P age A4
M ay 15, 1996 • T he P ortland O bserver
New Editor For Heart & Soul
Stephanie Stokes O liver is the
E d ito r-in -C h ief o f Heart & Soul
magazine, the African-Am erican s
Guide to Healthy Liv in g . O live r
brings over 20 years o f experience in
women’s service editorial to the
young, healthy lifestyle magazine
published by Rodale Press. Am eri­
ca’s leading health and fitness pub­
lisher
Oliver joined Heart & Soul in
September 1994, after a 16-year ca­
reer with Essence magazine Her
evolution through the Essence mast­
head includes serving as Contempo­
rary Living editor, Senior editor, West
Coast and Mothering editor O liver
was promoted to Editor in 1986
Prior to working for Essence,
Oliver was fashion and beauty mer­
chandising editor ar Glamour maga­
zine She has been published in Good
Housekeeping, Alaska Airlines Mag­
azine, Pacific Northwest, and many
other publications Oliver also served
as guest writer at Pacific and the
Sunday magazine o f The Seattle
Tim es during the summer o f 1985.
Oliver is a journalism cum laude
graduate o f Howard University from
which she received an outstanding
Alumni honor in 1986 In 1993, she
also received a Y M C A - N Y C Wom­
en o f O utstanding Achievem ent
Award. Currently, O liver serves as
An implant containing the drug
ganciclovir has been approved by
the Food and Drug Administration
to treat cytomegalovirus retinitis,
an eye infection common among
A ID S patients.
"This implant gives us anther op­
tion for treating this devastating in­
fection. which causes blindness in 95
percent ofthe cases.” said Dr Roberto
Diaz-Rohena. an assistant professor
o f ophthalmology at Bay lor College
o f Medicine in Houston and one o f
the physicians who studied the im­
plant in clinical trials.
Ganciclovir has traditionally been
judge o f the National M agazine
Awards. Other professional affilia­
tions include the National A ssocia­
tion o f B lack Journalists, the Fashion
Group International and the Wom-
en’s Media Group.
O live r and her fam ily live in
Monte lair. New Jersey. Her husband,
Reginald Oliver, in an account exec­
utive with Dun & Bradstreet.
believe, the inhalants increase the
abuse parents should look for paint
heart’s sensitivity to adrenaline. This
causes the heart to beat erratically,
which can lead to cardiac arrest.
But despite the dangers involved.
Batholomew reports, disturbing sign­
posts point to rising inhalant abuse
among America’s youngsters.
—Among 18,000 eighth-grade sur­
veyed nationwide, more than one in
five admitted trying inhalants at least
once according to University o f Mich­
igan survey sponsored by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse
—When the Partnership for a Drug-
Free America interviewed kids aged 9
to 15, two-thirds said that trying inhal­
ants once or twice wouldn’t be ex­
tremely risky.
—There’s even a home page on the
Internet that tells where to get inhal­
ants and how to use them It does not,
however, warn them how risky huffing
can be.
Nobody knows the actual death
toll o f huffing. These chemicals of­
ten leave the body too quickly for
coroners to track. T o spot inhalent
maker or correction-fluid stains oi
clothes or skin; empty spray cans,
rags or plastic bags in youngsters'
room; rashes or sores around the
nose or mouth; drunk, dazed or dizzy
behavior; excitability, anxiety or
irritability; nausea or loss o f appetite
or increasingly poor school perfor­
mance, apathy or absenteeism.
Because “happy cans” o f inhalable
poison are readily accessible in any
home or store, education, awareness
and involvement are the only weapons
parents have. Lobby schools, legisla­
tors and community leaders to make
awareness a priority. Studies show that
kids do say ‘no’ to certain substances
when they are fully informed o f the
dangers.
But perhaps the greatest to children
is adult denial. Parents who insist “my
kid would never do that” could be in
for a terrible surprise. While the drug
war rages on our streets, "huffing" has
gone mainstream in America’s homes.
For further information, please call
1-800-269-4237.
Until recently if you offered a
chocolate brownie to a diabetic, he
or she would have to say No. But, no
longer!
Last year the American Diabetes
Association announced there is no
scientific reason to deny the nation’s
16 m illion diabetes the use o f sugar.
But many diabetics have still not
heard this new message Many o f
those who have heard need help in
know in knowing how to incorporate
these changes in their daily meal
planning
The statement from the A D A fol-
Glaucoma
Risk May Be
Relative
Glaucoma damages the optic
nerve and can lead to blindness.
T h is M ay, Prevent B lind ne ss
Am erica devotes its Sight-Saving
Month observance to the fact that
“Glaucoma is a Fam ily A ffair.”
G laucoma occurs twice as often
in people whose parents, grand­
parents or great-grandparents had
the disease Fam ily has another
aspect, too: support for the glauco­
ma patient
A c tre ss and sup er-m o del
Beverly Johnson is joining three
medical experts to warn Am eri­
cans o f the dangers o f glaucoma.
But heredity is only one risk fac­
tor. Here's another: African-Amer­
icans get glaucoma 4 to 5 times
more often than Caucasians do.
Often overlooked: Treatment
can slow or even halt vision loss
but cannot restore lost sight, mak­
ing early diagnosis critical.
Researchers Test New Drug Fc Angina
There are an estimated 350,000
new cases o f angina, the illness caused
by a partial blocking o f a coronary
artery that brings blood to the heart
Angina, affecting an estimated 5.6
m illion people in the U .S., is a symp­
tom o f coronary artery disease, the
buildup o f a fatty material called
plaque in blood vessels.
When a coronary artery becomes
completely blocked and blood flow
is cut o ff to the heart, the result is a
heart attack or myocardial infarction.
Unlike a heart attack angina does not
normally damage the heart Angina,
usually lasting a few seconds, often
occurs during greater than normal
physical activity and emotional stress.
Sym ptom s o f the illness include
heaviness, tightness, pressure or burn­
ing in or near the chest or back;
heaviness, numbness aching or tin­
glin g in one or both arms, elbows or
wrists; discomfort in neck or jaw s or
fatigue, nausea, sweating, shortness
o f breath or indigestion.
Calcium channel blockers or beta
blockers are used to treat nearly half
o f the over 6.3 m illion Am ericans
that suffer from coronary artery dis­
ease.
The use o f these drugs in com bi­
nation with nitroglycerin, for angina
or chest pain, allows many people to
lead relatively normal lives. How ev­
er, a significant number o f individu­
als taking calcium channel blockers
and beta blockers experience side
effects from the medication includ­
ing headaches, ankle sw elling and
AIDS Memorial Mobalizes
Portland is among 290 cities in
over 40 countrys to participate in
13th International A ID S C a n d le lig h t
M emorial and M obilization The
w orld's largest annual grassroots
A ID S Can dlelight M em orial and
M obilization on Sunday. May 19,
The event, which began in San
Francisco in 1983, honors the mem­
ory o f those who have died o f A ID S ,
demonstrates support for people liv ­
ing with H IV and A ID S , and m obi­
lizes community involvement in the
fight against H IV / A ID S . It’s the
world largest annual grassroots A ID S
event.
The Portland observance o f the
event w ill be hosted by the Com m u­
nity A ID S Network at 7:00 p m at
Pioneer Courthouse Square
The
event w ill also serve as an opportuni-
taken intravenously The implant has
been shown to reduce many o f the
problems associated with that ap­
proach. including catheter infections,
kidney damage, anemia and insuffi­
cient drug levels, Diaz-Rohena said
The implant is placed surgically
inside the ey e under local anesthesia
and does not require a hospital stay.
After surgery, the patient may experi­
ence some blurred vision initially, but
the implant fits without discomfort.
The medication is delivered to the
retina in a time-released fashion and
lasts no more than six to eight months
“ While this new technology* rep­
resents a substantial improvement
in treating the infection, the implant
alone is not enough to treat C M V
retinitis if it is affecting other areas
o f the body or the other unaffected
eye,” said Diaz-Rohena “ It is crit­
ical for patients to take additional
oral or intravenous medications to
help stop the spread o f the infec­
tio n."
C M V retinitis develops in up to
50 percent of all people with A ID S .
The infection destroys the retina
and cannot be cured, although it can
sometimes be slowed with medica­
tion.
HELP FOR DIABETICS
Is Your Child Huffing?
While crack and hero in get the head-
lines, more and more youngsters are
“huffing” their way to a dangerous,
sometimes deadly high on common
household chemicals.
It’salready too late foryoungFreddy
Bustaque Bright, articulate, a 16-year-
old computer wh iz, Freddy was found­
ed dead in his room, a spray can o f air
freshener on the bed near his body
The autopsy pointed to S S D - sudden
sniffing death The toxic chemicals in
the spray’ s gas propellant had stopped
his heart
Foolishly looking foracheap, quick
high, kids are abusing a variety o f
common household products: lighter
fluid, adhesives, permanent-ink-felt tip
makers, typewriter correction fluid,
spray paint and paint thinners, gaso­
line and a wide range o f aerosols -
even fluorocarbons from air condi­
tioners and butane
In exchange for a brief euphoria,
huffing can cause hallucinations, dis­
orientation and far more permanent
harm: brain damage, liver or kidney
failure, even death In S S D , experts
Implant For Eye Infection
ty for the citizens o f Portland to learn
about the H IV / A ID S services offered
locally, and about volunteer oppor­
tunities.
Over 2,600 citizens o f Oregon
have died o f A ID S . It is important to
realize that we’ve got to improve
educat ion and prevent ion in our state,
as well as take care o f the people who
are already infected.
The theme o f the 1996 event is
“ A ID S Discrimination Is a Global
Epidem ic." Around the world, peo­
ple with H IV and A ID S suffered
discrim ination caused by fear, igno­
rance, and misconceptions about the
disease Such discrim ination pro­
motes, rather than prevents, the
spread o f H IV .
For more informaton call 234-
0175.
constipation.
Physician investigators at 25 med­
ical centers in the United States are
testing a new type ofcalcium channel
blockers that may have fewer side
effects.
In addition to possibly reducing
side effects, this new drug may also
reduce the number o f angina attacks
individuals experience, allow for
greater physical exertion without pain
and reduce blood pressure. The name
o f the drug is mibefradil and it is
being developed by the pharmaceu­
tical company Hoffman LaRoche,
Inc.
Researchers are looking for 250
reasonably healthy people with angi­
na to participate in an eleven week
study, They w ill receive comprehen­
sive card io vascu lar testing and
mibefradil and nitroglycerin for use
during the study.
A n y one interested in participat­
ing in the study is urged to consult
their physician.
For more information call (800)
393-9866.
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lowed a review by a panel whose co-
chairman was Edward Horton, medi­
cal director at the Joslin Diabetes Cen­
ter in Boston. In analyzing at least 15
studies the panel found that diabetics
digest and absorb table sugar just as
they do pasta and other complex car­
bohydrates, D r Horton said. Even
with the former sugar restrictions gone,
diabetics still need to carefully moni­
tor their eating habits.
Based on the 1995 Exchange Lists
for Meal Planning prepared by the
Am erican Diabetes A ssociation,
"D iab e tic Meal Planning Made
Easy!” is a complete 30-day meal
plan for diabetics. In planning for 30
different breakfasts, 30 different
lunches, 30 different dinners, and 30
different snacks, a variety o f over
300 foods is used.
Diabetic Meal Planning Made
Easy! was written by Marilyn White,
an insulin-using diabetic who was
trained in meal planning by a regis­
tered dietitian. A free-lance writer,
Mrs. White is a member ofthe Amer­
ican Diabetes Association and the
National League of American Pen
Women.