March 29, 2000
(The
Allergy season on the way
A sso c IAIH) P ress
The sneezing season is here and
Portland doctors say this could be an
e s p e c ia lly b ad y ea r fo r allerg y
sufferers in the Pacific Northwest.
"W e’ve had a reasonably mild winter
and that c ju ld potentially set us up
for an early pollen season” says Dr.
Anthony M ontanaro, an allergist with
O regon H ealth Sciences University.
He and others say allergies are on the
rise. In fact 20 percent o f the U.S.
population suffers from hay fever.
And here in the Pacific N orthw est
allergies caused by grass are som e o f
the w orst in the world. “Trees and
grass are actually my tw o w orst
enem ies” says C arla C ochrane, an
allergy sufferer.
For m ost o f C arla’s life sh e’s battled
to breath easier. “ U sually I feel like
I’m breathing in but I’m not breathing
out adequately.”
But w ith a prescribed pill Carla keeps
her al lergies and asthma under control.
D octors say w hile allergy shots are
still used, new pills and nasal sprays
are ju st as effective. And now th ere’s
inform ation that could help kids avoid
allergies.
A Sw edish study show s children
exposed to pets during infancy may
run a lower risk ofdeveloping allergies
to anim als later in life. Tw o year old
C asey Fields has a dog, but never an
allergy. “H e’s never had a problem. In
fact w e hardly ever go to the doctor
except for his well baby check ups”
says C asey ’s m om , Lesley Fields.
But doctors caution more research
need to be done.
” 1 d o n ’t think w e ’re there yet. I d o n ’t
think w e can tell patients that they
should encourage exposure to cats
and dogs in children who have an
a lle r g ic
b ac k g ro u n d ”
says
M ontanaro. He adds that if you have
allergies, seek help.
A llergy season is at its w orst in the
Pacific N orthw est from May to July.
In the m eantim e m aking changes at
h o m e, like w ash in g bed lin en s,
re m o v in g c a rp e tin g , an d u sin g
w indow shades instead o f blinds,
can all help m ake a difference.
For m ore inform ation contact the
A m eric an A cad em y o f A llerg y ,
A sthm a and Im m unology website:
Major renovation makes space for all
• Children's rehabilitation provides 600
treatments per week
CONTHIBUTEUSTORY
Legacy Emanuel C hildren’s Hospital
n o w b o a s ts a s ta te - o f - th e a rt
treatment center thanks to a 1.5 mi Ilion
dollar investm ent in expansion and
r e n o v a tio n o f th e P e d ia tric
D evelopm ent and R ehabilitation
D epartm ent. T he Em anuel M edical
C e n te r F o u n d a tio n d o n a te d th e
funds. T he evaluation team from the
C om m ission on the A ccreditation o f
R eh abilitation F acilities (C A R F )
re c e n tly c ite d th e d esig n as an
im p o r ta n t f a c to r in a w a rd in g
accreditation to the departm ent.
T he physicians and sta ff o f Em anuel
C hildren ’s fastest grow ing program
provide 600 treatm ent sessions each
w eek to children with physical and
developm ental problem s. H a lf o f
those children are hospitalized at
E m a n u e l C h ild r e n ’s, c lie n ts o f
O re g o n ’s only inpatient pediatric
rehabilitation departm ent.
All revolves around the kids, from
new borns to teens, w ho visit the unit
to overcom e problem s related to
neurological, seizure, biochemical or
genetic disabilities, cerebral palsy,
c o m m u n ic a tio n d is o r d e r s a n d
feeding difficulties. Family members,
physicians and therapists m ake up
the core o f the treatm ent teams.
Each room in the departm ent serves
a specific purpose; an exam ple is the
casting room w here therapists apply
casts to lim bs to help stretch and
reshape m uscles altered by such
m edical problem s as spasticity. The
space also includes 5 physician exam
room s, 15 treatm ent room s, a school
classroom, physical therapy gym, and
spacious occupational therapy gym.
T here are even hom e-like bathroom s
and a kitchen w here children and
their fam ilies can practice new skills.
E verything is patient and therapy
friendly, right down to the colorful
tile floors, w hich therapists use to
help patients count, nam e colors,
follow d irectio n s and even play
hopscotch.
Page A3
ffibseruer
Blacks respond better to laser
treatment for glaucoma
• People o f African descent
are at greater risk fo r
glaucoma
Glaucom a, the devastating disease which can cause
irreversible vision loss, develops earlier and more often,
and progress m ore rapidly in blacks than in whites. Now
researchers are discovering there also is a need for racial
sensitivity as to how the disease is treated.
“W e’re finding that glaucom a may be different disease
in people o f African descent requiring more aggressive
therapies,” says Kevin C. Greenidge, MD, chairm an o f
the D epartment o f O phthalm ology at the SUNY Health
Science C enter at Brooklyn and a Board M em ber ofT h e
Glaucom a Foundation. “O ur main aim is to low er the
pressure buildup w ithin the eye to slow progression o f
the disease and save sight.”
Glaucom a is a classification o f disease that can lead to
dam age o f the ey e’s optic nerve and loss o f vision. In
many cases, glaucom a occurs when the normal fluid
respond differently to two surgical treatm ents: blacks
do better on a regim en that starts w ith laser surgery,
w hile w hites benefit m ore from an operation called a
trabeculectom y.
In his ow n practice and in training student physicians
at SUNY, Dr. Greenidgeoften uses a two-step approach
- laser, then conventional surgery - to treat black
patients with advanced disease. “ Fortunately, studies
suggest that a significant num ber o f patients w ith
advanced glaucom a can be stabilized if treatm ent is
appropriately aggressive,” he says. In addition, the
g lau co m a sp e cia list also uses a n ti-m e ta b o litic
m edication at the tim e o f surgery to prevent scar
tissue from forming. Scarring is m ore prevalent in
patients o f A frican descent.
Research and education are the focal points o f Dr.
G reenidge’s work, and he is com m itted to educating
both fellow professionals and the public about the
high prevalence o f glaucom a and the need for early
detection and tim ely treatm ent. Says Dr. G reenidge;
“the best w eapon w e have against glaucom a is public
aw areness.
U rging everyone to get a com prehensive eye exam om
a regular basis to detect this “sneak th ie f o f sight’”
early, Dr. G reenidge says everyone should get their-
pressure in the eye increases. If glaucom a is not detected
and treated, it can result in blindness.
A ccording to T he G laucom a Foundation, at least 3
m illion A m ericans have glaucoma. A bout h alf d o n ’t
even know they have the disease because usually there
are no early sym ptom s.
People o f A frican descent are especially at risk. 1 in 13
has glaucom a, blacks are 4 to 6 tim es more likely to
develop glaucom a than are whites, and it occurs earlier
in life, develops faster and m ore frequently results in
blindness.
In its early stages, glaucom a is usually treated with daily
eye drops to low er the intraocular pressure. In som e
patients, how ever, the beneficial effect o f the drops
lessens and surgery is required. Recent research from
the N ational Institutes o f H ealth provides evidence that
black and w hite patients with advanced glaucom a
eyes tested every tw o years. “ I f you are o ver 45 and
o f A frican descent, or if you have any o f these risk
factors - family history ofglaucom a, nearsightedness,
diabetes, a previous eye injury or regular use o f
cortisone/steroid products - get your eyes tested
every year,” he said.
In a painless, com prehensive exam , the eye care
professional will check the fluid pressure in the eyes,
determ ine how well you see at various distances
dilate your pupil with drops to inspect your optic
nerve for signs o f dam age and, if needed, m easure
you visual field to see if y o u ’ve lost side vision.
For free inform ation about glaucom a, including
personal answ ers to questions, call The G laucom a
Foundation toll-free at 1 -800-G L A U C O M A (1 -800-
452-8266) or visit the w ebsite at w w w .glaucom a-
foundation.org.
CONTRIBUTED STORY
fo a T a t:
P oktlamd O bserver
Kids’ Nutrition Q & A
Q: My son says vegetarian
diets are healthier, Is this
true?
A: Not necessarily, says Dr. D ebby D em ory-Luce, a
research dietitian with the U SD A /A R S C h ild ren ’s
Nutrition Research Center at BaylorCollege o f Medicine.
A diet consisting o f french fries and bananas is vegetarian,
but few people w ould consider such a diet very healthy.
On the other hand, a diet that includes plenty o f w hole
grains, fruits, vegetables, and a good source o f calcium
I ike low -fat dairy products is healthy w hether it features
m oderate portions o f lean m eat or legum es, seeds and
soy-based m eat substitutes as the main protein source.
It is true, how ever, that w ell-planned vegetarian diets
tend to be higher in fiber and protective phytonutrients
and low er in saturated fat than the typical A m erican diet.
This healthier diet helps explain why vegetarians tend to
have less cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes,
hypertension and few er w eight problem s than their
m eat-loving counterparts.
A lthough vegetarian diets can be very healthy,
nutritional aw areness is still important. V egetarian teens,
like their m eat-eating friends, often fall short on calcium,
iron and zinc. Also, thosew hoelim inateall anim al-based
foods and dairy products from their diets need to get a
daily d o seo fv itam in B I2. Fortified ready-to-eat cereals
or a daily m ultivitam in supplem ent with B 12 can help
prevent pernicious anem ia, a serious form o f anem ia that
can lead to perm anent nerve dam age.
Q. My 5-month-old son keeps
grabbing for foods, but my
sister insists that all he needs
is breast milk. What should I
do?
A: Follow your so n ’s lead, said Dr. Judy H opkinson, a
lactation specialist with the U SD A /A RS C hildren’s
Nutrition Research Center at B aylorC ollegeofM edicine
in Houston. H e’s telling you h e’s ready to expand his
culinary horizons.
A lthough experts might say that only breast milk is
needed for the first 6 m onths o f life, it’s im portant to
realize that this is m eant to be a general guideline, not a
hard-and-fast rule. Som e babies m ight be “ready” for
baby foods a m onth o r so earlier, and others a m onth or
so later. T he key is to know the signals babies give that
indicate the tim e is right.
Introducing solids when your infant is ready is an im portant
nutritional, as w ell as a social and developm ental, issue.
Breastfed babies w hose “readiness” cues are ignored not
only m iss the excitem ent o f new tastes, but could run into
nutritional shortfalls that slow growth. T his is because the
m ineral content o f a m other’s milk gradually decreases over
tim e. It’s one o f natu re’s m iracles that m ost breastfed infants
begin to show readiness for solids ju st w hen their bodies
could benefit from additional sources o f nutrients.
Breastfed babies w ho are at least 4 m onths o f age are ready
for solids w hen they show an active interest in food and have
lost the “extrusion” reflex, w hich causes their tongue to
autom atically push food out o f their mouths. They should
also have good head control and sit well w hen supported.
O ther cues include being able to open the m outh for food,
close the lips around a spoon, control the position o f food
in the m outh and use the thum b and index fingers as
“pinchers.”
A lthough solid foods will gradually becom e a significant
source o f nutrients in your so n ’s diet, it’s also important that
you keep his nursing frequency high, offer to nurse before
offering solid foods and continue to nurse him throughout
his first year.
Q: How can I get more iron
from foods?
A. T here are tw o w ays to get more iron out o f your diet, says
Dr. D ebby D em ory-Luce, a registered dietitian with the '
U S D A /A R S C hildren’sN utrition Research C enter at Baylor
C ollege o f M edicine in Houston. First, you could eat more
iron-rich foods, such as b eef liver, lean m eats, salm on, iron-
fortified breakfast cereals, tofu, soybeans, dried beans,
oatm eal, pum pkin and sesam e seeds, spinach and enriched
breads, rice and pasta. In addition, you could adopt a few o f
the follow ing dietary “tricks” that give iron absorption a
boost:
•
Eat a little m eat w hen dining on iron-rich vegetables.
A lthough the form o f iron in plants isn’t easily absorbed
by hum ans, adding a bit o f meat, such as a piece o f grilled
chicken to bean burritos or a slice o f m arinated b eef to
a spinach salad, can significantly boost the iron “yield.”
•
A dd a good source o f vitam in C to each meal. Top
oatmeal with sliced strawberries, drink orange juice with
iron-fortified cereal, toss red pepper strips into a whole-
grain pasta dish o r eat broccoli salad w ith a peanut-
butter sandw ich to pum p up iron absorption.
•
D o n ’t overdo tea and coffee beverages. Com pounds
called tannins found in tea and coffee tie up iron,
reducing how much is absorbed.
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