Page B2
October 3. 2007
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H ealth
MATTERS
H ealth W atch
Fat Sm art — Wednesday, Oct. 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.in., this free seminar
teaches diabetics to eat Fat Smart. To register, call 503-335-3500.
H ealing from A nxiety and D epression - Thursday. Oct. 4, from 7 to
9 p.m.. a practical session to help individuals to stabilize moods and
achieve a higher degree of emotional well-being ( fee $ 12 ); to register,
call503-256-4000,
Cancer Care I ,aw and Finances - Saturday. Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Pacific Oncology Center, 15700 S.W. Grey stone Court in Beaverton,
will host this seminar to educate patients and family members of their
rights and financial planning while undergoing cancer treatment. To
register, call 503-528-5236.
Com prehensive Wellness Screening - Saturday, Oct. 6, at 1015 N . W.
22nd Ave., participants receive a non-invasive extensive health
screening for the early detection of heart disease and stroke ( fee $ 175).
To register,call 503-335-3500.
N ew born C are - Sunday, Oct. 7, from 6 to 9 p.m., couples can leant
what to expect and how to care for the new baby ($45 per couple). To
register, call 503-256-4000.
A cupuncture and A rthritis - Tuesday, Oct. 9, from I to 2 p.m.,
Stephanie Petrix leads the everyday wellness clinic, at 1033 S.W.
Yamhill, demonstrating the benefits of acupuncture in dealing with
arthritis (fee $51. For more information, call 503-413-5563.
Positive A ttitudes, Positive Aging - Four Tuesday sessions, Oct. 9-
Oct. 30,front 10:30 to 11:30a.m.,Judy Tibbles willexplotefourkey areas
of positive successful aging in Lake Oswego, at 505 G Avenue (fee
$15). Toregister.call 503-413-5563.
P aren tin g ('la sse s — N ew borns d o n ’t com e with instruction
manuals but parents and parents-to-be can learn about a variety
o f topics from pain and childbirth to breastfeeding to infant CPR
and much more. For a schedule of events, call 503-574-6595 or visit:
providen ce.o rg /classes.
Lead P oison in g P reven tion — Saturday, Oct. 6, from 11 a.m. to
noon, at 12350 S.W. Fifth St. in Beaverton; this free workshop
focuses on easy ways you can be protecting your fam ily from lead
poisoning. Participants receive a free testing and cleaning kit. Call
503-284-6827 to register.
C an cer R esou rce C en ter - Providence St. Vincent M edical C en­
ter and the American Red C ross have joined forces to create the
first in-hospital resource center providing books, printed m aterial,
com puter access and more for individuals and fam ilies dealing
with cancer. The center is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
A erob ics and M ore — For a healthy body you need a com plete
body workout; including aerobics, Pilates and more designed for
all ages. Call Cathey at A dventist Medical Center, 503-449-4000,
for a schedule.
Free Body Basics - This physician-recommended class is appropriate
for all ages and health conditions. Plan to attend this one-session class
and learn the simple guidelines for safe exercises, including stretching.
Call 503-256-4000 to register.
Better Breathers -- An asthma educational support group meets on
the first Tuesday of the month from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. at Adventist
Medical Center. For more information, call 503-251 -6830.
C hronic Pain Support G roup — meets the first Wednesday at 4 p.m.
to 5:30 p.m. and the third Wednesday of each month, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Call 503-256-4000for more information.
H eart T alk Sup port G roup - meets on the second Monday o f each
month, from 6 to 8 p.m. Call 503-251 -6260 for more information.
Sm oke-Free Support G roup -- meets Mondays, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., call
503-256-4000, for more information.
Working to Address Health Disparities
L arky L ucas
As school children, we are often
told that America is the land ot
opportunity, a place where any­
thing is possible if you work hard
enough. However, for thousands
of Americans, the "land of oppor­
tunity’’ is a merely a mirage. Ac­
cording to the latest data from the
Kaiser Family Foundation, over
half of all African Americans, His­
panics and American Indians are
living at or near poverty.
Poverty often leads to shorter
lives, higher cancer rates, more birth
defects and a higher incidence of
chronic diseases like asthma and
diabetes, according to the National
Institutes of Health.
Nothing affects a person’s qual­
ity of life more dramatically than
one’s health - and according to the
Centers for Disease Control, for
many health conditions, African-
Americans bear a disproportionate
burden of disease, injury, death
and disability.
bv
(AP) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is
expanding its national $4 generic
prescription drug program by about
10 percent.
The world's largest retailer said
Thursday it has added drugs cover­
ing glaucoma, attention-deficit dis­
order, attention-deficit-hyperactiv­
ity disorder, fungal infections and
acne.
Two prescription birth con­
trol drugs and one fertility drug
were added at $9, reflecting a
L egal N otices
——— .A .... .....
Need to publish a court
document or notice? Need an
affidavit of publication quickly
and efficiently? Please fax or
e-mail your notice for a free
price quote!
Fax: 5 0 3-2 88-0 01 5
e-mail:
classifletls@portlandobserver.com
The Portland Observer
higher cost that the com pany said
could not be brought down fur­
ther.
The Bentonville, Ark.-based re­
tailer launched the $4 generics pro­
gram late last year as it pushed a
variety of health and environmen­
tal initiatives to counter political
pressure led by union groups over
its labor practices, including health
insurance.
The increase adds about 30 pre­
scriptions, made up o f 14 drugs in
r
<
If you’re confused by Medicare
and don’t know where to turn for
answers, the Mt. Hood Com m u­
nity College Community Educa­
tion department can help with a
new class called “W elcom e to
Medicare.”
This course will help partici­
pants understand Medicare basics
and make informed choices. Top-
Dentures Worth
Smiling About!
• Professional Services
• Affordable Prices
Payment Plans: OAC
• Over 20 years experience
• Full & Partial Dentures
• Natural Appearance
Full Service Lab
• Accepting Oregon Health Plan
Simultaneous
broadcast
coming Oct. 9
503-230-0207
1020 NE 2nd Ave., Suite 205
Off MLK on NE Multnomah
Free parking
SABRINA AISENBERG
C urrent Age: 10
Date M issing: Nov. 24, 1997
M issing From: Valrico, FL
Sabrina became missing from her residence sometime in the
early morning hours while the fam ily slept. Police believe she
was wrapped in the yellow blanket from her bed.
tes include: Medi­
care eligibility and
enrollment; Parts A,
B ,C an d D; covered
services; Medicare
insurance policies;
and problem resolu­
tio n . T his free
course is taught by
trained volunteers in
c o o p e ra tio n w ith
Multnomah County
Aging and Disabil­
ity Services.
The class will be
offered on Thurs­
day, Oct. 25, from 7
p.m. to 9 p.m. and
on Saturday, Nov. 3
from 10 a.m . to
noon. Both classes will be held at
the Bruning C enter for Allied
Health Education located at 1484
NW Civic Dr. in Gresham. For
THE
SPINACOLUMN
An ongoing senes of questions and answers about America’s natural healing profession
Dr. Billy R. Flowers
Part 6. HEADACHES: Why Chiropractic is nature’s
long-lasting pain reliever.
Progressed to Age: 16
ASHA DEGREE
Date Missing: Feb. 14. 2(MX)
C urrent Age: 17
M issing From: Shelby, NC
Family members observed Asha in her bed around 2:30 a.m. At
4:00 a.m.. she was seen by passing motorist walking along NC
Highway #18 in Shelby. Police believe she may have been sleep­
walking when she became lost or injured.
: I always seem to be plagued nerve-related and therefore, stand W hat’s more, drugs have seri­
with headaches. They a very good chance of being re­ ous side effects. The only side
effects o f Chiropractic are re­
lieved by Chiropractic.
come up over my head and seem
lief from pain and a healing of
to stop at my eye. What can Chi­
,:
Why
should
I
go
through
a
the
cause o f pain. To find out
ropractic possibly do to help me /
how
C hiropractic could help
fu
ll
course
o
f
Chiropractic
: About 70% of all people
relieve your headaches or for
when drugs often relieve my head­
experience headaches ot
answ ers to any questions you
aches?
one sort or another. The type you
:
Drugs
work
primarily
on
re­
might have about your health,
describe is quite typical. The pain
lieving pain, but not on treat­ please call us at the telephone
can range anywhere from moder­
num ber listed directly below.
ing the cause o f the headache.
ate to nauseating. The top three
nerves in the neck go up over the
back of the skull in a very similar
pattern to what you describe. Any
2124 NE Hancock, Portland Oregon 97212
type of pressure or irritation on
these nerves can cause extreme
Phone: (5 03 ) 287-5504
pain. Your problems could be
Q
A
Q
A
I f you have any information please contact:
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
I -800-THE-LOST ( 1 -800-843-5678)
This public service announcement provided
by the Portland Observer Newspaper.
more information or to register, call
the MHCC Community Education
department at 503-491 -7572 or visit
mhcc.edu.
Coordinated Drug Assault
D enturist
Progressed to Age 8
various doses, to a list of 331 pre­
scriptions and 143 drug compounds
sold under the first phase intro­
duced last year.
Critics including the National
Community Pharmacists Associa­
tion, which represents non-chain
pharmacies that compete with Wal-
Mart, have called the discounts a
publicity stunt that covers only a
fraction of the 8,700 generic pre­
scription drugs approved by the
Federal Drug Administration.
Free Class to Explain Medicare
Melanie Block, L.D.
Age: 10
The Partnership for Prescrip­
tion A ssistance (pparx.org or 1-
8 8 8 -4 P P A -N O W ) is a single
point o f access to more than 475
patient assistance program s that
provide free or nearly free pre­
scription medications. Sponsored
by A m erica’s pharm aceutical re­
search com panies, w hich also
sponsor nearly 200 o f the assis­
tance program s, the PPA has so
far helped alm ost 4 alm ost m il­
lion patients.
African Americans need better
access to the same quality health
care that other Americans already
enjoy. Anything less is simply not
acceptable. The key to this is better
access to quality health insurance
and prescription-drug coverage.
That also means referrals, screen­
ings, operations - and medicines -
for everyone who needs them.
Larry Lucas is a vice president
fo r Pharmaceutical Research and
M a n u fa c tu re rs o f A m e ric a
IPhRMA).
Wal-Mart Generic $4 Drug Prices Expanded
Missing and Exploited Children
1-800-THE-LOST
Age; 5 Months
ties and it can start with something
as simple as donating blood. For
example, did you know that while
37 percent of U.S. patients are Af­
rican American, only nine percent
of people who donate blood are
African American?
According to the Red Cross, one
out of 12 African Americans is
diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia;
patients who receive blood trans­
fusions from donors with the same
antigens, usually from similar racial
and ethnic groups, have a better
chance of survival.
There is good news to consider.
Harvard researchers recently ana­
lyzed records from 1.5 million pa­
tients in 183 Medicare managed-
care plans from 1997 to 2003. The
study suggests that better medicine
can close racial gaps, doctors said.
We know a pill helps no one if a
patient cannot afford it because of
a lack of adequate health insur­
ance. Fortunately, there is help
available.
■■HM M
Have you seen me?
Endangered-Missing
Why is this? One reason is ac­
cess to quality health care: statis­
tics show that far too many African
Americans simply do not have
health insurance, and the lack of
health insurance can result in dis­
turbing health outcomes.
Consider, for instance, that Co­
lumbia University Medical Center
researchers recently found that
A frican-A m erican women with
early stage breast cancer are less
likely to finish chemotherapy treat­
ment, further contributing to lower
survivor rates.
Even if you do have health in­
surance, you still might not be re­
ceiving quality care. A report by
the Institute of Medicine points out
alarming trends: In some cases,
patients cannot obtain a referral for
their conditions; in others, patients
might be passed up for a transplant
or an operation like coronary-by-
pass surgery.
We all have a role to play in
helping to eliminate health dispari­
Flowers* Chiropractic Office
J
Since methamphetamine first
appeared in Oregon, meth addic­
tion has grown and has been con­
sidered an epidemic by law-en­
forcement agencies and concerned
communities. To highlight the per­
ils of the drug and reach out to
people struggling with addiction, a
30-m inute docum entary titled
“Crystal Darkness” will be aired
by most local television stations on
Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Television stations participating
in a simultaneous roadblock in­
clu d e K PT V , K PD X , K O IN .
K A T U , K G W , KRCW and
Comcast Cable on channel 14.
The Crystal Darkness Campaign
originated as the most watched pro­
gram in history of Nevada through
a unique collaboration between
local media, government leaders,
schools, law enforcement, recov­
ery specialists, churches and the
business community. As in Las
Vegas, where hundreds of thou­
sands of students received bro­
chures designed for discussion with
parents and friends, the Oregon
campaign will distribute nearly two-
million pieces of literature.
The initial response to the docu­
mentary became dramatic when
hundreds of addicts and commu­
nity members called in for assis­
tance or to seek more information.
A fifty-phone call center is being
planned for the show’s airing.