•» »
Ç.’
•.«. <
z>
v!
; > •-
P age B4
J une 7, 1995 • T he P oru
and
O bserver
H E A LTH
The Numbers Keep Growing:
African-Americans Living With Kidney Disease
H arriett E llis leads an inspiring,
fast-paced lifestyle -- more so than
The most d isturbing part o f this equa­
tion is that the num ber o f cases o f
kidney fa ilu re in A frican-A m ericans
most people that you m ight meet.
H arriett is the form er D ire cto r o f
Pharmacy at H arlem H ospital and
Brush Up On Flossing
Flnsstno
Flossing remnvec
removes nlnnnp
plaque that
hides between teeth and under the
gum line-places toothbrushes can’t
I reach
. u . the
m , 70s ». . A_ •
■ .z*
Floss innovationsduring
ly to shred I f you have tig h t teeth
and 80s included extra fine, mint
use and extra slippery floss.
waxed and unwaxed, cinnamon, bub­
To prevent plaque build-up, den­
ble gum and m int w ith baking soda
tists recommend flcssingat least once
fo r that fresh feeling.
a day, preferably before retiring.
I wists o f the 90s include neon
It doesn’ t matter w hether you
colors, flosses made o f the same
floss before o r after brushing.
Fond o f your teeth and gums?
I N ot flossing is a m ajor cause o f
I adult gum disease and tooth loss.
Last year Americans bought 3.8
b illio n yards o f floss, enough to
material as teflon and flosses w ith
fluoride.
wrap around the globe 86.7 times.
S till, more than 80 percent o f flossers
don’t floss regularly, nor do they
I floss all teeth.
I oday more than 30 companies
sell hundreds o f flosses w ith catchy
m onikers like Easy slide. G lide, the
Way it Was and Sweet Breath.
There is no added health advan­
The first comm ercial flosses-
made o f waxed and unwaxed s ilk -
tage to using flavored, waxed, flu o ­
ride-covered o r bak ing soda-covered
dental floss.
were sold by Johnson and Johnson
I in 1898
Because s ilk w asn’ t w id e ly
I available during W orld W ar II, floss
use was lim ited until 1945, when
manufacturers switched to nylon and
other synthetics.
N o pain, no gain? N o t neces­
sarily, but ify o u rg u m s a re inflam ed
by tartar - the substance caused when
plaque ca lcifie s - there may be dis­
com fort and/or bleeding at first. The
good news? W ith in a few days o f
correct flossing yo u r gums should
heal.
T ired o f stickin g hands in your
Certain floss types may be best
fo r particular mouths. I f you have
larger spaces between your teeth, use
mouth? T h e re ’ s a new product:
FlossPlus, w ith a battery-operated
head that sonically vibrates 20,000
times per minute. I t ’ s $29.95 from
a thicker floss. If you have restora­
tions, try a waxed flo s s -it’ s less lik e ­
N eoSonicsC rop. Joliet, Illin o is . O r
you can ca ll (800) 99-FLO SS.
Aids: The Second Decade
A Focus On African Americans
by
A ngela S hiloh -C kyer
tion.
This story is more comm on than
S helita’ s symptoms were ty p i­
cal o f someone w ith advanced H IV
disease. Yet w hile she suffered w ith
night sweats, fever, and A ID S -re la t­
ed pneumonia (PCP), she never real­
ized what was causing these prob­
lems. She died w ithout know ing of,
and w ithout treating, her H IV infec-
you w ould imagine, p a rticu la rly in
ourcom m unity. M any A frican A m er­
icans are diagnosed w ith A ID S w ith ­
out even know ing they are infected
w ith H IV , the virus that causes the
disease. W hy is this happening? In
many cases, fear, denial o r shame
com bine w ith poverty and a lack o f
access to health care to keep people
from being tested and from receiving
im portant medical treatment.
T his is p a rticu la rly discourag­
ing since the face o f the H IV /A ID S
epidem ic in the U nited States is
ch a rg in g from that o f a m iddle class,
w hite gay male to that o f a poor,
A frica n Am erican male, female, or
baby.
At First Interstate Bank.
we can help you get
I f YOU
DO N’T
into a dream home you
continuestogrow . T h e N e w England
Journal o f M edicine estimates that in
the 1960’ s, A frican-A m ericans made
up about 10 percent o f the co u n try’ s
patients being treated fo r kidney fa il­
ure. In 1978, this num ber ju m p e d to
about 26 percent, and today the num ­
ber o f A frica n -A m e rica n s w ith k id ­
ney failure is no longer the “ death
sentence” o f ju s t th irty years ago —
before the life-saving kidney dialysis
machine was invented.
A lthough the machine managed
to sustain a patient's life by filte rin g
and cleansing waste from the blood
supply, it left many patients w ith
cripplinganem ia, m aking them weak
and incapable o f leading a norm al
life.
currently serves as Pharmacy D ire c­
to r fo r a prestigious New Y o rk C ity
Health agency. H arriett also sits on
the New Y o rk Board o f Pharmacy,
teaches continuing education cours­
es in pharmacy and plays tennis sev­
eral times a week. B ut one aspect o f
her life is in cre a sin g ly com m on
ney failure is topping 30 percent o f
all kidney patients.
among A frican-A m ericans. H arriett
begins and ends each productive day
o f her life hooked up to a home
kidney dialysis unit.
The a larm ingly high rate o f k id ­
ney failure among A fric a n -A m e ri­
cans is attributed p rim a rily to hyper­
tension and diabetes. The exact rea­
A lthough whites s till constitute
the largest number o f kidney patients
in this country, the rate o f kidney
fa ilu re among A frica n -A m e rica n s
sons w hy A frica n -A m e rica n s have a
higher incidence o f these conditions
is not know n, but it is lik e ly that
was introduced to treat this anemia
As a result, dialysis patients can
lead productive and more satisfying
lives -- often w o rkin g harder and
genetic factors may play a part.
Fortunately, a diagnosis o f k id ­
exercising more frequently than most
people w ith o u t the disease.
today is nearly fo u r times as great.
These symptoms were o rig in a l­
ly thought to be signs o f renal disease
itself.
Then in 1989, a genetically en­
gineered hormone called EPOGEN
Senior Program Planned
“ Take Charge.” a health and
safety program fo r senior citizens,
w ill be held on Thursday, June 29.
Charge” event.
This p ublic service program is
This free program fo r senior c it­
izens has been designed to provide
in fo rm a tio n and education about
dealing w ith one’ s own health care It
w ill begin at 9:00 a m. and end about
1:00 p.m. at the Rccdwood Friends
Church in Southeast Portland (2901
SE Steele). The program is being
sponsored by the N orthw est Osteo­
pathic M edical Foundation in coop­
eration w ith Eastmoreland Hospital,
adjacent to the site o f the “ Take
uled on home, personal and street
an opp o rtu n ity fo r the senior popula­
tion to learn about th e ir ow n health
smart safety, firs t aid, and poison
prevention. A pharm acist w ill also
be available fo r consultation.
care, personal safety, and emergency
first aid, p a rticu la rly in the home.
It is im portant to note that par­
ticipants must preregister at 699-
Featured speakers w ill include,
among others: Howard G raitzer, DO,
geriatrician, "M a n a g in g y o u r Health
Care” C heryl K irk , RD, n u tritio n ist,
Oregon D a iry C ouncil Lawrence E.
Foltz, DO , fa m ily practice, “ Cardiac
Care” Nancy T u rp in , RN, geriatric
5366, as space w ill be lim ite d (dead­
line June 26). The fa c ility is wheel­
chair-accessible, and there w ill be
plenty o f free refreshments provided
during the course o f the program.
B lood pressure screenings w ill also
be available.
nurse practitioner.
In addition, speakers are sched-
For further inform ation please
cal I the Foundation office, 222-7161.
PROVIDENCE HEALTH PLANS
Providence
Good Health Plan
It's good fo r you
never dreamed you
T H IN K YOU’D QUALIFY
FORA HOME LOAN,
could afford. W ith our
first-time-buyer
programs, low down-
CONGRATULATIONS,
THAT’S THE FIRST
payment plans and fixed
or variable rate options.
we have home loans to
QUALIFICATION.
accommodate almost
When you choose your health insurance, choose Providence Good
Health Plan. It s a simple choice that provides convenient access to
the health care you need:
• affordable health insurance
• choice of your own doctor
• convenient access to services
• Providence hospitals:
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
Providence Portland Medical Center
Providence Milwaukie Hospital
Providence Seaside Hospital
Providence Newberg Hospital
• other community hospitals: Tuality Community Hospital,
Tuality Forest Grove Hospital, Willamette Falls Hospital,
Southwest Washington Medical Center.
Call us today for more information. Because Providence Good
Health Plan is good for you.
everyone So stop by and
talk to a First Interstate
Providence
representative today
NAMED AMONG
THE NATION S BEST
■
Good Health Plan
*To*M*m, Pom««)
YOU
£r o
Bank
i=i
LENDER
Loans
to credit approval Other conditions may apply
& 1995 First Interstate Bancorp
ETOrid.™ - ' • VhKMtt M .d k .1
HOSPITALS
EnnM
~
dwautto M o,pn*l
Congratulations
From HCIA/Mercer Health Provider Consultine
1994 Top 100 Hospitals
B
280-7500
1-800-878-4445
may be in order
P ro v id e n c e |
Health System
I