Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1995)
M » 1 » T he P ortland O bserver • J anuary t — w a» 11, 1995 H EALTH Prevent High Blood Pressure With Easy Lifestyle Changes Bv S pecial to NNPA High blood pressure: It’s some thing you can’t see, you can’t feel and contributor to many serious ill nesses, including stroke, and heart disease, which kills more African Americans than any other illness. Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a particular problem among blacks. They get it twice as often as whites, develop it earlier and to a more severe degree. But black skin doesn’t mean a guar anteed high blood pressure reading. There are steps you can take to pre vent your blood pressure from rising. What Is High Blood Pressure? As your heart beats, it pushes blood through your arteries, which are blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the rest o f your body. Blood pressure is the force o f your blood pushing against the walls o f your arteries. Some things make your pres sure go up. If you run to catch a bus or somebody makes you mad enough to scream, your blood pressure will shoot up. But it goes back to normal once the excitement has passed. However, if the blood pressure is consistently elevated, this can dam age the body’s vital organs, such as the heart, brain and kidneys -- and serious, life-threatening disease can develop. Although the blood is pushing against the walls o f the arteries with h ig h e r th a n -n o rm a l force in a hypertensive person, he or she prob ably can’t tell that there’s anything wrong. Ifyou have high blood pressure, you probably w on’t feel any differ ently or notice any changes when you look in the mirror. High blood pres sure is a silent disease. T hat’s why it’s important for you to have your blood pressure checked at least once a year, or more often if you already know your pressure is high or have a family history o f hypertension. H aving your blood pressure checked is quick, easy and painless. Many churches, health fairs and shop ping malls offer blood pressure screenings. Ifyou get checked at one o f these places and your reading is high, be sure to get rechecked by a physician. A blood pressure measurement is written like a fraction. For exam- ple, a desirable blood pressure read ing is 120/80; your health care prac titioner will say “ 120 over 80.” As your blood pressure rises, your chance o f health problems increases. If your reading is 140/90 or more, you should see your doctor about treatment. K eeping B lood Pressure In Check High blood pressure is more common in older folks. Also, if your parents or grandparents have or had hypertension, the chances are greater that you will, too. You can’t control these factors. But there are greater that you will, too. You can’t control these factors. But there are other factors that you can control, to lower your chance o f developing high blood pressure. H ere’s what do: Controlyourweight. Being over weight can mean a two-to six-fold higher risk o f developing high blood pressure. About 30 percent o f hyper tension in the United States is related to excess weight. If you need to re duce, try to lose one-halfto one pound per week. Choose fruits and vegeta bles over fatty foods more often to reduce your calorie intake. *. Increase physical activity. Peo ple who are physically active have a 20 to 50 percent lower risk o f getting high blood pressure than those who are less active. Be more active every day by walking, taking the stairs (not the elevator), riding a bike, or play ing a sport that raises your heart rate. Use salt and sodium in modera tion. Consume no more than 2,400 milligrams o f sodium per day — this includes what’s in processed foods and added during cooking and at the table. Use spices, herbs, garlic, on ion and lemon juice to flavor your food. Also read food labels to avoid “hidden” sodium found in processed and canned foods. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation - no more than two drinks daily. About five to seven percent of hypertension in the United states can be attributed to the consumption of three or more alcoholic drinks a day. Remember, you have the power to stay healthy - take advantage o f it! (An infograph on preventing high-blood pressure is available. For more information call Paula W heel er, 202-973-5868.) THE REAL REASONS TO STAY AWAY FROM MARIJUANA bv J ohn D i ff As a parent and activist in the substance abuse prevention and treat ment field I am deeply concerned about the resurgence in the popular ity o f marijuana. I am just as con cerned with the difficulty parents, teachers, counselors and other adults are having in trying to communicate with teenagers why they should not use marijuana. There seems to be a consensus o f agreement about the dangers o f cocaine, heroin and even cigarettes and alcohol, but not mari juana. What are the real dangers with it and how do you handle responses such as; “marijuana is an herb,” “ it is harmless,” fit is used as a medicine,” or "it’s organic.” One famous rap group member feels it can make him more creative and that he can write and perform better. What all drugs have in common is they each contain a poison mole cule. The poison molecule in coffee is caffeine, in tobacco it is nicotine and in alcohol it is ethanol. Cocaine is a poison molecule found in the coca plant and morphine is a poison mol ecule found in the opium poppy. The poison molecule in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol). It is the THC in marijuana causing the high or enjoyable feelings being ex perienced as well as the problems. What are the real problems with pot? Ambition: Here lies the greatest danger to our youth. It is so obvious yet often overlooked. Ambition is the very thing in which a person acquires his success in life. A cigarette smoker looses his life to lung cancer while the alcohol ic is constantly hungover and often looks and smells bad. The heroin addict is usually in disastrous physi cal health exposing him self to death from overdose as well as AIDS. What is obvious about the chronic smoker o f marijuana? With chronic use all else become less important or sec ondary to the use o f marijuana. The ambition and personality o f the chronic smoker o f marijuana be comes altered as with all drugs. The loss o f ambition is at the top o f my list because this point is so important in the life o f a teenager as it can halt and/or alter emotional and educa tional developm ent. Sim ply put, marijuana can interrupt a child’s drive and development in sports, music, reading and school subjects, hob bies, etc. This result is seen over and over in drug treatment centers such as Narconon. M em ory: It has been stated in the p a st th a t m ariju an a use causes “sh o rt-te rm m em ory.” It is m ore than th is. U sing m a riju a na as w ell as o th e r drugs affects c o n c e n tra tio n , m ental reco rd in g and the re c a llin g o f p rev io u sly reco rd ed m ental im ages. All one has to do is spend som e tim e w ith som eone w ho has sm oked pot and a ttem p t to h o ld a serious d isc u s sion on a se rio u s or com plex su b je c t. It w ill becom e all too o b v i ous th at m a riju a n a a ffe c ts the m em ory. W here the breakdow n com es into play is in the area o f his or her “ a tte n tio n .” D rugs in te rn a liz e o r “ in te rio riz e ” o n e ’s atte n tio n as one is feelin g and en joying the d ru g s ’ effect on the body. W ithout p ro p e r a tte n tio n , roc M r H a STT" DEVELOPMENT jW M issEK COMMISSION MEETING Date: January 18,1995 Place: Portland Building 1120 SW 5th Avenue Second Floor Time 6:00 p.m. Commission meetings are open to the public. A complete agenda is available at PDC or by calling 823-3200. Citizens with disabilities may call 823-3232 or TDD 823 6868 for assistance at least 48 hours in advance. PDC Is the City of Portland's urban renewal, housing and economic development agency. w eath er ex trem es. A garage or landry room , c a re fu lly checked for p o iso n o u s su b sta n c e s such as AEROBICS a n ti-fre e ze , can p ro v id e te m p o rary sh e lte r for an im als not used to being indoors. LOW FAT LIVING PLAN CHILD CARE MASSAGE THERAPY CYCLING ROWING RACQUETBALL TAI CHI New Year's Resolution Solution If 1995 is the year you plan to lose weight and get back into shape, then see Lloyd Athletic Club for the solutions to your New Year's resolutions Start with a free 10-day trial membership Please call Bhan or Holly at 287-4594 before January 31, 1995 to activate your that membership. YOGA STAIRCLIMBING ROWING WEIGHT TRAINING STEAM SAUNA WHIRLPOOL (NU) - The sym ptom s o f vagi nal yeast infection — burning, itch ing, a white discharge — are all too familiar to millions of women. Near ly 75 percent of all women will have a yeast infection at least once in their lifetim es and about 10 percent of sufferers will get five or more a year. Technically known as candida al bicans, yeast is a fungus that normally inhabits the vagina. Ordinarily, it is kept in check by bacteria and causes trouble only if it is allowed to over grow. Often, the underlying cause is unknown, but anything that alters the body’s natural chemistry increases the chances of triggering an infection. Once diagnosed by a physician, yeast infections are easily treatable with over-the-counter medications and the condition is seldom serious, but by adopting certain habits, it may be pos sible to avoid this uncomfortable af fliction altogether. B ecause the fungi flourish in dark, moist environments, constric tive, synthetic garments can create an ideal habitat for yeast to multiply. “Yeast likes to live in warm, sweaty places,” says Dr. Ramona Slupik, as sistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at N orthw estern U ni versity Medical School in Chicago. Slupik recom m ends women w ear loose-fitting cotton clothing and 100 percent cotton underpants to permit air to circulate below the waist. "Man-made fabrics don’t provide adequate ventilation,” explains Hal Brockmann Sr., vice president and m anaging director o f research for C otton Incorporated. “ Due to its unique fiber structure, cotton breathes and helps rem ove body News USA Due to its unique fiber structure, cotton breathes and helps remove body moisture. moisture by absorbing it and wick- ing it away from the skin.” In addition, Slupik advises that if you swim, don't sit for hours in a wet bathing suit. Shower and change im mediately afterward. She also dis courages the frequent use of douch es or fem inine hygiene sprays as these products tend to upset the body’s pH level, destroying the "good” organisms that ward off in fections. For women prone to frequent bouts of yeast, a change of diet also may be of help. Some studies show that by eating yogurt daily (specifi cally varieties that contain active cul tures) you can significantly reduce the number of yeast infections. Wigland E va G abor N aomi S ims R enee O f P aris One o f the Northwest Largest If'ig Display ff 'tgs and Hairpieces For all Nationalities Speciali:ing in Hair Weeving Supplies Synthetic & Human Hair For Braiding & Weeving M on - Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday 10 - 5:30 p.m. Near Lloyd Center 282-1664 Join W eight W atchers today and cut the fat, not the food. SQUASH STRENGTH TRAINING Change of Habits Can Help Prevent Yeast Infections To be continued next week Bitter Cold Stresses Animals C old, w indy and icy c o n d i tio n s are h azard o u s fo r an im als too. W hile p eople are ta k in g p re c a u tio n s to k eep th e ir h om es w arm , the fam ily pet n eed s to be c o n sid e re d as w ell. Low te m p e r a tu res have locked up w ater that m ight not no rm ally be frozen and the east w ind has been relen tless. A nim als living o u td o o rs are p a rtic u la rly at risk d u ring cold w eather. O u tsid e pets need p ro te c tio n from w ind, rain and the co ld . Pets need m ore food and w ater du rin g cold w eath er. E xtra food gives them the c a lo rie s they need to keep w arm . C old, dry air in c re a se s th e ir need for w ater. W atch that w ater bow ls are not fro z e n . B rin g p e ts in d u rin g a good m em ory does not o c c u r in the first place and m akes re c a ll ing w hat you did record m entally m ore d iffic u lt. Education: Individuals, espe cially teenagers, consuming marijua na with any regularity are going to have problems educating themselves either inside or outside o f the class room. The mind is your computer and it depends on attention, concen tration, recording, recallingand mem ory. Grades and performance usually drop with the regular use o f marijua na. Again, we see here the deadening o f ambition. Those that succeed in life do it with ambition. To educate oneself takes ambition. U n fo rtu n ately , m any te e n a g ers do not und erstan d the v alue o f e d u c a tin g them selves e a rly in life. M any te e n a g e rs do not know how to study, or have p ro b le m s studying, m aking education m ore d iffic u lt. W hile you as an ad u lt can see the dam age that m a riju a na can do to the e d u catio n p ro cess, it is d iffic u lt for m any te e n agers to und erstan d the im p o r tance o f ed u c a tin g oneself. WOMEN’S HEALTH The healthier you are, the more you enjoy life, so keep fitness in mind all year round - beginning now! WEIGHT WATCHERS NEW FAT & FIBER PLAN JOIN ANY MEETING ANYTIME W ant to lose weight.7 You can count on the new Fat «Si Fiber Plan. It’s an incredible breakthrough in a weight loss plan because it’s an entirely new way to count food. And it’s only at W eight Watchers. All you do is choose foods that meet your required daily fat and fiber intake. You select what you want, when you want. At the supermarket, at your favorite restaurant, at fast food places all over town. Fat &. Fiber will have you feeling — and living — free and easy. Weight W atchers new Fat & Fiber Plan helps put you in control and feeling great. And you can count on that! North Portland Northeast Portlar d N orth m in ste r Presbyterian: 2823 N Portland Blvd. Fellowship Hall: Tues . 7 00 p m T illa m o o k Park Bldg: 2 108’ , E 41st Ave M on-7 0 0 p m . Tues- / 0 0 p m Wed- 9 30 a m & 5 00 p ,n . Thurs- 7:00 p.m , Fri- 9:30 a m Temple Baptist C h u rch : 13 ION 7th; Fireside Room, Tues 12 00 Noon University of Portland: 5000 N Willamette Blvd Columbia Hall (Enter from Portsmouth). Wed 4 4 5 p m Northwest Portland Lloyd A th le tic C lu b Y o u r place. Y o u r pace. LLO tb • A T H I ET IC • 1 5 N .E . H a ls e y t C IU B 2 8 7 -4 5 9 4 ESCO: 2141 N W 25th Avenue (25th & Vaughn). Lab B ld g . 2nd Floor Auditorium. Fhurs 12 00 Noon Call Collect - Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. W e ig h t W a t c h e r s 503-297-1021 • 1995 Weight Watchers international Inc O w ner ot the Weight W etchera trademart. Ml rights reserved
