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Medical
Marijuana
Clinic Opens
in the Pearl
A medical marijuanaclinic has
opened in the Pearl district.
Portland Alternati ve Clinic, Inc.
is a family owned company that
provides patients an opportunity
to consult with its full time physi­
cian, Dr. Sandra Camacho, about
the legal medicinal use of mari­
juana.
The clinic specializes in caring
lor patients seeking alternatives
to traditional pharmaceutical and
surgical remedies.
As of April, nearly 39,000 Or­
egonians were registered medical
marijuana cardholders, according
to state statistics. About 6,000 of
th o se c ard h o ld e rs live in
Multnomah County.
April 27, 2011
End of Life Directives Differ by Race
Minorities more
willing to spend
all for cancer care
(AP) — Blacks and other minori­
ties with cancer are more likely than
whites to say they would spend
everything they have on aggres­
sive treatments that might prolong
their lives, a study found.
Researchers don't know why this
is so and didn't ask, but some think
it may reflect differences in beliefs
about miracles, distrust of doctors
among minorities, and a misunder­
standing of just how ugly and pain­
ful end-of-life care can be.
About 80 percent of blacks said
they were willing to use up all their
money to extend their lives, com­
pared with 72 percent of Asians, 69
percent of Hispanics and 54 percent
of whites.
The findings, published online
Tuesday by the journal Cancer, were
based on telephone surveys of more
than 4,100 people newly diagnosed
with lung and colon cancer. About
17 percent of the colon cancer pa­
tients and 31 percent of the lung
cancer patients were in the most
advanced stages of their disease.
Those two cancers were chosen
because they are comm on and
deadly when diagnosed in late
stages. Patients with breast or pros­
tate cancer — the most common
types in women and men, respec­
tively — were not included, and it's
unknown if their attitudes would
differ.
The cost of cancer care has
soared in recent years, with many
treatments priced at $ 100,000or more
som etim es adding only a few
months of life.
Final days under aggressive treat­
ment can be grim. Patients might
have tubes in the nose and down
the throat and be unable to eat or
talk. They may be in pain or barely
coherent.
The study asked: W ould you
want treatment that extended your
life as long as possible, even if it
caused you to go broke? Or would
you opt for less expensive treat­
ment that did not keep you alive as
long?
Researchers gave no examples of
what aggressive care could involve
— surgery or chemotherapy, for in­
stance — and did not specify how
much longer the patient might live.
The results revealed racial differ­
ences even when other factors were
taken into account.
For example, people with spouses
and children to support were gener­
ally less willing than single people
to exhaust their financial resources
for their own care. But among these
family people, blacks were the most
willing to go for broke.
The same racial pattern held re­
gardless of how sick patients were,
their income and savings, age, time
since diagnosis and how long they
thought they had left to live.
The study found blacks more
often had a "try it" attitude. That
seems to contradict previous stud­
ies that have indicated blacks have
a greater distrust of the medical
system.
But distrust could still be a factor.
Perhaps a higher proportion of mi­
norities worry that doctors might
withhold care from them, and so
they might be seeking the most ag­
g re ssiv e o p tio n s a v a ila b le ,
McCarthy said.
Faith may be another factor. The
study did not assess how religious
the participants were, but other stud­
ies have found that very devout
people tend to want and get life­
prolonging treatment.
I
Dr. Billy R. Flowers (above center) and his skilled staff are ready to help those in need.
THE
SPINACOLUMN
TM
An ongoing series of questions and answers about America’s natural healing profession
Part 15. Back Pain: Why “oh, my aching back”
has become such a popular phrase.
: I always know when my
back hurts. But I rarely know
ation. Fixation. This is yet another function the way nature intended,
component of what we call the ver­ we Chiropractors not only relieve
why.
tebrae are not moving the way na­ your back pain symptoms, we re­
: Statistics tell us 80% of all ture intended. Other factors include move the cause. Without drugs.
men. women, and children muscle spasm and disc herniation. Without surgery. Without doubt.
will experience back pain in their O f course, in addition to knowing Call our office for an appointment
lives. Chiropractors can also tell you have back pain, chiropractors today to find out how Chiroprac­
you why. There are, for example, also know how to make it go away. tic can help your “aching back.”
several mechanical malfunctions By eliminating the components of Or if you have any questions about
that cause back pain. Among them the subluxation complex and allow­ your health, just call us at the
are: Direct pinching on the nerve. ing the central nervous system to number below.
This is the reason many people
give for their back pain, but in fact,
“pinched nerves” only account
2124 N.E. Hancock Street, Portland O regon97212
for about 10% of it. Edema (swell­
ing) This occurs from inflamma­
Phone: (503) 287*5504
tion due to simple strain or sublux­
O
Flowers' Chiropractic Office
The King Farmers Market draws area residents with farm-fresh
produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, seafood and other
specialty foods.
King Farmers Market
Opens on Sunday
Portland Farmers Market, the
nonprofit operated by a small staff
and numerous volunteers, is get­
ting set for the season opening of
two of its neighborhood markets:
King Portland Farmers Market and
Buckman Portland Farmers Market.
Both markets are welcoming new
vendors and offering Fresh Ex­
change, the community-based nu­
trition incentive program hosted by
Portland Farmers Market. The pro­
gram provides a dollar-for-dollar
match (up to $5) to SNAP partici­
pants using their benefit cards to
purchase $1 tokens to spend on
fresh food at the market.
King Portland Farmers Market
kicks off its third season on Sunday,
May 1. The market will be open
Sundays from 10a.m. to2p.m .,near
the intersection of Northeast Sev­
enth Avenue and Wygant Street, in
the parking lot adjacent to King
School Park.
The Buckman Market reopens
on Thursday, May 5. Formerly called
the Eastbank Farmers Market, the
site will be open Thursdays from 3
p.m. to 7 p.m., at Southeast 20th at
Salm on, betw een Belm ont and
Hawthorne.