rt latió (Dhseruer__________________________ PaseA7
September 2.2009
H ealth matters
After Cancer Goal was Quality of Life
Kennedy
carried on the
best he could
(AP) - He lived 15 months
with an incurable brain tumor,
a little longer than usual for a
patient in his late 70s. Perhaps
equally important is that Sen.
E dw ard M. K ennedy lived
those months well — able to
work almost to the end, to sail
the choppy New England w a
ters he adored, to help elect a
president he supported, and
even to give him a dog.
T im e is im portant to any
cancer patient. Quality o f life,
not ju st how m uch life they
can squeeze out, is increas
ingly the focus fo r p eo p le
with a terminal illness, can
cer specialists say. It also is
one o f the chief goals of treat-
Sen. Edward K ennedy w aves a s h e walks o u t o f M assa
c h u s e tts General Hospital in B oston, M a ss., on M ay 21,
2 0 0 8 . He had b e e n hospitalized after suffering a seizure
a t his h o m e and was d ia g n o sed with brain cancer.
ments for brain tum ors, since
these therapies typically do
not buy m uch time.
"The advances that w e've
made in prolonging survival
aren't as big as w e've liked
them to be, but people have lions o f people who deal with
stayed at a good quality o f life these issues on a daily basis."
right up to the end," said Dr. W hen one gets recom m ended
M atthew E w end, n eurosur treatm ents and is able to live
gery chief at the University of life to its fullest, it gives hope
North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
to other patients, Lichtenfeld
Even after treatm ents can said.
K ennedy w as d ia g n o se d
no lo n g e r c o n tro l tu m o r
growth for patients, "we can w ith a m alignant gliom a, a
usually keep their quality of cancerous brain tumor, after
life pretty good with m edi s u ffe rin g a se iz u re at his
cines for brain swelling, and home in May 2008. He had
then the end is usually pretty surgery two weeks later, fol
lowed by chem otherapy with
graceful," Ewend said.
T here is m uch to be a d the drug Temodar during and
mired in how Kennedy spent after radiation, his family has
his final m onths, said Dr. Len said.
Median survival for the type
L ic h te n fe ld , d e p u ty c h ie f
medical officer o f the A m eri o f tum or Kennedy is believed
to h a v e had is 12 to 15
can Cancer Society,
"This is a man w ho had a months, but the range is wide,
serious and fatal illness and said Dr. M ark G ilbert, a brain
he knew that. Despite his ill tum or expert at the U niver
ness, he carried on as best he sity o f Texas M.D. Anderson
Cancer Center in Houston.
could," Lichtenfeld said.
"Treatments are keeping the
He noted that celebrities "are
public representatives o f mil c a n c e r under c o n tro l for a
Tournament Helps People in Need
tance was answered. Earlier this
year Melissa underwent a suc
cessful 90-minute comeal trans
plant.
Thanks to the Foundation
and its innovative Patient Care
program , M elissa's corneal
transplant was paid for and she
is now able to care for her 3-
year-old son. The Patient Care
pro g ram ,
w hich
saved
Melissa's vision, is one of the
Foundation programs funded in
part through the Scramble for
Sight golf tournament.
The 7th Annual Oregon Lions
Sight and Hearing Foundation
Scramble for Sight Golf Tourna
ment and Junior Golf Clinic for
visually impaired youth, will be
held on Monday Sept. 21 with a
10:30 a.m. shotgun start at The
Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club
in Aloha — one of Oregon's pre
mier golf courses.
For more information, call the
Foundation at 503 413-7399 or
download a registration form at
orlions.org.
Providing vital
health services
The loss of sight or hearing
can have a devastating impact
on a person's life and livelihood.
Every year, the Oregon Lions
Sight & Hearing Foundation
helps over 120,(XX) youth and
adults in Oregon with sight or
hearing needs that might oth
erwise fall through the cracks
in our healthcare system.
People like M elissa who
since the age of 15 was diag
nosed with cornea problems.
Year after year, her eye sight
slowly worsened until this year,
at the age of 27, the eye pain,
constant irritation and blurry
vision became too much to bear.
Her husband works two part-
time jobs and is the sole pro
vider for their family of three,
but neither job offers health in
surance benefits.
Through the Oregon Lions
Sight & Hearing Foundation's
Patient Care Program and the
generous donation of a comea
by the Lions Eye Bank of Or-
egon, Melissa's plea for assis-
In the first federally funded,
m ulticenter clinical trial to
evaluate the overall risks, ben
efits and long-term impact of
bariatric surgery, researchers
have found the overall risk of
death and other adverse out
comes is low and varies con
siderably from patient to pa
tient.
O regon Health & Science
University and Legacy Good
Samaritan Hospital were partici
pants in the national study con
ducted to help doctors and pa
tients better evaluate treatment
for extreme obesity.
Researchers followed 4,776
first-time bariatric surgery pa
tients for 30 days. Gastric by
pass surgery (Roux-en-Y) was
performed in 3,412 patients,
laparoscopic adjustable gastric-
banding was performed in 1,198
patients, and 166 patients un
derwent other procedures that
were not included in the final
analysis.
At 30 days post-surgery, the
researchers found the death rate
among patients who underwent
a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or
laparoscopic adjustable gastric-
banding was .3 percent, and a
total of 4.3 percent of patients
had at least one major adverse
outcome.
Platinum Fade
S A L O N
H ealth W atch
Chronic Pain Support Group -
- Meets the first Wednesday at
4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and the third
Wednesday of each month, from
7p.m .to8:30p.m . Forinforma-
tiop,call503-256-4(XX).
Maternity Water Workout —
H elping new m om s regain
muscle tone, strength, and flex
ibility, all in the support and
freedom of the water. Call 503-
256-4< XX) for in f ormat i on.
Cholesterol Profiles — Calls
helps you keep an eye on your
cholesterol and other indicators
of heart health; educational
material provided. For informa
tion, call 503-261-6611.
Heart Talk Support Group -
Meets on the second Monday
of each month; from 6 p.m. to 8
p.m. For information, call 503-
251-6260.
We have the Best Barber & hair Stylist in Portland and
we do Razor Line Cuts, Weaves, Relaxers and Cuts
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Back to School
Health Tips
Summer is winding down
and thoughts are migrating
tow ard “back to school” .
M ost parents are excited;
most kids are not. With the
start of school, bad habits
that accumulated in the sum
mer will have to change.
Some of these are bed times,
homework guidelines, eating
patterns and hygiene.
One of the most important
habits for children and ado
lescents that are often over
looked is good oral hygiene.
Since so many illnesses like
diabetes, heart disease, and
others now being shown to
link to oral health, it makes
sense to establish healthy
p a tte rn s w hile persons are
young. These efforts will pay
off in an individual's overall
health in years to come.
Some oral health routines for
parents to establish in their chil
dren are to avoid sugar sweet
ened beverages and sugar laden
foods; to brush teeth twice a
day and floss between teeth
once a day.
Children can benefit from
early healthy oral habits that
parents can inspire by model
ing and establishing a routine.
As an adult, individuals will
more likely continue the healthy
oral hygiene they established
as children and will be less
likely to become sick.
Happy Birthday Gary Washington
from your family — We love you!
____________ THE____________
Robby Cole, visually im paired stu d e n t a t W ashington
School for th e Blind, asp ires to b e a professional golfer.
Low Risks in Weight Loss Surgery
lo n g e r tim e," G ilb e rt said.
W ithout the tum or continuing
to grow, patients "m aintain
their function and with that,
their quality of life," he said.
Cancer research is a cause
Kennedy championed long be
fore his illness, the can cer
s o c ie ty 's c h ie f e x e c u tiv e ,
John Seffrin, said in a state
ment.
K ennedy helped overhaul
the 1971 National Cancer Act,
"rein in the tobacco industry"
with a bill giving the federal
Food and Drug Administration
authority to regulate tobacco
products, and backed expan
sion o f the Children's Health
Insurance Program w ith an
increase in the tobacco tax,
the statement said.
For these and other achieve-
m e n ts, he w as g iv e n the
Society's Medal of Honor and
National Distinguished A dvo
cacy Award.
SPINACOLUMN
An ongoing senes of questions and answers about America's natural healing profession
Dr. Billy R. Flowers
Part 36. Healing Time
: How long will it take doing everything possible to help even desiring healthier food.
During this phase of treat
your body help you.
until you get well?
ment, you will need to see
: Your body possesses And now that you’ll understand your chiropractor less often.
tre mendous healing pow the role your body plays in heal But be patient and keep all
ers. In fact, by correcting the ing, you’ll understand the role in your appointments. Remem
subluxations which interfere healing, you’ll understand the ber, your body is going to
repair the worst damage first
with healing, your chiroprac role your chiropractor plays.
and even though a different
tor helps make you well again.
There are three basic phases of problem may seem more ur
gent to you, your body will
However, your body estab treatment.
get to it in time.
lishes its own priorities of heal
ing. It is now uncommon for a 1. Eliminating the pain.
patient to come in with a his Though your chiropractor does 3. Preventative Maintenance
tory of allergies, sinus trouble, not treat pain per se, he or she will During this phase, you will
headaches, low back pain, con work very hard to eliminate any probably have forgotten the
stipations and menstrual ir pain you might have. In many aches and pains of Phase I
instances, it is impossible tomake The important thing, though, is
regularity. All at once.
any corrective adjustments on not to forget the need for regu
: Can you imagine your your spine until the pain has been lar checkups. To protect the
body healing them all at eliminated. During this phase, investment you have made in
your chiropractor will need to see good health and make sure you
once?
h a v e n 't g o tten any new
you often.
subluxations, which would start
: You need to be patient.
But, to help you under 2. Helping your body help itself. the process all over again.
stand which priorities your This second phase o f treatment
body may select, your chiro- is very important. This is when By this time, you will obviously
practorwill want to know which your chiropractor corrects your know anil appreciate the ben
problem s developed first, subluxations, allow ing your efits of proper chiropractic care
which bother you the most and body to start making the neces And if you’re like most people,
whether any might be heredi sary repairs. Ligaments will be you want to make sure your
gin to tone up, muscles will friends and loved ones share the
tary.
start to provide support again same healthy advantage too.
Your diet and sleep habits and tissues will cleanse them
could be hindering. Anyone selves. You may find yourself Without drugs. Without sur
who smokes two packs of ciga more alert, less depressed and gery. Without question.
rettes a day can understand
why their lungs aren’t clearing
up. However, with proper diet,
2124 N.E. Hancock Street, Portland Oregon 97212
sleep and chiropractic adjust
ments, you can be sure you're
Phone: (503) 287-5504
Flowers' Chiropractic Office