Wrap on sunglasses to
protect the eyes and skin
around them.
An obvious but very im-
portant way to limit your
exposure to UV light is to
avoid being outdoors in di-
rect sunlight too long. This
is particularly important
between the hours of 10
a.m. and 4 p.m., when UV
light is strongest. If you are
unsure how strong the sun’s
rays are, use the shadow
test: if your shadow is
shorter than you are, the
sun’s rays are the strongest,
and it’s important to protect
yourself.
If you plan to be outdoors,
you may want to check the
UV Index for your area. The
UV Index usually can be
found in local newspaper, TV,
radio, and online forecasts.
It’s also on the EPA’s website
at www.epa.gov/sunwise/uv-
index.html and in many
smartphone apps (see
www.epa.gov/enviro/mobile).
Care
to
Yoga?
Care Center brings free community yoga to Hood River
BY TRISHA WALKER
News staff writer
When Activities Director
Christine Shannon began
her free “Gentle Yoga for Be-
ginning Seniors 50 and
Over” at the Hood River Care
Center mid-February, she
started with three students.
Soon, the class soon grew
to five, then seven. Now, she
has anywhere from 12 to 18
men and women regularly at-
tending, with ages ranging
from 49 to 85.
“The hardest part of yoga
is actually coming to class;
the second hardest part of
Photos by Trisha Miller
LIZ HEACOCK, 74, and Margaret Marshall, 85, are regulars in Ac-
tivities Director Christine Shannon’s Wednesday morning yoga class
at the Hood River Care Center (pictured above). “Christine is won-
derful. It’s a really nice thing she’s done,” said Marshall. At top,
Dave Radley, left, and Doris Stevens stretch at the beginning of
class. “I love the instructor,” said Stevens. “You get a good workout
and it relaxes you.”
yoga is actually leaving
class, because it feels so
amazing,” Shannon said.
While she teaches yoga to
Care Center residents three
days a week, the Gentle Yoga
series is for community
members. She started the
classes with three objectives
in mind.
“One, to get the communi-
ty affiliated with our facili-
ty,” she said. “Two, to pro-
mote health within our com-
munity, and three, our class
is free — no charge for stu-
dents to come. I do know how
expensive yoga classes can
be, so I do not want money to
be an issue for someone not
to participate.”
The Care Center has some
mats, blocks and bands, but
Shannon encourages stu-
dents to bring their own
equipment if possible. The
class meets in the cafeteria,
so space is a factor, although
Shannon said there’s room
for 30 participants — but
probably not more than that.
At a recent class, she
began with two questions:
“Got any owies today? Any-
thing we need to work on?”
She leads the class through a
series of moves, offering
modifications and encourag-
ing students to sit if needed.
“I modify the class so
everyone can participate,”
Shannon said. “It is beautiful
to watch.”
She’s been practicing yoga
for 20 years, and has been
certified to teach for eight.
She has a bachelor’s degree
in physical education and
health from Linfield College,
is a member of National
Academy of Sports Medicine
(NASM) with a CPT certified
Pain Clinic joins stem
cell research registry
Columbia Pain Manage-
ment, PC will join 28 other
clinical research sites
across the country in a reg-
istry to track outcomes
from stem cell therapies for
the treatment of painful
musculoskeletal condi-
tions. The re gistry will
track pain, function, and
quality of life as well as ad-
verse events after patients
receive the interventions.
Stem cells are undifferen-
tiated cells that are capable
of repairing damaged or
diseased tissue. Scientists
have been keenly interested
in how the cells can be used
in various medical condi-
tions ranging from arthri-
tis to blindness. “This is a
cutting edge therapy for
patents with painful
arthritic conditions and in-
juries, but we need to care-
fully monitor outcomes to
gauge their effectiveness,”
said Dr. David Russo, physi-
atrist and sub-investigator
on the study.
Stem cell therapies for
musculoskeletal conditions
involve harvesting stem
cells from a patient’s bone
marrow. The cells are con-
centrated and then trans-
planted into in another part
of the body. Neither embry-
onic tissue nor cells from
the reproductive system
are used. The procedures,
approved by the FDA when
performed within a single
day in an outpatient set-
ting, are considered safe
and are compliant with all
applicable Federal stem cell
treatment standards.
“It’s amazing that sophisti-
cated treatments once only
available at large medical
centers now can be offered
locally,” Russo said. Still,
most health plans do not
cover stem cell therapies, but
may cover other associated
services and tests required
for the procedure. Patients
must undergo a thorough
medical evaluation and have
no history of blood cancers,
immune deficiency disease,
or bleeding disorders to be
considered an appropriate
candidate.
please contact study coordi-
nators Cherie Flory, RN or
Lisa Linker, RN at 541-386-
9500 extension 202.
■
981 Tucker Road • Hood River
(541) 386-3915
For more infor mation,
personal trainer certificate,
has had restorative yoga
training, and has 200 hours
of training in both Hot yoga
and Vinyasa through Core-
power. She continuously
takes training courses to ex-
pand her knowledge and
skills.
Her experience with se-
nior yoga comes from “work-
ing with older populations in
retirement facilities, my
Alzheimer training, and last
but not least, my own prac-
tice. I just turned 50 this year
myself,” she said.
Shannon gets a lot of posi-
tive feedback from her stu-
dents, who say they are more
flexible and have better bal-
ance, sleep better, and are
more apt to think about what
they eat and drink. Some
have never practiced yoga
before taking her classes;
others are seasoned athletes
and yogis. All feel comfort-
able in her class.
Peter Zurcher, 68, was an
endurance athlete who start-
ed yoga in 2008 on the recom-
mendations of friends when
he noticed his body becom-
ing less flexible. Shannon’s
classes are “the right level
for me,” he said. “I should
have started 10 years earlier,
but running, mountaineer-
ing, hiking and climbing
were a higher priority.”
Liz Heacock is a newcom-
er who “always wanted to do
it” and has found the class to
be a good fit.
“I think (yoga) is good to
feel calmer. I think it’s good
exercise,” she said. She was
initially worried about par-
ticipating because of back is-
sues, but her physical thera-
pist told her “it’s good to go;
just do all you can do,” she
said.
“We do not take life too se-
rious in class,” said Shan-
non. “There is no right or
wrong answers or postures.
There are always modifica-
tions.”
For those who wish to
“give back” in exchange for
the free classes, there are a
number of volunteer oppor-
tunities at the Care Center,
ranging from yardwork to
visiting one-on-one with resi-
dents, and many of her stu-
dents do.
But mostly, Shannon is
grateful to be able to offer the
free classes to the community.
“Yoga has been my lifeline
during some challenging
events in my life,” Shannon
said. “I feel I am very fortu-
nate to have this gift to teach
yoga, to help and inspire oth-
ers. It is my gift I can give
freely and expect nothing in
return but love and grati-
tude.”
T he classes r un each
Wednesday from 10-11 a.m. in
the Care Center cafeteria.
For more information, call
Shannon at 541-386-2688, ex-
tension 4621.
■
Columbia Pain Manage-
ment, PC, is the Gorge’s only
comprehensive and inter-
ventional pain management
center specializing in mini-
mally invasive and non-op-
erative treatment of spinal
pain, musculoskeletal medi-
cine, regenerative medicine,
and the medical rehabilita-
tion of patients with ortho-
pedic and neurological in-
juries.
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