Page 8, Portland Observer, D ecem ber 23, 198/
Speak Out
Do you feel the
spirit of Christmas?
by A rn o ld P itre
Danny Bergquist
Jeannie M o o re
10 year old student
Saleslady
Veah . . . I feel good inside at
Christmas time. I like to see the
Christmas lights. I hope it snows,
so I can go skiing. I think that I
will get a lot of presents this year.
I like our Christmas tree.
Yes . . . This is the time of the
year when we celebrate the birth of
Christ, and I enjoy that. I enjoy
hearing the Christmas music.
I
work in the Jantzen Mall, and it's
nice to hear the music and work
around the different people that
come through here. It is a giving
time of the year, and I enjoy giving.
Most people are feeling pretty good
at this time of the year, and it is nice
to be around people when they are
feeling the Christmas spirit.
A n th o n y P itre
14 year-old student
Yes . . . but not as exciting to
me as when I was younger. I just
like to see the younger kids have
fun. I don't expect to get a lot of
gifts like I used to as a kid, but it is
fun to receive them. The family
comes together at Christmas time.
We do a lot of visiting, and seeing
them is special to me.
Diane Matsubara
7 year old 2nd grader
Yes . . . I like to get toys and I
like to go see Santa. I went to the
mall to see him and it was fun. He
asked me what I wanted and I said
a 10-speed. He kissed me on the
cheek and said Merry Christmas.
Nero Sponsors
Community and Economic
Development Award
Mr. David M. Nero, Jr. sponsored
a cash award for the best paper pre­
sented on African American econo­
mic development. The papers were
read aloud and judged at a collo­
quium sponsored by the Oregon
Business League and the Nigerian
Professionals of Oregon on Novem­
ber 14, 1987. The colloquium was
held at Williams Baptist Convention
Center located at 220 N.E. Beech
Street, Portland, Oregon.
The colloquium attracted 21 regis­
trants, all local African American
professionals and business men and
women. Dr. E C. Ogbuobiri was the
moderator for the colloquium. This
seminal meeting, as intended, pro­
vided an opportunity for some peo­
ple with powerful ideas to lay them
out and explore them with collea­
gues and individuals in the commu­
nity who are in a position to do
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Com m unity M ental Health
by Steven Bailey, N.D.
.......
Drugs, Alcohol and Mental Health
Concepts on Health
Good mental health in its optimum state entails a secure, productive,
and social network that supports one's psychology. One's mental outlook is
also greatly influenced by genetic factors that make up the biochemical
balance within the brain. Obviously this is a delicate balance. Therefore,
when an individual introduces illicit drugs and/or alcohol into the brain, one
is at risk.
. . .
„„ .„ i
Few people realize that there is a new generation with chronic mental
and emotional disorders. Generally the public tends to associate a prefer­
ence for drug use with the stigma of mental disease. It is more acceptab e
to view abnormal or bizarre behavior as the result of drug abuse, which is an
example of where the individual can be perceived as having control, rather
than to construe that bizarre behavior as biologically based, and, therefore,
out of the control of the individual. Yet current medical opinion maintains
that anyone with a history of alcohol and/or drug abuse in the family is
susceptible to the negative affects of chemical substance abuse. Although
drug addiction and certain mental diseases share similar characteristics, they
Thus far in this series on AIDS, I have written about the new federal
definition of AIDS, general symptoms, testing for AIDS, and a general over­
view of the immune system and how it is affected by the AIDS virus. Before
I begin on how you get AIDS (transmission) and what you can do once in­
fected, I would like to discuss the general concept o f ' health or wellnefcr
and how it inter relates with the current AIDS crisis.
,
"Health" is currently defined as "optimum functioning with freedom
from disease and abnormality." Orthodox American medicine (allopathic,
i e M D 'si has, to a large part, emphasized, both in education and practice
a primary, if not sole, importance in the "freedom from disease " portion df
health. The American public is now taking a renewed interest in the concept
of “ optimum health", and the medical community is finally beginning, to
understand the relationship between "wellness" or "optim um health and
the p ote ntia l to develop serious disease.
"Optim um " is defined as "the best or most favorable condition for a pan
ticular situation". This means that optimum health may vary from person tp
person or with time and situation, but that it employs the very best of health
for each situation. In a singular situation, this means personal energy, clear­
ness of thought, emotional vitality and stability, creativity, as well as an
absence of disease. It would also mean that limiting symptoms such as ner­
vousness, digestive disturbance, irritability, etc., were not on-going condi­
are two separate and distinct states of mind.
In some cases of drug induced psychosis, once the chemical substance
abuse is discontinued, certain individuals return to living constructive viable
lives Whereas in the bio-chemical case, where the individual indulges in
drug abuse and has bio chemical imbalance, discontinuing the chemical sub­
stance use may reveal further psychiatric problems, which will necessitate
the use of clinical drugs to restore the chemical balance in the brain.
Take the case of marijuana, which to many is an innocuous drug.
e
American Medical Association, in a 1980 update of its report on marijuana,
labeled it a dangerous drug based on a range of adverse, acute or long-term
tions of one's day-to-day life.
There are many reasons most of us do not experience optimum health.
The stresses of twentieth century life (job stress, pollution, etc.), inter­
personal conflicts, less-than-adequate exercise, and less-than-optrmum
nutrition are some of the most common reasons for our not achieving our
full health potential. Promiscuous life-style, as well as drug abuse, contri­
butes to ill-health dramatically in some segments of our society. When con­
sidering the AIDS crisis, all of the above-mentioned stresses are noteworthy.
The conclusion of this series will look directly at optimum nutrition and
exercise, as well as other support programs for the immune system. It is the
effects, both physical and psychological.
Just as any other habits, cigarettes, coffee, alcohol, marijuana, and the
other drugs, as well as patterns of behavior, such as losing one s temper, or
going to sleep, there are times when these types of behaviors may be done
without harm. Albeit, when habits interfere with one’s ability to cope, with
one's quality of life, and is used as a mechanism to avoid the task of personal
and social development, it becomes a detriment to the individual's ability to
maintain adequate personal balance and social performance.
The 1979 study, "Highlights: Drugs and the Nation's High School Stu­
dents Five Year National Trends", states: "A n in-depth study of 17 young­
sters who abused marijuana found that one-third had learning disabilities,
two-thirds had difficulties participating in class, and all seemed to have with­
drawn from competition . . . Marijuana served, among other purposes, to
sustain grandiosed fantasies while avoiding anxiety-arousing situations.
If this pattern persists, it becomes a conditioned response to retreat
from life's frustrations and stresses. The net effect is to arrest maturity at the
point in which the individual becomes chronically involved with marijuana,
and, there, the individual remains in perpetual adolescence.
There are facilities that address chemical substance abuse in our com­
munity. It is important for the individual who is involved in drug abuse to
seek counseling, preferably in a group such as Alcoholics- or Narcotics
Anonymous. Success for breaking the cycle of abuse is often attached to
an individual getting involved with a support unit larger than oneself. Other
options for recovery have been found in church and the belief in God.
The N. NE Community Mental Health Center has a dual-diagnosis group
which deals with individuals who suffer from drug abuse and mental health
problems. Other agencies which serve clients residing in N/NE Portland
are The Project for Community Recovery (which specifically targets the
Black population for client treatment), Alcohol Treatment and Training, St.
Vincent de Paul, and T. A.S.K.
other above-mentioned stresses that we now take note.
T w e n tie th C e n tu ry Life
There are many "givens" to living in the twentieth century that are sub
stantially different from previous human experience. The type of work we
do, how much physical work is required on a daily basis, how much of our
diet is comprised of whole foods, and how many new environmental toxins
we encounter are all substantially different from even our grandparehts.
Much of this we cannot change, but we can accomodate these new stresses
with changes in our life-styles and eating habits.
The automobile, television, changes of jobs have all contributed to a
dramatic decrease in how much the average American exercises. Manypfeo-
ple have taken up jogging, joined spa's, or taken up other "aerobic dtetivi-
ties but for most of us, brisk walking (i.e., to work, at lunch, etc.) 19 suf­
ficient for our exercise needs. At whatever level you wish to exercise, your
program should be one that leaves you feeling good shortly after working
out (i.e., 1 to 2 hours). If you feel "drained" for some time after exercising,
you are probably overdoing it.
Our diets have changed dramatically with corporate farming and the
wide-spread processing of our foods. "The American Journal of Epidemio­
logy" recently listed the 15 most common foods in the American diet.-This
15-food list began with white bread and rolls as number one; cookies, ‘bake
and donuts as number two; followed by hambergbrs, soda and 4% milk as
three through five. French fries, at nine, were the only vegetable, and whole
wheat bread, at 15, was the only grain. White flour, red meat, dairy and
sugar made up the rest of the 15 most common foods.
Simple changes to a more basic "whole foods" diet would do mudh to
change America's "epidemic" levels of chronic and degenerative disease.
Decreases in white flour, red meat, dairy (fat), and simple sugars, with in­
creases in salads (dark greens), fiber (whole grains, beans, fruit and veggibs),
and some level of trace mineral supplementation is an excellent startjng
place; more specific nutritional suggestions will follow in the conclusion of
________________
We invite our readers to write The Community Mental Health column at 128 N.E Russell,
Portland, Oregon 97212, attention Danny Bell_______________________
something about them. It was an
experiment at non-social, non­
public relations, multi-organization
gathering for presentation and dis­
cussion of community issues.
The participants were greeted by
State Representative Margaret Car­
ter and Amelia Lanier from the Ore­
gon Commission on Black Affairs.
Commissioner Carolyn Leonard of
the Oregon Commission of Black
Affairs distributed information and
explained that the Commission un­
der her leadership is going to do
everything possible to be supportive
of the African American economy.
The presenters of papers were:
Mr. Matthew Chavis, Ms. Ora Hart,
Commissioner Carolyn Leonard,
Bishop A. Wells, Mr. Joseph Lam­
bert, Mr. Owen R. Owen, Dr. Ozodi
Osuji, Mr. John H. Brown and Mr.
James Washington. All papers pre­
sented were excellent quality and
pertinent to the economic develop­
ment of the African America com­
munity.
The award winning paper, with
the help of a colorful graphical
chart, explained a framework for
community development. In this
framework, the business commu­
nity is central and the community
non-profit organizations have a key
lobby role to play. In other words,
he showed that all elements of the
community have a role in his econo­
mic network. The task then is to de­
velop the appropriate synergistic
linkages.
Lottery Exceeds
Forecasts
this series.
The Oregon Lottery transferred
$11,679,906 to the state Economic
Development Fund, exceeding the
forecast amount by $4 million. The
lottery has earned $21,314,714 to
date for economic development
projects for the 1987-89 biennium,
an increase of more than $5 mil­
lion over the $16 million projected
for the period. This quarter yielded
an additional $3.1 million for eco­
nomic development.
State lottery law requires, quar­
terly economic development re­
ceipts in excess of $8 million go
into a reserve fund to cover income
fluctuations.
When
the reserve
U d llU lia .
» » ir o n
.ssSMsr«*
N ext W eek: H o w You Get A ID S
ness Development Fund, Targeted
Training, Tourism Marketing, High-
er Education, Stabilization Fund,
the Oregon Resource Technology
and Development Corporation, and
others.
"It is great news for the entire
state,” comments Richard Reiten,
Director, OEDD. "The additional
money, which primarily goes to the
special public works fund, will signi­
ficantly benefit Oregon's cities,
counties and ports."
reaches $2 million, 75 percent of the
excess is applied to the special pub­
lic works fund and 25 percent to the
strategic reserve fund.
In the previous quarter, $1.55 mil­
lion was transferred to the reserve.
The transfer of $450,000 will raise
the reserve fund up to its manda­
ted level, and the excess will go into
the two programs.
Other programs benefitted by lot­
tery proceeds include the Regional
Strategies Program, Oregon Busi-
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Health Watch
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