September 12, 2007
Page B2
H ealth MATTERS
Staying Healthy into Golden Years Starts with a Physical
Medicare covers exam for
seniors, disabled
New to M edicare? Had a physi­
cal exam lately '.’ Medicare welcomes
people that are newly enrolled in
the health program with a physical.
D o n 't miss out on this benefit. Make
an appointm ent w ith your doctor
right away. M edicare covers this
exam within the first six m onths
after the effective date o f o n e 's first
M edicare Part B coverage period.
D uring the exam , talk to your
doctor about your family health
history and how to stay healthy.
Y our doctor can m ake sure you are
up-to-dateon im portant screenings
and shots.
H ealth W atch
L ead P o iso n in g P rev en tio n W o rk sh o p — Thursday, Sept. 13, and
Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. This free workshop
focuses on protecting your fam ily from lead poisoning. Participants
receive a free testing and cleaning kit. Call 503- 284-6827 to register.
B reast F eed in g C la sses -- Thursday, Sept. 13, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30
p.m., A dventist M edical C enter, provides expectant parents the
opportunity to learn the benefits o f breast feeding. Cost $30 per
couple. To register, call 503-256-4000.
B a b y sitter’s T rain in g - Saturday, Sept. 15, from 9 a.m. to3:45 p.m.,
children 11 and up learn basic first-aid and em ergency procedures
while earning an A merican Red Cross certificate; $35 registration fee.
Call503-280-1440to register.
A d u ltF 'irstA id -S aturday,S ept. 15,from 1 p .m .to 7 : 15 p.m .,learn
heart attack signals, adult CPR, em ergency response techniques for
choking and basic first aid w hile earning an A m erican Red Cross
certificate; $47 registration fee. Call 503-280-1440 to register.
C o m p reh en siv e W elln ess S creen in g -T hursday, Sept. 20, Legacy
Good Samaritan Hospital, 1015 N.W. 22 Ave., will offer anextensive
heart and stroke screening package aim ed at staying healthy through
early detection. Pre-registration is required; screening cost $ 175. To
register, call 503-335-3500.
R ole o f N atu ral M ed icin e in C a n cer T r e a tm e n t -T h u rs d a y , Sept.
20, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.. Providence St. V incent M edical,
teaches safe and scientifically natural therapies that may help to
remain cancer free. Call 503-574-6595 for more inform ation.
E aniily C areg iv er T ra in in g — Saturday, Sept. 22, from 8 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. (breakfast and lunch included), the innovative nonprofit C an­
cer Care Resources group will host a free educational w orkshop to
assist families in providing physical care for loved ones dealing with
cancer. To register, contact 503-528-5236; to learn m ore, visit
cancercareresources.org.
A ero b ics an d M o re - For a healthy body, you need a com plete body
workout. C lasses available include aerobics. Pilates and more d e­
signed for all ages. Call Cathey at Adventist M edical Center, 503-449-
4000, for a schedule.
F ree Body B asics — This physician recom m ended class is appropri­
ate for all ages and health conditions. Plan to attend this one-session
class and learn the sim ple guidelines for safe exercises, including
stretching. Call 503-256-4000 to register.
B erea v em en t S u p p o rt - A bereavem ent support group m eets each
2nd and 4thT uesdays, from 10a.m. to 11:30 a.m. T o learn more, call
503-251 -6192, extension 5670.
B etter B rea th ers — An asthm a educational support group m eets on
the IstT u esd a y o fth em o n th fro m 1:15p.m . to2:45 p.m. at Adventist
M edical Center. For more inform ation,call 503-251 -6830.
C h ron ic Pain S u p p ort G r o u p -m eets the 1st W ednesday at 4 to5:30
p.m. and the 3rd W ednesday o f each m onth, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Call
5O3-256-4OOO for more information.
H eart T a lk S u p p o rt G r o u p -m eets on the 2nd M onday o f each
month, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Cal 15 0 3-251 -6260 for more information.
S m ok e-F ree S u p p o rt G ro u p -m eets M ondays, 7 p.m. to 8 p .m , call
503-256-4000. for more information.
The "W elcom e to M edicare”
visit is a com plete exam that checks
your blood pressure, w eight and
height. Your doctor will also give
you, or order, an Electrocardiogram
( EKG ) and a simple v ision test. Your
doctor will talk to you about how to
prev en t d ise ase , im p ro v e y o u r
health and stay well.
During the visit, you m ay also
receive a referral for other preven­
tive services, including an ultra­
sound screening for an Abdominal
perform ed and the next date you
are eligible for that service. If you
d o n ’t have a com puter, ask a family
m em ber o r loved one if they do. Or,
your local library or senior center
may be able to help you look at this
information.
Start taking steps tow ard pre­
vention today. These three easy
steps can put you on the road to
better health:
S T E P 1 : Know yourhealth history
S T E P 2: T alk to your doctor about
T he ability to learn by observ-
ing others enables hum an ch il­
dren to develop social and physi­
cal skills, say researchers re­
porting in the m agazine Science.
R e s e a r c h e r s at th e M ax
Planck Institute for E v o lu tio n ­
ary A nthropology in L eipzig,
G erm any studied 230 subjects,
including 100 chim panzees, 30
orangutans and 100 hum an c h il­
dren 2.5 years old.
As part o f one o f a social
learning tasks, the researchers
dem onstrated how to pop open
a plastic tube to retrieve the
food or toy inside. T he children
w a tc h e d an d c o p ie d the re ­
searcher; the apes attem pted to
break the tube or pull it apart
w ith th eir teeth.
A ll o f th e s u b je c ts p e r ­
fo rm e d e q u a lly w ell in te rm s
o f the p h y sic a l, c o g n itiv e m a n ­
a g e m e n t o f sp a c e and in u n ­
d e rsta n d in g c o n c e p ts su c h as
q u a n titie s and ca u sa lity . H o w ­
e v e r, the c h ild re n w e re c o r ­
re c t in th re e o u t o f fo u r o f the
so c ia l-le a rn in g te sts, w h ile the
tw o ap e sp e c ie s w e re c o rre c t
o n ly o n e o u t o f th re e tim es.
A c c o rd in g to th e re s e a rc h ­
e rs, the re su lts o f the stu d y
su p p o rt the th eo ry th a t hu m an
so c ia l sk ills giv e h u m a n s an
e v o lu tio n a ry e d g e . A se c o n d
th e o ry a rg u e s that h u m a n s d if ­
fe r in sk ill le v e ls fro m a p e s as
a re s u lt o f b e in g g e n e ra lly
m ore in te llig e n t.
Marisol Garcia (left)
and Bethlehem
Zerabruck play to­
gether on a spinning
play structure at a
Head Start program in
Hillsboro. (AP photo)
Poison center evaluates spider bites
T he O regon Poison C e n te r at
O regon H ealth & S cience U n i­
versity hopes to better u n d er­
stand spider bites in the N o rth ­
w est by d eterm ining w hich sp i­
ders bite, w hich cause skin loss
(u lc e rs ), an d s p e c ific a lly
w h e th e r the m u c h -m a lig n e d
hobo spider does either.
S p id e r b ite s h av e b e e n the
su b je c t o f m u c h fo lk lo re in
m edicine, but e v id en ce directly
lin k in g s p id e r b ite s to u lc e r­
atio n o r in fe c tio n is th in . O fte n
a p e rso n w ill see a red m ark
on th e ir sk in , see a s p id e r
n earb y and a ttrib u te th e m ark
to the sp id e r.
T he N orthw est native hobo
spider has been im plicated as a
source o f ulcers and skin infec­
tions fo r m any years. Its venom
has been d em onstrated to cause
tissue death w hen injected into
the skin o f anim als, but there is
debate about w h eth er the sp i­
der e v e r bites o r is even capable
o f biting hum ans.
"T here isn’t a single d o c u ­
m ented case o f actually seeing
a hobo spider bite a hum an that
resulted in ulceration," said Dr.
Rob H endrickson, the stu d y ’s
principal investigator. "However,
the hobo spider has been p re­
sum ed to be the only spider in
The hobo spider is a native
species to the Northwest.
THE
Providing Insurance and financial Services
SPINACOLUMN
IH lU U M C I
Home Office. Bloomington. Illinois 61 /10
Ernest J. Hill, Jr.
Agent
An ongoing senes of questions and answers about Americas natural healing profession
Dr. Billy R. Flowers
■
f e
• Professional Services • Affordable Prices
• Payment Plans: O A C
• Over 20 years experience
• Full & Partial Dentures • Natural Appearance
• Full Service Lab • Accepting Oregon Health Plan
Melanie Block, L.D.
Part 22. Chiropractic and Health
A way of Life...not just a passing diagnosis.
h
Dentures Worth
Smiling About!
: F o llo w in g a th o ro u g h
check-up my doctor says
'm “fit as fiddle.” If this is
true, why do I often suffer pain?
: It is indeed interesting that
a doctor can give a “thor­
ough checkup” and yet fail to
to evaluate the spine and nervous
system. I'm sure that w h ile in
school y o u r d o cto r learn ed that
the n erv o u s sy stem c o n tro ls
every o th e r o rg an and fu n ctio n
in the body. D o e sn 't it m ake
sense then that a tru ly th o r­
ough ch e ck u p should include
2
A
not o n ly b lood p ressu re, w eight,
c h e s t a n d e y e e x a m , e tc but
should also and p rim arily include
a d etailed ev alu atio n o f the n er­
vous sy stem ? In C h iro p ractic
W e study the nervous system
and the spine com pletely to assure
fail
you that w e find the cause o f your
problem . If you have persistent
aches, pains or fatigue, there is a
reason for it. If you h av en 't had a
Chiropractic evaluation, you have
NOT been exam ined com pletely.
For the sake o f your health now
and in the future, call today. Isn't
it tim e you stepped up to C hiro­
practic?
Flowers' Chiropractic Office
2124 N.E. Hancock Street, Portland Oregon 97212
P hone: (5 0 3 ) 2 8 7 5 5 0 4
D enturist
503-230-0207
1020 NE 2nd Ave., Suite 205
O ff M LK on NE Multnomah
Look fo r a "Healthier US Starts
Here ” event in your area to learn
more about Medicare preventive
services. Or, net free copies o f
“Staying Healthy: Medicare's Pre­
ventive Services ” and “ YourGuide
to Medicare's Preventi ve Services ”
by visiting www.medicare.gov on
the web.
Northwest Spiders: Wanted Dead or Alive
.......
4946 N Vancouver Avenue Portland. OR 97217
503 786 1103 lax 503 286 1146
erme lull hOmlWisiatefarnj com
the M edicare preventive services
that are right for you
S T E P 3: Register at
M yM edicare.gov on the web
Social Skills Give Humans Edge
State Farm*
24 Hour Good Neighbor Service®
A ortic A neurysm . Talk to your
doctor during your visit to see if
you are at risk and might qualify for
this im portant screening so you
can avoid a problem in the future.
Preventive services are critical
to your overall health and can help
you prevent diseases or find them
early, w hen treatm ent w orks best.
By visiting M yM edicare.gov on
the w eb, you can see a description
o f your covered preventive ser­
vices, the last date that service was
Advertise with diversity in Ql’1 ^ Jv rtla n b (O bserver
Call 503-288-003» ads@portlandobserver.coni
Free parking
t
the N orthw est capable o f c au s­
ing ulceration."
T he O regon Poison C enter
currently takes about 1,200 calls
a year from O regonians c o n ­
cern ed about p o ssible spider
bites. T he center has decided to
take the next step by asking all
O reg o n ian s w ho actually see a
sp id er bite them to call 1-8ÍX)-
222-1222.
P oison-center staff will offer
m edical advice as usual and then
m ake follow -up calls during the
next several w eeks to check for
signs o f ulceration and infec­
tion. T he caller also will be sent
a postage-paid package in which
to send the spider to the poison
c e n te r.
Disparity in Breast
Cancer Explained
(A P) -- A new study gives a
possible explanation for why breast
cancer is more deadly in black
women: they are more likely tohave
tum ors that do not respond to the
h o rm o n e-b ased trea tm e n ts that
help many others with the disease.
The study is the largest yet to
link a biological factor to the racial
d isp arity , w hich also has been
blam ed on black w om en getting
few er m am m ogram s and less ag­
gressive treatment.
"This puts biology more to the
forefront," said Dr. Julie G ralow , a
cancer specialist at the U niversity
o f W ashington School o f M edi­
cine familiar with the work. "It's not
ju st access to care, access to treat­
ment and other factors that have
been im plicated in the past."
Breast cancer i s the most common
cancer in American women. An esti­
mated 178.480 new eases and 40,460
deaths from it are expected in the
United States this year.
Blacks are less likely than whites
to develop breast cancer but are
more likely to die from it, doctors
have long known. Blacks also are
diagnosed at younger ages and at
later stages of the disease.
I