Page A7
August 27. 2008
H ealth W atch
H ospice V olunteer T raining - Providence offers a free com pre­
hensive course o f training to prepare people who are interested in
becom ing hospice volunteers. No previous experience is required.
For m ore inform ation or to request an application packet, call
M elinda Sm ith, hospice volunteer coordinator, at 503-215-5774.
W alk to Defeat ALS — A 3-mile non-com petitive walk to defeat
ALS, offered referred to as Lou G ehrig’s disease, will be held
Sunday, Sept. 14 beginning at 11 a.m. at the East Bank Esplanade
on the W illamette River. For more information, visit walkor.alse.org
orcall 1-800-681-9851.
M an agin g C h ron ic Pain — P rovidence H ealth and S ervices
o ffe rs advice on how to treat pain and reclaim y o u r life during
panel d isc u ssio n s w ith experts, on T h u rsd ay , Sept. 4: T h u rs­
day, Sept. 11 or M onday, Sept. 15. T he ev en in g lectures are
free, but reg istra tio n is requested. V isit p ro v id en ce.o rg /class
o rca ll 503-574-6595.
Bereavem ent Support G roups - Free, safe confidential group
m eetings for those who have experienced the death o f a loved one
offered on various nights and locations. For inform ation and
registration, call 503-215-4622.
M am m ography Screening - Early detection is a key factor in the
prevention o f breast cancer. Call 503-251 -6137 to schedule your
high-tech, soft-touch m am m ogram .
Leg Alert Screening - Check for peripheral arterial disease with
this safe, sim ple screening using ankle and arm blood pressure. The
fee is $40. To schedule an appointm ent, call 503-251-6137.
M anaging Chronic Hepatitis C - Third W ednesday o f each month
at 5 p.m ., the inform ative session led by a registered nurse to help
m anage side effects of m edications and dosage preparations and
adm inistration; doctors referral required. To register, call 5 0 3 -2 5 1 -
6313.
C ancer Resource Center - Prov idence St. Vincent Medical Center
and the A m erican Red C ross have joined forces to create the first
in-hospital resource center providing books, printed material,
com puter access and more for individuals and fam ilies dealing with
cancer. The center is open M onday through T hursday, 9 a.m. to
4 p.m.
Free B ody Basics — This physiciart recom m ended class is appro­
priate 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.
Heart Talk Support G rou p m eets - on the second Monday o f each
month; from 6p.m . to8 p.m. Formore information, call 503-251 -6260.
M aternity W ater W orkout - Helping new m om s regain muscle
tone, strength, and tlexibility, all in the support and freedom o f the
water. Call 503-256-4000for more information.
Parenting C lasses — N ew borns d o n ’t com e with instruction
m anuals but parents and parents-to-be can learn about a variety
o f topics from pain and childbirth to breastfeeding to infant CPR
and m uch more. For a schedule ofevents, call 503-574-6595 or visit:
p roviden ce.o rg /classes.
C ardiac-R ehab Exercise C lasses - A medically supervised exer­
cise program for people dealing with heart conditions. For more
information, call 503-251 -6260.
O steoporosis Screening - An ultrasound bone density screening
with personalized education; fee $30. T o schedule an appointm ent,
call5O3-261-6611.
Stroke Alert Screening - Check your carotid arteries with a
painless ultrasound to assess your risk. Fee $40. T o schedule a
screening, call 503-251 - 6 137.
Dentures
Worth Smiling
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• 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. D enturisi
503-230-0207
Radiation Approved for Leafy Greens
To kill E. coli,
other germs
The governm ent has decided
to allow food producers to start
zapping fresh spinach and ice­
berg lettuce with ju st enough ra­
diation to kill E. eoli and other
dangerous germ s, a key safety
move am id increasing outbreaks
from raw produce.
I rra d ia te d m eat h as b een
around for years, particularly
ground beef that is a favorite hid­
ing spot for E. eoli. Spices also
can be irradiated.
But there had long been con­
cern that zapping leafy greens with
X-rays or other means of radiation
would leave them limp. Not so with
today’s modem techniques.
The Food and Drug A dm inis­
tration determ ined that irradia­
tion indeed can kill food-poison­
ing germ s and even lengthen the
greens' shelf life w ithout co m ­
prom ising the safety or nutrient
value o f raw spinach and lettuce.
The grocery industry will be allowed to zap leafy greens with
radiation to kill E-coli and other germs.
T he new regulation w ent into ef­
fect last Friday.
The G rocery M anufacturers
Association had originally peti­
tioned the FDA seeking to ex­
pand use o f irradiation to many
more types of produce several
years ago. But in wake o f the 2006
E. eoli outbreak from spinach —
which killed three people and sick­
ened nearly 200 — plus a list of
lettuce recalls, the industry group
asked the FDA to rule on the leafy
greens first.
The FDA still is considering
what other types of produce might
be OK to irradiate. Often m en­
tioned as possible are tomatoes
and peppers, which have been
the focus o f investigators trying
to trace this sum m er's nation­
w ide salm onella outbreak.
E. eoli is fairly sensitive to ra­
diation. hut salm onella can re­
quire m ore energy. W hile it’s not
sterilization, the FDA ruled that
food com panies could use a dose
pros en to dramatically reduce lev­
els o f F. eoli, salm onella and list-
eriao n raw spinach and lettuce —
a dose somewhat lower than meat
requires.
The most likely use w ould he
in bagged greens: T he entire
sealed bag can go under the beam,
taking away the risk o f recontam i­
nation later.
Planning on irradiation isn't
an excuse fordirty produce in the
first p la c e , th e g o v e rn m e n t
warned. G row ers and processors
still must follow standard agricul­
tural and m anufacturing p ro ­
cesses d esig n ed to keep the
greens as clean as possible. C on­
sumers. also, should wash the
leaves ju st like they do today.
Back to School Vaccines
by
L arky L ucas
G etting children ready for the
classroom means trips to the store
arm ed with baek-to-sehool shop­
ping lists for things like crayons,
erasers and notepads. But an ­
o th e r b a e k - to -s e h o o l ritu a l
sh o u ld n ’t be overlooked: call
your pediatrician to find out if
yourchild has the im m unizations
he or she needs to enter school or
daycare.
Immunizations play acri tieal role
in protecting your child's health.
Most vaccines work by tricking
the immune system into thinking
that a real infection is taking place,
even though it is not. Then when
the person is exposed to that ill­
ness again, the immune system is
already activated and ready to lenii
it off. That way, your child w on’t
get sick and it will help prevent the
spread o f disease tootherehildren.
V accines have contributed to
a significant reduction in many
childhood diseases, such as po­
lio, measles and whooping cough.
Many o f these conditions now
sound like relies of a bygone era
and w e’re lucky.
A child born to­
day can expect to
live 30 years longer
than a child born a
century ago. Today, it is rare for
Am erican children to experience
the devastating effects o f these
illnesses. But vaccines are still an
im portant and necessary part of
protecting the health o f yourchild.
W hy? We live in an increasingly
global society; the germ s that
cause vaccine-preventable dis­
eases and death still exist and can
be passed on to people who are
unprotected against them.
L ike any m edicine, v ac cin a­
tion has ben efits and risks, and
no vaccine is 100 percent e ffe c ­
tive in p rev en tin g disease. But
the fact is that a child is far more
likely to be serio u sly injured hy
one o f these d iseases than by
any vaccine.
M ost side effects o f vaccines
are usually m in o r and sh o rt­
lived. A child may feel soreness
at the in jection site o r ex p eri-
en c e a lo w -g rad e fever. S erious
Easy on the Backpacks
Backpacks are as much a ne-
eessily for school as the books
they hold. A nd with the various
books, supplies, and. o f course,
lunch, these backpacks can get
aw fully heavy.
searehers are testing more than
200 medicines, including 23 vac­
cines. to treat the special health
needs of kids.
Baek-to-sehool time can be
hectic for fam ilies - som etim es
it’s hard enough to rem em ber to
pack your ch ild 's lunch for the
day, let alone keeping track o f all
the im m unizations they need
throughout their childhood. But
it's worth the effort and required
by law in some states.
C all y o u r p e d ia tric ia n or
school's adm inistration office to
find out what vaccinations your
child might need. You can also
visit the C D C ’s W eb site at
ede.gov for an up-to-date sched­
ule of immunizations for children
of various ages. If y o u rch ild or
adolescent has missed any shots,
check with your doctor about
getting back on track. It just might
save the life o f yourchild or some­
one else's.
vaccine reactio n s are e x ­
trem ely rare.
America’s pharmaceutical
research com panies are m ak­
ing trem endous strides in de­
veloping and discovering vac­
cines and other m edicines to treat
a host o f conditions that impact
our children.
There is now a vaccine rou­
tinely recom m ended for 11 - and
12-year-old girls that protects
against four types of genital hu­
man papillomavirus! HPV), which
together cause 70 percent of cer­
vical cancers.
And, the Centers for Disease
Control recently reported that a
new vaccine against rotavirus - a
co n d itio n that cau se s severe
vomiting and diarrhea among in­
fants and young children, result­
ing in tens of thousands o f hos­
pitalizations every year is mak­
ing a significant impact, leading
to the lowest incidence rate since
the CDC began monitoring it 15
years ago.
Even more hope is on the ho-
rizón. B io p h arm aceu tieal re-
Larry Lucas is a vice presi­
dent Jor Pharmaceutical Re­
search and Manufacturers of
America.
To avoid back pain, choose a
b ackpack w ith w ide, padded
shoulder straps and a padded
back. Make sure your child al­
ways uses both straps - slinging
a backpack over one shoulder
can strain muscles and may also
increase curvature of the spine.
Providence Rehabilitation Ser­
vices recom m ends that a back­
pack weigh no more than 15 per­
cent o f the ch ild ’s weight.
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