February 22.2012___________________
Portland O bserver B la c k H ÌStO iy M o n t h
Page 21
Leave a Legacy of Health, Not Just Wealth
For Your Health
T he current state o f our econom y
has raised questions about w hether
today's kids w ill be better or w orse
o ff than their parents. B ut, as a p h y ­
sician and father, I question w hether
they w ill be healthy enough to even
live lo n g er than their parents.
T oday, m ore physicians than ever
are treating children for "adult" d is­
eases like diabetes, hypertension
and ev en heart d isease. So, w e
should be equally con cern ed about
the future o f their health as w e are
about their w ealth.
T his B lack H istory M onth and
H eart H ealth M onth, I urge you to
start a fam ily legacy o f good health.
T he future o f our children depends
on it.
It's no secret that heart disease,
obesity and diabetes are taking a
toll on our fam ilies and o u r com m u-
D r . R ani
W hitfield
by
n itie s at a ra te
h ig h er than any
oth er ethnic gro u p in the country.
A nd it is m ostly preventable.
As a father to a six-year-old, I know
"Do as I say, not as I do" doesn't work
when kids are watching and mimicking
yourevery move. Therefore, as parents,
we have to take the first steps toward
building a healthy, active lifestyle for
ourselves, with hopes that our kids will
"do as we do."
C ontrary to w hat you m ight think,
tak in g those step s d o esn 't m ean
cutting out the things you enjoy.
D o in g that can actu ally lead to
w eight gain. T o be honest. I'm not
giving up m y favorite foods and
beverages, and n either should you.
It's really about m aking b etter d eci­
sio n s.
If your kids are jum ping around heart disease, diabetes and other
If you use tw o sticks o f butter in with their W ii gam e, join them. If d isea ses.
y o u r fam ous peach cobbler, use one they're playing tag in the backyard,
So this m onth, and y ear round,
o r a h ealth ier b u tter substitute. If be "it." O ne thing I love to do with my I'm taking a pledge, and I hope you
you use salt pork in collard greens, daughter is dance because it’s good w ill too: I pledge to leave m y d augh­
try sm oked turkey instead. If you exercise and lets us be silly together. ter w ith b etter health habits than the
love soda, try a low - o r no-calorie
L eaving a legacy o f good health generation before her. I w ill leave
version o r d rin k from a sm aller cup. doesn't have to be serious and b o r­ h er w ith less risk for heart disease,
A nother problem I often see in ing, so have fun w ith it.
diabetes and obesity. I w ill be active
m y practice is the idea that kids need
T his isn't a letter o f "shoulda, for her and w ith her. A nd I w ill m ake
to "clean their plate. " T his w as once coulda, w ouldas" because I under­ decisions that set her on the path to
a good rule, but now that we are stand food is a cultural and satisfy ­ good health for the rest o f h er life.
feed in g o u r ch ild ren ad u lt-sized ing experience. R ather, it is a c h al­
G o o d luck creating y o u r fam ily's
portions, it can be dangerous.
lenge fo r you to take inventory o f good health legacy for this genera­
W ith m y daughter, I allow h er to your fam ily's health habits and m ake tion and the next.
decide w hen she's full, clean plate or sm all adjustm ents that could bring
Dr. Rani G. Whitfield, known best
not, because kids are good at say ­ about big changes.
as "The Hip Hop Doc," is a board
ing w hen they've had enough. So,
Studies show that ju st a sm all certified family physician with a pri­
next tim e you sit dow n to dinner, put w eight loss can reduce the risk o f vate practice in Baton Rouge, La.
a little less on y o u r ch ild 's plate and
listen w hen they tell you they're full.
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am ount on y o u r plate, too.
Lastly, fam ily tim e shouldn't only
be TV tim e. G et up and be active
to g eth er.
FEATURING AN ALL AFRICAN-AMERICAN CAST
Dr. Billy R. Flowers (above center) and his skilled sta ff are ready to help those in need.
THE
SPINACOLUMN
TM
An ongoing series of questions and answers about America’s natural healing profession.
Part 24. Osteoarthritis: you needn’t be
frightened about a frightening problem anymore
: I have been having a lot has been found that pain and o steo ­ stre sse s. O u r c h ie f p u rp o se then
o f pain in m y neck. T he arthritis are both caused by the sam e is to re m o v e the stre ss o r irrita ­
doctor said that it w as o steo arth problem
ri­
. M echanical stress on the tio n fro m the jo in t (a n d n e rv e s)
tis and that I w ould have learn to bone and jo in ts is the biggest cause - n o t o n ly to re d u c e p a in 'b u t to
live w ith it. W hat is y our opinion? o f pain and also the cause o f that a llo w th e b o n e s to be as h e alth y
: A s y o u m ig h t k n o w , d eform ity o f the jo in t your doctor as p o ssib le as w ell. If yo u have
th e r e is
a tr e m e n d o u s calls osteoarthritis .
jo in t p a in , i s n ’t it tim e y o u
am ount o f health research going In C h iro p ra c tic w e e v a lu a te ste p p e d up to , e ffe c tiv e C h iro ­
on today M uch relates to the spine w h e re th e jo in t an d b o n e s are p ra c tic ?
and nervous system . Y ou m ight
ask your d octor if he has read the
latest study on osteoarthritis. T he
2124N.E. HancockStreet
study show ed that there w as no
correlation betw een the am ount
PortlandOregon97212
o f osteo-arthritis and the am ount
o f pain a person suffers. In fact it
Q
A
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