Newspaper Page Text
14A
March 3, 2005
Living
SENIOR HEALTH FOCUS
Q: My husband had mini stroke several months ago. Does this
increse his chances of having a major stroke! B.G. Augusta, Gu
It could. According to
Harold McGrade, M.D.,
a board-certitied neurol
ogist who practices at
University, many people
expertence transient
ischemic attacks, also
known as TIAs or mini
strokes, before suffering
presents:
Journey toWéllness
ourney toHWellness
WEIGHT LOSS CLUBS
fl By Dr. Mary Harris
T - Losing weight and keep-
L mg it oft 1s a htetme challenge for
fu;v*.» . most of us, and with obesity at epi
“fi’ demxc. lc\:'la,_‘.xm.nng J\lrrcnn-"”"
a 2 Americans * shedding unhealthy
N ¥ pounds should be a prionity for
cvery man, woman and child in our
fcommunity. But how do we reach this goal? Going 1t alone
H\\ ithout a plan, basic information about good nutrition or out
“\uie support can make a difficult challenge even harder.
‘i\\ cight Toss clubs are an available option. But if you decide to
piom such a group, scrutimize and evaluate what they are real
1y otfening and how they can work for you.
é Weight Watchers s the grand old dame of weight
toss clubs. Its chummy meetings and group weigh-in sessions
t the standard for later groups like Nutri-Systems, Jenny
Crare and Quick Weight Loss chinics, among others. Each has
its own claims of effectiveness and shightly varied meeting
lormats. but one baseline 1s common, each requires member- ‘
tship with monthly dues that can take a real bite out of your ‘
income.
| When evaluating which club is best for you, consid
ter the following. First, can you afford the monthly dues? Will
:_‘.um schedule permit regular attendance at meetings? Do you
fwork well with group support or do you prefer one-on-one
E'nx-rrre!mu' Does the club have a heensed nutritionist on
tboard? Are you prepared to comply with the dietary restric
tions and allowances the club recommends? Are you prepared
ylo also begin a regimen ot exercise, as any weight loss pro
soram will surely fail without it?
' A further consideration 1s the (sometimes mandato
ylv) purchase of pre-packaged meals that many clubs sell to
Exhcn members. The convenience of these ready-made prod
pucts can't be dented. They himit caloric and fat intake in meas
tured portions and the variety of selections of entrees, snacks,
rand desert items s fairly wide. Eliminating the task of food
vshopping and preparation is a plus for folks on the go.
tHowever, it should be remembered that the very convenience
phese products offer puts them n the "fast-food" category,
Edwpl!c claims that may make you believe otherwise. Hence,
‘many of these meals contain preservatives and have extreme
iy high sodium contents, a major "no-no” for those with high
yor borderline hypertension and anyone else concerned about
iproper diet and nutrition. In addition, the monotony of weeks
tor months "eating from a box' may leave you (rightfully) long
!mg tor something fresh.
E [o my mind, the best of these clubs are ones that
tosser customized food plans tailored to your specific weight
tloss goals and your even more specific health and lifestyle
sprofile. Under the best circumstances, your customized food
tplan will be developed by a licensed health professional like
ta dietician, nutritionist, registered nurse, or physician's assis
ttant who will meet one-on-one with you at regular intervals to
Eus»css your progress and find solutions to any stumbling
!hlm‘ks. I'hrough this interaction you will lcarn to discern
good eating patterns from bad, and foods that nurture and heal
inguinst those that harm and destroy.
! An irrdi\idrrulizcd plan, by its very nnture, is less
tartificial and intrusive to the way we normally live. Most
Ermporuuu. it will encourage us to think of the changes we
make in our eating patterns less as a diet and more as a per
manent change to our overall approach to effective food
choices and healthy hving.
'
Always visit www.journeytowellness.com for
more important news about your health.
a major stroke. More
than one-third of the
people who have TIAs
will have a full-blown
stroke at some time.
Therefore, it's impor
tant for you to know the
warning signs of stroke
and TIAs and respond
quickly if they occur.
They include: sudden
numbness or weakness of
the face, arm or leg,
especially on one side of
the body sudden confu
sion or trouble speaking
or understanding speech
sudden trouble seeing in
one or both eyes dizzi
ness, sudden trouble
walking or loss of bal
ance or coordination
sudden severe headache
with no known cause.
(May be symptomatic of
a brain hemorrhage.)
According 1o Dr.
McGrade, strokes occur
when clogged or rup
tured blood vessels block
‘Wheelchair Gang’ keeps kids rolling
(NAPSI) — The basement of
the Erie Shriners Hospital is a
busy, noisy place. It's where
the Wheelchair Repair Unit
‘works its magic.
As the crew of volunteers
huddles around wheelchairs
and various wheelchair parts,
a spirited conversation can
usually be heard above the
noise of power drills, ham
mers and other tools.
Fixing and refurbishing
wheelchairs for the hospital’s
patients is a labor of love, said
Chuck Connell, coordinator
of the repair unit, or as they
call themselves, the “Wheel
chair Gang.”
“The children who use
these chairs are typical kids, in
that they can really be hard on
them,” Connell noted.
“However, we know that the
more work they create for us,
the stronger and more active
they are becoming.”
The Wheelchair Repair
Unit was launched in 1988.
The concept grew out of dis
cussions between William
Ducz, maintenance supervi
sor at thg Erie Hospital at that
Black Americans for life urges black community to stop abortion
WASHINGTON - In
recognition of Black
History Month, black
Americans for life is urg
ing all of those in the
black community united
to end abortion.
“As we take time this
month to celebrate the
triumphs of our African
American history, we
must remember that our
work is not yet finished.
We can only call it a day
when the civil rights of
our unborn children are
also protected,” said Day
Gardner, director of
blacks for life.
Abortion is the num
ber one killer of black
Americans. According to
AUGUSTA FOCUS
the flow of blood to the
brain. The immediate
medical goal is to remove
the blockage and restore
blood flow to the brain
as soon as possible.
Therefore, every minute
calints, "The sdlost
option for people experi
encing one or more of
these warning signs is to
call 911 or have a rela
tive drive them to an
emergency room imme
diately,” says Dr.
McGrade.
A clot-busting drug
called tissue plasminogen
activator, or tPA, may
dissolve the blood clot
and preempt brain dam
ume, and his friend Robert
Detzel, Past Potentate of the
Zem Zem Shriners of Ene,
Pa., and a member of the hos
pital’s Board of Governors.
Funding came from the
Zem Zem Shriners. As the
program grew, the hospital
budgeted money for the pro
gram, including tools and
equipment. It also donated a
computer that is used to keep
specific data about each
wheelchair, maintain detailed
repair records and generate
inspection checklists.
“The Wheelchair Repair
Unit is very proud of its
efforts,” noted Connell. “We
conduct annual safety inspec
tions of the chairs, repair seats,
backs, footrests and other
parts, adjust brakes, clean and
lubricate wheels and bearings,
and do whatever else it takes
to make sure the chairs are safe
for our kids.”
Currently about six retired
men, all Zem Zem Shriners,
work in the Wheelchair
Repair Unit. And as more
Shriners retire, more prospec
tive workers become available.
statistics from the U.S.
Center for Disease Con
trol, more African-
American babies have
been killed by abortion
during the past 31 years
than the total number of
American deaths from
all others causes com
bined.
“As we remember
Black History Month, |
ask every black man and
women to think back to
the hardship that we, as
a people, experienced
and endured first as
slaves and then as sec
ond-class citizens under
segregation. While we
worked to get closer to
realizing the American
age. However, tPA must
be administered within
three hours of the begin
ning of a stroke. “After
that therapeutic window,
tPA may increase the risk
of hemorrhaging,” Dr.
McGrade says. Tragically,
only about 5 percent of
people who could benefit
from tPA get to the hos
pital in time.
You are at increased
risk of stroke if you: suf
fer from high blood pres
sure, diabetes, heart dis
case or carotid artery dis
case are 55 or older have
a family history of
strokes are African-
American have suffered a
o
‘v: “fi -
;’,':W?
y
¢ L
' f'\ A r—
; A
| .
i ‘ o -
P /“ . 5
.d L * -»J—
Shriner Pete Schaaf is part of the Wheelichalr Repair Unit at the
Erie Shriners Hospital.
“We have a great time and we
know we are doing something
important for a group of very
special kids,” said Connell.
For more information on
Shriners’ network of 22 hospi
tals that provide medical care
and services totally free of
charge to children with
orthopaedic problems, burns
and spinal cord injuries, write
to Shriners International
Headquarters, Public Rela
dreams, we seem to have
forgotten about securing
the civil rights for all of
our people - because we
are overlooking our
smallest children,” stat
ed Gardner.
According to the Alan
Guttmacher Institute,
the abortion rate among
black women is more
than three times higher
than that of white
women.
“Last year, we hardly
even noticed as abortion
killed more than 400,00
black babies. We must
stand together, united
for life, with prayers to
end the killing of our
unborn black children,”
prior stroke or mini
stroke smoke cigarettes
have a high red blood
cell count.
Fortunately, many of
the risk factors can be
controlled if you quit
smoking, exercise and
watch your diet.
If you have a question
youd like answered in
this column, want more
information about heart
disease or would like to
order a FREE Women’s
HcartAdvamage() Infor
mation Kit, call Univer
sitys Meare Line at
706/828-2828 or toll
free at 866/601-2828.
tions Dept., 2900 Rocky
Point Dr., Tampa, FL 33607
or visit the website at
www.shrinershq.org. Treat
ment is provided to children
under age 18 without regard
to race, religion or relation
ship to a Shriner.
If you know a child that
Shriners can help, call 1-800-
237-5055 in the United States
or 1-800-361-7256 in Cana
da.
said Garder.
Black Americans for
life is an outreach of
National Right to life.
The National Right to
Life Committee is the
nation’s largest pro-life
group with affiliates in
all 50 states and over
3,000 local chapters
nationwide. National
Right to life works
through legislation and
education to protect
those lives threatened by
abortion, infanticide
and euthanasia.