P age A4 J anuary 18, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver H EALTH OHSU Makes Progress On Stroke Treatment Physicans at Oregon Health Sciences University use an apparatus to evaluate patients with symptons of stroke. The hosptial is testing a new treatment for stroke, a leading cause of death and disability. If You Think You’re Ready To Have A Baby.. If you think you ’ re ready to have a baby...Think Ahead! T hat’s the message being highlighted by the March o f Dimes Birth Defects Foun dation during January, Birth Defects prevention Month. “Just as you plan other impor tant life events, it’s important to Think Ahead and prepare for pregnancy. There are a few simple things every woman can do prior to pregnancy to help make sure her baby has a healthy start in life,’’ says Dr. Richard Lowensohn, Chairman ofThe Health Professional Advisory Committee for the Lewis and Clark Chapter. A ccording to the M arch o f Dimes, women who are preparing to have a baby should see a health care provider before becoming pregnant; eat a balanced diet; stop smoking, drinking alcohol and taking nonpre- scription drugs; and consume at least 0.4 milligrams o f the B Vitamin folic acid every day. Folic acid can reduce the chance o f having a baby born with serious birth defects o f the brain and spine called neural tube defects -- which are among the most common birth defects in the United States. “Think ing Ahead about folic acid is espe cially important since one-half o f all pregnancies are unplanned and many women don’t know they're pregnant until several weeks after conception,’’ says Lowensohn. “Getting the urgent m e ssa g e to ev ery w om an o f childbearing age about consuming folic acid is o f major concern to the March o f Dimes, because folic acid is needed very early, before a woman knows she is pregnant. “Today, most women do not schedule a pre-pregnancy planning visit with a health care provider. The March o f Dimes recommends that such visits become a standard com ponent o f maternity care, along with prenatal, labor and delivery and post partum care. “Whether a woman is consider ing becoming pregnant or not, it’s good idea for her to see her gynecol ogist every year, eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, stop smoking and lower her alcohol consumption,” says Lowensohn. The Think Ahead campaign was developed as a result o f recommen dations made by the nation’s leading organizations concerned with m ater nal and infant health. In the report “Toward Improving the Outcome o f Pregnancy (TIOP): the 90s and Be yond,” 27 national organizations cit Classes O ffered For Better Health ' Several classes open to the pub lic are being offered in north Port land this w inter through Kaiser Permanente. For registration infor m ation, call Kaiser Perm anente’s H ealth Education Departm ent at (503) 286-6816. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to serious health problems. Kaiser Permanente offers several classes where you can leam self-care skills to control your diabetes. The three session “Diabetes: Basic Education” will be held next week from 9 a m. to noon on Mon day, Tuesday and W ednesday at Kaiser Permanente’s Education and Conference Center, 3704 N. Inter state Ave. Cost is $15 for Kaiser members and $75 for the general public. A spouse or other support person is encouraged to attend at no extra charge. Parenting Skills, Ages 5 to 12 is for people wishing to improve their parenting abilities. The eight session seminar will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at Kaiser’s North Interstate Services Building, 7201 N. Interstate Ave. Cost is $75 for Kaiser member couples and $ 140 for the general public. » 5 / k / ?..></ '•’;5 STRENGTH TRAINING LOW FAT LIVING PLAN CHILD CARE MASSAGE THERAPY PDC RACQUETBALL E E T iiü re n y T TAI CHI P ò MI a ST» ' 'V I COMMISSION MEETING Date: January 18,1995 Place: Portland Building 1120 SW 5th Avenue Second Floor T im e 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 T D D 823-6868 for assistance at least 48 hours in advance. r <? « "* V « ROWING PDC is the City of Portland's urban renewal, housing and economic development agency. ROWING WEIGHT TRAINING STEAM SAUNA * 282-1664 1105 N.E. Broadway Join W eight W atchers today and cut the fat, not the food. ( all: 503-288-0033 N e w Year's R esolution 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 Bnan or Holly at 287-4594 before January 31, 1995 to activate your trial membership WEIGHT WATCHERS NEW FAT & FIBER PLAN W ant to lose weight? You can count on the new Fat & 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 Weight W atchers. All you do is choose foods that meet your required daily fat and fiber intake. You select what you want, North Portland JOIN ANY MEETING ANYTIME The healthier you are, the more you enjoy life, so keep fitness in mind all year round - beginning now! 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! Northminster Presbyterian: 2823 N Portland Blvd. Fellowship Hall Tues; 7:00 pm I'niversity of Portland: 5000N Willamette Blvd .ColumbiaHall (Enter from Portsmouth). Wed 4 45 p m Northwest Portland Llo yd A th le tic C lub Y o u r place. Y o u r pace. V»/ Auditorium. Thurs 2 8 7 -4 5 9 4 ■ ’* t i .5 7 00 p m . Fri- 9 30 a m Temple Baptist C hurch: I3 I9 N 7th. Fireside Room, tues 12 0 0 1 Noon 12 00 Noon W e ig h t W a t c h e r * A IM lfllC lC lU B f t ' Wed- 9 30 a m & 5 00 p m . Thurs- Call Collect - Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. WHIRLPOOL 81 5 N .E . H a ls e y Northeast Portland Tillam ook Park Bldg: 2108 N t 41st I A w Mon- 7 00 p m . Tues- 7 00 p m . | ESCO: 2141 N W 25th Avenue (25th & Vaughn). 1 ab Bldg . 2nd Floor 503-297-1021 C l 9 9 5 Weight Watchers International Inc O w n e r oi the We,gh, W a tc h e r,!,a d e m a ,. All ng h t, r « e r v « l at , m m Ì fflii' J,lo rtl aitò (Dl. ■srrurr . ‘ • K One o f the Northwest Largest Wig Display Wigs and Hairpieces For all Nationalities Specializing in Hair Weeving Supplies A dvertise In 1/ ' : E va G abor N aomi S ims R enee O f P aris A K N U YE f t U R V ■ . • W igland Near Lloyd Center 3 1 der are used to treat opportunistic infections and other complications that AIDS patients are susceptible to. Physicians have found that when a single drug does not work, two or three administered at the same time in sequence or alternately, are often effective. Just 10 years ago, w hen the A ID S p a tie n t was id e n tifie d , no e ffe c tiv e m edicines e x iste d to tre a t it. P atients u su ally only had a year or tw o left to live N ow the lifespan o f a person w ith the HIV virus is o ften 10 years or m ore a fte r in fectio n has o ccu rred . Researchers have developed some tremendously important drugs in the decade since the discovery o f the HIV virus. There is still no cure and no vaccine, but ongoing re search holds out hope for both. There are currently 107 drugs in development for AIDS and 81 phar maceutical research companies are searching for a cure. Many researchers are gong back to basics to find answers to some fundamental questions about this virus: How does it destroy the immune-system cells? How does the body change as the disease progresses? As researches leam more about this terrible disease, the odds increase that more effective drugs - and perhaps a preventive vaccine or cure - will be found. M on - Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday 10 - 5:30 p.m. YOGA STAIRCLIMBING AIDS is the seventh leading killer o f African Americas. More than 88,000 African Americans are currently living with AIDS. In the 1990s, the number o f AIDS cases diagnosed among African Ameri can women has been 14 times high er than the rate for white American women, according to the U.S. De partment o f Heath and Human Ser vices. Obviously, this disease is a ma jo r concern to the African Ameri can community. There is no ques tion that the best way to beat AIDS is through prevention and educa tion and community leaders have a vital role to play here. The good news is that, although AIDS is still a terrible and fatal disease, new medicines are helping AIDS patients live longer and bet ter lives. People diagnosed with AIDS in 1991 have nearly twice the survival time as those diagnosed in 1984, according to the National In- stitutes o f Health. And A m erica's pharmaceutical research companies are working hard to add to the arse nal o f weapons against AIDS. In the past year alone, five new medicines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for AIDS and AIDS-related condi tions. This increases to 26 the total number o f AIDS medicines avail able. Four o f these medicines attack the virus directly, and the remain Synthetic & Human Hair For Braiding & Weeving SQUASH CYCLING . \ t Join Us in Celebrating ^ îo r tla n h © h s c rtie r’s P a re n tin g the T o d d le r and Preschoolerteaches parents o f 1 to4- year-olds how to nurture and enjoy their growing child. The class in cludes group sessions on child devel opment. positive discipline, building self-esteem and encouraging respon sible behavior. The eight sessions o f the class will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on W ednesdays through March 15 at the Education and Conference Center location. Cost is $75 for Kai ser member couples and $ 140 for the general public. AEROBICS ed pre-pregnancy awareness as an, important factor in improving the. outcome o f pregnancy. T hrough T hink A head, the M arch o f D im es seeks to m o ti vate co u p le s to prep are for th e ir p re g n a n c ie s and give th e ir baby the best p o ssib ility o f a healthy sta rt in life. Call the Lewis and Clark Chap ter o f the March o f Dimes at 503/ 222-9434 for more information about preparing for your pregnancy. The March o f Dimes is a nation al voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Through its Campaign for Healthier Babies, the March o f Dimes funds programs o f research, community services, edu cation and advocacy. AIDS: The Good News Is Research • •