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4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL November 9, 2016 O PINION It's time to make mental health a priority BY SUSAN JOHNSON For the Sentinel M any of us ignore physi- cal symptoms—an ach- ing tooth, a shoulder that locks up, early signs of diabetes or high blood pressure. Maybe we’re afraid of the dentist, don’t want to face possible surgery or don’t want to deal with medica- tions and lifestyle changes. We may also ignore signs of depression and other mental ill- nesses for a variety of reasons. We might feel mental illness is a sign of weakness or fear that friends, family, or employers would judge us or discriminate against us. Already, too many Americans experience preju- dice, discrimination, abuse and victimization based on a mental health diagnosis. And for too long, Americans paid for health insurance that did not recognize that treatment for mental health and substance use disorders is as essential as other medical treatment. It’s time for us to let people who are living with mental health conditions know that they are not alone, and that this administration is providing im- portant protections for people experiencing mental illness. A recent report from the Mental Health and Substance Use Dis- order Parity Task Force includes a series of new actions and rec- ommendations to ensure that insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disor- der services is comparable to— or at parity with—general medi- cal care because, just as with other illnesses, we can’t afford to neglect our mental health. Mental illnesses take huge tolls on individuals and society as a whole. The annual direct and indirect economic costs of mental illnesses in the U.S., particularly untreated mental illnesses, are estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dol- lars. Productivity and income are reduced, healthcare costs for other illnesses rise, and addic- tion, homelessness, and disabil- ity rates rise. Most importantly, individuals and families suffer. According to the most recent statistics, 43.4 million adults aged 18 or older experienced some form of mental illness in the past year, and the CDC proj- ects depression will be the sec- ond leading cause of disability worldwide by 2020. Though disabling when symptoms persist, depression is treatable, and most Americans greatly improve with treatment, services and recovery supports. Signs of depression include ex- periencing some of the follow- ing, most of the day, for at least two weeks: Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism Irritability Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities Decreased energy or fatigue Moving or talking more slowly Feeling restless or having trouble sitting still Diffi culty concentrating, remembering, or making deci- sions Diffi culty sleeping, early-morn- ing awakening, or oversleeping Appetite and/or weight changes Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts Aches or pains, headaches, Offbeat Oregon History ‘Father of Oregon Geology’ left his mark on the state — literally BY FINN J.D. JOHN For the Sentinel college teacher in state history. And yet, oddly, he fell into the profession almost by accident. Thomas Condon was born in Coun- ty Cork, Ireland, in 1922, and emigrat- ed to New York when he was 10 years old. When he came of age, he went off to seminary, and when he was 30, as a newly minted Congregationalist minister, he embarked with his wife, Cornelia, on a sailing ship for a jour- ney “around the Horn” to the Oregon Territory. They arrived in 1852. The young Reverend was not ini- tially very successful in his work. The church started him out in St. Helens, then moved him to Forest Grove, and then south to the Albany area. Noth- ing quite clicked. He was working long hours teaching and preaching; the congregations were small and slow-growing, and consequently so I f you’ve ever taken the National Parks Service tour of the Oregon Caves, you’ll probably remember the part where the guide points out a sta- lagmite covered with names, scrawled out on its creamy surface in the crabbed longhand style of the 1800s. The names are those of University of Oregon geology professor Thomas Condon and his students. And the stu- dents had journeyed all the way down to Cave Junction from Eugene — no mean feat of overland travel in those days — to learn about their state’s ge- ology fi rsthand. It was a classic Thomas Condon move, this fi eld-trip-with-the-whole- class thing. Condon was a true state treasure, and possibly the most gifted cramps or digestive problems without a clear physical cause and/or that do not ease even with treatment. Physical diseases like diabe- tes, arthritis, or heart disease can increase your risk of depression. Factors such as age, gender, eth- nicity, family history, major life changes, and where you live can also play a role in depression. Help is available. If you or someone you love exhibits signs of depression or another mental illness, the fi rst step is to get screened. In Oregon, you can call or visit Alcohol and Drug Help Line at 1-800-923-4357, Mental Health Crisis/Suicide at 1-800-273-8255, or Youthline at 1-877-968-8491 for assistance. For providers near you, visit Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administra- tion’s (SAMHSA) Treatment Services Locator, or call 1-800- 662-HELP (4357). Susan Johnson is the Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Region 10. was the Condon family’s income. But then, in 1862, gold was found in China Creek, setting off a gold rush in eastern Oregon and Idaho. All those hard-living miners needed spiri- tual guidance, and there wasn’t much holding the Condons back; so they followed the gold trail out to the wild new frontier, settling into The Dalles. It was there that Condon found his niche as a minister. At fi rst, there were only fi ve members of Condon’s Congregational church, and they met for services in the top fl oor of the courthouse, above the jail; smoke and sound fi ltered easily up through gaps in the fl oorboards, and on some Sunday mornings the rowdies in the hoosegow downstairs, just sobering up after an epic Saturday-night spree, would loudly sing along with the hymns using bawdy lyrics that they made up. Still, thanks in large part to the basic decency and humility of Condon himself, the church began to grow steadily. Now, Condon had always been a geologist and rockhound, fascinated with fossils. In The Dalles, his col- lection really started to grow. All the CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Cottage Grove City Hall: 942-5501. www.cottage- grove.org/ Cottage Grove Mayor Tom Munroe: 942-5501. Cottage Grove City Coun- cilors: Mike Fleck, At Large: 942- 5501 Kenneth Michael Roberts, At Large: 942-5501 Jake Boone, Ward 1: 653- 7413 125 East 8th Street Eugene, OR 97401 Phone: (541) 682-4203 Fax: (541) 682-4616 Oregon State House of Representatives: Rep. Cedric Hayden (REP) District: 007 900 Court Street NE Suite H-288 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: (503) 986-1407 Fax: (503) 986-1130 Email: rep.cedrichayden@ state.or.us Oregon State Senate: Jeff Gowing, Ward 2: 942- 1900 Garland Burback, Ward 3: 942-4800 Amy Slay, Ward 4: 942-5501 Lane County Commissioners: Sen. Floyd Prozanski (DEM) District: 004 900 Court Street NE Suite S-319 Salem, OR 97301-0001 Phone: (503) 986-1704 Fax: (503) 986-1080 Email: sen.fl oydprozanski@ state.or.us Faye Stewart, East Lane Commissioner Lane County Public Service Building miners knew of his interest, and when they stumbled across old bones and interesting fragments, they collected them for him. He also found time to go on expeditions of his own — often with Bible in one hand, rock hammer in the other. He also found that the best place to write his sermons was out in the beauty of Nature. During the Civil War, Condon’s enthusiasm for fossils and geology spread to the soldiers at Fort Dalles, who took to collecting specimens while on patrol. Condon, who dili- gently kept up with the news from the nascent national geology/paleontol- ogy community, recognized some of their fi nds as really signifi cant. So in 1865, he joined them on an expedi- tion of discovery, like Darwin on the H.M.S. Beagle. And it was probably at this point that his geology hobby really started competing with his avo- cation as a pastor. The expedition resulted in the dis- covery of the John Day Fossil Beds, one of the most productive sources of fossils from the early Age of Mam- mals in the world. Soon Condon was correspond- ing with the famous paleontologists of the day: Spencer Baird, Thomas Leidy, and of course the “Bone Wars” antagonists — Edward Drinker Cope and O.C. Marsh. He sent them speci- mens of his fossils to help them in their studies. Marsh actually undertook an expe- dition with graduate students into the John Day Fossil Beds with Condon, in 1871. But Marsh not only refused to return the specimens Condon lent him, but didn’t even name-check Con- don in the scientifi c articles he subse- quently wrote based on them; Marsh, it was clear, didn’t consider Condon to be a “real” geologist. But although Condon persisted in writing to request the return of the specimens (for de- cades!), he never showed resentment for the obvious disrespect. Meanwhile, Condon’s “hobby” continued to take over his life. He started traveling across the state giv- ing lectures on the fossil record. Condon’s status as a Congregational minister was an important part of the acceptance of these fossils, too; he Please see OFFBEAT, Page 10A Fight breast cancer with fl ax and chia seeds BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD For the Sentinel T he old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” best describes what our focus should be regard- ing breast cancer, which is the most com- mon form of cancer that affects women and the second leading cause of death for women af- ter heart disease. While a great deal of money and attention is focused on breast cancer aware- ness, it would make more sense to concentrate on preventing the disease from occurring in the fi rst place. There are nutritional strate- gies that are safe, easily imple- mented and have been proven effective in reducing the risk of breast cancer. Among the most powerful anti-cancer foods are fl ax and chia seeds, which are a rich source of lignans. Lignans have anti-estrogenic effects that $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM 116 N. Sixth Street · P.O. Box 35 · Cottage Grove, OR 97424 ADMINISTRATION: JOHN BARTLETT, Regional Publisher.............................. GARY MANLY, General Manager................942-3325 Ext. 207 • publisher@cgsentinel.com AARON AMES, Sales Repersentative...............942-3325 Ext. 216 • aames@cgsentinel.com TAMMY SAYRE, Sales Repersentative......... 942-3325 Ext. 213 • tsayre@cgsentinel.com SPORTS DEPARTMENT: SAM WRIGHT, Sports Editor...................942-3325 Ext. 204 • swright@cgsentinel.com CUSTOMER SERVICE CARLA WILLIAMS, Office Manager.................942-3325 Ext. 201 • cwilliams@cgsentinel.com LEGALS.............................................................942-3325 Ext. 200 • cwilliams@cgsentinel.com NEWS DEPARTMENT: JON STINNETT, Editor......................................942-3325 Ext. 212 • jstinnett@cgsentinel.com GRAPHICS: RON ANNIS, Graphics Manager (USP 133880) inhibit cell growth in breast tu- mors. Let’s take an in-depth look at lignans and why they are so ef- fective in combating breast can- cer: Plant lignans are one of the four classes of phytoestrogens (isofl avones, lignans, stilbenes, coumestans). Phytoestrogens are a group of chemicals found in plants that can act like the hormone estrogen. In particu- lar, lignans are structurally simi- lar to the main mammalian es- trogen, estradiol. Plant lignans are modifi ed by bacteria in the human digestive tract into en- teroligans. Enterolignans are structurally similar to estrogen and can bind to estrogen receptors. This ca- pability allows lignans to either have weak estrogenic activity or block the actions of estrogen in the body. For this reason, plant lignans are classifi ed as phy- toestrogens, and there has been much interest in the potential contribution of lignan-rich foods to reduced risk of hormone-re- lated cancers. It is important to recognize the role of healthy bacteria in this process, because antibiotics can destroy benefi cial bacteria in the gut, resulting in long-term reduction in enteroligans. Eating commercial meats expose us to antibiotics, as does the overuse and inappropriate prescribing of these drugs by physicians. Flaxseeds are the richest source of plant lignans, hav- ing about three times the lignan content of chia seeds and eight times the lignan content of sesa- me seeds. It is important to note that fl axseed oil does not contain lignans, because they bind to the fi ber. The other plant foods on the list have about one-tenth or less the amount of lignans as sesame seeds per serving. Flaxseeds (85.5 mg/ounce) Chia seeds (32 mg/ounce) Sesame seeds (11.2 mg/ounce) Kale (curly; 1.6 mg/cup) Broccoli (1.2 mg/cup) Enterolignans inhibits aro- matase7 and estradiol produc- tion in general, lowering serum estrogen levels. Plant lignans also increase concentration of sex hormone binding globulin, which blunts the effects of es- trogens. These benefi ts were documented when 48 post- menopausal women consumed 7.5 g/day of ground fl ax seeds for six weeks, then 15 g for six weeks — and signifi cant de- creases in estradiol, estrone, and testosterone were noted, with a bigger decrease in overweight and obese women. In a mouse model, a fl axseed diet (fi ve percent, 10 percent) shows dose-dependent inhibi- tion of breast tumor growth. Hu- man trials also confi rmed similar benefi cial effects. A double- blinded, randomized controlled trial of dietary fl axseed demon- strated dramatic protection. Women ate either a control muffi n with no fl ax seeds im- bedded, or a 25 g fl ax-contain- ing muffi n, starting at time of diagnosis of breast cancer for just 32-39 days until surgery. Tumor tissue analyzed at di- agnosis and then at the time of surgery demonstrated surprising benefi ts even in this short time frame. There was a signifi cant apoptosis (tumor cell death) and reduced cell proliferation in the fl axseed group in just the one month. Likewise, women eating more fl axseeds with a documented higher serum enterolactone were found to have a 42 percent reduced risk of death from post- menopausal breast cancer and a dramatic 40 percent reduction in all causes of death. Flaxseeds are clearly super foods; even with a mediocre diet they offer powerful protec- tion against breast cancer. An- other interesting study on fl ax followed women for up to 10 years and found a 51 percent re- duced risk of all-cause mortality and a 71 percent reduced risk of breast cancer mortality. In addi- tion, intake of dried beans was associated with a 39 reduced risk of all-cause mortality. En- dometrial and ovarian cancer have not been as extensively studied, but the few studies that have been conducted suggest a protective effect. Bottom line: don’t forget to take your ground fl ax seeds (or chia seeds) every day. When used in conjunction with dietary exposure to greens, onions, mushrooms and beans, dramatic reductions in the risk of breast cancer are possible. Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and a board certifi ed family physician specializing in lifestyle and nu- tritional medicine. The Eat To Live Cookbook offers over 200 unique disease-fi ghting deli- cious recipes and his newest book, The End of Heart Disease, offers a detailed plan to prevent and reverse heart disease using a nutrient-dense, plant-rich eat- ing style. Visit his informative website at DrFuhrman.com. 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