iln |Llortlanh (©bseruer
Page A6
A p ril 8, 2009
H ealth matters
Oregon Sees Increased Drug Overdoses
Highest fatalities in years
(A P ) — S ta te s t a t i s t i c s
show 229 peo p le o v erd o se d
on hero in , co cain e, m e th am
p hetam in e o r a co m b in atio n
o f them in 2008, the h ighest
n um ber in nine years.
B u t o v e rd o s e s fro m p r e
scription dru g s ac counted for
m ost d ru g -re la te d d e a th s in
O regon, w ith m ethadone the
leading culprit. T he findings
h a v e le d th e sta te m e d ic a l
ex am in er's o ffice to start a n
nually tracking d eath s du e to
p resc rip tio n drugs.
In 2008, there were 131 over
dose death s from m ethadone,
w hich has long been used to
h e lp c u r b th e c r a v in g s o f
people addicted to d rugs such
as heroin.
But Dr. K aren G u n so n , the
state m edical ex am in er, said
th e m a jo rity o f m e th a d o n e
o v erd o ses o ccurred in people
w h o h a d it p r e s c r ib e d fo r
ch ro n ic pain or w ho h ad o b
tained the drug illegally. N ot
m any w ere taking it as part o f
an a d d ic tio n -tre a tm e n t p ro
gram.
M any who died were in their
30s and 4 0 s and o ften taking
it fo r h ea d ac h es, b ac k ac h es
and o th e r ailm en ts, G unson
s a id . In th e 1 9 9 0 s , w h e n they should."
m ethadone use w as lim ited to
A s for illegal drugs, heroin,
ad d icts in treatm en t, the state as u s u a l, c a u s e d th e m o st
av erag ed roughly 10 m eth a d eath s in O regon. But death s
from m eth am p h etam in e rose
d one o v erd o ses a year.
G u n s o n s a id it's a g o o d sharply last year — from 73 in
drug for ch ro n ic pain because 2007 to 106 in 2008 — rea ch
it lasts a long tim e. T he d raw ing the h ig h est level since the
back is that it som etim es takes state began track in g d ru g -re
se v eral d ay s to h av e an e f lated deaths in 1996.
L aw en fo rcem en t o fficials
fect. "S om etim es people d o n ’t
get the im m ediate effect they s u s p e c t th e r is e in m e th
w ant, so they take m ore than d e a th s c o u ld be d u e to an
u n e x p e c te d le v el o f p u rity ,
w h ich c o m p e titio n fo r c u s
tom ers can lead drug m akers
and traffick e rs to increase.
"T he u ser m ay be ex p e c t
ing a certain pu rity w ith the
dose they take, w hen, in fact,
the p u rity m ay be h ig h e r and
they d o n 't even know it," said
P o rtlan d P o lice C ap t. M ark
K ruger, w h o h ead s th e city
p olice D rugs and Vice D iv i
sion.
Rise in Childhood Kidney Stones Puzzles Doctors
w ith k idney sto n es betw een
1994 and 2005. In 2005, 61
youngsters w ere treated there
(AP) -- D octors are puzzling Philadelphia, the number o f chil
over what seem s to be an in dren treated for kidney stones
crease in the number of children since 2005 has clim bed from
with kidney stones, a condition about 10 a year to five patients
som e blam e on kids' love o f a week now, said Dr. Pasquale
cheeseburgers, fries and other Casale.
Johns Hopkins Children C en
salty foods.
Kidney stones are usually an ter in Baltim ore, a referral cen
adult malady, one that is noto ter for ch ild ren w ith sto n es,
rious for causing excruciating used to treat one or tw o young
pain — pain worse than child sters a year 15 or so years ago.
birth. But while the num ber o f N ow it gets calls about new
affected ch ild ren isn 't huge, cases every week, said kidney
kids w ith kidney stones have specialist Dr. A licia Neu.
Doctors at North Shore-Long
been turning up in rising num
bers at h o sp itals around the Island Jewish M edical C enter
reported a nearly fivefold in
country.
A t C h ild re n 's H o sp ital o f crease in children brought in
Matty Billemeyer is
ju st 8 years old but
already has had four
bouts with kidney stones.
Doctors are puzzling over
what seems to be an
increase in the number of
children with kidney
stones, a condition some
blame on kids' love of
cheeseburgers, fries and
other salt-laden food. (AP
Photo)
C ard ia c-R eh a b E xercises - A medically
State Farm*
supervised exercise program for people
dealing with heart conditions. For infor
mation, call 503-251 -6260.
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
Home Office. Bloomington, Illinois 61710
S en io r A erob ics — A low-impact workout
Michael E Harper
geared specifically tow ard seniors. Call
503-449-0783 forcurrent schedule.
We moved to our new location at:
O steo p o ro sis S creen in g - An ultrasound
9713 S.W. Capitol, Portland, OR
bone density screening with personal
ized education; fee $30. To schedule an
appointment, call 503-261 -6611.
503-221-3050
Fax 503-227-8757
Platinum Fade
S A L O N
L eg A lert S creen in g — Check for periph
eral arterial disease with this safe, simple
screening using ankle and arm blood pres
sure. The fee is $40. T o schedule an ap
pointment, call 503-251 -6137.
50 IONE 9th Unit A, Portland, Oregon 97221
503-284-2989
Hours o f operation:
M-F
Sat
Sun
9 am - 6 pm
8 am - 9 pm
11 am - 6 pm
Monday & Tuesday,
kids haircut age 1-13
will be only $5
-See Sherman
Mondays, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. For information,
call 503-256-4000.
C a n cer R eso u rce C en ter - Providence
St. Vincent Medical Centerand the A m eri
can Red Cross have joined forces to cre
ate the first in-hospital resource center
providing books, printed material, com
puter access and more for individuals and
C hronic Pain Support G rou p - meets the first
W ednesday at4 p .m . to 5 :3 0 p .m . and the third
W ednesday o f each month, from 7 p.m . to 8:30
p.m. For more information, call 503-256-4000.
H eart T a lk S u p p o rt G ro u p m eets — on the
second M onday of each month; from 6 p.m. to
8 p.m. For more information, call 503-251 -6260.
M a tern ity W ater W o rk o u t - Helping new
m oms regain muscle tone, strength, and flex
ibility, all in the support and freedom o f the
water. Call 5O3-256-4O0Oformore information.
Legacy G ood Sam aritan Hospital.
T en d erfo o t C are - Treat your feet with a
soak, nail trim, buffing and m assage from
a licensed nurse at one o f six clinics or at
your home. Call 503-251 -6303 for more
information.
F ree B od y B a sics - This physician rec
om m ended class is appropriate for all
ages and health conditions. Plan to at
tend this one-session class and learn the
sim ple guidelines for safe exercises, in
cluding stretching. Call 503-256-4000 to
register.
M am m ograp h y S creen in g - Early detec
tion is a key factor in the prevention of
breast cancer. Call 503-251 -6137 to sched
ule your high-tech, soft-touch m am m o
gram.
C h o lestero l P rofiles — Calls helps you keep
an eye on your cholesterol and other indica
tors o f heart health; educational material pro
vided. Formore information, call 503-261-661 1.
L ead P o iso n in g P reven tion - Learn how to
protect your family from lead poisoning. Ideal
for folks in live in older homes with children or
pregnant women. Q ualified participants re
ceive a free kit of safety and testing supplies.
Call 503-284-6827.
Family Caregiver Support G roup - This topic-
oriented group offers a safe place to discuss
the stresses, challenges and rew ards o f pro
viding care to an older relative or friend. Meets
the first Thursday o f each month at 3 p.m. at
B erea v em en t S u p p o r t G ro u p s - 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 registra
tion, call 503-215-4622.
P a r e n tin g C la s s e s — N ew b o rn s d o n ’t
com e w ith in stru ctio n m an u als b ut p ar
ents and p are n ts-to -b e can learn about
a v ariety o f to p ics from pain and ch ild
birth to b rea stfeed in g to in fan t C PR
an d m uch m ore. For a sch ed u le o f
e v e n ts, call 5 0 3 -5 7 4 -6 5 9 5 o r visit:
p ro v id e n c e .o rg /c la s s e s .
Record Food Stamp Use
A record 32.2 million people -
- one in every 10 A m ericans —
received food stamps at latest
count, the governm ent said on
T hursday, a reflection o f the
r e c e s s io n no w in its 16th
month.
THE
SPINA COLUMN
An ongoing senes of questions and answers about Amenca's natural healing profession
Dr. Billy R. Flowers
Part 14. Scoliosis Exam: The most important
test your kids will take all year.
o
detect and co rrect spinal d is
My kids already get back- for com plete recovery.
^-’to - s c h o o l c h e c k - u p s .
: How can I tell if my daugh o rd ers. It’s a sim ple, p ain
ter might have scoliosis? less, inexpensive proced u re
W hy should I brother with yet
another one?
; The most com m on visible that can save your ch ild ren
: Scoliosis, a lateral curva
sym ptom is v ery p ro m i years o f d isco m fo rt an d d is
ture o f the spine, is one
nent sh o u ld e r b lad e h ig h fig
e r u rem en t later in life. F or a
test pro probably not included
than the other. H ow ever, the sco lio sis ch eckup, or for a n
in your ch ild ren ’s back-to- best check for sco lio sis is an sw ers to any q u estio n s you
school p h y sic al ch e ck u p s. an n u al p re -sc h o o l c h e c k u p m ight have about y o u r ow n
And yet, it isdisturbingly com w ith a C hiropracto r. T he one health , call us at the n um ber
mon am ong teenage girls. If professio n al best train ed to below .
left untreated, scoliosis often
leads to painful arthritis o f the
spine But if the disorder is
2124 N.E. Hancock Street, Portland Oregon 97212
detected by age eight, before
the adolescent grow th spurt,
there is better than 50% chance
A
fam ilies dealing with cancer. The center is
open M onday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4
p.m.
S m o k e-F ree S u p p o rt G ro u p — meets
M a n a g in g C h ro n ic H ep a titis C — Third
W ednesday o f each m onth at 5 p.m. The
inform ative session is led by a registered
nurse to help you m anage side effects of
m edications and dosage preparations and
adm inistration; doctor referral required.
To register, call 503-251-6313.
We have the Best Barber & hair Stylist in Portland and
mv do Razor Line Cuts, Weaves, Relaxers and Cuts
H ealth W atch
for stones.
Dr. D avid H atch at L oyola
U niversity M edical C enter in
M ayw ood, III., near C hicago,
also has seen an increase. His
youngest patient was a cranky
8-m onth-old girl whose m other
found a pea-size kidney stone
in her diaper.
Eating too much salt can re
sult in excess calcium in the
urine. In children, m ost stones
are calciu m -b ased , and their
eating habits, plus drinking too
little water, puts them at risk.
Plenty o f water is generally rec
om m ended to help prevent kid
ney stones.
0
A
Flowers' Chiropractic Office
Phone: (503) 287-5504
Food stam ps are the m ajor N utrition A s
U.S. antihunger program and sistance Pro
help poor people buy grocer gram.
ies. T he average benefit was
T h e U .S .
$112.82 per person in January. u n e m p l o y
The January figure marks the ment rate was
third tim e in five m onths that 8.1 percent in
enrollm ent se, a record.
February, the
Food-stamp recipients use the Oregon Trail
"A w e a k e n e d e c o n o m y highest in 25
card to negotiate benefits electronically.
means that many more individu years. Weekly
als are turning to SNA P/Food claims for job
S ta m p s ,” said the F ood R e less benefits totaled 669,000 last beginning with this month, un
search and Action Center, an week, the highest in 26 years, the der the econom ic stim ulus law
sig n e d by P re sid en t B arack
a n tih u n g e r g ro u p , u sin g the government said on Thursday.
F ood stam p ben efits get a Obama. The increase equals $80
acronym for the renam ed food
stam p program, Supplemental tem porary 13 percent increase, a month for a household o f four.
Hospital Return Trips Costly
(A P ) -- O ne in five M e d i parting patien ts — can help,
care p atien ts end up back in they said.
T he study fo u n d that a su r
the hospital w ithin a m onth o f
d is c h a r g e , a la r g e s tu d y p risin g h a lf o f the n o n -su r
found, and that p ractice costs g ery p a tie n ts w ho re tu rn e d
w ith in a m onth h ad n 't ev en
b illio n s o f d o llars a year.
T h e fin d in g s su g g e st p a seen a d o cto r betw een h o sp i
t i e n t s a r e n 't to ld e n o u g h tal stays.
"H o sp itals put m ore effo rt
a b o u t h o w to ta k e c a re o f
th em selv es and stay healthy in to tlje a d m issio n p ro c e ss
b efo re they go hom e, the re th a n th e y d o in to th e d i s
search ers said. A few sim ple charge process," said Dr. Eric
th in g s — lik e m a k in g a C olem an, one o f the stu d y 's
d o cto r's ap p o in tm en t for de- authors from the U niversity o f
Advertise
C o lo rad o in D enver.
C o lem an , w ho runs a p ro
gram to im prove "hand-offs"
betw een h ealth care sy stem s,
sa id p a tie n ts o fte n h a v e a
h o n e y m o o n n o tio n a b o u t
h o w th in g s w ill b e o n c e
th e y 'r e h o m e . T h e n w h e n
they b eco m e co n fu sed about
how to take th eir m ed icin e or
run into o th e r p ro b lem s, they
head back to the ho sp ital b e
cau se they don't know w here
to turn, he said.
m ‘ri"|J<irtlanh (Obscvüer 50?-2< sk oou