Portland observer., December 17, 1997, Page 3, Image 3

Page A3
DEC. 17, 1997
(Cl|c Jlartlanò (lìhseiw r
H ealth ©Science
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Drop in U.S. SIDS Rate Gives Hope
Sw eetdream s . It's w hatevery parent
says to their little one before he or she
drifts off to sleep.a
Safe sleep...It’s w hat every parent
silently hopes for, not w anting to think
about their baby falling victim to the
tragedy o f Sudden Infant D eath Syn­
drom e (SIDS).
For parents w ho experience the loss
o f their infant, the pain can be unbear­
able. All those w ho w elcom ed and loved
this child must deal with grief, guilt, and
the question o f why this happened to their
child.
SIDS death pnxiuce intense and trau­
matic reactions am ong surviving family
members, friends and health care provid­
ers There are multiple victims o f SID S-
-thedeceasedinfantandsurvivingfam ily
members.
What is SID S?
SIDS is the sudden death o f an infant
under one year o f age w hich rem ains
unexplained after a thorough case inves­
tigation, including perform ance o f an
com bined over a 14-year period.
SID S strikes fam ilies from all races,
ethnic and socioeconom ic backgrounds
SID S is the m ajor cause o f death in
infants after the first m onth o f life.
SID S victim s appear to be healthy
prior to death.
A t this lime, SID S cannot be pre­
dicted o r prevented, even by aphysician.
T here appears to be no suffering; death
occurs very rapidly, usually during peri­
ods o f sleep.
The highest incidence is betw een 2-4
m onths of age, and occurs m ore fre­
quently in fall, w inter and early spring
months.
SID S can occur any w here -in the crib,
couch or bed at hom e, at day-care cen ­
ters, and in the hom es o f friends and
relatives.
W hat SID S is not:
SIDS is not caused by external suffo­
cation.
SID S is not caused by vom iting and
choking.
SID S is not contagious.
autopsy, exam ination o f the death scene,
and a review o f the clinical history.
SIDS m ay claim tiny lives, but it is no
small m atter Suddenly and unexpect­
edly, over 6000 infants die each y e a r -
that’s one baby in every 500 b irth s-o n e
baby every hourofeachday. M any m ore
infants die each year from SID S than all
children w ho die from cancer, heart dis­
SID S does not cause pain or suffering
to the child.
SID S is not caused by child abuse.
R ecent progress noted:
F or m any parents and parents-to-be,
the risk o f this tragedy has decreased
30% in the last 3 years largely due to the
national B ackT oS leepC am paign. Back
T o Sleep follow s the A m erican A cad­
ease, pneumonia, child abuse, A ID S,
cystic fibrosis, and m uscular dystrophy
em y o f Pediatrics recom m endation that
Enjoy Holiday Eating
Without Guilt
Follow the Ten Habits of Naturally Slim People
B y J ill H. P odjasek M S RN
A uthor of T he T en H abits of
N aturally S lim P eople .... and
How to M ake T hem P art of
Y our L ife
Holidaysand Overeating., .are They
Really Synonym s? It is a tradition all
over the wi >r Id: Fesli vals. Fam 11 ies and
Fixxl. They go together. O ftentim es at
holiday celebrations the em p h asis
seems to be m ore on Food, and m ass
quantities ot it, than anything else!
Fixxl preparation may begin days or
weeks in advance. W e s< im etim es place
ourentiresenseofself-worthon whether
our families or friends like the dish we
made. M other know s (or thinks she
knows) our favorite dishes from chi Id-
hood and appears suicidally m orose if
we refuse a second or third helping of
them.
L et’s face it. For those o f us w ho
have or have had any type o f eating
disorder, or those o f us just trying to
watch our weight, the hoi idays can be
Hell.
This year, do yourself a favor. D on’t
enter the holiday season with dread,
stoic m artyrdom or resignation to stuff
yourself and diet in January W ith a
little mental preparation, you can enjoy
frxxloverthc holidays w ithout becom ­
ing overw helm ed. The mental prepa­
ration lam talkingaboutinvolvescliang-
ingyourattitude about w hoyou are and
how you handle food and eating.
You arc not Your Diagnosis
O ur society is very gixxl at nam ing
things: people, places, sym ptom s, dis­
orders. However, often tim es labels
m eant to help people, becom e crip­
pling to their pow er to recover. This
crippling is mental, not physical and it
can be overcom e. Som e o f the labels
more.
T hese labels or diagnoses are quite
helpful insum m arizingagnxtpofsym p-
tom s.oraphysical stateofhealth. Espe­
cially when seeking specialized treat-
ments. The pn iblennxxurs wlien people-
sum identifying them selves as a diag­
nosis such as: “I am a com pulsive
overeater’’ instead o f “ I com pulsively
overeat”, o r “ I am a bulim ic" in stead o f
"I have bulimia". T his may sound petty
but it is a practice that violates our
ability to identify w ithout S elf and our
wholeness.
W e are all. regardless ol diagnoses,
three dim ensional hum an beings. W e
are a spirit, a unique and perfect soul.
T his soul resides in a physical fxxly and
possesses a pow erful mind. T hree d i­
m ensions, spirit, m ind and fxxly. As
three dim ensional beings we may have
physical, mental, o r spiritual problems....
but we are not the problem s. W ho we
are transcends those problems.
We arc All Natural Instinctive
Eaters by Birth
U nderneath your problem s and is­
sues is an inherent w holeness that you
can tap into. In regards to fixxl and
eating it is im perative that you know
that you w ere bom , naturally slim and
you w ere bom a natural instinctive
eater. As a baby yi iu knew when, where,
wtiat and how m uch to eat without
anyone tel I i ng y (xi. Y ou have al I the raw
material to be at peace with fixxl and to
reach a healthy fxxly size right inside
yourself! Y oujust need lo b e rem inded
o f those natural instincts. And, like
som eone w ho has been paralyzed for
years, you will need to take slow, small
steps, toregainyourconlidence in these
natural instincts.
First, how ever, you need to know
we are fami liar with that have Iodo w i th
what these natural instincts arc. And,
food, w eightand body issues are: obese,
w hat better tim e to learn them than
fat, com pulsive overeater, binge eater,
anorexic, bulimic, low self-esteem and
n o w ? C onsider them a holiday gift to
yourself!
babies should be placed on their backs to
sleep.
O ctober is National SID S A w areness
M onth, ti med tocoincide with the advent
o f the cold w inter m onths and the peak
incidence pernxl for SIDS.
A s O reg o n s C h airp erso n for SI D S
A w aren ess M o n th . S h aro n K itz h a b e r
states: " W h ile d e a th s are d e c lin in g ,
th e n u m b e rs are still to o freq u en t.
E ach d eath re p resen ts the lo st d re a m s
an d h o p e s th at all p a re n ts h av e for
th e irc h ild re n . If all o f us tak e ste p s to
learn a b o u t w ay s th at ca n re d u c e the
risk o f S ID S , w e can c o lle c tiv e ly
w o rk to g e th e r to w a rd the u ltim a te
e lim in a tio n o f th is trag ed y ."
W e jo in M rs K itz h a b e r’s e ffo rts
to e d u c a t e p a r e n t s a n d c h i l d
c a re g iv e rs a b o u t step s to re d u c e th e
risk of S ID S , an d h elp us e le v a te
S ID S to a level o f c o n c e rn a p p ro p ri­
ate to o n e o t o u r n a tio n ’s m a jo r c a u se s
o f in fan t m o rtality .
Reducing the Risk o f SIDS:
A lte rin g p a re n tin g p ra c tic e s can
red u ce an in fa n t’s risk o f fallin g v ic ­
tim to S ID S . H o w e v e r, it is im p o rta n t
to re a liz e th at th is is n o t a " c u r e ” fo r
S ID S . R isk fa c to rs a lo n e d o n o tc a u .s e
S ID S . R e se a rc h e rs still d o n o t k n o w
w h at c a u se s in fa n ts to d ie su d d e n ly .
E v en if p are n ts fo llo w all o f th ese
g u id e lin e s, th e re is n o g u a ra n te e th at
th e ir in fan t w ill not fall v ictim to th is
sile n t killer.
Body, Mind, and Spirit
H ealing m y s e lf and o th e rs is
w here m y love lies.
At the age o f 17, I m et a n u tri­
tionist w ho gav e an in fo rm al talk
m atio n to r its ow n h e a lth a n d m e n ­
tal w ell-b ein g .
1 ch o se the p a th o f the h e a le r and
received fo rm alized train in g in O ri­
about her w ork. S he p ain te d a p ic ­
ture o f T ru e H ealth A c c o rd in g to
her. being h ealthy m ean t h av in g
high energy th ro u g h o u t the d ay,
glow ing co m p lex io n , b rig h t eyes,
clean blood frc co fim p u ritics.clarily
o f m ind, in n er p eace and a loving
d is p o s itio n That in tr ig u e d m e
enough to w ant it M s. H arrin g to n
w as the very cata ly st that started m e
on the path o f self-h e a lin g . 1 ask ed
en tal M ed icin e. T h e sc h o o lin g w as
re m ark ab le. M y e d u c a tio n w as in
A c u p u n c tu re , H erb s an d N u tritio n .
A holistic healing involves the
B ody, M ind and Spirit. T h is is a
her to show m e how .
She started by rem o v in g heavily
processed foods from m y diet. A s a
replacem ent, I w as ord ered to eat
organic fruits and v egetables and
drink distilled w ater. T h ere w ere a
lot o f strange herbs to take w ith it.
She also prescribed reg u lar w alking,
m editation and yoga. It w as d iffer­
ent. but 1 persisted w ith the program .
W ithin a few d ay s, I n o ticed re ­
m arkable ch an g es. I e x p e rie n c e d
strength and a sense o f w e ll-b ein g
as n ever before. Il w as a w o n d ro u s
tra n sfo rm a tio n ! I ex u d e d health and
ju st ’g lo w e d ’ it. M s. H arrin g to n
gave m e en o u g h g u id e lin e s to make-
stay in g h ealthy a lifesty le.
1 have sh ared this sto ry b ec a u se
it w as a tu rn in g point for m e. It is m y
p u rp o se to inform an d teac h h e a lth ­
ful w ay s o f b eing A s an im p o rtan t
re m in d e r. I am not a m ed ical d o c to r
and c a n n o t p rescrib e or m a k e any
m ed ical claim s I am a stu d e n t of th e
H ealth S cien ces. If you h a v e a health
c o n c e rn , p lease c o n su lt w ith a li­
c e n se d m edical p ra c titio n e r.
T ry in g to stay h ealth y is an o n g o ­
ing, c o n sc ie n tio u s p ro cess. I am e x ­
cite d to w rite ab o u t it, esp e c ia lly
d u rin g these tim es w hen o u r society
is c o llc c tiv c ly u n d e rg o in g a tra n sfo r­
m ore ‘w h o le ’ approach. H ealing in
one area directly affects o th er d i­
m ensions o f our being. T h ro u g h o u t
this m onth and the co m in g y ear, 1
will I k - in troducing m any kinds o f
healing practices, interview ing h eal­
ers and addressing health issues A
new b o o k w ill a ls o be featu red
m onthly. My w ritin g sw illco v ersu ch
topics as E ating A cco rd in g Io the
S easons. M indfulness, the P ow er o f
Prayer, V oluntary S im plicity, etc.
I v alu e m y role at the P o rtlan d
O b serv er. It is m y re s p o n sib ility to
relate as a w riter in h elp in g to heal
w hat you d eem n ec e ssa ry in y o u r
life. M y jo b is to e n c o u ra g e the
process. It is m y h ope that the e n e r­
g ies you sp en d n u rtu rin g y o u rs e lf
out o f self-love and discipline w ould
in turn p ro fo u n d ly a ffect y o u r fa m ­
ily and c o m m u n ity .
I o penly w elco m e any c o m m e n ts
and su g g e stio n s. Y o u r feed b ack is
im portant.
Health Decisions ‘98 Community Meetings
B e lie v in g that ev ery O re g o n ia n
has a v ital in terest in h ealth c a re anil
how h ealth p o licy in O reg o n w ill be
c ru ited to facilitate the H ealth D eci­
"We are seeking
a ll." G a rla n d em p h a siz e s, "a s O r­
sh ap ed in the fu tu re. O reg o n H ealth
in terested O re g o n ia n s to lead the
egon health reform bn uidens in scope,
D e c isio n s (O H D ) is p re s e n tin g a s e ­
m eetin g s", says G arlan d . O H D board
m e m b e r and p ro ject leader. ‘T hey
w ill be train ed and g iv e n the tools to
c itizen in v o lv em en t w ill be vital to
the h ealth policy d e c is io n s that m ust
ries o f sta te w id e co m m u n ity m eet
ings th at b eg an th is m o n th an d end
M arch , 1998. T h e m eetin g s w ill take
a "fo r, w ith and by the c o m m u n ity "
ap p ro a c h w ith c itiz e n s in c itie s and
to w n s ac ro ss the slate lead in g and
p a rtic ip a tin g in the h ealth c a re dis
cu ssio n s.
V o lu n te e r lead e rs arc b eing re ­
sions 98 m eetin g s
facilitate m eetings in th e ir com m uni
tics W ith th eir h elp, w e w ill be able
to brin g to g e th e r a b ro ad cro ss sec­
tion o f O re g o n ia n s to p a rtic ip a te in
the d ialo g u e. W e w ant e v e ry o n e to
hav e a voice in sh a p in g the future o f
h ealth care policy in O reg o n O u r
slo g an . S peak O ut. O re g o n .' says it
be m ad e ( >nlv O re g o n ia n s," he adds,
"c a n tell us w hat they think is fair."
G a rla n d sees H ealth d e c is io n s '9 8
as "an o p p o rtu n ity for all O re g o n ia n s
to talk about w h a t's w o rk in g and
w hat is n 't, am i d iscu ss th e ir v alu es
about sh a rin g the cost o f h ealth care-
c o v erag e W e ll be ask in g e v e ry o n e
to tell us w here they th in k w e sh o u ld
go from th ere."
The o rg a n iz e rs h o p e to c o v e r all
d e m o g ra p h ic g ro u p s in e ach c o m ­
m unity in clu d in g b u sin ess p eo p le,
the e ld erly , low in co m e ta ip jlie s, ra ­
cial and eth n ic m in o rities. A fter the
m eetin g s, lead e rs w ill report back on
is s u e s and values p in p o in te d at th eir
m eetin g s and h elp c o o rd in a te an in ­
terim report to present to the O regon
H ealth C o u n cil.
Holiday Stress Relief
A lth o u g h ev e ry o n e g ets ex c ite d
ab o u t C h ristm a s a n d no one w an ts to
be a g rin ch , w e h av e to face the
re a lity — C h ristm as, H an u k k ah , N ew
Y e a r’s can be d istre ssin g , d e p re s s ­
ing, and d isa p p o in tin g .
W e begin the holiday seaso n w ith
too m uch to d o — u n fu lfilled e x p e c ta ­
tions, tim e pressures, financial resp o n ­
sibilities, and m em o ries o f h o lid ay s
gone by (som e are w onderful and som e
painful). W e are rem in d ed o f fam ily
m em bers no lo n g er here anil fam ily
and friends fa ra w a y . U n fo rtu n ately ,
the u n pleasant m em o ries o f o u r past
last longer and take a g reater toll on us
than the good m em ories.
T h is all lead s to tre m e n d o u s stress
and w ear and tear on o u r b o d ies
W e ru sh to o m u ch .W e w o rry tixi
m uch. W e eat and d rin k lo o m uch.
W e sle e p to o little.
T h e re su lts are:
h ead a c h e s sle e p le ss n e ss an x iety
d ep ressio n . W e need to u n d e rsta n d
sch ed u les.
W e w ill have fam ily p ressu res,
fam ily m em b ers w ill w ant that little
e x tra atten tio n from us — sh o p p in g
lo r gifts, d e c o ra tin g the h o m e, c o o k ­
ing the h o lid ay feasts, se n d in g h o li­
d ay ca rd s, a n d c le a n in g up a fter the
p arties.
Y ou w ill have y o u r o w n p ressu res
— w an tin g Io leave the o ffice early to
s h o p for fam ily and frien d s, a tte n d ­
in g h o lid a y p a rtie s , a n d v is itin g
frien d s an d relativ es.
S e co n d , realize that ev e ry o n e is
u n d e r the sam e p re ssu re s that you
are. E v ery o n e w an ts to get fin ish ed
q u ic k ly an d avoid the ag g ra v a tio n ol
w aitin g — c o n v e rs a tio n s sh o u ld be
rhard nette
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