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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2008)
February 6. 2008 Page B4 H ealth MATTERS New Machine Dispenses Medical Marijuana netic stripe. Once the card and fin g e rp rin t are v e rifie d , a b rig h t green envelope w ith the pot drops Vending device created for patients (A P ) - Los A ngeles patients s u ffe rin g fro n t ch ro n ic pain, loss o f appetite and other ailm ents that m arijuana is said to a lle v ia te can get th e ir pot w ith a dose o f co n venience at the H erbal N u tritio n Center, where a large machine w ill dole out the drug around the clock. “ C o n v e n ie n t access, lo w e r prices, safety, anonym ity," inven tor and ow ner Vincent Mehdizadeh said, e xto llin g the benefits o f the machine. But federal drug agents say the invention may need unplugging. “ Somebody owns (it), it's on a property and somebody fills it," said D E A Special A gent Jose Martinez. "O nce we find out where it ’ s at, w e’ ll look into it and see i f they’ re vio la tin g laws." A t least three dispensaries in the c ity , including tw o belonging to Mehdizadeh, have installed vend ing machines to distribute the drug to people who carry cards authoriz ing marijuana use. Mehdizadeh said he spent seven months to develop and patent the black, armored box. w hich he calls the “ P V M ,” o r prescription vend ing machine. A s lid in g fence protects the tinted w in d o w s o f his dispensary, barely d istin g u is h in g it fro m a busy th oroughfare o f strip m alls, a utom obile dealers and fu rn itu re shops. A box resem bling a large re frig e ra to r stands in s id e the nearly em pty shop, near a few shelves stocked w ith vita m in s and herbs. A guard in a black T-shirt embla zoned w ith the word "S ecurity” on the fro n t stands at the door. A poster o f Bob M arley decorates a back room. The com puterized machine re quires fin g e rp rin t id e n tific a tio n and a prepaid card w ith a mag- Los A ngeles m e d ica l-ca n n a b is d is p e n s a ry ow n e r V incent M e h d iza d e h p o se s w ith h is n e w m a ri ju a n a ve n d ing m a ch in e . B o lte d to th e floor, it d is p e n s e s m e d ic a l m a riju a n a to p a tie n ts who p rovide a d o c to r's p re s c rip tio n , s p e c ia l id e n tific a tio n a n d th e ir fin g e rp rin ts. (AP p h o to ) Doctor Warns of Growing HIV Epidemic Impacting African Americans ra te so f HI V /A ID S ," observed Dr. Laurencin. “ The intention o f our published in last month's issue o f report was to heighten awareness among healthcare percent o f the U.S. population and the Journal o f the p ro v id e rs and now account fo r about h a lf o f newly N ational Medical com m unity lead A ssociation. The diagnosed cases o f H I V /A ID S . ers and to provide “ The HI V /A ID S epidemic in the study reviewed the in fo rm a tio n that A frican-A m erican com m unity has c u rre n t state o f w ill help urgently reached a state o f emergency and HI V /A ID S in A fr i combat this crisis. there are signs that it is only inten can Americans and T o be e ffe c tiv e , sifyin g ," said Dr. CatoT. Laurencin, issued a call fo r prevention strate professor o f orthopedic surgery at action among c lin i gies must address cians, researchers the U n ive rsity o f V irginia. the ris k factors, Laurencin is chair o f the W. and the A fric a n - com m unity beliefs Montague Cobb National Medical American com m u and healthcare ac A ssociation Health Institute, an n ity at large. cess issues o f A f “ A frican A m eri organization dedicated to address rican Am ericans." ing disparities in health among cans remain dispro A c c o rd in g to p o rtio n a te ly a f A frica n Americans. the report, many He was lead author o f a report fe c te d by h ig h Dr. C ato T. Laurencin A frica n Americans comprise 13 Are you a Woman with Asthma? Receive $50 for being in a Focus Group Discussion about Asthma • For African American women • Focus group lasts 90 minutes • Portland location in February - date & location TBA • Part of a research study to develop a computer- based program to help women manage their asthma CALL toll-free 1-877-366-3119 for info & to sign up Research study funded by the National Institutes Of Health; program developed by Oregon Center for Applied Science (Eugene) THE factors co n trib u te to the H IV / A ID S epidem ic among A fric a n A m ericans. Key factors include h ig h -ris k sexual co n ta ct, sub stance abuse, s o c io -e co n o m ic status, access to healthcare, and undiagnosed H IV . L o o k in g ahead, the re p o rt called forexpanded H lV -p re v e n - tio n in te rve n tio n s and the im p le m entation o f new, im proved and cu ltu ra lly-a p p ro p ria te HI V /A ID S strategies. It also noted in itia tives now underw ay at the C en ters fo r Disease C ontrol and urged the biom edical co m m u n ity to be a m a jo r d riv in g force in the execu tio n and success o f new programs fo r the A fric a n -A m e ric a n co m Parenting Classes -- Newborns do n 't come w ith instruction manuals but parents and parents-to-be can learn about a variety o f topics from pain and ch ild b irth to breastfeeding to infant CPR and much more. For a schedule o f events, cal 1503-574-6595 or visit: providence.org/classes. V egetarian S ta rte r K it — H ealthy vegetarian eating made easier w ith in fo rm a tio n a l resources, samples, coupons and d e licio u s re c i pes. K its are $7.50 each (in clu d e s sh ip p in g ). T o order, ca ll 503-256- Cancer Resource C enter-- Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and the American Red Cross have joined forces to create the first in-hospital resource center providing books, printed m aterial, computer access and more fo r individuals and fam ilies dealing w ith cancer. The center is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Takca Moment for Your Heart - Saturday, Feb.9,from 11 a.m .to4p.m „ the Clackamas Tow n Center, w ill host this free expo w ith blood pressure checks and expert advice to improve the health o f your heart. .Stroke A lert Screening — Check your carotid arteries w ith a painless ultrasound to assess your risk. Fee $40. T o schedule a screening, call 503-151-6137. Newborn C are -- Saturday. Feb. 16, from noon to 5 p.m., expectant parents w ill learn tips and techniques fo r caring fo r their newborn; $45 fee per couple. T o register, call 503-574-6595. Feeling Forgetful; Women anti Memory Loss — Monday. Feb. 11, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.. a neurologist w ill help women to sort out simple memory loss from something pos sibly more serious at this free w om en’ s wellness forum. For in form ation on additional location and times and to register, call 503- 574-6595. A S tre s s • c a u se s h ig h b lo o d pressure, w h ic h in tu r n is a m a jo r cause o f stro ke s a n d he a rt disease. It ca n lead to asthm a, a rth ritis , in s o m n ia a n d m ig ra in e s. It im pairs th e im m u n e system and is e s tim a te d to cost th e n a tio n o v e r $ 100 b illio n each year in lost p ro d u c tiv ity , absenteeism a n d h e a lth care costs. T h a t's p re tty serious. . I have a very stress* • full job. How can Chiropractic help me? W h a t's m o re , to d a y's C h iro - M o d e r n C h ir o p r a c tic such as yoga, message and v i Q A • care c a n h e lp de stress takes a trem endous to ll on O r e g o n ia n s ,” sa id M e l K o h n , M .D ., state e p id e m io lo g is t in D H S .“ W e m u s tco n tin u e to h e lp people q u it and prevent kids fro m starting to sm oke.” K ohn said O regonians are fo u r tim es more lik e ly to die due to tobacco-related causes than fro m m o to r-ve h icle accidents, su icid e , A ID S and h o m icid e com bined. “ W ith nearly a quarter o f all deaths in Oregon a ttrib u te d to tobacco use, this is tru ly a health e p id em ic,” he said. “ A n d unlike m any diseases, th is situ a tio n is e n tire ly p reventable." H ealth W atch Part 4. Stress: How Chiropractic can help ease life's day*to*day pressures. Q Oregonians smoked an esti mated 2.6 b illio n fewercigarettes between 1996 and 2006 as con sumption decreased 41 percent during that tim e, according a re port from the Oregon Department o f Human Services Public Health D ivision. Oregon outpaced the nation by 10 percent, as cigarette smok ing dropped 31 percent in the U nited States d u rin g the same period. Tobacco use has declined among adults, youth and preg nant wom en since 1996. “ W e ’ ve come a long w ay in 10 years, but tobacco use s till S m oke-Free Support (»roup -- meets Mondays, 7 to 8 p.m. For more inform at ion, cal 1503-256-4000. An ongoing senes of questions and answers about America's natural healing profession . I hear a lot * about stress these days. Just how serious is it? Smoking Drops 41 Percent m u n ity. SPINA COLUMN Dr. Billy R. Aowers dow n a slot. Mehdizadeh says any user ap proved fo r medical marijuana and registered in a computer database at his dispensaries can pre-pur- chase the drug and then use the machine to pick up. The process provides conve nience and privacy fo r users who may otherwise feel uncomfortable about b u y in g m a riju a n a , Mehdizadeh said. M arijuana use is illegal under federal law, w hich does not recog nize the medical marijuana laws in C a lifornia, Oregon and .10 other states. The Drug Enforcement Agency and other federal agencies have been actively shutting down major medical m arijuana dispensaries throughout the state over the last tw o years and charging their opera to rs w ith fe lo n y d is tr ib u tio n charges. practors ca n also h e lp y o u w ith Food fo r L ife : A Cooking and N u tritio n Series - Learn about the intluenee o f diet on eaneer, in e lu d in g e o oking dem onstra tions, f<xxJ samples and more. This four-part series begins Thursday. Feb. 2 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. To register, call 503-256-4(XX). 4000. Free Body Basics — T h is physician-recom m ended class is appro priate fo r all ages and health co n d itio n s. Plan to attend th is one- session class and learn the sim ple g u id elin e s fo r safe exercises, in clu d in g stretching. C a ll 5 0 3 -256-4000 to register. Osteoporosis Screening — A n ultrasound bone-density screening w ith personalized education; fee $30. T o schedule an appointm ent, cal 1503-261-6611. M am m o graph y Screening — E a rly detection is a key fa cto r in the prevention o f breast cancer. C a ll 503-251-6137 to schedule yo u r high-tech, soft-touch m am m ogram . M a te rn ity W a te r W o rk o u t -- H e lp in g new moms regain muscle tone, strength and fle x ib ility , all in the support and freedom o f the water. C all 503-256-4000 fo r more in fo rm a tio n. Tenderfoot C a re -- Treat yo u r feet w ith a soak, nail trim , b u ffin g and massage fro m a licensed nurse at one o f six c lin ic s o r at yo u r home. C all 50 3 -2 5 1 -6303 fo r more inform ation. N u tritio n a l S em inars — N ew Seasons M a rke t is presenting a series o f n u tritio n a l seminars at various store locations along w ith a n u t r it io n a l h e lp lin e . F o r m o re in f o r m a t io n , a skth e n u tritio n ist@ n e w se a so n sm a rke t.co m . e -m a il Senior Aerobics — A lo w -im p a c t w o rk o u t geared s p e c ific a lly to ward seniors. C a ll 503-449-0783 fo r cu rre n t schedule. C a rd ia c -R e h ab Exercise Classes — A m e d ica lly supervised e xer cise program fo r people dealing w ith heart co n d ition s. For more inform ation, call 5O3-25I-626O. Leg A le rt Screening -- C heck fo r peripheral arterial disease w ith this safe, sim ple screening using ankle and arm blood pressure. The fee is $40. T o schedule an appointm ent, ca ll 5 0 3 -2 5 1 -6137. n a tu ra l re la x a tio n te ch n ig u e s s u a liz a tio n . F or less stress, o r y o u r body. By h e lp in g y o u r n e r m ore answers to any quest ions vous system w o rk m ore smoot hly, yo u m ig h t ha ve abo u t y o u r C h iro p r a c tic helps assure th a t h e a lth , y o u 'll fin d th a t C h i a ll y o u r body fu n c io n s ( in c lu d ro p ra c tic is o fte n th e answer. in g t fie ones n e g a tiv e ly affected C a ll us fo r an a p p o in tm e n t by stress) are w o rk in g p ro p e rly. trxlay. F o r B ig B ro th e rs X B ig S ister- To-B e—Saturday, Feb. 16. from 10 to 11 a.m., special sibling class fo r children ages 3 to 6 helping to prepare fo r their role as an older s ib lin g :$ 2 0 fe e ( 2 adults, I child). To register, call 503-574-6595. Bereavement Support ( i roups - Flowers' Chiropractic Office Free, confidential group meetings fo r those who have experienced the 2124 NE Hancock, death o f a loved one offered on various nights and locations. For inform ation and registration, con tact 503-215-4622. Portland Oregon 97212 Phone: (5 03) 287-5504 Bereavem ent S upport - A bereavement support group meets each second and fo u rth Tuesdays, fro m 10 to 1 1:30 a.m. T o learn more, call 5 0 3 -2 5 1 - 6 192, extension 5670. Better B reathers — A n asthma educational support group meets on the firs t Tuesday o f the m onth fro m 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. at A d ve n tist M edical Center. For more in fo rm a tio n , ca ll 5O3-25I-683O. C hron ic Pain Support (»roup — meets the firs t W ednesday fro m 4 to 5:30 p.m. and the th ird W ednesday o f each m onth, fro m 7 to 8:30 p.m. Form ore in fo rm a tio n , ca ll 503-256-4000. H eart T a lk S up p o rt G ro u p meets — on the second M onday o f each month; fro m 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Form ore in fo rm a tio n ,ca ll 503-251-6260. I