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