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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1996)
T ul P o r u and O bserver • N ovember 27, 1996 P age A 5 Low-calorie diets key to cancer prevention bv T he A merican I nstiti te for C ancer R esearch ___ may b t because we have done such a good job of selling the idea that fat and calories are the same thing, that the public will eat a box o f fat-free cookies thinking that there’s no fat, so it’s okay. The problem is , the other ingredients used in those cook ies might give them the same number o f calories as if fat had been used.” Calories and the rate at which we bum them through exerc ise have been found to play a vital role in our risk for colon, prostate and breast cancer development, according to several studies conducted with both women and men in the past decade. “ We now have data on well over a million people that show that the more overweight you are, the higher the number o f cancers for which you become at risk,” Kritchevsky noted. “If you are a male the risk o f prostate cancer is increased ifyou're at great er risk for colon cancer. Low calorie diets key to cancer prevention, researchers say Researchers believe from this and other evidence that restricting the Ever since weight-loss “dieting” became popular in the 1960s, cutting calories has been the key to shedding unwanted pounds. B utw henstudiesduringthe 1980s found that saturated fat in Ameri cans' diets was one o f the main caus es o f heart disease as well as weight gain, fat became the new villain in our food. Since then, hundreds o f reduced fat food products have gone on the market, and millions o f Americans have seen them as the answer to eating for better health. Yet statistics show that obesity in this country is increasing, with one- third o f all Americans--about 67 mil lion peop le-at least 20 percent over weight. Where did we go wrong? According to cancer researcher David Kritchevsky, Ph.D, o f the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, “In the United States, cholesterol counts seem to have fallen, while the inci dence o f obesity has gone up. This number o f calories we eat as well as burning them off through regular exercise is at least as important as cutting back on fat. Kritchevsky cited one experiment with skin cancer where mice got more tumors from a diet that was high only in calories and riot in fat, than from another diet that was high in fat. He added that in studies where rats were given treadmill exercise, their incidence oftumors was as much as 25 percent lower than among rats that did not exercise. Kritchevsky said that it’s easier to reduce calories by not taking them in rather than trying to work them off. "We eat too much. For example, the portions we now get at restaurants are huge. Populations that eat too much have high rights o f cancer. Finnish lumberjacks are known to eat about 7,000 calories a day, but since they’re chopping wood at 40 below zero degrees, they’re also burn ing 7,000 calories a day. Most o f us are always trying to make life less strenuous, like driving everywhere Artificial limb with real life Like most managers, Nita Weil spends her work day talking on the phone, typing on the computer and supervising staff. But unlike most managers, she does it all from a wheel chair, with the use o f only one arm supported by an orthosis. “New understanding o f biom e chanics, lighter plastics and stronger materials have led to orthosis that make life easier for patients with disabilities,” said Thomas Lunsford, an assistant professor in the depart ment o f physical medicine and reha bilitation at Baylor College o f M ed icine in Houston. W e’ve come a long way from bulky steel braces and heavy leather shoes.” Unlike prosthetics, which involves the artificial replacement o f a miss ing body part, orthotics refers to a mechanical device designed to re store function or to prevent or correct deformities. Over the past 30 years, there have been major advances in the field o f orthotics that have allowed patients with spinal cord and brain injuries and those afflicted with muscular dystrophy and past-polio syndrome to become more active and indepen dent. Upper-body supports are more streamlined, orthosis (braces and splints) and walking shoes are lighter and upper-limb orthosis allow for greater range o f motion. “ I've been working at The Insti tute for Rehabilitation and Research (TlRR) for 38 years now,” said Weil. “But I couldn’t have worked a day without my mobile arm support unit.” The unit, powered by carbon di oxide inflation o f an artificial mus cle, represents one o f the significant advances in the field o f orthotics. Weil has been paralyzed since being stricken with polio at the age o f 22. But that has not prevented her from becom ing the d irector o f volun teer services atTIRR. She oversees a team o f 200 volunteers at the hospi tal, and orthotic technology makes it possible. With the help o f the mobile arm unit, which supports and guides her left arm, Weil is able to use the working muscles in her arm. With out the unit, she would not be able to type on a keyboard or dial a tele phone. “ When you get an orthosis that helps you write your name, work on the computer or drive a car, it opens up a whole new world for you,” Weil said. Strep and rheumatic fever gle injection, preferable when ad herence to a ten-day regimen o f oral penicillin might be difficult. Newer oral antibiotics are widely prescribed by physicians, but ac cording to Edward L. Kaplan, MD, editor o f the Pediatrics supplement and an expert on group A strepto coccal infections, as many as two- thirds o f patients stop taking the medicine as soon as the symptoms start to disappear, thereby allowing the illness to survive, possibly re turn and even spread. He says that strep can spread quickly where peo ple c o n g re g a te —p a rtic u la rly in crowded areas such as schools and daycare facilities. Dr. Kaplan, who is th ech airo fth e Strep throat, a type o f group A streptococcal infection, can be asso ciated with dangerous, if not life threatening infections if not proper ly diagnosed and treated, Pediatrics reports. Serious com plications o f group A strep include not only rheu matic fever, but streptococcal toxic shock syndrome and tissue infec tions such as necrotizing fascitis, which have reported mortality rates o f 30 percent or higher. The Pediatrics supplement reports that pen ici II in, introduced more than 40 years ago, remains the most ef fective drug for treating strep throat preventing its spread and develop ment into dangerous complications. Penicillin is also available as a sin- World Health Organization Collab orating Center for Reference and Research on Streptococci and a Pro fessor o f Pediatrics at the University o f M innesota, says that sore throats need to be seen by pediatricians or primary care physicians and cultures must be taken to insure proper diag nosis and treatment o f group A strep tococcal infections. We will be calling you soon to discuss the recent reemergence of dangerous strep infections and can arrange an interview with Dr. Kaplan. instead o f walking, taking elevators instead of the stairs, so we don’t burn the same amount o f calories we eat.” A ICR re s e a rc h e r T. C olin Campbell, Ph.D., chaired Professor ofNutritional Biochemistry, Cornell U n i versity and director o f the Cornel I- O x fo rd -C h in a Diet and H ealth Project, added, "In China, calorie consumption is about 30 percent high- er than it is here, but those calories come from a diet that is much higher in plant foods, especially vegetables. The Chinese are much thinner than Americans not only because o f their diet, but because they exercise more than we do, because they ride to work on bicycles and have exercise regi mens in schools and workplaces.” The American Institute for Can cer Research advises eating a diet that is rich in low-calorie, low-fat and high-fiber vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. The Institute also rec ommends eating meat in moderation (no more than 4 ounces per meal); and drinking alcohol in moderation, if at all. African-American health briefs Prostate cancer a major threat to black men Annual prostate examinations are important for black men 40 and older. "T hat’s because prostate cancer is in the future o f one in nine black men,” said Dr Ronald L. Morton, Jr o f the Baylor Prostate Center at Baylor College o f Medicine in Houston. The disease can spread without symptoms, but a physician can detect prostate cancer by using a combination o f a physical exam, blood and urine tests and ultrasound scanning. A rectal examination, done in a doctor’s office, can determine if the prostate feels hard, a possible sign o f cancer. The exam is simple, quick and only slightly uncomfortable, Morton said. A prostate specific antigen, or PSA, test can help make the diagnosis, but a biopsy o f the prostate is needed to confirm the presence o f cancer. High blood pressure needs attention High blood pressure is a major cause o f death and debilitation among black people, and most blacks know someone with high blood pressure or hypertension. Blacks are twice as likely to have the disease as other Americans and more likely to suffer hypertension-related medical complications, said Dr. James L. Phillips of Baylor College o f Medicine in Houston. People wit high blood pressure need to be under a physician’s care, but they also can reduce their blood pressure by reducing salt in their diets, avoiding tobacco and alcohol, losing excess weight and exercising regularly. BCBSO names Tia Dorsey Vice President of Human Resources Tia Dorsey o f Portland has been appointed Vice President o f Hu man Resources for Blue Cross and Blue Shield o f Oregon HMO Ore gon. according to Donald Sacco, President. As VP o f Human Resources, Dorsey now manages a staff o f 28, and oversees the salary, benefit and working condition issues o f more than 2,300 BCBSO/HMO Oregon employees throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. She has been with BCBSO/HMO Oregon for more than 18 years, beginning her career with the com pany as an Employment Represen tative. She was later promoted to Su pervisor, Employment/Employee Relations in 1982, Manager o f Hu man Resources in 1990, and Assis tant Vice President in 1993. Dorsey is a graduate o f Portland State University with a degree in Psychology and Social Sc ience, and is accredited by the Society for Hu man Resource Management. She was raised in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and graduated form Wash ington High School in Portland. Dorsey is also a Board Member o f the Black Colleges Committee and maintains membership in the following organizations: National Society for Human Resources Man- Tia D orsey agem ent, N orthw est Human Re source M anagement Association, Urban League o f Portland, Portland Insurance Personnel Administrators, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. In her new position, she replaces Tom Kennedy, who assumed the Human Resources responsibility for Oregon ranks 47th in child immunization O regon’s new statewide child immunization information system, Oregon Immunization Alert, is the first system in the nation using bar codes to track children’s shots and oral vaccines statewide. The system is currently being introduced throughout the state to health care providers who treat ba bies and young children. Alert is a result of an innovative public/pri- vate partnership between members o f Oregon Health Systems in Col laboration, OHSIC, which repre sents Oregon’s largest health care systems. Almost one-third o f O regon’s children ages birth to two are miss ing one or two immunizations. 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So when Cheryl called to tell 3 (L iu' ^ ( J o r t k i u b ( O h s e r u c r I V In charge. fact, the state ranks 47th in the nation. Not knowing what vaccina tions a child needs and when they need them is a big problem. Most children have three or more immu nization providers, making it im possible for one provider to main tain complete and up-to-date im munization records. In many cases, no one. not even the parents, has the entire record. Alert addresses this by provid ing a computerized database o f childhood immunization records kept current regardless o f changes in family residence, insurance or health service sites as long as the child remains in Oregon or receives treatment in the state. U The Benchmark Group, BCBSO/ HMO O regon's tri-state holding company. BCBSO/HM O O regon is the state’s largest health benefits com pany, with more than I million sub scribers in traditional, HMO and PPO health plans.
