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THE MERCER CLUSTER-FEBRUARY 18,1983-PAGE 7
FEATURES
Responsibility, Balanced Lifestyle
Prescription For Wellness
If Dr. Waddell Barnes, professor of
medicine and chairman of the depart*
ment of internal medicine at the Mercer
University School of Medkine, were
writing a prescription for wellness, he
would include only two primary direc
tions: assume full responsibility for your
own health, and arrange to have a
balanced lifestyle.
Wellness, according to Dr. Barnes’
definition, is the absence of any physical
or mental derangement, coupled with a
feeling of well being.
Dr. Barnes does not believe that the
responsibility for wellness lies with an
individual's physician. Nor does he think
that the Medical School which trains
physicians for the practice of medicine
should have the responsibility, except
for the training to combat disease.
"The physician of the future cannot
assume the paternalistic role of the old
family physician of other days who would
render advice on personal problems to
his patients," said Dr. Barnes. "Nor
would most of us allow anyone, the
physician included, to take charge of our
lives and tell us how to live them. The
responsibility falls squarely on our own
shoulders."
"Therefore," Dr. Barnes reiterated,
"the individual must face up to this
responsibility anc formulate a sensible,
no nonsense plan for living. It is all fairly
simple if we would do it - just about
what our mothers always told us to do,
but we did not listen."
Dr. Barnes recommends a lifestyle
which includes a delicate balance in all
facets - between work and recreation,
between exercise and rest, for example.
"All areas of one’s life should be
balanced," he said, "and trouble comes
if any facet is allowed to overshadow the
other and to dominate. Moderation is the
key — what is good and healthful in
moderation becomes bad and harmful if
permitted to dominate one’s life."
The human being has the animal
instinct for flight or fight when stressful
or potentially dangerous situations
occur, Dr. Barnes explained. "Neither
alternative is usually feasible or even
possible in most of our daily lives. We
can neither run away from our problems
nor use physical aggression against the
perpetrator of whatever confronts us.
"Therefore, we may develop an ulcer
or get hypertension unless we learn to
handle stress creatively and adequat
ely,” he said.
Exercise is the natural and normal way
to relieve the body of the ravages of
stress, according to Dr. Baines. "Consi
der the tired businessman after a long
day of difficult, problem-filled meeings.
He feels^ too exhausted and full of
tension to lift a finger. But if goes out
and plays a game of golf, he may be
completely refreshed and energetic. The
change of environment -- from the smoke
filled room to the open air - plays no
small part in relieving stress, along with
exercise," he said.
Fad diets come and go. and we will
probably always have vitamin takers
with us, the Medical School professor
belieives. "Here again balance and
moderation are the keys. A nutritionally
balanced diet, with moderate portions,
will promote wellness and vitamins will
not be needed.” he explained. He
mentioned that most vitamins are excre
ted from the body through the urine, and
added that "we have a lot of fish in the
Ocmulgec River who are full of
expensive vitamins taken by Macon
citizens."
On another subject Dr. Barnes is very
conclusive, however. He has no doubt
that the most important health change
that the general population could make
would be to stop smoking.
"Up to about 40 percent of cancer in
this country is due to smoking," he said.
"It has been concluded that the vast
majority of lung cancer is caused by
smoking. But this is not the only form of
cancer attributable to smoking. For
example, some of the carcinogenic
material from cigarettes gets into the
bloodstream and the body rids itself of it,
filtering chemicals into the bladder and
creating an increased incidence of cancer
of the bladder among cigarette smokers.
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are
other by-products for smokers."
Exercise, as everything else in the
balanced life, should be approached with
moderation. Certain fads in exercise also
occur from time to timp - from yoga to
aerobic dance — and the popularity of
health spas rises and falls, too. Dr.
Barnes said.
"The important thing is to develop
and maintain a life-long habit of regular
exercise which can^be incorporated into
one’s daily life," he explained. "Week
end or sporadic exercise will not do the
job, and may be dangerous."
Dr. Barnes believes that walking is
without a doubt the best overall form of
exercise. "It is easy; it involves a change
of environment; it costs nothing, it can
be done throughout one’s life."
As to jogging, he is not hesitant to
predict that those who jog will develop
foot and joint problems in later life. "It
may not show up for some years, but the
force of one's weight coming down
repeatedly mile after mile, year after
year, upon the soles of one’s feet will
ultimately create problems," he said. "1
realize this is not a popular position to
take, and that jogging enthusiasts will
not listen, but from a medical stand
point it is true."
He is aware that studies involving
marathon runners have shown a smaller
incidence of cardiovascular disease.
How«wer, Dr. Barnes said that a similar
study df normal thin persons (non-mara
thon runners) would probably show the
same results. And we can be assured, he
said, that no marathon runners are
overweight. Therefore, he looks with
some skepticism at these studies and
their results. "No study has yet shown
that those who jog have less cardiovascu
lar disease than the rest of the
population of similar body types." he
said.
On yet another subject, he is adamant
too. but does not expect that those
involved will heed his advice. "Over
exposure of the skin to sunlight is
harmful. The ever-popular fad of seeing
who can get the deepest sun tan the
earliest in the season is particularly
harmful, and studies show that skin
cancer can result. Here again, modera
tion is the key - sunlight within itself is
good and healthful, but over-exposure is
dangerous."
The explosion of self-help books on the
market today is encouraging. Dr. Barnes
thinks, and indicates an increasing
interest in people's taking charge of
their lives, and he sees this as a good
sign.
Dr. Barnes also has a definite opinion
about the annual physical examination.
"For the most part, with healthy
individuals who have no symptoms of
illness, the annual physical is unneces
sary," Dr. Barnes believes. "Above the
age of 55. however, there is some merit
in having annual physicals.''
The Mercer School of Medicine was
one of the sponsors of the Health Fair
which featured a theme of wellness in
1982.
Cape Cod Summer Job Opportunities
BARNSTABLE. Mass. - The resort
areas of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and
the offshore islands of Martha’s Vine
yard and NantuckeTare experiencing a
growing problem in finding summer
employees to properly service a rapidly
expanding tourist and convention indus
try.
While seasonal jobs will be scarce
elsewhere this summer. Cape Cod and
the Islands will be offering over 55.000
good summer jobs in 1983.. Most require
little or notprior experience.
Because it is impossible to fill these
jobs with local residents, most of whom
make up the year 'round work force, it is
necessary to draw heavily from other
geographic areas to satisfy this seasonal
need. ^
As in the past several years, the Cape
Cod Summer Job Bureau has coordina
ted an effort to assemble all perinent
facts on available summer employment
and has published this information in a
concise directory of summer job oppor
tunities listing over 100 categories, some
of which follow:
Lifeguards, swimming instructors,
beach maintenance, camp counselors,
craft instructors, island fen* crews,
deep sen fishing party boats, scenic
railroad crews; yacht clubs, marina
work, sailing instructors, charter
cruises, scuba diving, salvage work,
etc.; resort hotels, food service, restau
rants, culinary, bartenders, waitress/
waiter,
Also, summer police (uniformed),
security guards; groundswork, pmDerty
maintenance, greenskeeping; carpentry,
house painting, tennis and golf instruc
tors; tutoring, governess, live-in help
ers. etc.; summer stock theatre, stage
hands, musicians, band members: retail
sales**- gift and antique shops; museum
and aquarium staff; airport personnel.
Also, taxi drivers and chaffeurs;
hospital work, nurse's aids, etc.; auction
houses; kiosk rentals for selling, own
crafts; fast food &. bakery personnel;
fishing and shellfish industries; news
paper work (circulation, etc.); and
secretarial/clerical positions.
Hiring has already started in many job
categories.
The sole function of the Cape Cod
Summer Job Bureau is to make available
the names and addresses of local
employers who hire extra summer help,
with job descriptions and numbers of
employees needed in each category, and
a useful cross-reference map of the area.
The Job Bureau irTTot an employment
agency, and therefore charges no fees to
employers or employees.
Included in the directory is a listing of
summertime educational opportunities,
academic courses for college credit, as
well as cultural classes in music, theatre,
and the arts.
For a copy of the 1983 Directory send
$2.00 to cover first class postage and
handling to: Cape Cod Summer Job
Bureau. Box 594, Barnstable. MA 02630.