S e p te m b e r 17. 2 0 0 8
P agcA7
H ealth MATTERS
New Doctors Skip Primary Care
Mixed Bag on Illegal Drug Use
Cocaine and methamphetamine use
among young adults declined s ig n ifi­
cantly last year as supplies dried up,
leading to higher prices and reduced
purity, the government reports. O ver­
all use o f illic it drugs showed little
change.
A b o u t one in fiv e young adults
last year acknow ledged i llic it drug
use w ith in the previous m onth, a
rate s im ila r to previous years. But
cocaine use declined by o n e -q u a r­
ter and m etham phetam ine use by
o n e -th ird.
Drug use increased among the 50-
59 age group as more baby boomers
joined that category. T heir past month
Raising worry
about looming
shortage
(AP) -- Only 2 percent of gradu­
ating medical students say they plan
to work in primary care internal
medicine, raising worries about a
looming shortage of the first-stop
doctors who used to be the back­
bone of the American medical sys­
tem.
The results of a new survey sug­
gest more medical students, many
of them saddled with debt, are opt­
ing for more lucrative specialties.
Just 2 percent of nearly 1,200
fo u rth -y ear students surveyed
planned to work in primary care
internal medicine, according to re­
sults published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association. In
a similar survey in 1990, the figure
was 9 percent.
Paperwork, the demands of the
chronically sick and the need to
bring work home are among the
factors pushing young doctors away
from careers in primary care, the
survey found.
"I didn't want to fight the insur-
Cardiac-Rehab Exercise ( ’lasses
— A m edically supervised exer­
cise program fo r people dealing
w ith heart conditions. For more
information, call 503-251 -6260.
Osteoporosis Screening - An
ultrasound bone density screen­
ing w ith personalized education:
fee $30. To schedule an appoint­
ment, call 503-261-661 I.
Stroke Alert Screening—Check
your carotid arteries w ith a pain­
less ultrasound to assess your
risk. Fee $40. To schedule a
screening, cal 1503-251 - 6 137.
Chronic Pain Support Croup -
meets the first Wednesday at 4
p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and the third
Wednesday o f each month, from
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more in fo r­
mation, call 503-256-4000.
W om en's intuition can be a
p o w e rfu l thing: E very tim e I
squeeze in a round o f g o lf instead
o f running errands, my w ife knows
it by the time I'v e walked in the
frontdoor! This kind o f sixth sense
isn’ t just useful Io your marriage,
but also to your health. It’ s im por­
tant that we all listen to that little
voice that whispers, “ Hey, some­
thing isn't right here." For women,
it could save your life when it
comes to ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer causes more
deaths than any other cancer o f
the female reproductive system.
The reason is because many
women aren’ t catching it early.
This is particularly true in (he
A frican American com m unity -
in general, people in our com m u­
n ity are diagnosed w ith various
cancers at later stages than our
white counterparts due to lack o f
screenings and other obstacles.
Put it this way: I f ovarian can­
cer is found and treated before
the cancer has spread outside the
ovary, the 5-year survival rate is
over 90 percent. U nfortunately,
less than 20 percent o f all ovarian
cancers are found at this early
stage.
Early symptoms o f ovarian
cancer include abdominal sw ell­
ing or bloating, pressure or ab­
dominal pain, d iffic u lty eating or
feeling fu lI q u ic k ly , and having to
urinate urgently or often.
Sound fa m ilia r ? These are the
same symptoms you m ight have
when you eat too much spicy
food, or have an easy-to-treat
(and com m on) urinary tract infec­
tion. But when the symptoms are
caused by ovarian cancer they
tend to be more severe and are a
change from how a woman usu­
ally feels. And that's the critical
drug use rose fro m 4 .3 percent in 2006
to 5 percent in 2(X)7.
"The baby boomers have much higher
rates o f self-destructive behavior than
any parallel age group we have data
from ,’’ said John Walters, director o f the
W hite House O ffice o f National Drug
C ontrol Policy.
Overall, about 20 m illio n people 12 or
older reported using illic it drugs w ithin
the past month. M arijuana was the most
popularby far, w ith 14.4 m illion acknowl­
edging use o f marijuana in the past
month.
Am ong adolescents, age 12 to 17,
drug use dipped from 9.8 percent in 2(X)6
to 9.5 percent last year, continuing a
ftve-yeartrend. T h e ir use o f alcohol and
cigarettes also fell
Study Questions Knee Surgeries
Dr. Alexis Dunne talks with patient Michael McCoy at North
western Memorial Hospital, in Chicago.
ance companies," said Dr. Jason
Shipman, 36, a radiology resident at
Vanderbilt University Medical Cen­
terin Nashville, Tenn., who is carry­
ing $ 1 50,000 in student debt.
Primary care doctors he met as a
student had to "speed to see enough
patients to make a reasonable liv­
ing," Shipman said.
Dr. Karen Hauer of the Uni­
versity of California, San Fran­
cisco, the study’s lead author, said
it’s hard work taking care of the
chronically ill, the elderly and
people with complex diseases
"especially when you’re doing it
with time pressures and inadequate
resources."
The salary gap may be another
reason. More pay in a particular
specialty tends to mean more U.S.
medical school graduates fill resi­
dencies in those fields at teaching
hospitals.
H ealth W atch
( AP) — T w o studies cal I into ques­
tio n w hether many people w ith ar­
th ritis are needlessly undergoing
one ot the most com m on operations
in A m erica: arthroscopic knee sur­
gery.
One finds that surgery is no bet­
ter than m edication and physical
therapy fo r re lie v in g the pain and
stiffness o f moderate o r severe a r­
th ritis . The other reveals that tears
in knee cartilage — w h ich often
prom pt such surgeries — are very
com m on w ith o u t causing sym p ­
toms.
Experts said the new studies and
o th e r evidence show a rth ro sco p ic
knee surgery s till has a place, such as
a fte r a recent in ju ry , but sh o u ld n ’ t be
done ro u tin e ly fo r oste o a rth ritis.
“ A lo t o f people w o u ld p re fe r
physical therapy and th e ir doctors
w o u ld as w e ll," said D r. E. A n th o n y
R ankin, spokesman fo r the A m erican
Academ y o f O rthopedic Surgeons.
Nearly 27 m illio n Americans have
osteoarthritis, a top cause o f disability.
Symptoms usually begin after age 40
and progress as a breakdown o f ca rti­
lage on the end o f bones causes them to
rub together at jo in ts, leading to s tiff­
ness and pain and lim itin g movement.
The fee is $40. T o schedule an
appointment, call 503-251 -6137.
Dentures
Worth Smiling
About!
Managing Chronic Hepatitis C -
Expectant Couples, New Parents
Hospice Volunteer Training -
- Legacy Good Samaritan Hospi­
tal offers the workshop Lasting
Relationships fo r New Parents,
helping couples keep their rela­
tionships strong and happy in
the transition to parenthood. Pre­
sented by Northwest Fam ily Ser­
vices, upcom ing sessions are
scheduled Oct. 11 and Oct. 18. To
Providence offers a free compre­
hensive course o f training to pre­
pare people who are interested in
becoming hospice volunteers. No
previous experience is required.
For more inform ation or to re­
quest an application packet, call
M elinda Smith, hospice volun­
teered »rdinator, at 503-215-5774.
register, v is it the w ebsite at
lastingrelationshiips.org.
Mammography Screening - Early
Bereavement Support Groups -
Free, safeconfidential group meet­
ings fo r those who have experi­
enced the death o f a loved one
offered on various nights and
locations. For inform ation and
registration, call 503-215-4622.
point: know ing and
lis te n in g to y o u r
body close enough
to distinguish a d if­
ference.
When it comes to ovarian can­
cer, it's important to know your
risk factors. The most significant
risk factor fo r ov arian cancer is
having an inherited mutation in
one o f tw o genes called breast
cancer gene I ( B R C A I) and gene
2 ( B R C A 2 ). In addition tocausing
...that's the critical
paint: knowing
and listening to your
body close enough
to distinguish a
difference.
some breast cancers, they're also
responsible for about 5 percent to
19 percent o f ovarian cancers.
Other risk factors include your
age. whether or not you've had
children, a history o f in fe rtility
and childhood obesity.
Few th in g s cause patients
more fear and uncertainty than a
cancer diagnosis. But today ova­
rian cancer increasingly can be
managed and even beaten, espe­
c ia lly when it's detected early.
detection is a key factor in the
prevention o f breast cancer. Call
503-251-6137 to schedule your
high-tech, soft-touch mammogram.
Leg Alert Screening -C h e c k for
peripheral arterial disease w ith
this safe, simple screening using
ankle and arm blood pressure.
- T hird Wednesday o f each month
at 5 p.m., the inform ative session
led by a registered nurse to help
manage side effects o f medica­
tions and dosage preparations
and adm inistration; doctors re­
ferral required. T o register, call
503-251-6313.
C ancer Resource Center --
Providence St. Vincent M edical
C enter and the A m erican Red
Cross have jo in e d forces to cre ­
ate the firs t in -h o sp ita l resource
center p ro v id in g books, printed
m a te ria l, com puter access and
m ore fo r in d iv id u a ls and fa m i­
lies dealing w ith cancer. The
center is open M onday through
BY
L akky L l
( AS
Patients w ho need help access­
ing their prescription medicines
fo r ov arian cancer and other con­
ditions can turn to the Partner­
ship fo r Prescription Assistance
fo r inform ation. Since its launch
in A p ril 2905, the program has
helped connect more than 5 m il­
lion patients in need to programs
We are located on the
corner o f MLK and Russell
Street, on the second floor
above the coffee shop.
that provide either free or nearly
free medicines. For more inform a­
tion about how to apply, call I-
8 8 8 -4 P P A -N O W
or
v is it
www.pparx.org.
Barack t Jbama's m otherdiedof
ovarian cancer at age 53. Gilda
Radner, the beloved “ Saturday
Night L iv e " comedian, died o f the
disease in 1989 at the age o f 43.
Leam from these women: Visit your
gynecologist regularly and alert
him or her to any changes you've
noticed, and to any important facts
about your fam ily health history.
Lastly, listen to yo u r body
when you're feeling a little “ o f f
- it might just be telling you some­
thing.
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If you or someone you know has been in an accident,
call us so we can help you with your needs. (503)284-7838
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333 NE Russell St., #200, Portland, OR. 97212
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(503) 284-7838
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