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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 1997)
June 17, 1997 SMOKE SIGNALS 3 Panic attacks? Panic disorder is the culprit Diabetic Support Group THURSDAY, JUNE 19 at 1 p.m. at the Community Center, Dr. Eric Webster, Dentist with the Grand Ronde Dental Clinic, will be speaking on diabetics and dental care, so please come to have all of your questions answered on this subject. Topic: FOOD & SEASONINGS. In the past the group has discussed different types of foods we eat and season ings that we use in flavoring our foods, so this month please bring a healthy seasoning or food and a not so healthy one. Example: sugar free soda is 0 calories and sugar, but regu lar soda is approximately 100 calories and 27 g. sugars. Nonstick cooking sprays are usually 0 calories and 0 so dium; while oils, fats, and margarine are approximately 50 calories and varies widely in sodium for 1 tsp. Other foods to consider are healthy soups versus Top Ramen or "healthy" snacks such as cookies or chips versus major brand snacks. (If you are comparing food labels, you might be surprised how close these food products are in calories, sugar, and sodium!) Please bring your favorites the more products we have the more surprised we'll be. For more informa tion, please call Tammy Garrison at 879-2017. Bandaid Brief . -JFV by Dr. Glen Gerritz, M.D. I High blood pressure needs W to be treated High blood pressure is said to be the "silent killer" be cause there are no symptoms until a stroke or heart attack occurs. If your blood pressure is consistently above 140 90, it is recommended that you seek treatment. Blood pres sure in the clinic or doctor's office is often higher than if it's taken in your home or a shopping center. A good in vestment is a blood pressure machine for your home, which cost about $40. Lifestyle changes that lower blood pressure are exercise, weight loss, decreasing salt and alcohol in our diet, and stopping cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Reducing stress programs and ending the hurried pace and urgency in our lives also is of benefit. There are hundreds of blood pressure lowering medica tions, many can be given once a day. The tried and true water pills (Diuretics) and beta blockers (Inderal and Toprol XL) lower blood pressure, reduce strokes and heart attacks, and death. A blood pressure pill called procardia decreases chest pain and lowers blood pressure and zestril. An Ace inhibitor lowers blood pressure and protects the kidneys in diabetes. Another blood pressure pill decreases the symp toms of a large prostrate. You don't know if you have high blood pressure (hyper tension) if you don't have it taken. Good places to have your blood pressure taken are Safeway, Fred Meyers, Payless, Wellness Screening Programs, and the Tribal Clinic. Our Tribal Clinic has two new staff persons: Barbara Troxel, Adult Nurse Practitioner, who will be at the Clinic every other Tuesday; and Bette Seagram, Family Nurse Practitioner. The Clinic staff consists of Mary Alice Duran, Clinic Component Administration; Glenn Gerritz, M.D., Medical Director; Marlene Groshong, R.N.; Sharon Herron, C.N. A.; Barbara Troxel, A.N. A.; Bette Seagram, F.N.P.; Jackie Provost, Receptionist; and Jerry Brandon, Medical Records. Please call us at 879-2002 or 1-800-775-0095. "TTmagine you are in an airplane, jetting across the United States. Suddenly, you have a sense that some- thing horrible is about to happen and you are power Ju. less to prevent it. Your heart is pounding. You have chest pains. And, you cannot seem to catch your breath. There is a tingling or numbness in your hands.. And, you just know you are going to die. In the United States, more than 3 million people will have this happen to them at some time in their lives. The place is unimportant. These symptoms can occur while a person is walking, driving a car, or riding in an elevator. If you have experienced any of these symptoms, you might have had a bout with a health problem called panic disorder. This disorder typically begins in young adulthood. But, older people and children can be affected. Women are twice as likely to have an attack as men. And, the first attack seems to take a person completely by surprise. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the unpredictability is one reason panic attacks are so destructive. Initial attacks can occur because of stress, from an overload at work, after surgery, an accident or an illness. Excessive use of caffeine can also trigger the at tacks. Some people never develop a problem after a panic attack serious enough to affect their lives. However, for some the attacks continue and can cause a lot of harm. People who continue to have these attacks can develop irrational fears called phobias. These phobias can cause people to avoid the situations they feel will initiate another panic attack. Then, their work might suffer because they are afraid to drive a car. Or relationships may crumble be cause the fears begin to rule the affected person and people close to them. Night time may also be disturbed because it is possible to have attacks in your sleep. The disorder may progress to a more advanced stage where a person becomes afraid of being in any place or situation that might be difficult to escape. This condition is called agoraphobia. This phobia can cause people to fear crowds, lines, shop ping malls, and most forms of transportation. Sometimes these people restrict themselves to their neighborhoods or homes. These people usually lead lives of extreme depen dency as well as great discomfort. But, early treatment can keep the disorder from progress ing to the mature stages where agoraphobia develops. And treatment can bring relief to about 70 to 90 percent of the people diagnosed with panic disorder. The NIMH said before undergoing any treatment for panic disorder, a person should undergo a thorough medical ex amination to rule out other causes. After the examination and it is determined that panic disorder is the culprit, re search has found a variety of treatments available. Medications or psychotherapy are the two most common treatments for the disorder. A combination of the two has produced the best results, according to the NIMH. Improvement is usually notice after about six to eight weeks. The combination treatment usually produces a low relapse rate. But if panic attacks re-occur, the person should not despair but rather re-seek help. Although the attack re occurred, most people are much better able to handle the problem after treatment. . Reprinted courtesy of Jerilyn Ross, M.A., LLCS. W., The Ross Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Inc., Washington, D.C. Adapted from Mathews et al., 1981. During a panic attack, some or all of the following symptoms occur: 0 Terror a sense that something unimaginably horrible is about to happen and one is powerless to prevent it. 0 Racing or pounding heartbeat 13 Chest pains 13 Dizziness, light-headedness, nausea 0 Difficulty breathing 0 Tingling or numbness in the hands 0 Flushes or chills 0 Sense of unreality 0 Fear of losing control, going "crazy," or doing something embarrassing 0 Fear of dying (D Remember that although your feelings and symptoms are very frightening, they are not dangerous or harmful. Understand that what you are experiencing is just an exaggeration of your normal bodily reactions to stress. Do not fight your feelings or try to wish them away. The more you are willing to face them, the less intense they will become. Do not add to your panic by thinking about what "might" happen. If you find yourself asking "what if?" tell yourself "so what!" (D Stay in the present. Notice what is really hap pening to you as opposed to what you think might hap pen. Label your fear level from zero to ten and watch it go up and down. Notice that it does not stay at a very high level for more than a few seconds. When you find yourself thinking about the fear, change your "what if" thinking. Focus on and carry out a simple and manageable task such as counting backwards from 100 by 3's, or snapping a rubber band on your wrist. Notice that when you stop adding frightening thoughts to your fear, it begins to fade. When the fear comes, expect and accept it. Wait and give it time to pass without running away from it. Be proud of yourself for your progress thus far, and think about how good you will feel when you suc ceed this time.
