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Cruel Em ployer
B etw een 1968 and 1993, m ed
ical care em ploym ent alm ost tri
pled and health industry profits
boom ed. But that boom has left
m any health w o rk ers--p articu lar-
ly people of co lo r and w om en
em ployed at the bottom of the
m edical pecking o r d e r - w ith low
w ages and benefits, according io
an article in the A pril issue of the
A m e ric a n J o u r n a l o f P u b lic
H ealth released today. The study
found that in 1993, nearly eighty
percent o f health care w orkers
were women and one out of five
A frican A m erican w om en have
health jo b s.
One in seven percent of all med
ical care workers lacked health in
surance (up from 9 percent in 1989).
Only 57.2 percent got any employer
contribution toward coverage, and
597,000 lived in poverty.
The study, en titled “M edical
Care E m ploym ent in the U nited
S tates, 1968 to 1993: The Im
portance o f H ealth S ector Jobs
for A frican A m ericans and W om
e n ,” was auth o red fo r a N ational
H e a lth P ro g ra m c o - f o u n d e r s
D avid H im m elstein , M .D , and
Steffie W oolhandler, M.D. along
with Jam es P. L ew ontin.
W hile health executives make
millions, the study found that more
than ten percent of all medical work
ers made under $5 per hour in 1993.
Among nursing home employees,
24 percent earned less than $5 per
hour and 23 percent had no health
coverage. Low nursing home wages
particularly squeeze African Amer
icans who hold 2 4 .1 percent of nurs
ing home jobs, but only 15.9 percent
of hospital jobs and 5.6 percent of
jobs in practitioners’ offices. In 1993,
nursing homes paid registered nurs
es $4.68 per hour less than hospitals
did, and nursing aides $2.31 per
hour less. Raising nursing home
aides’ wages by $2.31 per hour would
have increased African Americans’
household incomes by $1.8 billion
annually.
"The health industry is a crucial
but cruel employer for women and
African Americans,” said Dr. David
Himmelstein, associate professor of
medicine at Harvard. “Crucial, be
cause so many women, especially
black women, work for the health
industry. Cruel, because despite their
runaway profits, health companies
force many of their workers to live in
poverty and without health insur
ance,” added Himmelstein.
Brinker Advocator And
Educator On Breast Cancer
C ancer
Rises For
Blacks
Breast cancer is on the rise
among black women and other
women of color. Chances are, ev
eryone knows someone who has
had or now has breast cancer. It is
the leading cause of death from
cancer among African American
women.
Any woman can get breast can
cer but the chances are higher as
women age or if there is a history
of breast cancer in the family, es
pecially diagnoses before age 50.
Breast cancer rates among black
women are higher than among
white women says the African
American Breasts Cancer Alliance.
One reason, studies show, is that
black women get diagnosed only
after the disease has spread.
Advocates suggest women over
40 have regular mamograms, wom
en over 20 have regular clinical
breast exams given by a doctor or
other health care provider and ev
ery w om an exam ine her own
breasts every month.
Are You Walking Wrong?
What could be more natural than
walking? And although you’ve been
walking an average of 8,(XX) to I (),(XX)
steps per day since the age of one, you
may be doing it wrong and causing
yourself unnecessary aches and pains.
Spring is the right time to make sure
you’re walking correctly -- so you can
avoid foot problems when you in
crease your level of activity or step up
your exercise regimen.
“Walking comes naturally for most
of us—so much so that sometimes we
neglect to follow a few easy rules.
like warning up or wearing the right
shoes,” said Dr. Robin Ross, New-
York-based podiatrist and member
of the Dr. Scholl's Health Council.
"These ‘bad walking habits’ could
lead to intense discomfort and future
foot problems.”
Officials Say Ebola Virus Under Control
Health officials said they have halt
ed the spread of the Ebola virus that
infected several monkeys imported by
a south Texas breeding center.
Half of the ICX) monkeys in the
shipment were killed and their car
casses incinerated after the Ebola
Reston strain infected at least three
monkeys quarantined at the breeding
center.
“A preliminary test of one of the
remaining monkeys had suggested that
it might have the Ebola Reston virus,
but further testing showed that it does
not,” Texas health commissioner Dav
id Smith said.
The 50 healthy monkeys will re
main quarantined for another three
weeks, and will be tested again for the
Ebola strain before they are released.
Smith said.
Eight handlers who had contact with
the infected monkeys also remained
under observation but had not been
quarantined and showed no symptoms
of a viral infection. Smith said.
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
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The Centers for Disease Control
“hot ¿zone team” was called in last
weekend after the second monkey in
the shipment fell ill and had to be
killed.
The monkeys had been imported
from Filipino breeder Ferlite Scien
tific Research Inc. Monkey imports
from the Philippines since have been
halted while breeding farms there are
tested.
The Ebola Reston strain — made
famous in the best-selling novel "The
Hot Zone” — was named after a
1989 outbreak at a monkey facility in
Reston, Virginia.
The Reston and Texas primate fa
cilities both are owned by HRP Inc.,
and breed monkeys for biomedical
research.
•S ome
Nancy G Brinker is a national
leader in the fight against breast can
cer. A national advocate for breast
cancer issues and a leader in the field
of breast cancer education and re
search, Brinker founded The Susan
G. Komen Breast Cancer Founda
tion.
In 1982, Brinker established and
named the Komen Foundation in
honor of her sister. Susan, w ho died
of the disease. To date. The Susan G.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
has raised more than $40 million,
awarded more than 275 research
grants and provided screening ser
vices and support networks for wom
en and their families across the coun
try. Brinker then established the Race
for the Cure Series, now the nation's
largest series of 5k runs, which raised
funds and builds awareness for breast
cancer.
In 1984, Brinker was diagnosed
with breast cancer. Because of her
sister’s experience. Brinker knew
N ancy G. Brinker
early detection was the key and sought
(he most advanced treatment options
possible. Brinker’s own fight and
survival of breast cancer, coupled
with the death of her sister, increased
her motivation to educate women
about the disease and how to prevent
it. To this end, Brinker wrote The
Race Is Run One Step At A Time:
Every W om an’s Guide to Taking
Charge of Breast Cancer. In addi
tion, she is CEO of In Your Corner
Inc., a socially responsible company
providing quality health-related prod
ucts to consumers such as "The Gift,”
a critically acclaimed entertaining
kit that teaches women how to do a
monthly breast self exam.
In addition, Brinker served a pres
idential appointment on the National
Cancer Advisory Board (1986-1992),
the three-member President’s Can
cer Panel (1991-1992), and acted as
chairw om an of a subcom m ittee
( 1992-1993) to study the progress of
breast cancer research and education
in the United States and around the
world. She also serves as a director
for Caremark International and PRN,
Inc., as well as the Harvard Univer
sity School of Public Health.
Brinker resides in Dallas, Texas
with her husband, restaurant indus
try leader Norman Brinker, and their
son, Eric.
Hope For The Follicaly Challenged
Aging baby boomers are rapidly
expanding the follicaly challenged
population. Over 90 million individu
als (55 million men and 35 million
women) currently suffer from hair loss
in North America alone. Unfortunate
ly this expanding demographic has
spurred a new round of potions and
snake oils that promise Io increase
your hair follicles while depleting your
savings. The lack of accurate informa
tion and vanity makes the follicaly
impaired easy prey to imaginative
hucksters.
What are the facts? Duke Univer
s ity recently confirmed that the gener
al cause of hair loss in both sexes is due
to the excessive build-up of DHT in
the hair follicle. DHT, created from
the male hormone testosterone is the
culprit in hair loss. The difference
between individuals who suffer from
hair loss and those that do not is basi
cally that the follicaly impaired are
genetically programmed, through he
redity, to accumulate more DHT in
their hair follicles than those who keep
their "crowning glory.” This shatters
the myth that bald persons are more
manly because they have
more testosterone, and confirms that
hair loss is inherited from your par
ents.
Men naturally have a higher per
centage of testosterone than women.
However, birth control, medication,
illness, pregnancy and menopause can
escalate a women's testosterone level
high enough to cause excess hair loss.
Usually women suffer from an overall
thinning of the hair, opposed to the
classic male "Horseshoe pattern." Most
women just want to regain the thicker
hair of their youth
Som e products claim to restore
hair follicle of sham poo and se
bum buildup (thus now freed from
blockage hair may spring to the
surface). Rarely does this a p
proach work how ever, and if it
does it may release only a few
hairs which would hardly cover a
bald scalp. S pray p a in t, hair
thickeners and w igs have their
lim itations, and for many people
are not c o n s id e re d “ o p tio n s .”
R ogaine w ithout a prescription
will soon be av ailable to c o n
sum ers, how ever past sales sta
tistics indicate results have been
q u estio n ab le.
'Hie correct approach is to reduce
the amount of DHT that builds up in
the hair follicle. Several new drugs
which have been in use to reduce the
testosterone level in prostate cancer
patients show promise, but the listed
side effects include loss of sex drive
and impotency. In theory this is some
what like castration (eunuchs and
castratos did not suffer from hair loss).
The US and European governments
have recently granted a patent to Kevis
Labs of Italy for their new treatment.
The Kevis program consists of two
steps. First a cleansing with its low
detergent shampoo which moisturize
and oxygenates the scalp, then a light
massage of the Kevis hair lotion di
rectly into the scalp.
Kevis molecules are heavy enough
to penetrate the hair follicle and once
inside binds itself to the same recep
tors which normally receive the DHT
molecule. As these Kevis molecules
accumulate in the scalp the build up of
DHT reduce due to lack of space (lack
of receptor sites).
Clinical tests performed at dozens
of universities and hospitals in Europe
demonstrated an 80% success rate
when treatment is used for at least 12
months and when started at an early
stage of hair loss. Kevis is not FDA
approved as a drug, it is considered a
cosmetic.
b o o - b o o s , a kiss can ' t fix .
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Join Any Meeting Any Time!
NORTHEAST PORTLAND
NORTH PORTLAND
Tillamook Park Bldg.
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.
Columbia Hall
(Enter from Portsmouth)
Wednesday, 4:45 p.m.
NORTHWEST PORTLAND
ESCO
2108 N. E 41st Ave
Mon. 7:00 p.m.
Tues. 7:00 p.m.
Wed. 9:30 a.m. & 5:00 p.m.
Thurs. 7:00 p.m
Fri. 9:30 a m.
Temple Baptist Church
2141 N.W. 25th Avenue
1319 N.E. 7th
(25th & Vaughn)
Fireside
Room
s ’ Lab Bldg., 2nd Floor Auditorium
Tues.
12:00
Noon
JC Thursday, 12:00 Noon
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X
Offer valid In participating a re a s
only for a limited time.
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FREE Immunizations Available -
April 21 through 27, 1996
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Polio. Measles. Diphtheria. W hooping
Cough. The fact is, once a child contracts a
scary disease like this, there's not much a par
ent can do. It's up to the doctors. And fate.
Which makes it inconceivable that 33% o f
Oregon children still aren't fully im m unized
by the age of two.
Yes, School Law requires they be im m u
nized by kindergarten. But unfortunately, that
law also creates the perception that it's okay to
wait until then. People don't realize that wait
ing puts their infants at risk, llnim m unized
infants are not protected. Therefore, they are
more likely to get diseases and to have severe
side effects from them.
Truth is, 80% o f all vaccines can be given
by age two. Safely. All it takes is four quick vis
its to the doctor. Meaning you must follow
through with all the shots. They don't have to
cost a lot either.
Most im portant, don't be afraid to ask your
doctor, nurse practitioner or health depart
m ent questions. And keep track o f your child's
im m unization schedule. After all, the one who
can best take care o f your baby is you.
For the times and dates of the clinic nearest you call your local
Health Department or 1-800-SAFENET for more information.
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